Silly Mayzie...

As you all know, getting a good picture of 4 kids is not easy!  I had to laugh at these, though, because it was ONE child that hard to get looking "right" in the picture, and not the one you would think.  The 2 oldest kept their smiles and looking at the camera, and even the BABY did pretty good... but it was my silly Mayzie that is different in every picture!  But we did finally get a keeper!

Grandpa and Grandma C. visit and Brick's blessing!

 Joe's Mom and Dad came to see us the week after Christmas!  It was wonderful to have them come, and get to meet the new little one.

 While they were here, we blessed Brick at church.

(In our church, we don't baptize babies, but we give them a blessing to start out their life.)

 Brothers!

 At church after Brick's blessing

 Some of the first smiles caught on camera

 Mina lost her top front tooth that day too!

 Some game playing

 Grandma helped Mina to sew a doll on her new sewing machine, her name is Melody.

Twas the night before Christmas...

 Since we have been on our own for Christmas the past 2 years, we have decided to savor it a bit more, especially when it come to the gift opening.  We open a few gifts the week of Christmas, and a few Christmas Eve, and then take our time Christmas morning.  Some of the Christmas Eve pictures are below.

 One of the best things we did Christmas Eve was to go caroling at a nursing home.  It's a tradition of our friends and they invited us to go with.  The kids enjoyed it and it really helped bring the Christmas Spirit!  Here is a picture with the kids at the nursing home.

 And finally, the day we had all been waiting for.... CHRISTMAS!

 

This year, Mayzie proudly made and wrapped her own gifts for us!  They were beautiful pictures!

 After we put Jesus in the manger, one of the kids sweetly arranged all the other figures around him.

 What holiday would be complete without a poopie diaper blow-out?!  Brick got a nice bath and we got to snap some naked baby pics of him.

 Love that baby belly!

 Joe and I made eggplant parmesan for Christmas dinner, it was delicious!

 Christmas dinner, Mina and Calvin in p.j.'s, Mayzie in her batgirl costume : )

Leading up to Christmas...

Here are some of the pictures we took before Christmas.  The kids were super excited, as usual, and we somehow managed to get the tree up and do some decorating!  I loved having a new baby at Christmas time too, it really helped me to remember what was important this time of year.

Here is our baby bundle!

These are pictures from Mayzie's Joy School pageant.  They did the traditional Christmas Nativity.  In these pictures Mayzie is the angel, which she loved being.  She also got to be Mary, and the Wiseman.  It was super cute, the kids did a good job.  They presented it to an elderly neighbor and also for our church talent show.

Here is Mayzie reading to Brick, as he is all bundled up in his basket.

The kids are forever playing with the Christmas tree, putting Chipmunks in it, Batman, and the like. 

I love this one of Calvin shimmied under the tree with his legs sticking out!  HA!

We have a tradition of taking a picture of the kids each month for their first year.  Here is Brick's 1 month picture.

Joe took these pics of me and Brick, I just love them.

How do they fit in there?

Calvin thought it was the coolest thing to have Brick snuggle with him in bed!  They are some cute boys!