Christmas Down Under

Cole had his school Christmas program last week and it was a little play called "Christmas Down Under". It was about holiday traditions in Australia and so they were supposed to look like "Aussies" which the music teacher interpreted to be khaki pants and white shirts. The kids were cute, they had practiced very hard to learn all of their songs. I was proud of Cole for learning his songs so quickly since he had only been in school there for such a short time. Cole definitely had the biggest entourage of any of the kids. Grandma and Grandpa came, as did Aunt Gretchen and his cousins Brett, Morgan and Ashley. Unfortunately the show was a tad long and got pretty darn boring, but it was worth the torture to see Cole look so handsome and sing his heart out.

A side note: The kid to the left of Cole was so naughty through out the show, he even got his candle taken away. Plus the music teacher had sent about 4 different notes home telling the kids to wear khaki. I guess he didn't get the memo. Apparently (according to Cole) he is the class trouble-maker.

All Aboard The Polar Express

Last Friday our family and four other families headed to Williams, Az to take a ride on the Polar Express. This trip had been planned for a little over a year and the anticipation was almost too much for one little boy I know (Cole). When Cole was about Carson's age he was obsessed with the movie version of Polar Express. It was his "repeat movie", you know the one that a kid has to watch over and over and over. Carson too has recently discovered choo-choo's and so he was pretty excited to see a really big train up close and personal.

Two cute brothers enjoying cookies and hot chocolate.

Our little family just before the train pulled out of the station.

Cole was enchanted! Isn't that just the pure look of wonder on his face?

Alan looked "elfy" with Carson's crocs on his ears. I couldn't resist taking his pic with the train's resident elf.

Santa boarded the train at the "North Pole" and gave all of the children a special bell.

Cole and The Conductor

Carson found a train set to play with at the depot.


What a fun trip! We can't wait to do it again! The only bad part was that poor Cole sobbed his heart out for an hour when it was time to go. He had such a great time he was sad to go. He said he liked it as much as Disneyland which is saying a LOT!

Clone Trooper Invasion

A Star Wars Clone Trooper has somehow infiltrated our home.

He's short, but tough and armed with a clone blaster.

Who could this masked fighter be?

I think he is going to unmask and reveal his true identity...

Could this Clone Trooper really be our cute Carson?

SURPRISE!

It is Carson.

He is 100% pure boy and we love him!

The Turkey Hat

Dear Cole,

I love that at 5 years old you are not embarrassed to wear a silly turkey hat on your head all day long. In fact, you were quite proud of this hat, describing to me in detail why certain areas were colored with certain colors. You were so excited to be able to participate in the Thanksgiving feast at your school this year. Last year you missed it because we were travelling but this year they did it on Tuesday and so we were still in town. I love your enthusiasm for the holidays and the spirit of excitement you add to these special occasions. You are a great kid!
Love, Mommy

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Twilight @ Midnight

At the last minute some of my girlfriends and I decided it was absolutely necessary to see the midnight showing of Twilight. So we fandango-ed our tickets and counted down the hours until it was time to go. We needed really big diet cokes to stay awake but it was worth it. The movie was fun, not Oscar worthy but fun. I thought that it stayed pretty true to the book and Edward was fabulous!

Flash forward to Saturday...

I saw Twilight a second time with my Mom, two of my sissies and my two nieces. I have to say it was definitely better the second time around. Or maybe that is because I was sitting next to my Mom who had plenty of comments about Edward, lol.

*Lana, thanks for the post title...

My Little Buddy

*I just love these photos of Carson with his wild and crazy bedhead and dirty face, they are just so him*


Since Cole has started attending all day school, Carson and I have been spending a lot of one on one time together. He is such a fun little guy to pal around with. He makes a pretty good shopping partner and he doesn't ever tell me to change the song on the radio. He and I are still struggling to get our new schedule worked out but he has been pretty flexible.

And just a quick update about Carson, he is 21.5 months now and he thinks he is 5 yrs old, but don't try to tell him he's not. He's so stinkin' independent, I think he'd pour his own milk and change his own diapers if he could figure out how. He's a climber and likes to push the bar stools up to the counter to get what he wants. He's starting to experience separation anxiety and cries when I leave the room, so I'm hoping this is a very short phase. His favorite word(s) to say is "Pirate ship". No lie, he must say it 1,000,000 times per day. He still likes to snuggle when he's in the mood and if he's in the mood you will get the yummiest snuggles ever. He's doing better at sleeping and he loves his big brother.

First Day of Kindergarten: Take 2

Today went GREAT!

Cole was so excited to go to his new school, he wasn't nervous at all and was really looking forward to eating lunch at school and having recess. We packed a yummy lunch in his Pirates of the Caribbean lunch box, he put on his new uniform and headed out for a new adventure. Of course I worried and watched the clock through out the day wondering how he was doing, although I kept myself busy with a trip to the gym and a little shopping and lunch. ;)

When I picked him up he had an ear to ear grin and gave me the thumb's up. He told me about his day (his only complaint being that it was long) and then he started to clap his hands and he and Carson sat in the backseat of the car clapping all the way home.

What a HUGE relief!

I'm so glad we made this change and I hope it continues to be a good experience for him.

Veteran's Day

Pictured above is my Grandfather. He was a true American hero who fought to defend freedom and loved his country.
Freedom is not free. Many have paid the ultimate price with their lives so that we all can enjoy the blessings of living in a free nation. Please take time today, Veteran's Day to remember those who have fought and those who continue to fight for this great nation.

Change

As some of you know, we have been struggling with some issues pertaining to Cole's kindergarten situation at Challenger. Things have not been working out as we had hoped. Their Kindergarten program is a complete opposite from the wonderful nurturing preschool environment that he had experienced last year. Kindergarten has been sterile, militant and just down right full of ridiculous expectations for 5 year old children. After we returned from Disneyland I began seriously looking at other schooling options for Cole. With much thought and prayer we withdrew him from Challenger and enrolled him at Merryhill. Friday was his last day at Challenger and tomorrow begins a new adventure at Merryhill. Upon touring their school I was very impressed with the classrooms, the teachers, and all the "extras" that Kindergartners need to grow and develop. The kids didn't look miserable, in fact they were smiling and actually having fun. I can't wait for Cole to jump in and experience Kindergarten as it should be experienced. Interestingly enough in his new classroom he will be the third transfer from Challenger this year alone. And I know that a couple more student are leaving this week and considering Merryhill as well. I guess we weren't alone in our feelings after all.