The Crystal Garden

For Christmas, Ethan and Simon got a fun gift from grandma that I wanted to document because even Thomas and I thought this one was pretty cool. It's called a crystal garden and basically you set up the garden from pre-cut colored cardboard paper and then you pour a special solution onto the cardboard and in a few hours, the garden starts to grow! We watched it pretty closely and Ethan was a bit disappointed that it wasn't growing at the rate in which he would have liked, and he had to go to bed, but we reassured him that in the morning, there would be so much to see and some really vibrantly colored plants and trees. We were right! He was pretty impressed as was I. Thomas remembered doing these as a kid but I had never seen anything like it. It was a fun craft and the boys would like to do another. I'll have to see if there's something else available online to do again. After they had enjoyed the garden for a couple days, Thomas had some fun with still animation and took some pictures to compile a movie of a dangerous T-rex invading the garden! I had to include a photo! What a Dad!

Snow Play!

It's about time we got out and played in the snow! I have to confess, I have felt a bit sorry for Ethan because we have had snow on the ground for over 2 months now and we've only taken him out once or twice to play in it. Since I've been starting to feel a bit better and not so nauseated, I decided I would take the kids out this past week and try and build and snow man with them. I also felt like I need to do a little shoveling as we had a down pour of snow and Thomas was out of town for the week. Our driveway and sidewalk was looking pretty bad and I'm not sure what all the rules are in Ames, but I know it's not good to have an snow covered walkway for more than a couple of days. So, I shoveled and the boys played. It didn't take long before Simon was in over his knees and was begging to go back inside. He isn't too fond of snow yet, but I don't think Ethan was at this age either. It didn't make it any better when he kept pulling off his gloves. It was a constant battle trying to keep his hands from becoming little icicles. He was ok with hopping on the sled with Ethan and being pulled around the yard a couple of times. We threw a couple of snowballs and made half of a snowman and then both the boys were ready to head inside. They watched from the front window as I finished the shoveling and they found it very amusing to watch me work hard out in the snow, in the cold, while they were nice and warm inside the house. We all enjoyed some hot cocoa when I finished. It was a fun day. Hopefully we'll get out and play again soon...maybe even finish the snowman.

Christmas!

It's January 4th today and I can't stand the fact that I haven't written anything about our Christmas 2010. I seem to be running a little behind with posts recently and the funny thing is, knowing that I need to catch up is always in the back of my mind. I don't like missing out on some of the big events that we have had going on and sharing about all the memories of this season that were so exciting and unforgettable to Thomas and I as well as the kids. Christmas 2010 was full of fun! We jumped started our Christmas vacation in West Branch the Wednesday before Christmas and spent a few days with the Fawcett's on the farm. The boys had so many things to open and Santa sure filled their stockings full! We were able to visit with Cary and Christen Beatty and their mother Margaret who are dear family friends to the Fawcett's and enjoyed good conversation and great food. The next day we visited the Stuarts at their home and were able to let all the cousins run around and play with all of Adam's classic tractors. Adam was unable to be there but Ashley and Truman were home for the week and their adorable little one, Daniel. The boys loved playing together, along with Grace who was able to keep up so well with the boys. She is surrounded on all sides of the family tree, with boy cousins and yet she seems just fine with it. She is such a trooper and so much fun! All the kids loved playing at Grandma and Grandpa's house and it was very difficult to leave. After we exchanged gifts and shared a traditional family meal together with the Vincent's and Uncle Tom, we were headed back to Ames, on Christmas Eve. It was somewhat of a long trip but luckily the boys slept and Thomas and talked to each other and had some good time to connect! When we got home, we transferred the boys to their beds and unpacked the car. The presents were all set up before we left so there wasn't much to do to get ready for the next morning. The kids woke up as usual around 7 and were pretty exited to come down stairs especially after seeing that Santa did eat the cookie and Rudolph ate the carrot that we had left for them. The boys were thrilled to see more gifts and I think they probably got through every gift in under half an hour. It was so much fun and we spent a few hours playing at our house with our new toys. Ethan got a new bike with training wheels that he rode around and around from kitchen to living room and around again. Simon got a new motorized car and track that Thomas set up for him and he was content to play with that for a while. The boys have my grandmother, Nana, to thank for their bike and car track as she was unable to be with us this year for Christmas but sent her love with gifts and a big box of goodies! Thank you Nana!

We then headed to my parents for another celebration! Jon and Hanna and the Sanchez's were all there and we all exchanged gifts and let the kids play together all day long! We ate and ate some more and just hung out while the kids played with Nerf guns and jumped on a blow up trampoline. They had a blast! My dad made his traditional biscuits and gravy for a late breakfast and we all were so full, the meal carried us all the way until dinner time. It was a wonderful time with the family and we were all sad to leave.

Christmas was wonderful this year and what I loved the most was watching the kids play with their cousins. They are making lasting friendships with them and deepening their love for each other and family. Thomas and I want our kids to experience the fullness and fulfillment of living a life that is full of family traditions and I think this Holiday season began to establish just that. We love our family and thank them for all the ways our lives are blessed by each of them.

A Birthday to Remember...

This post will be somewhat of a challenge to write because I will have think back to a couple of weeks ago when we celebrated Ethan's 4th Birthday, and with all the Holidays and parties going on, the Birthday seems like ages ago. I have been wanting to write for some time now and there have been so many fun things that THomas and I have done with the kids and the family but it's been a crazy couple of weeks and I have felt pretty exhausted from it all, on top of the morning sickness that kicked in a right around his Birthday. The only time I usually blog is at night and falling asleep for the night at 8pm, right after the kids go to bed, doesn't allow me any time to get anything written. This has been hard for me but hopefully I can catch up and not miss much of what's been happening in our lives.

Ok, Ethan''s Birthday. What a fun afternoon. The party was smaller this year as we pushed the party back to the weekend of the 18th and realized that this was probably going to be a busy weekend for many people and so close to Christmas so we decided to just have a family party. Grandma and Grandpa Fawcett came for the weekend and we joined the Sanchez family for the party as well. WE celebrated a Toy Story party hosted by Gaga and Papa Shiplett and my sister and I felt we needed to do something unforgettable for the kids. We put together a puppet show with Ethan's puppet theatre and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. Lauren and I practiced several times together and Lauren put together a wonderful script as I searched the library for the ideal characters for our show. I checked out some books as well as researched online how to put on a great puppet show and so Lauren and I put our heads together and came up with a stellar performance (or at least we thought so). There were so mishaps, but they went unnoticed by the kids and the adults just laughed even harder. Needless to say, we all had a great time and I think the kids were really impressed and a bit confused by who exactly was behind that theatre! Success!

Ethan and Ava have had every party together since their first and this year, we weren't about to break the tradition. Grandma Fawcett made amazing cakes, as usual. She made a large Toy Story cake and three individual cakes for each Birthday kid (Unfortunately, Eli Anderson couldn't join us because he was sick that day) with their favorite Toy Story character. Obviously the kids were in shock when they were able to eat their own individual cake. We sang, we ate lots of snacks and cake, and the kids played for hours. It was a great time with the family and I think Ethan will remember his 4th Birthday for a while.

After the party, we had little time to recover from all the excitement and we had to get ready for Christmas that next week. I was a little overwhelmed by all that needed to get done feeling the way that I have but Thomas helped out so much. He always goes above and beyond what is asked of him and he is truly an amazing helper, husband and friend. I couldn't be who I am without such a loving husband. I'll end with that.