Church Christmas Program

Joey joined us for Gordy and Grayson's Christmas program at church yesterday.
This photo was taken right before a puppet show (which of course was captivating to Grayson, especially!) Then the boys performed in the preschool/Kindergarten portion of the Sunday School program.

Gordy and Grayson were two of three kids in this small group, but that didn't stop them from belting out five inspiring Christmas songs. They sang their little hearts out, and did so beautifully! I was the "leader" of this little bunch, so I wasn't able to snap any photos during their performance, but another Mom is going to send me the pictures she snapped. (I'll add them to this post once I receive them).

Gary got to watch the performance from the balcony, where he video tapes the service each week, so Joey captured the boys' performance with our video camera. I may be a bit biased, but they really did a great job, memorizing these unfamiliar songs and performing so impressively. The fact that each of the three kids got their own microphone seemed to help bring out the performer in each of them. Gary overheard a lady say, "Those little ones really stole the show!"

We're pretty proud of our little guys! ♥

Recent Snapshots

There's not really a story here, just some sweet photos I've snapped in the past couple days.

Having lunch before heading to Kindergarten.

Playing a word game on the computer.

Gordon helps Grayson with his computer skills.

Sweet little hat made by Gordon in Kindergarten.

Grayson loves playing Slap Jack!

And he really loves winning!

Making cookies...again.

We like to keep an abundant supply of cookies on hand.

We're getting so excited for Christmas here! Next week Grayson has his preschool Christmas party and a Christmas program at a nearby nursing home. Gordon has his Kindergarten Christmas party on Friday, and this Sunday - the boys will be performing in our Church Christmas program. We are anxious to see family as they will be arriving just before Christmas!
We hope you're enjoying this special time of year too!

Messages from Santa

Gordon & Grayson received some very special email messages this week -- from SANTA!

I got some priceless video clips of them watching their individualized Santa greetings, but the video clips were too long and wouldn't upload to the blog, unfortunately. Their reactions were adorable. They were amazed that Santa knew so much about them.

The videos were actually sent by Auntie Nenny & Uncle Tony; I'm not sure how they found this site, but how sweet for the boys to see a personalized video from Santa. Thanks, Jen & Tony! The boys loved these messages!

Here's Gordon's video from Santa
Gordon's video is a little longer than Grayson's.

Here's Grayson's video from Santa
I recommend Grayson's - it's comical, the specific goal that Santa mentions to Grayson is very accurate. Grayson laughed sheepishly when Santa mentioned his efforts to go right to sleep at bedtime. That's a work in progress.... Like his Mommy, Grayson is a night owl.

Snow Day Cookies!

In between all the trips outside to play in the snow, we found a few indoor activities to enjoy on our snow day as well. It was definitely a perfect day to bake up some cookies!

Gordon helped with adding ingredients and mixing, but got distracted by a learning game on the computer and changed course. Both boys helped clean the beaters, and Grayson stuck by me through the whole process, anxious to sample our cookies.

These are Peanut Butter - Oatmeal - Chocolate Chip Cookies. A recipe from my old Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook. They never fail - always delicious.

Fresh Cookies ~ Happy Faces

Perfect for a snowy winter day!

Gordon & Grayson's 1st Snow Day!

What a surprise! Wednesdays are one of our busiest days here - both boys have school and it's my helper day in Gordon's Kindergarten, so it was kind of a pleasant surprise to find out that all Boise schools were canceled today, due to a good seven inches of snow overnight. This is a real rarity around here. We don't often see this much snow in the valley. The mountains nearby, yes - but not very often in Boise.

The boys were bundled up and out the door into the snow before we even had complete daylight!

Barely dawn and our fun-filled snow day got off to a snowy, playful start!

Gary was the only one who wasn't blessed with a snow day today. While he was in the shower getting ready for work, Gordy gave him a helping hand by starting the snow shoveling on the driveway.

Grayson marveled at the accumulated inches of white stuff on our porch railing.

What a lovely sight -- so much snow on our roof and trees!

The boys made these snowmen earlier this week - Gordon's is on the left and Grayson's is on the right. They each have their very own unique artistic style.

While I made celebratory eggnog French toast for breakfast, Gordon warmed up and worked on one of his recent favorite activities - a word search.

After breakfast, the boys quickly got back outside to enjoy our new-fallen snow!

...And the snow has continued through much of today.

What a treat!

As I post, the boys are out building a big snowman.
What a fantastic snow day!

Chapter Books

In recent months, we've started including some chapter books in our bedtime reading. Here, Gary is reading one of my favorite horse stories from childhood - the first of three books in the Misty of Chincoteague series. I got this book for Christmas when I was seven years old from my Mom and Dad; I was a huge fan of horses!

It's heartwarming to see our boys enjoy some of the same stories we loved when we were growing up...!

Boise Christmas Parade 2010

Last Saturday, the boys and I bundled up to head downtown and watch the annual parade. Gary was there too, though quite busy, working with his camera crew and anchors to air it on TV for those watching the parade from home.

We knew that there would be some candy thrown at us, so Gordon grabbed this paper bag. The weather was festive, with snowfall and a chilly breeze. Gordon soon realized why I'd urged him not to leave his gloves in the Tahoe.

Gordon's main objective was to watch for parade participants who were handing out treats.

Here's Grayson holding a couple of Smarties from his loot. We ended up with an abundant supply of little candy canes.

I didn't take many photos of the parade itself, but did snap this picture of the Boise mayor riding by with the Statehouse and Christmas tree behind him. After a couple years of an alternate route during renovations going on in the Capitol building, it was nice to have the parade back to its traditional route.

Smiles.

Cuddled up, staying warm.

Gary took a little break from filming to say hello and be in this picture.

Melissa was out running errands during the parade, but she joined us for the very end of it...and then we walked over to Chicago Connection for some delicious pizza lunch.

After he was done working, Gary joined us later for lunch as well.

We had a nice time, taking in this Boise tradition together - one of many great ways to kick off the festive Christmas season!