Saturday, December 31, 2011

Christmas Day

SANTA CAME!
I'm sure that after this year, the boys have figured out that Santa is a big pushover, because there is no way they were good enough for all of this.
These guitar t-shirts are awesome!
They come with a little amp, and they can actually play different notes. 
I was really impressed with the quality of them, and of course the boys love them. 
Elliott got his "own stooder (scooter)".
Exactly what he asked for! 
And Ethan got the set of "Diary of a Wimpy kid".
He had only asked for one book, so he was extra excited about his gift. 
We were invited to join our friends, The McLean's, in Great Falls for the day. We had an amazing meal, and even better company. Even if it's just a short drive, I was so grateful for the nice weather.
The boys had so much fun playing with their kids. They had real body armor for their Nerf gun war, awesome. 
And we all played some "Wipeout" on the Xbox Kinect. It was fun to watch and play. 
Both kids fell asleep on the way home, so I had a relaxing drive. It was a really fun time. I know I say it all the time, but we have some of the greatest friends.

And now onto 2012. 
Happy New Year!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

gifts

Unfortunately, I cannot remember to check the settings on the camera BEFORE clicking away. Dang.
Elliott's reaction to his new pogo stick was so fun.
Ethan's face makes me laugh. They got a Bop-It. :) 
Hats from Auntie Jaymee. 
Of course they had to wear them the whole next day.  
Grandma and Papa got them each their own drum set for the Wii. And I got a show. 
This gift was my favorite. Not only is it silent, it keeps them both occupied for a long time. Abby and Chris must be getting nervous about paybacks now that they have Henrik. Haha.
We also got a movie gift card from Erica, and Ethan literally squealed with joy. He can't wait to use it, but can't decide what he wants to see. We loved everything we received. Everyone is so thoughtful, and we are so blessed to have you all in our lives. 

I made the boys clean up before they went to bed so that Santa wouldn't trip and break his leg. But Christmas morning ruined that in no time at all. :) That post is next.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Christmas Eve pt 1

Of course the boys wanted to begin the day with gifts, and I'm kind of a sucker, so they got to open one gift. I did have a plan here though, the trip to the mountain needed snacks. Thanks Grandma and Papa. :) 
Ethan got himself ready, and Elliott can't be left behind, so he got himself ready too. 
This was only Ethan's second snowboarding lesson, and where do you suppose his instructor decided to take him............up the GIANT ski lift. So, I was supposed to be okay with the 16 year old instructor, who wasn't responsible enough to pull up his pants, taking my baby boy up on the longest ski lift in sight. Uh, yeah, ok. I was absolutely sick to my stomach when I saw this. 
And it felt like an eternity passed before we finally heard them come around the corner behind us. Don't worry, the instructors friend that went along was 14 1/2 years old, according to Ethan. Yeah, it didn't make me feel much better either. But Ethan looked totally comfortable and not at all like it was his 3rd day on his board.  
He glided down the hill and right past us. 
I was pretty excited for him and I could tell how proud he was of himself. He swears the ski lift was not scary. Whatever kid.
After the lesson, Ethan still wanted to be on the hill. So while he tore up the learners hill, Elliott and I made a snow castle. 
A few pics from the small hill. He was doing amazing. 
He pretty much has complete control of his board. He can turn, stop, and slow down, and he is even aware of what and who is around him. I'm impressed. 
And of course a video.
This was a great way to spend Christmas Eve and I think we should make it a tradition, because soon we will all be going down the slopes. I will be staying on the smaller much shorter lifts though. :) 

Monday, December 26, 2011

gifts i made this year

This year I made several of the gifts we gave. I really believe that things seem much more thoughtful when they are handmade. 
This crayon art was for Elliott's teacher and to say that she loved it is an understatement. Not only that, she thought I really put a lot into it. Haha. 
Abby wants one of these. It's a phone case with a credit card pocket so you don't have to lug a purse everywhere. I'm still looking for the perfect tie to repurpose for hers, but I liked this one and sent it to Ellett. Pretty good first try. 
I saw a sign on Pinterest (and a lot of this other stuff too) that said this, and I knew Jaymee had to have one. It's so them. I got to use my Cricut with vinyl for the first time with this. 
And this one was for Erica.
These simple bracelets are so cute and fun.  
I made this one especially for Abby. It says "Vine Est 2005", the year they were married. 
Then, I teased Ellett that I was going to make leg warmers for LeKyah to wear to dance. So I did. I also made some for Harlo, Everly and Henrik. I love how they all came out. 
I feel terrible when I buy gifts for people who hadn't planned on giving gifts to us. I never buy gifts intending to receive gifts, but because I love the feeling of giving. So this year, I made and gave candy instead. I think it eases the receiver of feeling they should have given to us, but I still get to show my appreciation for their friendship throughout the year. I loved doing this and I got rave reviews. Luckily I have my moms quick and easy recipes that are fool-proof. :) Thanks Mom. 
I had so much fun making gifts this year. I will definitely start earlier next year though. 

Sunday, December 25, 2011

Merry Christmas

We are heading out of town for the day to celebrate Christmas, but I wanted to post a little Instagram love from our weekend.
First, doesn't every kid practice clipping into their snowboard in the living room, in their underwear?
After the gift opening frenzy last night, I got a special performance from my very own rock band. 
Grandma and Papa did a good job.
Elliott got this from Abby and Chris, and he is so in love with it. 
Santa brought real working guitar shirts! 
They even have their own amp. He thinks he's a real rock star now. 
Then we have these. Hats from Jaymee. She's so good to these boys. 
More Christmas posts to come, but this is the start. Thanks to everyone for all of the amazing gifts. We are so lucky and so, so loved. 

Merry Christmas to everyone.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

snowboarding lesson

This morning was Ethan's first snowboarding lesson. Elliott went to spend the morning with Andrea (she's a life saver!). 
Ethan was so excited he didn't stop talking all the way to the ski area (good thing it's pretty close). He thought it was funny that his helmet, goggles and hair all had the same blue/teal color. Ha. 
His instructor was awesome. She was so patient with him, but when she realized how quickly he was catching on, she didn't hold him back.  
This was the first of many falls, but the smile on his face never faded. 
Only about 5 minutes of the technical stuff and they headed up the hill. I was pretty nervous. I could just see him pointing downhill and speeding out of her reach and smashing into the building (dramatic huh?).  
He did SO good. He never lost control, and he was already using his edges on his first trip down. 
You will notice something in pretty much every picture. The determination on his face, well really it's his open mouth and/or tongue sticking out, but I'm calling it determination. :)  
And the smile. He loved every second of it. 
His second trip down, he was turning and stopping. 

After 4-5 times with his instructor, he was on his own. Here he is heading up by himself. 
Then here is his first solo run. Look how proud his instructor was. She couldn't get over how quick he caught on.  
He even did the cones. 
Impressive huh?  
He did awesome for a while....... 
Then he face-planted. :) 
Of course it didn't phase him, and he spent the next 45 minutes going up and down all by himself. 
With his tongue hanging out. 
Then there was this!!! I thought he was going to crash into this 3 year old girl.......... 
but he didn't............ 
he totally saved it. Whew. 
And here is a video of him going all by himself. 
He didn't want to leave, and honestly neither did I. It was so fun to watch him. Lesson 2 is on Saturday, the instructor said they will head up the ski lift to the big hill, not sure if I'm ready for that, but Ethan's excited.