Looks like Santa came...

Christmas is by far my favorite holiday of the year... and well, lets just say, it looks like my boys are taking after their mommy. They absolutely LOVE christmas. They love the music, the sweets and treats smell throughout the house, the stories about baby Jesus, the decorations and just being together as a family! And now that Philip is 3 1/2, he decided he would make his own list this year (and of course Parker's too)... I thought well we are teaching him to be more independent like getting himself dressed, taking his dishes to the sink, etc... so what could it hurt?! WRONG!! So I got a pen and he began to dictate what he would like to ask Santa for and I really couldnt believe my ears!! First of all, it was like a mile long and secondly, these weren't just little $10 target toy gifts... these were big items like "a country club like his Gigi and Doc's (right... would be nice - did his daddy tell him that one), a puppy (no biggie just like a $2000 gift), a CAR (how old is this kid?)" and the list went on and on. So sometimes Mrs. Claus (as in the past- I know, guilty as charged) goes a little overboard buying for the boys but this year we tried to limit it to the boys getting 3 big gifts as the 3 wisemen brought baby Jesus three special gifts. It seemed like the perfect plan to help Philip narrow down his list a little bit and helped daddy sleep at night - ha! So although Santa didn't bring the boys a country club membership or a puppy... they were beyond blessed and got everything that they could ever have dreamed of and more. Oh and yes... Philip did get a car... a battery operated one that is. :o) And we also were so blessed to be surrounded by family that we love so much as we celebrated christmas literally all month long. We went to Dallas with the boys for a week and had so much fun showing the boys their Texas roots. They loved of course learning new things from their uncles (which I hope they never repeat... especially at their church preschool - cant wait for that phone call from the teacher) and spending time and getting lots of love from their Mimi and Grande. We also went to Atlanta before christmas and the boys had a blast playing with their cousins Alli Lane and Boots (Parker even got dressed up as a little girl in a bonnet and played dolls (those pics are sure to resurface at his rehearsal dinner) and were loved on by not only their sweet grandparents Gigi and Papa Doc but also by their great grandparents - Grandmommie, Granddaddy and Mimi Buckler (how cool is that?!). So on the night before christmas as we read the christmas story with the boys, made Santa's cookies, sprinkled reindeer food (as daddy and the boys yelled for Santa... yes, literally yelled... I am so sure our neighbors were so ready for the boys 8pm bedtime before we even were) and talked about the amazing love of Jesus.. Phil and I were reminded how blessed we truly are. And then my sweet parents came to Charlotte on christmas eve night and surprised us. Santa and Mrs Claus LOVED having some helping hands and I felt like a little girl all over again! Wow... what can I say but I am SO blessed! Hope you all had a wonderful, blessed and Merry Christmas! Now just 364 more days till next year's Christmas ... let the countdown begin.

7 bags, 2 kids under the age of 4, 1 direct flight cancelled, 2 flights redirected to TX, 1 layover, 1 bag lost, 1 kid vomitting on the plane and the other kid with it coming out the other end (if you get my drift), 1 stroller, 1 car seat and 2 LOLLIPOPS later = PRICELESS! And yes, this is ALL true... this is how we started our christmas holidays in route to Texas! Merry Merry!

Welcome to Texas... need I say more?!

But so happy to be able to be there in time to celebrate Grande's Birthday... Happy Birthday Grande!

Philip picking out his dream car at Neimans in Dallas... Don't even think about it son - its NOT happening!

Mommy helping Parker climb through the mile long tunnel maze at Neimans... thought it was a great idea but lets just say Parker is no small child and I am no child at all... (mommy fail)

But Philip loved it.. so cool he did it 3 times all by HIMSELF!

Love reading christmas stories to my two favorite little boys in the whole world!

Three generations of John Philip Brosseaus (I LOVE this picture)

And NO Uncle Boone... my kids are NOT going to Texas -ha!

The boys watching the famous Mr. Scrooge at Northpark

Welcome to the Trains

Wonderland at Northpark!

The boys were in LOVE!! Countless trains all making noise and going around the track.. way cool!

Grande helping Parker to get a better view

So Sweet!!!

Next stop...

Atlanta!!

My two FAVORITE Stephens!!!!

The cutest Santa and Mrs. Claus... Gigi and Papa Doc

Parker... not really sure where he is sticking that bottle - ha!! And Parker, I am sorry son but this is too good... it will be on a slideshow at your rehearsal dinner so dont say I didnt tell you so!

My sweet baby growing up way too fast!

Gigi and her grandbabies

Papa Doc and his grandbabies

The sweet little angels (Philip, Boots, Alli Lane and Parker)

And Yes, I confess... they all smiled because they were being bribed. Who knew christmas presents could be such great camera assistants!?

My precious little boys! Next Stop... Charlotte!

And... Looks like Santa came to see Philip and Parker

Spiderman (aka Philip) giving his first Puppet show

And Parker and his new BFF Woody - (and yes, thanks Disney for that name... love that my son walks around all day talking about "his woody!")

Papa Doc sporting the Spiderman mask... watch out boys!

And last but not least... the CAR!! Now we just need to teach these boys how to hunt!!

Merry Christmas... hold on tight or it might pass you by!!

Merry Christmas Eve... PJ Breakfast

Our favorite yummy christmas eve pj breakfast tradition was a blast as always with the Barksdales and the Harrells this year. We are growing in numbers and so it was even more fun than ever with little miss precious Sutton this year! And we even bribed the kiddos to get some cute pics by the tree together... Philip was of course so proud to be the oldest as he got to hold baby Sutton... so sweet!! Best. Breakfast. Ever!! Cant wait for next year!!

Such a big tree and such little babies

Merry Christmas Eve (Parker, Betsy Grace, Sutton, Philip and Holden)!

Naughty or Nice List

Well it looks like the boys made the NICE list this year... big smiles from Philip during the Santa photo op and Parker only cried for a second at first until Philip told him, "Santa is our friend Parker and brings us toys to celebrate baby Jesus' birthday so you dont want to cry or you wont get any presents." Ha... well at least he got part of it right... and mommy and daddy loved seeing our boys all dressed up and hearing them tell Santa all about what they want for Christmas this year. Philip told Santa that "he wants a big big car that he can drive and put rocks and leaves and sticks in and that his baby brother Parker wants a big woody!" (Santa even chuckled) Gotta love Disney for naming those Toy Story characters! Merry Merry Christmas... looks like Santa will be stopping at the Brosseau house this year for sure!

All I want for Christmas is...

We are so blessed with amazing family... some of which lives just 3 short hours away in Atlanta. We have been very blessed with getting to see my family lots lately and with our Atlanta visits with the boys, a trip to "Gigi and Papa Doc's club" as Philip calls it is always a MUST! From fun dinners topped off with LOTS of chocolate ice cream and golf cart rides to holiday celebrations with pony rides, jump houses, face painting and much much more... Philip has now decided what he would like to ask Santa for for Christmas this year.... A membership to a country club! Literally we were on our way home yesterday and in the car we were talking to Philip about what he is going to ask Santa Claus for this year... my analytical child that he is of course thought long and hard and finally said... "Oh, Oh I know... I want a club like Gigi and Doc's!" Phil and I almost wet our pants we were laughing so hard... I mean he is only THREE!!!! Cant wait to know what this kid is going to ask for when he is 16!! All I can say is good thing he is asking SANTA and not us... so here's to believing in Christmas miracles this year! Merry Merry!

SO BLESSED

I couldn't be more excited to tell everyone that my best friend from high school is moving back to our old stomping grounds in Atlanta!! And to make sure she didnt have any second thoughts... I went to DC to help her pack and to celebrate with a little fun girl time out at the POV rooftop (um, if you haven't been... its a must - there isn't any place in the world but there that you can have cool drinks on a rooftop right next door to the White House... amazing)... we will miss you DC but couldn't feel more blessed to have my girl back in the south!! Love you more than words Katy McGee!!! xoxo

All packed up... Hotlanta here she comes!!

Tis the Season

O' Christmas Tree O' Christmas Tree... what fun it was to get our christmas tree!! The boys and daddy had a blast running around playing chase between all the trees and mommy was super happy to get another big family Brosseau Christmas tree (and yes, we did thankfully only go to ONE lot this year - praise the Lord, but turns out that we bought it a little too big so daddy had to take it back to get the bottom chopped so ultimately again we went twice like last year... hey, but I told Phil to look at the bright side... at least it didnt bust through our windows)! And then as always... we made everlasting memories decorating the tree together as a family, singing christmas music and after only about a dozen or so broken ornaments (thanks to my sweet little elves this year... Parker and Philip)... our tree was beautiful and covered with ornaments on every limb! Merry Merry!!

*Remember to mute the music player on the right hand side of the blog to hear the video*

My Two Precious Little

Elves

Merry Christmas from the Brosseaus 2011

OMG... Proud... So Proud!

To uncle Sam, the most amazing singer of the family, and Usher... looks like you have some new competition! OMG... watch out!! *Be sure to MUTE the music player on the right hand side of the blog to hear the video*

Gobble Gobble

We are so THANKFUL for our MANY Blessings... especially these two!

Lots of turkey, love

and silly smiles! Happy Turkey Day!

Family... there is nothing more special during the holidays

And we are beyond blessed with family and there is nothing sweeter than to see the love of my children with my loving grandparents!! All the cousins with the sweetest great-grandparents in the world Grandmommie and Granddaddy.

Phil and I took the boys during thanksgiving to ride the famous

Pink Pig in Atlanta (mommy's favorite childhood memory as well)!

And Parker loved meeting Priscilla the Pig... Philip however, not so much! Looks like Disney World is not in our near future!

However, there was lots of laughter and

lots of memories made on the train ride

that will last a Lifetime! Happy Thanksgiving!

Look whose back...

and he's extra EARLY this year!! It's ZIGGY... our family elf! Let's just say that after a few weeks of LOTS of discipline, LOTS of tears and LOTS of wine around the Brosseau household... Ziggy flew to our house all the way from the north pole and landed in our mailbox weeks before Thanksgiving when he makes his usual cameo! Its amazing how a tiny little elf with the hope of christmas presents has such big power with little children! Philip and Parker are having so much fun waking up every morning to see where Ziggy is and what he has gotten in to while they were sleeping. So heres to Ziggy... can't thank you enough for a great few days since your early arrival, little boys that are now listening and following the rules (praise the Lord) and of course now a very happy mommy again!! Happy Early Thanksgiving!!