Catching Up

I just realized I never posted anything on our blog during the month of July. There isn't a whole lot to "catch up" on but I'll work at keeping up better even if it's not the most exciting stuff.
This summer we didn't go anywhere or do anything super special. It was Natalie's last summer before starting school and I wanted to just hang out at home with my family and relax as much as possible knowing that our lives were going to get a lot busier come August.
We had quite a few birthday celebrations and family get together, played lots of games and watched movies at home and just enjoyed time as a family, it was a pretty perfect summer vacation for us.
Now Natalie has started school and we're getting ready for the baby to come within the next few weeks. There is always some project going on around our house, something we're fixing or working on so we(and when I say we I really just mean Kyle) have been busy with that.
Once our photographer gets back from her vacation we'll be getting some family pictures taken so then we'll have something cute to look at on our blog. Our girls are getting to be so big and grown-up it just kills me! What happened to my babies?

All About Dad!

Kyle is a champ at avoiding cameras, this is one of very few pictures I have of him.

In honor of Father's Day I just wanted to brag a little bit about what a wonderful dad Kyle is. Kyle came into fatherhood very quickly and has been a champ from the beginning. The day we got married he not only became a husband but he also became a father. And then 9 months later he became a father again. And in another 2 months he'll be the father of a third little girl who loves him to pieces. You'll never meet a more patient and sweet man than my Kyle. He sacrifices a lot for his family and is always willing to give even more to take care of us. He works 2 jobs and serves in our ward so he never really gets a day off but that doesn't stop him from making time for me and the girls daily. He's the greatest blessing in our lives and we all love him very very much. I asked Natalie some questions about her dad and this is what she had to say:


What is your favorite thing to do with dad?
Ride my bike.


What is dad's favorite color?
Green!


What is dad best at doing?
Helping me ride my bike.


What is dad's favorite food?
Jalapenos of course


What does dad do when he goes to work?
He.....he.....gets money?


What does dad like to do for fun?
Play with me and Hartley!


What kind of music does dad like to listen to?
OLD music


What is dad's favorite dessert?
He likes a strawberry milkshake


If dad had a million dollars what would he spend it on?
He would spend it on......toys for me and Hartley. And he would buy a new TV. And a new truck.


Who does dad love more than anyone in the world?
His family


Who do we love more than anyone in the world?
DAD!

Look at her go!

Not long after we moved into our new house, Kyle brought home Paige's old bike for Natalie. I thought it would be too big for her and that she was much too young to learn to ride a bike but, boy did they prove me wrong! Natalie picked up on it pretty quickly. Kyle got in a few good work-outs running around the neighborhood holding onto Natalie's bike while she learned to ride. Now she's a practically a pro(we're working on her watching out for cars and things while she rides) and asks to ride her bike daily.

It was pretty hard to get a good picture of her, our camera is kinda lame. Plus she rides pretty fast.....

Dad and sister watching her ride!

We lie to our kids.....

What? You don't?

Today my sister-in-law Kimmy came over to make some pickles. In our house we often call pickles "frogs". It just reminded me of how, when Natalie was 3 or so, Kyle told her that pickles were really made from frogs(kinda green and slimy and bumpy-just like a frog). When I was working Kyle and Natalie often had daddy-daughter days and would go to the store and get a big "frog" then go to the park to play and eat their pickle together. Now that she's actually seen how pickles are made I think she's caught on. But we still call the frogs out of habbit.

Once upon a time Natalie was on a wierd kick about growing her hair out. She wanted to be Rapunzel. So I told her that eating circles would make her hair grow faster. Since then, any fruit or vegetable that I can slice into a circle goes down much easier(Carrots, squash, bananas, apsaragas, potatoes, beets, kiwi, you name it...) She still believes this one, we'll see how long that lasts.

Grandpa Bourgeous also told Natalie that boogers are actually flies that crawl up your nose when you're sleeping. That's why you shouldn't eat them. Makes sense to me!

The other day I heard Natalie explaining to one of her friends, step by step, how they make gummy worms(from real worms of course). I'm not sure who told her that story(she said it was Dad but he doesn't recall that one, maybe one of her aunts) but it was very entertaining.

Pregnancy Update

This pregnancy has gone pretty smoothly. Thank goodness! A lot of the time I don't feel very pregnant. I'm 27 weeks along now, 28 weeks on Saturday, so we only have a few months left! It's strange that with my first 2 pregnancies I was so paranoid about being ready for the baby to come. I put so much thought and time into preparing the house and getting everything we needed. It's amazing how much I've learned I don't need for a baby. I guess if we were having a boy things would be different, there would be more to prepare for. But we are all so excited and anxious to see this little girl that August just can't come soon enough! Leah is a very active baby. Every now and then I get a painful kick but for the most part she's pretty good to me. I have contractions pretty often(I have since I was about 20 weeks along). At first they were mostly annoying then they got uncomfortable and as the weeks have progressed I've had some that have hurt pretty badly. This week I have a doctors appointment and my gestational diabetes test to look forward to(yuck) but at least I get to hear that little heartbeat!

Our Quick Trip to Safford

A couple weeks ago we had the chance to go to Safford to celebrate Kyle's Grandpa Bingham's 80th birthday. We left late Saturday morning after spending some time at our Primary activity to join the festivities. Saturday morning some of the family went to the cemetery to clean up family grave sites and from what we've heard, it turned out looking great. For the rest of the day we mostly hung out with family at Grandma and Grandpa Bingham's house and had some yummy dinner and dessert. We stayed with Kyle's cousin Clark and his family Saturday night, our girls just loved playing with their kids and we appreciate them letting us crash there! Sunday morning we went to church with all of the Bingham family. I think we made up half the ward. The rest of the day Sunday was spent relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather and wonderful company until we drove home Sunday afternoon. It was a fast trip but it was neat to see family and get away for a little while. We realized we forgot our camera after we were on the road so all my pictures are stolen from other family!

All play and NO WORK!

Kyle has had this past week off from work and I have been enjoying every minute of it!

Sunday was Mother's day and I think it was my favorite Mother's day ever. I got wonderful gifts and really enjoyed going to church with my sweet little family and listening to Natalie sing a song with the Primary kids. I'm so grateful that I'm a mother, I love my girls so so much and I enjoy every day with them!(even the hard days) We also went to Kyle's parents house for a little while and to my grandparents house Sunday night to visit with our families.

Monday morning we got up bright and early and(after a quick stop at the doctor for Hartley's check-up) headed up north to enjoy the nice cool weather. We drove through Winslow, AZ so Kyle could show us where he used to live and it was a fun experience and a nice long drive. We spent the night in Munds Park at my uncle's cabin with my grandparents. The weather was amazing and we had a blast. Hartley was up crying a lot of the night because she'd had 5 immunizations that day but other than that it was a relaxing trip.

This is pretty much where Hartley spent all her time while we were at the cabin, she loved climbing up and down the stairs

Tuesday we spent the morning in Flagstaff and had lunch at Olive Garden before driving back home. Even after a short trip away, it always feels so nice to be HOME. Kyle went to mutual that night and then worked on our hole for our trampoline. He's about half-way done! Yay!

Wednesday Kyle finished putting up the fan in our family room-not an easy task with vaulted ceilings, it was a pain.

Hartley "helping" dad put up the fan

Thursday Kyle and I went with his mom and dad to the church cannery in Mesa. I've never been to the cannery before but it was a blast! It was neat to learn a little bit about how they make things there. This week they were making peach jam. I don't really like peach jam but it smelled soooooo good there! It was hard being on my feet for so long working but I'm really glad we got the chance to do it and I really want to go back again(maybe when I'm not so pregnant)

Kyle had to work Friday morning so I went and dropped him off at work with plans to just play around with the girls for 4 hours until he needed to be picked up. We were planning on making pickles on Friday so we went on a search for pickling cucumbers with no luck. I checked with 6 different stores and didn't find any. Bummer. We're going to try again this week. We need to make pickles with Kim before she leaves us for Japan.

Saturday we did some work around the house then went to my parents house to visit and left the girls with my sisters so Kyle and I could go on a date. We went to Babbo which is our favorite favorite restaurant and it was wonderful to spend some time alone. We were wanting to go to a reception that night but I was feeling super sick so we just came home.

It was a busy week but I LOVED having my husband all week long. It went by way way to quickly, though, I'm ready for him to take another vacation!

Easter Dresses

ONLY a month late. Here are the girls in their Easter dresses. I actually bought Natalie's dress so she'd have something new and special to wear when we went to the temple. And my mom got Hartley her dress to wear the same day. So they weren't technically for Easter specifically but still....Aren't they cute? We actually had a pretty hard time getting a picture. We tried to make Hartley stand next to Natalie and she threw herself on the ground and cried like we were torturing her. But when Natalie held her she was fine. What a drama queen....

No time to blog

I've really wanted to keep our blog updated more but then it seems like I just don't have the time because we have so much going on. Then when I have a moment to actually post, I can't think of anything to post about. What happened to all those things that were keeping me from blogging in the first place?? Oh well.. Maybe next week.... For now, look at these sweet things.

These girls are best friends.....I hope they stay that way for a long long time!

Hartley is eating green cereal....It looks like I haven't brushed her teeth in a month. She was also sharing her snack with "George" her monkey. This girl LOVES that monkey. He gets good morning kisses EVERY morning. I don't.....

Easter

Easter was a hoot this year. We dyed eggs, hunted for eggs, and had a special visit from the Easter bunny Sunday morning. Natalie also had a Spring Fling party with her preschool class. We were running late Sunday morning so we didn't get pictures of the girls in their Easter dresses but I will eventually. Natalie likes to have her picture taken when she's dressed up all pretty for church so I'm sure we'll get some soon. For now here are a few pictures from when we dyed our eggs!

Random stuff....

*"The future is as bright as your faith" -President Monson...One of my favorite tidbits from conference last weekend. Lots and lots of good stuff this conference.

*I was picking up Natalie's room earlier this week and found that she'd just stuffed her pajamas from the night before under her bed instead of putting them in her hamper. Frustrating. So I said "Natalie, why would you put dirty clothes under your bed???" to which she replied "Mom, it's just my thing....." Um OK then....

*We hunted Easter eggs at my grandparents house today. A tradition that goes back longer than I can remember and is something I look forward to every year. My grandparents really outdo themselves. They fill and hide 14 plastic eggs each for about 20 grandkids, great-grandkids, and foster-grandkids. That's a lot of eggs and A LOT of candy. The girls had a blast. I was the only one who couldn't find all my eggs. Sad.

*Jesus loves you. And you too Rachel. I think I needed to let you know. hahaha

*Kyle and I made pickles yesterday and it was a hoot! We are definately going to make more in the future, they turned out pretty good. Pickle, pickles, pickle smell. Pickle train conducting... If you can tell me what that's from you win.....

*I haven't had a full nights sleep at all this entire week. I'm really looking forward to taking a nap tomorrow. I hope.

It's a GIRL!!!

Yup another girl!

We went for an ultrasound this morning(Kyle, my mom, and me) and got to see how the baby was doing. She was very uncooperative but things looked good. The baby is definitely a girl. She weighs about 9 oz so far and is measuring right on her due date. I was thinking maybe she'd be measuring a little behind because I haven't gotten very big yet and have only gained one pound. At our first ultrasound she was measuring several days behind but she seems to have caught up. I love being able to say HER and SHE now instead of IT! Her name will be Leah Pearl, a name we decided on very early in the pregnancy, maybe even before I was pregnant, now I can't remember. Natalie was really hoping for a brother and is still sulking and hoping for one. Kyle and I are very very excited and glad that we can still be "Kyle, Brenda and "the girls"!

On my mind today....

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed, and with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sister Schenk's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone’s garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."
-Marjorie Hinckley

I've been reading President Gordon B. Hinkley's biography lately and it has really touched me how much he and his wife commited their life to service and to moving the work of the Lord forward. They are truely inspirational people. I can't imagine I'll leave the world having influenced it even a fraction of the amount these good people have, but I sure could try a lot harder. They had an awesome grasp on the important things in life and I would love to have that same dedication and focus to my family(and ward family) and the other things in my life that REALLY matter.

Making progress

*Only 2 more weeks until we find out what we're having! I can tell this baby is getting much bigger. It's growing UP instead of OUT....I can't breathe.....I can also feel lots of baby squirms and the occasional kick. I'm very glad not to be so sick and tired all the time!

*Kyle is really making progress on our trampoline pit. He didn't have a lot of time to put into the yard last week because we were so busy but he's trying to get as much done as quickly as possible. Soon it will be to hot to be out working in the yard.If you've ever put an in-ground trampoline in your yard and you have some words of wisdom, let us know!

*Today I made jam all by myself. My mom makes jam(sometimes several kinds of jam) every year and I'm usually around to "help" but I have never really paid attention to how she did it until this year. I made one batch myself and it turned out pretty good. I have some room for improvement for sure but it was much easier than I thought it would be. It'll be a good addition to our food storage.

*Our girls our super sweet and wonderful. It's amazing that there is a 4 year age difference between Natalie and Hartley and they still play so well together. Natalie likes to be in charge and Hartley is very easy going so it works out well. Natalie is getting really good at reading. She can sound most words out on her own and tries to write full sentences. Her reading is much better than her writing at this point but I think once school starts she'll have a blast. She calls my mom every night to have story time with grandma. My mom reads her a chapter from a book. They've read Charlotts Web, A Cricket in Time Square, and now they're working on Little House on the Praire. She definately developing a love for books and reading.

Week 3.....making progress. Good job dear!

Pictures

This is one of Hartley's favorite places in the house-the pantry

These are the pictures I meant to put in my last post but our internet rarely works these days so I never got them to load. These pictures were taken by my little sister Rachel. She's a really great photographer.

HAPPY HAPPY Day!

Today I'm happy because this morning we're going to the temple. Kyle and I are finally going to be sealed to Natalie for time and all eternity.

I was also happy to see something in our garden is actually growing. I was starting to thing our attempt at gardening was just going to end in a sad little patch of dirt that wouldn't grow a thing. But today one of our bean plants started to sprout and our tomatoes are starting to perk back up after wilting when we transplanted them. Yay.

I'm also happy because my super fantastic husband killed the spider that has been living in a corner of my kitchen since before we moved in. How long do black widows live anyway? We've been here since November and almost every day I would sweep away a web at the bottom of my cabinet only to find it back within the next day or two. Well I'm glad to have my kitchen back. I'd seriously been avoiding using that corner of my kitchen for food prep because I knew the spider lived under the cabinets over there and I was afraid it would jump out and gnaw off my leg. Despite many attempts to get rid of her she wasn't giving up easily. Thanks Kyle! I gained way more counter space overnight.

Also, less than 3 weeks left until we find out if we're having a boy or a girl! A boy would be a fun change but I think I might have a panic attack if it is a boy haha. I know nothing about boys!

And of course how can I not be happy when I've got kids that look like this.....Beautiful right?

Picture of Natalie to come when my computer is a little less lame.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Or "Four Leaf Clover Day" as Natalie calls it. She was having trouble saying "Patrick's" so she improvised. This holiday almost passed unnoticed. I didn't realise it was St. Patrick's Day until later in the morning but I like to do special things for Natalie on holidays so we put together a few fun things to do for the day and ended up having a lot of fun. Natalie was nice enough to make some fun green decorations and lots of shamrocks to decorate our house and get us in a festive mood. I love this age when everything is so exciting for her. I hope it lasts a while. For dinner we had all green food and green milk. Natalie was amazed and asked how I made the food green. I told her that leprechauns give moms special magic to make green food for their kids on St. Patrick's Day. She thought that was awesome and said she couldn't wait until she was a mom and could have some leprechaun magic too. Although, later on that night she was talking to my mom on the phone and grandma told her it was green food coloring. ha ha. Oh well.

Our backyard in progress

Kyle has been working hard to get our yard in shape lately. I wish I had a "before" picture so you could see what a mess it was when we moved in. Kyle has spent a lot of his free time pulling/clearing weeds, filling sink-holes, and roto-tilling our dirt. We have plans to put an in-ground trampoline in our yard for the girls(and baby) so Kyle has started digging a big big hole that will some day be our trampoline. The dirt in AZ can be very hard and it's definitely going to be a long process but, in the end, I think it'll be great. We also planted our garden today. We planted tomatoes, basil, peppers, squash, and green beans. We also have seeds for okra and cantaloupe and Kyle wants to plant chilies and Natalie wants to plant flowers so maybe we'll do a second garden, we have the space for it so we might as well. Here are some pictures of our yard so far....

Week one working on the trampoline pit

Natalie with Dad planting seeds

Our spring garden day one.....hopefully SOMETHING grows, this is our first attempt at a garden!

Adoption, Ultrasound, Birthday....

Ok time to play catch-up starting with a couple weeks ago.
We've been working on all the paperwork and hoop-jumping we have to do to have Kyle adopt Natalie for a ver long time and we finally FINALLY finished a couple weeks ago. We were just waiting for our court date and now it's all over! Kyle, Natalie, and I went to the courthouse and waited and waited for our turn to see the judge. Natalie got pretty antsy waiting but she thought it was cool when we went in to see the judge and he was asking questions and talking to her. It's definately a relief that it's all over and it was fun for us to spend the morning just hanging out with Natalie, we don't get to do that very often. We are really looking forward to going to the temple some time soon.

The day after the adoption was done I had an ultrasound. I was about 13 weeks and it was a "Nuchal Translucency" scan. They do the ultrasound and a blood test to test for things like Down Syndrome and Trisomies 13 and 18. Natalie and my sister Rachel came along and it was really fun seeing the baby. Natalie thought it was SO cool. She always likes coming to my appointments to hear the heartbeat so this was even better for her. She kept saying "Aww how cute" and things like that. The baby looks good, everythings is healthy and the tests came back to show that my risk for any of the defects was practically nothing. We don't know whether it's a boy or a girl yet, we'll probably find out within the next month or so. But we think it's a girl. I guess we'll see! So far our name choices are "Leah Pearl" for a girl and "Bennett" for a boy. We still don't know for a middle name for a boy. Any ideas?

Last week was my birthday. I turned 23. Exciting stuff. Ok, not really, but it was fun to have family over for dinner to celebrate. Everyone came over Friday night and we had loads of food and fun. Kyle's sister Xan and her husband Jason and their little girl Hannah drove down last week from Oregon and made it in time to visit with us that night too so it was a full house. It was a blast having them here and I'm sad that they're gone already.

Ok I think I'm mostly caught up. I'll post the ultrasound pictures when I have a chance to scan them.

I'm just waiting.....

Waiting, waiting, waiting for Natalies bangs to grow out. Yup, that's right, Natalie has BANGS. SHORT bangs.

Today Kyle was going to the barber shop to get his hair cut and Natalie asked to go with him. She loves going with him when he gets his hair cut because they always give her a sucker. Well before they left Kyle asked if she wanted to get her hair cut too.(Not at the barber shop) She was very excited about it. I was hesitant. I have always cut Natalie's hair. I know her hair well and I'm a bit of a control freak so I have always cut it how I like it. But Natalie has really wanted bangs and Kyle has also.

So we talked about what they would do a little bit before they left(since I wasn't going with them) and I thought we had ruled out getting bangs this time....but I guess not. Well, when they got home Natalie went straight to her bed and fell asleep so I didn't see her hair until about an hour later. Then she woke up....and I almost cried. Hartley kept staring at her like she was a stranger, she looked really different. I went and got scissors right away. Her bangs were really crooked and the lady that cut them missed a big chunk, it was awful. So I touched it up a bit and faded the bangs in with the rest of her hair so it would frame her face and not be so dramatic....Natalie doesn't care, she loves her new hair. I just hope it grows out quickly.....

Making Valentine's Day Treats

Natalie recently started going to preschool two days a week at a friends house. This week they had a Valentine's Day party and went to the Ceretta candy factory to learn a little bit about how they make their yummy candy. For the party, Natalie made some fun treats for her friends in her class. She had a blast!

Natalie's Photography

Natalie loves taking pictures with our camera(or anyone's camera for that matter). Sometimes we'll end up with some strange pictures. These are just some photos she's taken this week.

This is a self portrait....Beautiful...

Yes, that is Kyle. Yes, he is cooking.....take a good long look.....

Natalie's toybox...exciting

Another self portrait, I was really surprised that she took this herself. She said she pushed the button the jumped in front of the camera.

And Hartley.... I don't know what she's looking AT but I'm pretty sure I know what she's looking FOR.

It's not dinner

It's a hat!

Now I have to admit. Because of some serious morning sickness I haven't been much of a master chef lately. Some days just thinking of food makes me want to puke. No fun. SO our meals have been pretty simple the past few weeks. Obviously, Hartley has more sophisticated taste and decided to show me she's sick of Macaroni and Cheese by dumping dinner on her head. Kyle and Natalie have been much more helpful, though. Not only has Kyle put up with all my whining, but he's done SO much to help around the house it's not even funny. Natalie has been a very good helper as well. I'm very very lucky to have such a wonderful family.

Baby Names

When I was pregnant with Hartley, Kyle and I could not decide on a name for her. We were torn between two names: Avery and Hartley. We decided that we liked both well enough so we'd just wait until we saw her and then see which name fit her. Well needless to say, she was obviously a Hartley so things worked out well. Even though we're only about 8 week into this pregnancy we've been batting names around already I thought I'd post them now and see if/how they change over the next 7 months.

If we have a girl:
Leah Pearl
Holland Pearl
Charity ?????
We like Pearl as a middle name. It's my grandma's name. But I'm not sure it flows as well with Charity.


If we have a boy:
Leiland ????
Kimball ????
Everett ????
Wyatt(after Kyle) ????
Kent(after my dad and grandpa) ????
Owen ????
I'm pretty clueless about middle names for boys. Feel free to add your thoughts/suggestions

All About Natalie

Natalie and Hartley at the Zoo with Grandma Horne

Natalie's contribution to our family blog:

How old are you? Um, 5! Almost 6.

What is your favorite thing to do for fun? I like to play with my camera and my computer and dig in the dirt. And when Dad helps me ride my bike.

What is your favorite thing to do with Hartley? Play and pretend that I have magic and swing on the swing.

What is your favorite food? Ice cream

What is your favorite color? Pink and red and all the colors of the rainbow

Who is your favorite person? Ummm Mom and Dad and Hartley. My whole family. Cause I love my family.

What is your favorite movie? Barbie movies

What is your favorite book? Ummm my favorite book is Curious George.

What is your favorite primary song? I like all of them. All of them are my favorites.

What is your favorite scripture story? Noahs ark because I thought it was fun.

Do you want our new baby to be a brother or a sister? I want both. I want a twin.

What is something you are looking forward to this year? This year I'm looking forward to Valentines Day because I can make Valentine cards. I'm excited to see all my friends when I start school.

My extra special Christmas present

I have to say, this Christmas was the best Christmas EVER. Kyle and I had agreed not to buy each other presents this year- the house was our big present to one another. We were fortunate to be able to get into our house and settled(mostly) before the holidays and it was most definately an awesome Christmas gift. So we decided we would focus on the girls and not get each other gifts this year. But still, Kyle kept asking what I wanted for Christmas. And I would tell him, "I just want a house......and a baby." And we already had the house so......To make a long story short, we're having a baby!! We shared the exciting news with our families on Christmas day and everyone is happy to have another little Bourgeous bundle of joy joining us this summer.

I think this finally gets me pretty much caught up on my holiday blogging...now we can start the new year haha

Natalie-isms

Natalie: "Mom, Dad's going to cook you dinner tonight."
Me: "Oh that's sweet!"
Natalie: "Yeah, I told him he had to"

That girl knows how to keep a man in line.

Two years down, eternity to go.....

Today Kyle and I celebrated our second wedding anniversary. Two whole years and he's not sick of me yet. Can you believe it?? We went out this afternoon and evening(thanks to Kim and Ryan who watched the girls) to celebrate. We did some shopping, went to a movie, then out to dinner at Kyle's favorite restaurant. It was a blast.

While we were out tonight we were just talking about how fun the past couple years have been. A lot has happend that we didn't think would. We've been blessed beyond measure and life just keeps getting better! I feel so lucky to have such a strong sweet man as my best friend and partner in crime. He's the PERFECT husband and an amazing dad to our girls. I could go on and on about how great he is but I'll spare the mooshy gooshy. I love you lots hon!

Grandma Bailey's Christmas Party-Annie and Willie's Prayer

The Christmas season would not be complete without the annual Christmas party held by my Great Grandma Bailey for my dad's side of the family. My grandma is a dear dear woman. She's 95 years old and blind but still has a love for life and her family that I so admire. Each year we gather at her home to sing(very loud) songs and share memories and fun Christmas stories. Each year my dad is asked(or volunteers) to recite a favorite family poem called "Annie and Willie's Prayer". It tells a sweet story and I'm amazed that he can always recite it from memory year after year. We look forward to this special Christmas tradition and are exciting to keep it going.

Annie and Willie's Prayer

"Twas the eve before Christmas, good night had been said, And Annie and Willie had crept into bed: There were tears on their pillows, and tears in their eyes, And each little bosom was heaving with sighs, For tonight their stern father's command had been given That they should retire precisely at seven Instead of at eight--for the troubled him more With questions unheard of than ever before: He had told them he thought this delusion a sin, No such creature as "Santa Claus", ever had been And he hoped, after this, he would never more hear HOw he scrambled down chimneys with presents each year. And this was the reason that two little heads so restlessly tossed on their soft, downy beds. Eight, nine and the clock on the steeple tolled ten, Not a word had been spoken by either till then. When Willie's sad face from the blanket did peep, And whispered, "Dear Annie, is 'ou fast as'eep?" Why no, brother Willie," a sweet voice replies, "I've long tried in vain, but I can't shut my eyes, For somehow it makes me so sorry because Dear Papa has said that there is no "Santa Claus." "Now we know that there is, andit cann't be denied, For he came every year before Mamma died: But, then, I've been thinking taht she used to pray, And God would hear everything Mamma would say, And maybe she asked him to send Santa Claus here With that sackful of presents he brought every year." "Well,why tan't we p'ay dest as Mamma did den, And ask Dod to send him with p'esents aden?" "I've been thinking so to," and without a word more Four little bare feet bounded out on the floor, And four little knees the soft carpet pressed, And two tiny hands were clasped close to each breast. "Now, Willie, you know we must firmly believe That the presents we ask for we're sure to receive: You must wait very still till I say the 'Amen,' And by that you will know that your turn has come then."
"Dear Jesus, look down on my brother and me, And grant us the favor we are asking of thee. I want a wax dolly, a tea set, and ring, And an ebony workbox that shuts with a spring. Bless Papa, dear Jesus, and cause him to see That Santa Claus loves us as much as does he, Don't let him get fretful and angry again At dear brother Willie and Annie, Amen" "Please Desus, 'et Santa Taus tum down tonight, and b'ing us some p'esents before it is light, I want he should div' me a nice "ittie s'ed, With bright shinin' 'unners, and all painted red; A box full of tandy, a book and a toy, Amen, and the, dear Desus, I'll be a good boy."
Eight, nine and the little French clock had struck ten, Ere the father had thought of his children again. He seems now to hear Annie's half supressed sighs, And to see the big tears stand in Willie's blue eyes. "I was harsh with my darlings," he mentally said, "And should not have sent them so early to bed, But then I was troubled, my feelings found vent, But of course they've forgotten their troubles ere this, And that I denied then the trice asked for kiss, But, just to make sure, I'll go up to their door, For I never spoke harshly to my darlings before." So saying, he softly ascended the stairs, And arrived at the door to hear both of their prayers. His Annie's "Bless Papa" drew forth the big tears, And Willie's grave promise fell sweet on his ears. "Strange-strange-I'd forgotten," said he with a sigh, "How I longed when a child, to have Christmas draw nigh." "I'll atone for my harshness" he inwardly said, "By answering their prayers ere I sleep in my bed." Then he turned to the stairs and softly went down, Threw off velvet slippers and silk dressing gown, Donned hat, coat and boots, and was out in the street, A millionaire facing the cold, driving sleet! Nor stopped he until he bought everything From the box full of candy to the tiny gold ring. Indeed, he kept adding so mucht to his store, That the various presents outnumbered a score. Then homeward he turned, with his holiday load, With Aunt Mary's help, in the nursery was stowed. Miss Dolly was seated beneath a pine tree, By the side of a table spread out for her tea. A workbox well fitted in the center was laid, And on it the ring for which Annie had prayed. A soldier in uniform stood by a sled "With bright shinning runners and all painted red." There were balls, dogs, and horses books pleasing to see, And birds of all colors were perched in the tree! While Santa Claus, laughing, stood at the top, as if getting ready more presents to drop. As as the fond father the picture surveyed, He thought for his troulbe he had amply been paid, And he said to himself, as he brushed off a tear, "I'm happier tonight than I've been in a year. I've enjoyed more pure pleasure than ever before, What care I if bank stocks fall ten per cent more. Hereafter, I'll make it a rule, I believe To have Santa Claus visit us each Christmas Eve." So thinking, he gently extinguished the light, And tripping down stairs, retired for the night.
As soon as the beams of the bright morning sun Put the darkness to flight, and the stars one by one, Four little blue eyes out of sleep opened wide, And at the same moment the presents espied, They out of their bed they spang with a bound, And the very gifts prayed for were all of them found. They laughed and they cried, in their innocent glee, And shouted for Papa to come quick and see What presents Old Santa Claus brought in the night Just the things that they wanted and left before light. "And now," added Annie, in a voice soft and low, "You'll believe there's a 'Santa Claus', Papa I know." While dear little Willie climed up on his knee. Determined no secret between them should be, And told him soft whispers how Annie had said That their dear, blesssed Mamma, so long ago dead, Used to kneel down by the side of her chair, And that God up in heaven had answered her prayers. "Den we dot up and prayed dust well as we tould, And Dod answered our prayers,now wasn't he dood?" "I should say the he was, if he sent you all these, And knew just what presents my children would please. (Well, well, let him think so, the dear little elf, 'Twould be cruel to tell him I did it myself.")

Blind father! Whoe caused your stern hearth to relent, and the hasty words spoken so soon to repent? 'Twas the being who bade you steal softly upstairs and made you his agent to answer their prayers

By: Sophia P. Snow

Gingerbread houses

I know it's a little late but I'm working on catching up here. We've had lots of exciting things happening in the Bourgeous home. Christmas is always much more fun when you have little ones and this Christmas was no exception. My dad has made it a tradition to make gingerbread houses and decorate them together. This year he made over twenty houses! He bakes them and puts the houses together himself and buys TONS of candy to put on the houses. No matter what age you are, this is a blast! We went over to my parents house the week before Christmas and had fun decorating the houses(and eating the candy) We also took some to family and friends to decorate as well. LOTS of fun! (Pictures to come)