Soaking it all in

It's hard to believe Christmas is just a few days away!  We are soaking in every last drop of this holiday season.  I have two very excited little boys who whole heartedly believe in the magic of Christmas and everything that goes along with it.  I know they grow up too quickly so I am enjoying every last drop of their innocence.

(Owen reads my blog every now and then so I am extra careful what I type).

Our Elf, Sam, has been surprising us every morning by showing up in a new spot and sometimes being silly and mischievous.  We will be sad to see him go back to the North Pole after Christmas, but look forward to his return the following year.  This morning as I was getting ready in the bathroom, I listened to Adam have a long conversation with our elf.  It was so precious.  Mike asked why I didn't grab my phone and record it, but by the time I would have found my phone he probably would have stopped and I wanted to make sure I didn't miss it.  It's one of those moments that you want to bottle up and file away in your brain and never forget. 

Both boys rush downstairs in the morning to find Sam.  Then, they hurry down to the basement to their Advent calendars and open a drawer to see what special treat or gift Nana Way got for them.

Nana Way gave Owen and Adam each their own sleigh filled with their presents and a Christmas tree for their room.  Lucky boys for sure!

A few weeks ago we took the boys to Breakfast with Santa at the catholic church nearby.  Our police department does a lot of the kids in our community.  This is a tradition we have done since Owen was a baby and we look forward to it every year.   This year was extra special because Caleb was along.

 

Paige and the girls were home two weeks ago for a visit and we got to spend a little bit of time with them.  We took the kids to Michael's for their craft club.

Last week our sweet neighbors took our boys on a special Christmas adventure.  They all put on jammies, stopped by Sheetz for snacks, then drove up to Hershey's Sweet Lights.   Are they awesome, or what?!

Last weekend we baked 16 dozen Hershey Blossom cookies (my favorite!!!).  I had lots of helpers and quality control taste testers. 

 

Last Sunday Adam was in our church's Christmas Extravaganza.  He was an angel.   All of our family came out to watch him and it was so neat to see him do something different from his brother that he enjoyed.  I was soaking up very moment of seeing my little guy on stage.  And that proud smile- the one when he looked into the crowd and saw all his family there to watch just him... priceless.

 Adam and his friend, Lauren. 

 And I have to record this one in case I decide to write a book one day with all the funny things my student's do and say...

One of my adorable, sweet little 2nd grade girls was working on a brochure for social studies.  She had to list 5 fun facts about Europe on her brochure.  Luckily her mom proofread it (and took a picture for us so we could get a good laugh) before she brought it into school. 

"It has been estimated that one in 10 Europeans is conceived on an Ikea bed." 

Happy Friday.  TGIF.