Christmas with the Hattens

We had a wonderful evening with our friends Lydia, Paula, and Mark about a week before Christmas. Paula invited us over and had prepared some sugar cookie dough. The kids cut out the cookies and decorated them. Then they opened presents from one another while the cookies baked. It was so nice! Braylon took the Transformers they got him (which he was super-psyched about) along to play with in the car as we traveled for the holidays. They also got him a really nice WVU backpack. Thanks again Hattens! I forgot my camera at home (bad-mama), but Paula has posted some pictures on Lydia's blog...check them out. Paula also has a link on there to pictures of them from Christmas last year. It is amazing how much they have grown.

Rad Christmas

This evening Braylon was looking at the pictures on our refrigerator and he pointed to the lovely picture we got in our Christmas card from our friends John, Stephanie, and Paige. Braylon said, "hey look...there is John, Paige, and Stephanie...they're Rads." Its a long story, but Drew put the nickname Johnrad on our friend John and over time it has developed into Stephrad and now little Paigerad. Braylon knows his Rads when he sees them! We spent a quick, but nice evening with the Rads last week to let the kids open gifts from one another.

In addition to an operation game and some cool dinosaur pajamas, Braylon got a totally rad Star Wars book, which I have been forced to read at bed time nearly every night for the last week.

Paige is so beautiful and so smart. She has really started talking since the last time we saw her.
A true friend lets you hold her pink teddy bear every time you come to her house and never questions your masculinity.
Paige gives the Raddest hugs!

On the Road Again

Last Sunday we went to PaPaw and BooBoo's house to see their Christmas tree. Braylon loved that Lando slept with his head on his foot during the trip.

BooBoo, Braylon, and Papaw.
They got the reindeer Braylon's first Christmas and he has to get his picture taken on it every year.

Braylon and BooBoo made food for Santa's reindeer and we sprinkled it off our back deck before bed on Christmas eve.

Even Lando had to get his picture made with the reindeer.

Whoa, Comet!
(Braylon called this reindeer every name at some point during the visit...except Rudolf...as Bray pointed out, he does not have a red nose.)

Setting on Santa's Lap

Braylon got to visit Santa at the mall this year and did a great job sitting on Santa's lap and telling him what he wanted. He didn't seem to be afraid at all...maybe just a little nervous. We didn't pay the $14.00 for the 3X5 photo in a paper "frame". But I did get a cute picture of Bray on Santa's lap at MaMaw Helen's Christmas party.

So I Won't Forget

This is what Braylon's hair looks like about 3 out of 5 mornings when I wake him up for school. Not much fun to comb out, especially when we are running late. Good days are when this only occurs right in the center of the back of his head and doesn't spread clear across the back like it did this day. The kid must grind his head back and forth on his pillow all night long.

Not related to his hair but another Braylon story I don't want to forget:
The other day, Braylon was playing with his nativity that BooBoo and Papaw bought him. Then he comes rushing down the hallway toward his room. I ask what he is doing to which he replies, "I've got to kill those Wise Men; they set the manger on fire." Oh, the imagination of my twisted three year old.

A Christmas Story

The week before Christmas we got a heavy, wet snow one day, followed by kind-of warm weather the next day... perfect for making a snow man. So I bundled Braylon up Christmas Story style and we went out to make a snow man.

Pretty good, huh. Well, I have to take all the credit since Braylon rolled the first snow ball for about one whole second and was done. He made a quick snow angel and then spent the entire rest of the time (with me begging "Braylon, why don't you come over here and help me") doing this...

Apparently, snow is the best tasting thing in the world.

The kid ate almost as much snow as was in the snowman. (I did warn him not to eat the yellow snow, but who knows if he listened.)

Notice he is even too busy eating snow to look at the camera when I made him stand next to "our" snowman for a picture.

Mountaineer Recruiting Class of 2023?

Braylon has recently become very interested in dressing himself. If we are at home, his chosen get-up usually consists of his Mountaineer jersey (which almost always goes on inside-out, backwards, or sometimes both) and anything else he feels like pairing it with. Check out this football pose!