Getting our sillies out before bed!

As most parents of young children can attest to, evenings can seen very long in the wintertime. Since it's too cold and dark to play outside, we often end up playing chase games, hoops, or just being silly to pass the time. Here are some of the smiles and goofiness I've caught on camera while in action :-)

"Come catch me, mommy!"

"I ate too many silly beans!"

Shootin' some hoops with daddy - a favorite passtime :-)

"I got this one!"

And there you have it, this is what a night in the Bingham household looks like :-) Stop by anytime if you ate YOUR silly beans.

Playing in the SNOW!

After experiencing the ups and downs in temperatures over the past few months, we FINALLY got some snow last week, and we were all very happy that it arrived! The first thing Brett said when he woke up in the morning to all the snow was, "I want to build a snowman!". I thought that was a fantastic idea, so that afternoon we bundled up and went outside. Unfortunately it wasn't packing snow, so Frosty had to wait until another time - so instead we decided to help daddy out and do some shoveling. Brett was a great helper and was so proud of himself! Then, on Friday night it snowed even more, so of course we had to go sledding. Our friend and neighbor Garry (along with his daughter Carolyn) invited us over Saturday after lunch to sled in their backyard. It is the perfect size hill for 3 year olds and the kids had a blast! I didn't take the camera that time, but next time I will for sure - Brett was all smiles and giggles going up and down the hill - and the best part was that he would walk up the hill himself this year! It easy to forget how fun and refreshing some good outdoor fun can be - and both Kyle and I had a blast too --- and can't wait for it to snow again (as it has already melted :-( ). Below are some shots I got of Brett enjoying what winter should be all about! :-)

Birthday fun at the Hands on Museum!

I just realized that I have a problem...I take so many pictures and then when it comes time to blog I have trouble just picking afew - so I end up posting like 15 pictures sometimes! Oh well, the more pictures, the better, right? :-) Anyways, yesterday we celebrated Brett's 3rd birthday with his friends (and ours!) at the Hands on Museum. It was such a fun day and Brett had a blast! There is a new exhibit in the preschool room with all these chutes and tunnels that you put balls through - and wow was that a hit!!! As soon as Brett walked in he was mezmerized and busy, busy, busy! We played in the preschool room for awhile with his friends and then we all slowly ventured out to explore the rest of the musuem - it really is SUCH a great place for kids and really puts their minds to work, which I love :-) After an hour and a half of playing we went into a private room to make a volcano, eat pizza, open presents, and have cake. I swear all Brett could talk about all morning was how he wanted to open his presents and eat cake - so he was one happy little boy when the time finally came! It was such a fun day and we are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives!! Thank you to everyone who helped make that day special :-)

"Yana and Papa are here!"

Brett, Albert, and Lucas checking out the cool ball contraption!

Look at that concentration!


All smiles :-)


Exploring the rest of the museum = good times!

Brett and his friends gathering around the table to make a volcano!

Look at that lava!

Sciece is fascinating!

Of course, Brett's cake had to have cars on it! Happy Birthday, Brett!

Raise your hands if you want cake!

Happy Birthday to you!

High on sugar and love :-)

Finally...Brett's 3rd birthday and Christmas in WI!

Long time no blog, right?! We've had some techinical difficulties with our computer lately (I hate virus'!) so I haven't been able to upload pictures or blog. We still haven't fixed our computer but Kyle got a new work laptop that he is letting me use because I couldn't wait any longer to update everyone on our now 3 year old little boy!

We had a rough start leading up to Brett's birthday and Christmas because Brett came down with Croup 4 days before we were suppose to head to WI. We woke up that Sunday morning at 4am listening to Brett gasp for air ---- probably the most scary moment of my life. We quickly did a breathing treatment which helped a little, but definitely not enough, so we were off to the ER in Chelsea. We were so scared and worried about his breathing that we didn't even put him in the carseat or put a coat on him - we just wrapped him in a blamket, plopped him on my lap and sped away as fast as we could. Thank goodness we live in Chelsea and are only 5 minutes away from the hospital! After more breathing treatments, steroids, and a little rest, we were on our way back home after afew hours. We thought this response to Croup was because of his asthma, but I guesss it can happen to anyone. So scary!! Anyways, because of Croup and an ear infection he was diagnosed with later in the week, we waited until Friday to make the drive to WI. We thought he was doing a little better - and had been on antibiotics for over 24 hours, but unfortunately, the beginning of the trip was pretty rough. Poor Brett clearly still didn't feel well and slept awful. The good part is that he was still a trooper and enjoyed opening his presents and tried his best to be a good boy despite how he felt. I think he still had a good birthday and Christmas :-) I seriously cannot believe we now have a THREE year old!!!!! I love him with all my heart :-)

Brett and his cousin Lily jumping from the big bed down to the mattress on the floor. I love how they are holding hands!

Action shot!
"Happy Birthday, Brett!" Here he is opening his first present :-)


Taking a break before heading to Grandma and Grandpa Mo's for more birthday celebrating.

Grandma Mo went all out for Brett's birthday - she had cake, decorations, poppers, presents, and games. Here Brett is playing "drop the clothespin in the jar". Both Lily and Brett LOVED that game!

Now, to the next game...pin the tail on the donkey! Another huge hit!

Here is Brett's personal little cake...Lily's birthday is just afew days after Brett's so there was a big cake for both of them and then they each had their own small one like this. Grandma Mo thought of everything!

"Happy Birthday to you..!"

He was a happy boy!

Make a wish!

Brett demonstrating the best way to eat a cupcake :-) YUM!

Now to the best part...presents!!!

The next morning it was time for MORE presents....MERRY CHRISTMAS everyone!

New trains!

The only shot I have of Brett and Lily dressed up for Christmas dinner! Lily was so proud of her beautiful dress :-) And Brett, well, he couldn't care less! :-)

And here's just a random shot of that handsome smile :-) I love you, Brett!!!