Zoo Time

This Winter has been so mild and lovely. I am genuinely not missing the snow. With such nice weather, we were able to visit the zoo over the kids' Christmas break. Lots of the animals were out and the lions were in some type of roaring match. Luke was very helpful with Myles. Myles would be Luke's shadow all day if Luke would tolerate him. :) We rode the train as our last stop at the zoo and then headed to a nearby McDonald's with a play place. Once school starts, zoo dates with all the kids are hard to come by. So strange how different stages come and go...it seems like just yesterday I was lining up play dates for Luke with his other toddler friends. Now, Myles is lucky if he gets a play date once a month!

Dentist Time

My kids love going to their dentist. Is it bad that the kids viewed it as an "outing/adventure" to go to the dentist over Christmas break?!? Props to Dr. Shah and her staff.

Boondocks

The Tuesday after Christmas we took advantage of a deal at Boondocks. It was like giving the kids another Christmas present when they found out where we were going that day. For $12 you get a day pass for arcade (certain games), laser tag and bowling. We went in the morning for a few hours then came home and everyone took a nap-Christmas miracle for me!! Bryan headed back after dinner with Luke and Emma until 10:00. We definitely got our money's worth out of that deal! :)

I don't want to throw Myles under the bus, but when he and I played Space Invaders,  he was clearly on the alien's team.

Emma chose the figure on the motorcycle that was most similar to her own resemblance. 

Christmas 2017

Luke was more than excited and tried to start the day at 3:08 AM. He came into our room with the happiest, loud-whisper I have ever heard. "Dad! Mom! He really came! Santa came!" I think he was fairly concerned Santa only packed a lump of coal for him. Once we convinced Luke, Emma and Myles that nothing was going to happen until at least 5:00 AM, Bryan and I went back to sleep for a little while. At exactly 5:00 AM, Luke came back into our room and announced the time along with the promise that we could begin Christmas.
I think I have said this more than a few times this year, but it is so much fun having our kiddos all caught up in the Magic of Christmas. Having them close together definitely brings its own set of challenges, but it's also wonderful in other ways. It makes Christmas morning more fun than I would ever expect at 5:00 AM. :)

I need to capture a better picture of the 

The sugary cereal tradition continues and is a hit every year. We usually do cereal (since we wake up so early), a nicer breakfast (2nd breakfast), casual lunch and then New England Boiled Dinner to supper. 

I need to take a picture of the quilt (behind Emma) that Carrie made for Myles. She makes a quilt for each grandkid. My kids love their quilts. They are so beautiful and meaningful.

While Myles and Bryan were taking an afternoon nap (Emma and I snuck a nap in during the morning), I introduced Luke and Emma to "A Christmas Story." They thought it was pretty funny and there was only one or two things that needed further explanation from me. It was a great, laid-back Christmas. We played games, swung in the hammock, played with our new toys and really enjoyed our own cozy Christmas. We were just missing some of that white stuff outside!

Cheers to a great Christmas!