an early Christmas gift

This year, the kids got an early Christmas gift from Gammy and Pepa Conrad. They sent the little people nativity set and a Christmas book. It's the perfect gift for the kids, because it gives us the opportunities to tell the story, of the birth of Jesus Christ and the true meaning of Christmas! Thanks so much for nativity set. The kids will enjoy it every year.

Grandma's must think alike, because Grandma Grumpp had the same idea for the kids! Thanks for thinking of them mom!

Luke's favorite piece: Baby Jesus!
Libby's favorite piece: All of them!

libby's nine months

Our little Libby is growing up way to fast. Last Friday she turned nine months old! She also had her nine month wellness check-up that day. Of course, anytime we visit the pediatrician there is usually shots involved. She got her finger poked to check her white blood count...came back good! Then had three shots. One was hepatics B, then one was her second flew shot, and then her first shot for H1N1. Her measurements were good....weighing in at 18.5 pounds, puts her in the 25-50%. It dropped since last time, probably because she is crawling everywhere and burning off those calories fast. Wish I had that same problem! Height is 28 1/2 inches...75-90%. She may be tall like her daddy. And surprisingly, her head 17 3/4 inches...75-90%. I don't think her head looks bigger than average?? Anyways, I never pay close attention to those numbers, just thought ya'll might like to know. So, to sum up her wellness check...we have a healthy baby girl! And words can't express how grateful we are!

Libby's adventures at 9 months...

• crawling everywhere
• pulling to a stand
• laughts at everything
• eating soft foods
• drinks from a straw
• fourth tooth is coming in
• says "da, da" "ma, ma" and "ba, ba"
• taking a bath in the big tub

making cranberry muffins

You got to love Jiffy Muffin Mix for .59 cents! Easy to make and totally affordable! It's one of Luke's favorite things to make. He'll grab the box, look on the back, and start rattling off what we need to make them. Not joking....he says, "one egg and one cup of milk." Funny thing is, that's exactly what we need. He loves to crack the egg, and then smash the shell in his hands. Makes a huge mess and most of it ends up on the floor, but once again....he loves it! He loves to be in kitchen cracking eggs and stirring. And of course...taste testing is his favorite part! He says, "um, yummy!" I wonder if he'll grow up cooking like his daddy??

Note: See the apron he's wearing?? I made it in my six grade home-eck class!!! You should see it up close. The stitching is horrible! But, it's still my favorite apron.

He's getting excited! Asking for eggs and milk, I'm sure!
Love this picture...half of the mix just missed the bowl! And there it is...on the counter! Doesn't seem to mind Luke though.

He just can't wait for them to bake.

Enjoying the muffins. And, so did Libby!

barbecue chicken pizza

Last night, Jake made a barbecue chicken pizza on the grill. OH MY! IT WAS AWESOME! It was perfect in every way. He uses King Arthur Flour..it makes all the difference. Then sprinkles a little corn meal on the bottom of the pizza. He uses Kansas City's Own Gates Bar-B-Q Sauce, red onions, mozz cheese, feta cheese, and grills up a couple breast of chicken then cuts them up. Definitely restaurant quality! It's one of my many favorites that he has mastered on the grill. Anyone want to come over for a pizza night...just let me know. Your tummy will leave happy! Luke got to make his own personal size cheese pizza!

Our little shef!

it snowed in Houston

Yesterday, the weather forecast called for 2 to 4 inches of accumulated snow for our area! What! In Houston! That's crazy! Well, we didn't get what the forecast called for...good thing, because Houstonians don't know how to drive or function, for that matter, when it snows...or flurries! Everything cancels. Believe it or not, schools closed early and the news was telling everyone how to get your water pipes prepared! We find it funny!

What's wrong with this pictures?? Jake has a short sleeve shirt on!!

On our way home from picking up Luke at Mother's Day Out

This morning...frost!

our Christmas tree

We got our first Christmas tree!! There's something about that fresh pine smell at Christmas time. The only time it smells good! Jake and I have have always had three small...I mean small...artificial Christmas tree that we put up every year. Partly, because we have moved around from apartments to apartment four times, in the six years we've been married. So it made more since to have a small tree, or in our case, three small trees. Plus, we were limited on floor space. I love our little Christmas trees and have always done different themes on each one, which makes it fun. But, this year we decided to get a "real" tree! And we are so glad we did! The whole experience was fun. Luke was on over load the whole time we were at the market! I think he wanted to bring all the trees home with us!

There's something to be said about driving down the road with your Christmas tree on top of your car! Although we started a new tradition this year, the best part of the Christmas tree is putting up all the ornaments! Jake and I each have a tote full of our ornaments from when we were kids. Bringing those out and finally getting to hang them up brought back a lot of good memories. Jake made a comment, "I remember hanging ornaments on the tree with my mom." How sweet. I knew it brought back many great memories for him as well. Now, Luke and Libby each have a few of their own ornaments too! I wish you could smell the fresh pine!

luke's new hair cut

We took a trip to Snip-its hair salon in the mall today and got Luke's haircut! IT'S SO DARN CUTE!!! He looks like such a little young man. He has a spike! He did so great. This was his third time there so each visit is getting better. It's the coolest salon. They play a cartoon video about kids getting their haircut, and Luke loves it! He also gets a sucker, sticker, and gets to shake maracas. It's pricey, but totally worth it. Enjoy the pictures.