Christmas Party

We had a Christmas party with some of our new friends. 

The highlight of the evening was the white elephant gift exchange. Andy got a Trivial Pursuit game and was happy as a clam except for the fact that he had no idea what it was. 

Then Jonah got a porcelain doll. I think his face says it all.

He promptly gave it to this little girl.

On his next turn Jonah got a bag of garlic and onions with some herbal supplements. Andy especially got a kick out of that.

Finally, it was Ben's turn. He got a book which thrilled his soul...

 even though it was written for mine.

Alas, Jonah got a pocket knife--a pocket knife! We'd already told him he couldn't have one but we decided to let him keep it until we got home.
 
That was a mistake. This is the last picture I took of Ben with his eccentric loot before he ran into that knife and lifted his knuckle off the bone.

He's fine now and the finger is healing nicely. I think that was the first time the boys ever played that game and they loved it. Next time, however, we'll probably make sure we play the kids-only version without sharp objects.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever

This weekend Jonah and Andy played in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. The play was great!

Jonah played this bully:

and the same bully playing Joseph in the church Christmas pageant:

Andy played an angel:

And Ben played a kid in the audience eating sugary concession stand yum yums while Dad facilitated parking and I photographed the event: 

The play is based on the book by the same name--which we highly recommend--by Barbara Robinson. It's about a family of misfit kids who learn about Jesus by playing the main roles in the church Christmas pageant. It's an easy read so you still have time to enjoy it with your kids before the magic of the holiday season comes to an end. Merry Christmas!   

Last-Minute Halloween

This was sort of a last-minute holiday. Mom got the police and doctor uniforms at a thrift store in Colorado. The beard came from there too. They weren't necessarily for Halloween; dressing up is always fun.

The church we have been going to was planning to spend Halloween packing Christmas boxes for less fortunate kids, so we decided to join them. 

 

We also took advantage of the fact that the church next door hosted a trunk-or-treat with games and prizes.

 We walked over with our new friends--who also happen to have three boys--and had a blast.

It helped that Mom didn't stress over the details that have always represented Halloween to us, like accessories for the costumes or pumpkin carving. We just rolled with it and it turned out great.

Sasquatch Sighting

How Are the Boys?

On my main blog I recently answered the question "How's Your Mom?" I've also been asked quite a bit how the boys are doing through all the changes. We have some tough times and adapting to a family member with Alzheimer's is extremely challenging, but we also have our share of good times. Here's one just a few days ago. You can actually hear their grandma laughing in the background.

Ben's Birthday

We celebrated Ben's third birthday earlier this month. Jonah and Andy insisted that he open their presents before the guests arrived.

I suspect it was so they could bust open the packages and "help" him play. I'm pretty sure he was on to them.

 The bounce house party went over big with Andy's friends in November so we did that again.

I don't know exactly how long kids can jump, but I know now that it's at least six hours.

 Ben was happy to greet each guest upon arrival and dive into his presents.

 Meanwhile, Dad cooked up some kid food on the grill. It was a beautiful day.

 The food and weather were enjoyed by all.

 Then we came in for some cake.

 And it was back outside for face painting fun.

 Ben was especially patient.

 And was rewarded with this awesome Spiderman mask.

 At the end of the day, the favorite of these best friends was the looting of the goody bags.

Ben was out for the night just minutes after the last guest left. He talked about it for days, which is a sure sign it was a hit.

Cookie Making Fun

Ben really wanted to help me make some Christmas cookies last week, so I made the dough and let him roll it out.

 He preferred to use his hands, which made me glad I had him wash them before we started.

 At one point it didn't really matter how clean his hands were, because he kept shoving them into his mouth.  Then I found myself trying to remember just how hot the cookies would have to bake to kill bacteria.  I was pretty sure we were safe, and I wasn't planning on handing this batch out to the neighbors, so I let him freely partake of the best part of cookie making.

 He was very thankful, and we made some nice cookies.

 The next day after they had cooled it was time to decorate them.

 Ben was nice enough to let his brothers participate, but he did stake his claim to the multi-colored sprinkles.

 Andy insisted on wearing a shirt with a collar for the big event.  What you can't see are the athletic shorts that complete the ensemble.  By-the-way, there are cookies under all that icing and all those sprinkles.

 Jonah was more casual with his dress and more conservative with his decorating.

 Ben took a bite out of each cookie he decorated.

 Hey, wait a minute!  There were two cookies on that plate.  Where's the other one?

Yummy, yummy in my tummy.