Since Brett was off for Christmas, he was on call for New Year's, so we rang in 2012 in a very low-key way. Yesterday morning we decided to brave the mall so that both Daddy and Mommy could hit up Express for some new duds. We went armed with killer coupons ($40 off a $100 purchase and $30 off $75 purchase) and generous gift cards that YaYa had given us for Christmas. Our boys were so incredibly patient while we looked and tried on clothes, and we all survived nearly an hour in the store without any major meltdowns. It was well worth it, as between the two of us we left with two dress shirts, a pair of dress pants, a tie, two sweaters, one shirt, and two camisoles for just $15 out of our pocket. Love a good deal!
After walking out of Express, we'd had quite enough of shopping and headed upstairs to the food court for lunch. We had packed meals for the boys, but Daddy bought Chick-fil-a for himself and was kind enough to share his sweet treat with the entire table. :)
He drinks your milkshake!
"Enough of this tomato..."
"...gimme the good stuff!"
Since Kaiser had done such a good job while we shopped, we thought he deserved a ride on the Christmas train, which was still up and running right by where pictures with Santa are taken.
Nabbed a spot right up front.
My lil engineer.
The wee one didn't get to ride, but he didn't seem to mind.
That afternoon, while the boys napped, I started taking down and packing away Christmas stuff. Porter woke way earlier than expected, so Brett took him out to grab pizza for our dinner (which was extremely helpful to me, as there were still many decorations out on the floor for him to get his hands on). After eating and bathing, the boys started their jam session, which spanned two floors and lasted a good half an hour or more.
They're just getting started...
Before we tucked our Braly Boys into bed for the last time in 2011, I wanted to get a one final pic of the brothers together. We told them to give each other a high five, which somehow turned into this:
"I wanna hold your haaaaaand..."
"I wanna hold your hand!"
I swoon.
Of course, these kids didn't stay up to see the ball drop, and neither did their parents (although we did come close!). After watching Columbiana (a so-so action movie we picked up at the Redbox), we turned in for the night. I do remember Brett rolling over to kiss me and saying, "I love you, Happy New Year" at ten till midnight...
This morning we woke up and had plenty of time to spare before heading to church at 11:00. Daddy took apart and boxed up our Christmas tree, and then had a willing helper in Kaiser for the task of taking down the lights outside. Though I missed them hard at work on that job, I poked my head into the garage door to find Kaiser doing some "construction work" (a.k.a. using pliers to pick up dirt and put it in the garbage can).
Now that's entertainment!
We made it to church, only to have Brett get a phone call a little over halfway through service telling him he had to get to the hospital ASAP. (He knew he'd have to go into the OR at some point, but a case was cancelled so his got bumped up.) Since we'd only taken one car, the boys and I had to leave church too and drop him off, and he'd find a ride home later. We went home for lunch, after which Porter proceeded to lose.it.completely, landing him in his crib one hour earlier than usual. Kaiser and I enjoyed the extra one-on-one time and spent most of it coloring and working in a Tonka truck activity book of his.
Coloring's not always his thing, but we're working on it.
I was so thankful that both the kidlets got plenty of shuteye (Porter nearly 4 hours!) and awoke in good spirits. Before naptime Kaiser and I had been talking about what we were eating for dinner, and he asked if he could help me make it. I had planned to whip up a simple rotini pasta with chicken sausage and broccoli which didn't require too much prep, so I thought it was the perfect chance for him to play sous chef. He was so excited to get up on the step stool and be in on the action. And truly, aside from turning on the stove, cutting up the sausage, and draining the pasta and broccoli, he had a hand in just about everything! I was very proud of how well he listened and how cautious he was.
He's a natural.
"What that mouth-watering smell?"
So proud of himself.
Before sitting down to dine, I wrangled the boys for a "First Brother Pic of 2012". Kaiser was cooperative; Porter was less willing, but we tricked him into sitting still and somewhat smiling by playing his theme song.
After eating our delicious meal (which Kaiser made sure to remind Daddy that he had made), it was straight to bath, and then Kaiser requested we play a couple of rounds of Zingo.
Game on.
As always, we soon migrated to the living room floor for the last of our playtime before bed.
Never gets old.
Wishing he were flying high like his bro?
One of Mommy's favorite Porter expressions.
A quiet, simple, but nonetheless enjoyable, start to what we hope know will be a wonderful year. We have a couple of exciting events on our radar, and we can't wait to see what new adventures, challenges, and blessings God has in the cards for our family in 2012!
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