Christmas Time is Here!

Last minute in the season, I decided I was going to try to get Christmas cards out--for the first time in ten years!  The stars aligned when we got this super cute picture of the family.  It was fun to share our small adventures of 2022 with friends and family.

 

This girl got a little tired of everyone singing "All I want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth" but we never got tired of that gummy grin!  Ha ha!

During the month of December, Lillian's kindergarten class had fun themes for each day.  If you wanted to dress according to the focus of the day you could.  Lillian LOVED this and excitedly got out of bed each morning to get ready for the special theme.  I loved it too, school mornings are usually pretty rough around here, but what a gift December mornings were for us!  Here she is sporting a hair-do and red scarf for "Snowman Day"

We were pretty excited for the family gift exchange!

The only shirt Kyron ever wants to wear these days is his Mark Rober shirt...so he got a few more to get him through the week!

Eliana and I trying to crack open a geode

For days leading up to Christmas, Lillian would be found busily working in her room making so many creations and gifts for each member of the family.  I loved that the kids understood how much effort was put into these handmade gifts and they lovingly showed so much excitement as they opened each one.

For Activity Days, the girls learned how to create these huge, beautiful snowflakes.  Hylie and Eliana worked extra hard and made as many as they could during that hour.  They were pretty excited to bring this batch home that night!

No, Hylie did not get a box of pasta from Santa, it was just the container Santa decided to use to put her tickets in for Go Cart Racing with Dad!

The night before Christmas, Lillian excitedly shared that she couldn't wait to see the "Stuffy House" she had asked Santa for.  Such a request was news to Geoff and I, but the little Elves pulled through and Lillian was thrilled to wake up to not only a Stuffy House, but also a soft bunny that had already moved in.

Kyron was stoked that he got his very own Bingo game--complete with the basket that mixes up the numbers and Bingo cards to boot!

Our Pokemon and LEGO loving girl was super thrilled to get two of her favorite things in one package!

Grammy and Pappy's Visit - October 2022

 Geoff's parents decided it was safe to make their way over for a visit in October.  We were very grateful to see them and spend time together.

A lot of time was spent outside enjoying the beautiful fall weather

We also visited the Museum of Science and Industry where the adventures, learning, and opportunities did not disappoint!

Mirror Maze!

Balls + Air + Water = Complete Bliss!

We even had some science lessons at home with Pappy

and extra nature walks to visit the swans with Grammy

So thankful for all the wonderful memories made!

Heather's Visit - October 2022

Heather was asked to present at a National Educator's Conference in Chicago and she was so sweet to come visit with us when her conference was over.

 The kids were THRILLED to get some more time with Auntie H!

One of the highlights was going to a nearby forest preserve.

Lots of exploring and even more laughs!

And no visit from Auntie H is complete without a scorpion lollipop treat, right?!

Thanks, Auntie H, for the wonderful fun!

Geoff's BDay Celebration

 We always keep things small when it comes to celebrating the adults in the family, but we sure appreciate Geoff in such a big way.

First Day of School 2022

 Even though we were all mostly sad that summer was officially over, there was still some positive and excited vibes about the new school year.  Hylie wasn't thrilled it took place on her birthday, but because we got a lot of great celebrating in the day before, she took things pretty well.

On the first day of school, Lillian just had to come to school for about 20 minutes where she got to meet her teacher and have a quick evaluation.

It's pretty easy to justify ice cream on the first day of school AND your birthday!

Lillian waiting for the bus on her official first day.

Dad wanted to see Lillian off on her big day!

Gotta love that smile!

Bounce House Fun

 At the beginning of every summer we ask the kids what they would like to do and Kyron knew right away that going to a bounce house was at the top of his list.  When we were in PA for the 4th of July, there were bounce houses set up before the fireworks so I thought this was perfect and would fulfill his request!  But after waiting in line for a VERY long time, Kyron got in the bounce house at 6:59 PM only to be told one minute later that he needed to get out because the attraction was closing.  What?! Needless to say, he was not having it and ran further into the monstrous bounce house attraction.  When the people running the thing saw he wasn't coming out on his own, they went in to tell him it was time to go and he promptly ignored them--so they turned to me and let me know it was my job to get him out.  When he saw me enter the bounce area, he just started running faster and was laughing at the game of Mom chasing him.  Miraculously I caught up with him and knew the only way he was coming out was if I carried him.  So I picked him up and immediately his fists started flying.  All this time, the rest of the family was up on the hill laughing at the sight, but once Kyron's extreme defiance was witnessed sweet Genevieve and Andrea came down to assist me.  Carrying a fighting toddler through a bounce house obstacle course was quite the challenge, but once I made it to the opening, I was able to hand him over to Genevieve and Andrea and climb out.  So after this experience, I knew that we not only had to go to a bounce house, but that we needed to go to one where he could stay until he decided it was time to leave.  Our local mall didn't let us down--it was a place where you paid one admission fee and could stay for as long as you wanted.  And that's exactly what we did.  I warned the girls that Kyron *might* want to stay longer than they did so they brought extra entertainment.

After about an hour, Hylie and Eliana were bounced out and turned to their books and sketch pads

Kyron kept going strong!

Kyron was in heaven and bounced for over 3 hours!

After school started up for the girls, Kyron was pretty thrilled to come back for another turn.  This one only lasted about two hours.