Jack's R.A.K.

Jack's homework during the month of December was to plan and carry out a random act of kindness or "RAK" and create some kind of display to share it. We decided to bake cookies for some families we know. We took pictures of the process, then put them on a poster and sent it to school. (These are the pictures we put on the poster.)

We made chocolate crinkles, snickerdoodles, and sugar cookies. Jack did most of the work and did a great job!

The first house we took them to was ready for our visit and they gave us cookies back! Jack had a great time with this project and learned to give to others. Sometimes he wanted to give up and not do the work, but he finished it and was glad he followed through. Good job, Jack!

Winter Break at the Museum

A new exhibit just opened at the Museum of Play, so we went to check it out. We spent almost the whole time there and the kids had a lot of fun exploring this new area.

This was a veterinary office where the kids could treat animals. Callie spent a lot of time there.

Ryan really liked the play house. He did the dishes, took care of the babies, and planted some flowers!

Jack carefully folded each piece of laundry. Why doesn't he do that at home?

We let Luke roam free for a little while, too. Pretty much "Baby Heaven."

The kids stopped by the board games exhibit to play a round of BINGO. 

The kids were all dressed in red during this particular trip. Hopefully we'll be back again soon!

Christmas Preparations

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas preparations during the month of December. The kids were very excited to get the Christmas tree, especially Ryan. He didn't really seem to remember last year, so this was kind of new for him!

We watched "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" while we decorated. 

Once everything was done and the kids were ready for bed, we got some pictures of them in their Polar Express jammies!

We managed to make gingerbread houses this year, but didn't really get any pictures of the finished products. At least we got some pictures of the process!

Note how close Callie's house is to the edge of the table... She ended up knocking it off the table and it broke beyond repair. It was definitely unfortunate, but she didn't seem too upset about it.

Ryan and Jack finished up their houses and we enjoyed them for a few days before letting the kids eat them. The boys shared their houses with Callie so she wouldn't be left out.

We also made some gingerbread cookies, which tasted pretty good! Instead of a real gingerbread recipe with molasses, which tastes quite strong, we tried out a more "kid-friendly" version that uses butterscotch pudding mix and other spices. The kids really liked them.

With all the preparations done, we were ready for Christmas!

Grandma's Visit Continued...

Back in November when Grandma Culwell was visiting, we were able to visit the Museum of Play with her. The kids love it when we have visitors because we get to take them to the museum!

Grandma was also able to take a couple of family pictures for us. We don't have many opportunities to get a picture with all of us, so thank you, Grandma! We are looking forward to the next time we can all be together!

All Aboard!

We took a trip on the Polar Express this year and had a blast! Ryan is extremely interested in trains (and cars and planes), so we decided to ride a real train! The Polar Express did not disappoint.

We got the kids matching PJs for the trip. They were pretty excited.

During the train ride, they provided hot chocolate in keepsake mugs and they played music from the movie, "The Polar Express." They also read the book as we rode along. The kids even got authentic golden tickets, just like the movie, and the conductor came through and punched holes in the tickets.

The train ride consisted of 30 minutes one-way to the "North Pole," where we picked up Santa and some elves. Then we rode 30 minutes back to the station. At the North Pole, the kids saw the elves dancing and waving, and one elf even threw a snowball right at Ryan's window. 

Santa and his elves came through the train and gave each child a special silver bell (like the movie) and took time to talk to each child. 

 Luke was excited about his bell!

 We had a great time and the kids want to do it again next year!