Sunday, December 23, 2012

Thursday, December 20, 2012

Christmas Cookies!

Ever since I was a little girl, I have LOVED making these Christmas cookies.  My boys have now caught the fever and Brandon was very excited to make them again this year.  Having friends over only makes it so much more fun!

They are an oatmeal based cookie that we paint before baking.  It is so much easier for kids to handle then icing, and far less sugar. 

This first picture is terribly underexposed and I couldn't do a whole lot to save it, but it is such an important picture I couldn't delete it either.  This was Micah's first year of making cookies and he was determined to do it "self".  He tried different methods to roll out the dough and did so very well!!

Rolling away with all his might!

Elliot and Sandra came to join in the fun.

Brandon was pretty determined to roll it out himself too and did very well.


After all the cookies are cut out, we paint them.  The paint is made from egg yolk and food coloring and makes the cookies come out of the oven looking shiny.


Sprinkles are always a big favorite too with all the boys.


Micah knowing very specifically what he wanted next, paint or sprinkles, and the colors they were.

It was a blast!

Blessings

Sunday, December 16, 2012

Christmas Tree

The first weekend in December was an extremely exciting one for our boys, especially Brandon who understood what was going on, really for the first time.

Friday evening we set up the Christmas tree.  Brandon was so eager to help Daddy put it up, even though the pieces weighed twice as much as he does. 


Micah was fascinated with the lights!

Saturday morning we decorated it.  Yes, I am one of those moms who has to have ornaments more evenly spaced than not, so it was a teaching moment too.  Brandon started catching on at the end.  There were a few ornament casualties this year, but that's to be expected with two eager boys, excited about Christmas and full of energy.



In the afternoon, after everything was put away, we pulled out a train I had gotten at a garage sale this summer, to put around the bottom of the Christmas tree.  Unfortunately, the engine was fried.  But Bryan has been wanting a train around the Christmas tree for years and has never really put the effort in to making a sturdy base for his model trains.  So this year the boys and I really encouraged him to figure it out.  It was fun watching the three eager faces as it came together and really worked!



Saturday evening was the Christmas parade.  We continued our tradition of going over to Auntie Sally and Uncle Gary's house.  The boys were very worried about missing any of the parade so we were the first ones out of the nice warm house and on to the curb.  Soon after it started raining and the adults all went up to the porch of the neighbor's house to watch.  But Brandon and Micah were adamant about staying on the curb, "Because we might miss the candy being thrown, Mom."  Priorities sometimes, I tell ya!  Thankfully, I had brought along our very large umbrella and blanket and it turned out to be such a fun experience with the boys.

And they slept very well that night!!

Sabbath and Advent blessings to you all.

Friday, December 14, 2012

Surprises and Airplanes

About two weeks ago, after our first day of Christmas shopping together and talking about how things were "surprises", Brandon decided of his own accord he needed to make Daddy a surprise.  The first day he did some cutting and scribbling and gluing, covered it up with some tupperware on the counter and waited for Daddy to find his surprise.  Bryan was a bit bewildered by the whole thing until I told him, once the boys were in bed, that Brandon had done it of his own accord, from start to finish, and was REALLY excited about it.  So he took it to work to "display" it which was what Brandon was really hoping for.  Two days later, Brandon did it again, but this time we decided to hang it by Daddy's bed so he would see it every day (read: instead of cluttering his office with complete scribbles).

That night, Bryan was fiddling with some of the legos while we were watching a movie and low and behold (really not that suprising) he put an airplane together.  Off handedly, he decided it should be Brandon's suprise in return.  The next day Brandon was DELIGHTED to find his surprise...and then devasted a couple hours later when Micah accidentally stepped on it and broke it to pieces.  I told him he could either wait until Daddy got home to fix it or he could try fix it himself.

Something about the whole thing suddenly made his brain "click" and he has been making real airplanes and real boats and drawing pictures that actually look like pictures--houses and dogs, ever since. 


These are two of his airplanes, with passengers, lined up for the fueling station.

I love watching little brains learn and "get it"!!  Such a miracle.

Blessings

Thanksgiving

WOW!  Am I ever behind!  Just realized this week I still hadn't posted pictures from Thanksgiving, and I wouldn't but there are some pretty cute ones to share.

Brandon asked where we were going for Thanksgiving and I told him we were going to Uncle Keith and Aunt Pam's house.  At first he looked really puzzled so I said, "They have Thomas trains too."  His response?  "Oh, now I remember them.  They have Tidmouth Sheds!"  It's all about the trains folks.  ;)

First time Brandon was in front of church singing.  After encouraging him for weeks to participate in the singing and actions, he finally did that evening.  His teacher was astounded and we were so proud of him.




The game that wouldn't end...


A couple weeks ago Steph came and hung out with us for a Sunday afternoon.  The boys just absolutely love it when she comes.  The next Sunday, a week later, Micah came up to me and asked, "Where Stephie?"  She was here one Sunday, why not the next?


Friday blessings to you.