Christmas Activities

Here are some things keeping us busy through the month of December. The boys have had a lot of fun, and I'm glad there's so much to keep us out of the house!

Kyler telling Santa he wants a Wild Kratts movie for Christmas.

Not surprisingly, Damon wouldn't get near Santa.

However, decorating cookies is serious business!

Kyler's snowman cookie

Radley had frosting everywhere, but he was one happy little boy!

Playing with warm snow (shaving creme & corn starch).

Decorating some Ninjabread cookies that Oma got the boys.

The kids all liked the cookies; the adults were not so impressed!

Damon loved decorating and eating his too.

I think next time we will just use a sugar cookie dough rather than a gingerbread dough, but I love the cookie cutters!

Radley is so funny on the swings these days.  He will just hang there for a pretty long time.

He walked around for a good 5 minutes with these on.  He was making the funniest faces too, but this is the best shot we got!

We found out that there were carriage rides through a shopping complex, and I thought the boys would love it; so I used the carriage rides as bribery to get through family pictures.  Kyler was so pathetically sad that he had to wait for 10 mins for the next carriage ride.

Radley was a little nervous at first, but he seemed to like it after a while.  I was shocked everyone looked at the camera for this.  (It probably turned out better than our real family pictures)!

All Smiles!

Damon taking pictures.

Posing with the horse.

It was a really fun ride.  I love getting to do this kind of thing with the boys!

We got a gingerbread train kit for Christmas from the Kevin Keys family, and we all had a really good time building it.

I couldn't pass up this cheesy face from Kyler!

Radley sneaking in from behind trying to get the candy.  All he wanted to do was eat the candy!

By this point the train had collapsed, but there was still some decorating to do! 

Radley kept looking at me saying 'cheese.'

It didn't take long for the eating portion of the gingerbread house activity to commence.  Damon didn't even waste energy using his hands.

I think he enjoyed it!

The Farm and The Farmer

A few months ago, I met a really nice older man at the gym that would bring me vegetables and talked to me almost every time I saw him. He said that we should go out to his house as a family, and he would show the boys the farm he lives on. I told one of my friends that, and she said it sounded creepy, but he was such a nice guy, and he wanted Kenney to come with us so I promise it wasn't creepy!

I am so glad we went!  The boys had an absolute blast and Mr. Langston did too!  He was so cute and had the entire afternoon planned.  He started by showing us his porch, where he left his pumpkins and scarecrows out just to show the boys.  He showed them the windmill, and then took us on a ride in his mule (a little farm truck / 4wheeler thing) to the barn where the tractors were.  He let the boys climb in the tractors and even go for a ride.  We then went inside where he had hats set out for the boys to pick out and take home and a goody bag with a ball and key chains inside.  He had cookies and juice ready for them, and then showed them all of the Santa decorations his wife had set out.  I was so impressed he had so much planned for us!  It was so sweet and kind of him.  The boys keep asking to go to the farmer's house again!

This is my favorite picture of the day.  Mr. Langston was so excited to show the boys everything.  He wanted to hold their hands and take them everywhere.

He had to the coolest little tractor the boys could ride like a bike.  It was a hit!

They had to ride the tractor several times before we left too.

Damon tried to keep up, but he mostly just followed Kyler.

The steering was a little off so Damon had a little trouble.

Radley was not about to be left out.  He wanted to ride too!

The windmill was pretty cool.

The boys climbed up on one of the cotton strippers.  The boys loved it!

They all climbed inside the cab with Mr. Langston, and he let them push all kinds of buttons.

I was amazed at how nice those tractors were on the inside.  He said that was an 2006 model and it cost $120,00!  Wow!  He didn't use them much when he farmed.  His son-in-law now farms, but he still helps out.

He started this stripper up for them, but we didn't take it for a ride.

Those tires are even bigger close up!

They were finding all kinds of things to drive.

Mr. Langston explaining all kinds of things about cotton farming.  He was even a gentleman before we came to the barn and got me one of his jackets to wear!

They found another tractor!

Takin' a ride!

Inside Mr. Langston giving the boys hats and goody bags.  Everyone was so happy!  We didn't get pictures of the cookies or Santa Clauses, but we all had a really good time.  I'm not sure if the boys or Mr. Langston had more fun!

Christmas Tree & Snow Cones

Kyler made me feel like a horrible mother last year during Christmas because we didn't have a Christmas tree. He would go into other people's houses and he would say, "We don't have one of those at our house." That was a shot strait to the heart! I still feel bad. However, we didn't have room in our tiny apartment, we weren't going to be here for Christmas, and we didn't even have a tree.  I knew we had to do a tree this year.  A friend of ours gave us a tree, we went to the dollar store to get decorations, and couldn't wait til Daddy got home.  They were all excited and ready to go!

The next day we got free snow cones and the boys thought they were in Heaven.  Kyler had to get a green snow cone, and Damon had to get a blue one.  The boys have been a little obsessed with their favorite cartoon Wild Kratts and have been making me call them Chris (aka Kyler) and Martin (aka Damon).  Chris has a green outfit, and Martin has a blue one.  They only want to wear clothes that are either green or blue and plates, cups, toothbrushes, etc. has to be their color.  It is getting pretty intense!  They even called Oma to ask her to make them Wild Kratt costumes.  They were extra excited to get snow cones in their colors!

Everyone got involved this time.

I agree with Kenney when he said, "I'm so glad they make these ornaments plastic now."

I am so glad we got a tree out this year.

Look at Damon's smile!

The boys are starting to take pictures with the camera now, and they pose for one another.

My attempt to get a picture with all the boys and the tree.

It was obviously not successful.

Damon wanted all of them together.

Kyler was beyond excited and is so ready for Christmas.

Before Kyler moved a lot of Damon's ornaments.

Just a funny shot of Radley hanging out one day!

Radley did not want to share with anyone, but I didn't get him his own.  Luckily he let me sneak a bite or two!

Everyone was happy about snow cones!

Kyler espeically!

Look at that face!

Yep, typical Damon!