Our 2011 Christmas

What a busy time, as usual, our Christmas was this year. We did so many things, we have been hard pressed to find the time to put it all on this blog. But we'll try to sum it up here. We started back in early December when Brendan and Mommy attended an Arts and Crafts event with Santa Claus with the Whitlock family. There, Brendan was brave enough to sit on Santa's lap for the first time. He also made his very first gingerbread house--while consuming enough candy to decorate at least 2 more. He was off the wall!


Brendan's First Gingerbread House:



Next came a trip to a St. Charles church where we attended an interactive nativity scene, also with Jessica and Josie Whitlock. It was called Journey to Bethlehem, and was such a neat experience. We watched a play of the Christmas Story, and were then led on an outside adventure that replicates Mary and Joseph's journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem. It was so neat to be able to put some actions to the stories we've been trying to explain to Brendan. Though I still think he is too young to understand it all, I think we've started a new annual tradition that will be essential in his understanding of the reason we celebrate Christmas. And he loved walking along with Josie, watching all of the actors, and seeing all the animals. Plus, it concluded with cookies and hot chocolate....how can you top that?! (If interested, here's a website that explains the Journey to Bethlehem Event in case you'd like to attend next year: http://stcharles.fox2now.com/news/arts-culture/48674-journey-bethlehem-interactive-nativity-scene )


Ready for the Journey to Bethlehem (this wagon did not make it in):





Josie and Brendan checking out one of the many animals along the walk:





Josie and Brendan listen intently to the actors:





The next night was parents' night out where we had our annual Christmas get together with some of our friends. We went out on the town on Main Street St. Charles with the Rodgers, Whitlocks, Chris & Michelle, then for some breakfast (and a snooze--hee hee) at the Waffle House. It's always a good time to catch up with our friends...and for some good, quality adult party time. We look forward to it every year.



Let the Party Begin!





Mandy, Jessica, Melissa, and Michelle:





We were able to make some time to celebrate Christmas with our nephew, Jaxon, just a little before the holiday weekend. The boys are getting so big, and we don't get them together nearly enough. But they don't seem to miss a beat. They jumped right into playing as soon as we walked in the door. It's amazing how many similar personality traits they have. And they definitely have some unmistakably similar physical features as well: the eyes, the light hair. While the boys played, we were able to catch up with each other, and Mommy made some homemade chicken and dumplings: a favorite.



Not the greatest pic, but you can tell how Brendan & Jaxon look alike:




Uncle Danny and Aunt T:




Present Time!





And then came the actual holiday weekend. Christmas Eve we spent most of the day at Papa Pelhanks. As always, too much food was consumed along with a full array of Mommy's Christmas cookies. We left the Pelhanks in the early afternoon, to attend the Christmas Eve Service at our church with Aunt T and Uncle Danny. Then, we were on our way to Aunt Karen's for the Zervas Family Christmas. We ate...again, and played what seems to now be our annual game of Rob Your Neighbor. After such a long and busy day we headed home to prepare for Santa. Brendan had his bath, we set out cookies and milk, and lay out reindeer food to attract the reindeer to our house.



CJ, Erin, Amy, & PaPa Pelhank pose by the Christmas tree:




Brendan and Aunt T:





Brendan tries out his new bow (Thank you Uncle Danny & Aunt T!):





NaNa, Aunt Jess, and Mommy (Do you think they are related?):





Aunt Lilly & Uncle Shane:





BawBaw & NaNa:





Mommy & Daddy:





Laying out the reindeer food:




Unfortunately, we seemed to have overdone it for Brendan on Christmas Eve, because the boy slept until 11:00 on Christmas Morning! Mommy and Daddy were able to make--and eat--breakfast, prepare food for Christmas dinner, and do the dishes all before the little man woke up. Once awake, the rush was on to try and get all of his presents opened before we made our way to the Cole house for Christmas Day celebration. Rush, rush, rush but we made it in time. We enjoyed another feast at the Cole house, watched the Polar Express (one of Brendan's new movies), and had more cookies, fudge and candy.



Now you see why we had to rush Brendan through opening presents. Santa must have thought he was a good boy for him to get all of these!





Belle loves Christmas surprises, too:





One happy boy on Christmas morning:






Posing with Daddy:




Aunt Jess & Brendan:




"Mmmmm. My new perfume smells nice." -Mommy:





One of Brendan's many funny faces. We're so proud!:




Upon leaving the Cole house on Christmas Day, it marked the end of our busy, busy Christmas season for this year. Though chaotic at times, we really wouldn't have it any other way. It's such a blessing to have most of our friends and family in town, and to be able to share such a wonderful reason for celebration with so many. And as we are already a few weeks into what's sure to be another busy year, we wish all of you blessings of joy and fellowship in 2012. And to those we were not able to celebrate Christmas 2011 with... MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Halloween Time

This Halloween we had a lot going on. Earlier in October we were able to make our Annual Pumpkin/Apple Picking at Eckert's. We were joined by PaPa Pelhank & Amy, Aunt J'me & Jaxon, BawBaw & NaNa, Aunt Lanie, as well as Uncle Shane & Aunt Lilly. A full house! The boys dressed up in their Halloween costumes. Brendan got a kick out of Jaxon's guns & played with those things through the entire location. The boys were big enough to ride the rides together, which they both really enjoyed. And we got some awesome pumpkins.



Jaxon the cowboy, and Brendan the penguin:




The gunslingin' Pelhank boys:




Can you tell the sun was in our eyes?




Probably my favorite picture of these 2 to date. Waiting to take a ride on the mechanical airplanes:







Brendan got a kick out of his tiny apple:




He was so proud of his pumpkin "carving." He picked out all the pieces:




Ryan left a little later than usual for his annual hunting trip so he was able to attend our cousin Brandy's Halloween party for the first time. Mandy and Brendan always try to dress in theme, and this year was no exception. Brendan was a penguin (he is really into Happy Feet right now) and Mommy was an Eskimo. But we had to come up with a last minute costume idea for Daddy. We put our heads together (& got a few outside help with ideas--thanks, NaNa) & came up with an ice fisherman. It turned out pretty awesome, even if we do say so ourselves. So good in fact, that we won the costume contest as the Ice Family.




Just before Halloween we had a major issue with our sewer system. We had a pipe collapse under our yard, and had to have a trench dug out to have it replaced. And can you guess what day they were able to make it out to do the work? Oct 31! So with a gaping hole at least 15-feet down, running from our front porch to almost the street, we left to go trick-or-treat. But we were excited that Daddy was able to attend trick-or-treating for the first time. For the second year in a row we joined our friends, the Whitlocks, for their busy subdivision-wide trick-or-treating event. The kids had so much fun together. Brendan's best friend, Bobbie, was even able to come. The kids hopped in and out of the wagon as we went door-to-door. And Ryan got to witness the massive amount of trick-or-treaters that come around that neighborhood.


Our sewer chaos:








From left: Bobbie, Josie, & Brendan. "Trick-or-treat!"



Kelly (on left) and Leanna:




The most adorable Elmo ever!




A penguin on a motorized car???

Busy Fall

We have been quite the busy bees already this fall. Thought we'd catch everyone up on a few of the recent events. First, Brendan is potty trained! We had tried a number of months ago, but his body just wasn't ready for it. Rather than stress him out (and risk many unnecessary arguments) we decided to give it a rest for a few months, and try again later. We did and this time it was a HUGE success. In 2 days we had a big boy on our hands! What a relief: especially for our pocket book as we no longer need diapers (phew!)

Second, we have a new sister-in-law! Mandy's brother, Shane, got married to Lilly on October 1st. It's been a long time coming. They have been together nearly as long as Ryan and I have. I think my mom described it best when she said the day didn't have the feel of a wedding so much as a celebration of Shane and Lilly. In other words, we've felt that Lilly was a part of our family for years. We just finally got the chance to celebrate it. And what a celebration it was! The wedding & reception were at Faust Park's Butterfly House. All of us were in the wedding party: Ryan-a groomsman, Mandy-a bridal attendant, and Brendan-a ring bearer. We laughed, cried, and danced the night away. We are so excited for Shane and Lilly, and were so honored to be a part of their special day. Wish we had more pics of this but we left most of that up to the professional. We did get a few of the guys getting ready, though.

And thirdly, we just got back from our annual camping/fishing trip. This year (& I'm pretty sure every year from here on out) we went to Bennett Springs, MO for trout fishing and good times. This is one weekend a year where we all get away for the weekend--no kids allowed--for a chance to kick back with some of our best friends and family. The last couple of years have been pretty unlucky when it comes to the fishing: last year there didn't seem to be many trout stocked, and 2 years ago we had issues with flooding. But thankfully, that was not the case this year. Ryan and I both made out pretty well. You might even say that Mandy outfished her husband...if you want to get petty (hee hee). We were joined by our friends: Dave & Jessica, Melissa & Nick, Michelle & Chris--and Michelle's sister, and Chris's friend. We also were so excited that our sister and brother-in-law, Tory & Danny, were able to make it for the first time. As always, we had a blast. Wish we had more pictures to prove it, but we kind of forgot about the camera most of the trip. We did get some good pics of a fun game of wiffle ball that Dave decided to break out.

And, our fall has only just begun. We've got a number of other things coming up soon: Eckert's pumpkin picking this weekend, Ryan's big hunting trip, and Halloween. So be expecting more posts (and pics) if we can find the time to get them on here. As always, thanks for keeping up with us. And taking the time to check out our blog.




The groom, 3 of his 4 groomsmen (someone had to take the picture), and a ring bearer:




The cutest ring bearer you ever did see:





Bustin' out the wiffle ball at Bennett Springs:






Spank Fish time!

Jamaica

Our highly anticipated trip to Jamaica has now come and gone, and as we think back on the trip, we are so grateful to have been able to share it with our good friends: Dave & Jessica Whitlock, Michelle Cabral, and Chris Klenke. We had such an amazing time! We won't bore you with too many of the details, but if you'd like us to relive any of our vacation moments, come see us and we'd love to share. If you've never been to Jamaica, it is well worth it. We went there for our honeymoon (then, to the Couples Resort in Ocho Rios) and were so pleased that we had to come back. This time we stayed at a new resort in Montego Bay called Secrets St. James. The resort was absolutely amazing. It was beautiful, the people were so nice and helpful, and the food was to die for!
While in Jamaica, we did participate in a few excursions. We went to the Appleton Rum Factory, a shopping trip into town, deep-sea fishing, and a place called the Luminous Lagoon. Though we have no photo evidence of this final excursion, it was by far the most memorable. The Luminous Lagoon is a place were the warm fresh waters of the Martha Brae River meet the salt water of the Caribbean. In this habitat a rare microbe (a dinoflagellate) lives. The constant movement and flowing of the river causes the microbes to move and glow with a neon-blue color. As you witness fish swimming in this habitat their movement glows like shooting stars. It is such an amazing, and almost indescribable act of nature. The coolest part: after a tour of the area, and witness to this spectacle, we got to jump into the waters ourselves! It was so fun to watch how the water would glow in our wake as we would splach, kick, and swim. SO cool. (To learn more about this, check out this website: http://www.jamaicans.com/tourist/articles_travel/JamaicaLuminousLagoon.shtml)
We had such a great time on this trip. And Ryan and I got to reconnect, which was much needed and overdue. Our work schedules leave us with little time for ourselves to do even simple things like have conversation, so this week away from our little man (and the monotony of everyday life such as work and chores) was a blessing. Thank you to NaNa and BawBaw for watching Brendan for us for an entire week to make this possible. We are so grateful, and feel like entirely new people ready to handle what lies ahead. Or at least for another 5 years when it will be vacation time again :)


View from the balcony:





Ready for dinner: Mandy, Ryan, Chris, Michelle, David, & Jessica:







On the swing-up bar:





Hotties ready for the beach:





Chris's catch, deep-sea fishing:






On the bus for the shopping excursion:






The gang at the Appleton Rum Factory:






In the aging house, posing with some rum barrels: