Friday: Christmas chains

Today we had some friends over and we made Christmas chains.  It was a pretty good activity in that it was pretty easy.  The youngest ones put some stickers on, stapled the ends together, and were done.  The older ones did a bit more...either more decorating or more cutting or more caring about how it looked...so it took them a bit longer but still not too long.

Afterwards we took a quick trip to the library and then had lunch.  Joshua took a long nap, which means I did too.  :)  The boys took a bath.  Then it was time to get the mail and trash container, and I wished it was summer again.  Both boys wanted to come outside with me.  So we put on boots and coats and hats and mittens, all for a two minute trip outside. :p

And then Ben was home!

The day obviously didn't end there, but getting to that milestone in the day is wonderful.  Not only is he home, but it's time to eat!  And we have a routine that keeps us more or less occupied until bedtime.

Thursday: silly sheep

Christmas magic strikes again!  The sheep is trying to eat the graham cracker house.

Wednesday: cute overload

Ethan and Isaac have the same shirt, so obviously we needed to take a picture of them both wearing it.  Just continuing the tradition.

Joshua and Leah also got their picture taken.  Joshua was not happy about it.

Also cute: Isaac putting chap stick on Joshua.
Also cute: Joshua standing on a step stool trying to get the tasty for tasty water.  He was jumping trying to get it, but wasn't even close.  "Can't!"  Jumped again.  "Can't"

Tuesday: school pictures

School pictures came back today.  They turned out very nice.  I do wish that Joshua's sleeves had been rolled back down though.

(Sunday)/Monday: snow in Joshua's eyes

"Messy mittens" as he plays in the snow.

"Messy house, messy house, messy house, messy house, " as we drive through the snow covered neighborhood.

59 months

Isaac turned 59 months last week.  I took the pictures on time but then didn't post because other things have been interesting.

When he grows up, he wants to be a big puppy dog.  When I asked him how far he thinks he could run, he thought he could get to church.  (This might be just a bit ambitious, but not much.  It was a well thought out answer.)

He loves being silly and playing and running.  He likes to give out treats, "just because I love you."  He likes school, can read some words (although I'm not sure he realizes he's reading them), and sometimes remembers 20 and 30 when counting.  He knows the prefixes for many big numbers (like sixty).

I've blown his mind by telling him there weren't cars 100 years ago.  I shocked him into silence when I told him he wouldn't have to take naps in kindergarten. 

He comes up with the craziest things.  Above his is Duploface.  He has asked what we would do if Joshua made his bedroom so messy that we couldn't get in it.  What if milk was pouring from the ceiling?  What if there was only one car in the city?  I still also love to see his bedroom after quiet time...I'm never sure what I'm going to find.

We're still working on not crying over every little thing, but for the most part he's been doing a pretty good job.

He is a very easy kid to make happy.  He loves going places, especially CC's house, Grandma's house, Ethan's house, to the playground, or any other fun spot.  If those fail, you can give him treats.  He has a mailbox in his bedroom that he put there a while ago, but he still loves getting stuff.  Candy is the easiest thing to give him.

Saturday: graham cracker houses

We made graham cracker houses today.

Joshua barely got through making his base.  He just wanted to eat graham crackers.  His is on the right.  I did a pretty easy structure next to Joshua.  Ben did a house with a corner and a slanted roof, and Isaac did "the biggest".  There are some spools inside his to support the roof. Isaac did about half of his by himself, but needed some help with the sides and top.

Joshua did much better with decorating. :)  I slabbed some frosting on the sides and he put candy on.

I put a lot of candy on like Joshua, but was slightly more controlled and methodical.  I mainly put on the things I want to eat later.

Ben decorated his like a house.

And Isaac had a story with his.  The candy corns are people going up on the roof.  (Once they're on the roof, they need to lie on their bellies, either so they don't fall off or through the roof.)  The door is on the roof.  There is a snow pile with a light pole, like I have.  There is a ladder to the roof and a barrel on the side of the house.  (Literally.  He frostinged it to the side.)