1, 2, 3....Did I really blink that many times?

The days have passed so quickly and I can't believe you are 3.

Just yesterday they placed you in my arms and you slipped right into my heart.

Just yesterday we brought you home from the hospital still swearing you would never wear PINK!

Just yesterday I wondered what this mama of little boys would do with a little girl.

Just yesterday you wore bows on  your tiny head that were bigger than you were.

Just yesterday....I am sure I haven't blinked so where did the yesterdays go?

 Just yesterday you learned to smile and giggle.

Just yesterday you learned to crawl.

Just yesterday you learned to walk and carried your lovie and your baba with you everywhere you went.

Just yesterday you learned to ride the laundry basket down the stairs.

Just yesterday you cried when I left your sight.

Just yesterday you were this little girl I carried everywhere I went.

Just yesterday....I am sure I haven't blinked so where did the yesterdays go?

 Just yesterday you learned to talk and I heard you call me Mama.

Just yesterday you would grab my cheeks and turn my head to get my attention.

Just yesterday you slept in the craziest of places.

Just yesterday as soon as we would say it's time to go to the ball field you would grab your shoes and say, "yets go!" 

Just yesterday....I am sure I haven't blinked so where did the yesterdays go?

 Just yesterday I remember listening to a lady tell me at the grocery store that when everyone of her children were born she grew a new heart and I believe she is absolutely right!

Dear Ellee Bean,

I do not know where the time has gone but I do know that the last 3 years have gone by way to fast.  It is very hard to believe that this little girl that we didn't know what to do with, could already be this big.  It is very hard to believe that in the 3 short years you have been with us you have changed our world forever.

The day you were born I remember thinking to myself, I wonder which of the boys she will be like.  Will she be energetic and athletic like Caden?  Will she be one to entertain herself and let her imagination soar like Reece?  Little did I know that you would be the perfect mix of both of them.  You love to play ball, run, jump, dive, catch and you could go forever, just like Caden and you entertain yourself for hours and your imagination is amazing, just like Reece. 

You have your brothers wrapped around your fingers and you think they are 10 feet tall.  You have your daddy wrapped around all the others and I am almost certain that he wouldn't have it any other way.  You have changed your mommy in more ways than you can ever imagine and it's kind of fun to see the world through the eyes of a little girl again. 

Ellee Rae, It is so hard to believe that all the tomorrows are now yesterdays and you are 3 years old.  This family didn't know we were missing a thing until you came along and we realized that we were missing everything that came with having you.

I love you more, I love you to the moon and back and I love to infinity and beyond!

~Mama

The funny things you say:

These toilets are TINORNUS (ginormous from the movie ELF)

Bunny Easter

Reindeer Rudolph

My noses are snottin'

These brudders are getting on my nerves.

You've Been Racked

This year for our Family Advent we decided to do Random Acts Of Christmas Kindness (RACK)

I got the idea from  TSJ Photography and thought it was a fabulous idea and one that would help my kids to understand that it is always better to give than to receive.  This is something that I have always told my kids but I don't think they ever got it until we did this. 

I absolutely loved that they got excited about doing something for others and that they looked forward to what we would be doing.  Even Ellee loved giving a gift to someone and saying Merry Christmas and got upset when it wasn't her turn to do it.  While she may not understand completely just yet, it is a good foundation for her to figure out what the boys figured out this Christmas. 

We didn't make 25 days but we did make a lot of them and this next Christmas we will make 25 days since I will have a whole year to prepare for it!

Things we did:

We delivered 100 candy canes to car windows all over Paola.

We left money in Zip Lock bags and put them on Red Box locations with a note to buy themselves a treat to go with their movie or game.

We passed out grocery gift cards randomly to people we would come across that we thought needed a smile that day.

We left Money in Zip Lock bags on newspaper stands for people to pay for their paper with.

We put quarters in bags and gave them to little kids in the parking lots that we would come across so they could buy something out of the vending machines inside the door.


If we went out to eat we bought gift cards at that location and passed them out while we were there.  For example, there was a young man eating one night by himself and the kids took one to him because he reminded me so much of my brother.  They also gave one to people standing in line at Culvers waiting to order as we were walking out the door.  You get the idea!

We delivered a gift to a student that just wanted a book for Christmas and times are tough for his family.

We delivered gift cards at Sonic to someone who was having car trouble hoping to brighten their day.

We picked people at Random in the McDonalds drive-thru to bless that day.

Each one of the kids took in money to the Library and paid off late book fees for 3 families.

Some of the things we did we attached a note that we downloaded from that wonderful blog and other random acts we did, we did because I also wanted my kids to learn that it is always nice just to take notice and to lend a smile as you do something nice for someone.

We would let people go in front of us that were standing behind us in line at the grocery store.

We helped an elderly lady put groceries in her car. 

We left bigger tips if we went out to eat.

We joined with several other people and gave to families in need this Christmas.

I think as a family, we were more blessed by this advent than anyone that might have received something from us and more importantly my kids understand that it is always better to give than it is to receive.  We have been given so many blessings in this life and my prayer for my kids, has always been that they will grow to have a heart for others. 

If you are reading this and you do not do an advent or are looking for a different way to do one I would encourage you to do this.  I promise you, the blessings you receive from this are far greater than you could ever imagine.  Wouldn't it be cool if everyone just decided to Pay It Forward next Christmas or just did something nice for someone every day of the year?? 

Christmas 2011

Our first visit to Crown Center during Christmas and it was absolutely BEAUTIFUL!

My baking Bean helping make

All of these!

Christmas Eve began at 4:00 a.m. when I heard the pitter patter of little feet go across the kitchen floor.  I got up to see what in the world was going on and they were on the couch covered in blankets with a computer between them and they were Tracking Santa!!! 

Tracking Santa has been something that we have done for several years but never has it started at 4:00 in the MORNING!!!  What is a Mama to do??  I did what every good Mama would do and said track away I'm going back to bed, knowing that they would be dog tired on the night that the Big Man in Red was to appear and I was exactly right!

The kids were wondering what Elvis would do on this last night on Cottonwood drive and I don't think that they ever thought that he would...

Make them look like Rudolph!!

OH ELVIS....You are a funny ol' elf!

We attended Christmas Eve Service and the kids could hardly wait to get home to unwrapped their ornaments and their jammies.  They think it is the cheesiest tradition we have but they always love seeing what ornaments they get to add to their collection that one day they can decorate their own trees with.

Reindeer food...

Is never in short supply at the home of the Bressler Bunch

And Christmas morning almost just makes me sad these days.

My days of having a living room full of big things that take up the whole living room are just about over.

Now all they want are expensive electronic gadgets that come in very small boxes and we all know that small boxes do not take up much room.

Caden got his Nook Color that he begged and begged for!

Reece got his Nintendo 3Ds that he couldn't live without!

And Miss Muffet got her Hello Kitty Bike and her Hello Kitty Helmet that she has been talking to Santa about since the middle of October.  She knew what she wanted and it never changed from the time she saw it in the store! 

Santa enjoyed his cookies and we are one very blessed family!

It only took 11 years of

begging asking to go see the Plaza Lights in KC.

 A year ago at Christmas time and I metioned again

that I wanted to see the lights

 did I ever dream that I would be living

close enough to actually get to see them without any

begging asking at all.

 They were beautiful and just as I imagined.

The crowds of people,

horns honking,

the cold air

made it all fantastic

 but nothing made it perfect

until this little girl got

to ride the "wagon" and be pulled by the horses.

Her Smile was priceless!

11 years of begging asking and had I got

to see it before this year I would have

missed seeing it through a

little girls eyes!

Elvis.....The crazy elf

is still shaking things up around here.

I guess he is tired of waiting on snow just like we are because he made his own snowmen out of marshmallows in the cabinet one night.

Sometimes you just have to look at things from a different point of view!

Zip Zip Zip............LINE!!!

 I heard that when he puts himself in the fridge it is a hint to the mom of the house that groceries are in short supply.  I was not about to take any chances of being put on the naughty list so I tackled my least favorite thing to do and told him that if he hadn't wasted that bag of marshmallows writing on them with a sharpie they could have at least had a snack! 

You have to love an elf named Elvis!

Christmas Nights and Holiday Lights

was the theme of Caden's 4th grade Christmas program. 

As we all know choir is not a competitive sport and because it is not American Idol then it is not one of his favorite things to do. 

He could think of a million things he would rather do than have to get up and sing and smiling was certainly not present, but he did survive.  It was a great program and I loved it despite the fact that he wouldn't even look at us for the fear that I might get a smile out of him.  

Change is sometimes hard

and it's my blog and I can cry if I want too!

Today as I was cutting out sugar cookies and listening to Christmas music I got to thinking about a different time in my life.  A time when when things were old hat and a time when I was comfortable in my every day. 

When I got to thinking today, I took a look around my house that isn't yet a home and I really started missing what used to be what reflected us as a family.  I missed the warmth of my house that I made our home.  I missed the visits from friends that would come and visit for hours.  I missed just being me!

Today I wish that I could turn back time to see my porch decorated this way again

 I wish I could turn back time and sit in my living room that was full of laughter, love and where everyone knew they were welcome when they walked in the door.

I wish that I could jump in the car with my kids and drive all over looking at Christmas lights and hear them say, "Daddy honk at the dancing Christmas Trees so they will shimmy for us."

I miss hearing my kids say that this over the top decorated house was the prettiest Christmas light display

E-V-E-R.

 Today I miss a different time in my life.

I just wish that all of this would become old hat for me and that I could figure out how to make my much smaller place of residence feel like my home once did.

Today I miss what I used to know!