Blessing for the End of 2010

I can hardly believe that 2010 is ending!  We have had so many joys this year that it is hard to know where to begin, so I would like to share our life from our son's point of view.  We have been saying nightly prayers with Brady before putting him to bed.  Here is a list of some of the things he "blessed" tonight.

• Mommy - 2 times
• Daddy - 2 times
• Baby Ben
• Tax Man - from his bible story tonight
• Nana Dottie
• Nana Lisa & Grampy
• Uncle Luke & Ree
• Uncle Jack
• Uncle Craig
• Aunt Rachel - 2 times
• Pop & Obachan
• Great Grandparents
• Cow Pool
• Duck
• Balls
• Rocket Ship
• Shark - "Here's Brucey" - from "Finding Nemo"
• Nemo
• Thomas, Percy, and Salty

I love hearing what he prays for each night.  Here are ten things from 2010 that Garrett and I are thankful for.

• Baby Ben's safe delivery, short stay in the NICU, and continued good health
• Brady's sweet spirit
• Our wonderful families - five generations still alive!
• Our extended church family and neighbors that have helped us through tough times this year
• Vacation times this year to Florida, New Hampshire, and Charlotte
• The opportunity to serve in the Great Escape program
• Our jobs and our health insurance
• An engagement (Luke and Marie) and a wedding (Craig and Rachel)
• Our house that continues to become a home
• A wonderful Christmas season

A Walston Family Christmas - Christmas Cookies

Making Christmas cookies is definitely a family tradition!  I found a great new recipie for sugar cookies this year and made the dough in advance.  One of our close family friends advised us before we had children to never eat anything our children made.  I know this may sound harsh, but I was definitely glad we gave Brady his own cookie dough and small baking tray.  All I have to say is that he had a runny nose!

A Walston Family Christmas - New Traditions

This year, we added several new traditions to our Christmas experience.  We truly cherished every one of these moments, and I can not wait until next year so we can experience them again...all of them except for the meltdown over the birthday cake for Jesus by Mr. Brady!

We all received a new pair of "Christmas jammies" to go along with our "Christmas flannel sheets."  Each year, I am going to put these sheets on the beds a few days before Christmas to help us really get in the mood!

This year was the first time we set out cookies, milk, and carrots for the nighttime visitors!

Here is the infamous birthday cake for Jesus.  By this time, it was close to an hour past Brady's bed time, and he was exhausted.  I think this is the only picture where he isn't crying!  Incase you are wondering, he is wearing the sock monkey hat I made for him.

I purchased an inexpensive table runner and some fabric paint.  Each year we are going to imprint the boys' hands on the runner so we can watch how fast they grow!

This last "new tradition" may be the best of all.  My mother always makes this yummy Scandinavian almond cake when we visit, but it requires a special pan which has prevented me from making it in the past.  Nana Santa made sure I received one of my own this year, and it turned out great!

A Season of Joy and Mourning

We had an absolutely amazing Christmas this year.  At first, I was very sad at the prospect of not being with any of our family this year as in year's past.  Benjamin is not able to travel right now, so we decided to stay home and make the most of Christmas as a family of four. 

I must admit that I truly enjoyed the experience.  On Christmas Eve, we took the boys to visit Santa Claus and received a perfect picture.  Then, we brought Brady to have a haircut followed by a reward of a pizza lunch.  Nap time was followed up by church and a visit to the Fielding's for snacks.  We returned home for dinner and made sure to set out cookies, milk, and carrots for Santa and the reindeer.

Brady was on cloud nine when we all opened one gift - pajamas for everyone!  He also received a special pair of Elmo slippers.  After cozying him up in his flannel sheets, Garrett and I commented on how we felt that we were providing a wonderful experience for our family.  Santa arrived a few hours later.  The house was clean, the gifts were displayed, and we turned in for a good night's rest.

On Christmas morning, Brady was so excited to see whether or not the cookies were gone...even before he noticed the tree!  We made sure that Baby Jesus appeared on the nativity scene and hung the last ornament on the Jesse tree before sharing gifts.  To top off the morning, snow began to fall around 10:30 am.  The rest of the day was spent eating French toast, watching Christmas movies, and enjoying dinner together.  Our family seemed close by as we chatted with each other over the Internet using Skype.

All of this joy has left me with a feeling of mourning today.  I do not want this wonderful season of my life to end.  I am already counting down the days to next Christmas, and I hope that it will be just as magical.  Next week, I will have to return to work and will miss this time I have had with my two boys.  I know there will be good things to come in our future, and I am so thankful for this time we have had together.

A Walston Family Christmas - Sneak Peak

Merry Christmas!  Here's a sneak peak of our day, and there will be more to come soon.  We have been blessed with a white Christmas this year - only the fifth time it has snowed in the last 100 years in Jamestown, NC!

Brady's first glimpse of the tree.

Checking out the goodies under the tree.

Garrett opening his first present.

Renee doing the same.

Buddy going crazy over a catnip mouse from "Uncle Chance" in New Hampshire.

Ben hanging out in his Christmas jammies.

Our traditional french toast and fruit salad breakfast.

Our snowy back yard.

It's starting to stick!

A view from the front yard.

Counting My Christmas Blessings

1. Ben slept through the night last night.  (Coincidentally, Brady slept through the night for the first time on December 18 as well!)
2. Receiving a grant for Ben's special vaccinations.
3. Wonderful early Christmas celebrations in Florida and Charlotte.
4. FedEx getting our gifts to our families earlier than promised.
5. Neighbors who keep watch on your house while you are away.
6. Christmas lights around the neighborhood.
7. Sharing the true meaning of Christmas with our son, Brady.
8. Surprise hugs around the legs from Brady while I was sweeping the kitchen.
9. The Hallmark Channel running Christmas movies almost 24 hours a day.
10. My wonderful husband who is always by my side.

What are your Christmas blessings this year?

All Dressed Up!

While visiting my grandparents, John and Honey Hooper, in Florida over Thanksgiving week, we planned a special project for Brady to do with Grand.  Both of my grandparents like to wear an apron while eating, and I noticed this summer that Grand was always stuck wearing Nana's flowery apron.  We decided it was time for him to wear something more manly.  I was able to find two plain aprons at Michael's along with some fabric markers.  We covered the coffee table with newspaper, stripped Brady down to a diaper, and let him go to town coloring the aprons.  It was a blast!  Later in the day, we had some fun with taking pictures with the apron and Brady's conductor hat.

Snow Day!

We received our second dose of snow today in North Carolina!  Unfortunately, the sleet came right behind the snow, so not much stuck on the ground.  Growing up in New Hampshire, I was only used to snow being cancelled if there were 7-8 inches on the ground and it was still snowing.  Last night, there were counties that cancelled school before the first flake even fell!  Here are some pictures from the first snowfall on December 9th.

Three Months & Counting

Baby Ben turned three months old this week.  We are amazed at how much he has grown since he entered our world.  At birth, he weighed 4 lbs 2 oz.  Now, we think he is creeping up on 11 lbs.  Ben is starting to smile, hold his head up for extended periods of time, and has even uttered a few "ooohhhs."  Enjoy these photos!

Order Established

My wonderful little boy, Brady, has had a passion for organization from a young age.  He has been lining up various objects since before he could walk.  It has become such a funny obsession, that I have begun photographing his endeavors for a special scrapbook.

We decorated the Christmas tree a few nights ago and gave Brady a few ornaments to hang on the tree.  Before we knew it, this happened:

I hope you enjoy these other shots!



Angel Tree

I had a great time tonight hanging out with some of the women in our church.  We met for dinner at a local Italian restaurant and then headed out to Target to shop for a Angel Tree Family.  The Angel Tree program supports needy families and provides children with Christmas gifts that they would normally not receive.

Gift giving is definitely my "love language," and I have been looking forward to this night.  We were lucky enough to be able to shop for the same family this year as last year.  There are nine children, and I was lucky enough to be able to shop for a two year old little boy.  It was as if I was getting to select gifts for Brady.


I feel fortunate to be able to share in this type of experience with such a great group of women.  The best part of the whole night, I came home to a clean house!  Garrett went to town making sure that the kitchen was clean, all the toys were put away, and the bedroom was even vacuumed.  What more could a girl want?

Christmas Card 2010

Crochet Scallop Green Christmas

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.

Our Hectic Life

I am ashamed that I have neglected writing for the last few weeks.  As a family, we have been running from here to there to everywhere, and unfortunately this has been pushed to the side.

Three days after mom returned home to New Hampshire, we packed up the car to visit family in Florida.  Our first night was spent in Ocala with Gary and Lisa.  From there, we headed over to Ormond Beach to visit my Nana and Grand.  This was the first time they were all getting to meet Baby Ben.  Garrett's mother, Dottie, was also able to visit with us in Ormond.  Two days later we were back in the car to return to Ocala for a few days before heading home to North Carolina.

Since then, we have been busy decorating for Christmas, celebrating the advent season, and completing a Jesse Tree study.  Despite the stress, it has been a wonderful few weeks.  More stories and pictures of our Florida adventure to come soon!

So Many Thanks

This week has been a blur of activity.  We celebrated an early Thanksgiving with Mom, Craig, and Rachel.  There were two full days of cooking and eating madness.  I cooked my first turkey, and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  Here's a peak at our feast starting with Sunday brunch and moving to "Thanksgiving Dinner":

Sunday Brunch Table 

Homemade sticky rolls, pumpkin chocolate chip mini-breads, and cranberry orange scones.

"Eggs in a basket" - Hash brown baskets with an egg baked inside and covered with cheese.

Homemade strawberry jam, pesto cream cheese, and cinnamon butter.

Salad of arugula, pears, and parmesan cheese curls with dijon-lemon dressing.

Assorted fruit and cheese platter

My first turkey!

Maple glazed carrots, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, 

and roasted brussel sprouts with pecans.