Star of the Week!

Logan was chosen last week to be Star of the Week!  Now, I am not really sure what qualifies him for this special honor.  He explained that it is for those who follow directions, do hips and lips in the hall and who sit criss cross apple sauce on the rug...at any rate, he had a whole week of lavish attention from his classmates and teachers.  It was right up his alley!  I even got to come to the room and read the kids a story.  Of course, the entire time I am there, he is bouncing off the walls and is the only one who won't sit still and listen to the story, the story he picked out. 

The kids made a really cute book about Logan, and each of his classmates wrote a couple of things about him and drew a picture for the book. 

He also got to display this special poster all about himself in the classroom, and I got to eat lunch with him to celebrate!! He was in heaven! 

Congrats, Buddy!  I am proud of your hard work!

Day 6

Today was another service day!  We made a not-so-healthy cake for our local fire department and delivered it!  The guys were very gracious and let the boys go crazy on the engines!!

Ignore Luke's dirty clothes!  He, apparently, really enjoyed is yogurt at lunch!

Thanks guys!  We appreciate all that you do for us!!

And, Zelk the Elf has been a busy guy these days...

...parachuting is not really this thing. 

And, we have discovered that he really likes food!

Happy Elf hunting!

Day 5

This day was about helping out others.  The boys have opportunities throughout the year to donate items they no longer need or use.  That also goes for toys!  Now, I know the picture of Bubba looks really sad, but I should explain that he was upset about a particular toy that was actually broken that we decided it needed to go in the trash.  Both of them were happy to help clean out toys and donate especially "baby" toys that they felt like they had outgrown.  I was proud of their choices and for being so helpful.  Lyndon and I both understand that it is difficult for young children to understand the concept of letting go of their belongings. So, we took our time and discussed each item they chose to donate.  Nothing was forced (despite the sad look on Luke's face), and they were excited to make room for the new stuff coming their way soon!

Day 4

Look who joined our family for Christmas!!

The boys named him Zelk.  I am not sure how they came up with it, but it fits him well!  He has his work cut out for him!  Welcome, Zelk!

Day 3

Day 3 of our 25 was making our almost famous Martha Washington candy.  This candy recipe has been passed down for several generations, and is my dad's absolute favorite candy.  My aunt used to make it for him every year, but I continued the tradition after she passed.  She used to make a tin of these every year and ship them to my dad around Christmas.  So, the boys and I made some tonight to drop in the mail for him this week!  There is NOTHING healthy about this treat.  It calls for sweetened condensed milk and 2 pounds of powdered sugar among butter, coconut and pecans dipped in chocolate!  It is just ridiculous, but there is nothing like it!  I am sure that is why my aunt only made it once a year! 

I will also tell you that mine look really awful.  My aunt had the magic touch, and they looked as perfect as they tasted.  I have the taste down, but my don't look near as pretty!  I would like to tell you that in time, I will perfect it.  However, I have been making these for about 10 years now, and they have not improved.  I only wish I knew her secret! The recipe is below if you so desire to make them!  It is an easy recipe to follow, but it takes a lot of time and patience with the melted chocolate.  I highly recommend a crock pot rather than a double boiler!  

Day 2

Well, I am already behind for the season as it is day three, but I lost the original pics of the boys actually decorating the tree (blame it on zip drives and user error), so I had to just take some of the post-decorate to show you.  So, for day 2 of our 25 days, we decorated the tree!

Luke still has a difficult time with the concept of decorating the entire tree.  You can probably see his "section" on the bottom right.  There is a large cluster.  He was pretty proud of himself!

This is always a fun tradition with the boys!  They get to see all of the ornaments we have collected and which ones belong to them!  I love that they try to put all of the ornaments on one side of the tree in the same spot, so it kind of leans to one side.  I am happy to report that this is the first year since we have had kids that there are no casualties to report! We like to celebrate the little things!

25 Days of Christmas!!

It is that time of year again!  Today marks the start of our annual 25 Days of Christmas.  If you recall last year, I came up with a list of fun-filled Christmas activities and ways to serve during the holidays! 

We started out our day with our Lego Star Wars Advent calendar. Wow, that sounds super nerdy, but these are awesome advent calendars!!

The first item was a red space ship!

The boys also mailed out their letters to Santa! 

Logan got tired of writing, so I had to finish up.  As you can see, they have a lot of questions...we will see if Santa replies!

Happy December 1!!