Vegetable Soup!? Yuck!

Okay, so I have been trying to get Matthew to eat more vegetables. I thought maybe he would eat vegetable soup. I was wrong. He picked at some of the noodles but that's about it.

Seeing Old Friends

I can't believe how much these two have grown!!

Today we had lunch with some old friends. Actually, the Warrens are more like family than friends. I used to babysit for Elizabeth and Matt when they were much much younger! I can remember when they were both babies and now Elizabeth is a Jr. in highschool and Matt is a 7th grader. (Does that make me old??) Wow! Time flies. I am sure it will not be long before my Matt is in Jr. High. (I don't think I want to think about that for a while!)
It is always nice to get together with friends you don't see often. Matthew was a little shy at first but he warmed up quickly and even played a little peek-a-boo with Matt Warren. Thanks for meeting us for lunch guys! It was lots of fun. We can't wait to do it again!!

And the festivities continued...

The main event of the night turned out to be Rock Band on XBox. It was so much fun!!!!!

Marc and Matthew on the drums.

Uncle Jay shows all how to really play.

The last Christmas event for the Russell family was on Christmas night. We went to my grandparents house to see my aunt and uncle from West Texas. Matthew was so worn out! He managed to stay awake through dinner and even played Rock Band on XBox before crashing out for the night. Marc and I opened his presents while he slept on the floor.
Thanks for taking care of Matthew for me Kimberly. I wish you lived closer so you could see us more often!!

Christmas Day at Nana and Granddads

Matthew loves to play with his Uncle Brandon when he comes to town. I don't know who had more fun, Matt or Brandon. I don't really know if teaching a 16 month old to "sword fight" is smart.

Thank you Nana for letting me rest in your lap! I love you!!

Are these boys having a good time? It's not fun waiting your turn...is it?

Thank you Aunt Amanda for helping a very tired little boy open his presents.

Can somebody get me a pillow and my blankie...PLEASE??

After spending Christmas morning with Marc's parents we made the quick trip over to my parents house to open gifts with them. Thank you everyone for all the wonderful presents. We love you all!

A Russell Family Christmas

How does this thing work??

Hey mom, can I get some help here??

Gigi admiring the family portrait we gave her for Christmas.

Matthew standing with all of his presents that were under the tree. He wasn't sure what to do with all of them!





The first Santa present Matthew saw sitting out was his bouncing and spinning zebra. He wasn't too sure about it!

Happy Birthday Jesus!!

We are so thankful for the gift of salvation and eternal life that God so graciously gave us through the birth and death of his son. I hope that in the midst of all the presents and lights, and holiday traditions that Marc and I are able to teach Matthew about the true meaning of Christmas and the baby Jesus that was born so long ago. This year we used our nativity scene to tell him the story of Jesus birth (He liked holding the little wooden figurines...and yes, he did put some of them in his mouth...) and we sang "Happy Birthday" to Jesus Christmas night. Hopefully, next year Matthew can sing along with us.

Christmas Eve

This year, we stayed home for Christmas and our family came to us! It was a wonderful time being together with everyone that we love. Gigi and Grandpa came and spent the night and we all had dinner at Nana and Granddad's house. Thank you Nana for letting Matthew open one of his Christmas presents. He loves it!! After dinner Santa worked very hard putting together all of Matt's toys!

Family Christmas

We celebrated Christmas on December 23rd with my maternal grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. As always, it was wonderful just being together. We have gotten together to celebrate Christmas as a family for as long as I can remember, and even now that most of the grandkids are married we still somehow manage to all get together around Christmas.
Of course no Knott's family Christmas would be complete without the exchange of gifts. My grandparents gave Matthew a new CARS ride-on toy that he loves! He spent the entire night sitting on or pushing the car around. Thank you so much great-grandma and great -grandpa for the cool car!

The North Pole of Texas

Last night, Marc and I took Matthew to Weaver for the Christmas Train. It is the neatest thing! A family in Weaver created the train several years ago and it has grown over the past 10 years or so into this North Pole Wonderland. The train ride is completely free for children and parents. Let me just say that for a small town...it is HUGE!!
So...we get there a little before 7 not expecting a line...(just what were we thinking!!??) and waited and waited and waited to board the train. At 7:30 we had only moved maybe 20 feet in line and Matt was getting very tired and very, very cranky. So....long story short. We took some pictures and went home! Okay, not the best parenting move I know...but...Matt won't remember right?? We will have to take him again next year. Yes, next year we will ride the train no matter how long the wait.

Playing at McDonalds

On Friday Matthew and I met my friend Jamie and her daughter Jolie at McDonalds. Believe it or not, it was Matt's first time to play in the "playland". Let's just say it was an experience for him and for me too! Jamie and I had a chance to talk and compare baby stories and our kiddos had a blast playing together. I think we spent almost 2 hours at McDonalds. I think that would be a record for me at any fast food restaurant. We had so much fun that we are planning on doing it again. At the end of the day, Jolie tried to kiss Matthew on the cheek. He was not impressed.

Random Pictures

I thought I would post these pictures of Matthew doing things around the house. He is becoming quite the little toddler these days. Enjoy!

A Visit From Santa

We took Matthew several weeks ago to have his picture made with Santa. He was not excited to see the "jolly old elf" at all. In fact, he kicked and screamed so bad that poor Santa could not even hold him! So, we both ended up being in the picture with Santa.
So, fast forward a few weeks later...
I am fortunate to be involved with a group here in town called Mothers Club. One of our fundraisers this year was a visit from Santa. My dad happily volunteered to play along as Santa. So, I thought maybe Matthew would do better with his Grandad playing Santa. He was a little bit calmer but still not too sure about the man in the red suit.

Outside Lights

These pictures are a few weeks old. Sorry. We've just been so busy lately! Marc did put lights up on the house this year. He worked all day trying to get them up. They look really good at night when they are all lit. This year, I think everyone on our street has lights up. It looks awesome! Matt loves to go outside and look at all the lights.

Oh Christmas Tree!

Well...the house is finally all decorated for Christmas! The lights are up outside (thank you Marc for doing an awesome job with that!), the tree is up, and the stockings are hung on the mantel. I guess we are ready for the big event...except of course for the shopping.
Decorating the Christmas tree is one of my favorite holiday traditions. I love it! This year I tried to make it a family affair. Unfortunately, Matthew was not all that interested in putting on the ornaments. He thought it would be more fun to take them off as Marc and I put them on. (Note to self...don't let a 15 month old help with the tree.) It was a lot of fun keeping him occupied and distracted from the tree. Now that it has been up for a week or so he doesn't even really bother it except to remove a few candy canes that we left within his reach.