Christmas Day

 This is a picture of the aftermath of Christmas morning!  Wrapping paper and packages all over the living room and the animals and kids happily playing with their new gifts.  Santa was very good to us all!   C said "our house is sad" when he stepped back to look at the chaos and mess in the living room.

All H asked for this year was a Pokemon sleep buddy (which he received) and Santa also brought him some other Pokemon toys.  All C asked for was a Chase toy and his car (from Paw Patrol, which he received) and Santa also brought him some other Paw Patrol toys and a Chase sleep buddy.

 We spent the morning very lazy, C watched Paw Patrol with his Paw Patrol toys, 

And H watched Pokemon with his Pokemon toys. 

 We had a FaceTime visit with Pop, SweetHart, and KK and opened gifts from each other.  H's choice of gift for KK was a set of Christmas paper plates, and a "newspaper book" (magazine) for Pop.  I'm sure they've never received gifts like that before!  We gave SweetHart a necklace.

 We went for Christmas dinner and celebrations with Nanny, Mary Ann, Challie, and Steve at Nanny's.  So special to be with them on Christmas.  

After gifts, me and the boys headed outside to run off a little energy, and take a few pictures.  Such a great photo spot (when I could get them both to smile at the camera and not strangle each other!!!)

We went to visit PawPaw and Missy and bring them their Christmas gifts.  

It was such a great day, filled with fun, family, and joy!

 Merry Christmas to you from our bunch!

Almost Christmas

Both boys have been enjoying the "Toca Christmas Hair Salon" app on my phone.  On it, you can decorate or style Santa's hair, or a Christmas tree in any way you want.  So fun and silly!  I think this was one of H's creations.  

We had an outing to the mall, and have to take a Merry Go Round ride whenever we go.   

 We went to see Penguins in 3D on Christmas Eve.  The boys thought the 3D glasses were pretty funny!  C ditched his about halfway through the movie and just watched a slightly blurry movie.  H was into it.  I'm not sure I'm a fan of 3D movies.  It was a little bit strange. 

Sprinkling some Reindeer food in the grass for Santa's Reindeer on Christmas Eve.  

We set out cookies, milk, and carrots for our visitors that night.  C especially thought it was pretty cool that they were gone and there were crumbs on the plate the next morning.  

 The children were sleeping all snug in their beds....

(They don't really sleep together, but I put C in H's bed after they were sleeping for the picture.)

Horton, trying to attack the Christmas lights.  

(He also attacks the tree skirt and has only broken a few ornaments.) 

Solstice

 We decided that the Winter Solstice needed to be celebrated in a big way this year!  We headed out to get some craft supplies and then came back home to spend a little time "basking" in the sun. 

We made some tiny embroidery hoop sunshines, painted star ornaments, made some little mason jar lanterns, and more!  It was so much fun!  (Even though I think I may have had a little bit more fun than the boys....)

 We made and decorated Gingerbread cookies that afternoon.  The boys had such fun decorating, and they were so tasty!  (I looked over while I was cleaning up and H was "drinking" the sprinkles!!!

We did a little exploring, and the boys just had to check out the sunny yellow tractor!  Who needs a playground when you have a tractor???

 We had to test out our mason jar lanterns that night to make sure they worked.  A fun little project involving sequins, colored tissue paper and led lantern lights.

 I brought home my projector from school, and we enjoyed movie nights with the movie projected big on the wall, and I blew up an air mattress for us to get cozy on.  The boys loved our "movie theater!"  (I did too!)

I found the boys fast asleep on several different nights with Santa hats on.  

It was too cute not to take a picture of! 

(I showed H the picture of himself sleeping, and now he thinks I should take his picture while he sleeps every night!)

Christmas Lights

We went with our buddy Alex (and his mama) to a wagon ride around the downtown twin cities to look at all of the beautiful Christmas lights on display.  The boys were excited, and it was sooo hard to patiently wait for the wagon to come! 

 They had a light city next to where we were waiting so we let the boys run around and enjoy the lights until the wagon came to pick us up.  C really liked the little soldier that was just about his size!

Enjoying the ride.  So many beautiful lights up all around.  It was a delightful ride, and the boys were so good and quiet while admiring the lights all around town and the civic center.  

Pajama day for C

 C has been looking forward to pajama day all week!  He knew just which ones he wanted to wear, his baseball ones!  Me and H snuck away from our school for a tiny bit to go to C's Christmas party.  They had donuts and chocolate milk for their snack.

 Some of C's Christmas artwork.

 C and his buddy, Tylan.  Tylan stuck a bow on C's tummy, and then C took that and started putting it on all of his buddy's (and his Mama's) booties and saying "Look!  Your booty is a present!")   Sort of cute, but I told him to stop.  I don't know what it is about little boys and their silliness about bottoms!

 C put the red bow on his nose and said "Look! I'm Ru-dog!" (What he calls Rudolph)

 C's class got ready to settle down with pillows and blankets to watch The Polar Express.  They were all so excited, and thought it was hilarious to put their wave in the light from the projector.

After we left C's party, me and H ran by McDonald's to get some coffee (for me) and CinnaMelts (for both of us) and we snuck them into my classroom and had a secret (and silly) picnic with the lights off so no one would see us!  I sent him back to class after he ate lunch and watched a little Chip and Dale (he is totally loving the old cartoons these days).  I love having H at school with me, I totally took advantage of a little one on one time with him today, (his teacher ok'd me sneaking him away for a bit, they are not doing anything important today before Christmas break)  and we both loved it!  

H's week at school

 Literacy award day.

There was a reading challenge for the parish, and all of the kids were busy reading.  H was very serious about his reading! (It was 50's/60's day, with a Sock Hop that afternoon, so H was dressed like a 50's boy.  I think its a good look for him!)

 H came home with this picture one day, and said it was a picture of "Mama, H, and C and the snowman we built while it was snowing."  I love it! 

 H had pajama day one day this week.  I love this picture, it shows the personality of so many of his classmates.  They are so silly!  A class with so much character, but I love that his teacher teaches order and rules while still letting them be who they are.

 Christmas dress up day.  Such a fun week this week.  Miss Stephen's present to the kids was a week of no homework, and they were all so happy about it!  (I was SO excited about it too!!)

 I went to H's class Christmas party with him and then snuck a peek at them while they were napping.  

So sweet while they are all sleeping!

 Our concert was that night, so I picked up C early and took him to school for the last little bit of the day.  He loved the attention he got, and he sat with H's class while I had car duty, and H loved having him there and showing him everything and telling him all of the rules.  He introduced him as "this is my new friend, C."

 Christmas concert.  

H is fairly calm during class, but he was a nut on stage!  Stole the show with some of his silliness and moves.  Silly boy!

Me and my little star! 

(The theme for this week was Christmas Around the World and H's class wore "brays" and learned a French Christmas carol. He told me that he would sing while I "ducted." (Conducted).

Birthday Party Fun!

One of our little friends had a Frozen birthday party at JUMP!  It was so much fun!

 Jumping, climbing, sliding

 Bungee run, sumo wrestling

 C was intrigued by the video games and was surprisingly good at the video games.

We have been reading an Advent Devotional every night and H wanted to pray by the Christmas Tree that evening.  Sweet boy who loves Jesus!

Cutest faces ever!