A Magical New Year's Eve

 We spent our afternoon at the Magic House with these three crazy boys.  It was crowded, just as we expected, but it was fun to get out of the house for a bit of family fun.

There is always some sort of traveling exhibit and right now it was a chess/castle theme.  Max and Dad played a tough game of chess - Dad won, but Max really held his own.

 Will and Jack played in the castle towers.  There were giant chess pieces and Will decided that this pawn made a better cannon.

  The bubble room is always fun.  Both big boys tried their hand at surrounding themselves with a giant bubble.  They didn't get too much past their knees.  It's tough!  Jack and I tried too, but Jack kept popping the bubble with his finger.

He totally got the hang of using this pipe to make dome bubble and would get so excited each time he made a new giant dome.  By the end of his bubble time he was soaked.  After the Magic House we came home for some downtime before dinner.  As I type the boys are all bathed and in their jammies watching the Lego movie.  There is a batch of chex mix in the oven and a bottle of sparkling grape juice in the fridge.  The perfect end to our magical new years eve!  Happy New Year everyone!

Christmas Day

Oh what a wonderful Christmas morning!  Nonna and Nonno joined us bright and early as we celebrated Jesus' birthday together as a family.  Our super sweet 90 year old neighbor had even gifted us with Happy Birthday Jesus cups to use for the occasion!

 Duke was glad to be celebrating with us in his forever home.  No more shelter holiday's for his guy.  I just love the look on every face in this picture.  The boys just love Duke - and he loves them too!

 Th presents from Santa were huge hits!  William got his very own grown up ipad (AKA a kids kindle fire).  He loves it.

 Max got a new game for his Wii U and Jack got a super cool magic sketch board that he just loves.

 Dad got his amazon fire stick and Mom got tickets to a play at The Rep - Duke also somehow wrapped up a roll of paper towels for mom to use as needed.

Shutterfly books all around were the big gift from mom and dad.  I just love these books - and the boys really do love reading all about themselves.  After breakfast we had a nice quiet day at home before we headed over to see Grandma and Grandpa for dinner.  I have no idea how I took no pictures!  I'm so disappointed in myself.  It was the perfect end to our perfect celebration.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Eve

For as long as I can remember my entire family gets together for Christmas Eve.  Some of my favorite childhood memories are from these celebrations, and I love that my kids now get to enjoy them.  With a few extra fun perks thrown in - I'm not sure why Santa never showed up when I was little :)

 After a fabulous dinner the kids were ready to get the real party started, with some reindeer food.

 They were pretty sure it would do the trick and before we knew it the big guy in red arrived at the front door!

 They boys were super excited - I love the way William is eyeing Santa's bag.  He was pretty sure there was something in that bag for him!

Max played it a bit cool, but he was super excited with his new watch from Santa.

 As usual William had plenty to say to Santa - and pretty much everyone else.  Jack was a bit shy, but he warmed up when he realized that Santa had a present for him!

 Will also got a watch and Jack was super thrilled to get a Super Why puzzle.  He loves all things Super Why!

He was even willing to give Santa a big old hug after he opened his present.  Too sweet!

After the highlight of Santa it was time for presents - and I have to say that I was sooooo excited to gift this quilt to my Aunt Carm!  I think she likes it :)

Another Christmas Eve celebration int he books.  Each year brings new fun and new joy.  I can't believe how old our boys are getting.  They may make it near impossible to take a decent picture, but oh my how I love them!

Christmas Traditions - Hanging Lights

One day after school the calendar told the boys that they got to hand up the outdoor Christmas lights.  It was ridiculous just how excited they were to do this simple task.

  I will be the first to admit that our house won't win any decorating awards, but they loved doing it almost all by themselves.  The holidays are so much more fun with them boys!

Talented Max

We love our school district.  It is an amazing place.  Every third grader has the opportunity to learn to play the violin.  A week before break I was able to go up and hear all that Max has learned - and it was perfect!

The kids know all about how to set up their violin and make sure it is ready to be played.

 He was so proud of himself!  Music hasn't really been Max's thing, but he loves his strings class.  Every day when I pick the boys up from school I ask them about their favorite part of the day - Max is always learning a new song in strings.

 Next year strings is optional.  I know that Max plans on continuing with some sort of string instrument - he is excited that he gets to pick!

Meet Duke

 We promised our sweet Sierra that we would adopt another dog in her honor.  Meet Duke the dog.  He is pretty darn sweet.  He came from the same shelter where we found Sierra back in 2005.  It is a no kill shelter and they really get to know there dogs.

 We had visited one Sunday and didn't see anyone that fit the bill.  I talked to one of the shelter workers the following week and explained what what were were looking for - a sweet, not too high energy dog, that is great with kids and cats.  It was a hard one to fit, but she immediately said that sounds like Jethro.  Jack and I made the trek out to meet Jethro Wednesday afternoon. We fell in love.  On Sunday the whole family drove out to meet him and everyone else fell in love too.

 So Jethro is now Duke.  William named him after the head construction dog in his favorite series of books.  Max had picked out the girl dog name.  All three boys love him to pieces.  We are so proud of how Max and William have stepped up to take such good care of Duke.  He has more energy than Sierra did so that means he needs to go out more.  Max and William take him out together for a walk four houses down several times a day.  Max is in charge of the leash and William acts as the pooper scooper - which he thinks is awesome.

Duke is loving life with our family.  There have been a few issues - more accidents than we anticipated and one awful night of barking/whining, but other than that he is pretty amazing.  I know Sierra is up there in doggy heaven smiling down on our newest family member.

Jack's Christmas Program

  The Tuesday before Christmas I headed over to Jack's preschool to watch his Christmas program.  It was pretty cute.  He looked so sweet in his 'handsome' sweater.  I could just eat him up.

 The transition to preschool has been tough for our littlest man.  We are actually changing things around a bit after winter break to see if we can help him be a bit more successful at school.  We know he is amazing in every conceivable way - he just needs to show it to his teachers as well.  

We will miss you Sierra!

It's been a tough week in our household.  Sierra made her way to doggy heaven on Wednesday evening - with mommy and daddy talking to her and petting her until she took her last breath in this world.  We are heartbroken over the loss of our sweet Sierra Bo Berra.  But at the same time we are so grateful for the nearly 12 years she was part of our family.

Max and Sierra

William and Sierra

Jack and Sierra

 Enjoy doggy heaven pretty girl!