sweet treats

december was full of sweets AND treats.  sure, we had our fair share of cookies - thank you to the annual family and friends cookie exchange.  I am grateful to all of the talented bakers for sharing a dozen of their scrumptious cookies with me...twelve dozen to be exact. wow, my growing waistline really didn't need all of those extra calories, but they were delicious!

buggy concurs.


we were also treated to miles' first sunday school program. this pregnant momma had a few tears in her eyes as I watched my first born stand in the middle of all those little faces and sing every word to Get Ready for the Baby! and Comfort Comfort Everyone. 

little brother waiting for the show to start.

he is transforming into a little boy right before our very eyes and we are incredibly proud of him.


the "cousins in matching pjs picture" speaks for itself.  sweet as can be!


the week before christmas we were treated to a sing-a-long concert by JaNeal's Joy.  the kids at miles and henry's daycare all performed for the residents of a local care facility. they have done this for decades and we are so blessed that our children get to be a part of this legacy.  they all decorated sweatshirts for the big event and wore them proudly.  it was heartwarming to see the residents' faces light up when the little ones came marching in ringing bells and singing Jingle Bells (or JingER Bells if your name begins with H and ends with Y).

miles was a little shy when it came to the microphone, but he perked up for the singing and belted out each song and cute little rhyme.  henry bug loved the microphone and did a stand-up job of remembering the lyrics to all of the songs...not too shabby for a 23 month old.

at the end of the show, the kids go around and wish all of the residents a merry christmas and shake their hands. henry was all into it.

but my shy-boy was slightly more hesitant.  he shadowed a bigger, braver friend for a few handshakes and then got up the courage to do it himself.  he is growing.

of course, the residents wouldn't let us come and perform without being treated to a slew of yummy cookies and punch.  yes we will eat sweet treats bigger than our faces. thankyouverymuch.

our phenomenal and very special daycare provider, JaNeal...she is a gem!
one of the most anticipated treats of the holiday season had nothing to do with frosting or sprinkles and everything to do with "the ranch."  every christmas, janeal rents out the lodge at a local campground and throws a magnificent holiday party.  there were two-horse open sleigh rides...complete with a chorus of carols.

a slew of DE-licious potluck goodies were waiting for us after we finished the sleigh ride, not to mention a steamy glass of apple cider...it certainly was chilly out. 

the kids all ran up the stairs to get ready for the program as the moms, dads, grandmas, and grandpas rearranged the chairs to get a good view of the little singers. it was quite a sight as they all came marching down the grand wooden staircase in costume.  henry was thrilled to be a little shepherd. miles, on the other hand, had told us that he was going to play joseph.  I was a little surprised to see that he was in fact a shepherd.  about ten minutes into the program we found out why.
miles: but JaNeal, I was supposed to be joseph.
janeal: oh, but when we were getting dressed you said you didn't want to be joseph. you can be joseph next year, ok?
miles: hmmph
the look on his face clearly shows his regret in that backstage decision. bummer dude.

the rendition of little drummer boy was precious. all of them held their sticks on their laps ("put on your seat belts!" janeal said) and then drummed along with their fearless leader, janeal.  impressive.

the costumes came off during intermission and after a few adorable songs about santa...

...the big guy himself showed up!  our boys haven't had a lot of encounters with mr. claus. we have seen him from afar, sang hundreds of verses of santa claus is coming to town, and met him in years past, but we have no quintessential mall santa photo in our repertoire. disappointing, I know.  so kyle and I were both curious as to how our boys would react to the big man in red.  drum roll please...

no tears!  could these be my children?  I had an insane fear of santa when I was a little girl and was pretty traumatized by those first few meetings.  I was ecstatic when they both smiled at him and then turned to us and said "it's santa!"  henry's tune changed rather quickly when he was asked to sit on santa's lap and open his present. cue daddy.

once he realized that he was getting an actual gift, he looked up and said "thank you santa!"  thatta boy.

miles was brave. he marched up there, perched himself on santa's knee and answered all of his corny questions.  present earned.

janeal is an angel on earth. we are incredibly blessed to leave our children in the care of someone who truly loves our boys. she snuggles with them, prays with (and for) them, hugs them, plays with them, and tells them that she loves them. the peace of mind I have when I drop them off each morning is priceless and when I hear "mommy, I just love going to janeal's house" - my heart is warmed. now THAT is a sweet treat.