Science Center

Can I just say I love Andy's company for shutting down the week between Christmas and New Year's?  It's fabulous (it's also what I'm going to blame my lack of blogging on - it's a vacation for us all and gets me a little off schedule too!)  But I just had to share what we did today.  This morning we decided to take a spur of the moment trip to the science center museum.  It was awesome. I think this is actually a good week to go places like that because, while it may have been a little more crowded with tourists, there were no school groups so it was not overly packed.  We really had a great time, and the boys had a blast.

You were supposed to put the ball on the track and watch it roll all the way down. 
Scott, of course, decided it would be much more fun to chuck the balls across the room :)

Conner is weighing the fish he caught

The water zone was a huge hit

Daddy might have gotten a little into parts of the museum also :)

Merry Christmas!

It truly was a Merry Christmas in our house.  I felt like a kid again seeing all the excitement in the boys' faces.

The way they ran to the tree this morning:

 The awe in their faces when they found Santa had taken bites of the cookies, and Rudolph had eaten his carrot.

Their absolute fascination in every present, whether it was theirs or not (I really hope I can hang on to this awhile and have less of the, "Where's the next present?") 

And the special time with all the family.  Without it, in my opinion, it just wouldn't be Christmas :)

"Great" with 5 of his great-grand kids

MamMam and Paw with 5 of their grand kids

The way the boys were completely tuckered out for naps on the way home really summed up the excitement of the day. 

After this we went to Nana and Pop's house for a delicious dinner with more family. 

Finally, (inspired by Conner's nap which hasn't happened in months and would undoubtedly make bedtime tough), we started a tradition of staying up late and watching a Christmas movie before bed.  Well, Conner's up late watching the movie.  Scott, on the other hand, started asking for "Ni Ni" (night, night) at 5:30 so he is snug in his bed :)

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve has always been a pretty big deal in our family.  We get together and celebrate and I always looked forward to that just as much as Christmas day.  This year was no different.  We had a wonderful afternoon and evening with my side of the family.  I think the boys really enjoyed themselves, and while they are exhausted I'm just waiting to hear those little footsteps of a boy who can't fall asleep because he knows Santa's coming! (We've already heard them once tonight.  And, hey, we can sympathize, right?  It's a pretty exciting night!) Anyway, here are some shots of the day we had.

What a cute family!

Scott sat like this on his cousin Hank's lap for at least 20 minutes.  It was so cute!

We sprinkled "Reindeer food" (oatmeal and glitter) on the grass so the reindeer can find us.

And we had to put out cookies for Santa and a carrot for Rudolph!  All ready for his big arrival!
By the way, Scott's latest thing is he says,"Cheeeeeese!" then runs away.  That's why he looks like he's about to make a run for it.

Hope everyone sleeps tight!  Remember Santa doesn't come until you're faaaasssssttt asleep! 

Good night and Merry Christmas :)

Catch Up

I got a working computer for tonight (yea!) Thanks Nana and Pop :)  So I thought I'd use pictures to catch you up on what we've been doing for the past few days.  Enjoy!

Remember when I promised to share pictures of the boys with their new cousin?  Here you go!  I have a feeling these three boys will be great buds in the next few years....they just might cause some trouble together!

I just love how Conner and Scott are looking at Liam in awe :)

 We also had a visit at Leyna and Cora's house for a dinner and Christmas gift exchange.

You can always count on some craziness!  Boots and pajamas are so fashionable!

Conner performed at the preschool Christmas concert.  Thanks for MamMam and Miss Heather for coming to see our little star!

We made some cookies, too.  With more to follow tomorrow.

These, by the way, are the BEST cookies to make with kids.  Not only are they super easy (had no idea these were so easy!), but the kids could actually help with every step of the process.  Not to mention they combine peanut butter and chocolate which makes me very happy :)

The boys also got PillowPets from MamMam and Paw.  It was very exciting.  In fact, before he went to bed the first night, Conner said, "I'm so excited I got a PillowPet!"

And I'll finish with this super cute video of Conner singing "Go Tell It on the Mountain."  I could seriously listen to this all. day. long.  My favorite part is "everywheerrreeee!"

P.S. Sorry it's not facing the direction, but I was honestly pretty lucky to get it on here at all!

SNOW!

I'd say today we had our first real measurable snowball of the winter. The boys enjoyed it :) Poor Scott could hardly walk in all his layers but he liked being out there! Sent from Yahoo! Mail on Android

Gingerbread Men

Our computer is having issues so this is the best I can do tonight folks. I will update with some super cute shots of the boys with baby Liam once we're up and running again! Today the boys did a great job decorating these cookies.  Well, really Scott just did a good job eating all the decorations! Notice the face that used to be on his cookie :)  But Conner did his all by himself & I think he did an awesome job!

Funny Hat Day

It was a pretty uneventful day. 

Full of racing with dump trucks in funny hats :)

This is Conner's "helmet" so his head doesn't get hurt when he's racing.  Of course!

Scott was so proud of himself because he got this tight hat on all by himself :)

Santa Parade

Today the boys watched their first parade.  It was a really great one, although the massive amounts of candy that were thrown at us most impressed the boys (and Andy).  I don't remember ever coming home from parades with a bucketful of candy, but that was sure the case today!  Anyway, we also saw some fire trucks, Santa, Rudolph, and Frosty.  We had a great time, even if it was a little chilly :)  I'll also let this be the record that despite what he said before today, Andy does like parades!

It's hard to tell in this picture, but he's clutching a toothbrush in one hand and a candy cane in the other. 
That's how he was most of the parade :)

Pancakes

I've been meaning to share this pancake recipe that I make at least a few times a week, and today seems like as good a time as any!  I love the recipe because it's a) healthy, b) easy, and c) makes a small batch.  I've adapted it from these Ricotta Raspberry Pancakes, which I saw in an issue of Parents magazine a while back.  I hardly ever have ricotta or raspberries on hand, so I've changed the recipe to make it more convenient for me! 

This is what you need:

And here's the recipe (the way I usually make it):

3 tbsp whole wheat flour

1-2 tsp sugar (I usually use barely 1 and the kids eat it up!)

1 tsp baking powder

A sprinkle of cinnamon

About 1 tsp milled flax seed

1 egg

1/2 cup yogurt (I've also used a mashed banana, applesauce, mashed strawberries, pumpkin, ricotta, or pretty much anything else with that same kind of consistency that I have on hand.)

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.  Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto hot griddle and cook 2-3 minutes.  Flip, and cook another minute or so until browned and set.  Makes 4-5 pancakes.

Here are our pancakes from this morning on the griddle.  Conner requested "Mickey Mouse pancakes."  I did my best and he was pleased, although I think they look more like bears :)

And here are the boys eating their pancakes.  They both cleaned their plates this morning!



A New Cousin & A Special Lunch

I was tired today.  But for good reason.  And it was totally worth it.  I stayed up all night last night at the hospital waiting for the arrival of the boys' new cousin!  Aunt Jenn and Uncle Bill had a beautiful baby boy this morning at 5:45.  William Allen (who will be called Liam) was 7lbs. 14oz. and 21 inches long.  Conner is super excited to meet his new cousin, and was very excited it was a boy too.  He even made him a special surprise for when he finally gets to see him!  Here's a picture of the little angel :)

He looks so alert for being only a few hours old!  What a cutie!

And the boys benefited from Mommy being super tired today.  They got to eat a special lunch at a restaurant.  This almost never happens :)  Chicken nuggets, fruit, and milk were gobbled up even though Conner didn't get his requested french fries :)

They looked so grown up sitting on the opposite side of the table as me eating their lunch like big boys!

Then came play time.  They both had a blast in the play area.  Scott wished he was big enough to climb up the jungle gym and go down the slide, but was soon satisfied with just watching Conner and the other kids come down (while he tried to climb up the slide).

Luckily the boys were worn out and went to bed early.  Now it's my turn!  Good night!

It's beginning to look.....

a lot like Christmas!  We spent a lot of the weekend decorating the house for Christmas.  Conner was so excited and very into all the decorations this year.  I can tell this is going to be such a fun year for him (and us).  

Getting ready to put together the new Christmas tree!

"Oh, what could we do with this? Hmm...."

Inside the box

Yeah, it proved to be more fun than the Christmas tree I think.
Today Conner wanted to know what happened to his doghouse :) 

When Conner first walked into the room and saw the completed tree he said, "It's so bootiful!"
Every time Scott sees a Santa around the house he says, "Ho, ho, ho!"

And a couple random, funny pictures from the weekend....

The boys are such good friends now :)  I love it and hope it lasts!