A New Best Friend

The boys received a "TJ Bearytales" from Nana & Papa Jack for Christmas. There are story books and cartridges so that you can look at the story while he tells it to you in full motion. It is the cutest thing and the boys love him!! They listen to him during the day, before naps and at bedtime!! The hardest part is that they have to share him, but I believe this is good for them.
They have been playing with everything they received and also have to share the puppet theatre. I like the whole sharing thing because I think it helps them to learn to cooperate.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

The boys were up right before 7:30 this morning (normal time for them) and the excitement began!! After presents, I made sausage gravy and biscuits for breakfast. The kids are playing with their toys and the adults are enjoying their candy cane coffee.

This afternoon we will watch "Christmas Story" and "Miracle on 34th Street". Dinner tonight will be luscious prime rib and for dessert a wonderful trifle (a recipe of my friend Julie's).

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas with their families!!

Our Christmas Eve!

Here are just two pictures from today. The one of the four of us was taken at Dan's parents as we celebrated Christmas with his family this afternoon.

After their house, we made a quick trip home and picked up my parents. We then went to our candle light service at church. Caleb got Santa's snack ready when we got home tonight with great care: sugar cookies and eggnog!! He was very specific that they had to be sugar cookies!

Then we donned our Christmas jammies, read "Twas The Night Before Christmas" and left the boys listening to the "Polar Express" story in their beds. I can only imagine the dreams they will have tonight!! Elton took his new blanket, pillow and TMX Elmo (gifts from Dan's parents) to bed with him.

As I type this I believe that 2 elves are in the other room building a puppet theatre and some stockings may have been filled. Bingo and Max have been closely monitoring all activity and they too made sure they have stockings hung.

I can't wait until morning for "Candy Cane" coffee and all the excitement! Of course I will post more in the next day or two and so I say to all a good night!!

Presents The Boys Made!

Here are the presents that Elton and Caleb made for Dan and I at the child development center at Immanuel Lutheran!! Caleb made the Christmas wreath and Elton made the plaques. Wonderful gifts from our boys that we will cherish forever!!

Holiday Time!!

Nana and Papa Jack arrived on Thursday afternoon for the holidays and will be with us for about 3 1/2 weeks.

Today, Caleb, Papa Jack and myself went to theatre to see the new "Charlotte's Web". We invited along one of Caleb's friends from school. It was Lacy's first time to the movie theatre and the kids had a great time. It was cute because they sat together with a mother on each side and shared their movie treats with each other. When they walked out of the theatre, they were holding hands and Caleb announced that they were best friends. That was when Lacy's mom told me that Lacy has told her that Caleb is her boyfriend!! She told her mom that she is going to grow her hair long like Rapunzes and then let Caleb climb up it. Four years old and a first date? So cute and too funny!!

The movie was excellent and I am saying that it is definitely a buyer!! Papa Jack also really liked the movie.

Christmas School Party!!

Caleb had his Christmas party at preschool yesterday. They listened to the "Polar Express" story and then were presented with a Christmas bell that Santa sent for them t Mrs. Gallagher. They donned their reindeer hats they has made and did their little reindeer prance with thier hooves up, around the room. I was one of the helpers so I got to dish up their icecream for them to make sundaes with a great variety of toppings.

Once again, Mrs. Gallagher has outdone herself with her classroom decor. She has a lifesize nativity in the room that she used to teach them the Christmas story. I should have taken a picture, but didn't think of it.

Shopping & Wrapping Presents

The Christmas shopping is done and has been kept simple this year. Just the way I like it!! Caleb helped Dan wrap some gifts on the weekend. Then, yesterday I took Caleb shopping so he could pick out a gift for daddy and Elton. I told him that then we could wrap them. I told him that Elton was picking out a gift for him with daddy. Caleb then said he would help daddy wrap his gift from Elton!! I guess it was a good plan on his part, but I told him he couldn't see it until he opened it on Christmas. He already told Dan what he got him, so we are still working on the element of surprise.

Elton My Little Elf!

Click above to see Elton as a dancing elf!

Caleb's Elfamorphosis!

Click on the title above to check out Caleb as an elf!

Visiting Santa!

We took the boys to the mall yesterday to visit Santa. I was concerned Elton might be intimidated/afraid of Santa, but as you can see, that was not the case. He even did some babbling with him and seemed to quite enjoy his visit. A puppet theatre was requested so now we will have to see what the elves can do!

Sugar Cookies!

Both Dan and Caleb's favorite kind of cookies are sugar cookies. Caleb had been wanting to make Christmas ones for a couple of weeks so I told him we would today after his nap. Where was Elton you ask? Watching Polar Express!!!

Getting Into The Christmas Spirit!!

I have been meaning to post all week and just never seem to get around to it! Last Friday night, we took the boys to "Christmas In The Nighttime Sky". This is where one of the local radio stations plays Christmas music while fireworks are set off in the sky. I am told that they set off more fireworks on the 4th of July. We sat in our car in the field at a local park and the boys loved the show. Caleb started calling the fireworks "candy in the sky".

On Saturday, we set up the tree and Caleb helped me put the decorations on. There will be 2 challenges this year and they are called: Elton and Bingo!! Hopefully the novelty will wear off. Caleb was positive after we got the tree done that the snow needed to come now. We officially turned the Christmas lights on the house on too.

Sunday, before church, we took our Christmas picture for our Christmas cards. Dan set up the self timer on the camera and we winged it. Caleb and I went to Costco after church and picked out our card.

Monday morning Caleb was adamant that the snow was coming. It started midmorning and when I picked the boys up after work I was able to tell him that we had snow.

Wednesday night was Caleb's school Christmas concert. They had it in the church where the pastor told the Christmas story and the children sang 4 songs: Away In A Manger, In A Little Stable, Go Tell It On The Mountain and Christmas News. Caleb had been practicing in the car the last couple of weeks as one of the moms made a copy on CD for all the parents. Caleb knew all the words and lets just say we are ready to move on to other songs. The kids did a great job at the concert.

If you remember last year, "Polar Express" was Caleb's favorite movie. The picture of the boys in their chairs is of them watching it this week as it has now become Elton's favorite movie (even over Baby Einstein).

Caleb was wanting to see Santa last week, but we told him we would go on Dan's next weekend off. I told him that him and Elton needed to choose ONE thing to ask him for. After much deliberation, the decision has been made for them to request a puppet theatre.

I will try and update sooner next time!