Jack's Bday Video

Christmas has been so wonderful. Mingled with it we've had Jack's 3rd birthday. His party was today. I cannot express how grateful I am for him and all my family. I asked Bubba and Scott to pray for Jack today and I was overwhelmed with joy and gratitude as they prayed. It was a very good day.

I am working on learning my new pocket camcorder so here's my first stab.

Jack's Birthday Party from Freddy T. Wyatt on Vimeo.

Happy Birthday Jack!

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY JACK!

This is a milestone birthday for Jack. He has been waiting a long time to chew gum and today was the big day! He asks all the time if he can have gum and the answer was always "when you get older." He caught on to that because he would tell me the next day, "Mommy, I'm older now, can I have gum?" So following what Freddy T's sisters did we told him he could have it when he turned 3. He was a happy boy this morning!

Annual Rockefeller Tree Picture

I've wanted to get another picture of our family this year at the Rockefeller Christmas Tree and time sort of got away from me. So yesterday was pretty much my last chance and of course they were calling for a lot of snow, which we got, but I was afraid I would regret it if I decided to just stay home. So, Freddy T. was meeting some friends for a choir concert at a church near the tree so I loaded up the kids and we made our way down. It was a little crazy, but not too bad. Anyway, we got the picture. It's not great, but I'm glad to have it.

So far we are good to go for our flight to TN tomorrow. We are really excited and thankful. Flights have been cancelled right and left here today and many are unable to rebook until Christmas Day.

I may or not be blogging much over the next few weeks. The kids and I will not be back home till Jan 5th. Freddy T. will be back for a few days before he heads to Atlanta for a Passion Conference the first of the year. We'll join him in Atlanta.

We are grateful this Christmas for so many things.

Have a very Merry Christmas.

Lot's of love from our family to yours.

Merry Christmas,

Freddy T., Susan, Jack, Lillie, and Elliott

No More Bottles!

It's a big day for us at the Wyatt home! Lillie and Elliott are officially off bottles! We've been gradually weaning them over the past several weeks. I had one big can of formula left and decided it would be their last, so we've been slowly working our way through it.

Lillie and Elliott have gone 2 days with no bottles. They seem to be ok with it. I'm definitely ok with it! No more formula kind of feels like a small raise... it's so expensive! I guess all that money is going toward gallons of milk now. I can't believe how fast were going through it.

The other bonus to all of this is I gained a little more counter space!

before

after

Merry Christmas From The Wyatts

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy Birthday Freddy T.

Last night we celebrated Freddy T.'s birthday. Jack made him a cake. He's been talking about it all week long.

Happy Birthday Freddy T./Daddy! You are THE BEST!

This video was while the cake was baking.

That is not my laugh in the background...

Any of you NYC readers want to take a guess who it is?

Decorating Cookies

I made cookies yesterday afternoon during nap time and planned on letting Jack decorate them today. Last night before our Growth Community came over Freddy T. suggested that we all decorate them together, so we did. As it turned out it saved me from an extremely stressful project with Jack today. After seeing him in action last night I can't imagine what it would have been like today having to monitor him and keep up with Lillie and Elliott as well. So big props to Freddy T. and his idea last night. It was a fun Christmas thing to do with our friends.

By the way, Jack LOVES our Growth Community. Reyn and Jamey have been a part of ours for a year now. Julie and Alinne joined this semester, but he loves them coming over each week. We have a silly thing we do before we put Jack to bed each night. Either Freddy T. or I carry Jack and the other has to act like a robot and follow Jack to bed. If you've been here for bedtime you know what I'm talking about. The funny thing is Jack expects anyone who is here at bed time to be a robot, so typically every Wednesday night he has 3-4 robots following him to bed. He says "robots! line up behind mommy!" All that to say, our Growth Community has been wonderful and special to all of us.

Jack is telling you what we're doing in this video, but I don't think he really wanted to be on camera!

At first everyone was watching Jack, but they eventually jumped in and decorated their own.

Freddy T. thought we needed brown for the trunk of the Christmas Trees. He's working on creating that color icing here.

Jack clearly does not know how to handle sprinkles!

Alinne helped Jack do most of his decorating.

(Because Jack has trouble sounding out his L's when he says Alinne it sounds like A weenie. It's pretty funny!)

Julie made this cookie for Jack.

Jack was a mess.

All done!

Today's Lunch

This is where Jack chose to eat lunch today. On the chair in the middle of the floor. You have to get creative with your entertainment on nasty, rainy days.

They're Funny!

Need Some Inspiration...

I've hit a little blogging lull. Hopefully this week I'll hit some inspiration!

Till then....

Paul and Meredith, if you read this, notice who's album Lillie highly recommends!

By the way.... Elliott has taken 2 steps! Lillie is starting to let go of things a little and stand. I think it would be so fun for our families if they are walking by Christmas. We still have a few weeks, we'll see!

Jack's Star

When we put up our tree the other night Jack was very bothered that there was no star to put on top. We had a star when we first got married but it was a hand me down from when I was a little girl and it was on its last leg when we got it. I think it lasted maybe 2 Christmas with us. I've looked every year for a new star, but can't seem to find one that I really like.

Sunday night I told Jack we would load up the car and go to Target to look for a star and if we didn't find one we liked we would make one. They didn't have much of a selection so we headed to the art isle and bought poster board and glitter. When we got home I cut out a star and put glue all over it. Jack spread the glue out with a paintbrush then I let him loose with the glitter. He had a great time and is SO PROUD of the star he made. Any time anyone comes over it's the first thing he shows them. Of course, in my opinion, there isn't a better star in any store for our tree this year!

Chuck E. Cheese

Yesterday Freddy and I took Jack on a date, just the 3 of us, to Chuck E. Cheese. He LOVED it! We had a great time and there was hardly anyone there, even better!

Jack rode this car over and over again. He would put his cup of tokens in the back of the car and when the ride was over he would reach back, get another token and load the machine for another ride.

Afterwards we had about 400 tickets to use to pick out a prize. Jack stood looking at all the things, talking to the man behind the counter. "I would like a straw, and that ball, that spider, how about I take another straw." It was funny.

Ornaments and Stockings

The tree is up and the stockings are hung.

This is my favorite ornament on the tree this year and it was specially placed there by my favorite 2 year old. I wish everyone could have seen his excitement over the ornaments. He keeps calling them instruments. He can't remember that they are called ornaments. He wanted to hang his own stocking too, so Freddy T. lifted him up on his shoulders and he placed it on the hook.

Freddy T. is showing Jack one of his favorite things to do in this picture. Lay on your back under the Christmas Tree and look at all the lights. Jack is just like his Daddy. He wants all the lights off except the lights on the tree. He told us tonight we could keep talking in the dark.

A New Way Of Doing Things...

Decorating this year has taken a whole new look!

In the 5 years we've been married we've never had to buy lights for our Christmas Tree. This year 4 strands are dead. This is as far as I can go until I make it to the drugstore and get more lights. We'll post more once we are finished.

By the way Praise Baby is saving me again this afternoon... can you tell?

Good Morning

Good morning from Lillie and Elliott.

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.

We had a nice dinner here last night with friends/family from church.

Hang On Elliott!

Elliott sure is glad to have Jack back!

Did you notice they were the twins today?

Under The Chairs

One of Elliott's favorite places to play...

under the kitchen chairs.

Busy Day

We've had a full day today. After breakfast we walked down to the parking garage (a mile away), got the 4-Runner, and headed to Target. This was Lillie and Elliott's first trip to Target and their first time to ride in a shopping cart.

I went to the Target in the Bronx. It was the biggest, nicest, cleanest Target I've ever been in. I hope it stays that way.

Afterwards we headed over the Probst's home(on the Upper East Side). Erin and Sadie, a new family at the Gallery came over as well. Sadie is 9 months old and Jonah is a month younger than the twins, so they each had their own buddy to play with.

Melissa made brunch for us and after we ate we went to the playground across from her apartment.

There were only two swings, so boys got one and girls the other.

Lillie and Sadie. Don't they look funny together. Sadie is so tiny.

Elliott and Jonah

Sadie, Jonah, Elliott and Lillie

Elliott's New Trick

Wait till you see Elliott's new trick. He did it for the first time yesterday and since then I've been trying to get it on video. We're not in competition around here by any means, but I feel like I should bring attention to the fact that this is the first time Elliott has done anything before Lillie. I'm so proud of him! Lillie is hardly letting go and standing alone, so it caught me off guard when Elliott did this yesterday.

You thought it was walking didn't you...not yet, thankfully!

She Goes For Comfort

I guess Lillie decided the floor was too uncomfortable to lay on to drink her bottle. I just looked over and she was sitting in the chair with her bottle in one hand and her phone in another.

Freddy T. and Jack

Freddy T. and Jack are at the airport Tennessee bound.

Jack is so excited!

(I wish I would have taken their picture)

Lillie didn't understand that she was not going.

Crayola's bath tub crayons are a hit at our house! Jack spent a lot of time yesterday coloring in the bathroom. He did the scribbles on the bottom left and called me into see his work. While I was in there I drew the tractor. Maybe I should give him the credit... it looks more like a child drew it than an adult... anyway...

I then decided it would be a good idea to draw the scenario he was going to experience today. He's never been on a trip with just Freddy T. It's always been all of us. So, I drew an airplane and put Jack and Freddy T. in the window (you can't really see it, but they are the blue in two of the orange circles). Then you can see me, Lillie, and Elliott standing on the ground to the left waiving to them. That scribble in between the airplane and the family is Jack's addition. I can't remember what he was drawing but when he finished it he looked at me and said "Look! I drew a heart!." I thought it was funny, but it does look sort of like a heart. He also (even though you can't see it very well) added a purple mark in the front window. He told me it was the co-pilot... how does he know who the co-pilot is let alone where he sits on the plane???

He told me yesterday that he was getting in an airplane with Daddy and they were going to fly through smoke. (I think he thinks its smoke when your flying through the clouds) He said God was going to move the smoke out of the say so they could fly through.

We're going to miss them! Jack provides us with a lot of entertainment each day. Lillie and Elliott will be lost without him around. I'm really glad Jack and Freddy T. get some time alone though. It will be special for both of them.

Another Day At The Wyatt Home

It's been a crazy morning. Not bad, the kids are just a little on the wild side.... all 3 of them!

I've found Lillie several times in the cabinets. Elliott wanted to join her this time.

Jack just said "Mommy look... I like the babies." I wanted to document it because that was not the song he was singing about 15 minutes ago.

Our Weekend

Saturday we celebrated Lillie and Elliott's 1st Birthday with their friends here in NYC.

This time they each got a cupcake...

As you can tell history repeated itself... Elliott barely touched his. Lillie ate the whole thing!

Elliott had a good time opening gifts.

Lillie and Elliott received a few bath toys for their birthday.

Jack enjoyed the bubble machine last night in the tub.

Jack's buddy Brayden gave him a gift at the party too.

Bath tub crayons!

Lillie and Elliott wanted in so bad.

Later in the evening Jack "made" cupcakes and added his own candles and blew them out.

I can't remember what was going on in this picture, but thought it was cute.

This is a little random, but the other day I hung hooks behind the kids bedroom door for their coats and back packs. I know it's nothing fancy, but I was excited about it. I told Freddy T. it was the school teacher coming out in me... only a teacher can love the look of coats and backpacks neatly hanging on the wall.

After the twins birthday party we went to the SALT space for a silent auction to benefit the team from the Gallery going to Vietnam in December on a mission trip. It was a great night. Lot's of fun. And always great being with Gallery family.