Merry Penguins

Well Mister Aaron made his acting debut in a class play called Merry Penguins.   He Played an elf named Jingle and he was the cutest elf ever if I do say so myself.

Aaron was not nervous at all and he said he NEVER gets stage fright.  According to Aaron, the only thing that would frighten him is if he was walking behind someone that looked human, but when they turned around they were actually a zombie.  Ha!

When he first came out on stage, we were lucky enough to get a little smile and a wave.

Here's some of my favorite shots...

 
This picture cracked me up.  He kept looking over at his {not so} little cheer leading section and winking or waving every so often.

 

 

 

 

 
In this scene, Aaron did a little ad lib and decided to be a greedy little elf.  I true cookie monster style he gobbled those cookies up! 

 
His teacher {Mrs. Bryant} did a great job putting this together.  It was something that absolutely doesn't have to be done, but the kids, and the parents I might add, really appreciated it. 
She is really a wonderful teacher and person.

 

 

He even has a little smooch on his cheek...I wonder where that came from? ;)

 

 

I know I speak for everyone when I say this...
We are so proud of you Aaron!!! 
You did a fantastic job and we love you to pieces!

Tis the season

 One of my favorite things about this time of year is standing back and watching my boys appreciate all that there is to offer.  They take in and notice every detail.  I will admit that I so get in a rush this time of year, but the boys seem to slow it down a bit and MAKE me see what I would ordinarily pass on by...It's so refreshing to stop and see what they see.

Here's Aaron making our Christmas village just right.  He really has an eye for detail.

 

Starstruck

Aaron and Ty were able to participate in an enrichment program at school this year called starstruck.  It was a dance performance that basically was just for the pure enjoyment of all the parents.  Honestly, we probably could have packed the place with just our family but tickets were limited.  So to everyone that didn't get to be there, here's the videos {as promised}. Enjoy!

Here's Ty performing on the first night.  He was right in the front row which was great!  

Unfortunately he's right under the spot light at first so you can't see his serious expression, but he rocked It's a Small World!

On the second night, Aaron's class performed Whoop there it is!  He had a lot of fun too, and he knew his moves better than anyone, he's just a little hard to see at first.  He starts out in the back row, but moves his was up.  He did such a great job!

The kids had a lot of fun with it, and they both have some great moves, not that this comes as a huge surprise with all of their Just Dance experience.  

I loved every minute of this...

Grammy and the Grandsons

 This Grammy now has three grandsons!
They barely fit on her lap.
And yes, she had to bribe Ty with a dollar to pose for the picture.

Home-made Playdough

Another thing I don't always say yes to is play-dough   It's just so crumbly and messy!  Well, the boys LOVE it so a friend told me homemade play-dough is nowhere near as crumbly and guess what? Not only was she right, but its super easy and cheap to make. 

Here's my recipe:

1 cup white flour
1/2 cup salt
2 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 tablespoon oil
1 cup water
food coloring

Mix first 4 ingredients in a sauce pan. Add water and mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 – 5 minutes. The dough will  form a “clump”.  Remove from stove and knead for 5 minutes–add food coloring during kneading process. Play dough will keep for a super long time stored in a covered plastic container or baggie.

Ty had a bit of an issue with the scent of it so I put a few drops of my lavender essential oils in and operation play-dough relaxation was achieved   I got out rolling pins and cookie cutters and they had so much fun!

First Day of School

 Summer's over and we are now embarking on a new school year.  I now have a third and first grader. When did this happen?!?  They are just growing like weeds!

My big Third grader...

My "little" big first grader

All ready to go...

 Ugh, They are just so dang cute!
Although I feel a little sad knowing these two cuties are going to be growing more independent, I must admit, I have big plans of my own for that 6 hour break everyday...  

The Tooth Fairy

With Aaron losing so many teeth lately, the tooth fairy has been making frequent visits to our house.   So naturally, Aaron has had some burning questions.  He decided to leave her a note...and yes, she answered all  his questions...in her teeny tiny handwriting of course.

Our little snaggle-toothed Aaron

As Aaron pointed out, I'm sure it was very difficult for her to answer these questions holding such a big pencil...

Artists

 If there is one thing that makes these little guys happy, its when I say YES to paint!  They love creating things and I do love to make them happy...I don't always love the mess, but these smiles are worth it...

 

The Last Day of School

 I can't believe how quickly this year went!  It's the end of Kindergarten for Ty and Second grade so Aaron.  These boys have grown up so much...

Aaron and his second grade teacher, Mrs. Schrieber.   

Aaron and his best buddy, Lochlan.  These two were like peas in a pod all year long.

Aaron and Lochlan, Preston, and Charlie

Tyler had a little "promotion ceremony" and song to mark the end of Kindergarten.  This year the last day of school was also Ty's sixth birthday!

Tyler and Mrs. Hill.  I think he may have had a crush on her at one point...

Here he is getting his certificate.

My silly Ty.  Don't grow up too fast...

Now for summer vacation!!!

Cracking the whip

Ok, so I'm taking a little break from my usual here and getting a little deep. 

 I'm talking about parenting and teaching my kiddos a very important lesson.  Jeremy and I decided at the beginning of the year to try to find a way to help our kids understand the value of hard work and basically to "un-spoil" them a bit. I want to raise responsible boys that are not afraid of a little hard work to get what and where they want.  In this day of instant gratification it is important to teach children that yes, good things do come to those who wait as long as they are willing to work for it!

 Let me tell you, this is not an easy process.  It takes time...a lot of it!  There have been times where I feel like I'm a broken record talking to the walls.  Although, so far, I'm happy to say we are seeing some positive changes.  We have been on a chore system for a while now and the boys are earning their own money.  The concept is still a work in progress, but when we went to Target yesterday, both boys were asking how much more they needed to earn in order to buy a few items.  I told them, and they were silent. 

 SILENT!

Miraculously, there was no begging, pleading, or tantrum throwing.  They are getting it!!!

After doing a little internal happy dance,  I also went a little deeper and thought about what just happened.  

I thought, hhhmmm... 

In teaching these little boys how to be good men, I have struggled to be patient. 

In teaching them, I've been working hard at being conscious of my decisions.  

Wow! In teaching them this whole working for what we want, I'm doing the same things they are!

It's SO much easier sometimes to give in and just buy whatever it is that will make them happy in the moment, but I also know the easiest path is not the best.  

Hard work does pay off.  

To show for it, I really do have some fantastic, sweet and caring little guys.

Here's these sweet little guys hard at work. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***UPDATE*** 

Oh yes, they boys have been fighting over who gets to set the table and who gets to do the dishes. 

 Not in the way you may think though. They both WANT to do the dishes! So much that Aaron actually asked me to make sure the pots and pans were really dirty for him since it was his night to do the dishes. Ha! 

I simply had to document that one, because when I was growing up, it was the exact opposite for sure!

Bubbles n sticks

I've never met a kid that didn't like these two things. Bubbles and Sticks. Two of the most classic kid entertainers that will never get old.

 

 

 

 

Look Mom!

Life is full of those mile stones. My job as "Mommy" is to document them. 

So here's another one...No training wheels!

Aaron, looking all proud and like he might actually like ridding his bike!

Tyler was a bit more cautious.

I know it may look like we are making progress in this area, but don't be fooled. 

 As of right now, the training wheels are back on Tyler's bike and he has reverted back to his trike. Aaron, well, he now refuses to ride on anything with wheels because he is afraid that if he likes it too much he will not like climbing the tree. 

That darn tree.

Heaven help me, I think these boys inherited my determination.

We've got our work cut out for us. 

The Darn Tree

Our wonderful next door neighbors have this tree that is awesome for climbing. I must admit that when the boys first discovered it, I was fully against climbing trees.

 I could picture nothing good coming out of it. 

Mind you, as a Mom you always picture the "what ifs". 

 Let me just say my mind can picture every scenario of disaster when it comes to boys climbing trees.
It's not pretty.

With much deliberation, begging and pleading, I have come to terms with this tree that our boys are crazy about. 

The boys (especially Aaron) take full advantage of this. 

 In fact, he has admitted that it is always a sad day when he doesn't get to climb the tree. 

 I have also found the good in the tree. 

Just look at these boys smiling faces.

Moral of the story, I actually learned something from that tree.

Sometimes as a parent, I have to let my kiddos do things that I may not be 100% comfortable with.

As hard as it is to watch, they have to learn some things on their own.

I will always try and protect them as best I can.

I am saying that sometimes I have to let them climb a tree.

Be afraid

Although Halloween is way over, the spirit lives on in this house.  As you may have gathered Dressing up is a year round affair.  Here's the latest costume Aaron loves, and it's disgusting!  You can squeeze this little hand held pump to make blood drip down the mask.  Bleh!  

I actually saw this costume on clearance and thought to myself, "Hhmm, I can see why this one wasn't sold out.  It's so gross!"  However, thanks to my MIL, I get both disgusted and scared when I walked around the corners of my house. 

Ty on the other hand loves anything with a weapon.  Here's Commando Ty...

Tee time

We really try our best to have one on one time with our boys on a regular basis.  Don't get me wrong, it's great to go out all together too, but they are like different kids when they are out on their own with Mom or Dad.   It helps us to appreciate their individual personalities too.  So, one early morning, Jeremy brought Aaron out golfing for a little one on one time. 

Of course Aaron was less than thrilled about waking up early, but he had a great time once he was on the golf course.

Helping out with the put.

He made it!

Only Aaron would find a balloon on a golf course...

When I asked him what his favorite part of the day was, he said, "Everything and the big rock."

 

What a great day for them.