2011,  Brayden,  December,  Family,  Hanleigh,  Vacation

Pickles, Presents, and Parties

I love the holidays because of all the hustle and bustle that is parties and get togethers with friends and family. People just seem happier and more accommodating, in general. It’s just a magical time of year. Pickles returned to our household once again (this is our family’s elf) and both Brayden and Hanleigh were enamored with his landing skills and mischief…it was so exciting watching them each morning try to figure out where he was in our house and what kind of trouble he had caused (see photos). The Vomino (read: Abominable) Snow Monster graced the top of our tree as he does each year as well.

Brayden and I did some shopping at the Cary Holiday Shoppe, attended Sloane’s birthday party, and the Przygoda’s holiday party as well. We had our annual cookie bake, the girls had a musical at school (Hanleigh shook a maraca and Brayden was an angel), and Mom/Gene came to visit for the weekend. We continued to declutter the house (which, mom is excellent at helping us throw stuff away!) and even put Gene to work painting some trim (thanks!). Trent and I were able to enjoy a date night out on the town at his company holiday party and even go dancing. I definitely miss going to dance clubs! I had dinner with Laura, heard all about their wonderful trip to China and met her new daughter, Gwen. She is so beautiful! We went to a hockey game with the Mazzolas, attended a Christmas Eve church service and were lucky to spend Christmas morning in our house. The girls loved all their gifts from Santa (scooter, clothes, headbands, toys) and the ones from us. We even had an unexpected visit that day from Kyle, Erin, and Cooper. The next day, we drove to DC for the next five days to spend it with Trent’s family, where we got to meet Thad’s girlfriend, Stephanie. It was so nice to finally meet her! The girls always love seeing their grandparents, too! Lastly, we spent New Year’s Eve at the Bryan’s house…it was a bustling place full of countless kids, adults, and great food! I am feeling so blessed that we have that many different groups of people to surround ourselves with throughout the year. We love you all! Lastly, I have continued to be diligent in my half-marathon training and haven’t missed a day yet (knock on wood). My left knee and hip don’t always agree with me after the long weekend runs, but I think I am managing pretty well.

Brayden has broadened her horizons in terms of being more adventurous when trying fruits. She eats grapes now, but she will act like she doesn’t like them and then will sneak bites when I’m feeding Hanleigh. She basically does that with any new food. It’s a game to her! She even likes salads, too! Hanleigh got two molars in this month, bringing her total tooth count to nine. I feel like she is much more sensitive to her teeth coming in than Brayden ever was. Hanleigh’s new fascination is to carry around this tiny bug collector that has a built-in magnifying glass. We fill it with a plastic spider and cockroach and she takes the lid off, dumps them out, puts them back in, and puts the lid on…over and over and over again. Those bugs are her babies. She also sticks her tongue out when she is concentrating or contemplating something.

Brayden said so many funny things this month that I know I didn’t capture all of them, but did get quite a bit. Here goes:

  • “When we buy a present for Daddy and we are wrapping it, we will tell him to just go watch soccer because when he is watching soccer, he doesn’t know what else is going on.”
  • I asked her if she had a fever since it seems like there is always someone in our house with a cold. She just responded with, “Hey, wait a minute. My head is not hot at all. Not one tiny bit.”
  • This one was a serious conversation that quickly turned cute: Brayden asked, “Do people shoot people?” I said, “Some people do, but they go to jail for a long time.” She said, “For the rest of their lives?” I said, “Most likely.” She said, “Do they get dinner in jail?” I said, “Yes.” She said, “But, how do the policemen give them dinner through those tiny, little holes?”
  • Brayden’s friend, Landon, told her that the Santa you take pictures with isn’t the real Santa Claus to which Trent responded, “It could be the real one or one of Santa’s helpers. You never know.” Brayden then said, “Or Bonnie’s dad.”
  • While looking out the car window on the way to school, she said, “I can see a lot of holes out there.” Trent said, “Where do you see them?” She said, “In the bushes.” Trent said, “Oh, where there aren’t any leaves.” She said, “Yeah.”
  • Brayden and I were out shopping on Christmas Eve (yes, we are crazy). I said, “Brayden, channel your inner shopping goddess” to which she replied, “Mom, I already did that before you said anything!”
  • In typical Jones fashion using her potty mouth, Brayden was going to the bathroom (#2) at a fast-food joint and said, “Mom, here comes the bass drum” when referring to her poop. You would think we are raising boys sometimes!

We hope everyone had a fabulous 2011 and here’s to a happy, healthy, adventurous, and fulfilling 2012! Much love to everyone in our lives!

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