Christmas!

We had a wonderful time spending Christmas together.  We were lucky enough to have Andrew home for 4 days straight (from Sunday through Wednesday).

On Christmas Eve morning we did our traditional Christmas Tree french toast. 

We made some very yummy cookies for Santa.  This year we made soft Gingerbread cookies with dark chocolate chips which we then dipped in white Chocolate.

That night we had Candy Cane and Christmas tree pizza.  We then attempted to drive around and look at Christmas lights which we will probably won't be trying to do again for a few years, unfortunately.  You see last year with my parents visiting we loaded up in the car on Christmas Even and drove around looking at light.  As we were about to pull into our driveway, Keagan threw up everywhere. 

So this year we try again.  We are driving around looking at lights.  Everybody is having fun.  Then Deker gets really quite.  All of a sudden I hear "I think I am going to throw up".  Andrew stops the van and just as we get Deker out, he throws up on the street.  We get back in and give each boy a bowl we have stored in the van from a previous experience.  And decide we better do one more neighborhood on our way home.  After two streets.  Keagan is throwing up in his bowl.  We say nevermind and head straight home.  We did have fun for the first 10 minutes though.... 

We opened our traditional homemade Christmas PJ's.  The boys loved that we all have our names on our PJ's. 

 The presents Santa left out.

The Stockings all filled up

For Breakfast, we had our traditional Santa Pancakes. 

Keagan with his loot. 

Deker with his loot which included LOTS of tractors!

Bauer who was too buys playing with his semi to look at the camera. 

My sister Vera had these shirts made for all the kids which has a very true saying on it.  It says "If at first I don't succeed...I just got as my Aunt Vera."  My kids love their shirts.  I will even hear Deker say once in a while "if I don't succeed I just ask Aunt Vera." 

Needless to say...We all had a wonderful Christmas.  But now we are ready for the new year to begin!

Winter Garden A Glow & Santa

As has become a Christmas Tradition, we took the kids to the Botanical Garden for their Winter Garden A Glow.  We love going there each year.  This year, we decided to visit Santa while we were there. 

Here is Keagan telling him that he wants Markers for Christmas.

Deker asked for a swather, a concrete pumper truck and a trackhoe.  Just a little side note.  Andrew and I explained to Deker that sometimes Santa can't get you what you ask for but that Santa will bring him something that he knows he will like.  Deker then told us "As long as he doesn't bring me a doll or any GIRL things!!"

I LOVE this picture of Bauer.  As soon as he sat on his lap, he leaned right on him.  His request this year...a blue car.  Nice and simple!

Meeting one of Santa's reindeer.  This one is Prancer and he it 5 years old. 

Little of This, Little of That

I am quite behind.  I kept thinking I needed to update, but just never got around to doing it.  For Thanksgiving this year, we headed to Battle Mountain, Nevada where my brother and his wife hosted us all for a wonderful Thanksgiving.  My boys had a lot of fun playing with my brothers boys (they have 3 boys that are similar ages to my boys).  Bauer at one point, pulled out all the firetrucks for this firetruck round-up. 

It snowed a little one day in December, so I sent the boys out to play in the snow.  They all decided they needed to "mow" the snow.  Here are Keagan and Deker playing with the mowers. 

Then it was Bauer's turn to play with a mower.

He decided it needed a wash and used the little water falling from the gutter spout to clean it off. 

In October, my kids got to play with the toy kitchen my sister, Vera, made our nieces.  A week later while I was at the store Deker said to me "Mom I wish I had a toy kitchen".  A call was placed to Aunt Vera and when we saw each other for Thanksgiving she gave them their new kitchen.  Deker was so excited and there were a few times on the drive home when I would hear him say "Mom, I am so excited for my new kitchen."  They LOVE playing with it!

Keagan's Flag Football

Keagan is finally getting into the stage where he want's to play sports, which makes me happy, but also just a little nervous.  When I found out about a little low-key flag football league, we immediately signed up Keagan.  This Flag football league is a 4 week, one hour on Saturday only thing which I thought would be perfect to Keagan to try out to see if he likes it.  Last Saturday was his second game and he really seems to be enjoying it.  Here are some pictures of his latest game.  He is the boy with the yellow jackets and jersey and gray sweats. 

So it is easier, he has his hands on the ball in this picture.

I noticed Keagan lining up like this which I hadn't seen him do this particular stance yet.  Then I looked at the boy across from him and he has the same exact stance as well.

Build A Bear

Ever since the very first time I saw Build-A-Bear, I had always wanted to take my kids (at that point someday kids) to Build-A-Bear and let them pick out their own bears, but the start had never aligned up until yesterday.  When Andrew and I were talking about Keagan's track break we decided that we were try to do some really fun things on the days that Andrew was home, almost like a staycation.  Yesterday (Thursday) we decided to take them for their first (and probably only) Build-A-Bear visit. 

The boys each picked out the stuffed animal of their choice (with a little help from Andrew and I to make sure they all didn't get the same thing).  Then they got to help stuff the animal.  After the stuffing was in, they each picked out a little heart, make a wish on it and then put it in the bear before the worker closes it up. 

After that, they go over to this washing/drying/brushing station where they had a ton of fun brushing their animals. 

Next was picking out clothes.  This was the part that I wasn't sure how it was going to go, but when I saw the plain white shirts that were a lot cheaper than a whole outfit, I though why not have each boy get a shirt and a pair of shorts and then we will use my Silhouette to personalize them with a design of their choice on the front and the bear's name on the back.  They loved it!  So...without further ado, I now introduce you to the newest members of our house. 

First up is Keagan's bear Midnight.  After we got home, Keagan chose a football for the front in the color Orange because I told him no to black. 

Next up in Deker's dog Spot (you can't really see, but there are spots on this dog).  Deker choose a trackhoe in dark blue for the front of his dog's shirt.

Last, but not least is Bauer's dog Cocoa.  He choose a train in the light blue to go on the front of his dog's shirt. 

Here are the boys having their animals play together after getting dressed. 

All ready to go home in their houses.

The boys LOVED doing this and have truly loved their animals.  They have already been sleeping companions, comforters and playthings. 

MK Nature Center

This is the first week of Keagan's three week track break (he will go back the Monday after Thanksgiving).  In an effort to help me maintain some sort of sanity and to hopefully keep fighting to a minimum, I am trying to make sure we do different things each day.  Tuesday this past week was a really nice day so I took the boys down to the MK Nature Center.  They had a ton of fun running around.  They would usually run, stop to look at something and by the time I got there, they were ready to run to the next thing.

 Inside the building there is a stream simulator that the boys love to play in.

Boise Temple Open House

Last weekend while Andrew's brother David and his family were in town we all went to the Boise Temple Open House.  We had to wait in line outside for a while before going into the Church to start our tour.  After a little bit, I took the camera out and took some pictures while the kids were waiting. 

Keagan and Deker doing this silly poses.

After the tour, we took pictures outside. 

As all temples are it was very beautiful and I am so happy that we had this opportunity to take our boys inside. 

Halloween Costumes

 This year for Halloween Andrew and I decided to make it easier on us that we would have the boys be construction workers.  When we brought that idea up to the boys, they were very excited about it.  This costume was probably one of the easiest and cheapest ones we have ever done.  The boys already had hard hats from Christmas last year, their tool belts were ones that I made for them a few years ago.  I was going to make the orange vests but happened to see the ones they are wearing at the dollar store a few weeks ago.  It was a good thing we did this because with Girls Weekend and my big bike ride all in the first few weeks of October, I am not sure I would have had time to make anything. 

I love how cute they all look in their Construction outfits.  Deker, though, keeps telling me that he doesn't want to just pretend to be a construction worker, he wants to be a real one! 

Andrew put on his hard hat and tool belt.  We found a hard hat for me for a dollar at a thrift store and painted it pink, but unfortunately we forgot to get a picture of me with it on.  

Keagan

Deker was so excited about the light on his hat and kept talking about how it helps to light the way so that we can see in the dark.  He sure was proud of it. 

Bauer, he is looking so grown-up. 

Here is how Andrew decorated our trunk for the Trunk or Treat.  We got a ton of compliments on our trunk and theme this year. 

Chick-Fil-A

We like Chick-Fil-A!  I partly blame this on my sister-in-law Matti who lives in Salt Lake where they live fairly close to a couple.  But here in Boise, they don't have one.  That all changes tomorrow (Thursday).  They are opening two restaurants in Boise tomorrow.  When they started building the two restaurants they made Facebook pages for them both and I "liked" their pages.  A couple of weeks ago, they put a post saying to tell them in 50 words or less why we should come to their premier night.  So I decided why not.  Well, we were chosen to attend the Premier night.  I have been so excited and counting down the days. 

Last night (Tuesday) was the premier night.  We had so much fun and ate some yummy food.  There is a play place and the boys had a blast playing the night away.  When we got there we were seated at a table and then they would bring around different food to try.  First was their yogurt parfait and their honey chicken breakfast sandwich.  So yummy!  Then we got to try their chicken salad sandwich and their chicken wrap.  Also really good.  Then we had a chicken finger and their Original Chicken Sandwich and their spicy chicken sandwich.  Then they finished it off with a brownie and oreo shake.  Now before you go wow, you pigs, everything was halfed or quartered.   During the night they also had drawings and trivia contests.  I won a cow and a book by the owner for Chick-Fil-A. 

After the evening was over we got to take a backstage tour and see their kitchens, prep area, freezer, etc.  Then as we were leaving they gave us each a cookie (also delicious) and they gave the adults 2013 calenders with coupons and they gave the kids little cows with their "Eat More Chicken" sign on them. 

Keagan with the cow.  He is the only one who wanted a picture.

All of us waiting for our backstage tour.

Deker's Soccer

We decided to put Deker in the Kickin Kids Soccer this year.  This is a great intro to soccer league that is just 6 weeks on Saturday only for 1 hour.  Keagan played two years ago and hated it.  Deker's first game started out good, but then he got scared and wouldn't go back on the field.  I had visions of Keagan and him crying and not playing at all. 

But then the second week, he got out there played and LOVED it.  We came home with him saying "Mom I LOVE soccer" and him counting down the days until his next soccer day. 

Here is Deker on his first day.

 The next few pictures are from his last day (he is in the dark blue with orange sleeves).

It was so fun to see Deker get out there and play.  This past Saturday was his last game and he was out there running around with a huge smile on his face the whole time!

Now it is on to Flag Football for Keagan.  Wish us luck!