Wow! What a Christmas

I can't believe Christmas is over- it went by so quickly. We did 4 Christmases - here, Grammy Linda's and Pap Jer's house, G-Gram's house, and Ga-Ga and Pop's house. Of course the boys were blessed with not only the love of our family, but many, many presents - some of which are still waiting to be opened (yes - they were that blessed). Jeremy and I weren't left out of the blessings - we got many nice things - thanks to all. Dana and Nate got us a Garmin - which we used all over the county today in our post-Christmas shopping spree! Have I said thanks yet?
Wow! What a Christmas........one of the best things is we still have 9 more days till work/school resumes, so we'll have plenty of time to test out (and probably wear out) all the gifts!!!

Christmas Tree

Hi All! We went out for our Christmas tree yesterday. We really debated this year what to do because "Wayne the Hurricane" (aka Jude) seems to get into everything. But, we're gonna give him a chance with a real tree and see what happens.

We went to our usual place a couple of miles from our house. We picked a tree that is only about 4 feet tall -we'll see how it looks - we'll probably decorate it tonight (especially if Jackson has any say in it!).

Lights on the Lake

We just got back from Holiday Lights on the Lake @ Lakemont - so cool. Of course we had to stop in the gift shop @ the end! There were a couple of great model train sets that the boys loved! Santa was also there - Jude was so interested, he kept saying, "Ho ho ho!" Jackson wasn't so interested - he said he was too old to sit on Santa's lap.

For Dani and Beth

So after some harassment (he he) for ignoring the blog for a few weeks, I felt I needed to post some updated photos of the boys.

Here, the boys are eating their "bed night snack," as Jackson calls it while watching Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving special. By the way, Thanksgiving was great - we have so much to be thankful for- mainly these 2 little guys!

This is what happens when a teething toddler and an unchaperoned bowl of fruit meet - check out the perfect indentations on the orange - cracks me up!

The boys have taken a liking to reading together - Jackson's reading skills are really coming along and Jude just loves to look through books - especially truck books!

Well, I hope this posting helps all of the daily blog-spotters - I really appologize for not keeping up - it's the end of the semester for all of us (thank goodness)!

Early Thanksgiving

Yesterday Jackson's Kindergarten class performed some Thanksgiving holiday songs and also some Native American chants (hence the outfit) in the school hall. Then we (me, Jeremy, Jude, Ga-Ga, Pop, Grammy Linda, and Pap Jerry) proceeded to the school cafeteria to have Thanksgiving lunch with Jackson. We had a reserved table and some handmade centerpieces. It was so nice - even Jude sat for more than 2 seconds.

No, I Haven't Fallen Off the Face of the Earth

Great news! Kodak sent our camera back today fixed (and best of all free of charge!). It's perfet timing because tomorrow is Jackson's special Kindergarten lunch with a Thanksgiving presentation to follow. I'm sure I'll have some video footage and a slew of photos. Looking forward to it!

1st Haircut

Before Sue stated cutting

During the haircut


All done!

Well, we did it - we got Jude's hair cut. It was getting so long and although we loved the curls, many curls left with the humidity of the summer. He was such a good boy and looks so cute now. He seems to have gone from baby to boy in an instant.

Halloween @ School

Friday was Jackson's Halloween parade and party. He was one of 5 (I think) Batmans in his class. After the parade, the Kindergarten class sang some Halloween songs (like my favorite, 5 Little Pumpkins). Jeremy and I helped with the Halloween party in the gym. We were "Mummy Wrappers" - the kiddos would come in and we'd wrap them in toilet paper and then they'd bust out of it (and then we'd throw it all away - you know that killed us to see all that waste). The 2 masked men above are Jackson and his good buddy Spiderman (aka Andrew).

Batman

Jackson decided upon Batman for this year. We went trick-or-treating yesterday in Loretto. We'll also trick-or-treat @ the mall on Thursday evening. Jackson has a Halloween party and parade @ school on Friday. So there's no shortage on the Halloweening around here!

Nacho Libre

Did you ever wonder what Nacho Libre looked like as a baby? Well, we think we've got a pretty good idea as evidenced by Jude's costume! How funny is this? Thanks to Grammy Linda for the cape and the eye liner for the mustache. This might be the most sugar Jude has ever had.

Railroad Museum

It's been a long time since I've posted, but things have been way busy. Between work, soccer, craft fairs,etc. I just haven't had the time to sit down and put these photos together. These photos are from our little fall fieldtrip to the Altoona Railroader's Memorial Museum. We went last week and had a really great time. This is probably Jackson's 7th visit, but Jude's first. Jude is really into trains - as soon as he sees one, he says, "Chh- Chh."

Just some other highlights of the past week: Soccer season is over and although I loved coaching, I'm kinda glad it's over. Jackson rounded out the season in style - in the last 2 games of the season, he had like 15 goals.........My team was undefeated (although no one was keeping track of who won and who didn't:) Jeremy had his furniture @ the St. Mike's craft festival on Saturday and Sunday - he got a good idea of what kinds of things sell @ craft festivals. He sold a couple of things and has a couple of orders to work on before Christmas!
I broke our camera, so until we get it fixed or get a new one, the blog may be kinda boring for a while. Thanks for reading!

Philly Trip

Wow - what a weekend. We left Thursday afternoon for King of Prussia for the PA Occupational Therapy conference. In between sessions, we were able to sneak in some shopping @ the mall and when we left Saturday, we drove into Philly to see the Liberty Bell (Jackson was calling it the "liverty bell"). We wanted to stay for the Bruce Springsteen concert, but we also wanted to get home, so we left Philly after doing our short history tour. Today we went to the Apple Cider Festival @ Prince Gallitzin State Park, but forgot our camera, so no photos from that :(
We're all sleepy and ready for bed - too bad it's Sunday, we could all use one more day to recoup.......

Lego Store

It was a great weekend in Philly. The highlight was the grand opening of the Lego store in the King of Prussia mall - it couldn't have opened at a better time. We went twice. It was great for Jackson, but Jude liked it too (we just spent a little time putting legos back that Jude pulled out :)

Look What I can do all by Myself!!

So last night we were all in the basement and I was getting Jude's bath ready. Jude usually assists by throwing in all of his bath toys. His assistance went one step further by getting into the tub by himself (and fully clothed). Boy, did we have a laugh over that and Jude knew that it was funny - he kept smiling and laughing. Getting wet clothes off a squirmy boy is a challenge. I never realized how much liquid a diaper can actually hold (when they say 18-24 pounds, they really mean it:)

My Boys

Happy Mom on her birthday. What more can I ask for?

A fun Weekend

So, I turned 33 yesterday and we celebrated this past weekend with a little lunch - thanks everyone for making my day so special! The kids had fun playing -it's been a while since we've gotten together as a family - it felt good!

Jackson and Jeremy made me a little video where all of Jackson's vehicles come onto the screen and then spell out "Happy Birthday Mom" - it was soooooooooo cute. Here's a still shot of it - my favorite part is that the "Y" didn't fit, so it had to go down below. I am sooo lucky to have such a wonderful family.

Advanced vs. Beginner

Jackson wanted to color last evening, so I thought it'd be great to get Jude in on the action too. So I set them both up with a coloring sheet and some crayons. Jackson went about his business and colored this wonderful pumpkin picture, while Jude decided that he'd just eat the crayons! They were some sort of wierd crayon that melted when they got wet - and boy did they get wet. Go figure. I guess they weren't Crayola..........Never a dull moment! I love my boys.

Updates

Well, thanks to Aunt Dana and Uncle Nate, kitty (aka: Sophie) has a wonderful home. AND we found out that he is a "she" - woooops - missed that one!

Jude is climbing on everything - he can get onto any surface he want which has been a real challenge for us - we've got hawk-like eyes!

Jackson is adjusting to school. He's bringing home his school work everyday and man, do they do a lot. He seems to really like being at school - separating from us in the morning has been a little challenging, but it'll all come together! It's great to have him in Loretto with me everyday - when I can, I walk up to get him at the end of the day and we walk back to campus!

Found: One Cute Kitten

Wednesday evening on our way home from soccer practice, we found this preciuos little kitten on our lane. We haven't found his owner, but we may have found a good home for him. Jackson has definitely taken a liking to him, but since we already have a cat, we think someone else should take "Tiger."

You Know it's a Rainy Day When........

You've got curls!

Good bye #5, Hello #6

I can't believe it, but Jackson turned 6 yesterday - Wow! His party theme was Legos! We all had a blast. Thanks to everyone for coming and making Jackson feel like the King of Legoland! This photo is the highlight of the entire party - Grammy Linda's homemade creation. Jackson thought it was great that no other kid in the whole world ever had this birthday cake (although it's so cool that some other grammy might swipe the idea).

Nature Update: Walking Stick

This is the coolest bug we've ever seen - it's called a walking stick. We've only ever seen these in books. Way too cool!

School Days

Well, today was the big day - first day of Kindergarten. Jackson woke up, got a shower, ate breakfast, and was really excited to get going! He was a little nervous about finding his classroom, but when we arrived @ school, his buddies were unloading from their van, so he was able to walk in with them. He had a great day. Let' s hope the good times continue!

Our First Soccer Game!

Our first soccer game was this morning. Our team, the Electic Eels did great. Although there is no winner or loser, my guys kicked 9 goals - Jackson kicking 2 of those. They rocked. They did everything just like they do in practice. The blue jerseys are perfect for the "eels." I was so relieved to be able to rely on the other coach to mentor me through my first game as a coach. I've got it now and I'm ready for next game. We have team pictures on Monday -can't wait to post some!

Ready for School

Jackson had open house for Kindergarten last evening. School starts Monday :)

Sara B Footage

I guess it's OK to post this!

Concert

We're having a great weekend. We left Thursday for Pittsburgh to see Sara Bareillis, Counting Crows, and Maroon 5 in concert @ the Post Gazette Pavilion (Star Lake Ampitheater for those of us who were concert-goers in the early 90s). Sara B. blew our socks off even though she only played 5 songs. She's the entire reason we went to the concert. Counting Crows and M5 were good too. Sara B is supposed to headlining her own tour, so we'll have to follow her! The boys were so good and had a great time too. We stayed in Pittsburgh and I went to a workshop on Friday.

It's Soccer Season

You can call me sucker or Coach Amy - either way I'll answer. I'm coaching Jackson's AYSO soccer team this year. It's really a lot of fun. I have a team of 6 boys who decided that the name of their team is the "Electric Eels." We practice on Mondays and Wednesdays. Our first game is on the 23rd. I'm excited and nervous. I'm surprised at how good these little guys are - they get along and listen so well!

Insect update

Thanks to Grammy Linda who helped us find out that the mysterious moth/bee/hummingbird insect is called a hummingbird moth!

What Kind of Bug?

We have no idea what kind of bug this is - kind of a mix between a humming bird, a moth, and a bee. It's wings fluttered really fast, it had a long snout for sucking nectar, and it was fuzzy?????It was pretty interesting anyway.