Elf on a Shelf

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There's no room!

For the past few weeks, anytime I have picked Graham up from school, he has stopped by the two nativity sets in the foyer and launched into a routine of identifying each of the animals and people:  "There's the sheep, the shepherds, Jesus' mommy, Mary, his Daddy, (Whose his name again?), and the baby Jesus, just like Elliot's a baby."  Next, he would say, "Why are they in the barn/farm?" and without waiting for an answer, he would reply "Because there's no room!".  I don't know if they read a specific story at school, but his answer was always the same and delivered almost like the punchline of a joke..."there's no room, get it, ha ha!"

Fast forward to our Christmas eve service at church.  My mom and dad went along with Chris and I and the boys for our second attempt at a family worship experience.  Goodness knows we needed the help...do you remember the camel incident from a few weeks ago?  Graham is definitely not used to being in church during a worship service, and was a little antsy to say the least.  He kept getting up from the chairs and walking back to the wise men statues.  He would sit by them and/or place his candle in the crucifix holder, like he was the 4th wise guy!  Just as I was about to lose my mind, Pastor Marda started the gospel.  Graham was still not paying attention, and at the beginning of a meltdown when all of the sudden he stopped, looked up, and said, "Hey, I know this story...there's no room!"  I love that boy and his genuine spirit!

Merry Christmas

From our family to yours...

We wish you a Merry Christmas!

Oh, brother!

It is really too bad that these two don't look anything alike, right?!  

I am in so, so, so much trouble!

Grumpy Camel

Today was the Sunday School Christmas program at church.  We don't have a lot of children in our church, so the nativity story has to be rather carefully planned and orchestrated.  The older ones are assigned to being Mary, Joseph, and the shepherds, while there are just enough little ones to have one angel, one sheep, one cow, and one camel.  This year, Graham was the camel.  And what a camel he was!

It started when he wanted to sit by Elliot and me, and not the rest of the Sunday School crew.  So, Elliot and I moved to the front row.  Then, he sat on the floor next to me, refusing to move closer to the "manger" in front.  His teacher, Andrea and I both tried to coax him a little closer, but he was having none of it.  Instead, he opted to take off his adorable camel hat and proceed to throw it up in the air!  Although I managed to catch the hat, avert a camel crisis in the middle of the program, and get one picture of the complete ensemble, Chris and I told Graham later that camels are supposed to be humpy, not grumpy! 

Heaven help us if he is ever assigned to be an angel!  I am having visions of the youngest Herdman, Gladys, screaming "Hey you!  Yeah, you!  Unto you a child is born" and halos flying everywhere!  Maybe if there was a pirate in the Christmas story...

Welcome, Elliot!

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Happy Birth Day!

In our family, we have a lot of fall birthdays.  And I do mean, a LOT!  As in 1 in August, 5 in September, 2 in October, and now 2 in November.  For Graham, this was most convenient because we learned that when you have a 3 year old who has just come to understand what birthdays are all about (cupcakes, balloons, and parties) and has celebrated that many birthdays in a short period of time, it is convenient to explain that the new baby that is about to arrive will have the next "birthday". 

Shortly after we told Graham he was going to be a big brother, we overheard him in the backseat, talking to himself, saying "We'll go home, eat supper, put jammies on, and then the baby will come."  Umm, buddy it's June.  The baby is not coming yet.  So, we decided to tell him that the baby would come after his birthday, constantly praying that the baby would really wait until after October 26.  Graham caught onto this and once the fall birthday season arrived, he was always asking to "talk about birthdays" and for us to identify "whose birthday comes next".

Needless to say that by the time Elliot's birth day actually arrived, Graham was all ready to celebrate!   The morning that we were in labor, Chris' parents took Graham to Publix where he chose a special birthday balloon, party hats and napkins, and cupcakes!  He even drew a picture for Elliot.  The party planner and his "party in a box" arrived at the hospital on the afternoon of November 14 and it was game on!  Let the birthday celebration begin!
 

There was a balloon,

party hats for EVERYONE (check out how many Graham has for himself!),

 birthday and big brother cards (and presents, of course!),

 

N

singing (he is my child, after all),

and cupcakes!  

Unfortunately, we were all so busy eating said cupcakes and cleaning up the chocolate aftermath, there are no pictures to be found.  Which, let's face it, is probably a good thing.  Have you seen a 3 year old eat a chocolate cupcake or any cupcake for that matter?!  It is not a pretty sight! =)

All this partying led to a worn out first "birth day" boy and a sleepy big brother/party planner extraordinaire!

 

I was so impressed and proud of Graham.  He was so excited about his little brother, and he certainly though of everything.  What a wonderful welcome to this world and our family!  Suffice it to say, Graham has set the bar pretty high.  I can only wonder what I will be able to come up with next year for Elliot's first birthday!

 

It's a...

BOY!!!!!

We are proud to introduce you to Elliot Warren Reece!  Elliot was born at 10:24 am on November 14th (a few days later than expected, but well worth the wait)!  He weighed in at 7 lbs. 15 oz., and 19.5 inches long.  For those of you keeping score at home that is a full 2 lbs. 2 oz. heavier and .4 inches longer than his brother!  In keeping with being as unlike his brother as possible, he has a head of dark hair.

Like his brother, Elliot's arrival came after a few trips to the mid-wife's office, ultrasound tech's office, and a trip to TMH (just for good measure).  Although we had hoped to be induced earlier in the week, we had an induction scheduled for Thursday.  However, the threat of a forced eviction was apparently enough to motivate the little man, as I went into labor on my own on Wednesday evening, and Elliot decided it was time to make his appearance on the coldest morning of the season.

In ways like his brother and ways all his own, Elliot, in an instant, changed our lives for the better, and introduced everyone in the family to a level of love that we didn't even know existed.  He has made our family complete and we are over the moon for our newest bundle of joy!

Anytime now...

OK, baby!  Today is your very cool due date, and we are ready for you to come.  Truth be told, I am beyond ready for you to come.  Over the past few weeks, I have tried coaxing you out in several different ways...

A bumpy hay ride...

hugs from your big brother...

going down the slide at the park (after walking there and then walking the long way home)...

and I even resorted to this today...

You better come quick.  Who knows what I might do next! =)

Graham's 3!

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Happy Halloween from the Neverland Crew

As you may be aware, Graham is obsessed with all things Peter Pan and all things pirate.  We have about 4 different copies of Peter Pan books, each just slightly different from the others, and Graham has each memorized.  To the extent that he informed me one day that a dog in the neighborhood was "licking his chops for more, you know like the Tick Tock Croc in Peter Pan".  He is too smart for his own good!  At least, the obsession is fun and for the most part, appropriate!

Graham decided very early on that he wanted to be Peter Pan for Halloween this year.  So, one youth sized green shirt from Target, one pair of green pajama pants, a rope belt from one of my maternity dresses, and an authentically purchased Disney Peter Pan hat complete with a red feather later, voila, Peter Pan was ready to roll! 

Initially, the plan was only to have Peter Pan represented in our house.  However, after talking with some friends from church, Chris discovered that he could have access to a Captain Hook costume.  This was all well and good, and Graham was thrilled to find Daddy dressed as Captain Hook! 

However, Graham then turned to me and said, "Who are you going to be, Mommy?"  I couldn't come up with anything fast enough (espeically since we were supposed to be leaving to trick or treat in about 10 minutes), but Chris saved the day, remembering that I had a striped maternity top.  Pairing that with my non-maternity shorts allowed baby to be a part of the Mr. Smee costume as well since it is a requirement that Mr. Smee's belly hang out! 

The costumes were the hit of the neighborhood and everyone loved how even baby was included...Now, what will we do next year when there are actually 4 of us?!

Big Brother to Be

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A BIG announcement!

 

Someone is a little excited, don't you think?  Actually, 3 of us are really excited!!   The cats aren't so sure about adding another one to the mix...

Long lost twin?

I think these two may have been separated at birth!  Graham and his hero!