tree time

Joel had to work today, so there was no Black Friday shopping for me. Instead, the boys and I turned on some Christmas music, spent the whole day in our pajamas, and decorated the house. Eli has been super excited to put up the tree. He was in charge of the directions, and hung most of the ornaments while Noah was content playing in the tree box (he did help sort branches for a little while). While I was putting the lights on the tree, the boys were getting restless, and I started getting frustrated with them. Then, it made me laugh a little. I remember how excited I was to decorate our tree every year, but I really remember how much I hated waiting for Dad to get those lights on!

*Eli wants to paint the star gold because "stars are gold, not bronze".

trying to get a family picture

Obviously, it was not working.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Holiday Lights Parade

It is not a secret that I am not a big fan of parades, so naturally one in the cold doesn't appeal to me. However, for the end of November, yesterday's weather was perfect. With a little push from Erin, Craig and Jen, I decided to brave the cold with the boys and head out to the annual Holiday Lights parade. Craig and Jen picked us up. We grabbed a pizza, and we had a little picnic on the street while we waited for the parade to begin. Erin had parent-teacher conferences, but Joe, Jack and Ella were able to meet up with us. The kids had a great time, and I must admit...I'm glad we went. Noah diving for candy.
*pictures stolen from Jen; I left my camera in the car

Eli's camoflaging game

Can you spot the 3 plastic animals on the snake book? Eli will still hang out in his room during nap time and use his leapster, read, or play. Today I went to see what he was up to, and he had a bunch of these little plastic animals in his bed along with many stuffed animals and other toys. He said, "Mom, can you find all of the little animals? Some are hiding and some are blending in."

Update

I have very little to report! Let's see..... This morning I noticed that one of the rugs in the boys' bathroom was missing. I went searching in all of the possible places Joel could've hung it (he must've washed it, right?). I couldn't find it, so I went to the next most logical place. When I asked Noah about it, he smiled, looked down, and did one of those things where you kinda cough and give the answer at the same time. Sure enough, the rug was in the hall closet. Why wouldn't it be????
I went to help in Eli's classroom last week. Mrs. Henning informed me that the reading teacher had taken Eli out of the room the day before, so he could read with her. They stopped at a high first grade level, and he was reading with 99% accuracy. Mrs. Henning was very excited. I was thinking that he has to be reading at a higher level. Then, she explained that Eli wanted to go back to his room because he was worried that he'd miss snack. In her mind, this means he is just a 5 year old boy who wants to be with his class. Um...Eli would pick snack over ANYTHING!!

Grandma visit

We picked up Eli from school on Friday and drove to Grandma Cathy's. Many believe we are crazy to spend 14 hours in the car over a weekend. However, the reality is that 7 hours in the car with the boys is much more peaceful than 7 hours at home with them. Plus, being spoiled by Grandma for a couple of days is totally worth it! The 70 degree weather was an added bonus, and we even got to spend some time with our favorite Iowa friends! Thanks for everything Grandma! We love you!