Our Christmas this year was an amazingly busy whirlwind of events! We are so blessed to have a great family and lots of love to spread and receive over the holiday season but it does mean that we stay busy for quite a few days. We started Christmas off with attending our church's Christmas eve service before heading to The Hicks' house for some yummy food and treats. We always love and enjoy this tradition ever year!

After our fun Christmas Eve, we celebrated Christmas morning with just our (The Farrs) family. Brenden didn't wake up extremely early which was good for Mommy and Daddy so they could get a little bit of rest. :) When he first woke us up we weren't sure if he remembered that it was Christmas morning. We asked him, "Buddy do you remember what today is?" He said, "Yes, Christmas and Baby Jesus' birthday"...he knew far more than we were giving him credit for and we were very proud! When Brenden first walked into the living room, this is what he saw...

Needless to say, his loot didn't look quite as great as Bryleigh's loot. His initial reaction was "Oh man, where is my bicycle"!? (That was all he wanted Santa to bring him). After we woke Bryleigh up we went back into the living room to fully investigate the loot and open all of our presents. Brenden and Bryleigh were thrilled and loved opening each one. Brenden would say "It's exactly what I want" every time he opened something new...he was VERY appreciative. Below are some picks from the morning. They are a little small, but Bryleigh LOVED her new backpack and Brenden really enjoyed his new "4 wheel bicycle"! It was a GREAT morning!

Later that day we headed over to Nana and Papa's house to spend some time with them and Uncle Greg. The Hicks family joined us later that day and we enjoyed lots of play time, a yummy dinner, and some wonderful gifts. It was a GREAT evening with the family and we had a blast hanging out with everyone during that time.

On Sunday we packed up and headed to Plymouth for a visit with family there. We were able to spend some time with The Garretts and The Cranks all day on Sunday which was a huge blessing for us and the kids. We had another yummy dinner and got even more great gifts. Even better though, we were able to spend some much needed time with our family! On Monday morning we piled back in the car and headed out to visit with Mema and Granddaddy. Granddaddy had been sick recently so this was our first visit since his most recent hospital stay. We were very eager to spend some time with him and value that visit most of all! Obviously, the kids loved their time and the extra attention there as well! :)

Finally, we finished out our Christmas celebrations by heading to Virginia to visit Grandpa, Grandma, and Shaun. They actually haven't met Bryleigh yet so this visit was long overdue and was definitely an enjoyable time for us all. We spent time at their house playing games and catching up before heading to dinner at Olive Garden.
It was definitely a busy week for our family, but we know that this kind of busy is a blessing. We are so fortunate to have such a great family and support system around us. We are also very thankful that the holidays give us a GREAT reason and opportunity to spend with each one of them each year! We hope that each of you were able to experience something close to the same with your friends and family this holiday season!!!

"It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!"

This month has been very busy as we prepare ourselves for Christmas! We have had LOTS of fun opportunities to enjoy celebrations as a family. We started the month off with a great Christmas party at The Goods. We loved being able to get together with friends and let the kids have a blast watching Polar Express, drinking hot chocolate, and running all around.

Possibly our favorite thing to do every December is to head out to Bahama for the Christmas Parade. This has been a tradition in the Baber family for YEARS and will be a tradition in the Farr family for years to come! We love the kid friendly atmosphere, the truck loads of candy they throw out, and tons and tons of fun with our family and friends. Needless to say, this year was EXTREMELY cold which is not our favorite thing, but we survived still. :)

Finally, we all got to enjoy a GREAT preschool performance last week starring Brenden and his classmates at Aldersgate. We are never sure how Brenden will do at these events, but (just like last year) he proved to love the stage. :) He was beaming up there as he sang the songs and performed each one. He would wave to us in the crowd, jump up and down to get our attention and even requested (rather loudly) that Papa stand up. He has worked hard practicing and singing these songs at home for awhile now so we're very proud of him for showing everyone just how super excited he was about it all!

Our family really enjoys this time of year. We could not ask for anything better than time with our family and friends and we look forward to that every December!

Christmas Fun...

We couldn't resist the temptation to post this....

Merry Christmas from our family to each of you!
"Ho-Ho-Ho!"

BFFL!

There's not much in the world that a girl loves more than some quality time with her best friends! It is always a blessing spending time with these dear friends....

Happy Thanksgiving!

On this Thanksgiving day, I (Brooke) am so thankful for so many things and feel blessed beyond words...my hope is that all of my family and friends feel the same way about their lives.

So, from our family to yours...HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

(Here are 3 of my biggest blessings...)

Our "Little Boy" is 4!!!

We can barely believe it even though Brenden reminds us daily, that he is now 4 years old! That's right "Just like Hailey!" :) Brenden turned 4 on Friday, November 6th but we had what seemed like a week of festivities to help us celebrate this special occasion.

On Friday (his birthday) We both (Bobby and Brooke) took the day off of work so we could spend the day with Brenden...as he deserved. We both dropped him off at school only to return about an hour later to bring his special birthday snack. We stayed at preschool briefly to watch Brenden and his classmates enjoy the birthday treats and then we left so they could finish out the day. We all picked Brenden up after school and then headed out to South Point for a special haircut and lunch. Brenden could not have been more excited about both. He loved the VERY special haircut but we think he enjoyed the chairs (a car) and the movie (Cars) more than anything else. After the haircut we traveled over to Chick-Fil-A for a yummy lunch and some time on the play space.

That night we went out to dinner to celebrate the special occasion. We let Brenden pick and he of course picked his very favorite "Robins" (aka Red Robins). Brenden had a blast enjoying the fries, gifts from family, and of course the song/attention from the workers! :) It was a GREAT ending to a wonderful day!

On Saturday morning Brenden headed out to Chapel Hill with Bobby to enjoy his very first "Go Heels" football game. This was his big bday gift from us and he was VERY excited about this experience. They took Brenden's buddy Avery and his daddy with them for the festivities. It could not have been a better "gift" for Brenden!!! He enjoyed some tailgating fun both before and after the game and lasted the entire football game even without a nap! Bobby was so proud and loved every second with his big boy! Brenden couldn't stop talking about the game when he got home and for over a week after the event. We are very blessed that this was such a success for Brenden and that he had such a good buddy going with him.

Finally, our last birthday activity was the "Go Heels Tailgating Party" on Saturday, November 14th. We never know what the weather will be like in November but we decided to plan an outdoor party and hope for the best. We were very excited that things worked out so well...beyond what we expected. We had lots of fun "tailgating" games including Brenden's new "Go Heels" Cornhole game (that Papa made him). We also had some yummy tailgating food. Brenden had a blast with it all!!! He loved hanging out with his buddies James, Stephen, and Will. He was so excited to see his Grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. He absolutely loved spending time outside with his friends and family! It was definitely one of our favorite birthday celebrations so far and we're very appreciative for the huge success that we had from start to finish!

NOW...on to the most fun after so many words....here are the pictures from all of the different celebrations. Brenden could watch this "movie" a million times if we would let him! ;)

Halloween 2009

Our family is definitely a big fan of Halloween. We love the idea of the great fall weather, adorable decorations around our house, dressing up in fun costumes, and spending time with friends and family. Now, we'll be honest in saying that we're not HUGE fans of candy...but we do enjoy that perk of the holiday as well! ;) This Halloween was, yet again, a very exciting, fun, and busy time for our family.

All of the fun actually started on Friday morning. Brenden got to participate in a GREAT costume parade at his school. He and his classmates all wore their costumes that morning and then paraded around the gym for all of the parents to admire and take pictures. Mommy could not attend this year, but luckily Nana and Daddy were both there to wave to Brenden and take these adorable pictures.



























































On Saturday we knew that our day was packed with lots of events, but the weather threw us a little bit of a curve ball. Brenden was supposed to have his last soccer game that morning but the rain gave us the opportunity to enjoy a yummy family breakfast at Cracker Barrel instead. After breakfast we headed out to The Pollard's for Caleb's 1st birthday party. We had such a great time there visiting with friends as we watched all of our kids play together. (We forgot to get the camera out of the van so sorry we didn't get any pictures.)

After the party we all got into our costumes and headed over to The Durham's house for their Halloween party. This year, we decided to all dress up with a Carolina theme.

Brenden was a Carolina football player...

Bryleigh was a Carolina cheerleader...
Mommy was a Carolina fan...

and Daddy was the Carolina football coach, Butch Davis...

The Halloween party was a blast for all 4 of us! They had some great games planned for the kids and some yummy snacks for us all to enjoy. Brenden really enjoyed their "Go Heels" playroom, winning the scavenger hunt, hitting the pinata, and getting to leave the party with one great sucker! :) He wasn't so sure about the haunted room that they had, but maybe he'll do better with that next year! ;)





















After the party we decided to head over to our church's West Club campus to see Nana and Papa, enjoy a few of their festivities, and go trick or treating at a house or two. We were so excited that we successfully completed all of our goals at that visit.

































We finished the evening up fairly early so we were able to head home, eat dinner, and get the kids (and ourselves) to bed at a decent hour. Success from start to finish!!

We still consider Halloween to be great Holiday with our kids but we're definitely eagerly preparing ourselves for Thanksgiving (Bobby's favorite) and Christmas (Brooke's favorite)!!!

Fall Fun

We had a really good time this weekend spending time with the Baber family and enjoying some fun activities outside in the "crisp" fall weather! This morning Brenden had another soccer game and his uncle Greg came in from Charlotte to watch and cheer. Brenden was so excited to have Greg here and cheering for him at his game!

The most noticeable thing about the game was how ridiculously cold it was at 9:00 in the morning. It was extremely windy and all of the fans (and players) were shivering on the sidelines.

Another noticeable thing about the game is that Brenden did an excellent job...yet again. We're surprised at corner he has turned recently with his soccer "skills" and we're proud of the effort that he's beginning to show each week. Below is the picture of him right after he scored a goal. (He was running over to Greg to get a high five.)

Later that evening we headed out to The Hicks' family for a fun cookout with some of their friends. It was still extremely cold outside, but we managed to stay warm by the fires. Here are some of the fun pictures from that night as well.


















We feel so blessed to have such amazing families and the support they offer us daily. We know that we may not see each of them regularly or even often enough, but we still know that they love us and we still consider it an overwhelming blessing to say that they are our family. This weekend was just testimony to that gift in our lives.

Pumpkin Patch with Preschool

Brenden's preschool had their annual field trip to the pumpkin patch on Monday and Brenden was VERY excited about this trip. He could not wait to go and see the farm, feed the animals, and "pick strawberries". Now granted, he may have been a little confused about where we were going, but his excitement was genuine! :)

We rode to the pumpkin patch with Nana, Papa, Hope and Hailey so that was an added bonus to our trip. The morning started out a little bit cloudy and rainy but quickly cleared up becoming a very nice afternoon. Our first adventure when we arrived was to walk through the corn maze to pick out corn and soybeans that we could use to feed the animals. Brenden is ALL boy so he loved this time and Mommy is all girl so she was VERY thankful for Papa who was willing to help and get a little bit dirty.

After exploring the corn maze, it was time to head down to feed all of the animals. Brenden also LOVED this experience and showed that he is a country boy at heart. He loved for the animals to eat right out of his hand and he wanted to pet them all. He asked one of the boys working there if he could pet the rabbits and he said "sure". So, he took Brenden in the cage for Brenden to pet and hold the 2 rabbits that they had. Brenden was in heaven and giggled the whole time.

After the animals we took a (long) hay ride and then picked out our pumpkins to take home. Finally, we were able to go and play with our friends on the playground. At the end of our visit we were able to take some fun pictures to make Mommy smile! (Fact: It is nearly impossible to get 3 babies, 3 four year olds, 1 five year old, and a 7 year old to all look at a camera, sit still, and smile....fun, but impossible!)

It was a GREAT day on Brown's Farm and we had a blast exploring and spending time with our friends. We are very happy with our experience and are thankful for another GREAT field trip. We were all definitely VERY tired on the ride home.....

Facing Forward

As many of you already know, we were a little bummed that when we went for Bryleigh's 1 yr check-up they said she didn't weigh 20lbs. yet. You might not remember off the top of your head why 20 lbs is such a big deal, so we'll give you a picture clue to go along with the title of this blog to see if it helps you remember....

That's right, when a child is 1 year old and 20lbs, they can finally turn around and face the front of the car. Now, we know that a lot of people turn their kiddos around before they are 1 and many turn them around before they are 20 lbs, and that is totally fine. However, we decided to wait a bit longer in our situation just to be safe. The pediatrician told us..."legally, you should not turn her around however you have to think about safety....if she is fussing too much facing the rear then you need to turn her around so you won't wreck trying to keep her entertained." Well, she was mostly fine with facing the rear so we didn't mind leaving well enough alone. That was until about 2 weeks ago and then the fussing really started. Daddy was the first to cave in and he put a front facing car seat in his truck for Bryleigh.

It may be hard to tell here because of the paci but she was SUPER excited about the new view! For a while this has been the special treat about riding in Daddy's truck because she was still facing the rear in Mommy's van. We finally broke down and bought the big girl car seat for the van as well a few weeks ago.

As you can see from this picture, the view is just as great in the van and Bryleigh is just as excited about the change!!!! Mommy, on the other hand, can't believe her baby is old enough to sit-up like such a big girl, face the front of the car, and occasionally watch the movie that is playing. Seriously, where does the time go?????

Labor Day with the Bulls

We decided that any day off of work and home with our kids is definitely a special day. For the most part, we work hard to try to make that day feel special for the 2 of us and for Brenden and Bryleigh as well. We knew that it would be a good idea to spend this labor day holiday at the Durham Bulls ballpark cheering for one of our favorite teams...The Bulls! We went with our friends, The Pollards, and had an amazing time. It was cloudy for most of the game which was fine because it kept things cool and comfortable. The kids enjoyed cheering for The Bulls, eating some yummy snacks, and playing on the Maze throughout our time there. It was definitely a great way to spend our day off work and we're so glad that we were able to squeeze in one last game before Fall officially arrives! Above was a video with some of the pictures from the game....however below, is hands-down, the best picture that was taken all day!

Go Redbirds!!!!

As we've mentioned before, Brenden has officially started his first fall soccer season. He had his first game last week but our camera wasn't working so we were eager to take some pictures this week so everyone can see how handsome he looks in Red! ;)

On his team this season he has some of the same teammates that he played with last year, which was very exciting for him. On top of that, he was SUPER excited that some of his church buddies were also on his team! He is always so eager to see Stephen and James at church or at special events, but now he's VERY excited about getting to hang out with them at the game and practice each week!

This game didn't necessarily provide many opportunities for us to brag about Brenden's soccer skills...however, he did play the entire game, he didn't cry (for the 1st half of the game), and he really seemed to enjoy being outside getting all sweaty running all over the field. We're very proud of that!

Even though he seemed to love all of the events on the field, we're pretty sure that his favorite thing about the game was what was happening off the field. He had the most adorable cheerleaders there pulling for him the entire game and he LOVED every second of it!

It was a great Saturday on the field and we're looking forward to many more Saturdays just like it this season!