Sunday, January 10, 2016
A warm wait
After church, we went to iHop for lunch before Linda and Leland hit the road for home. It was so cold outside, so even though we were waiting inside, we were all freezing cold still. The boys decided they would be warmer if both of them could sit on Grandma's lap!
Saturday, January 9, 2016
Belated Christmas
It's always great to spend the day with family and we enjoy stretching out the Christmas festivities. We took our big tree down the day after Christmas since we were not sure how much Scott would be able to lift after his surgery. I couldn't take down everything, so we still have a little tree in the dining room so our celebration still felt 'Christmasy'.
The hot wheel ramp is still a hit with everyone - young and old.
Scott's extended family does a drawing to exchange gifts between the cousins, Aunts and Uncles. We saved these gifts to open today - Liam was thrilled with the transforming bat car (not to be confused with the tranforming bat cave!), and Karsten thought the Operation game was so cool! Thanks Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Steve!
Linda got Karsten a Lego set that he's wanted for a while - it has a Lego Hulk in it, what more could a guy want? He was pretty excited and was ready to go build right then!
It was a musical Christmas for Trent and Taylor. Taylor wanted a bluetooth speaker and seemed excited when he opened this! We hope he enjoys it!
Trent wanted these cool speakers that have water in them that changes colors and dances with the rythm of the music.
And, since it's always cool to be just liked your big brother, Liam was SO excited to get a Lego alarm clock just like Karsten. Karsten's clock is Batman and Liam has Superman. Now if they could just sleep in enough to let the alarms go off...
And, since Liam has a new obsession with tape, Linda got Liam some washi tape and he was sooo excited!
The last present from Linda and Leland was tickets to Marvel Universe Live. I had tried to think of somewhere we could go or something we could do that would be a fun experience for their Christmas present, and when I saw the commercial, I knew this was it. I made 'tickets' for the boys and then we showed them a YouTube clip so they could see what it will be like. They got excited and wanted to go now!
Leland is tough to shop for, but I remembered him talking about the bath soap from their Grand Canyon vacation, so I found it online for him. I was worried he wouldn't like it, but he really seemed excited!
Once presents were open, Liam was ready to get started with his tape and wanted Grandma to help him open it now!
As everyone played with their new gifts, Karsten went to the table and started building his new set. He did the whole thing himself with only a few assists from Scott and Trent.
Linda and Leland brought a ham from their local meat locker. It turned out wonderfully - delicious!
We ended our great day with some yummy desserts and some more fun together.
The hot wheel ramp is still a hit with everyone - young and old.
Scott's extended family does a drawing to exchange gifts between the cousins, Aunts and Uncles. We saved these gifts to open today - Liam was thrilled with the transforming bat car (not to be confused with the tranforming bat cave!), and Karsten thought the Operation game was so cool! Thanks Aunt Bobbie and Uncle Steve!
Linda got Karsten a Lego set that he's wanted for a while - it has a Lego Hulk in it, what more could a guy want? He was pretty excited and was ready to go build right then!
It was a musical Christmas for Trent and Taylor. Taylor wanted a bluetooth speaker and seemed excited when he opened this! We hope he enjoys it!
Trent wanted these cool speakers that have water in them that changes colors and dances with the rythm of the music.
And, since it's always cool to be just liked your big brother, Liam was SO excited to get a Lego alarm clock just like Karsten. Karsten's clock is Batman and Liam has Superman. Now if they could just sleep in enough to let the alarms go off...
And, since Liam has a new obsession with tape, Linda got Liam some washi tape and he was sooo excited!
The last present from Linda and Leland was tickets to Marvel Universe Live. I had tried to think of somewhere we could go or something we could do that would be a fun experience for their Christmas present, and when I saw the commercial, I knew this was it. I made 'tickets' for the boys and then we showed them a YouTube clip so they could see what it will be like. They got excited and wanted to go now!
Leland is tough to shop for, but I remembered him talking about the bath soap from their Grand Canyon vacation, so I found it online for him. I was worried he wouldn't like it, but he really seemed excited!
Once presents were open, Liam was ready to get started with his tape and wanted Grandma to help him open it now!
As everyone played with their new gifts, Karsten went to the table and started building his new set. He did the whole thing himself with only a few assists from Scott and Trent.
Linda and Leland brought a ham from their local meat locker. It turned out wonderfully - delicious!
We ended our great day with some yummy desserts and some more fun together.
Basketball
When we told Karsten that Trent and Taylor would be at his basketball game, he was so excited! Both Trent and Taylor are great athletes and Karsten really looks up to them.
Karsten had a great game and scored the first point for his team! When he ran back to the other end, he tried to secretly glance over at us to make sure everyone saw it. Very cute.
It's been fun to watch him playing - the rules as well as offense and defense are really starting to click with all the boys. He has a great time playing with his classmates - we are lucky to have such a great group of boys!
Karsten had a great game and scored the first point for his team! When he ran back to the other end, he tried to secretly glance over at us to make sure everyone saw it. Very cute.
It's been fun to watch him playing - the rules as well as offense and defense are really starting to click with all the boys. He has a great time playing with his classmates - we are lucky to have such a great group of boys!
Friday, January 8, 2016
Cousin fun
We're celebrating Christmas with Scott's family tomorrow, so Linda and Leland came in town today. They stopped and picked up Trent and Taylor along the way, so they could spend some extra time with all of us.
Can you tell that Karsten and Liam LOVE spending time with their cousins? I think the feeling is mutual - all four boys had a great time together.
They also had a good time running from the 'tickle monster' (aka Grandpa).
Trent and Grandma made a dessert for Saturday. I was sure that Linda was going to have three or four boys helping her with this, but the other three were too busy playing!
Trent is turning into quite the chef - he really enjoys cooking and told us about a new recipe he tried from a cookbook that he got for Christmas.
The night ended with Trent reading a book to the boys - pretty adorable!
Can you tell that Karsten and Liam LOVE spending time with their cousins? I think the feeling is mutual - all four boys had a great time together.
They also had a good time running from the 'tickle monster' (aka Grandpa).
Trent and Grandma made a dessert for Saturday. I was sure that Linda was going to have three or four boys helping her with this, but the other three were too busy playing!
Trent is turning into quite the chef - he really enjoys cooking and told us about a new recipe he tried from a cookbook that he got for Christmas.
The night ended with Trent reading a book to the boys - pretty adorable!
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
This and that
The boys have enjoyed their last two days of Christmas break at my parents house. The played, watched movies, had snacks, played some more, went to Old McDonald's for lunch, and played some more. My mom shared these cute stories:
- My mom's glasses were broken, so Liam asked to see them. He looked them over carefully, then said 'Grandma, do you want me to try and fix these for you?' When I asked him about it, he said that he couldn't fix them because he didn't have the right tool.
- My mom was sewing a couple of buttons on a cardigan for me, and Liam asked her why I wasn't doing it. LOL. While I do know how to sew, my mom is far better than I am and has way more thread colors to choose from. Lucky for me, she's willing to help!
- I wanted the boys to have quiet time in the afternoon, so I brought Liam's blankets in the hope that he could go to sleep. Apparently, Karsten had quite the convincing story about how he needed a soft blanket like Liam's in order to go to sleep - I heard there were even tears! Lucky for him, Grandma has a fabric stash and could make him a small blanket.
Tonight, we went to the Lego build at our local Lego store and out to dinner afterwards. On the way home, I asked Karsten if he was excited to see his friends and he enthusiastically said YES! I love that he has great friends and looks forward to school.
It was nice to ease back into reality after vacation by taking the boys to my parents and not having to pack a lunch and get everything ready for the school routine. Tomorrow, we're back to our routine - I bet the boys will be worn out tomorrow night!
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Celebrating
After two weeks off school and away from his friends, Karsten was excited to see his friends tonight at a birthday party for his friend, Luke. Afterwards, we asked if his friends had fun on Christmas break, and he said he didn't know - they just started playing, who has time to chat?!
The fun started with an obstacle course which the boys loved!
The birthday boy and his Lego superhero cake.
Karsten and his friend Grant enjoying their cake and ice cream.
I love how they did the present opening - the birthday boy got to open his presents and the person who gave him the present came to sit next to him. The other kids could finish their cake and ice cream during present opening so there wasn't a crush of kids around the birthday boy - so smart!
The fun started with an obstacle course which the boys loved!
The birthday boy and his Lego superhero cake.
Karsten and his friend Grant enjoying their cake and ice cream.
I love how they did the present opening - the birthday boy got to open his presents and the person who gave him the present came to sit next to him. The other kids could finish their cake and ice cream during present opening so there wasn't a crush of kids around the birthday boy - so smart!
Friday, January 1, 2016
New Years Day
Happy New Year everyone! Hope you had a great celebration with your friends and family.
Did you set some resolutions? I always set a few in my head each year, then somehow conveniently 'forget' about them by mid-January. I'm trying something new this year and actually wrote down a few resolutions. One of them may make you happy - I'm going to try really hard to stay current on the blog. Keep your fingers crossed!
The first day of 2016 was great for us. We spent the entire day in our PJs and had lots of fun together. The day started with the Rose Bowl parade - the boys partially watched while they played and certain floats (Disney!) got their attention more than others.
While we watched, Scott and I made butternut squash soup, and it turned out great! We're avoiding high fat foods so he can get his tummy re-trained to life without his gallbladder. We had a butternut squash in the pantry, and this seemed like a good way to use it up, since our typical go-to preparation is roasting it with butter and brown sugar. :)
I wanted to sneak in front of them to get a photo of the checkers game; however, I knew I would ruin it, so this will have to do. They're both getting pretty good at checkers and mostly follow the rules.
After lunch (the soup was delish), we played Race to the Treasure. It's such a fun game, and the boys love it because we're all on the same team which means no one is disappointed at the end. We were initially going to play Candy Land, but then Karsten remembered that we would play against each other, so he changed his mind and asked Liam if we could play Race to the Treasure.
If you have little ones, I would totally check it out. It's lots of fun and holds their attention for a long time!
After lunch, the boys had quiet time (much to their disappointment). I knew I only had an hour since they likely wouldn't fall asleep, so I worked super fast to sort their school papers into three piles - keep, recycle, and photograph then recycle. I'm much better at the process than I once was - the first few times Scott had to help me narrow the keep pile substantially. Now I put more things in the photograph pile and less in the keep pile.
Once I have the keep pile, I put them into the folder for that school year. I used these super cute printables from I Heart Organizing to create school totes for each of the boys. Once the papers are in there and I have their school pictures added to the front of the folder, it makes me so happy. I love organizing. :)
As predicted, these two cuties did not nap and when their hour was up, they remembered that I had promised we could make muffins. Liam reminded us that we needed to get our aprons on - thanks to Grandma and Papa for the boys' super cool aprons. I have a feeling they're going to get a lot of use!
While I was taking their photo, Karsten said 'NO, let's take a selfie with you in it!'. Hard to resist that request even though I was not planning on sharing a photo of myself with you all.
Both boys love to cook - things take a bit longer when they're helping, but I love that they enjoy it, and I hope they continue to want to help as they get older.
When they're both helping, the key to happiness for all is to make sure everyone has a job. Here, Liam is mixing all of the ingredients and Karsten is helping me get peanut butter measured. I tried a new recipe for the peanut butter chocolate chip zuchinni muffins and they turned out great!
After muffins, the boys played while Scott and I got some odds and ends done around the house. My goal for the holidays is always to get caught up on the things that I slack on during the year. I'm happy to report that we've made it most of the way through that list - hopefully the last few items will get wrapped up this weekend!
After dinner (thankfully Scott's cooking again after his surgery), Liam was trying to decide what he would have for dessert, and he pulled this Hershey's Kiss out of his bag and said 'I'm saving this for when I get 7.' I asked if he was waiting until he turned 7 years old or until he had 7 kisses, and he confirmed he was waiting until he turned 7. :)
After snuggling together to watch a few episodes of Paw Patrol (thanks Santa for that stocking stuffer!), the boys were off to bed!
Did you set some resolutions? I always set a few in my head each year, then somehow conveniently 'forget' about them by mid-January. I'm trying something new this year and actually wrote down a few resolutions. One of them may make you happy - I'm going to try really hard to stay current on the blog. Keep your fingers crossed!
The first day of 2016 was great for us. We spent the entire day in our PJs and had lots of fun together. The day started with the Rose Bowl parade - the boys partially watched while they played and certain floats (Disney!) got their attention more than others.
While we watched, Scott and I made butternut squash soup, and it turned out great! We're avoiding high fat foods so he can get his tummy re-trained to life without his gallbladder. We had a butternut squash in the pantry, and this seemed like a good way to use it up, since our typical go-to preparation is roasting it with butter and brown sugar. :)
I wanted to sneak in front of them to get a photo of the checkers game; however, I knew I would ruin it, so this will have to do. They're both getting pretty good at checkers and mostly follow the rules.
After lunch (the soup was delish), we played Race to the Treasure. It's such a fun game, and the boys love it because we're all on the same team which means no one is disappointed at the end. We were initially going to play Candy Land, but then Karsten remembered that we would play against each other, so he changed his mind and asked Liam if we could play Race to the Treasure.
If you have little ones, I would totally check it out. It's lots of fun and holds their attention for a long time!
After lunch, the boys had quiet time (much to their disappointment). I knew I only had an hour since they likely wouldn't fall asleep, so I worked super fast to sort their school papers into three piles - keep, recycle, and photograph then recycle. I'm much better at the process than I once was - the first few times Scott had to help me narrow the keep pile substantially. Now I put more things in the photograph pile and less in the keep pile.
Once I have the keep pile, I put them into the folder for that school year. I used these super cute printables from I Heart Organizing to create school totes for each of the boys. Once the papers are in there and I have their school pictures added to the front of the folder, it makes me so happy. I love organizing. :)
As predicted, these two cuties did not nap and when their hour was up, they remembered that I had promised we could make muffins. Liam reminded us that we needed to get our aprons on - thanks to Grandma and Papa for the boys' super cool aprons. I have a feeling they're going to get a lot of use!
While I was taking their photo, Karsten said 'NO, let's take a selfie with you in it!'. Hard to resist that request even though I was not planning on sharing a photo of myself with you all.
Both boys love to cook - things take a bit longer when they're helping, but I love that they enjoy it, and I hope they continue to want to help as they get older.
When they're both helping, the key to happiness for all is to make sure everyone has a job. Here, Liam is mixing all of the ingredients and Karsten is helping me get peanut butter measured. I tried a new recipe for the peanut butter chocolate chip zuchinni muffins and they turned out great!
After muffins, the boys played while Scott and I got some odds and ends done around the house. My goal for the holidays is always to get caught up on the things that I slack on during the year. I'm happy to report that we've made it most of the way through that list - hopefully the last few items will get wrapped up this weekend!
After dinner (thankfully Scott's cooking again after his surgery), Liam was trying to decide what he would have for dessert, and he pulled this Hershey's Kiss out of his bag and said 'I'm saving this for when I get 7.' I asked if he was waiting until he turned 7 years old or until he had 7 kisses, and he confirmed he was waiting until he turned 7. :)
After snuggling together to watch a few episodes of Paw Patrol (thanks Santa for that stocking stuffer!), the boys were off to bed!
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