Performances - present and past.....

This morning was Shane's Christmas performance at Preschool.  Here is my little singer (and i am just realizing I am about caught up for blogs - WOW!)

Look at these cute dudes all bathed up

ready to perform

Shane was just glowing in this one....He told me his song was about Bethlehem - but when i sang the carol I grew up with, now I understand why he never joined along...  Its all a little different.

http://youtu.be/C4p8Lwjd-EU

We Wish you a Merry Christmas (and get something out of my nose....)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jIdNPMK7d24&feature=youtu.be

Now into his class for sugar cookie decorating 

Even Drew got to get in on the action. 

Snoopy's house and his idea =)! 

This photo was for mama! 

As I posted these photos i realized I never posted anything on Nick's Thanksgiving program - well, here you go.  Look at ALL these 1st graders...  Than look at ALL the cameras and video divices...  Can you remember what it all looked like 15+ years ago??  (bigger video recorders..)

Great job Indian =)! 

He got selected to be a drummer - surely because he keeps such a good beat. 

Here's a video if you want to confirm that i too was one of those parents with a device in my hands to capture the moment.  Love you Nick!

http://youtu.be/hWoVQXxbWuM

http://youtu.be/ZltiFLnYdTE

sugar cookies easy?

I LOVE Sugar cookies but the process is not often the most enjoyable so lately I haven't had the HUGE desire to do it...  Until this year.  Honestly, we may have turned a corner....

Here is the Thursday night batter prep.

Lots of helpers.

Now for the Friday night but outs - it went AWESOME.  I think it had A LOT to do with Chris's help and their age.  But each got a bit of dough, they rolled it out, had their own tray and decorated them.  Now I am sure there are families out there that have been doing them for years and wondering why I haven't figured it out.  But this year I was shocked and loving it.  

There were a few bits of dough finding their ways into their tummies prematurely...  but I am guessing that is to be expected...

the finished product - YUM.  Nick came down as Santa - check out his bellie =)!

Magic

Here is the view from the side of my bed last Tuesday morning - yup, its snowing.  In the dusk of the morning it was beautiful.  Love these 2 faces up against the glass (even thought they are up earlier than they would be if it was a normal school day....  shocking...)

Here's with the flash, but honestly I liked the non flash one better.

So Tuesday was a snow day and we loved it

Here's is one more element of magic I hope to make one day when I have crafty time...

winter wonderland in the suberbs

I do love a good snow day.  With 3 boys who also enjoy the bundle up and run outside - it makes life almost easy.  I just want to smooch this face.

In the hustle and bustle that is normally our neighborhood there is something sweetly simple about this morning.

All decorated and I don't think my potted plant is terribly impressed...

working hard - especially if your shoveling device is a baseball bat

Simple sledding

Monday morning was the ICY morning as it rained most of the night after the snow fall.  We this is Dawn in front of me pulling Evan and Shane on our tubes.  The trees are hanging with the weight of the icicles.  Later that morning dawn and I wondered if we should have brought water...  Um, no.  The kids loved the icicles..

So this is Tuesday morning - I know you are starting to think we live in Alaska right?!?  its awesome!

Joe is our neighbor and the only one with a snow blower (for obvious reasons) I'm quite certain he enjoys clearing additional driveways...

More white stuff.

we are using our car as a lack of shoveling technique...

Yup, this is what I envision for Christmas

Wyland's birthday party photos from a shared folder

So excited to have learned how to share a photo stream (makes me feel old that I have to learn these things and they don't just come to me....but whatever it takes right?). So here are some great photos that Tracy took during Wyland's birthday celebration that I wanted to archive as well

The Friday before the birthday celebration the advanced party took some time to tour the area-I love that Tracy was able to capture this photo of the 3 siblings and their spouses


And just the siblings


And just the brothers


Just a few quick photos of the table setting for the younger generation.





After the dinner portion we scampered around to find a cool bar to keep the party going. We were super fortunate to find this courtyard attached to the hotel. It was a warm breezy night and quite perfect for being outside.











A great way to end the night. Cheers to Wyland!

First snow of the Season

Yup - snow in Virginia!  AWESOME.  Sunday morning I was in charge or 'wake up' as Chris let me sleep in Saturday.  So my job was easy because peering out the window to see a slight blanket of white with flakes still falling is just a dream come true.  

With all the bad weatherman predictions, i didn't even factor this one as a possibility - maybe that was the trick (or the snowflake cookies i bake the day prior)  whatever it was - we have SNOW!!

Here is one EXCITED shovel-er (wearing an early Christmas present - who would have thought i would need to bust out the snow gear prior to Christmas??)

best turn around of the season - this guy...  he LOVEs the stuff!  (hated it last year - thought we were going to need to adopt him out to a family in Florida...)

kids will sled ANYWHERE.

with ANYTHING.

Chris and I trekked them to a fab little hill in the park.  The best sledding transformation of the year - the boys will walk UP the hill.  Yup, no dragging, no pulling.  They do it ALL THEMSELVES.  drew included.

o.k., maybe a little help

or some crafty engineering (note the tube tied to his belt) and NO Drew does NOT mind.

you don't believe me?  watch this video...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6UIvmRbpI8

We let drew and dad leave the sledding hill early for a quick trip the to HT for some grilled cheese supplies -  we don't live too far from the HT - but for Chris to some back looking like this...  I was impressed!  (so were the snow plow drivers that hooked and waved at him...several times!)

nothing better than beers in the driveway - its almost like Austria - almost..

Santa

Brambleton hosted a fab little holiday fest - with the temps in the 30s (VERY COLD for here) the festivities were brought inside ILO the tent on the town square.  Drew and Shane joined me for a cute puppet show.

and a surprise visit from this guy!!  You really never know what your kids are gonna do when Santa shows up...  Well Shane talked his ear off (almost)

Drew was about as hesitant as this photo shows (Nick was at a birthday party and not hiding behind the photographer...)

any familiary faces in this famous Santa photo?