fun with neighbors

**This is the 4th or 5th post of the morning, so if you like to read them all... see the previous ones, too!

12/6-  This morning we had some of our neighbor friends over for the morning.  They have such a fun time playing together!

I decided to get creative with them during snack time and we made these reindeer puppets. 

Then we had some great puppet shows behind the couch!! 

Boaz loves all things pretend. 

This is a common scene at our house.  Cainan bonks his head or lip at least once a day... then requests Elmo or a chewie to remedy the situation.  :)

I can't get Cainan to sit still and read books.  These neighbor girls will sit and read books for hours at their house.  (the difference between boys & girls???)   Today when Reagan sat down to read, Cainan actually sat with her and looked at them, too!  For about 5 minutes!!  I was so shocked that I had to get my camera and document this!   :)

myka's first cereal

12/4-  Tonight we had a neighbor party!!  Several of us got together with all the kids.  We each brought an appetizer (or two or three!) and we had a GREAT time celebrating the upcoming holidays!  All our kids are about the sames age, so they have a blast together!  Crystal had these fun ornaments for them to work on. 

We ate, talked, laughed, watched the kids do a show, and laughed some more.  What a fun night. 

12/5-  I put these boys to WORK today!!  These tables get wiped very frequently, but they are full of hand and footprints in a matter of minutes afterward!

Today Myka tried her first cereal!!  She did really well...

except I forgot how much she loves to grab things.  She grabbed the spoon and got super messy. 

The boys thought it was so cool that she gets to eat with a spoon now!

Oatmeal was a hit!!   :)

This video makes me laugh.  I think the boys had just turned the water sound on Myka's swing on.  (which they're not supposed to do.)   And then at the end, when Dad gets home... you'll hear their typical response.   "Quick!  Hide!!!"   :)   They love to hide and surprise him when he gets home. 

My big girl...  

basketball game

12/3-  We headed out to a UNI bball game this afternoon.  My parents came with us to watch the action (or watch the kids! Not sure how much of the game they actually saw!). 

Grandpa Glace can always make Boaz laugh...

The boys enjoyed some popcorn.  (It kept them in their seats for awhile!)

Then when they got antsy again, Gpa took the boys to try to go see TC again. 

We waited and waited for him to come back up these steps and see us, but instead he went back into the lockerroom.  They were so bummed. 

Luke stayed on campus for a football game afterward, and I needed something to entertain the fighting boys while I got dinner ready.  They had grabbed some straws off the counter, so I went and got cottonballs and turned it into a game!

It kept them entertained for quite awhile!

Although, we almost had to get out a mop to wipe all the spit off these tables when they were finished!  :)

dec 2

12/2- Cainan has a morning routine.  He runs into my room, slaps me on the arm and yells "UP!"  (we're working on making this routine a bit more mello)  Then he procedes to the couch and announces which show he'd like to watch and grunts "NACK!"  (snack)   Today, he requested muffint. Yes, he ends most of his words with a 't'.   So we headed out to the kitchen to make some. 

Mmmm... it is fun to start the day with a warm muffint!

Last night, Luke and I were heading to bed and noticed that all the ornaments on one entire side of the tree were missing!  I confronted who I thought was the suspect this morning....

My guess is that it happened during a naptime.  He hemmed & hawed and never really admitted to doing it. 

 I finished our discussion by saying something like, "I don't know who did it or where they all went, but all of the ornaments better appear back on this tree very very soon."   Sure enough- by the end of the next day, our tree was decorated again!   :)     (this picture is of the bare side, though)

The boys had an unusually fun bathtime today.  They just giggled and giggled for probably an hour!

They put bubbles on their faces...

and their tummies....

and on their ears. 

Then they laughed about what the bubbles sounded like! 

One of our big trips outside today was to the mailbox with some of my Papa Murphy's work.  Boaz took about 5 minutes to get there wearing some of my shoes. 

We drew a picture for a book we made for Gpa Glace for Christmas.  This is Cainan's picture.... he said it's Donald Duck. 

This is Boaz's picture.  It's a road by the sea and you can go over the sea.... and several other things. 

more Thanksgiving...

11/25- It's Black Friday!!  I didn't brave the crowds at all, but was up with Myka a few times last night. At about 3am, I decided to just hop on the computer and look at some deals.  I ended up getting pretty much all my Christmas shopping done!  That's my kind of shopping-  no crowds, in my pajamas, peace & quiet, and it all comes to my doorstep! 

We enjoyed some relaxed time in our pj's today. Cainan had fun rocking with Myka for awhile.

I drew some more menu/chalkboards for the new Scratch Cupcakery last night.  The new location opens tomorrow!  We're so excited for our friend and the way her business is growing so quickly!  The boys enjoyed the giant chalkboard boxes....   they hid from dad and pretended to be asleep. 

Myka just hanging out & looking cute.  (as always!)

So we were pretty proud of our pilgim hat treats we made yesterday... until we saw what Carol made for our celebrations!!  This turkey blew our hats out of the water!   :)   She stopped before work to drop a couple off for the boys to enjoy today.

Boaz thinks he knows Spanish...  it's funny.  Most of his knowledge of the language comes from Handy Manny. 

Tonight we went out to Luke's aunt & uncle's house for what Luke calls "The Best Meal of the Year."  Aunt Terry is a REALLY REALLY good cook and makes an incredible Thanksgiving meal each year.  She has a giant collection of Boyd's Bears that the boys enjoyed looking at.

Uncle Dennis chatting with Myka. 

I got so nervous they were going to break all these!!!  Luckily the bears came out unscathed and we enjoyed our amazing meal together.  It was another fun night with family. 

11/26-  We were supposed to see all of my family on Thanksgiving day, but because every family had sickies, we didn't get together.  By Saturday, we were all feeling better so were able to get together for another delicious Thanksgiving meal that my Mom prepared!  Mmmmmm..... her turkey is incredible. 

After dinner, the kids got to tell Grandma something they were thankful for- then pick a sucker from the Thankful Turkey.    I didn't get many pictures taken tonight, but it was another great time with family.  We sure are thankful for the families we've been blessed with!!