December Days

As Decembers usually go, our month was busy, busy, busy! We were in town for only the first half of the month, and the days went by with a flurry of activity.   

Early on in the Christmas season, our friend Casey dropped off thoughtful gifts for the boys-- their very first Build-a-Bear creations, two singing reindeer.

As you can tell from Jaden's face below, both of the boys were just mesmerized by these stuffed animals that lit up and sang "Rudolph." These toys quickly became a favorite for Mommy & Daddy, too, as they were a sure-fire, immediate way to calm any fussiness. We definitely heard the Rudolph song over and over and over again in our household this month!

Cody especially liked the way Rudolph's nose would light up as the song played.

Each week (not only in December, but every month!), Mommy & the boys get a special visit from dear friends, the Cochrans. Emma comes over to take piano lessons, and her twin Kate helps to watch the boys during the lesson. In December, the family happened to arrive just as Amy was starting to bottle-feed Jaden and Cody. Kate and Emma eagerly jumped in to help.

Can't you tell that these girls are experts on caring for twins? I couldn't resist taking a picture of this precious twin-to-twin connection!

Jason's month was packed full of church youth activities. So that we could see Daddy a bit more, Amy & the twins joined him for some of these events. One Friday night, we met the high school youth group at a nursing home for some Christmas caroling.

The youth group members are always ready to help with the boys! Cody and Jaden loved the opportunity to dress in their Christmas best for the occasion.

In addition to the nursing home visit, we caroled at a few church members' homes. Cody, of course, loved being in the middle of all the action.

Ms. Edith enjoyed the chance to cuddle with Jaden as the youth sang.

The very next day, Jason had another caroling event with the 5th & 6th grade youth group. The nursing home where we went was one that Amy had visited each month last year with her school kids. It was especially fun visiting this home, as some of the residents remembered seeing Amy pregnant and were eager to meet the twins. Here, Jason leads the youth in a chimes song.

Cody says hello to some of the workers and residents while the youth sing.

Jaden visits the residents while they work on a craft with our youth.

We love seeing how our boys are able to bring smiles to many others!

Finally, our December busy-ness included an overnight trip to the Lastuskys in the nearby town of Roberts. We gathered there with the Bolls and several other friends. The night was full of GREAT food,

fun playtime with Micah (hard to believe these boys may only be a year apart in school someday!),

bonding with Noah,

hanging out with Mr. Mark (and of course, our dear Rudolph friend),

being loved on by Ms. Jennifer,

and of course, cheering on our favorite football team! Thankfully, our family of four wasn't the only set of Lions fans at the gathering (Mark, Jaden, Jason, Amy, Cody, Josh). Unfortunately, even with all of our enthusiastic cheering, the team couldn't pull out a win.

The Packers fans (Myrna, Jay, Micah, Jenn, Jonathan, and Noah) rejoiced at their weekend victory!

Despite the loss, we had an enjoyable time with these dear friends and liked taking the boys on a short road trip, too. So, yes, our month was busy, but who can complain about busy-ness with friends, football, food, and fellowship?

I agree, says Jaden, our December was a good month! :)