Merry Christmas!

Anytime the boys get Legos they just about can't stand waiting to put them together.  I try to hold them off as long as possible, especially with long breaks, so we have something to do with our time, but I caved pretty early and we started our week putting them together!

 

Mason and Zane with Legos...Bryce having a tea party for one!

 

The sun made an appearance on Tuesday so we took advantage and went outside!  The boys were begging me to ride their new scooters so we tried them out!  We found out it was sunny...but not so warm!  But it was fun to get out and get some fresh air either way!

 

Happy boys with their new scooters!

Bryce was trying to get away from the camera!

Still trying to get away from me!

Tuesday evening we dressed in our new jammies, and then drove around to look at Christmas lights. After that, we came home to make our Gingerbread Houses.  This year we each made our own, then made one big family one.  I think this will become a fun tradition for us each year!

Left to right - Matt, Amy, Family, Zane, Mason, Bryce

Matt and Mason were the two lone survivors...finishing up the family house.  I was too busy working on my house to take pictures!

Wednesday was Christmas Eve and our day to make cookies for Santa!  We tried a new recipe that didn't require cooling the dough.  These boys don't wait well...and it worked out well!  They were delicious!

Bryce had his own separate bowls of frosting...and none of his were saved.  Lots of licking going on in his spot!  Ha!

Zaners frosting a cookie

Mason's into posing strangely...he was my best helper with the cookies and stuck around the longest to help me finish them all!

Cookie time!

Acting like he was selling slushies...like at a ballgame!

Bryce in on the action...

We went to church Christmas Eve and learned exactly why we always sit in the back row...we had individual candles for the end of the service and at one point, Bryce put the candle in his mouth and took a bite out of it.  He started choking on it and then threw up right on the chair and Matt!  Luckily it was pretty discreet and I don't think many people knew it even happened...but we were so shocked we froze for a second!  I went out to get paper towels and we cleaned it up the best we could, then sprayed the chair and Bryce with some perfume I had in my purse.  I have no idea why he decided to eat it and when I asked him what he thought it was he said "food."

After we got home it didn't take much to get the boys to bed...they knew what was to come!  They went to sleep pretty quickly so Santa could work his magic!

Christmas morning Mason was the first one up.  He came in our room about 6:00 and I told him to lay down with us and we'd wait for everyone to wake up.  We held them off until 8:00 which was pretty good!  Christmas just goes so fast I didn't want it to be over at 6:30 in the morning!



Obligatory Christmas morning stair picture...can you tell Bryce is thrilled?!?

 

Stockings!

Checking out the goods...

Opening stockings from Santa



 

Any time I put a camera to my eye, Bryce stops and says "CHEESE!"

Good for some target practice!

He's growing up so fast!

On Tuesday Zane was trying to help Bryce up on the couch and pulled a little too hard on his arm.  He didn't move it for 2 days!  Look at how we compensated when opening presents...one foot holding the gift while his right hand tore the paper!

This time we had a knee on it!  Thankfully by late morning on Christmas he was moving his arm fine.  We were so worried and were prepared to go to urgent care on Friday!

Zane reading the book I made him (and one for the other two as well)

After we cleaned up, got dressed, and put things away, our guests began arriving.  My parents, Matt's parents, and Adam and Bethany came to spend the day with us.  We had beef and noodles, along with lots of other goodness for dinner, opened gifts with my family, chatted, and played cards.  It was a pretty nice day, just a tad windy, but we were able to spend some time outside getting fresh air and watching the boys on their scooters and 4-wheeler!  We received some great news - Adam and Bethany are engaged!  We have lots of weddings coming up - as all of our siblings are getting married (excluding Aaron - who is married - he's having his first baby). 


Time for presents!

Silly boys!

The best present of all!

CHEESE!

Uncle Adam may not be invited to our house for Christmas again...2nd year in a row he has gotten these tubes of gumballs for the boys and this was the SECOND time they were dumped in the same day!  I cannot WAIT for him to have kids and I become the Aunt!  Game on Adam!  :)

Watching some Ninja Turtles to end our evening...

My boys!

We were lucky that Matt had Friday off as well, so we enjoyed having an extra day to relax.  I went out and did some "day after Christmas" shopping, which wasn't too fruitful, but it was fun anyway.  We really didn't get a ton accomplished, but it was nice to just be home together!  Saturday morning after we got ready we headed to Des. Moines for the Bunch Family Christmas.  We usually only see everyone at Christmas so it's nice to catch up!
One of the games we played was a marshmallow tower challenge.  The minute they said what it was, I said "Matt is an engineer.  Go for it honey."  He went right to work and we WON!  However...winning isn't always the best...next year we're in charge of an activity!  Ha!

In his element

Boys constructing the layers for Dad

My boys all in action

Winner winner, chicken dinner!

Although our Christmas was amazing, the day was hard for many others.  One of my teaching friend's mom passed away on Christmas Day.  Please keep Kristen in your prayers as they say good-bye to their mother and grandmother.  Christmas will definitely always be tough for them in the future.

Snow Day, Santa, Baker and Beggs Christmas

We had snow!  There wasn't a lot, and it wasn't super heavy, but we did have our first snow day of the school year on Thursday!  I wasn't too happy about it...on the brink of a 2 week Christmas break...and so much to get done.  But...what do you do?  I will say it was probably one of the best snow days we've had.  The boys of course wanted to play in the snow.  In the past it takes us 20 minutes to get ready and out there, and within 5-10 they are ready to come in!  This year was much better.  Everyone wanted to stay out and play, and I was the one asking them to come in!  I really wish they would consider 2 hour late starts here...by 10:30 all of the snow was melting off of the pavement!  

 

Zane's fort wall

Mason's wall

Actually posing for me

The boys both worked and worked on their walls so they could have a snowball fight.  Then Mason decided he didn't want to...so here's Zane...deflated...wanting to snowball fight.

Wow he looks tough!

We could even ride bikes!

Snowball fight!

2 against 1

All 3 in on it!

I'm going to get you!

That same day was our Santa visit at Jo's house.  The boys had really been looking forward to it so we were glad she still had it.  This year it was especially meaningful since it's the last one we'll have.  Jo is retiring from daycare and Friday was her last day.  All 3 of the boys went to Jo-Jo's house.  She has watched all of them from 6 weeks on.  It's going to be hard to not drive my car to her house twice daily!

 

Waiting for Santa to arrive

Everyone waiting

The rest of the crew

He's here!

Jo with the kids

Nice Zane!

Mason telling him he wants a stuffed elf.

Bryce was the last kid to get a present from Santa.  He waited so patiently on the couch, just taking it all in.  I wasn't sure what he would do since the last Santa visit didn't go well.  As soon as he heard his name he got right up, ran up to Santa, put his arms out, and sat on his lap.  When Santa asked what he wanted for Christmas he said "lot of stuff."  It must have been the present offered up to him that made him go right up to the big guy!

Friday was a half day of school for Bryce and I, and a full day for Zane and Mason.  After getting the boys and finishing packing, we headed to Iowa for the weekend.  When it was time for pajamas and bed, this was Bryce:

 

"I no want to go to bed!"

Saturday we had our Christmas with Matt's parents and siblings.

Ready for presents!

Bryce kept saying "Mom, I please open a present?"

CHEESE!

Mason's turn!

Brent, Madison & Jodie

He's showing me the present...not a great job of letting me see it!

I was trying to get a picture of Zane and Mason with their new scooters here...but Bryce decided to photo bomb it!

Playing games...Skip Bo here...check out Brent's hand...all Skip Bos!

Sunday we had the Beggs Christmas.  There were 34 there!  It was nice to be able to have so many!  I didn't even get my camera out on Sunday so no pictures to post.  We got to meet our newest family member, baby Kenzie.  She was so sweet and it's so hard to remember my own babies being that little...but they were!

Today starts our Christmas break from school.  Already today I've heard "I'm bored" but we're trying to stay busy and just enjoy some time together!  Lots to get done before the Big Day!!!