Some Warm Winter Days!

In the midst of all of our sickness last week, we were able to steal away to our neighborhood park to enjoy some sunshine and warmth in February! It has been such a long and cold winter, that when we saw temperatures in the 50s and 60s and some sun, we knew it was just what we needed to get out and enjoy some fresh air! This was also Hayden's first trip to the park as a full walker and he enjoyed all the activities that were new to him!

Hayden just standing and taking it all in!

Loving the slide!

Mitchell swinging and learning to pump his legs!

She is getting to be such a little lady!

Hayden getting some swinging action in too!

We also enjoyed some time outside of the house, getting out some outdoor toys that haven't been played with in months! Abigail was very eager to get on her bike again and Mitchell just wanted to dig in some dirt! It definitely gave us all some spring fever and we are all looking forward to our fun that we always have outdoors in the spring and summer!

Abigail taking a break from her bike riding

Mitchell doing what he does best...getting dirty!

Hayden ready for a wagon ride!

A Very Good Night!

3 kids + 2.5 hour wait to see the big man in red + 2 days before Christmas at the mall = a FUN night!!

I would not think the above equaled to a really fun evening, but surprisingly it did! We made a last minute decision to brave the crazy crowds around town and especially at the mall, to visit with Santa. Abigail and Mitchell were beyond ecstatic to get to see Santa and sit on his jolly old lap! We had actually been to the mall earlier today with Nana and caught a peek at Santa, but due to the time of the day and naps quickly approaching for the boys, we had to bypass the lines and head home. Abigail was so disappointed to be so close to him, but not get a chance to sit on his lap and tell him her wishes for Christmas and how good she had been this year. It broke my heart to see her little face, so full of disappointment, but putting on a brave look since she is the older sister. I called Steve later in the day and told him what had happened, and being the good Daddy that he is, he agreed to meet us at the mall after work to fulfill their wish.

We found out that it was a 2.5 hour wait to just get in line and almost turned around and went home, but just couldn't disappoint them again. So, we took our pager in hand and ventured on to eat some dinner and wander through the very packed mall! We were prepared for some meltdowns and tears, but everyone had a great time and we just enjoyed the wonderful company of our children. Even Hayden, who went well beyond bedtime, was good as could be! It's those kind of spur of the moment, fun evenings, that make you just sit back and smile!

But my favorite part of our family date night had nothing to do with the decorations at the mall or even Santa himself. It had to do with a conversation over dinner with Abigail, that made my heart beam with love and awe. We were talking about all the excitement of Christmas and getting to see Santa and Abigail stopped me and said "Mommy, but you know that this is not what Christmas is all about, right?" I told her yes, I know, but prompted her to tell me what she meant. She then began to explain to me that this is all fun, but the true meaning of Christmas is about baby Jesus' birth and that God loved us so much that he sent his only son for us (these are her exact words!) I sat there in complete silence as she continued explaining to me about Mary & Joseph's travels to Bethlehem and their troubles once they arrived and about how Jesus grew into a man and then how he died. We talked about the crucifixion then and she asked some questions about what happened and then told me "Mommy, don't be sad though because Jesus rose from the dead so that we could live forever with him & God. And they are always in our heart and that is what Christmas is all about, having Jesus in our heart".

I have heard many messages and sermons about the birth, death, and resurrection of Jesus, but hearing that story spoken from the lips of my 5 year old daughter, is hands down the best version I have ever heard! Then to top it off, I asked her if she learned all this at church and she said no, she knows all this from Mommy and Daddy! It's always amazing to know your children are listening to you, but to know she is listening and taking in the most important information we could give her is priceless!

This is the end result! It took all of 1 minute, but was so worth it!
My 3 blessings!

So, I will have to say, this family date night will go down in the books as an amazing evening, in more ways than one!

Little Hands

I love little hands. I love how they fit so perfectly in my hand and it's one of those things of childhood that I never want to forget. I want to imprint the feeling and sight of holding hands with my kids in my memory forever. It is something that we probably all take for granted, but sometimes I am reminded on just how special this simple act is and I can savor it a little bit more.

When it's time for Abigail to get on the bus, Mitchell will go up with us because he loves to see the bus. We stand there and blow kisses to Abigail while the bus is pulling away and then on the way back down to the house, he always holds my hand. His little hand just reaches right up and grabs on to my hand and we just casually stroll down the street, usually with him rambling on about something that he saw or has recently done. I love that still-a-little-chubby hand holding on to mine while we walk and talk.

Then when it is time for Abigail to come home, I usually go meet her about halfway up the street by myself and as soon as she sees me, she instinctively reaches for my hand. And then I get the wonderful experience of holding my girl's hand while we walk back home and she tells me all about her day at school. Another special moment in my day, which may seem small and trivial, but very important and fulfilling for me. I love that my big girl still wants to hold my hand!

And of course Hayden, he is still very much in the hand-holding stage and I love it now that he is trying to walk. He wants to hold on to your hand or your fingers to practice his new found skill. He is still very wobbly, so he is holding on out of necessity, but I still cherish it! I love looking down and watching his very round, chubby feet as he balances and shuffles around, holding on to my hand for all the support that he needs.

No, it's not my hand, but I love watching them hold their Daddy's hand too!

I guess I am a little sentimental today and I can see the metaphor in this very simple, everyday act. I am going to enjoy every minute I have with my kids right now, while they are still little and love walking and holding my hand. And then one day when they are bigger and they don't want to hold my hand, I hope they know that I am always here for them and that I will always love to walk and talk with them and that I support them in every aspect of their life. I am their Mommy and my job of holding their hand, whether actually doing that or just figuratively, will never end and will always be something that I hold near and dear to my heart!

Halloween Fun!

What a fun Halloween weekend! As the kids get older, it seems like the holidays just get better & better! We were able to take the kids out on Saturday night to the annual Jack-O-Lantern Walk at Central Park with some friends & their 3 kiddos. We bundled the kids all up and enjoyed an evening of walking through the park admiring all the carved jack-o-lanterns. Although it was crowded and a bit of a walk, the kids loved the sights & sounds around them and especially the popcorn at the end!

After the Jack-O-Lantern Walk

Sunday evening was the big trick-or-treat night and Abigail & Mitchell could not wait to get their costumes on and hit the sidewalks through our neighborhood. This year we walked the streets with Sleeping Beauty, Woody from Toy Story and the Pokey Little Puppy! And I think they were the cutest trick-or-treaters out there! Abigail & Mitchell were very eager to say their practiced line and they also wanted to do it all on their own. They marched right up the sidewalk to each house & not only said their line, but also used such good manners! I was so proud of the "please" & "thank you's" that I heard come from my 2 big kids'! And Hayden, he was content to ride in his wagon, pulled by Nana, and just take in all the sights around him, and every once in a while we even got a "woof" out of him, his 1 practiced line!

Woody, Pokey Puppy, & Sleeping Beauty

Hayden's 1st Trick-Or-Treat!

I love experiencing the holidays with my kids and seeing it brand new through their eyes! One of the best parts about being a parent is this experience and getting to be a kid all over again through them!

The sweetest words to hear

Abigail & Mitchell are typical brother & sister, they love each other, but they get on each other's nerves quite a bit! Being close in age, I think this makes it even more difficult and they tend to fight quite a bit, but I chalk it up to being siblings. I have a younger brother and we use to fight horribly, actually until we were 18 & 16!! So, I know that fighting comes with the territory.

However, the other day, I heard & saw the sweetest thing between our children. They were playing separately and Mitchell walked by Abigail to get to something else. Abigail got down from the table (she was painting) and just out of the blue went and gave Mitchell a kiss & said "I love you Mitchell", then she went & got back in her chair. Mitchell stopped what he was doing and went over to where Abigail was sitting, he laid his head on her legs and said "I love you GaGa" and kissed her leg. It was so sweet to witness this random act of love between the kids! I have never doubted that they love each other, but when you see the fighting all the time, it's nice to see the actually display of affection!

I am so happy that they have each other and to know that they will grow up knowing about love and how to show it to each other & to those around us. It warmed my heart to see the love that they share & the bond that they have as brother & sister, it makes all the crazy times a little easier to bear!!

New accomplishments in our house!

This past weekend there was some milestone accomplishments made in the Wright house! First, Abigail has been fully potty-trained since the beginning of January but we have been keeping her in pull-ups at night just in case. She has been dry every night for about 2 months now, so we thought that she probably didn't need the pull-ups anymore and we were right!! She has been sleeping in her big girl undies at night too since Saturday! We are so proud of her!

Also, this past weekend, Mitchell said his first 5 word sentence. He has been talking tons lately and really trying to put words together, he wants to communicate like his sister so badly! So, on Sunday Mimi & Papaw (Steve's parents) were over and Mitchell brought his ball to Mimi and said "I play ball with Mimi". Just like that, clear as day. We all just looked at each other and then made a big fuss over him!

We continue to be amazed with our children and how fast they are growing! They are so awesome to watch and experience all these firsts and accomplishments! How wonderful for us that God gave them to us and chose us to be their parents!