Making Chili

Creed and I both thought it was better than normal chili, and I give all credit to the little chef. Sadly, the little chef is so incredibly set in his ways when it comes to food that he wouldn't eat it. (Even though all afternoon he kept commenting, Wow, Mommy- that chili sure smells good!)

Trying to Keep Busy

With temperatures in the teens, we've been staying indoors for the most part and trying to keep busy. It's amazing to me how stir crazy the boys can get in such a short period of time. (And, by stir crazy I mean they are running around, hitting each other, fighting over toys, and whining about everything- NO FUN!) While they both like to do their own unstructured thing, they both need some fun ideas to keep them happy (and whine free!)

Caleb loves to draw on my Nook. He saves them in the gallery and looks through the ones he's already finished frequently. He also is trying to figure out how to email them, although I haven't given in because I know he'll want to send them ALL the time once we start.

Luke's at the big table now and has spent a lot of time eating recently. Big shock, I know! ;)

In order to kill two birds with one stone, as the saying goes, I now let him use the real vacuum instead of his play one.

And, yes, of course it's turned on!!

I don't like Play Doh and really try to discourage Caleb from playing with it. (I know...I'm terrible!) But, he found it in his puzzle drawer and wanted to build a house today.

There's a front door, a "welcome" mat, carpet, a table with one chair, fridge, and a mailbox. All the necessities! ;)

Packages

It's no secret how much Marshma and Papa miss the boys while they are in Florida, as they mention it all year long. And, it's very obvious how much Caleb and Luke miss Marshma and Papa while they're gone too. 

At this point, Marshma and Papa have been gone just over two weeks, and the boys have already gotten two sets of packages in the mail! 

When they see those brown (and very full!) envelopes on the front porch, they get so, so excited. While Caleb takes one item out of his package at a time, Luke dumps his out immediately, which matches both of their personalities well. I love the "Florida's great, but I miss you!" post cards because I remember Marshma sending me the very same ones when I was little! 

Thank you, Marshma & Papa!

We miss you bunches!!

Bath Time Fun

Last fall, the boys didn't have fun during bath time, and on most nights, Caleb even preferred a shower. For Christmas, Grandma Beth and PeePaw got the boys all new bath toys, and boy have things changed! Most nights they get in the bath around 7, and lately I've had to make them get out around 7:45...some nights it's even later. Some of their favorites include the water flutes, drum, and pretend shaving set. 

Visiting The Science Center

Caleb and I have always loved going to The Science Center, but now that Luke is the perfect age, it makes it even more fun! Luke was SO into everything, and I swear he pushed every single button in the entire place. After we played for a few hours we had lunch at Subway (there's one connected to The Science Center) and  the boys must have worked up an appetite because they pigged out! It was a great morning!

Luke found a button to push...

We flew to North Carolina to visit PeePaw and Grandma Beth!

Pushing another button...

While Caleb drove the bus, Luke danced around to The Wheels on the Bus.

He LOVED the polar bears and kept "Raaaaaa!" at them.

Back in the KidZone, Luke went grocery shopping and bought "peetzaa." (pizza)

I finally figured out how to keep his shirt dry...Push up his sleeves and put on not one, but two of their jackets. However, he still soaked his pants.

This was probably his favorite button...Lots of "bubbas" (bubbles) came up in the water.

(We sure missed you, Marshma & Papa!)

Caleb Hitting the Slopes

Taking video while skiing isn't the easiest thing to do, but I was able to get a few seconds of Caleb. I still can't believe how much progress he made over such a short period of time!

In this video, Caleb is on a "green" slope and you'll notice he is holding Creed's ski pole. At some points when the slope leveled out, he'd get stuck so Creed pulled him to pick up some speed  on flat areas.

Weekend at Timberline

Last weekend we took Caleb to Timberline in West Virginia to take him snow skiing. (Thankfully, Grandmom and Grandpa kept Luke so Creed and I were both able to ski with Caleb.) We actually took him last year, but at 3 1/2, he just wasn't strong enough to really ski on his own. This year was a different story, to say the least!

Creed's aunt and uncle have a house at Timberline, so we got to stay there and even spend some time with cousin Peter. 

On Saturday morning we hit the slopes and Caleb was ready...

On the bunny hill...

Creed skied backwards, giving Caleb directions on the way down. I stayed behind Caleb for the most part and picked him up when he fell over.

Caleb wore his "Lucky Buns" backpack and harness. It has a handle on the back to use to pick him up, and later Creed used the "reins" to help Caleb ski.

As you can see from his smile, Caleb was having SO much fun. He basically taught himself by the third run down how to turn. Making "pizza" (snowplow) was more difficult for him so we got this cord that we screwed to the front of his skis. The cord kept them from going more than a foot or so apart and it worked great. Using it, he got the hang of the snowplow and was able to stop on his own.

Having a hot chocolate break.

Overall, day one was very successful. By that afternoon Caleb was taking runs down a green hill AND he loved it. I have to say that Creed did an amazing job teaching Caleb. He was patient, but still pushed him when necessary. 

Mega Cavern Fun

While Matt and Drew were in town, we decided to do something fun...We did the zipline tour at the Mega Cavern, the world's only underground zipline. It was SO much fun, and an experience I'll never forget. With lines that were 700+ feet long, and some caverns over 90 deep, it was truly amazing. 

The three of us, all suited up and ready to go. 

(I only had my cell phone for pictures, and since we were underground in a cave, lighting wasn't the best.)

The first few lines were accessed from the ground of the cave and went over caverns. You had to basically take a running start before the drop off.

By the third line, we were in the air, and landed on really high (and wobbly) platforms, which is why we were always clipped onto a line from then on out.

Matt and Drew had such an advantage- Apparently the bigger you are and the more you weigh, the faster you go. For one of the lines, the guide gave me a good push so I could almost go as fast as them.

I don't have any fear of heights, but this bridge about did me in. It was waaaay more intense than the actual ziplines! 

The Mega Cavern is in the process of adding another zipline, so we've already decided that we'll need to go again next year and check it out!

Christmas with the Halls

Last Thursday Marshma, Papa, Dana, and Garrett (We missed you, Steve and Nathan!!) came over to our house to celebrate Christmas. We ordered pizza, opened presents, and had lots of time to just hang out. It was a great evening.

Papa and Luke's routine: Every single time Papa comes to our house he brings Luke a Reese Cup. Luke is so well trained that as soon as Papa arrives he starts patting down his pockets.

The Fam

 (Thanks for the thumbs up, honey. It made a great addition to our family picture)

Then, Friday night we went to Marshma and Papa's house to celebrate Christmas with all of Marshma's side of the family. Sadly, Nathan was still sick so we didn't get to see him. But, cousin Matteo was in town (he lives in Washington D.C.) so it was great to see him. He's grown SO much, and is just adorable.

The kid table :)

Christmas with the Halls was our last Christmas celebration of the season. It is soooo hard to believe that December is already over and it's 2013!

Christmas at the Galt House

Last week while PeePaw, Caleb, Matt, and Drew took a "guys trip" to Bass Pro Shops, Grandma Beth and I took Luke to Kalightoscope at the Galt House. The light show was amazing and Luke was simply in awe of his surroundings. It was so cute just watching him take it all in. He also LOVED Santa's village and even took a ride on the train. It was a great morning!

Without prompting, Luke signed the "Naughty List." So, so true! ;)

The nativity scene was amazing!

All of the little animals were moving and singing.

Luke's favorite...all the birds from the 12 days of Christmas!

Since Christmas had already passed, we missed seeing Santa. But, Luke was quick to hop up on his chair.