Our Easter in (unedited) photographs

We kicked off the Easter weekend on Saturday by decorating some eggs.

FYI: my kids are NOT naked. I just didn’t want extra laundry to do, so off came the shirts. That’s just the way we roll around here these days : ) Jack and Beau loved decorating the eggs. But Jack kept breaking them on purpose so that he could eat the boiled egg. Beau, wanting to be just like his older brother, followed suit only to discover hard boiled eggs were NOT his thing. 

Sunday, Easter, was filled with a trip to church, Easter baskets with lots of goodies (that the boys inevitably fought over), and a little Easter egg hunt at Nana and Papa’s with just the two of them. 

Christmas Festivities – take 2

They came -

 

They played (with the other’s toys…go figure) -

They conquered -

(and now I am on day 3 of conquering the mess)

Christmas Festivities – take 1

Christmas around the Brookshire household is always chaotic to say the least. This year proved no different.

Not only is the day of Christmas packed with places to go, people to see, and presents to unwrap; but even in the days leading up to, we make sure our kiddos don’t ever have a chance to complain of boredom.

One evening, we (meaning me, the hubby, our two boys, my sister-in-law and her hubby and their two kids, my mother-in-law and father-in-law, and the hubby’s grandma – yes, we had to take the church van to fit our large crowd) drove down to Chickasha, Oklahoma. We ate at Jake’s Rib and then drove through the Festival of Light.

Then, the next evening, the boys and I decorated a gingerbread train.

The boys were really OCD about having the train look exactly like the one on the box.

Then came Christmas Eve. After we ate a huge meal (I think I must have thought I was feeding an army) with Nana and Papa,  we carried through with our usual traditions:

We wrote Santa some letters.  

And fixed the big man and his reindeer some snacks.

Then we read The Night Before Christmas and settled down for a long winter’s nap (well, the boys did anyway – daddy and I had to stay up and wait for Santa to come so that we could assemble all of those gifts he always drops off – why he can’t preassemble them is beyond me).

Good vs. evil

I think from the following photo you can tell which of my boys made Santa’s nice list and which one made his naughty list.

Yes, Jack loves Santa and can’t wait for him to leave a “monster truck that looks like a shark and floats” under the Christmas tree this year.

Jack has always been enthralled with planes, trains and automobiles.

Beau likes them too (if they are big enough for him to run over stuff) but I’m pretty sure he’d rather have a gun. Not really a comforting thought for a mother.

It’s a good thing he is so stinkin’ cute, because if he wasn’t he’d be in a whole lot of trouble. Maybe that’s the problem….

Christmas Pageant

For weeks, our children’s ministry at church practiced for a Christmas Pageant. All we knew was that Jack would be one of the stable animals. For some reason, despite our arguing with him, Jack had it in his head that he would be playing the role of a giraffe (yeah, I’m still not real sure where he got that idea from).

However, when the evening of the Pageant finally rolled around, he did not act at all disappointed that he would not be dressed as a giraffe, but rather as a Jack a…a donkey. 

Of course he could have just been excited that his friends and family, especially his cousin Brynnley, had all come to see him.

Either way, he was so stinkin’ cute up there in his big floppy ears swaying to all of the songs they sang.

Halloween Etiquette Checklist

1. Dress up in whatever costume your mama bought you without complaining  – no matter how goofy you think you might look.

2. Walk calmly to the front door of any given house – without barreling over other children…

…oh, and if you can’t walk by yourself, then you probably aren’t old enough to be Trick or Treating in the first place.

3.  Hold out your bag and politely say trick or treat.

4. Thank the person who just gave you candy – without adding an amendment such as “Thank you, but I don’t like raisins.”

5. Don’t throw a fit when you don’t get the same thing as the person next to you.

And last but certainly not least…

6.  I realize you have taken a lot of photos this evening, but if someone who just gave you candy thinks you’re cute and would like to take your photo, don’t refuse them that joy, just as they did not refuse you that candy.

Two and a half out of six isn’t bad! Could use a little improvement for next year though.

This message has been brought to you courtesy of the Brookshire boys.

Spooky or sweet?

Torturing our children one holiday at a time

We kicked off our holiday weekend by attending Oklahoma’s oldest rodeo right here in small town America.

Jack, at the last minute, decided he wanted to Mutton Bust – of course, he insisted on having a cowboy outfit as well…and being the great parents we are, we gave the boy what he wanted. From Wikipedia: Mutton busting is an event held at rodeos similar to bull riding or bronc riding. In the event, a sheep will be caught and held still while a child is placed on top in a riding position. Once the child is seated atop the sheep, the people holding the sheep let go and the sheep then starts to run in an attempt to get the child off. Often small prizes or ribbons are given out to the child who can stay on the longest.

Sounds harmless enough…

or not. After watching child after child after child give it a go, only to get trampled and come away screaming, I’ve decided that this could be considered legalized child abuse. Maybe Jack won’t want to participate again next year…maybe.

Of course the torturing of our children did not end there…

Even though our 4th of July was rainy and damp, the festivities went on as planned.  This is the one day of the year when daddy gets full reign, and mommy just has to sit back and pray that at the end of the evening her family will still have all of their limbs intact. Despite a few minor mishaps, I am happy to report that we are all still standing.