Van Beek Christmas

This year we were excited to host everyone at our home to celebrate Christmas over New Year's Weekend.  We had more than enough food and fun for the celebration.  Grandma's car was overloaded when she came and pretty bare when she left!

It was so cold outside that weekend so the original plan of playing in the snow was forgotten and instead we settled on an indoor no-holds-barred Nerf gun war. 

It ended with sweaty adults and children all nursing their wounds from those bullets. I'm STILL finding bullets in odd places over a month later!

Marie was so excited to receive an electronic puppy that she's had her eye on for some time. 

Bennett was pumped about his electric scooter.

Brooks received an entire tub of dinosaurs and a play mat that even has a tar trap!

The problem with so much fun is I often forget to take pictures!  Especially when I'm running from enemy fire...

These cousins are so much more than family, they are such good friends too. We are beyond blessed with this crew. 

Christmas Morning

Andy & I were so excited for the kids to open presents on Christmas morning.  

It started Christmas Eve with the annual writing letter to Santa and setting out cookies and carrots. 

Marie is becoming a little suspicious of all the Santa traditions but she is still taking charge with those traditions. 

We slipped into our matching pajamas, read a few stories and then hurried off to bed!

 Marie was the first one awake on Christmas morning, we kept her busy with some shoveling and other tasks to give the boys a few more minutes of sleep. 

Brooks was excited to see the cookie and carrots gone as well as the milk!

 Marie received a Gizmo-cell phone/watch that will give her some increased independence as she inches towards age 9! (insert parent panic here)

Brooks got a new bike and Bennett received his very own kicking bag to practice his Tae Kwon Do kicks. 

The BIG gift was of course the trip to Disney World! 
The kids were so excited to find out that they will be headed there in February!

Mueting Christmas

 We were blessed to have a chance to spend time with our family in Spencer over the holiday.  

It's safe to say that our gatherings have gotten much more rowdy and loud with the kids playing and having so much fun together.

 picture taking has also become a new challenge for us!

 Fun new games were played including an egg game where Papa was soaked with water and Marie received the "watch your mouth" game which is always good for a laugh.

 We enjoyed yummy food, cookies, hot cocoa, and so much playing!

Brooks, Ryan, and Allie had way too much fun chasing each other and teasing Papa one night. They were laughing so hard that Brooks had nearly lost his voice by the morning!

 Watching these kids play is so good for the soul - we love spending time with cousins and family!

St. Mary's Christmas Pageant

This was my first experience directing a Christmas Pageant at our parish...wow.

I knew it would take work and organization but I was still surprised at the amount. 

It wall paid off in the end and the kids did a fantastic job!

Marie was one of our narrators. She and two other boys were in charge of keeping the story going and they did a great job.  One of her talents is reading and I love that was able to use her talent 

for a good purpose. 

Nearly every child wanted a special part in the performance but there are only so many shepherds and sheep you can have.  Thankfully we had a choir of kids ready to sing the special and traditional Christmas songs for everyone to enjoy!

Brooks is 3!

How can it be?  Our little Brooks Richard is 3!

This guy...he is absolutely, 100% way too smart for us. 

He is witty, sneaky, silly, inquisitive, social, helpful, loving, playful, and so much more. 

Brooks surprises us all the time with what he understands and overcomes. 

I can't help but get emotional every time I see him experience another milestone. I am always taken back to those frightening days in the hospital when we were so close to losing him -

Absolutely a life-changing experience.

One of those first nights in the hospital, I listened to a message from one of my favorite ministers. In that message, while holding Brooks' tiny hand and watching all the tubes and monitors around him, I truly felt God say to me that He had a purpose for this boy and this experience. It wasn't for me to know or understand yet, but someday it will be clear to me. 

For now,  we are thankful every moment of every day for this boy who is FULL of life and ours. 

At age 3, Brooks is:

Potty trained - what a champ!

Talking - all the time!

Playful - with his brother, sister, dogs, and many friends. He loves to play with animals, dinosaurs, and any kind of sport. 

Reading - he tries to hold books and read like his older siblings.

Helpful - he will try to load the dishwasher and sweep, put his clothes away and help fold laundry.

Independent - "I can do it myself" is heard many times throughout the day.

Happy Birthday, Brooksy- you are spunky big blessing and we love you so much!

Santa Visit

 

Marie wants American Girl doll clothes, a trip to Disney World, and a Gizmo watch/phone. 

 Bennett wants an electric scooter, remote control airplane, and a compass.

 Brooks wants dinosaurs and more animals to play with.

Christmas Wishes for 3 special children!

Cookie Time

Christmas is coming which means it's time for yummy treats!

Our kids really enjoy taking the effort to make their own cookies so we make sure to do this every year.

The whole family was involved for every step this year and they are really getting very skilled in their cookie-making!

A few days later we sat down to decorate them...what a blessed mess that always is.  I noticed a huge difference this year with how helpful the older 2 are getting at decorating.  One of my favorite parts of decorating this year was how Bennett stuck candy eyes in almost anything just to make it 

look silly - a silly tree, wreath, you. name it!

Christmas Concert

Marie and Bennett participated in their annual school Christmas concert this week. 

They were both feeling the butterflies but of course they did a great job!

Marie was able to sing with a few other girls for part of a song up close to the microphone. She loves to sing and hopes to be a singer/farmer when she grows up!

Bennett was standing in the back next to one of his best friends from preschool. They socialized but also gave it their all during the songs. 

Thanks for the grandparents for all their support - these kids are blessed beyond belief.

Big Boy!

 This kiddo has quite the personality and stubborn nature.

After changing some clothes around, he noticed underwear in his drawer.  He decided he was done with diapers and ready for the adventure of potty training!

I am relieved to say that after only two days of stress and worry, he began to get it and ended up being accident free by training day 3!

 Enjoying his treat for a successful trip to the potty...no time like the present!

 Brooks has also taken on new responsibilities with baking. He loves to assist me with taste testing, mixing, and cleaning up too! 

After learning how to go potty, plus baking banana bread, it was also time for his first real trip to the dentist for a cleaning. 

He was a big boy for this too only whining a bit towards the end because of some of the scraping. 

It's hard to believe this guy will be 3 in 2 weeks!