Family Fun at Christmas Time!

     Whew!  We are winding down a very busy holiday season here at our house!  This has been a crazier time than usual around here--and that's saying something!  With the Christmas festivities, school-break projects, doctor visits (for the upcoming arrival), and various other activities, we have been going what seems like non-stop for the past two weeks!

     Activities we have taken part in began early for us this December.  One of the first holiday activities we take part in is the local Christmas parade.  We have gotten involved in this through Scouting, and the boys look forward to being in the parade and throwing candy to the on-lookers!  (Mommy looks forward to getting rid of all the candy that has accumulated in the house!)  So, Daddy and the boys suited up and did the parade thing, and Mommy and Stitch watched with our friends on the sidelines!  (And collected yet more candy.  I told the boys that the only rule was that we come back with less candy than we brought--and we did! Yay!)  Here are a couple of pics from the parade...

Levi all bundled up and ready to watch the parade!

Here's your candy!  :)  

     Right after the Christmas parade, we headed over to Baby A's first birthday party!  It's hard to believe that just a year ago, she was fighting hard in the NICU to come home and be with her mommy and daddy!  The boys, especially Stitch, love their baby cousin, and she getting big enough now to enjoy them as well!  It was a fun birthday party--with one special announcement--Baby A is going to be a big sister!!  Her mommy helped her open this very special present to announce this happy news!  (Although, you can see from the corner of the picture that Baby A was more impressed with her other things!) 

A new baby is coming!  :)

     In the midst of all these fun activities, we still have to have school!  Although, it's not all work all the time!  The students worked hard in the first quarter and all of them made Honor Roll.  So, we planned a fun Honor Roll field trip to Chuck E. Cheese!  They all seemed to have a lot of fun, and earned lots of tickets for some fun prizes.  The only problem is--what are we going to come up with for the next one?? 

First-Born & Middle Biscuit playing a flying game.

Stitch concentrating on riding his police motorcycle!  

     After some other fun school activities, it was finally time for Christmas break!  The boys were looking forward to it, and so were Mommy and Daddy!  We were able to enjoy some get-togethers with extended family, and then it was time to gear up for the big day!  We enjoyed a lazy Christmas morning before packing up and heading to the grandparent's house for more celebrations. 

All dressed up and looking handsome!  (When I pulled Stitch's outfit out of the closet that morning, he took one look at it and said "Uh-uh, no way, I am NOT wearing that!  Mommy firmly convinced him otherwise!)

New Lego Wii game!

Middle Biscuit checking out his new Lego set!

Stitch's current favorite toy!  He had been eyeing this for a while in the store...he loves to play with these imaginext sets.

      The boys were excited about all their gifts, but they were probably the most thrilled about getting their Legos back.  A couple of months ago, Daddy decided to teach a lesson in taking care of our things, so he told the boys that he had to put all the Legos in his room, and they had to spend the next few weeks searching through the house and gathering any stray Legos they could find.  He gave them a nickel apiece for each one they brought to him.  When they had gone several weeks without finding any, he would begin working on a Lego shelf for all their Legos to live on, and they could have them back when the shelf was finished at Christmas time. 

     Well, they continued to find Legos all the way up until Christmas break, so Daddy built the shelf during the break and gave the boys back their Legos on Christmas day.  There are just a few more finishing touches to go before we install our finished project in the toy room.  The boys had to help build and paint the shelf as well.  Daddy hopes that this exercise will help them remember how much work goes into something, and not to be so careless that things are lost or broken.  When everything is set, I'll try to post some pics of the finished project! 

     While the guys were working on their project, Mommy had a big one of her own to tackle--getting the room ready for the new arrival!  Lots of things had to be rearranged, and all the gifts we received needed to be sorted and put away.  Let's just say it is a very big job, and it's not finished yet!  But I have made a good start, and hope to plug away at it in my spare (haha!) time before her arrival.  (Funny aside: I am having dreams now about the baby coming, and when it gets here it's a boy...and I'm freaking out because we have all these girly things ready to go! Although, technically, I guess we are prepared even if there were to be any surprises!)

     One of the last projects that we will work on a little at a time is the after Christmas thank-you notes.  I have a ton to write for the baby gifts received as well as the Christmas gifts.  I will be having the boys write them as well, for the gifts they received.  This is a tradition that has gone somewhat by the way-side, but I think it is still a great tool for teaching gratefulness for blessings received.  (Also, a little extra reading/writing practice never hurt anyone!)  Do any of you still do this with your kiddos? 

     Well, this post has been long, but I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into our holiday season!  Happy 2013, and I hope you are looking forward to a brand new year filled with "Lego" moments!  :)