Christmas Eve

Christmas seemed to sneak upon us pretty quick this year. We got a Christmas tree and decorated, which the boys LOVED! Our tree looked a little silly because the top half was covered with ornaments while the bottom half only had lights. I am assuming that is how it will be for at least the next five years so we are just getting use to that.

Christmas Eve we had Jeff, Jessica, the kids and the missionaries over for dinner and fun. I was still fighting the "flu bug" I got at the beginning of the month and was not feeling well. For dinner we made a yummy roast, rolls, veggies, salad and a sprite/sherbet drink. I think everyone enjoyed it. I on the other hand did not. The smell of the meat cooking made me sick and shortly after eating carrots and having some drink, ran upstairs to throw up!

One thing I do love about the holiday season is baking. This year we seemed to be too busy so the only time I got to make sugar cookies was Christmas Eve. I thought it would be something fun for the kids to do after dinner. They seemed to enjoy decorating cookies for Santa, the missionaries even joined in on the fun and made some cute cookies.

The Missionaries showing off their fancy cookies.

Jake wanted to make sure the cookies were safe for Santa to eat. Good job decorating!

Jace was concentrating very hard on getting that frosting on just right!
Looks like Sebastien liked decorating too.
Sebastien and Jake eating frosting and having lots of fun.

After the cookie fun, the missionaries shared a very special message with us. They talked about the birth of our Savior and the TRUE meaning of Christmas. I know my boys didn't understand the whole thing but they laid on the floor with their cousins at least pretending to understand. It was another great night with the missionaries and after their message they had to leave.

Jadyn, Sebastien, Jake and Jace listening very carefully to the missionaries talk about Jesus.

I really wanted to continue with the Christmas Eve tradition of playing the dollar game. Jeff and Jessica brought the gifts and we all sat around in a circle to play. I never thought that game could be a quick one. Growing up it always lasted for at least 30 minutes and I think we were done this year in 8. Everyone still had a lot of fun, maybe next year we will have more family around to celebrate with. Jeff, Jessica and the kids had to head home shortly after our game because it was late and they still had about a two hour drive home.

We did our own little family thing before going to bed and let the boys open up their Christmas jammies. They were so cute and very excited for Santa to come. Sebastien had a hard time staying in his bed because he wanted to see Santa and we ending up having to put the baby gate up in his doorway.

Sebastien was too excited about opening his present to look at the camera. I think you can still see how excited he really was.

Manti had no problem smiling at the camera.

Here are the boys showing off their jammies. So cute boys, now time for BED!

Once the boys were asleep some friends came over to hang out and help wrap the final presents. We had such a great time visiting with them and are very thankful for the friends they have become.

December Happenings

This was not the best month, for me anyway. December 1st I woke up and felt so awful. I had the worst headache, was completely exhausted and felt so sick to my stomach. The flu!! I was the only one in the family to NOT get the flu shot and knew this had to be my punishment. I honestly did not know how I was going to be able to take care of the boys. Troy was suppose to be out in the missile field and I knew my mom wasn't close enough to come bail be out. We must have had snow that day or something because at 10:30 Troy walked in the door and said their job had been canceled. Thank goodness!! My prince charming had come to save the day. Needless to say, all I did was rest.

A few days later our ward had a playgroup set up to decorate gingerbread houses. I still didn't feel the greatest but knew the boys would love it and I kind of felt I owed it to them. Sebastien LOVED all the bowls of candy to choose from and Manti wasn't disappointed either, he got to sample all the candy Sebastien chose when I wasn't looking. It was a great way to break up the sick days.


These are a few pictures I got of Sebastien's creation. He loved showing it off to daddy so I know it would be happy to show it off to you. We never finished eating it but the pieces we did get to enjoy were sure yummy!

The next weekend, the base had a tree lighting ceremony with an appearance from Santa so we planned on going to that. Still feeling a little crummy I followed through with my promise to the boys and took them even though Troy was working. We got to sing Christmas songs, watch all the lights get turned on and see Santa! Santa came riding in on a firetruck which was an added bonus. He even walked right by us and the boys went wild!

Here is Santa after he got off the firetruck and said hello to most of the kids.

This was the best picture we could get of Santa's fancy ride. Good thing there was a reflection so you can see it better.

With it being December, we ran into Santa all over. We saw him at the commissary, the mall, the tree lighting (above) and at a party we went to. The boys did great with Santa every time they saw him. I was very impressed and of course had to get pictures EVERY time. As you can imagine, we got a few pictures of the boys and Santa this year.

This is the boys with Santa at the mall. It was cold and snowy that day so they are wearing their snow pants. They loved the reindeer hats Santa gave them even though Manti's didn't stay together long enough to get off Santa's lap.

Here is Manti with Santa at a Christmas party we went to. It was so cool because Santa even brought all the little kids presents. Manti got a cool puzzle that he loves and almost has it all figured out now.

Here is Sebastien with Santa. I think I took the picture as Santa was putting Sebastien down but at least we got one. Sebastien was very excited about his present. He couldn't wait to open it so when the time finally came, he was even more excited to see it was a Lightning McQueen car! Yay, great job Santa!

This is Santa at the commissary. They had this cool chair set up for him made out of cases of soda. Isn't it cool! I think Santa even gave the boys a bag of treats too which made the shopping trip even better for them.

This is just a close up shot of the boys and Santa. I wish Sebastien wouldn't have put his hands in his mouth right when the flash went off.

Another fun thing we did this month was we drove down to Loveland, CO to meet Jeff, Jessica and the kids for lunch. The boys are always extremely excited when I tell them we are going to see their cousins. The boys watched a movie while I drove (of course, Troy was working that Saturday). It is very nice to have a dvd player in the car, it makes road trips so much more enjoyable. :) We ended up eating at Red Robin which the boys love because of the balloons and tv's in the floor. They have some benches right outside the restaurant and I got a couple pictures of the boys. Sebastien was too anxious to go inside and kept playing by the door. I told him over and over to move because people won't see him. He eventually learned his lesson and not in a good way. As he was standing right by the door a guy came out of the restaurant in a hurry and just plowed right over Sebastien. He felt so bad but at the same time it was the only way Sebastien would figure out that what I was telling him was true and I wasn't just being a nagging mom. He ended up with a couple of scrapes, bruises and a little blood. As soon as he saw his cousins he started to forget about his battle wounds. Maybe next time he will listen!
I thought I had taken pictures of both boys but I guess not. Here is Manti sitting on the bench waiting to eat! He doesn't look too happy but I promise he was.

We thought about sending the boys of to Ganma and Ganpa for Christmas but the box we had was just a tad bit small. The boys had fun playing in it anyway. Then again, what two year old and 17th month old wouldn't like that??

We could not get them both to look at the same time! Still cute boys and you can tell they enjoyed this. It was actually quite the fight to get them out of the box and clean up. No surprise there, right?

We have a lot to post about Christmas so look for a post all about that to come later. We hope your December was full of fun like ours!

November Happenings

We started off November babysitting for some friends up here. They were taking a trip for a week and asked that we take care if their 3 kids. I will admit, I was really nervous about it at first. The thought of 5 kids and a dog scared me. I had babysat my nieces and nephews before but it is different when it is family you are babysitting. As we got to know the kids more I got really excited because they were so fun and Sebastien loved playing with them. It was a lot of fun getting them up in the mornings, taking them to school and to their after school activities. I felt so motivated and more productive having places to be. Manti LOVED their dog. The poor thing was probably so glad when we left, she could actually walk around without Manti following her every move. I think after that week, I am confident I could handle 5 of my own! Now I just have to get Troy on board for that....:)

We spent the next week getting the boys back into their normal routine...being stuck at home with me! Sebastien asked everyday why we couldn't go back to the "girls'" house. I am sure if Manti was talking more, he would have been saying the same things.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with some good friends and had a wonderful meal. Tons and tons of food, but it was yummy! After eating, we of course HAD to watch the Cowboys game. Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete if we didn't support Troy's favorite team. He has even convinced Sebastien that "Dallas" is the best on earth. Silly boy, he has SO MUCH to learn! Ha!

The Saturday after Thanksgiving we attended the annual Cheyenne Christmas parade. It is always very cold but we just layered up. The boys had three or four layers of clothes on, piled in the wagon covered in blankets and then had blankets draped over the sides to block the wind. Pretty spoiled huh? :) They had so much fun waving to all the people and seeing vehicles covered in Christmas lights. I think next year we will pass on this event. As much fun as it can be, I don't think I want to do it again. Two years in a row is enough for me.

I am sure people were wondering what the heck Troy and I were pulling behind us.

Once we found a good spot to park, we unveiled our cute surprise. The boys had so many people jealous of their set-up, me being one of them! :)

One of the best things to see that night. Sebastien really, really wanted to ride in the train. Maybe next year buddy.

This was one of Manti's favorites of the night. He really loved all of the big trucks, this was just the only one I got a good picture of.

I think this was at the beginning of the parade and a great way to start. It was so lit up and really got the boys attention.

Another family favorite. This airplane is done by the Wyoming Air National Guard. After the parade, they set it up at the main entrance on the guard base. I don't think we ever saw it lit up after this night though, bummer!

As we loaded up to head home, we got a nice gentlemen to take a picture of our family. I think Troy and I were beyond freezing at this point so we were just ready to beat the crowd and head home. Although it was so cold, it is a great family event and we always have a fun time.

Missionaries

We love having the opportunity to have the missionaries over for dinner. They are always so much fun and have great messages. They are very good about having kid-friendly lessons and involving the whole family. One night, they shared a little lesson about "Wearing the Armor of God". As they were sharing their message, they pulled out a helmet, shield, breastplate and sword and let Sebastien put them on. He was so excited and even let me take a few pictures. We feel so blessed to have the missionaries in our home and are very thankful for the examples they are to us and our boys.

Here is Sebastien showing off his new gear with the missionaries. He is so proud!

Manti wanted a turn too but would only let us put the helmet on. Still cute though.

Sebastien was so into the lesson the missionaries shared that after they left he went into the kitchen and came out wearing the silver bowl on his head.

He even tried sharing with Manti but Manti was not as excited about it. Funny boys.

Leaves

Our last outdoor activity before the snow storms....

We raked up a pile of leaves...
Sebastien found a tree branch and tried planting it in the pile of leaves...
Took a break from trying to plant the tree branch to swinging it around....

Manti was not sure what to think about the leaves...
His final decision.....he HATES it!!!

BOO-ED!

We are a little slow in posting this one but I was going through pictures and wanted to jot this down. During the month of October, we were suppose to have a knock on our door and have a plate of brownies on our door step, leaving us wondering who left the yummy treats. I say "suppose to" because the night they came over, the boys and I were in the garage riding bikes and ruined their surprise! Their little boy was so bummed because he was so excited to ring the doorbell and RUN! Of course it was the ONE night we decided to wait outside for daddy to get home from work. These were the instructions left for us....

You've Been Boo-ed!The phantom ghost has come to town

To leave some goodies... I see you've found.

If you wish to make this a happier fall...

Continue this greeting, this phantom call.

First, post this Phantom where it can be seen,

And leave it there until Halloween.

This will scare other Phantoms who may visit.

Be sure to participate, you don't want to miss it!

Second, make two treats & two copies from

http://www.beenbooed.com/

Deliver them to two neighbors, try to stay calm.

Don't let them see you, be sneaky, no doubt

And make sure they put their Phantom Ghost out!

Next, you have only one day to act, so be quick!

Leave it at doors where the Phantom hasn't hit.

Deliver at dark when there isn't much light...

Ring the doorbell and run, and stay out of sight!!

And last, but not least, come join in the season.

Don't worry, be happy, you need no good reason.

This is all in good fun and we are just trying to say...

Happy Halloween & Have a Great Day!

I was so excited to do this, the boys and I went out to Hobby Lobby and found some cute Halloween paper and came up with this.....

We made rice krispie treats with Halloween sprinkles, cut in the shapes of pumpkins and added little boxes of "dots"

Here is our delivery boy. He did NOT want to be recognized!

It has begun...

...and by that I mean POTTY TRAINING! We started back in September and Sebastien was doing really well. I have been printing off FREE potty charts and anytime he uses the potty, he gets to put stickers on it. When the potty chart is full, he gets a surprise. We have had a few poop incidents but that is bound to happen.

One day, I ran upstairs to get his "big boy" underwear and when I came back down, he was standing in the middle of the room saying "Mommy.....Mommy" I looked and sure enough there was a trail of little poopies on the floor leading to the bathroom. It was funny yet gross at the same time. I guess I better be prepared for many more of those moments.

Since the end of September, we have been so busy and have not been consistent with it. My goal this week is to get him back in the swing of things and see if I can't get him doing it by the end of the month! Any of you mothers out there that have "been there and done that", please feel free to leave advice on how to get it done fast. I would really like to not have to buy anymore diapers for him, I know he can do it!

Showing off all the stickers on his potty chart.

He was super excited because we were going to go buy him a new train.

Check it out! This one was filled up in just two days. Good job buddy!

He loves running around in his big boy underwear. Plus, I think it is just so cute!

This has NOTHING to do with potty training, I just found it and thought it was really funny. He just wanted to smell like daddy.