Fun Times

I have to tell you that I have a SUPER PATIENT FAMILY.  I don't know how they arrived with such preparation in their hearts for our two scoundrels, but we had a great time tonight hanging out.  It was a fun photo-taking opportunity, because (until we passed the boys' bedtimes) they were in good spirits and made for great smiling photos.  

Here's my dad checking out a match box car with Danny!  

Look at this face!  You'd never know that he'd been half-wild not two minutes before!!  Don't you just want to kiss those cheeks?
And mom got these adorable coordinating shirts.  How rare is it to catch two brothers smiling at the same time????  
During one obnoxious spell, we sedated them with watching CARS.  Super-fun!!!!
Now, Ray seems quiet with my family, but he can rough-house with these boys like nothing else!!  How fun is this????  The boys were laughing wildly!

But their poppy wasn't the only one getting some lovin'.  My dad got some tackling of his own!

Our two little guys sure are fun.  They CRASHED in the car ride home, and fell straight to sleep as soon as they got into their beds.  I am so grateful for my family.

Davis' Birthday Party Yesterday

Mateo and Danny's number one buddy, who lives down the hill, is Davis.  Yesterday was Davis' super-fun birthday at a place called, "Pump it up."  I think it's absolutely amazing how you can live in a place and as soon as you have kids, you suddenly realize there's all kinds of places around town you'd NEVER noticed before.  Pump It Up is AMAZING.  They have all kinds of blow-up bouncy toys for the kids to exhaust themselves on before the finish up with the grand finale of presents and cake!  Here are a couple of snapshots. 

I LOVE Family

My all-time favorite thing about Christmas is definitely family!  I love getting to see everyone -- getting to see the smiles on their faces as we share presents and time together eating and talking.  I love getting to see everyone all at once, and I hate it when Christmas is over and everyone goes back home. . . 

I have to admit though -- with these little guys, family had an added bonus this year.  LOTS of folks to play with and tucker out the little ones.  Talk about Christmas BREAK!!  Here are a few snapshots from Christmas with the boys enjoying time with family!

Here's my sister, Kimmie, and her hubby "shooting" Danny with his own gun.  He loved showing Uncle Paul how the gun shakes and lights up!  

Here's my sweet dad, reading Mateo the Christmas story in a pop-up book!  

Here's Mateo, helping me unwrap a present!

Seth needs some little boys; let me tell you.  He gave the boys horse-back rides, threw them in the air, tackled them and everything else.  He was all kinds of fun for the boys.

And who wouldn't want to hug on Claire?!

If Danny gets a hug, Mateo should too, right?!

I'm not sure who tuckered who first, but it was fun to watch!  

We had a wonderful, wonderful Christmas.  I hope you did too.

LOVE LOVE LOVE!

Merry Christmas!!!

From our family to yours, Merry Christmas!!

(We'll be back to posting after the holidays!!)

Mateo's First Christmas Pageant

We had no idea that Mateo was going to be in a play.  We went to preschool (we just started Monday, you know), and the teacher, Miss Cindy, said Mateo ought to come THAT NIGHT for the play.  He did great!  It was so much fun.  He was doing all the little hand motions, and waving at me in between the songs.  I LOVE IT.  I have a bunch of cute little video clips of it all.  The first is Mateo coming in and he just realizes as he's passing us that we're all waving!  Cute!!

The second is him getting to "Jingle Bells" with a real set of little bells.

My little man has some serious dance moves and LOVES music, so this whole play was just a blast for him.  He still walks around and does the hand motions for the songs he can remember!  FUN!  I LOVE PRESCHOOL!!!

MOVIE CLIPS

PHOTOS

Here were the professional photos from the day we saw Santa.  They're just an add-on from the other day.  The boys are so incredibly fascinated about this whole Santa thing.  They still somehow think that snow will occur on Christmas day, and after their last foray with the yucky cold and slick conditions, they are still sometimes saying that they don't want Christmas to come yet.  :)  It's pretty cute.  

(As for the pictures below, I LOVE the one that just has Mateo!  PRECIOUS!)

Preschool Success!!

Check out Mateo cheese'n for the camera on his first day of school!!!  His friend, Davis, was having his birthday party celebration before the preschoolers get out for Christmas!  So it was a SUPER-FUN first day of preschool.  Today, being day #2, is also exciting because we found out Mateo is going to be able to participate in the children's Christmas program!  Apparently, from his one school day, he's doing just great and they want him to participate!  How fun is that?!?!

Also, with regard to NAPTIME.

We have moved up to the big-boy category of QUIET HOUR.  And that has been a huge success the past two days.  I get out my yoga mat and he gets a pillow, a blanket, and a huge stack of books to look through.  Then he's quiet until Danny gets up from his nap!  He's been super-compliant, and it still gives me a chance to piddle, close my eyes, or do whatever I need to make it through the next half of the day!

YAY!!  I'm so proud of my little guy!!!!!

Meeting Santa Claus!!

Ray has done a great job of explaining to the boys the story of St. Nick, who brought toys to children to celebrate Jesus' birthday.  The boys are ALL excited about Santa coming and we often talk about the timeline of it all: the cookies on the end table, everyone asleep, Santa through the fireplace, the toys in the stockings. .  . it's pretty cute.  Today, my sweet mom, let us come to an event she organizes for Montgomery County employees where they have breakfast with Santa!  They boys had a BLAST getting to meet Santa, eating pancakes, playing with the toys in the gift Santa gave and playing with all the decorations!  CUTENESS.

The only crumby part was Danny, in all his playing, ran into the table and got a small black eye! NO FUN!!!  He's doing fine now and playing like any other day!  Here's all the fun pictures!

The boys wanted their stuffed Monkey and Turkey to sit with them with Santa!  

Mommy love!  How fun is that??

Here I am with MY mom!  Isn't she pretty?  We look a bit alike, don't we?

Here's my baby getting cheered up after his run-in with the table edge.   Little guy had a tiny swollen bruise in the corner of his eye. 

Here's Danny and I being silly with the Grinch!

What a fun day!

Ray and I even got to have the babysitter come over, eat dinner out together!!!!, finish our Christmas shopping and still have time to hang out after putting the boys to sleep.  

Whoo hoooo!  MERRY CHRISTMAS indeed!!

Preschool Tryouts?

It looks like we are going to try preschool!  Danny's not ready yet, but Mateo appears to be.  He's been going to Children's Church by himself, doing well in Sunday School, and has been asking about going to school with his pal, Davis.  Sooooo . . . . 

Today we went by the preschool to look around and it seemed really great.  As a parent, I appreciated the safety precautions in place.  Mateo, on the other hand, appreciated the big wheels available in the church basement when the park outside was rained or snowed out!  :)  

I REALLY want Mateo to go to preschool.  I want him ready for Kindergarten; I want him to LIKE learning.  I want his English to improve and his social circle to expand.  I love that they do Bible stories and have chapel because I want Mateo to love Jesus.

So get this.

I told Mateo that if he's big enough to go to school, then he's big enough not to need a NAP.

Ray looked at me, and said, "you told him what?!?!"

I admit it.  The afternoon without that one quiet hour will be sorely missed, but what I'm hoping is that it'll keep him wanting to go when he decides he doesn't feel like it one day.

What do you think?  Bad idea?  Good idea?

Mateo LOVED his visit to the school and was quite put out when it was time to leave, so we've signed him up to try out next week before the Christmas break!!!  3 days a week for 3 hours.  Not too bad?  I'll keep you posted!

Merry Christmas!

So ANGEL or LITTLE DEVIL????

Today, Danny comes running in tears holding his head.  Mateo follows and says, "Because I was cleaning the garage and Danny was in the way!"

What do you say to that??

 I thought about saying, 

"Danny, here's an ice pack, baby; 

Mateo, let me show you the attic, closets, and other places no one wants to clean . . . "

KIDDING.  But it was kind of a funny thought.

In other news, we finally took our Christmas photo and I'm super-excited!  If you have been horrendously overlooked in our Christmas card mailing list, please let me know!!  I will remedy the situation ASAP.

Meanwhile, here's a blast from last year in Guatemala!!  

Our First Christmas Parade

Tonight, we ate dinner early and headed over to the market square to see the tree lighting and parade!!  It was eventful and a mixture of fun and misery (it was COLD!).  We got downtown around 5:30, only to find a woman selling light sabers!  Little boys dream of light sabers -- especially if they make noises!!!  So . . .  mommy gave in and we got one.

Mateo was not ready for these shots.  He was trying to talk to me and I was snapping anyway  --please excuse his non-cheasiness. 

Here was the big downtown Christmas tree.  The boys liked the star on top!

We warmed up with some super-fun apple cider!

My little Mateo took this shot of me.  It wasn't bad; I might have a budding photographer!

We were super-happy when our pals Davis and Sarah showed up for the parade!!

(They brought blankets!  I still have lots to learn about being super-prepared

in a more boyscout-like fashion!)

Here's my friend Em, tolerating my need to photograph everything!

I don't know what Noah and the Ark had to do with Christmas, but it was fun!

Here are our fun friends and neighbors, cuddled up, and sticking it out to the end of the parade.

We had to go home and warm up (and start nigh-night!)

Fun fun fun!  

Hubby, we miss you!!  Be safe on your trip, and come home soon!