Jingle Bells

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells...

Love how JP is getting into singing again... just in time for Christmas!

Happy Sweet 16 Kate!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE!!!

Happy Sweet 16 Kate! Hope you had a fabulous weekend. I know it was jam-packed and we are so glad we could spend some time with you!!!

The whole gang (Kate, Uncle Steve, Aunt Kat, and Grandma) all came up today to celebrate with Kate. We went to dinner on the plaza and did a little shopping, hit Twisters on the way home after seeing some Christmas lights and finished the night playing some Pictureka! That is a fun game... but it gets competitive! No one can beat Kate, either.

JP had a ball with everyone but he was especially excited to see Uncle Steve. Kate and Kat walked in but as soon as JP saw Steve he was hugging him. He HAD to sit next to Uncle Steve in the car and he even picked Uncle Steve to tuck him in when we got home. How sweet is that? I said to Kat, "poor Uncle Steve..." and Kat said, "He likes it and enjoys it because who knows how long it'll last?"   SOOOO TRUE!

You've got to cherish every minute. :)

Thanks for coming, guys!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATE! We love you.

Christmas Cookies!

What? Heather made Christmas cookies? I think Grandma Judy is rubbing off on her. ;-)  JP and I had fun today... He helped me with the cookie cutters and then did most of the decorating... and eating.

Waiting for them to cool down:

Nothing better than some icing...
Open Wide!
Hard at work decorating...
Cheese!
Seal of approval!!!
I know, I know... not the prettiest and you won't find these on Martha Stewart, but we had FUN!
JP sure likes them... he's eaten 2 trees already!

Sharks drive trucks?

I spent part of my afternoon addressing Christmas cards and while I was busy doing that JP decided to break out the playdoh. It was quite entertaining listening to him make up stories as he made things. Did you know that sharks can drive trucks??? See below:

By this time the shark had gotten pretty squished but you can see him on top of JP's truck.
Look, Mom!
A quick photo op.. yay for a haircut for Mommy!

And for the record, here is the cast of playdoh creations:

JP as the blue shark

Daddy as the green shark

Mommy as the green turtle

Uncle Steve as the blue turtle

Aunt Kat as the green seahorse

and

Kate as the blue penguin!

Pay it Forward

I was feeling the Christmas spirit today.... and it sure feels good!  JP had gone through his toys and we accumulated a huge box of toys, etc to donate and little did we know that there was a church right here in Stilwell that has a food/clothes/toys pantry, meals weekly for the needy and they even get semi-truckloads of Harvesters food donations twice /month! They help sooo many people each year and it was nice to give them some things that will make some kids happy this Christmas. I will be going back with more toys, clothes... anything!

My new friend, Kathi Hardin, inspired me to "pay it forward" after I read some of her blog entries.  So as I went through the McDonald's drive through today to get JP a happy meal I decided that I would "pay it forward" and pay for the car behind me.  I was actually nervous and had butterflies in my stomach as I waited! LOL It was a man in a pickup truck and I had no clue what he ordered but when I got to the window to pay I told the lady that I wanted to pay for his as well.  So I paid and pulled forward while watching in my rear view mirror to see his reaction. Of course I saw a look of surprise and then the best thing happened... A huge smile spread across his face and that right there made it all worth while. I should have told the cashier to tell HIM to pay it forward. Next time! I grabbed JP's food and put my arm out the window to give him a friendly wave as I drove off. He waved back and was still smiling. Cool, huh?  Of course now I wonder what HE thought of it all.

It sure made me feel good. :) It's the little things that mean so much!!!

I think everyone should try to "pay it forward"... it's heartwarming!

Fun day for the boys..

Well, I wanted to post a video of JP singing, "Santa Claus is coming to town" but the video upload isn't working. Hmmm... I'll tell you about the fun day for my boys. :)

I had to leave early to setup for a show so Jim took JP to school.They were 10th in line today... JP loves to count as soon as he pulls into the curbside line. Jim went on to work and then picked up JP at 2:30. They came home and goofed off for awhile before venturing back out for dinner. Where? Well, pizza of course! They went to my favorite, Minsky's, and ate in. After dinner they went exploring to look for some cool Christmas light displays. Sounds like fun, huh? It must have been because when I got home at 8:45 Jim was konked out on our bed and JP was konked out upstairs. 

Awwww!!! I'm so glad the boys can share special days like this.

December? Where did Jan-Nov. go???

Happy Dec. 1st!!! JP's favorite part of the day? Getting to open the first slot on his Advent Calendar. He has been wanting to start for a week! My mom found him a cute wooden advent unit that has little doors/slots for each item. She gave him a mini-tree to hang any ornaments on it that he may get. Today was a little house ornament that he hung on his tree.

We've all been having a blast playing on my new Macbook. JP's favorite feature is the Photo Booth where you do all sorts of effects with pictures and take them right here on the computer. Here are some examples...

Weird, huh?

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

A message from J.P. : 

I am thankful for........

At school they are talking about November and it being the month when we celebrate Thanksgiving and what that means. Last night JP told Grandma what he was thankful for...Here is the list as he dictated it!

From J.P.

I am thankful for:

1. Teachers
2. Daddy
3. Mommy
4. Trash truck (his tonka toy)
5. Jake
6. Noisy Monster Truck
7. Dump Truck (his gator)
8. My Music
9. Hissy (snake Webkinz)
10. Slip n Slide
11. Grocery Store
12. Name of J.P.
13. Ambulance (another tonka truck)
14. Grandma Judy
15. Trouble (game)
16. Helicopters (tonka)
17. Uncle Steve
18. Aunt Kat
19. Spraying Hawk with the hose (at Aunt Kat's/Uncle Steve's house)
20. Steve Trout Hat (Tbones)
21. Tony Gonzalez Shirt (Chiefs)
22. My friends.. Hayden and Carter

He's got alot to be thankful for! I'm thankful to have HIM. :)

Lizard?

I took JP swimming today at the gym and when we were finished he announced that he was HUNGRY so I thought I'd get him some ice cream at Dairy Queen. He LOVES oreo so I thought a blizzard would be a nice treat. I ordered his Oreo Blizzard and heard this:

"MOM! I want oreo ice cream! Not an oreo lizard!!! George died... remember?"

I had to explain that I ordered a BLIZZARD, not a LIZARD. LOL!!!!!