1st Snow Day

We had our first snowday on Thursday, the 20th.  I'm not really sure why school was canceled because we only had an inch of snow and it was sunny all day.  However, the boys didn't complain.  Matt was very excited to play in the snow.  He's typically the first one out in the snow.  It was Gavin's first time playing in the snow.  We bundled him all up.  I wondered if he would fuss about the snow clothes because he seemed to be excited to wear them like his brother, Matt. 

 

Matt made a snowangel and was showing it to Gavin.

 

 Gavin then gave it a try.  He couldn't quite synchronize his arms and legs.  But, he sure looked cute trying.

 

 Gotta eat the snow!

 

 It's Gavin's turn to try the snow.

 



St. Nicholas Day

St. Nicholas stopped at our house the night of December 5th.  Notice the number of shoes in the photo below.  And then think of the number of people in our family.  Notice the difference?  The boys thought the more shoes they put out, the more stuff they'd get.  St. Nicholas brought new pajamas, chocolates, fruit, and books.

 

Plethora of Calendars

Every December the boys get a chocolate advent calendar to count down the days 'til Christmas.  Typically they share one calendar. However, this year I thought it would be fun to get them each their own (they were cheap at Walgreens).  Then a few days later we got a package in the mail from Grandma Chichi with three more calendars.  So the boys ended with two each.  We hung all six of them up in the hall.  The boys enjoyed getting two chocolates every morning. 

 

Earning His Bear

At the end of last month, Adam earned his Bear in Cub Scouts.  Here are a few pictures from the pack meeting.  He is now an official Webelos.  He enoys scouts, but it is not his top priority.  He'd rather be playing his Ipod. 

 

Thanksgiving Break

We spent our Thanksgiving holiday with Robert's folks and brother in Leavenworth.  That being said, you'd think I would have taken pictures of grandparents, the turkey. 

Nope!  Either it didn't occur to me or I just wasn't thinking.  Instead I took pictures of the boys playing at the park to get some of their wiggles out while waiting for said turkey to cook. 

So, besides the park, the Thanksgiving meal, and Adam's birthday celebrations, we did a few other things too on our trip.  Robert and I spent Friday shopping.  And boy, did we spend a lot of money.  Much more than we usually do on Black Friday.  But, it was fun and we got lots of christmas shopping done.  On Saturday we went to the KC temple.  It's so nice to have a temple there.  The boys spent a lot of their time playing with Grandma's kittens she is adopting out.  Matt and Gavin were constantly with the cats and talking about the cats.  Another great Thanksgiving!

Adam's 10th Birthday

Adam celebrated his 10th birthday in Leavenworth at his grandparents' house.  We took the boys out of school a day early for their Thanksgiving break in order to have a fun-filled birthday for Adam.  Our boys still like the tradition of going to McDonald's on their birthdays.  Their tastes might get a bit more expensive as they get older but for now it's fine.  Then, we took Adam and Matt to see the new movie, "Rise of the Guardians".  Opening day was Adam's birthday so he was excited to see it.  The day finished with cake and receiving $50 from Grandma and Grandpa. 

 

 

Here's a list of 10 things I love about Adam:
1.  He likes being smart, but he doesn't flaunt it. 
2.  He's a deep, intellectual thinker.
3.  He's good at saving his money for things he wants.
4.  He loves to stay in his pajamas all day Saturday.
5.  His humor is maturing, so it's fun to share more jokes with him.
6.  He can easily define what he likes and dislikes.
7.  He can eat a box of 50 fruit snacks in two days.
8.  He is tenacious, often to the point of unrelenting.
9.  He does his homework right away--never needs prodding.
10.  He still gives me a kiss before going to bed each night.

Adam's 10th Birthday Party

Adam had his birthday party this past Saturday.  He couldn't decide on a theme or what he wanted to do.  So I told him we were going to surprise him with something fun for the party.  And, boy, was it fun!  We rented an inflatable obstacle course.  The boys LOVED it!!! 

(Warning--lots of photos) 

 

At the party were Adam's friends, Orion and Kenji Craig, Cyrus Kentner and Steven Mills.  Matthew and Gavin also participated. 

The bouncy was set up three hours before the party began so Matt and Gavin played 'til they were pooped. 

Check Matt out--he's flying thru the air.  He would hurtled himself off the top of the slide every time. 

Gavin wasn't afraid to play with the big boys.  He didn't mind getting jostled around. 

 When the boys needed a break we came inside for cake and other snacks.  We then had a pinata.

 Gavin taking his turn.  He thought it was very exciting.
 

 Next came Matt.

 



And then Adam.  Cyrus finally got it open.