It's been so cold it's thrown Sis sideways!!! I think we all dreaded Winter coming but so far it's been nice. The change of Season's, beginning a new year. It's kind of exciting. I can't believe Brooklyn is 3 now, and I can't believe Gavin will be one in 2 months. Life for sure changes which is a good thing, it has it's ups and downs and right now it's for sure an up. I'm very excited to see them grow, learn and go through their changes of a baby to a kid. It's fun to see what they come up with and what kind of funny things they say. Brooklyn loves to ROCK OUT!!! on her guitar she got for her Birthday. We have a band... OH YA!!! and It's Gooood! She usually sings & plays guitar. I usually chime in with added vocals and another back up guitar and Gazie, Well, He just laughs and bounces in his walker to the music. They love it! I think they love that I will play with them. I try to do it as much as I can to make them laugh through out the day. I am making Brooklyn a set of paper dolls for her to play with. There are so many different characters to do that I decided to do all of them. I'm going to lamanate them so she can play with them for a long time. We have had so much fun as a family just hanging out and having fun. Hope you are enjoying time with your family also.

Merry Christmas!

We had so much fun today, Grandma Baker (Nedra's Mom) came over and we made breakfast, the whole Shabang. It was yummy. We opened presents around 9ish and I didn't think Brooklyn would ever get all of hers open. She got bored of opening gifts after a while. She just wanted to play with what she had. We finally got to her stocking about 2 o'clock. Gavin had a blast ripping through the paper. Sucking on the bows and embellishments. He totally had doing the Christmas thing down, like he was an old pro. Papa Meister (Cody's Dad) gave Gavin a toy that he sat and played with for hours. He would dance to the music with a little bounce and a big ol' grin. It was so cute. Brooklyn had a blast with everything. She got a Primp and Pamper Princess Salon with all the accessories, blow dryer, curling iron, blush, perfume, and she sat and primped in between shooting us with her new Nerf gun that shoots green foam balls everywhere. Santa brought that and she was STOKED!!! "GREEN BALLS!" "MOM! SANTA BROUGHT ME GREEN BALLS!!!" Oh, the excitement of presents on Christmas. So, yep she got the green balls she asked for and a chew chew train, that I thought she would play with more. Maybe she'll play with it more later when she doesn't have so many other distractions. We didn't go anywhere today. We usually do, and it was nice to just sit at home and chill. PJ's have been me and the kids ensemble all day. Cody is the only one that got dressed. I even shoveled snow in my pj's and a few cars drove by slowing down to see what the girl in the silky blue& red pj's is doing out shoveling snow. It was great! They gave me some great looks. Well, Christmas was a blast. Now where to put everything is the question? Hope that all of you had a great Christmas. I for sure felt the Spirit of Giving this year and appreciate the still small voice when it tells you that someone might need something more this year. " My cup runeth over" How do you spell runeth? runneth? I know that's how it is said but how is it spelled not in dictionary. :) Oh Well, Merry Christmas.

Family Christmas Parties

We had a Xmas party at Grandma Baker's and ate all sorts of good food which always makes parties even better when the food is great. The kids all had fun showing their talents and Grandma played button to button. That was her talent she said. Mom asked me to sign a section of the bible and it has hard to switch it all into context of the bible. Yuck! After hanging out we went to Springville to the Danner Christmas Party and Santa came to see the kids. They all loved it. Brooklyn got a Hello Kitty purse, Gazie got a toy that's a bouncy elephant. Kaie and Kian were there with Cam and Kaie got "Big Girl" makeup is what she called it and Kian got a toy airplane. It was a fun day of family parties.

Merry Christmas! HO HO HO

Wow! What a Christmas already. All of our Christmas gifts are wrapped. Brooklyn has countdown rings for everyday until Christmas where she tears a ring off each day just because she doesn't understand the concept of time yet. So to help her we made cute Christmas rings for her. She loves it. She tears a ring and then has to have it stapled around her wrist to wear it around for the morning. Everyone keeps asking her what Santa is bringing her and she says, "Green Balls & a Chew Chew Train... and that's it!" Cracks me up. Perfect strangers stop to say hello and ask her what she's getting. after she tells them then she says, "Merry Christmas!" It's so cute to hear her say Merry Christmas in her little voice. We are really excited for Christmas. Well let me change that "Brooklyn & I" are really excited for Christmas. To see Brooklyn filled with the excitement of Christmas has rubbed off on me and feel like a kid again, counting down, waiting in anticipation for the unexpected, and I have truly feel in love again with Christmas. Gavin opened his first gift tonight from my friend Jen and he did pretty good. He really doesn't understand Christmas, but I think hell handle opening all of his gift's just fine, and love all the excitement. I think for sure Cody will love watching them open all of their gifts and see them playing with everything on Christmas morning. It is so much more fun having Christmas with kids. They for sure bring a sweet excitement to it. I wish you all a Merry Christmas, and I hope that you find the sweet excitement with spending time with your family on Christmas. Merry Christmas Love, The Meisters

Christmas

Christmas has been different this year... I can't put my finger on it exactly but it just feels different. My mom is coming to open gifts with us Christmas morning. That will be fun. We have a party Christmas Eve with Cody's Dad & Step Mom. Brooklyn will have a blast ripping through paper and Gavin will probably be looking around trying to figure out what's going on. I'm excited to spend Christmas morning with my family, we'll make breakfast and just hangout. It will be great.

Christmas: I'm not very good at being Santa's Helper. Gifts he wants to keep a secret have all ready been seen, good thing Sis is 3 and Gavin 9 months I have time to get some practice before I really have to be good at it.

I am truly thankful...

This is the first Thanksgiving without my Dad. Kind of strange. He loved Thanksgiving. It was his favorite holiday. Well, really any holiday with food was a '"True Holiday" according to him. No presents, just food and he was as happy as a lark.. I wish he could have had some of my mom's home made pumpkin pie yesterday. Just to have him sitting next to my mom would have been really nice. Every time a Holiday comes it's the first holiday without him and I usually am sad, shed a few tears, and then have to brush it off and think to myself that the way it is was meant to be. Does this make it all better? No not really but it helps. This Thanksgiving I truly felt thankful for my family. I have taken advantage of the time and memories I have had with being with my family at these big gatherings we have.After I put the kids in bed I went back in later to check on Gavin and started to cry for how much I love him, then went in to tuck Brooklyn in, and was still had tears streaming down my cheeks for how much I love her. Yesterday I truly felt blessed to have 2 beautiful kids and a husband that is my best friend. Life sometimes truly truly sucks. I have learned more in my life in the last 3 years then I have ever learned in my life time. I have grown more in so many ways to understand a little of what life is truly about. So my request to all of you out there is to truly be grateful for everything, every moment, every memory you share for they will be gone so sudden. You will be so surprised how fast they will pass. Happy Belated Thanksgiving to everyone, and enjoy your Christmas Season. And remember to take the time to kick back and just enjoy. With thanks and all my love to my wonderful Dad and my wonderful Family for all they have taught me and for all they are going to teach me for I still have so much to learn.