christmas parade

Abilene has a great Christmas parade each year, and we always try to make it. In fact, last year Berkley, Beckham and I got to ride on a float in the parade! (The photographer we use had a float and asked the kids to be on it.) This year, however, we planned to just be spectators. Berkley kept asking if she was going to get to be in the parade again this year, and I kept telling her no. I explained how fun it would be just to sit and watch all of the floats go by, but that explanation didn't seem to be a very good one.

The day of the parade I ran into Berkley's ballet teacher, Mrs. Lisa. She asked if we were going to the parade and if Berkley might want to ride on the Nutcracker float. I immediately told her that I was almost positive that she would want to. Mrs. Lisa's daughter, Lily, is also in Berkley's ballet class. (She is one of Berkley's favorite friends.) Lily always rides on the float. This year she invited Berkley and Annabelle to join her. They got to be mice, and they were absolutely adorable. Berkley was especially excited to be a mouse, because she loved watching them in the Nutcracker this year knowing that she would be able to be a mouse in another year or two.

Here are the mice giving their best pose. (Annabelle, Lily and Berkley) Berkley was so excited for the parade to begin. Can you tell?After we dropped Berkley off at the ballet studio, the rest of us headed to find a spot for the parade. (Luckily JT had parked his truck earlier that day, so we had a great place to watch the parade!)

Beckham always LOVES parades; because he enjoys the horses, the bands and the fire trucks! Brenner really enjoyed the parade this year too. He watched intently as everything passed by us.Brenner also enjoyed watching some of the parade with Amy and Chris.

Of course Brenner watched a lot of the parade with JT, but I don't have a picture of them for some reason. Marmie joined us too. We all had so much fun!

By the end of the parade it was getting a little chilly. Brenner enjoyed snuggling under a blanket with mommy, but he never got fussy. He really enjoyed himself!
Unfortunately, the pictures I took of the Nutcracker float are terrible. You can't see anything except the back of the truck and blurs of light. Our little mouse was on board though, having a great time!

a new baby in our house

Yes... we have a new baby in our house! However, it is NOT another little "b." Her name is Claire Elizabeth Paul, and she belongs to Berkley.

Berkley got an early Christmas present from Marmie and JT. She was given the opportunity to adopt a baby of her own. Since Berkley was going to be the mommy, they decided she needed to be the one to pick out the baby. (And go through the entire adoption process!) So... Marmie, Amy, Berkley and I headed to the Newborn Nursery in Plano the week before Christmas.

We had explained to Berkley all of the things she was going to get to do when she adopted her baby. We had also shown her a website online that explained the adoption process at the Newborn Nursery so that she would know what to expect.

The day of our road trip, Berkley was SO excited. She dressed herself in "mommy clothes" so that she would be completely prepared for the adoption. (After all, it is always important to dress the part!) She had also instructed Amy to bring along the baby name book that she had borrowed from us so that we could help Berkley pick out the perfect name for her new baby. Since Berkley is indeed such a planner, she also instructed Marmie to bring the extra car seat so that her new baby would have a place to ride on the way home! She was completely prepared and totally excited about her adventure ahead.

On the way to Plano, we had lots of fun picking our favorite baby names. We made a list of several names so Berkley could make her final decision. She originally had said she was going to name her new baby Clara, like the girl in the Nutcracker; but she decided on Claire. Berkley picked Claire's middle name pretty quickly. We all agreed that she had picked a beautiful name... Claire Elizabeth. We couldn't wait to meet her!

When we got to the Newborn Nursery, Berkley immediately went up to the nursery window to look at all of the babies. There were so many to pick from, and they were all so cute.The nurse soon greeted us and explained that Berkley needed to answer some questions first and sign an adoption agreement before she could pick out her baby. Although Berkley was a little shy, she did a great job listening to the nurse and answering all of the questions she had for Berkley.


Here are the questions she had to answer:

*Will you sing your new baby to sleep if it is upset?
*Will you read to your baby?
*Will you provide clothes for your baby to wear?
*Will you take your baby on special outings?
*Will you change your baby when needed?
*Do you promise to love and care for your new baby?

She, of course, answered "yes" to them all! Next, she needed to sign the agreement she had just made. She took it very seriously!
Now that she had officially completed her paperwork, it was time to pick out her new baby! The nurse instructed her to pick certain babies that she wanted to see closer and the nurse would bring them to the window. As Berkley looked at all of the babies, she decided that she wanted a baby with blond hair and blue eyes just like her. She quickly had it narrowed down to two babies. The nurse held both of the babies side by side, and Berkley instantly knew which baby would be Claire. In fact, it was the baby that Amy had spotted right from the beginning. She thought that particular baby had been looking at Berkley from the moment we got to the nursery!Once Berkley picked her baby, she got to go into the nursery to hold her baby and make sure she was indeed the perfect choice. Berkley put on a hospital gown and sat down in the rocking chair to hold Claire for the very first time.She told the nurse that she was happy with the baby she had picked. The nurse then took the baby from Berkley to weigh and measure her so that she could fill out Claire's birth certificate. She also asked Berkley for the baby's name, and the nurse was so impressed when Berkley replied with "Claire Elizabeth Paul." The nurse told Berkley that a lot of mommies didn't always have a name picked out when they came to adopt a baby.

The nurse completed the birth certificate and shared all of the information with Berkley. She listened closely to all of the information.
Here are the stats for Claire Elizabeth...

Claire Elizabeth Paul
born December 13, 2008
6 pounds 4 ounces, 19 inches

Berkley was officially the mommy of Claire. She proudly showed off her new baby.
Once all of the paperwork was complete, Berkley got to take off her hospital gown. I think she began to feel a little more comfortable. She soon showered her new baby with hugs and kisses.She was definitely a proud mommy!Marmie got a chance to meet Claire next. Berkley really enjoyed showing her off!What an exciting experience!!!

Once we left the nursery, Berkley turned into a little mommy. She got Claire strapped into her carseat and quickly began taking care of all of her needs. She was having so much fun!

Since we were already in Dallas, we decided to do a little shopping. Claire had her first girl's shopping day. I think she takes after her mommy, because she truly seemed to enjoy herself.

After a full day of shopping, we were all ready to get home. We stopped in Weatherford at Rosa's for a quick dinner to break up our trip back to Abilene. Berkley got Claire a booster seat so she could join us at the table.

I think Claire is one lucky baby. She got one great mommy! We look forward to all the adventures we will have with her in the future!

Thanks Marmie and JT for giving Berkley such an amazing experience. I know it is something that she will always remember. I know Claire thanks you as well. (You know this adoption kind of makes you her great-grandparents!!!)

golf lessons from the pro

Beckham has definitely been interested in cowboys, boots, rodeos, and horses for a long time. He is beginning to develop some interest in sports now as well, much to his daddy's approval. (I'm sure this sudden interest might have developed with a little help!) Naturally, Beckham is most interested in the sports that daddy likes, which right now consist of football (due to the time of year) and golf. Papa really enjoys playing golf too. In fact, the last time he came to visit us, Beckham got to go to the golf course with daddy and Papa! That was a big day for Beckham!

Over the holidays while we were at Mimi and Papa's house, Beckham got a few golf tips from our pro, Papa. Papa let Beckham hit with one of his clubs in the backyard, which was hours of entertainment!

First step... setting up the ball.Next step... checking his grip and positioning his club.Finally... execute the swing!Papa came in closer for some helpful golf tips for Beckham.
And a little bit closer... Papa helped Beckham with his grip and gave him some pointers on his swing as well.

Before long Beckham was hitting the ball like a pro thanks to Papa's instructions. He even started hitting it over the fence, which he really liked doing! Berkley decided she might try this golf thing out after watching Beckham have so much fun. She gave it a few tries, but decided it wasn't her game.Beckham quickly took the role of "coach" while Berkley tried swinging the club. He was continuously calling out pointers to her, and he would get so frustrated when she wouldn't hit the ball. How fast he turned from student to teacher!!!Brenner wasn't interested much at all in the golf lessons. He just enjoyed being outside.

Besides, who wants to watch a golf game when there are horses galloping around!?!

Who knows? Maybe he heard how tough his brother was on Berkley and decided not to put himself through that experience!

fun with corduroy

The holiday season is over and I have yet to post any pictures of Thanksgiving or Christmas! I need to catch up before the new year begins! We had such a wonderful holiday season, and there are so many things I need to share. I must begin with our adventures at Mimi and Papa's house over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Berkley and Beckham both love going to Mimi and Papa's house for many reasons, but one of the top reasons is getting to ride Corduroy the pony. Beckham, being our little cowboy, has always LOVED riding from the first time he tried. Berkley has always liked it too, but this time she really seemed to enjoy herself. It was so much fun watching them.

First things first... Corduroy needed to be brushed off before the kids could ride him. Beckham took this job very seriously.

He made sure he got Corduroy brushed really well.

Berkley helped out too, brushing much more delicately!

Corduroy was brushed, saddled and ready to ride. Beckham got to be the first one... imagine that!

One proud cowboy.Howdy pardner... Gotta give a little guns up too!

Berkley flashed us an "I love you!"

She was really comfortable with Corduroy this time and asked to ride by herself. Nice and easy...

She really enjoyed the control she had!Can you tell?She quickly learned how to control Corduroy too. Whoa horsey!!! Meanwhile Beckham was occupying himself until he had another turn.
Life in the country is good!
On the next ride the weather was quite a bit cooler... the kids had to bundle up. Berkley also decided to put on a helmet after having a tumble off of Corduroy the day before.

Brenner got a chance to ride this time. He was impressed for a short time, but soon decided he didn't want to play cowboy!
He had much more fun being a spectator like his mommy.

I'm sure it won't be long, however, and he will be fighting for his turn to ride Corduroy too.

farewell to griswold

Christmas has come and gone... and so has our beloved little elf, Griswold. My little B's knew that on Christmas Eve night before they went to bed they had to say their goodbyes to their tiny magical friend. As they learned last year, Griswold only gets to stay with us until Christmas, and then he must return to the North Pole for the rest of the year preparing for the next holiday season.

Griswold's final landing spot in our home was upon our Christmas cookie jar. He just looks so happy here doesn't he?!?


Berkley and Beckham wanted to take a final picture with their elf before saying goodbye.
A final wave from Griswold's biggest fans. (Hopefully Brenner will have this guy figured out next year!) It is definitely bittersweet when Griswold leaves. It is exciting because my little B's realize that his departure means Santa is headed our way. However, it is sad for them to say goodbye to their little elf who has spent an entire month with us. Oh how they have enjoyed waking up each morning to search our house for Griswold's new landing spot. Mommy really hates to see Griswold leave too. In fact, I really think Santa needs to consider letting him live with us year round!!! He is a tiny guy, but he has so much power! He is definitely a reminder for the kids to check their behavior frequently. So, along with my little B's, I will anxiously await his arrival next year. Until then, farewell friend!