Santa in Our Living Room?

We were honored to have Santa visit our house this year. What a special treat to talk to Santa in your very own living room! The boys were a little apprehensive at first, but a candy cane and a jolly laugh soon gave way to a short list of wishes.

2011 has Arrived!

So I do this every year. I work like crazy between Thanksgiving and Christmas to put the finishing touches on the blog in order to publish my blog book. Then, inevitably, I do not want to sit back down at the computer for quite some time. After staring at a blank screen for days on end waiting for the inspiration to come, I need to some time for the creative thoughts to return.

This year the wait has been exceptionally long. Christmas has come and gone, along with New Years, and even K's birthday. We are now on the heals of Spring Break and more birthdays. It's time to get back to business.

Welcome 2011! Let the memory sharing begin...

(photos taken by Sprout Imagery)

KJ's Restaurant

Ever since our introduction to DI's Restaurant in Louisiana, our guys have had their own KJ's Restaurant. They don't work at this establishment every day, but periodically they decide it's time to put in a little elbow grease.

Dad was surprised last week by these handsome young men. They had come to take his order.

Rocket Launch

We ventured into the middle of nowhere for our first Cub Scout rocket launch. After working with J to build their rockets, our boys were excited yet apprehensive. They loved their rockets so much they weren't sure if they wanted to launch them. The thought of not getting them bad created some worried faces.

But...they did launch their rockets over and over again. It was tons of fun to watch. We were all pretty fascinated.

While we were there K earned his long-awaited "Recruiting Badge," and J earned his "Bobcat Badge." Way to go, Boys!!!

3rd Grade Musical - A Night on Broadway

Here's our Broadway star...the boys dressed as an "Oliver" type of character while the girls were asked to dress as an "Annie" character. They sang, danced, and had lots of fun!

Halloween

We celebrated Halloween this year with some special friends. Carter, Hollis, Aunt Brooke, and Pop drove from Louisiana to be with us, and K's friend Thomas and his mom joined in the fun.

We enjoyed the street party before heading out for Halloween tricks and treats. All of our boys had a blast moving from house to house in a giant pack. The best part was listening in on their manners from afar. We were able to hear many "please" and "thank you" comments floating in the air.

I'm terribly sad to say that this might have been the last Halloween we get to spend with Carter and Hollis for a very long time. I'm so glad they came for a visit, as we will all really miss the holiday traditions we enjoyed when they lived close to us.

Spook Out 2010

Our soccer association hosts a "Spook Out" tournament over Halloween weekend. This year K participated with a subset of his real team. Most teams dress up and even paint their hair. Our guys were planning to paint their hair, but I think they ran out of time. It was an action-packed day. We played four games in one day!

These supportive siblings and cousins ventured off for a break. Notice J's spike hair!