10 in 2011

Favorite book

I've always been a reader but the bug has really bitten me this year and I haven't not had a book going since last winter. Joining a book club this year helped keep that going, too and introduced me to some new books that I've really enjoyed but might not have otherwise chosen. Choosing a favorite, just from this year would be really hard so I'm going to start off with my Top 5 books: The Help, The Art of Racing in the Rain, What Alice Forgot, The Hunger Games trilogy, and Lift.

Favorite movie

I'd have to say Harry Potter and The Help.

Favorite TV show

I continue to be a fan of Grey's Anatomy and love Modern Family!

Favorite blog post

Bedtime Prayers and Bad Words

Secret Mommy Confessions

Autism Awareness Month

Favorite picture

Favorite way to lose track of time

Pinterest!

 

Favorite memory

Our family trip to Tawas this summer, Celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary in Traverse City in April and going to the Tulip Festival on my birthday.

Biggest accomplishment

Losing 30+ pounds and getting back in shape!

Biggest changes

We remodeled our living room, dining room, kitchen and added on a deck in our backyard.
Jacob and Sarah started kindergarten!
I took my health back into my own hands.

Plans for 2012

* Take the kids camping.

* Run more races

* Start planning a Disney trip!

* Remodel our bathroom

Personal Goals for next year

* Maintain my weight loss (and possibly lose more).

* Run the 10 mile Crim in August.

* Make a quilt with fabric I've had for years


Happy New Year!!!!!

Everyone was on the Nice list!

We had a fabulous Christmas here this year! Everyone was healthy, got what they wanted and we were able to spend time with both families (although I was bummed my brother and his family couldn't make it). We spent Christmas Eve with my in-laws and the kids amazingly ate a good dinner and had fun opening their gifts from their Grandma, Uncle and cousin. Jacob loved his remote control car. Sarah was very excited about the Princess Story Studio from a cousin and Adam liked his remote control Thomas train.

On our way home, which is only about a 15 minute drive, Jacob asked us if we knew a shortcut home. When we asked why, he said "so we can hurry up and get home and in bed so Santa can come!" We checked the Santa Norad Tracker when we got home and all 3 were out like lights just a few minutes later.

I wasn't sure what to expect out of the kids over night or Christmas morning - I saw so many friends posting that their little ones were too excited to sleep and up SUPER early but amazingly our 3 slept great and stuck to their "8 am" wake up time like most weekends! Paul and I were already up and dressed before they came out of their rooms. We made Jacob and Sarah wait for Adam to wake up so they got dressed and were relieved when they heard their brother just a few minutes later. We opened presents quick, enjoyed breakfast and then hit the road to head to my sisters for a couple days.

All 3 kids got just what they wanted from Santa! Jacob was excited to see his race track and some sweatshirts along with some new tracks for Thomas. Sarah got her Doll House car, some Twinkle Toes and a very cool Barbie drawing set (her favorite gift of all!). Adam was excited about his Thomas coaches and Cranky the crane along with a sleeping bag! It was really fun to watch Adam get so into his presents and the excitement of the holiday! He is so amazing to watch and listen to, just soaking up so much from his siblings. What a great age!

Santa was good to this mommy, too! (REALLY good!!!) I got some new PJs like I wanted, plus 6th row tickets for Lady Antebellum in February AND an iPad!!!! I didn't even think Paul would get me a Kindle, so I was super excited and surprised about the iPad!!! I'm loving it! Daddy got lots of kitchen stuff including a digital scale, knives and a vacuum sealer plus new clothes and books.

We spent the next 2 days at my sisters, celebrating Christmas with our family, eating lots and watching the kids play! I got to snuggle again with my new baby nephew Owen and watch my kids and nephew, Luke, play all day long! Its great that our kids have reached a really great age for them to get along well and play together. Its so much fun to watch!

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, too!!

Christmas favorites

We had an amazing Christmas here this year! The kids were all at an awesome age to enjoy it all and keep up with our busy couple of days! They were spoiled like crazy but really good for the most part and we had a great time with both families. It'll take several days worth of posts to catch up on each of our festivities but here are a few highlights to hold you until I can get caught up!

 Santa's been here!

 I think she loves it!

 My adorable nephews!

 His own "leapster!"

Just what he wanted!

Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas, too!

Say What?!?!

I'm working on getting all our Christmas pictures uploaded and preparing a Christmas Recap, but until then, enjoy some little kid humor!

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My hair is naturally curly but I often straighten it. On Christmas day, when we arrived to my sister's house, it was straight, as it was still the next morning before I took a shower. After I got showered and dressed, I just scrunched my hair (its so much faster and easier...) so it was curly. My nephew, Luke, walked into the room and said "Aunt Barb! Why is your hair so crazy!?" I told him my hair was curly and asked him if he liked it that way...and he promptly replied "no."

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While at a bounce house that afternoon, Adam walked up to me and tugged at my purse.
Adam: "Mama! I need your purse!"
Me: "What? Why?"
Adam: "Mama! I need your purse!"
Me: "Why do you need my purse?"
Adam: I thirsty! (as he pointed to the snack bar...)
How does he already know that's where to go for money!?

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Our elves laid out all of our Christmas cards one night and we had fun the next morning looking through each card and at the pictures and talking about who each card was from. Adam was picking up cards and asking me to read them to him. He then grabbed one and opened it and in a confused voice said "There's no money in here!" At first I had no idea why he even thought there should be, but then I recalled his Grandma sent each of the kids a card with a quarter taped in for their piggy banks.

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At dinner, the day after returning home from my sister's house, Adam was caught playing with his fork. He was shoving it down the front of his shirt and when I asked him what he was doing, he said he had Baby Owen in his belly.

Merry Christmas

The Perfect Last Minute Gift

I've had a running list going of Christmas gifts I needed/wanted to buy this year and was lucky to have gotten almost everything taken care of by the beginning of this week. Kids were done. Family was done. Paul was bought for. Teachers were taken care of and stockings were ready to be stuffed. But as I drove home Wednesday afternoon, I was trying to think of something small but meaningful that I could get or do for my co-workers.

We haven't really made it a habit to exchange gifts amongst the 5 of us, but we often do little goodies or something cute for each other. I didn't want to walk away without something for each of them but I had an idea.

I got home and I told Paul what my idea was and asked him to help me figure it out. My original thought was to make a donation to a charity in each of their honor...but I couldn't decide which organization I would choose. I debated choosing 4 different ones or just one organization, but I couldn't decide which one(s). I thought "Wouldn't it be wonderful if I could make a donation, in each person's honor, but THEY got to choose what charity would benefit?" Paul agreed it was a nice idea and if we couldn't find something like it online, we'd surely develop the idea ourselves because it sounded perfect!

Well, visions of a new brain child washed away as we happily found several websites that allowed me to do just that! I was really excited about this idea and getting to honor each of my friends in a special way but still allowing THEM to choose an organization that was meaningful to them and feel like they were also giving a gift this season.

I thought I'd share what I found as its a great last minute gift AND you can make a difference in the lives of others. Can you give a more perfect gift?

One site I found and the one I decided to use was JustGive. I chose this site because it allowed you to choose from any registered non-profit organization. "JustGive's database contains nearly 1.8 million charities. The JustGive Guide includes 1,000 charities that have met stringent public requirements. The charities are grouped into19 categories to make your search easier and faster." I loved that this allowed my friends to choose a local charity if they wanted to or a larger organization. It also allowed me to print beautiful cards from my computer or I could have e-mailed them to a recipient. The cards included instructions on how to use their gift along with how much money their GiveNow card was for.

Another site we found was Charity Choice. This site had a smaller list of organizations to choose from but with over 250 charities, you could still easily find something meaningful for just about anyone. Charity Choice said they "select charities based largely upon their recognition as highly rated, major charities by respected publications, as well as their being sought out by donors for their well-known accomplishments towards their charitable mission." Some of their charities include Autism Speaks, Special Olympics, Susan G. Komen and Toys for Tots.

I was so happy to be able to gift such a special gift to my friends and know that we could both make a difference this Christmas season and I wanted to share these sites with you in case you need a last minute gift or want to do something special for someone, too!

Thankful Thursday

Today, I'm thankful ...

...that today is the last day of school this year.

...that I have all of my Christmas shopping done.

...that while jealous that he was off of work before me, I'm glad my husband didn't have to work yesterday and today so that he could do the grocery shopping.

...for my students' Art exhibit at our school today. We're really excited about putting it all together!

...that I get to see my baby nephew (and the rest of my family) again this weekend.

...that I don't have to work next week.

...that despite the fact that we won't have a White Christmas, we also shouldn't have to worry about bad roads while traveling on Christmas.

...that I was able to find something special and different to give to my coworkers to thank them this Christmas.

...that I have no idea what I'm getting for Christmas from my husband/kids. I didn't really give them many ideas and I like being surprised.

...that the elves will soon return to the North Pole. I'm running out of ideas and creativity!

...that today is the last day of work! Did I mention that already???

Say What?!?!

At dinner the other night, I snuck a bite of Adam's quesadilla when he wasn't looking. When he turned around, he noticed a bite was gone. He said "Where my quesadilla go?" I said "In your belly!" to which he replied "Nuh uh! It in your mouth!!" I can't fool him!

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He's finally learned the right word for them but up until about a week ago, Adam kept calling candy canes "Candy Lanterns."

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Thursday night, while talking to Jacob and Sarah about their new baby cousin, I told them we would be able to visit them this weekend and maybe they'd get to hold Owen. Sarah said "But he'll be too heavy!" and Jacob said "But, mom! He'll get my Leapster all slimy!"

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We had a trip into the community on Monday with my students. As we got back into the van after lunch, Rhianna's song "We Found Love" came on the radio. One of my students started to sing along but he changed the lyrics to match some of his favorite places (that he kept hinting to us that he wanted to go...) I can't remember all of his variations but he had us cracking up!

We found love in a....Chuck E Cheese!
We found love in a .....Game Stop place....

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On our way back to school, we took a little detour and drove through one of the nicer neighborhoods near our school. As we came around one corner, a man was running along the side of the road. I moved over to the side of the road to get out of HIS way but 2 of my students yelled "Get out of our way, Man!" (thank Goodness our windows were closed! sheesh! Apparently we need some more work on manners!)

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He's finally learned the right word for them but up until about a week ago, Adam kept calling candy canes "Candy Lanterns."

Art and Friends, Part 2

Earlier this fall, I shared about the awesome Art program my students have benefited from. We had 8 weeks with an Artist in Residence through Very Special Arts and got to work with a variety of mediums. My students worked with some general education 6th graders so not only did they get to have this fun art experience, but they made some friends, too!

I was excited about this opportunity when we were told about it in September but it was even better than I imagined. First, we had a fantastic Artist. She was creative, patient and worked great with our students. Second, we had some AWESOME general ed peers helping out! All 6 students were so patient, helpful, fun and understanding of my students. They have since taken the time to say hello to my students when they pass them in the hall and we've already talked about continuing our partnership through the rest of the school year with game days and activities for social skills.

We did some really neat art projects this fall including:
* A color wheel spinner
* Self portraits
* Patchwork Pumpkins
* Stained glass Numbers (Touch Math)
* 3D Cornucopias made of clay then fruits and vegetables made out of paper bags and painted
* A large Safety Sign mural

This week we'll culminate our experience by hosting an Art Exhibit for our students' parents, our staff and the students. They'll get to show off their hard work and creativity and we'll get to thank our supporters. Its a really nice way to let them see the products of their efforts as well as allow them to interact with those coming to see the exhibit.  I'm really proud of them for how well they did with each project and working with their peers and I'm so very grateful for VSA and all they give to our students!!

Step 1 of Stained Glass numbers

Cornucopias

Safety sign mural

Merry Monday!

Ok, this weekend was top notch and with Christmas next weekend, I imagine it can only get better!!

Friday night included a fun night out with my coworkers for our annual staff Christmas party. As my husband says - teachers really know how to have fun!! We had a blast with big laughs including the phrase "Put your teeth in!" and me trying to walk in 3 inch heels. I also got huge compliments from my building principal which was just awesome!

Saturday wasn't anything super exciting but we did make it to church that afternoon and all 3 kids behaved themselves very well - which is a HUGE accomplishment! After church we took the kids to see The Muppets! They enjoyed it but I think a lot of the laughs and references were better appreciated by Paul and I.

Sunday was the highly anticipated road trip to see my new nephew!! He is just about perfect and he and my sister are doing great! Owen has been a perfect little angel so far and his big brother Luke is one proud boy! I'm so glad we'll be back there next weekend to visit and snuggle some more!

 I couldn't wait to get my hands on him!

 Jacob was ready and willing to hold his new cousin

 It took Sarah a while to hold him but she finally took a turn

So sweet!

Now lets see if the next 4 days can fly be so I can have some time off of work!!!

Twinfatuation

Week-end Wrap Up

* First off - BIG news!! I am an Aunt again!! My sister had her baby last night. Owen was born around 5:30 pm. 7 lbs, 4 oz, 20 inches long! We'd all been (very) anxiously awaiting his arrival all week but once he decided to make his exit, he came fast! They weren't at the hospital more than 15 minutes and he was born! I can't wait to see him this weekend!!!

* One of my former students is becoming a star artist at our school. She is a talented cartoonist and draws great caricatures of people. She's been drawing pictures for all the staff and I'd been dying to get one of me from her. (I love this girl - I had her in my class for 5 years and still keep in close touch with the family.) I finally got my portrait yesterday and I LOVE it!

* I'm having a huge Mommy Guilt moment. Jacob and Sarah's Kindergarten class are decorating Gingerbread houses today. Their teacher asked for parents to come in and help and the kids both asked me to come, but there's no way I can (My para has to be out today for a funeral and we don't both miss if at all possible). We are all bummed but thankfully Paul thinks he can make it.

* Tonight is my work Christmas party! I'm excited for a night out with my hubby and friends (and adult beverages!) I could have used those beverages last night though after a rough day at work!

* I see that Blogger is suggesting to update my interface. Has anyone else done this? I'm scared to switch and lose my blog posts!

* I am not excited that I still have 4 more days of work. I wish we were done today! I hit the wall and am ready to be done for a bit...we have a really short break. This is my mantra for the next week:

* We have a hot tub. It hasn't worked in 5 years. Paul made a call this week to see if it was repairable and it was an easy fix! The heater was replaced and its good to go! Yeah!!

* We had our annual MoMs Christmas Party last night. The kids saw Santa again and did great! Sarah almost chickened out but the boys went right up to him again!

 Merry Christmas!

The reason for the season!

Have a great weekend everyone!

Sweetest Smiles

I tried to get ahead of the game this year and ordered Christmas cards using photos of all of us from our fall weddings (we clean up good, ya know?) but now I kind of wish I'd waited and taken pictures of the kids dressed up for Christmas or with the tree. We had that opportunity this weekend at our Santa lunch but since the cards are already out in the mail, these pictures will have to settle for our little blog.

Say What?!?!

I bought myself a new winter hat last weekend. I'm not much of a 'hat person' but this one caught my eye and I thought it was cute so I went with it. I wore it for the first time on Friday and when I put it on, Adam said "Mama got a hat! You a police man, Mama?"

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Adam woke up from his nap this weekend and when Paul opened the door to his room, he was greeted by a not-so-pleasant odor. Paul said "Who's stinky?" to which Adam happily replied "ME!!!!"

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Silly Little Elves

At the end of November and as the Christmas season approached, the kids started to recall their Elves (Kramer and Isabella) who visited them last Christmas and wondered IF and when they would return. They tried to remember some of the funny things they did last year, like decorate the tree with their underwear and a parade of all the kids' toy vehicles and they started wondering what their elves might do THIS year!

Much to their excitement, their elves arrived the morning of Jacob and Sarah's birthday at the end of November. They woke up to find the elves in bed with them...AND they had company! Santa trusted Adam to take care of one of his Baby Reindeer this winter so Dancer is living with us until Christmas, too! All 3 kids are having so much fun feeding them each night and waking up, excited to find them and see what they might have done over night.

They've been helpful by putting the lights and garland on our Christmas tree and looking through catalogs to give us ideas for what the kids might like for Christmas. They've been sneaky by hiding in the cupboard, in the plants and in the kids' closets. They've been silly by turning our milk green, playing games and making a dance video of the kids, dressed as elves. And, of course, they've been a little naughty by unrolling toilet paper through the house and trying to peek in presents.

The first thing out of Sarah's mouth almost every morning is "Mom!? Did you see the elves yet? I wonder what they did!?" The kids race to get dressed and ready for school each morning so they can be the first downstairs to look for the elves and see what they've done. Its so much fun to have our elves here and we hope they'll continue to visit each year for a long time!

Check out the kids' dancing like Elves! Cracks me up every time!
http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/MUK2W1YBBaN16pPw?cmpid=ey_url

Picture Perfect Santa

If you're a long time follower of my blog, you likely remember that our past visits with Santa haven't been very successful. Both Jacob and Sarah were terrified their First and Second Christmases. Jacob was brave, Sarah was willing but Adam was terrified the next year and last year. (Sarah and Jacob have been hit and miss the past 2 years.)

We had the opportunity to join some of our Twin friends at a Lunch with Santa this weekend but we had to make reservations a few weeks ago. Before deciding, we all talked about whether the kids were really up to visiting much with Santa and whether they'd want to be in the same room with him for any length of time. Jacob and Sarah both said yes and seemed excited and Adam followed suit. As the day approached though, I had my doubts whether they'd all really go to Santa without any tears.

Much to my amazement, we were 3 for 3, complete with SMILES and time on Santa's lap! Jacob and Adam even went back for more as the party wound down! Jacob and Sarah both told Santa what they wanted for Christmas while Adam needed a little prompting to find his voice and tell Santa his wishes. They each received a candy cane and small gift along with their visit and a tasty lunch. Plus we got to share the afternoon with some good friends! It was a really nice afternoon and definitely something that we'd like to do again next Christmas! (It sure beats waiting in line to see Santa at the mall plus you get a decent lunch with it!)

Here's hoping you all have some smiles with Santa this Christmas season, too!

First time EVER without tears!

 So excited this year!

Like a pro!

Picture Perfect!

Week-End Wrap up

* Sarah's facial blemishes continue to haunt her. Just as her most-recent infection cleared up, and the day before School Picture retakes - she got pushed on the rug at school and got a big floor burn on the side of her face. We still had pics taken - we'll see how they turn out!

* I got really excited one day last week when I heard that Adam actually peed on the potty at daycare!! He did not seem that excited about it and has refused to go since. His teacher thinks he just couldn't hold it any longer. I'm starting to worry about where I'll be able to find size 7 diapers...

* My school's student council is having a Door Decorating contest. I found a fun idea on Pinterest (LOVE that site!). Our door isn't quite done but I can give a sneak peak of it!

* We are having Lunch with Santa tomorrow. I hope its fun and doesn't result in tears for any of our kiddos!

* My sister's due date is December 23 but from the news of her Dr. appointment yesterday, I may have a new nephew sometime within the next week! I'm so excited!!!

* We got most of our Christmas shopping done for the kids last weekend but I'm not sure when I'm going to get to shop for Paul and stockings.

* I wish I had time to quilt again. Its been a long time and I have fabric that I'd love to make quilts with!

* I'm ounces away from hitting another weight-loss milestone. I weigh in each Friday for a Biggest Loser competition at work. I slowly continue to go down and am VERY glad for that, but would really LOVE to clear another number!!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

12 years

We are already 1/3 of the way into another school year here in Michigan and I can still barely wrap my mind around the fact that this is my 12th year of teaching. 12 years??? AND...this will be my 8th year at my current school with my teaching partner/para-educator. (I'm very lucky to have a fantastic partner (in crime) - she's one of my best friends and great to work with and does an awesome job with our students and will do just about anything I ask!)

I am so happy to say this school year is off to a great start and I think it'll be a great year all the way through. I have a good group of students, a nice group of parents and no daunting behavioral challenges at this time. I love the school I've worked in the past 8 years, appreciate the working relationship and friendship I have with the teacher next door, and am seeing my students learn and progress on a daily basis!

But 12 years? 12 years!?! How in the world have I been teaching for 12 years already? It does not seem that long ago that I walked into my first classroom, terrified and wondering who in the world was going to trust me to run a classroom for students with Autism? Fresh out of college, no experience actually working with kids with Autism and here I was - a teacher. When did I become someone who actually knew what the heck she was doing? When did I become someone that others actually look to for help and ideas? When did I become a Veteran teacher?

When I was hired by my district, I was the first brand new, fresh out of college teacher that they'd hired in a long time. Most other teachers were ones that had transferred in from other districts or had come back with a 2nd special education degree. I was at least a decade younger than any other teacher there. (Thankfully that started to change and other new teachers were hired shortly after I was.) With that memory in mind, its so crazy to realize I'm now one of those teachers that is more than a decade older than the new teachers!! (that might explain these gray hairs, too! ha!)

I've learned so much in the last 12 years. To think back to the lessons I've taught, the staff I've worked with, the situations I've encountered, the challenges I've faced, the victories I've had....it has made me who I am as a teacher. Experience shapes you. Its shaped me.

I teach a crisis and behavior management class for the districts in our county. I recently taught a class where I was told afterwords that I had a lot of really great examples of behaviors and interventions. I honestly told her that not a single situation was 'made up' - that I had truly encountered each of those things and one way or another, had to figure out how to handle it. Its crazy to think that I've had that much experience to be able to say that!

I am fortunate that my class sizes are small - some years as few as 4 students. The most I've ever had was 7 at once. (In Michigan, its typically a classroom of around 5 students with 2 staff in classrooms for students with Autism.) Our program isn't 'graded' so we often have age ranges and keep students for several years during that time. Some students may come and go quickly but I've had some students for as many as 4-6 years in a row. With that, I've actually only directly taught about 36 students over my 12 years. (that's soooo weird to realize!)

I always felt like I'd found my niche when I started working at my school, but to sit back and look where I'm at - that I'm respected by my peers, trusted by my administrators, and liked by my students' parents...whoa. Its what everyone hopes for...but wow!! I'm there! (I'm not trying to sound cocky or arrogant...I hope this doesn't come across that way. I'm actually very humble.)

I've been encouraged a few times to apply for Teacher Consultant positions or consider administration, but for now, my heart is still in the classroom. (I have no desire to go into adminstration!) Someday, I'll likely take the leap into a Consulting position, but for now - I'm truly happy where I'm at. I'm in a great school, I have great teaching partners, I'm not burnt out yet, I still appreciate the challenges and love to celebrate the little victories! I like working directly with my students - getting to know them, getting to know their families, watching them learn and grow over the years. I like knowing I have a direct impact on 6 children every day and I love seeing them down the road, maturing and continuuing to learn.

I'm proud of what I do and seriously know that this is where I was meant to be!

Storyteller

I seriously think my usual Say What? Wednesday post is my favorite one to do all week. I love archiving the funny things my kids say - a different snapshot to remember them by.

Adam is our star today! He's been talking so much lately and I love it! I am constantly having to scold Jacob and Sarah to not talk for him - that he can speak for himself these days!!

 Innocence (don't let him fool you!)

 His self portrait!!

 Silly Monkey!

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My parents stayed with us this weekend and we used the leaf in our new dining room table for the first time. Jacob asked us to "break the table" Tuesday evening so he could see how it came apart. As we unlatched it and got ready to pull it apart, Adam started to cry and yell "Mommy! Don't bweak da table!! Pwease don't bweak it!!"

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While getting ready for bed last night, Adam asked to read a book. It was past bedtime due to reading a long book before their bath so I suggested we make up a story while we got him dried off and dressed. So, with nothing more than me asking questions such as "what is the story about?", "what did he like to do?" and "What else?"....this is what he came up with, all on his own!!

Once upon a time, there was a snowman named Snowman. Snowman had an orange hat, an orange shirt and orange pants and shoes. It matched!! He lived on a farm and liked to play with and catch chickens. He liked to eat turkey and grapes. He also knocked our dinner off the table and onto the floor.
Then he went on an adventure! He went camping, in a tent, in the dark and in the snow. Then he fell down a hole! But Adam saved him! He used a rope to pull him out of the hole and back onto the snow!

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 Another night, he made up a story about his Reindeer. When I asked him what it liked to do, he said "Weindeer play games!" When I asked him what kind of games, he said "Monkey games! With da Elves, in da twee. And the monkeys was on da weindeer ears!" At first I thought he had quite the imagination and then it clicked that he was telling me about how he'd found his Reindeer and our Elves one morning (playing the game Tumbling Monkeys). His memory is so good!

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Speaking of our elves, one night this weekend, our elves took markers and made funny faces on all our pictures. (Thankfully it was dry erase markers!) Jacob and Sarah found the elves and saw they had a marker but didn't notice the drawings on the pictures at first. I asked them if they'd made a mess on anything and told them to double check. They came running back upstairs to tell us they'd drawn on the pictures and as they walked back out, I heard Jacob say "Those elves are going to be on Santa's Naughty List now!!"

Welcome Christmas!

Last Friday, we attended our little town's annual Christmas Candlewalk. We missed the parade but got there just in time for the tree lighting and the other holiday sights. We climbed on snow piles, talked with friends, wandered the tents and made history.

Yes, people - mark Friday, December 2, 2011 as a day to remember:

All 3 kids were in the same room as Santa Claus.

All 3 kids were standing close to Santa Claus.

All 3 kids were even touching Santa Claus....

And NOBODY cried!!!

 Jacob even gave him a hug before this!

Sarah and Adam hesitated but went through with it!

 The lighting of the trees!

 Hot Cocoa

 Caramel apples

Warming up

The Nutcracker

While I don't have the most vivid memories of The Nutcracker ballet when I was younger, I do still very much remember that I went with my Mom and Grandma and how much I loved it. The music, the ballerinas, getting dressed up and having a day with just us girls...definitely an experience I'll likely never forget.

I'm hoping my own daughter will say the same thing, years from now, as I got tickets for her and my Mom and I to see the ballet this weekend. My mom treated us to lunch before the show and Sarah was so excited about it all! We all got dressed up, dined at Red Robin and then made our way to the theater. Sarah's face just lit up as we took our seats - she loved the GIANT ornament that graced the stage curtain and was in awe of the theater and orchestra.

She asked lots of questions about the story as the ballet danced on. She was curious about it all and really enjoyed the story in the first half. She was a bit antsy after intermission and not as tuned in to just the dancing as the Sugar Plum Queen's court danced for Clara and The Nutcracker Prince, but she said she loved it in the end.

It was great having a special day with my little girl and getting to share it with my Mom, too. I know us adults enjoyed it just as much as Sarah did and we truly valued a day together with just us girls.

Playing along with Makes my Monday at Twinfatuation.