Our budding musician

I laugh out loud whenever I watch this. He is so fun.

The Akers' Christmas, 2006

Merry Christmas to all of our family and friends! I hope everyhad had a merry, merry day yesterday. Ours was wonderful, full of family and food and presents and lots of toys! Christmas with kids is so crazy compared to when it was just Kurt and I. Gracious.

After Kurt and I sang at church on Christmas Eve, we came home and put cookies and milk out for Santa. Then, we put reindeer food out in the driveway.

Kurt then read "The Night Before Christmas" to the boys. Well, Brody listened... Seth pretty much wiggled his way out and then climbed all over them.

Then, it was off to bed.

In the morning, we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus and then found out that Santa had come!

The cookies were gone! The reindeer food was scattered all over the driveway (Reindeer must be really messy eaters). The stockings were overflowing!

We had a small breakfast, opened presents,

and unwound a MILLION extremely annoying, small tangled wires from the backs of about 30 toys. All parents know that these little buggers look pretty innocent, but in reality, they are cruel and unusual punishment.

Mimi and PaChuck came over for brunch

and we played a fun new game.

And enjoyed being together.

After naptime, we headed over to Mimi and PaChuck's house to have Christmas dinner with Suz, Bry, Evan, and Mimi and PaChuck. It was a wonderful day full of dump trucks, balls, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Disney's Cars, and games!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!

About Face!

What a fun night! We went to see The Nativity Story yesterday (which, by the way, was incredible!) and then after eating soup with Mimi and PaChuck, we turned Seth's carseat around and drove around to look at Christmas lights. It was wonderful. He was so tickled and Brody was happy to have someone else to point out the lights to!

Also, Seth showed us just how much he can fit in his mouth this afternoon. He showed up like this and Kurt just about lost his lunch from laughing so hard! :o)

Shoe sizes

Oh, and one other thing. We bought Seth his first pair of real walking shoes last night from Stride Rite. Here is the crazy thing. When we bought Brody's first pair, they were a size 3. Seth wears a size 5 wide. crazy.

It is official

We are a family of four! I finished Seth's stocking a couple of weeks ago, but only just got around to taking a picture. I made all of our stockings by hand and they are something I will always treasure. I can't believe we have FOUR stockings hung by the chimney with care! wow!

Oh, the joys of sugar

This is just too fun. There is actually a cookie under those sprinkles.

Seth's boots are made for...

...walkin'!

Right of Passage

I went to Wal*Mart tonight. There were a few things I had to get for Brody's Christmas program/party at school tomorrow (which he can't go to because he is sick with a sinus infection and ear infection, but I had already signed up to bring stuff). I had to buy things like Teacher Gifts, Candy Canes, Juice Boxes, and stuff to make cupcakes.

Well, as I was there, I realized that I had goodies to transport to his school tomorrow, and I didn't have any way to do that.

So... I BOUGHT A CUPCAKE CARRIER. It was like I had officially arrived at Motherhood. Yeah, I suppose pregnancy, birth, diapers, spit up, kissing boo boos, potty training, and all that stuff is what really makes me a mom, but I mean, who else has the need to send 2 dozen cupcakes out into the world. I thought to myself as I was picking one out, "This has got to last through at least all of pre-school, primary, and elementary school holiday and birthday parties." I was so excited.

I remember carrying cupcakes that my mom had made for me in her cupcake holder. It was the most exciting day of the year to bring in cupcakes.

My mother was the master at cool cupcake/cake decorations. I have a vivid memory of her sending me off to school with cupcakes for our Christmas party (It was actually a Christmas party back then, not a "Holiday" party). The cupcakes she had made were white with red hots and green icing which looked like holly. She had inserted a small candy cane in the center of each one. The lid didn't fit onto the top of the carrier because of the candy canes sticking out, so she had used saran wrap. I don't know how old I was, but I remember being so proud. When I got to school, everyone thought I had brought the coolest goodies because they had a candy cane in them. I don't even know if I told Mom about this memory, but it is one of my fondest from childhood. Really.

So... tonight, I slaved away making cupcakes for Brody's party. He won't be there to enjoy them, so I kept a few out to have at home. So, in honor of Mimi, the most creative mom ever, here are the cupcakes that will be enjoyed at Brody's Christmas party tomorrow (and there is my new carrier in the back!). Thanks for the inspiration, Mimi, and for being such a loving mommy!

Christmas in Full Swing

We go to see Santa today. When I was growing up, we always went to Miller and Rhoads departement store in Richmond to see Santa. We would hear jingle bells up on the roof, then his feet would come down the chimney and hang there for a moment, then Santa would come barreling down and out into the room. He always remembered your name and there were lots of elves around. I always remember that he had really white, soft gloves. It was truly magical. We would have lunch in the tea room and eat Rudolph Cake while we listened to an organist play Christmas carols. There was also a small little room with a tiny door called The Fawn Room that only kids could fit into, and we would buy Christmas presents for our parents. How fun.

Well, Miller and Rhoads is long gone, but that SAME Santa is still in Richmond at the children's museum, and Mom, Suz, and I still go every year, taking our kids now. Here is a link all about him...

The Legendary Santa in Richmond, VA

I will be sure to post some pics. And you better watch out... Santa Claus IS IN TOWN!

Oh, and here is a pic of Seth getting in the Christmas spirit!

Brody, the comedian

Nobody can make Seth laugh like Brody. And that is Brody's favorite pasttime. Here are a couple clips.

Sweets for the sweet

We ate dinner over at some friends house the other night and I took a Gingerbread men kit for Brody to do with his best friend, Abby. I got some great pictures. Brody couldn't keep from eating the "ice" but the cookies turned out great! And they were really yummy, too. The kit is a Wilton's kit from Michael's, was somewhere around 8 bucks, and has all the things you need already baked, mixed, etc... You just open the box, mix in some milk and butter with the icing and let the kids loose on them!
We also bought a gingerbread house kit that we are going to do this weekend. Brody has been trying to rip into that box for a week now.

Caught!

How guilty can one kid look? I found Seth feasting on Cheerios the other day.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

It is our tradition to go and pick out our tree on our anniversary, Dec. 4. This year it was the first time we had Seth with us and it was a full family event! We ended up with a great tree, too. It is the one on the right. :o)

When we get our tree, we ask the guy working there to cut off a couple inches from the bottom of the trunk and we save that little piece of the tree. We then write on it the year and then what happened in our lives that year. We have a little tree trunk from each year we have been married, so we just added our 7th. It says "2006 - The year of Seth, DisneyWorld, and Preschool". That is one of my favorite traditions. I wonder how many trunks we will have when all is said and done... and the even bigger question.... what should I DO with all of them? Any ideas?

7 years ago today

Today is our 7th wedding anniversary. It has been an incredible ride so far. So much has changed in our lives and it is fun to think back to where we were on December 4th, 1999.

Here are just a few things I remember:

Kurt and I had just moved into an 800 sq. foot apartment in Fairfax, paying $1365.00 a month in rent!
I was whitening my teeth so they looked whiter than my wedding dress.
We had a Chevy Blazer and a Mitsubishi Convertible Eclipse.
Kurt was in a rock band, Rachel's Fault, and was also playing in an ice hockey league.
I was in a show choir, The Alexandria Singers.
I had a second job selling Yankee Candles at Fair Oaks Mall.
We were expecting our first nephew.
I was working at Booz·Allen, & Hamilton in Vienna as a multimedia developer.
Kurt was working for Henninger Media services in Arlington as an assistant editor.
We had 2 cats and an extra 5 cats worth of fur around our apartment.
I was taking golf lessons so I could spend more time with Kurt and his family when we visited them in Salem.
I stunk at golf.
We were attending Messiah United Methodist church in Springfield.
We were at least a 3 hour drive away from our parents and siblings.
We did things like go out to the movies at 9:30 pm, on a whim.
We were extremely career oriented.
We had only ever filed a 1040 EZ.
Credit cards were a means to a living.
Hamburger Helper was a staple in our diet.
A steak dinner was a BIG luxury.
We went out to clubs and bars with friends.
We owned our first cell phones and the company was Cellular One.
Our computer was a Compaq and it had somewhere around 250 Megs of memory. And that was AMAZING! Why would we ever need more?
We were "dinks" (dual income, no kids) and didnt know how great we had it!
Our vocabulary didn’t include words like: mortgage, life insurance, home-owners insurance, education fund, epidural, colic, play group, or daycare.
We knew that we wanted kids and a big house *someday*
We knew that our love was the kind that would last through anything and everything.

Today, we have our big house and our 2 kids, as well as all the responsibilites and financial burdens that come with those things. We are living a life in Christ, which has changed our lives beyond the imaginable. We are truly blessed and love the life that God has given us and that we have built together. We still have the kind of love that will last through anything and everything. I can only imagine with the next 7, 30, 50 years will bring us!

I love you, Kurt. Happy Anniversary, G!

Love,

~B

11 months old!

Seth is 11 months old today!!! One more month 'til his first birthday! I can' t believe how fast this year has gone. i am posting his monthly photo, and just for kicks, thought I would post Brody's also. Gosh it goes so fast!

Seth at 11 months


Brody at 11 months

A Captured Moment

As a parent, every now and then I will see, hear, or feel something that creates an anxious, pressing urge/need to preserve it forever. I notice this a lot more with Seth, since I have seen how quickly Brody has grown up and I feel like I didn't take enough notice of all the little milestones. Most times, I don't have my camera or dvd-cam with me, so I find myself trying to emblazen the moment into my mind. I had one of those moments outside today and happened to capture it with my camera. This is Brody. He is almost 3. He looks at me as if I am the most amazing person he has ever known. Just one of my kisses can heal all wounds. When there are "dinosaurs in his bedroom" at night, I can lay with him (as well as Daddy) and they will all go away. I know how to get every toy imaginable. I also know how to FIX every toy. I know how to make the coolest train track setups in the world. I give him food when he is hungry, juice when he wants something sweet and thirsty, and I lay him down just when he realizes that he is tired and may want to take a nap. He must think i am amazing, even magical. I know he won't feel this way forever, but I will relish in it while I can.

Here is the way Brody looked at me when I told him that I loved him, and now I have it forever.

*sigh*

Little Cabin in the Woods

I surprised Kurt this past weekend with a 7th Anniversary trip to Afton Mountain and a stay in a beautiful log bed and breakfast in the woods/mountains. It was so wonderful, rustic, romantic, and luxurious. This is the cabin if anyone is interested...

OakMoor Inn

We stayed overnight, had a wonderful breakfast, and then drove around listening to Indigo Girls, Nickel Creek, and a few other favorites while touring wineries (Wintergreen, Afton Mountain, Cardinal Point, and Jefferson).

We had a nice lunch at the Boars Head Inn at Charlottesville, then visited Jefferson Winery and headed home in the evening.

It was a WONDERFUL ADULT weekend!

Thank you Mimi and PaChuck for letting us get away for an evening and a day!