Thanksgiving 2009

Oh, the concentration of frosting a sugar cookie. most of Alex's looked better than mine!

Grandma (GiGi) and Sammy making cookies. Sammy loved the rolling and cutting part because he could eat the dough!

My not-so-impressive sugar cookie lady. There are so many reasons I make cakes and not cookies!!

Grandpa and Alex did some PlayDough sculpture and had a lot of fun with Alex's new Play Dough Machine from Aunt Jen-Jen.

All of the grandkids exchanged presents since they won't see each other at Christmas time.

A couple of cheeseballs!! ;-)

Sammy enjoyed all of the new cars he got this year. Cars are his passion.

Here Grandpa has the three oldest boys lined up to see the cookoo clock as it gets ready to chime.

A few years ago Mom got us going on the Scottish tradition of all of us opening Christmas crackers. Inside the cracker is a small gift for everyone as well as a little paper crown. They are really fun.

Aunt Jen-Jen and the boys.

We really wanted to get a good family picture for our Christmas card. This isn't the one we chose, but we did get several good shots with all four of us looking at the camera and even most smiling!! Miracles never cease!

Carving Pumpkins

Alex was very excited, which surprised us because he doesn't usually like to get into stuff that is mushy and gooshy!

And Sam was very uninterested, also surprising since he is our "squish-the-mud" kind of kid. But he really did not like the feel of the seeds or the pumpkin gunk at all!

Checkin' out Gampa's finished jack-o-lantern.

Alex chose what shapes would make our "jack's" face and where to put them.

Yes, We are Still Alive & Well!!

No, we have not been abducted by aliens, moved to Canada, or gotten lost in a nearby cornfield!! We have however, broken our computer and had to buy a new one--and it has taken me a while to get all my photos transferred over. Not to mention how crazy busy our schedule has been lately! and though I would love to say that I will get back to regular blogging this week, I must admit that the next few weeks on the calendar look pretty hectic....so I'll do my best!! In the mean time, here are a few recent pics of our two big boys at dinner!

Ryan's Flag Football Team

This weekend will be the last of Ryan's flag football games for the year. He has been coaching the Flag Football team here at Park Avenue Christian School this season and loving every minute of it. The kids and I have mad it out to a few of the games, and even though the boys do play most of the time at the park, they seem to enjoy it! I get to see some of the game, and we all enjoy cheering for the team. Ryan's team has done pretty well this year and his guys have given it their all!

Here's the coach himself, warming his hands, and one of his players coming back off the field. (Pastor Hess was keeping time for this game.) It was a pretty cold day for football!

Some of the fans from our church. At some of the games they really set up camp--they bring everything from sloppy joes to sleeping bags!

Sammy LOVES the park! He runs from one thing to the next and cries when it's time to leave--not matter how cold it is!

Alex LOVES "hootball" games, hanging out with Daddy by the scoreboard, playing with the big kids, and getting to eat his snack on a blanket picnic style!

20 Month Old Pics

Here is a serious face from each of the boys at 20 months old.
Their chins are similar, but not much else!
Could two brothers be any different???

We Love Fall!!

It's Time for Footy Pajamas Again!

It's getting pretty chilly out here in Nebraska, so we pulled the footy pj's out!! The boys love them. The first night they had them on they kind of ran around for a while -sort of highstepping- getting used the feel of them on their toes all over again. It was cute!

Alex's Day Out With Thomas

Alex's birthday present from his doting Aunt Jen-Jen was a ticket to go to "A Day Out With Thomas." And let me tell you, he loved every minute of it!!

We're Still Working on Table Manners...

Sam LOVES noodles...

and cupcakes...

and baked beans...

and especially chocolate pudding...

lots of pudding!!!

Our "Soccer Champ"

Alex had his first game of Itty Bitty Soccer at the YMCA on Monday night. Some friends of our from church are his coaches and two of their kids are on Alex's team, so he really enjoys that. We spent some time over the last week or so practicing with him and he LOVES his shin guards and special soccer t-shirt.

However, when it comes to any kind of skill on the field...well, we are still working on that! At home he does great and gets some really good kicks and dribbles going. But during the game he pretty much ran around in circles and showed off his "mad break dancing skills" to all who cared to watch! It was really hilarious. I guess we have some more practicing to do!

Daddy explaining to Alex what it is to substitute in and out of the game. A good lesson in taking turns!

Here is Sam hanging out in "stroller jail" with his buddy Nathan--both wishing they were old enough to play soccer!


He was getting so tired and overheated (it was VERY hot) that he just layed down on the ground at one point and covered his face! His coach sent him off the field and Alex told me, "Alex tired and sad!" It was quite pathetic!

All night after the game he kept yelling "good game!" like they did when they lined up to slap five with the other team when it was over. Obviously the kid had a good time!

Monet meets Picasso

Alex has suddenly taken a huge interest in painting. He wants to paint all the time, and it is a great activity for while I am cooking dinner because both boys are strapped in to their chairs right here by me doing something quietly and I don't have to worry about them killing each other or themselves!! Sam enjoys playing with the paints, brushes, and water, but rarely ever gets any paint on the paper. Still, for kids I figure it's the experience that counts, not necessarily the finished product!