Break a Leg!

Today was Everett's Christmas play at school. I was thrilled to see him bring home a slip of paper that said he had been assigned the role of "Dad" in the school play! We picked out a tie to help him get into character. It was super cute! Then, his class sang "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" and "Feliz Navidad". Lionel and I enjoyed watching the show.

This is How We Do It

"But don't you miss the seasons?" "How does it feel like Christmas without snow?" These are the questions I have been getting for 9 years. I left Ohio in 2003 and yes, it was a bit weird the first winter in L.A. - driving with my window down while listening to Christmas carols. Sometimes I miss winter and snow, but mostly I just don't. And if I do, we can easily drive a few hours north and experience it all or we can just enjoy random snow days right here in the neighborhood. This was Lionel's first time with snow and let me tell you, the kid throws a mean snowball! Everett just couldn't stay on his sled (but I think it was on purpose) and ended up with snow in his ear! Lionel LOVED sledding and said, "I want to go again!" as soon as the sled skidded to a stop. We plan to hit Flagstaff for more sledding this winter.

Gingerbread Building

I bought this kit on Black Friday and the boys asked me EVERY day to make it. So when we finally did, it goes without saying that they were excited. It must be super confusing to play with candy, cookies, and icing and NOT eat it, so they asked me if they could taste it pretty much every 2 seconds. It ended up looking great and I was so proud and excited to take the picture of the finished product. And don't you know, as soon as I did, it collapsed! Our gingerbread house was instantly condemned, so Everett looked at me and sweetly said, "Does this mean we can just eat it all now?"

Oh, Christmas Tree!

We put our tree up right after Thanksgiving. I love to decorate early and then take it all down the minute Christmas is over. One of our holiday activities was to go pick out a new ornament and just like it has taken over the kids' wish lists, Star Wars ruled their picks as well.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Even though we have been listening to Christmas music and the house is mostly all decorated for Christmas, it was just Thanksgiving! It was fun helping at Everett's school for their feast and party. I am lucky that they let me bring Lionel who loves being at Everett's school. And Everett is so happy to have him there to play with (when he's not being chased around by his 2 girlfriends!) They had a petting zoo and I thought Lionel's head would explode from all the "cute" animals. He definitely wanted to take a bunny home with him! And the sweetest thing was how cute the boys were at Thanksgiving dinner. Everett said, "I'm really enjoying Thanksgiving, Mama!" and Lionel told me that my homemade mac and cheese was "really tasty".

THREE!

Ugh, my baby is three! In the last 2 months, Lionel has truly transformed from baby to boy. His transition was a little slower than Everett's because he is the youngest, but boy, is he maturing fast now! His language has exploded and he is quite a funny little thing. He is telling stories and jokes and begging for "just two more playtimes" when it is time for bed. He is definitely strong-willed, but still so very sweet. He loves his brother so much and I overheard him asking him for help to reach his water bottle in the fridge. They are finally forming a bond and it warms my heart. He is still an animal lover and currently sleeps with a turtle, a snake, and a crab. Oh, and of course, "Coggy". (We only lost one over the last year, so we have three left!) I truly enjoy spending my days with him. He plays very well by himself and loves a good episode of Scooby Doo. But the best part is his little voice every night, saying, "I love you, too, Mama". Happy Birthday, my sweet boy!

A Desert Field Trip with Papa & Grandma

Skipping stones really means throwing the biggest rocks they can find!

Bike-a-thon!

It was a cool Phoenix evening as we headed back to school for the bike-a-thon! It was a cute little event with games, popcorn, pizza, raffle, and bike riding! Everett was totally jazzed to ride at night and turned his helmet lights on. He cheered on his friends and then rode his heart out during his round. He was convinced that he "won" even though it was only a contest to see how many laps you could do. It was precious to see Everett interacting with his classmates. What a sweet boy he is! We are so proud of him!

A Holiday in San Diego!

One of the greatest things about living in Phoenix is how close we are to so many amazing places. It is so easy to pack up the car and enjoy a weekend in CA. We haven't been in a long while, so that is exactly what we did! It was the best vacation I have had in a long time. It is so much easier to travel now that the boys are older, and boy, did we have fun! I may have only lived there for 2 years, but I am definitely a California girl. I just feel relaxed when I am there. I love it so much! And San Diego is a great city. We saw so much more of the downtown this time and I really loved it. And of course, we went to Sea World! I just love that place! Since we had one in Ohio growing up, it always reminds me of my own childhood. And it's just a fun place. We were able to do everything this time and the boys were incredible the whole day.