Van Beek Christmas

Our final Christmas get together was this past weekend. 

We spent the day on the farm and had a great time!

Not only did we eat more goodies and open more presents, but we also got to go tubing in the field!

The kids loved being outside in the snow...even Brooks!

Marie was very excited about her new horse. 

Bennett was loving his T-Rex and Spiderman walkie talkies.

And Brooks found some new trucks!

The kids played and played while the adults played a game, too.

We are so blessed with 2 great families!

Winter Get-a-way

As a surprise to the kiddos we spent a night in a hotel over Christmas break. 

They were very anxious to swim, eat pizza in the hotel room, and go to the zoo.

 We started out at the zoo with an adventure with dragons and lizards. The kids loved playing around inside and we even got to see a few animals in their winter outdoor habitats.

After a little lunch and playtime at the mall, we went to our hotel.

We swam immediately. The kids loved the slides and hot tubs. 

After swimming we were starving! Pizza in bed is just what the kids wanted!

We also spent a little time in the arcade. The kids always want to play these type of games and we usually don't indulge...but we have to admit it was a great time and Marie won a bunch of tickets!

After sleeping in, we swam one more time before packing up. 

What a great little family trip!

Christmas Day

After a busy and late Christmas Eve...the kids slept in!

Andy & I were ready and waiting for them to wake up to find their gifts.

Finally, Marie crept upstairs with the news that Santa had come...the boys quickly followed.

We started with opening the stocking gifts from Santa and then moved upstairs to gifts from Mom and Dad. 

 Marie was especially happy with her new diary,

 Brooks received some new ball for playing catch,

and Bennett is now Captain America.

We devoured Santa Claus pancakes, played with toys, and prepped for Christmas dinner. We were joined by the Mueting and Ascherl families.

 Marie, Liz, and Cali cuddling.

 Boys watching some football.

 Marie used her new oven for some cookies!

 

Brooks and Grammy cuddling. 

Christmas Time is Here

The amount of fun, food, and laughter we have during the holidays is such a blessing. 

One of the greatest things about writing and putting pictures into this blog is reliving the moments. 

Sometimes when I am busy taking the photos I don't really get to experience the moment until I see the photos again as I upload and edit them. 

Christmas Eve day was spent at home as Andy worked the morning and the kids and I prepped and played. We were surprised by a visit from Aunt Tina and Uncle Brian in the afternoon before church. 

The kids loved getting to spend a little time with them.

We attended church in Spirit Lake with Grammy, Papa, Grandma Nel, Nathan, Liz, and Andrew. 

Marie was asked to carry the baby Jesus to the nativity scene during the mass...she was honored to do so and did a very nice job. The service was beautiful and it was a lovely way to pause as a busy family and celebrate Jesus' Birthday!

 As always, we took a few photos after church...the boys had fun playing around with their bellies.

The babies are growing and it was a lot of fun to see Liz's belly this Christmas!

We even got to sneak over to the clinic for an ultrasound!

After mass we drove to Spencer to open gifts and eat many goodies. 

The kids had so much fun playing with their family and of course opening those presents!

Bennett was thrilled with his Turtle mask and sword, Brooks couldn't stop playing with his plane,

 and Marie was very excited about her Easy Bake Oven.

After hot cocoa and cookies, we packed up and drove back to Spirit Lake to await Santa's arrival!

Bennett's Christmas Program

Bennett had a special Christmas program this year with his 3 year old class at Joyful Journeys. 

He loves his teachers, class, and was definitely looking forward to some time in the spot light!

He had a line and also sang many songs with this class mates and the other kids from the preschool. 

He wore a tie and he continually played with it in between songs while also giving his "fans" the thumbs up!

Brooks - 1 Year Old!!!

Brooks Richard is 1 year old!
I feel as though I blinked and my little baby is grown up.

Brooks - newborn

At 1 year old, Brooks is crawling at super sonic speed, pulling himself up to standing, opening every cupboard door and drawer, sneaking dog food with every chance he gets, knocking over chairs, pulling at the Christmas tree, and leaving a trail of chaos everywhere he goes.

He LOVES to play catch, push cars and trucks, wrestle Daddy and Bennett, play fetch with the dogs, and cuddle with Marie and Mommy. 

Brooks - 6 months

He is the sweetest baby boy. 

He smiles more than any other child I have ever known. 

I know I have said this before, but people stop us in public to comment on his smile and sweetness every day.

He likes books but he wants to be the one in charge with them...making it difficult to read the whole thing in one setting. He is starting to use his little pointer finger and copy when we point to things in the story.

He drinks from a sippy cup and has handled his food transitions very well. I'm pretty sure he likes almost every kind of food we have ever given him. 

He sleeps well and enjoys cuddling with his blanket. 

Brooks - 1 Year

Brooks has discovered his voice - mama, dada, nono, hi, and all duh (all done). 

He has also discovered his angry little growl when we have the audacity to make him stop moving and get his clothes or pajamas on!  This temper is something I secretly adore because it only comes out every so often and it reminds me of his little fighting spirit that we saw when he was so sick in the hospital at 5 weeks old. 

Our family feels complete with Brooks in it and we are so thankful God chose him for us!