New Year's Eve

It only took two tries this time to get everyone looking....

 We decided to have snacks for dinner so amongst the car track and multitude of vehicles, we ate popcorn, cheese and crackers, and rolls. Barry & I had some sparkling grape juice too.

Our day started slow and easy as the service we went to started at 10:30 instead of 8:40. We went to our neighbor's church since ours didn't have a service today and heard a great message encouraging us to get more into God's Word. He used the metaphor of bookends to talk about the theme of the Bible - God wanting to dwell with us. It's a lot to think about, yet a good thing to think about at the start of a new year.

Hope you have a good evening in all that you've got planned. I imagine we'll go to bed about the same time as we usually do. Kids still get up at the same time in the morning, you know. May 2018 be the best year yet!

Christmas Holidays Fun

The boys and I have been filling our days with lots of TV watching and playing inside. If it had been somewhat decent weather, we would have ventured out to the library, but it was too cold. We went outside one day for about 20 minutes to play, but otherwise it was indoor weather. The boys got back out the race track and we played with that in addition to Christmas presents.

 I can't begin to list out the movies that we watched this week. It's been a ton! I think relaxing has been done over this break. Maybe a little more sleep could have been had, but what can be done? I got curtains washed and ironed, laundry done, floors mopped, the oven cleaned, dishes washed, and other cleaning around the house. All in all, I think we did well. Now, we have a couple more days, but Daddy will be home! Hurray.

Flashback Friday

We were excited to see the Puschs for lunch today on their way home from Christmas break. Nathan and I were glad to hang out for a bit with them.

 This brings me back to a flashback from Labor Day weekend. My two sisters and their families as well as my brother got together before my parents moved and got some family time in as well as some fun pictures.

 Jeremy showed up in typical Jeremy form.

 We celebrated a birthday... :) 

 The Roberts Clan

Grandkids and Grandparents (except for Jeremy's 2)

We had to say goodbye as my parents and Jeremy were off. They used a Pod so that made traveling the long journey wasn't as difficult.

Christmas Meal

We decided to make a meal that everyone would enjoy instead of a traditional turkey or ham. So, we made Barry's mom's spaghetti sauce for spaghetti and homemade breadsticks (here's the recipe). It was delicious!

 [Zach hadn't quite woken up from his nap which is why he didn't have food in front of him.]

We made a mental note to look for Christmas paper products at the after-Christmas sales, but otherwise it worked out just fine. Both the spaghetti sauce and breadsticks took most of the morning to make. I should have had a vegetable along with the meal, but I was glad to have them ready in time for lunch. Next time, right?!

Gifts, Part 3

We have several special people in our lives that wanted to bless the boys with gifts. 

Our neighbors Mr. Robert and Mrs. Jackie have been in our lives from almost the first day we moved to Lebanon (believe it or not 12 1/2 years ago). We've been neighbors with them for 11 1/2 years so they've been with us during the highs and lows. They love seeing the boys and we check in with them when we get home several times a week. They blessed the boys with toys -- horses for Nathan and emergency vehicles for Zachy. They have loved played with them.

Another special person is Mrs. Mary. I worked with Mary until she retired and then have still kept up with her since then. Mary also has been with me during the rough times and she and her husband prayed for us to have children. Although Tony passed 4 years ago, he was able to meet Nathan and know the results of his prayer. Mrs. Mary gave gifts to the boys - a Lego set for Nathan and a riding car for Zachy. Again, they have loved these toys.

We're so glad to have these special people in our lives. I think I'll have one more installment from Christmas -- the fabulous lunch we had. Yum!

Gifts, Part 2

We started the gift opening time with FaceTime with the Michigan Stevens family. The boys were excited to begin opening and they were very happy with these items. [We watched The Lion King during Zach's nap.]

 Then we got into the business of opening gifts.

The boys each got three gifts from us -- like Jesus did:

something for the body, something for personal/spiritual development, and something you want.

 Here's Zachy's 'want' gift - a fire truck (with duplo pieces)

Here's Nathan's 'want' gift - Legos!

For their body gifts, we got them cowboy boots. They got a few books for the personal/spiritual development gift -- one was about Christmas, and then others were about topics they're interested in. Stay tuned for the next installment of gifts!

Gifts, Part 1

Christmas Eve began with the first gifts....

 Pajamas!

 We got up Christmas morning and did stockings (in our pjs!).

 We got fun things and pretty much Nathan played with Zachy's stuff. You just can't win, can you?

I'll spread out the gifts over the next couple days. Poor Barry's back to work tomorrow, but the boys are home with me for the week.

Christmas Family Picture

We tried to do a picture outside, but it was too cold. So then we went to the Christmas tree. 

 Hmmm... Zach wasn't having it.

 Oops! Where's Momma?

 Awwwww! So sweet!

 Ummm, someone's making a break for it. Yet, Nathan still has a good smile on his face.

 There we have it! 

Sweet boys!

We got the last presents bought on Saturday so today was a day to relax and enjoy being inside. Nathan was proud to put the last piece on the Advent calendar and has asked many times about opening gifts. Nathan got to join us during the service at church and even did his own candle. It was a good day!

More Bouncy Fun

Nathan was excited to be able to jump and play to his heart's content. The bonus was a friend from daycare was there with her dad and brother. We played with them throughout the time and then ate lunch with them too. It was a great time.

It was a memorable time! I'm sure we'll go again.

Bouncy House Fun

Nathan has been asking for weeks and weeks and weeks about going back to the bouncy house (we went last year at Christmas time). So I had told him we'd go. Zach was able to do a few more things and enjoyed it a bit more than the last time. Unfortunately, they didn't have much for little kids to do so I had to either carry him or he sat out.

 He made it! Nathan jumped from ball to ball to ball and then to the end where it was a slide without falling off. It was awesome.

"No, don't tip me, Daddy!"

"Okay, but it was funny!"

Train Fun

We went to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel to check out the fabulous Christmas display and to see if we could take a ride on the Christmas Express. They had a great time on the train!

 Afterwards, they did an ice skating show that we got to watch for free. It was a cheap and exciting day out. 

Aren't they just the cutest?!

Brothers in Jammies

Not that long ago, I saw this picture come up showing Nathan wearing these dinosaur pjs. I had to get a picture of Zach wearing the same ones because it's all cool with hand-me-downs.

Zachy

12/20/2017

Nathan

12/9/2013

Teacher Christmas Gifts

I found this cute idea (click here) and thought it would be a nice and easy gift for the teachers in our lives. We have a friend that does embroidery so I had her do the teacher's initial on it. It turned out pretty well if I do say so myself.

Hope you were able to show key people in your life that you appreciated them.

You Better Watch Out....

Zachy's been surprising us by singing to a variety of things (Let it Go is a favorite and sometimes he'll sing with the radio), but we couldn't resist capturing this since it's holiday related and such! :)

Then, it's time to go to Brother and sing together.

[He's so cute when he says "Brother!"]

Putting Up the Tree

It's December so we had to pull out the Christmas boxes and at least get the Advent calendar out so that we could start counting down to Christmas. Then, we pulled out the fun things (singing snowman), set up the tree, and got the manger scene all set up. It's the start of a fabulous Christmas season, don't you think?!

Nathan had to go and get a horse to have at the stable. I mean, Jesus needed a horse too!