My "Baby" turns 3

Really?? 3 years old? where did the time go. My sweet Bryson bring such a joy to this family. He has a way of just bringing life to a room. He makes us laugh every day, and he keeps me on my toes. He loves to be a "helper" (sometimes he is a little too "helpful") and his favorite thing is to set the plates at dinner and then to wipe the table afterwards. He also loves to help mommy cook anything in the kitchen! Bry is a love. He waskes up bright and early with the chickens (usually before our alarm at 6:30) and he literally wakes up with a running start. We can hear the patter of his bare feet on the concrete floors as he runs to jump into the arms of the first person he sees. This little bundle of energy walks NO WHERE! His red hair catches the attention of many people, and he uses that, along with that precious grin to whoo even a perfect stranger. But dont be fooled by that grin.... because that "red-headed" side comes out from time to time as well... he has a temper like none of my other babies. Oh, my!! Our hope and our prayer for little Bry is that he used this energy, this "determination," and this ZEST for life to honor our Father in the years to come. We love you little Bry... no matter how big you get, you will always be my baby! Love, Momma

My big 3 year old

Bryson counted down the days til we got to go "play bowlins"

Best Buds, Bryson and Brinton

This is one of the few times I make it around to the other side of the camera. I spend enough time on their cakes that I get to have my picture taken with the birthday boy each year! :o)


Blowin out the candles


YUMMY CAKE!!

"Jingles" all the way....

I believe it is safe to say that Santa DELIVERED this year! Micah got a bike, Coby got his trooper helmet, Bryson got a new "motorcycle" and Cason got Jingles!! Santa found him at a rescue center in Austin, where he had been abandoned. I have a feeling that when Santa saw him, it was love at first sight! :o) He is a Chi-Weiner (or as Cason would put it, "he is a Chihuahua that got mixed up with a weiner dog!") When Santa found him, he was 17 months old, house trained, good with kids, and just pretty stinkin cute!! Jingles is so sweet with the boys... he is the perfect dog (except for the occasional poopiedoo in the house.... thank goodness for my concrete floors!). He is fun and playful when it is time to play, but he is also a cuddler and a sweet little lap dog when it is time for relaxing. Thank you Santa for a GREAT Christmas present. I sure am glad that Cason was so persistent in asking for a puppy and that mom and dad were soft enough to give Santa the go-ahead and try it out!!

We wish you a "Mewwy Cwistmas"....

.... as Bry would say! Hope you all are all surrounded by loved ones tonite!

Love,

The Bests

My class

This i smostly for the parents in my class so they can download these pics...

But how precious are these kiddos?? I am gonna miss seeing these sweet faces for a few weeks!

"twas the night before christmas... mom style

To all the special mommas in my life!!

'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the abode

Only one creature was stirring & she was cleaning the commode.

The children were finally sleeping, all snug in their beds,

while visions of X-Box & Barbie flipped through their heads.

Yes, and dad was snoring in front of the TV,

with a half constructed bicycle propped on his knee.

So only the mom heard the reindeer hooves clatter,

which made her sigh, "Now what is the matter?"

With toilet bowl brush still clutched in her hand,

She descended the stairs, and saw the old man.

He was covered with ashes & soot, which fell with a shrug,

"Oh great," muttered the mom, "Now I have to clean the rug."

"Ho Ho Ho!" cried Santa, I'm glad you're awake."

"your gift was especially difficult to make."

"Thanks, Santa, but all I want is time alone."

"Exactly!" he chuckled, "So, I've made you a clone."

"A clone?" she muttered, "What good is that?"

"Run along, Santa, I've no time for chit chat."

Then out walked the clone - The mother's twin,

Same hair, same eyes, same double chin.

"She'll cook, she'll dust, she'll mop every mess.

You'll relax, take it easy, watch TV and rest.

"Fantastic!" the mom cheered. "My dream has come true!"

"I'll shop, I'll read, I'll sleep a night through!"

From the room above, the youngest did fret.

"Mommy?! Come quickly, I'm scared and I'm wet."

The clone replied, "I'm coming, sweetheart."

"Hey," the mom smiled, "She sure knows her part."

The clone changed the child and hummed her a tune,

as she bundled the small one in a blanket cocoon.

"You're the best mommy ever. I really love you."

The clone smiled and sighed, "And I love you too."

The mom frowned and said, "Sorry, Santa, no deal.

That's my child's LOVE she is going to steal."

Smiling wisely, Santa said: "To me it isclear,

Only one loving mother is needed here."

The mom kissed her child and tucked her in bed.

"Thank You, Santa, for clearing my head.

Sometimes I forget, it won't be very long,

before they'll be too old for my cradle and song."

The clock on the mantle began to chime.

Santa whispered to the clone, "It works every time."

With the clone by his side, Santa said: "Goodnight.

Merry Christmas, dear Mom, you'll be all right."

Sometimes we need reminding of what life is all about.

Especially at times when the Holiday season shouts,

and all we do is clean, bake, and procure.

You get the picture -- I'm sure.

So stop for a moment and hug that little one so dear,

whether he/she is 2 or 22, or even older this year.

For they are the gift that God gave us from Heaven above,

and what a special gift to be treasured, with endless LOVE!

May The Real Meaning Of Christmas Be With You All Year

Dear Santa....

Yesterday, we went to an early service for church (BOCC is doing this temporarily while we remodel our auditorium), so we were finished with church at 10 AM! We took a little trip to the Domain and went to mail our letters to "Santa Closet" (as Bry calls him). He has a special mailbox at Macy's. Then we had a little photo op at the "ginormous christmas tree" as the boys called it! (those pics will have to come later... I am running out of time!) Even though these letters are probably something only a grandma would enlarge to read it closer, I thought they were so cute with their spelling, and their mentioning of the reindeer. Coby even told Santa that "Weel leev you some yummy cookies with sprincls." A little food bribery goes a long way with a fat guy in a red suit! Smart boy! :o) And YES, Cason is still asking Santa for a puppy!!

I saw Mommy kissing Santa Claus....

Thanksgiving rewind.....

I have been working on a wordier post about thanksgiving, but I finally downloaded tons of pics, so I am going to do some "rewinds" and post them as I have time... so for now, here are some thanksgiving pics... maybe I will finish my "I am thankful for..." list by next thanksgiving!

We had a great Thanksgiving with Clint's family in Jacksboro! The boys had LOTS of playtime, cousin time, & tractor time... and mommy got LOTS of much needed rest! I had been sick for over a week and it was nice to take naps and catch up! Love those grandparents!! :o) I did talk my favorite husband into waking up at the crack of dawn on Black Friday with me to drive an hour to the nearest Target, Toys R Us, and WalMart! And we found some deals! Did you guys know that the sun comes up gradually??

We also celebrated Micah's brithday some while we were there....

Reading with GiGi

First "mixed-cousin bathing" experience... these 2 look like brothers here!

My boys with GiGi and G-dad

Jarrell was not thrilled with the idea of a photo-op without momma!

No photo session is complete without the token "silly pose" Sorry for posting this one, Tommy... I couldnt resist!

The boys and their GREAT-grandparents on Clint's side: GranGran, Papaw& Mamaw

The WHOLE Gang for Thanksgiving!

We are truly blessed!

Tagged

I have gged a few times, but I am just now taking the time to actually do it... it is kinda fun! Anyone else who wants to join in, go for it! (I admit, I cheated a few times and typed more than one word... it was too hard)

TYPE ONLY ONE WORD FOR EACH ANSWER. IT'S HARDER THAN YOU THINK!!!
1. Your cell phone? pink
2. Your significant other? BEST
3. Your hair? curly
4. Your mother? friend
5. Your father? loving
6. Your favorite thing? laughter
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? dietcoke
9. Your dream/goal? heaven
10. The room you're in? bedroom
11. Your fear? something or someone hurting my kids
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? w/ family
13. Where were you last night? party
14. What you're not? patient or skinny
15. Muffins/donuts? muffins
16. One of your wish list items? boots
17. Where you grew up? austin
18. The last thing you did? sing (to my kiddos before bed)
19. What are you wearing? pjs
20. Your TV? off
21. Your pet? fish (unless we count Bryson as a pet)
22. Your computer? lifeline
23. Your life? FULL
24. Your mood? exhausted
25. Missing someone? yeah
26. Favorite pastime? brothers
27. Something you're not wearing? socks
28. Favorite Store? target
29. Your summer? fun!
30. Your favorite color? purple
31. When is the last time you laughed? today
32. Last time you cried? today
33. Who will/would re-post this? dunno?
34. Four places I go over and over: church, school, HEB, home
35. Four people who e-mail me? Julie, Shelley, Kaylee, momma
36. Four of my favorite foods? chocolate, pei wei spicy chicken, chips and queso, salad
37. Four places I would like to be right now: on the beach, on vacation, on a date, or in bed!
38. Four people I tag? anyone else who is up for it! :o)

Proud momma

Allow me to be a proud momma for just a moment and brag on my sweet Micah for being the Citizen of the Month for his class this past month! This is a big deal at BCS, and he was super excited. He asked me if we could go to the store and buy a new frame for his certificate... sweet boy! And by the way, how tall does he look in this pic? Mrs Patterson is kinda short, but still.... he is growing up way too fast! :o)

Trick or Treat!

I know I am probably the last one to post halloween pics, but here are my 4 cuties in cosstume...

L to R Prince Caspian, Buzz Lightyear, Raphael, and King Peter of Narnia

Hope you all had a fun halloween!!

credit where credit is due....

Just for the record, and to make peace at home, Clint is NOT a bad driver... he traded his little white honda for a toyota 4 runner a while back and it is a stick shift. The boys love learning about the gears and watching him drive it. He may "pretend" to be a nascar driver at times... shifting gears quickly and showing them how it all works, but really, he has not had many speeding tickets and only one fender bender in college (2 days after we bought my new Ford Explorer!) But generally he gets everyone where they need to be, on time, and in one piece!
This is just a disclaimer for any of you who may be letting your children ride with him at some point or another! He is no Jeff Gordon!! :o)

BUSTED

Wednesdays are "Cason's special day." We drop Bryson off at Kaylee's house (she babysits him on Wednesdays while I teach) and Cason and I go to school just the 2 of us. We move his car seat to the front and he rides up there where he can control the music, the windows, and we talk about whatever he wants to talk about. This morning as we were entering onto the interstate, here was our conversation:

C: "Mom, you know you can go superdy fast on the highway and go around all these slow cars" (which, for the record, were not going all that slow)

Me: "Oh, yah? Who told you that?"

C:"Well, no one really, but when we ride with daddy in his car he drives in all the lanes like those drivers on NASCAR!"

BUSTED, Daddy. I gave him a speech later!

4 little pumpkins

We made our annual trip to the pumpkin patch and the boys had a hay day picking out pumpkins to bring home....

Here's my 4 sweet pumpkins...

And my sweet little pumpkin with the pumpkins


When we got home, we decorated them, each with it's own unique flare....

Micah's is all multi colored... he loves rainbows (and this was his "Im trying not to smile" smile)



Coby's is "a golden pumpkin"

Cason's is green and blue - his 2 favorite colors

And Bry's is just any color he could get his hands on... this child is so busy!

Bry showing his "messy hands" although, this is after he wiped them on my shirt while he climbed all over me...

Our finished products:

Happy Fall, Y'all! This is my favorite season!