Christmas Wrap-Up and the End of 2016

Now that our decorations are taken down and put away, it feels like Christmas is finally over.  We had a very blessed Christmas this year.  All of us received more than we ever expected.  Evan also had a four-day weekend.  We really enjoyed having him home those extra days.

On Christmas Eve we went to church with my parents and sister.  Both boys did really well sitting through the service.  They both were excited to get to the end though when we sang “Silent Night” because we sang it by candlelight.  After the service, we headed back to my parents’ house to eat dinner and open gifts.

Waiting for the service to start

The boys were grateful for all of their presents.  They both were pretty excitable as they opened up their gifts, especially Nicholas.  My sister had come up with a great gift idea for him.  He was so surprised that he left the room for a moment to express his happiness – loudly.

Nicholas reading the Christmas Story.

A present for Nana

One for Poppy

First of many volcano sets . . .

Legos

The big one from Aunt Amy!

The surprise gift

The shock is setting in . . .

There it is!

An iPod from Aunt Amy

The next morning, the boys got up around 7:00.  We read from our devotional before opening stockings and gifts.  They managed to tone down their decibel levels when it came to their excitement.  However, I found Daniel with his ears covered in many pictures.  He was afraid Nicholas would be too loud like the night before.

New Odyssey CDs

One of his geography puzzles

Another Lego set

Another volcano set for Daniel

Evan and I gave each other a few gifts.  The boys also gave us the gifts they had picked out with Aunt Amy.  They did a very good job this year.

I gave this to Evan as kind of a joke gift that he would actually really like.

A DVD

To put on the wall of his Buckeye basement

And and even more decals thanks to Amy!

My pots and pans!

And, I heard something rumbling in the box - Gabby!

In the early afternoon, we headed to Evan’s parents’ house.  We had chosen a taco theme this year, which was a nice change.  If anyone knows me, they know I love Mexican food.  I had the best Christmas bean burrito that day!

We also played a game where we broke up by families to answer questions like “Family Feud”.  I am happy to report that our little family of four won!  It doesn’t hurt that Evan and I can get super competitive. 

Then, it was time to open gifts.  Daniel got the helicopter that went with the rest of his volcano Lego sets.  Nicholas also added a couple new Lego sets to his collection, including a cool airplane.

The helicopter!

The airplane!

As you can see, Christmas we really nice.  They’ve spent the last week playing with their new toys.

We met with Daniel's birth family to celebrate Christmas.

Pie Face Showdown!

The loser or the winner?  

Some of Nicholas' Lego builds, including the plane

 Also, we’ve spent the last couple of days watching a live feed of an eagle’s nest in Florida.  I wanted to see what it was all about.  Then, I got hooked.  The boys and I (especially Daniel) waited and waited and finally saw the first egg hatch this morning.  I've watched the eaglet get fed.  I’ve watched the male and female eagles take turns being in the nest.  It has been very fascinating.  So, that’s how I’ve been celebrating New Year’s Eve – watching an eagle’s nest and watching Hallmark.  I’m very happy that I get to celebrate this way (the Ohio State game is on in the basement).

Just watching and waiting . . .

People like to reflect on the past year as they enter a new one.  This year had some good moments, but it also had some low moments too.  But, we’re trying to keep our eyes on Christ and continue to grow and change.  Who knows what 2017 will bring?

Well, I probably won’t make it until midnight, so Happy New Year!

Getting Closer . . .

Christmas is three days away!  We’ve had a pretty eventful week.  Last weekend Nicholas went to his friends’ birthday party from CC.  One of the twins picked him to stay after the party, see the new Star Wars movie, and then sleepover.  This was new territory for us.  First, we’re not one of those families that just has sleep overs with anyone.  We really need to know and trust the family.  Second, Nicholas had only slept over my parents’ house previous to this occasion.  He struggles when he is away from home overnight, but he felt that he could overcome his fears and sleepover.  And, he did it!   I think it helped that there were four boys sleeping in the same room.  He was very tired the next day, but he was glad he went.

The only downside to this sleepover was that it was a Saturday night and our Sunday was pretty full.  Daniel did an excellent job singing in front of the church.  We could hear him loud and clear at both services.  There were tears in my eyes – mainly from laughing so hard.  He was just so cute yelling out the words.  Evan picked up Nicholas in between the two services, so he got to enjoy one of Daniel’s performances.  I think I saw him crack a smile even though he looked so tired.

We had enough time for Nicholas to go home and take a nap before we had to leave for a family Christmas party.  He slept hard!  When I went to wake him up, he didn’t even hear me.  He even fell asleep again on the way over.  But, he pulled it together and seemed to have a fun time. 

My mom’s side of the family has had our Christmas party the Sunday before Christmas for the last few years.  Nicholas does a great job being a helpful and fun big cousin.  He often gives the parents and grandparents a break and entertains the kids.  We also had two presents for the boys to open – one from G.G. and one from us.  They both were excited over what they received.

Rocket Balloon Sets for both boys

Star Wars figures

Jumping up and down because he likes his Legos

The boys did some present wrapping this past week.  My sister took each boy out separately to buy a gift for Evan and me.  Daniel is doing so well at keeping the gifts a secret.  He keeps saying, “I will not tell you!”  They also had fun decorating gingerbread stockings.  The temptation was too great though and by the end of the day a huge chunk was taken off of each. 

It looks like there is candy already in his mouth!

He is so excited that he is dancing.

He loves to dab!

I did the snowflake/sun, but he did the rest of the decorating!

Finished product

Now to eat the icing . . .

And, if you need to wipe some off, just lick it!

Nicholas' stocking

Well, Evan has a four-day weekend.  He had the idea for him and the boys to have a sleepover in the basement tonight.  I’m all for it!  I will have my bed all to myself and all the noisy people in the house will be out of earshot.  Hopefully, this sleepover won’t result in tired and cranky people tomorrow.  They’ll have a day to recover before the rest of the Christmas festivities begin. 

Well, I successfully put up another blog post in a semi-quick manner.  Don’t get too use to it though.  I’m sure I won’t blog before Sunday, so Merry Christmas!

Getting Ready for Christmas

School is over for 2016, Christmas activities have begun, and almost all of the presents are wrapped.

Wrapping presents for his stuffed animals kept him very busy.

Lining up with the Christmas animals.  He's part of the reindeer family.

I am very pleased with how well the boys are doing in school.  We are officially halfway done with the school year.  Nicholas still excels in his schoolwork.  He enjoys history a lot.  He also loves writing, especially creative writing (Sounds like someone else I know).  Most subjects come easy to him.  We are evaluating the future though for next year.  We are looking to mix things up a bit.  Our routine works too well sometimes.  I think we need to make some changes.  So, that is something I am evaluating.

Daniel also is doing very well in school.  He does so well that he tells me he will do it himself.  We compromise in that area.  I give him directions and if it is something he knows how to do, I let him do it himself. 

He has also started reading.  This is an area I am taking slow.  I don’t want to push him too hard, so we just do a little a couple of times a week.  Well, two weeks ago, he was having trouble blending the sounds in the words.  I thought we may have to put the reading program away.  Something must have clicked recently because he’s reading most words without a problem.  I’m trying to see if he’s memorized a lot of the words, or he just gets it.  The jury is still out, but for now we’ll say he has improved a lot.

My sister made the boys these great advent calendars.  Each year she outdoes herself.  They each have 24 pouches that are hanging from the wall.  Each day we read from our devotional and then, they see what is in the pouch.  They usually get a few pieces of candy.   But, some days there has been money or small toys.  It is safe to say it is one of their favorite times of the day.

Daniel's side

Nicholas' side

As part of our last week of school, we also baked some cookies.  I made up the dough.  The boys unwrapped all of the chocolate kisses and rolled the dough in sugar.  They also were quality control to make sure they tasted okay.

Unwrapping the kisses

Rolling the sugar

Time to taste them

We’re looking forward to our first family Christmas party tomorrow.  Also, Daniel will be singing at both services at church with his class.  His teachers told me he knows the song very well when they practice.  We’ll see what he does when he gets in front of the sanctuary. 

I'm sure this week will fly by.  Christmas Day will be here before we know it!