Saturday, December 24, 2011

Brawner Family Christmas Pics

We got the best pics last night of the whole family.  Of course I was in heaven that people were matching and monogrammed!  Getting three two year olds and four wound up kids to pose was not an easy task but they turned out super cute.  I'm a little biased cauz I think we are a cute bunch anyways!

Brawner Family Christmas

We had the annual Brawner Family Christmas last night!  We go over to Kari and Travis's house and eat and have a mad time opening presents.  The kids were very excited.  Jackson insisted we bring our new family member Tom the Toad, who made the trip in his habitat.  Oh my!  Tom also opened his present last night.  Jackson decided that Uncle Travis should do the unwrapping since Uncle Travis was the one who found Tom.  Tom got a new hot tub for his habitat.  We had yummy chicken spaghetti and a chocolate cake for desert.  The kids played a loud game of Monster Daddy and wore themselves out.  Fun had by all for sure.

Daddy's birthday

We had a great birthday for Daddy.  We went to Lambert's (home of the thrown rolls) and we threw some rolls at each other and ate a ridiculous amount of food.  Jason's whole family was able to join us.  Jackson said this is now his favorite place to eat along with Huhot's and Fuji's still.  The kids had more fun catching the rolls.  I think they definitely caught more than they ate.  I then headed off to work and Jason and the kids hung out and we finished off the evening with a chocolate birthday cake for Daddy.  Our Daddy is catching up to Mommy in age and while we don't feel old I think in several of our pics we are sure starting to look old!!!

Friday, December 23, 2011

Curry & Ellie's real birthday

We had another fun day at the Sutherland house celebrating Curry & Ellie's birthday right before we got out for our lovely Christmas break!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Santa baby!!!!

We were hoping this year would bring smiles from Smith when he saw Santa but not the case.  I love these pictures today.  However, yesterday while I was taking them and worn slick I thought I was going to loose it.  Smith goes through having a full fit to just being super mad.  At one point, I know his little mind was thinking (along with my husband and Tom Sutherland) enough already with these pictures in this Jon jon with a big Santa on it Mom!!!  However, despite all that, we really had a great time at Breakfast with Santa.  We went to brunch with our very best friends here in Springfield and it is always fun and of course a little crazy when we all get together.  My kids were so excited to see Santa (all except Smith).  When they laid their eyes on him and talked to him it was magical.  He was pretty round and short.  He was so kind and as Jackson quoted from elf "he didn't smell like beef and cheese."  Jackson and Mollie Jane talked all day yesterday about how that was the real Santa.  Santa had the neatest pocket watch that was amazing.  It was like a music box with a little sleigh that danced around it and it showed all the time zones and was beautiful.  A little boy came up to Santa and said that he wasn't the real Santa because he didn't know the name of his toy or something and then Santa explained that he did know the name of it an proceeded to say it and the little boy was speechless.  Santa was also so good with Smith who decided to throw fits around Santa yesterday.  Santa was so patient and was concerned that Smith wasn't feeling well or himself.  Santa was right.  Smith has been fighting a bad cold, although I think more of our behavior (as you can see from the photographs) was just being a lovely two year old as opposed to being "under the weather."  Our whole family is now convinced that he was the real Santa and he was magical for sure.  It was so fun and my dear friend Melissa and I because we have such similar taste ordered the same outfits for our kids so we were like one big family yesterday.  Several people asked me if we were related.  I said I wish!  The reality is these friends really are like family and don't know what I would do without them the last several years with all the challenges it has brought and with my husband being "MIA" so often.