Merry Christmas!

The gifts are wrapped (except for a couple... hoping the UPS truck comes tomorrow!) and Brayden is so excited! We let them each open one present tonight: Christmas pj's. Of course, we didn't manage a picture yet of them, but that will come! We wish everyone a Merry Christmas!

Punta Cana

Last we we took our trip to Punta Cana which was so amazing! We had never taken a trip like this together. For those of you who don't remember, our honeymoon was to the great state of Tennessee where we had a wonderful time in the Smoky Mountains. (We would never change that, but it was time for a tropical trip!)

It was SO hard leaving the kids and the trip home seemed to take FOREVER, but we really were able to just relax and enjoy our time away when we were there. We literally didn't have to do anything. There was someone to take our luggage for us at the airport. (We had to be careful with that since there were many willing hands wanted to grab our luggage.) They loaded us in the car for a jolting... literally... trip down the curvy roads of the DR. There was not a straight road in that country, or a speed limit, or lines on the road, or any rules! (Josh said the trip was simple compared to Mexico... I don't know!) Everything was done for us up to the point of dropping our luggage off at the ticket counter to go home!

The resort was WONDERFUL! We could order whatever we wanted from wherever we sat! It was all delicious! Didn't have to pick up after anyone including ourselves! There was a slight language gap since they speak spanish there and I learned that the waiter won't ask you if you will share your food! (oops!) Sometimes we just nodded and said yes and we could tell they did the same, but they never seemed to make a mistake! The wait staff tried to learn your name and likes right away. They thought it was really funny Josh wanted his coffee without "leche". Our room was cleaned 3 times a day, fresh towels, the mopped! I need to take them home with me! It is amazing how quickly we adjusted to being lazy!

One day we will go back! Here are some pictures!

View of the resort from the beach

Our favorite snack... quacamole and pico de gallo with "nachos" (tortillas)

The last time they also brought fried plantains which were very yummy!

The last morning attempting a picture together!

Sunset on the beach... it set kind of behind us, not over the ocean, but it was still pretty!

Where we sat! I would rotate around as the sun moved!

View from our deck off our room... we had direct access to the pool.

The larger pool by the beach

There are so many other beautiful things we could have taken pictures of, but we were enjoying our lazy beach days... oh well!

So Much Fun!

We are having so much fun with Rylee! She is all over the place, playing games with us and laughing away! She and Brayden play pretty good together, for the most part. They are siblings! He seems to like to have a playmate at home!

Rylee's first barrette! (Is that how you spell it? It looks weird!)

Rylee's first spaghetti dinner... she loved it! And then it was bath time!

Getting closer to walking with it... she will take about one step and then fall!

Fort time!

Rylee LOVES peek a boo!

Jonah and Jonathan were wrestling so Rylee had to get in on the fun! Whenever daddy and Brayden wrestle, she gets so excited and can't stop screaming. She just doesn't know what to do!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Brayden!

What an amazing, wonderful, busy, sleepless three years! We love you buddy!

Had no idea what it was like to have a little boy who understands what a birthday means now! (And was on a sugar high!)

He was SO excited about everything!

Fire truck cake... he likes to rearrange the "lights" much to mommy's dismay! It is his cake!

More birthday parties to come!

Our Little Baby

such a sweet little boy...

Still a sweet, but feisty boy! Ok- he has always been feisty!

Halloween

Bet you didn't know Halloween is a three day event! In Brayden's world it is! Friday we went Trick or Treating at Josh's work. Saturday was the Pumpkin Party at Mimi and Papa's church. Sunday we went Trick or Treating with our neighbors and then went to visit Grandma and Grandpa at their church. He may be disappointed next year!

Brayden the firefighter!

Rylee the lady bug!

Most of the neighborhood kids ready to trick or treat!

Awe...

Trick or Treating at the Engbers- We all walked around the neighborhood together since there is still a small number of houses and one of the parents would run ahead to hand out the candy!

Brayden and Nolan- Nolan is Brayden's friend who lives right next door to us. They have alot of fun together and like to cause mischief!

Pumpkin Painting

We decided to paint pumpkins this year, since Brayden is still working on his knife skills.

Love this one!

Big Girl Stuff

Every child has to have one of these pictures! Finding the toilet paper!

She loves the dishwasher!

Big girl! (I would like to claim she is so talented and can stand on her own, but she is leaning against the cabinet. Still talented though!)

Rylee LOVES her big girl baths! She hears the water going and comes running. Well... crawling in super speed mode! :-)

Pumpkin Fun

We have stopped at Gull Meadow Farms a couple times for apples or flowers. Each time Brayden wanted to ride the tractor, but it wasn't open then. We met daddy after work to finally ride the tractor and pick out pumpkins!

Brayden was SO excited!

She is Moving!

First, Rylee was rolling ALL over the house! From the living room, to Brayden's room, over to her room, to the kitchen...

She is on the move and realizing there is so much more to explore!

Into the laundry room! She loves the bathtub and visits that frequently!

Rylee's favorite thing to get into!

She is pulling herself up on things! She really loves Brayden's train table!

Rylee likes the door stops, just like Brayden always did!

What are we up to?

Go Blue!!

Up to no good!

Bike riding... she hates putting on the helmet, but loves the ride!

Rylee loves playing with Brayden's toys... he thinks it is funny now!

Smiles!

Going for rides!

Mud pies... still cleaning up this one!

And rolling, rolling, rolling... she has learned where the DVD's are now!