Christmas in Comfort

We spent our Thanksgiving in Comfort this year with my Dad & Sherry.  This is our second year in a row to go there for the Thanksgiving weekend and I am pretty sure I want to make it a tradition....that is if it is ok with them :)  The weather was perfect... cool and sunny during the day and VERY cold at night.  Perfect for making smores by the fire which is exactly what we did!  It is so beautiful there and the kids loved exploring.

On Friday Rylee, Sherry (aka Nanny) and I went to see the new Disney movie "Tangled".  It was SOOO good.  Rylee has showed signs of boredom the last few movies we have taken her to but not this one.  She was glued the whole time.  After that, we all went to Singing Water Vineyards and did a little wine tasting.  It is a small vineyard but the property is amazing and I got some cute pics of the kids.  

Of course we can't visit Comfort without seeing Jenny the donkey and the sheep.  Jenny is NOT shy at all and likes to run straight for you in hopes that you have some apples for her.

 Jenny will run right at you even if you are in the car just driving on the main road!

Then there was the main event... Christmas in Comfort.  It is amazing how many people come to little ole Comfort just for this event.  It is shopping and festival during the day and a parade at night.  The kids loved seeing all the floats with Christmas lights on them but I think it may be a little easier in another year or two when Parker isn't wanting to get down and be apart of the actual parade! 

 Rylee insisted that I get her these butterfly wings.  She wore them the rest of the weekend!

 Parker didn't really want to sleep much while we were there... as you can tell he was exhausted. :)

Thanks Nanny & Poppy for letting our little tornado of a family come visit :)  Even more thank you for loving Tucker so much and letting him visit for so long.  He says he misses you already!

For the past 10 years or so Sherry & my Dad have been getting me pieces to a Lenox nativity scene.  This year they gave me the final figures so now it is complete.  Anyone who has seen it knows how special it is to me and how I will threaten you with your life if you get too close ;)  I think it is beautiful and will pass it down to Rylee when she gets a family of her own one day.

 When we returned home we had a visitor waiting for us!  Rylee spotted her "Elf on the Shelf" that she met for the first time last year and named Bizzle.  He comes each year to watch over the kids and report to Santa if they are naughty or nice. He flies to the North Pole each night and appears somewhere different in our house each morning.  So fun!  By the way Rylee has been very quick to tell us what Parker is doing bad when we mention Santa watching over her.  "Well Parker hit me today".

We also brought something or should I say someone else home from Comfort....yep you guess it!  TUCKER dog is back.  We missed him so much but I am already reminded of why he needed to go on a vacation to begin with ;)  He likes to bark at absolutely nothing even though in the new house he can't see out the front door.  Parker is REALLY interested in Tucker.  He will walk up to him and actually growl.  He has already dumped his water bowl twice and chases him around with anything he can waving it at him. Hopefully Tucker is smart enough to stay out of his way ha ha.  We really are happy to have him back home. We have worked out a little custody arrangement with my Dad & Sherry so he will be taking another "vacation" later in the year.

Rylee has been really into music lately.  She has always loved it actually but now she will go in her room and play her cd's or even the radio and just play and dance.  Parker even likes going to "club Rylee" and dancing.  It is a daily event at our house.  Her favorite right now is Alvin and The Chipmunks Christmas.  I have Chipmunks singing in my head all day now! ;)

We are going to see "The Grinch" this weekend at The Hobby Center.  I am SOOOO excited to go do something like this with Rylee.  I hope we get to do some sort of Christmas play each year and make some awesome memories!!!

15 months!

Happy 15 month Birthday my sweet boy.  You are the most handsome, loving, funniest guy I know ;)  You have brought so much joy to us in the past 15 months and I am so very happy to be your mommy.  You call me "mom" which is a little mature for a 1 year old but I will take it.  I could eat you up!

Parker had his 15 month check up today. He is right on track with his speech and milestones and is in the 75th % with weight, height and head circ. Very healthy aside from a little weather related eczema which he has had since birth. He only had 1 vaccine but also got a flu shot.  Tough guy only cried for 5 seconds tops.  He is saying "hello, mom, dada, uh oh, that and trying to say hot dog".  He shakes his head yes and no however I think he has them backwards.  He likes watching Mikey Mouse and starts dancing and clapping when it comes on.  He also claps when he is trying to tell you that he wants something. He gives the best hugs and kisses and loves being held.... ALL THE TIME.  He shovels food into his mouth as fast as he can.  I gave him a slice of cheese and the whole entire thing was in his mouth in 2.5 seconds.  He loves eggo waffles, pancakes, mac and cheese, bananas, blueberries and cheddar cheese.  OH and his very favorite thing is milk!  He would drink 36oz a day if you let him.  He hasn't gotten any more teeth lately.  Still only the top four and bottom four.  They are closing in quite nicely and looking like he will have a great smile just like his big sis. 

Rylee had her Thanksgiving Feast at school this week and I was able to go up there and eat with her.  Her class dressed up as Pilgrims and Indians.  When she got home she said "Dad, look at me, I am a Pil Graham".  :)  We have been trying to talk about things that we are thankful for and to be appreciative for what we have.  Of course she thought I was speaking of material things like Barbies, and Polly Pockets!!!  She is only 4 I guess ha ha

We have decided to go up to Comfort for Thanksgiving this year.  We are REALLY looking forward to it.  It is so relaxing there and of course we get to see Tucker whom we haven't seen since August.  I wonder if he will recognize us???   We are bringing him home with us that Sunday.  He is going to have a rude awakening after living in luxury with my Dad and Sherry, roaming the land, chasing deer and being treated like a Prince.  Now he has a new home he has never been to before and a little boy (who was not walking last time he saw him) who will be chasing him 80% of the day.  OH Tucker will just be thrilled.  He will probably gain back any weight he has lost too since most of Parker's food ends up on the floor.  Hey, I will have my own little vacuum cleaner back!!!  We really have missed him and are looking forward to having him home. :)

Happy Halloween

Well Halloween has come and gone already.  The month of October felt more like 2 weeks.  We have had so much going on between the move and all the fall festivities.  We finally are getting settled in our new house and we are really happy with it.  I think the kids love it too!  Hopefully we will be totally unpacked by Christmas ;)  The kids had a great Halloween week.  They had a fall carnival at school and got to wear their costumes, eat pizza, play games, ect.  The day before Halloween The Rentfro's had a Halloween party and we got all the kids together and in costume for the first time since they were babies.  We have doubled in the amount of kids in our group since then!!!  The kids decorated pumpkins, played pin the face on the pumpkin and jumped in the bouncy house.  Even Parker was able to partake in the fun this year. Thanks to Joe and Ursula for having us all over and making great memories :)  Halloween night we went trick or treating in our old neighborhood.  The kids were exhausted by the end of the night.  Rylee's aunt Kay Kay aka McKenzie came over to help and ended up carrying "Princess Rylee"  down the last street because her feet hurt.  Parker went up to a few doors but we put him in his stroller after he tried to go in someone's house.  ha ha

Cinderella

Mr. Skeleton

Will, Reid, Matt, Cooper, Cole, Rylee, Addi & Parker

Great pic of Daddy & JP

getting ready to trick or treat

Rylee & Ferri (our neighbor)

Rylee trying to have a boot on like mommy!

Parker is really trying to communicate with us.  He points at things and  says "that" and also has little gibberish conversations with us.  He also growls at us.  SUCH A BOY.  Not sure that Rylee has ever growled ;)  She is helping out so much with her little brother.  So motherly and affectionate.  I am super glad they will have each other growing up and throughout their lives.  They will always have the other one's back.  Speaking of... Rylee got in trouble the other day and I put her in time out.  Parker walked up to her and gave her a huge hug.  It was SO amazing and brought a tear to my eye.  Sweet sweet baby boy!!!