Bathtub fun

What is it about kids in the bathtub that is just so adorable?

Merry Christmas 2009!

What a wonderful Christmas! We got to spend lots of time with family and friends, and the kids were utterly overwhelmed by the ginormous piles of presents. Our trip through Wichita and KC left our car loaded down beyond belief and our kids filled with sugar and love for their family. Too many pictures to post, so here are some highlights. Can't believe the holiday's come and gone again!

Goin' to see Santa!

Griswold-style: Oh, were we excited to go see Santa this year. We were going to sit on his lap and tell him how good we've been and ask for our most-wanted toys. So Mommy & Daddy get the kids all dressed up and drive 40 minutes, only to be given a card to come back over an hour later for our "time to stand in line." Thank God for snacks. So after more than an hour and a half, our time came...and our kids freaked out. Brady wouldn't go anywhere near Santa, and Lauren screamed her head off when we threw her in his lap. Then she was so traumatized that she threw herself on the floor for a good cry on our way out the door, and Brady was in tears because he thought that he wouldn't get the bike he wants because he didn't talk to him. So we sent Santa a letter instead. One of these years we'll get one of those happy, smiley pictures on Santa's lap--but these are way more fun ;).

What happened to the fall?

Suddenly it's winter already and I have so many cute pictures from the fall! I walked in one day to get Brady up from his nap and realized that a black marker had gone to bed with him. He looked like Jim Carrey in Liar, Liar. Brady & Murphy had a great time playing hide and seek in the leaf piles until Murphy peed all over and Brady had to get out. And anyone who doesn't think my kids look identical is crazy! People ask me if they're twins...apparently, they can't tell they're 2 years apart.

Family Photo Shoot October 2009

Brady's first school picture

Here is our little man's first preschool picture. We just can't believe how big he's getting. He's not a baby anymore, although he'll always be our baby. He made a book at school about what they are thankful for, and his page said, "Brady is thankful for his mommy." The other kids said they were thankful for things like Oreos and Transformers. *sniff, sniff*. Love my little man.

Happy Halloween!

Halloween parade

Here is a video of Brady's first Halloween parade and "performance." The funny thing is, his preschool teachers always tell me how much he loves to sing and is one of the most animated ones when they practice, but he completely refuses to practice at home! Look for Thomas the Train in the middle.

Halloween (before)

A freezing, soggy day at the pumpkin patch, Brady's preschool Halloween parade, and carving some pumpkins (or "gummins," as Lauren says). Holidays are SO MUCH MORE fun when you have kids!! This year, I tried and tried to get Brady to cooperate just one more time and be something that "matched" his sister. Well, he didn't want to be Mickey Mouse (Lauren is Minnie), especially once he figured out that there was a Thomas the Train costume in the universe. So I lost, but he's still pretty cute as a train. And his preschool class was soooooo adorable. One of the pics is of him and his friend Addie (the fairy)...or is she more than a friend? He sure talks about her a lot :).

Trick-or-treating pictures to come! Praying for dry, non-freezing weather in St. Louis this Halloween!

Nighty-night

Bedtime at the Carmichael house...lots of running, singing, dancing, and generally ignoring Mommy :). Lauren wants to say her ABC's so badly and of course said something that sounded like "A-B-C" AFTER I turned off the camera. Worth watching until the end to hear the sweet "good night" and "night-night." And night-night to you!

Bubble bath and toothbrush fun

KU Homecoming 2009

Ahhhh...Lawrence. We came back for our annual Homecoming game, and it was--FREEZING. Poor Brady about froze to death, but he actually had a blast. We spent time with friends, Brady & Daddy played football on the hill, and Brady got to go to his first football game with all the trimmings (as you can see from the pics). My favorite picture is when he was running up the hill to the Campanile (a WWII memorial on the KU campus), looking so tiny, and all I could think about is that if we raise him right, he just might be a Jayhawk himself someday :). Rock Chalk Jayhawk!

Visit from Dallas friends!

Our friends Travis, Jen & baby Alex Young visited us in the 'lou a couple of weekends ago. We had so much fun with them!! We went to the Taste of St. Louis (a so-so event, but a nice day), and Brady decided he wanted his face painted. I am posting the series of pics so you can see his expression...kind of a quiet terror once she got started, then a "Mommy, I want it OFF" right when she got done. Lauren was a little freaked out, and Murphy tried to attack Brady/Spiderman when he got home. Oh, and the liquor bottles are from the boys (and a small contribution from Jen). Trav and Michael like to pretend that they are still in college when they get together. At least now they clean up their mess!

What happens at Nana's...

doesn't stay at Nana's. Nana is the snack queen, and we always go home with lots of crackers, cookies and candy when we leave. This time, though, the crackers were ALL over the car. And I mean all over. This picture doesn't even show the half of it. At least the dogs were in the car and cleaned out about 60% of the crumb mess!

Snack time!

We got to visit Brady at school for some songs, playtime and a snack. Lauren loved sitting at the kid-sized table with her big brother.

Our star soccer player

So we've discovered the cutest thing in the universe: three-year-olds playing soccer. Seriously adorable. Brady has had a big month; he started preschool and soccer in the same week! Not to brag too much, but we're pretty sure that we have a little soccer star on our hands. He is listening so well to his coach and is really good at kicking and controlling the ball. Maybe the next David Beckham... :). Lauren is not happy that she can't go on the field with her big brother, but they do have some free time right before their practice where she can at least get out there with the big kids, which is where she always wants to be!