A Sneak Peek

I was going through some computer files to organize some of my pictures and came across a few in a Misc. file that really touched me.  Seeing how far Mason & Alex have come in the last 5 years is amazing.  I thank God for bringing them into our family and letting us be their parents.  So for today's post I'm giving you a sneak peek of the joy they've brought to our hearts.

Alex - 1 month

Mason - 1 month

 The first few months were rough.  We had no idea how much work it would be to take care of a preemie baby.  Preemie twins definitely made for two very exhausted parents!  We were so thankful for all of the support from our families to help get us through the rough patches.

Alex & Mason - 1 yr

 My what a difference a 11 months can make!  Mason & Alex were delightful toddlers.  They took great naps & slept through the night.  Plus, you can't get much cuter than this!

Jason, Denise, Mason & Alex - Adoption Day!

 This is without question one of the top 3 best days of my life.  Right up there with marrying Jason & Brady's birth day.  All the worries and fears that things may turn out the way we hoped were finally put to rest.  But this day also opened up a new door, one where we were solely responsible for these two precious little boys.  It was quite a transition for me, a slight sense of loss as the wonderful social workers & service providers we'd gotten to know over the last 11 months were phased out of our lives.

Mason - 2 yrs

Jason & Alex - 2 yrs

 Terrible 2s?  Not in this house!  Mason & Alex were a blast to have in our home.  Everything was exciting to them and they did everything at 100%.  They were so snuggly and lovable.  I miss my 2 year olds.

Alex - 3 yrs

Mason - 3 yrs

 Now age 3 is quite a different story.  They were still so snuggly and loving, but something had changed.  Gone were the days of Mommy & Daddy knowing best.  These two figured out how to team up against us and had minds all their own.  They learned how to challenge us and really gave us hard time.  I was assured that age 4 would be much better.

Mason - 4 yrs

Alex - 4 yrs

 So we toughed it out & eventually they turned 4.  The improvement I hoped would come overnight didn't happen!  They're still naughty, but there was a little bit of maturity that came along too.  They were an absolute joy to have individually.  I realized I have got some of the neatest kids I've ever met.  They can be little tyrants when they're together, teasing, arguing, fighting.  But there's also a love, a bond that is very strong.  They look out for eachother and if one is wronged, the other one has his back. 

Alex - Almost 5 yrs!

Mason - Almost 5 yrs!

Here we are, at almost 5 years old.  Their naughty streak has really gotten under control.  They still like to torment each other, but what siblings don't?  Mason and Alex have really blossomed at preschool and are learning new things all the time.  They love their little brother and haven't given a thought at being jealous of the attention he gets.

Mason and Alex, I am so thankful and proud to be your mom.

5x7 Folded Card

Bright Merry Cheer Christmas Card

This season, send Christmas cards personalized with family photos.

View the entire collection of cards.

First Pictures Under the Tree

It's a family tradition to put the tree up on the day after Thanksgiving.  Brady was all over the ornaments when Mason, Alex and I were going through the box but he could care less about the tree or what's on it. 

We took time (48 seconds was all he could spare) for a quick photo shoot on Saturday and got a few good ones.  Seriously, does this kid look 9 months old???

I LOVE BLACK FRIDAY!

 I absolutely love Black Friday.  Apparently Brady wasn't very impressed with the sales at Norby's!

 New towels...need I say more?  

Our towels are 8+ years old & I've been thinking about replacing them for a while.  Every time I'd shop at Kohl's I'd have to stop and touch a certain set.  When I saw them on sale in the Black Friday ad, I couldn't resist.  It looks like I'm not the only one who was thrilled by new towels!  Alex helped me pull off all the tags and then he & Brady played in them for quite a while.  When it was time for a nap, both Alex and Mason had to take a bath towel with them to bed.  Too funny!

Riley had a great holiday as well!

First Friend Birthday Party!

Mason and Alex were invited to their first friend's birthday party this month.  They were so excited to go!!  I bought some My Little Ponies for them to give as a gift.  Mason told me he wanted me to get one of them for him for his birthday.  We'll see if he forgets about that idea.  They had a great time helping me wrap the presents and picked out all different colors of ribbon to put on top.  They also made special printouts on the computer and colored and wrote on cards for the birthday girl.  The party was held at an "inflatable park" (lots of bouncy castles).  They had so much fun and were completely exhausted when it was time to go.  Needless to say, they weren't the only ones dragging at preschool the next day!

Alex & Mason

Don't they look so grown up?

An Interview With Alex

Alex is definitely a special kid.  He always keeps me on my toes, I never know what's going to come out of his mouth.  He loves playing the computer and he is definitely an artist.  This summer he got1st place in a coloring contest and won a gift card to Target and a blue ribbon.  He's really into spelling and writing out words right now.  Sometimes I think he's too smart for his own good.


Who is your best friend? Aiden, Mason, Sophia, Olivia & Nicholas
What is your favorite color?  Rainbow & Yellow  (Jason was thrilled with that answer!)
What is your favorite restaurant?  Burger King (Odd because he'd never been there before!!) & McDonalds
What do you want to do for a job when you grow up?  Play music & hair stylist
Are you going to get married?  Yeah, I'm gonna marry Grandma & Papa D.
How many kids do you think you'll have?  Tons of 'em.  (Oh my goodness!)
What's your favorite movie?  The Wiggles Space Dancing
What is your favorite toy?  My Wiggle dolls.
What is your favorite cartoon?  The Wiggles
What do you love about Mom?  Hugs & kisses, backfire at you!!!  (We're not going there!) 
What do you love about Dad?  Play Transformers.
What do you love about Brady?  Touching his hair.

Trick or Treat

Happy Halloween!  

Our church put on the 2nd annual Trunk or Treat and we had a blast!!  Alex was Papa Smurf and he got a ton of compliments.  The blue makeup came off his face pretty well, just a little bit of a blue hue after we washed it all off.  Brady was The Incredible Hulk and he played the part very well.  It's a little hard to tell in the picture but the thing he has on his head is supposed to be The Hulk's forhead & it has the cutest little green ears sticking out on the side.  Mason was super excited to be Optimus Prime.  The costume has a mask but it was a little big so he just carried it or went without for most of the afternoon.

We all had a wonderful afternoon and it the event was put on perfectly by our church.  Plenty of "trunks" to visit, Mr. Nick the balloon guy made plenty of balloon animals, there was a firetruck & even a tow truck.  Plus the weather was great.  You can't complain when you can go without a jacket at Halloween!  We are looking forward to the Trunk or Treat next year!