Happy New Year

Well, having two has definitely been keeping me busy... resulting in not a lot of blogging.  Sorry about that.  I clicked on my blog bookmark and was shocked to see that I hadn't posted anything since October!!!  Even as I attempt to type this, Jacob is trying to crawl under the desk and unplug the computer from the wall.

Life has been busy and wonderful at the same time, since I last posted.  We had wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays with family - the best way to spend the holidays (in my humble opinion).  Alison and Jacob are such good travelers, so we usually just pack up the car and go.  Of course, we have one advantage that our parents did not... DVD player in the car - hooray for technology.  Some of the sweetest memories from the holidays were:
*Alison teaching Jacob how to say "Baby Jesus"
*Lighting the advent wreath together as a family
*Taking both kids to the Children's Museum in Bryan with Gran
*The excitement on Alison's face when she discovered that Santa brought the Little Mermaid doll she asked for :)
*Going to the Christmas Eve service at our home church for the first time
*Listening to Alison sing Christmas Carols
*Watching Noel (Natalie's little brother) graduate from Texas Tech

Here are some pictures from Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas -

Jacob didn't sleep through Halloween this year - he was a ferocious lion (see the black eye?)

 At our church's Fall Festival - Alison was a dragon

Boening Family Thanksgiving

Natalie and Jacob on Thanksgiving

 Breakfast in bed... well, Alison's bed

At Noel's graduation

Alison with her Uncle Nathan

A family tradition - Matt reading Alison The Night Before Christmas

Mimi & Pops enjoying the book Alison gave to them for Christmas.  Each page played a recording of her voice reading the story.

Alison and Jacob at Central Park in Bryan

The new year has brought some changes to our family.  Now that Jacob is 18 months old, he goes to preschool at Stonebriar Preschool Pals with Natalie and Alison.  Although it gets crazy getting both kids up, dressed and fed, with lunches packed... it has been wonderful being all together.  Alison amazes her teachers by her ability to read almost anything you put in front of her, and she has told me that she is "the friendliest girl" in her class.  :)  Her favorite thing to read is her new Bible (I'm not kidding) and she tells me that Jesus is already in her heart.

Jacob is SO verbal, I am just amazed.  He is a little parrot who repeats anything you say.  I can't even count how many words he has, and he is already speaking in two- to three-word sentences at 18 months.  He eats more for dinner than Alison and is constantly asking for bites of my sweet potato ("PO-da-to") and sliced avocado  ("bo-CA-do").  He terrorizes his big sister by constantly wanting to be wherever she is, playing with her toys, and pulling her hair.  Isn't that what little brothers are for?  But, Alison does love him and is much more interested in playing with him now that she understands him.  From time to time, she'll close her bedroom door and tell us that "she needs her privacy."  Cracks me up.  

Here are two of my favorite pictures, from October, of the kids with their Dad.