Kindergarten Operetta

Every year Jordan Ridge Elementary Kindergarten puts on an operetta.  This year it was Peter Pan.  It is always so cute and the kindergarteners put on such a great show.  They sing songs and sort of act out the play.  With major enhancements from the Teachers.  This is always such a darling performance. 

Zeke was an Indian Dancer.  While his enthusiasm was not the greatest during the dance, I am thinking it was out of concentration he didn't smile! :) Here a spouted a great smile.  His favorite song he sang was 'Second Star to the Right'.  He sings it randomly at home and I just love it especially as his brothers are not the singing type and I have no idea what songs they are learning at school until the performances.  He did a great job.  I am so proud of him!

Peanut Butter and Apples

This is what happens when you give a 2 year old apple slices and a bowl of peanut butter for dipping.  

The bowl becomes a trough.

Can't complain as apples and peanut butter are pretty tasty and nutritious.  What a little funny girl.

New Year's Eve Celebrations!

I love to celebrate the holiday's with my family....unfortunately MY family [that being my sisters and brothers in law don't like to do the same sometimes......many times! gggrrrr  It is a frustration.  So what do I do?   I make the best of my family.  As I hope that one day they will appreciate spending the holiday's with each other and want to continue our little traditions....Traditions again?  Yes. Traditions.

This one we have done for at least the past 5-6 years.  It is pretty fun.  We have a table of bags set up starting with 7:00, then 8:00, 9:00 and so on until 12:00.  These are not just ordinary bags! Nope!  These are bags filled with goodies.  Yes they change every year.  As we like to adjust them with the boys interests [and well lets face it.  Whatever may be on sale at the time! :)]

This year we had quite a few 'new' items and the boys had fun.
7:00 - Football cards/books for Ella
8:00 - Puzzle.  This was quite a challenge and frustration to Gregg.  He is the HUGE fan of puzzles.  However, I messed up and didn't realize a 1000 piece puzzle was so beyond attainable even in the smallest part in an hour.  He got upset.  So Sorry.  BUT we ended up putting it together later and not only did it take more than 1 hour it took several days! **Note next year if we do a puzzle it will be a 100 piece!**
9:00 - Game - This year we got Millionaire Monopoly.  It was so much fun!
10:00 - Movie
11:00 - CANDY
12:00 - Silly String [That is still all over our front porch....darn boys], and poppers snap thingys

The point is to just open a bag at the beginning of each hour.  Let's face it Gregg and I am getting old.  It is hard sometimes for me to stay up til midnight.  This keeps us awake!  The boys are engaged with a new activity each hour and it makes the time fly.  It is seriously so much fun!  I really hope the boys love it as much as I do!  I think they do.

They get to celebrate each count down hour and then the fun noisy stuff at the end!  We also have a little tradition of ringing in the new year with a bottle of sparkling cider with everyone.  The boys love that!  I just love spending time with my family.  I hope they will one day keep these fun things going and we can all keep it together and they will ask, "don't we always do _____ on _______" fill it in for whatever activity and holiday.

SleDdInG with the DrApERs

WOW What fun!  Seriously We were so spoiled this year.  We had so much fun with Family!  The Nordfelt's were in town and it seems to be that every year when they are in town we try to go sledding [the years we have enough snow that is!].  This year we did.  What fun.  I think we as siblings are getting older...I mean that is what the numbers say....BUT as for having fun, I don't think there is a number.  We all we down several times and felt good about it because...well....it's a great workout!  It is so much fun to have these memories made with cousins and children, Aunts, Uncles and Nana's and Papa's.....
Yes I do think they are little too old for it. But I am not the one that is going to tell them.  Yes, they went down several times and Yes it scared the crap out of me! But we were all safe, no injuries. 
Ella absolutely LOVED it.  It took a while to warm her up to it.  But once she was warm, she didn't want to stop.  That is my little dare devil.  This is a great hill by Leslie's house.  (so close they walked there!)  Zeke picked up on the snowboard and loved that.  Jaxon did his usual and went off on his own only to be seen by a few occasionally.  Kaden was with all the older cousins and wasn't about to stop.
OH MY!  Did I say I love family time?  Seriously, it is going to stink when reality hits and we have to go back to work and school next week! 

 

Is this dog cute or what?  I mean seriously....what dog do you know would put up with a foofy tutu around him??  No, I don't think he was very happy BUT I just had to do it!

Christmas Eve we went 4 wheeling.  How fun is that?  I don't know what my deal is.  I mean on holiday's I like to have 'traditions'.  Well this year we had so many new 'traditions' I don't know if I will remember all of them to do next year.  It seems as though anything we do around holidays, if it is fun I want to do it again around the same holiday next year and name it our 'tradition'. :) cheesy I know.  But fun.  I mean that is what I remember from when I was a kid is all of the 'traditions'.  Some of them not even real traditions but non the less it was done around a holiday, it was fun, maybe we did it two years in a row....I shall name it a 'tradition'!  Silly I know.

This year was perfect.  We had not had much snow up until then.  And one night we were watching 'A Christmas Story' as a family and the kids said that's not fair why is it always snowing?  It is snowing everyday there.  Well I think that goes to show, yes there is not much reality when my kids watch tv.  They don't understand it is staged...?  Oh well, Right after we watched that it seems the following week was Christmas and this year it Snowed almost EVERY DAY BETWEEN CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEARS!!!  We.Loved.It.  I love it so much and it was so snowy and cold we just hung out at home and only left when absolutely necessary.  Yes, I know weird.  As when I was growing up it was all about hustle and bustle.  Gregg well he has taught me to definitely slow down, while I don't like to slow down all the time.  It is nice every now and then.....sheesh what a ramble.

Back to the 4 wheeling.  We went on Christmas eve and it was a blast.  It was snowing and cold and fun!  I had a blast flying around on the 4 wheeler and I think I just about scared the boys by jumping in the air.  They seemed to hold on to my waist a little bit tighter after a few of those jumps!  How much fun!  I love that the dog comes with us too.  He is hilarious.  Oh, and one more thing....talk about a Christmas miracle for Jaxon.  So it was probably the week before we went and it was cold but not snowing.  So the boys wore their gloves of course.  Well we happen to have a very forgetful boy who could loose just about anything.  Well said boy lost ONE of his $60 gloves.....mind you this was his 3rd pair.  (I keep praying one of these times it will kick in and he will be responsible so I keep giving in).  Today we drove up to the same area we usually do and wouldn't you know it the ground was covered in snow.  I was so angry about that lost glove I didn't know what to say/do.  But as HIS miracle would have it we drove right over that glove and uncovered it from the snow and Gregg got out of the truck and found it.  Seriously. What. Are. The. Odds?  He was some lucky boy!  Mom didn't kill him on Christmas Eve! :)

Christmas Eve Party

Christmas eve is spent with the Petersen's.  While this was a magical Christmas eve, as it was filled with falling snow most of the day, we were lucky enough to host the Christmas eve party.  As you can see not many of the Petersen's take anything seriously!  I was so excited to host.  We had a fabulous dinner with Chicken cordon bleu, scalloped potatoes, homemade rolls steamed veggies, Christmas candy and a dessert bar filled with delicious desserts! YUMMY!

Most of all it was filled with family which is most important.  What is more important at Christmas time than spending time with family enjoying each others company and sharing in the spirit of the season.  I am so glad we keep this tradition alive.