pre-christmas fun

I am thinking that I should talk about some of our weeks before Christmas fun so...here goes!

Lots of decorating the week after Turkey day...Dalton's tree went up before Turkey Day and the big one after as well as the outdoor lights!  Daddy does the outdoor decorating and mommy does the indoor stuff!  Dalton was eager to help both of us with decorating but especially daddy since he used his BIG TALL ladder!  And he also found one strand of colored outdoor lights...we use white lights so we decided to find something to do with them in his room...he loved it!  They have only been turned on a couple of times...they get pretty hot!  But he loves the thought of it though!

We have spent time with our play date pals...Maddy, Luke and their Mommy Katie!  This was several weeks ago when we got together at their house and attacked a ginger bread house...it seemed like a good idea, the kids had fun and then it all just fell apart!  We discovered that Dalton likes gingerbread cookies...who knew!?!?!?  We weren't able to have our play date Christmas party because Maddy and Luke got sick just in time for Dalton to get sick...this also happened last year!  We will start earlier in the month next year so hopefully they will get to open their gifts from each other together!  We also put together another gingerbread house at Dalton's Grandma Beverly's and Pa's house a week or so later...Dalton wasn't as interested but his girl cousins sure were!  This one didn't collapse...I think we were supposed to let the frosting set up or something on the first one...I need to figure it out because we still have a gingerbread train sitting in a box on our kitchen counter waiting to be assembled!  Mommy secretly wants to do it all by myself...but I don't think Dalton will go for that!  Please recall that I am a bit of a control freak so letting my almost 4 year old son loose on such an activity creates a bit of anxiety for me...I will get over it:)

Maddy, Dalton and Luke decorating their gingerbread house...one side has already caved in!  Luke was too busy eating the goodies to help with the decorating so Maddy and Dalton had it all to themselves.  Check out Katie trying to dash out of the picture...she didn't make it! 

 Oh and of course we attempted to get some fun pictures for a Christmas card...and in the end we got a couple of cute ones but only mailed out a handful!  Due to some computer issues Daddy wasn't able to use his mailing list that he normally does for his many friends and family and we were all a bit disappointed!  Hopefully most of those folks follow our blog or are friends with mommy on facebook and have seen and heard plenty about us over the past year and shouldn't be too disappointed if they don't get a Christmas card in the mail!  And then we decided to use the money we saved not doing a mail out Christmas card on our birthday party for baby Jesus...so it all kind of worked out!  But with every Christmas card that we received it just felt weird that we didn't so I am sure we will be back next Christmas but until then you will just have to enjoy the funny pictures we got trying to make a Christmas card this year! 

Some people make it look soooo easy to get a good family pic...well people it's not easy!  

Mommy also lost her babysitting gig!  Our kindergartner that we had been picking up has made a super good friend in her class that lives in her neighborhood so she is going to be going home with her instead!  We were glad to help out when we could but it's kind of nice just being mommy and Dalton in the afternoon again too!  He has asked a couple of times if we are ever going to pick her up again...it's funny how kids argue when they are together and miss each other when they are apart!

Dalton had his Mother's Day Out Christmas party and of course mommy was there to help out and snap pictures of her sweet little man.  Or so I thought until he told me he had to go to time out earlier in the day...it's his first time in two years of MDO to go to time out!  I knew the day would come, I know my son is not perfect but the reason just kind of cracked me up!  Dalton and I were talking at the party and he showed me a little girl who will remain nameless that according to Dalton spends a lot of time on the red carpet a.k.a time out and then he says, "I had to go to the red carpet too!"  So I say really what for...and he says I opened my lunch box before I was supposed to...I am thinking really!  He says he just forgot to wait...and the story has been confirmed!  Holiday party days can be a little on the crazy side from what I remember from being in the Pre-K room for 2 years so I am assuming that had something to do with it...who knows but now we have it...Dalton's first time out in MDO

Singing Jingle Bells & We Wish You A Merry Christmas!  Mrs. Glades mentioned how much louder they sing when there isn't an audience!  Most of them barely sang a word...but Dalton belted them both out on the way home for me...I loved my own private concert!

Dalton's contribution to the cookies and candy...Rudolph cookies! 

Mrs. Bivens helping Dalton play pass the candy cane game...quite a challenge for 3-4 year old kids!  When I got there he had decided to put his baseball cap on...silly boy!

Having a snack or two or three...lots of goodies! 

Home and school artwork...he has loved his countdown to Christmas Santa from school!  A cotton ball a day until Christmas we are getting closer!

We also decided to have a birthday party for baby Jesus...Dalton's daddy and I have been wanting to start a tradition of some sort around the holidays!  We think we may have found one...Dalton has really been into baby Jesus this year and kind of confused about what it has to do with Santa, etc. so we thought that we would focus a little more on baby Jesus this year and of course Santa gets his fair share of attention too!  So we invited classmates, family, friends and neighbors over for a birthday party with cupcakes, crafts and presents (baby items to be donated to the Infant Crisis Services)!  It was super short notice and there were a lot of folks who would have liked to come but couldn't due to other plans so next year we hope to get an even bigger response!  Oh and of course Dalton who NEVER gets sick was up all night before the party throwing up...fantastic!  Bless his heart...he has never thrown up like that before...I slept on the floor in his room it was that bad!  But then he was fine...I warned all of those who had RSVP of the yuck!  Some still came others did not...and I don't blame them!  He was fine all day and then started at the other end that night and continues to battle that 4 nights later...yes I called his Pediatrician and they say there is a stomach virus going around that lasts 7-10 days...LOVELY!  All I want for Christmas is a little guy without a stomach virus:)

The little people nativity scene that Aunt Dawn got for Dalton came in so handy for our birthday party for baby Jesus!  Thank you Aunt Dawn...we were sad that you weren't able to make it to our celebration!

Our kindergarten friend Rylee stopped by and I was so glad she decided to make a craft...her angel turned out SOOOO cute!

These were the crafts the kids got to choose from...Dalton's are the samples!  An angel, a Santa and of course a Christmas collage!  Lots of glue...kids love anything with glue!

Dalton and his buddy Ian from MDO...he stopped by with his mom and sweet little sister!  They didn't do any crafts they were too busy checking out every single toy that Dalton owns...but his mom took some home for them to work on later!  I love that Dalton still has red cupcake icing stained on his face!?!?!?

One of mommy's good friends from college Cheryl and her cutie Cooper....she and Dalton made fast friends outside in the backyard playing in the flower beds!  One of Dalton's favorite things to do with his rakes and shovels!

Another good friend from college....Laura and her boys club Gavin, Payton and Brady! 

Look at all the stuff our friends & family donated...over 200 diapers and 1000 wipes!  Not to mention the other goodies...blankets, a coat, baby carriers, etc.  As soon as everyone is well we are headed to drop off our donations!

The only donations Dalton has had a hard time letting go of...the cool singing giraffe and curious George! 

We (mommy, daddy and Dalton) still managed to get to the mall to see Santa today...we have been doing the walk by at the mall for almost a month now!  Today was the day...he was all dressed up with his new tie...he initially wanted to wear it then he changed his mind then it turned it to an ugly conversation between mommy and Dalton and then he decided he wanted to wear it!  YEAH...it was SO CUTE and of course he won too because he is wearing a baseball cap in the picture!  We made his list for Santa just in case he was too shy to talk and decorated it with stickers, crayons and markers!  He asked for a drum set, Spiderman bike, jet pack and a tractor with a front loader attachment and stabilizers so it won't tip over like the kind on the fire truck...all of that from an almost 4 year old.  Daddy stayed with Dalton in the surprisingly not very long fast moving line while mommy stayed on the sideline to try to get a picture or two myself!  In years past he has not sat on Santa's lap and mommy or daddy had always been in the picture...not this year he went up all by himself and sat on his lap!  It always makes this mommy tear up to see the magic between Santa and all the little ones but especially my own little guy...especially when he was trying to be so brave!  You could tell on his face it was taking everything in him to stay on that lap...he wanted to be brave and he was.  There was a super sweet one of him with Dalton and Santa talking over his list and then one with a BIG cheesy smile...I let Dalton pick an he picked the cheesy smile so that's what we got! 

"The LIST"!

Walking with Daddy to go see Santa...wish list in hand!

Picture of THE PICTURE!  BIG SMILE!

We hope to get out to look at Christmas lights once Grandam Wanda gets here on Thursday...she is staying for Christmas this year and Dalton is super excited!  Now on to finish cleaning, baking and wrapping before she arrives...a mommy's work is never done especially the week before Christmas!  I am hoping and praying that we all get well and stay well between now and the end of the year! 

Mommy has shopped and shopped getting ready for Christmas until I could shop no more...I am sure our bank account will reflect that this month too!  For the first time that I can remember I really don't want to go back to the store ever again...or at least not until after Christmas!

this past sunday

We spent this past Sunday with Dalton's godparents...he actually has two sets!  Burt's childhood friend and his wife and my sister and brother...different family traditions!  On mommy's side of the family god parents are usually family members and on daddy's side they are friends of the family...so the more the merrier!  The set we spent Sunday with were daddy's childhood friend, his wife and their two children...or perhaps a better word is young adults they have grown up way too fast!  And we are also there godparents...and proud to be.  Sheryl is an amazing photographer who agreed to take our family pictures on one of the coldest days so far this fall/winter!  So off we went into the cold...we decided on two different locations that included downtown Edmond and a special park that Dalton loves to go to and she snapped away and Dalton ran around like the very energetic kid that he is and I am thankful for her patience with him!  

The link for Sheryl's website and a sneak peak at some pics...not to mention her information if you are interested in having some pictures take...she does travel!

www.sherylsalisburyphotography.com
You will have to copy and paste the link and then go to the blog tab on her website to view the photos!

after freezing for as long as we could stand and Dalton saying "NO MORE PICTURES" we came home and had some hot chocolate and had some snacks!  They also brought up Dalton's Christmas present and we decided he could open it with them hear so they could watch him...he had no objections!  He got a really cool Iron Man action figure, Batman and Spiderman.  He has barely sat Iron Man down since he opened him and even took him to show and share at school on Tuesday!  GOOD TIMES!

finally a recap of turkey day in TEXAS

Those of you who follow the blog know that we usually head to Texas for Thanksgiving and this year was no different!  We left the Wednesday before stopped in Western OK to pick up grandma Wanda, stop in Canadian, TX for lunch at a yummy restaurant where Dalton orders a $10 grilled cheese and french fries that he doesn't touch and then onward to see aunt Cindy and uncle Mike and a bunch more of daddy's relatives!  We have stopped by to see both his Aunt and Uncle at their places of employment...one of which is much more fun to an almost 4 year old boy!  His Uncle Mike is a police sergeant so we were able to get a tour and just seeing him with his gun strapped to his side was enough to make Dalton take a second look!  COOL STUFF!  Luckily for us it's a small town and the police station is connected to the fire station and being the day before a BIG holiday there wasn't a lot of activity so we all got a tour of the ambulances, fire trucks, sleeping quarters, TV room, kitchen, etc.  Pretty much everything but the fire pole and I am assuming that they don't have one being one story and all:)  Anyhoo...Dalton and daddy were both totally impressed and mommy would have been too if I hadn't spent a good two years of my "before mommy" life working for the Muscular Dystrophy Association and having the pleasure of visiting many a fire station BIG and small!  Those fire fighters are true heroes when it comes to raising money for MDA and of course that whole risking their life to save people and pets from burning buildings, etc.  And of course Uncle Mike is SUPER COOL too and showed us his new work vehicle with all the bells, whistles and LOTS OF LIGHTS!  

So proud of Dalton he was promised only lights and no loud sirens so he was able to relax and check out their new ambulance...that boy and his dislike of loud noises...I hope for his sake he grows out of that phase!

Daddy and grandma Wanda soaking in all the information and Dalton starting to get restless!  When you are Dalton's age once you have seen one fire truck you have seen them all but at daddy's age he was really interested in learning about all the different fire trucks and all their gadgets....way to much information for Dalton!

 

Let me just say it's hard to get a picture of the two of these guys...Uncle Mike is tall...it was hard to not cut one of their heads off!

 

This is the part where Dalton traded in his red plastic fire fighter hat for his police badge...the fire fighters and uncle Mike were having fun convincing Dalton which one was the best!  In the end the police badge was WAY MORE popular!

Showing off all the bells and whistles...it even has a cool spotlight attached to the top that is controlled inside the SUV! 

Thanksgiving Day was spent with aunt Cindy, uncle Mike, grandma Wanda, mommy. daddy and Dalton!  Aunt Cindy and grandma Wanda did all the cooking...turkey, stuffing, ham, yummy potato casserole, etc. And mommy did the entertaining of an almost 4 year old when the weather is SO COLD like 17 degrees that morning...it's hard to stay inside all day and not get too bored!  Luckily they have lots of toys and of course mommy packed everything I could think of to keep us busy inside and for the most part it worked!  Mommy even packed up our turkey sugar cookies that we ran out of time to decorate and planned on working on them on Thanksgiving!  Unfortunately mommy and Dalton were the only ones who cared to participate in the decorating so only 2 got done but of course we got pictures!  We spent time later in the afternoon with daddy's uncle Jr. and aunt Joyce and their many children and grandchildren and great grandchildren!  Dalton had a grand time with more toys and more kids to play with he really was a trooper during this trip!  We headed back to aunt Cindy's for leftovers and then back to the hotel for the night!  Mommy and Dalton got to have a slumber party every night we were away...mommy was quite cranky and tired by the time we arrived back home...I love that boy but he is the craziest sleeper!  

Mommy's turkey...sugar cookie cut out with a hand shaped cookie cutter and the best job we could do with the frosting we had! 

Dalton's cookie before he dumped a LARGE amount of colored sprinkles...not sure why there is not an after picture!  He was a very fancy turkey!

He was SO GLAD to finally do the turkeys...he had been seeing them on TV for the entire month of November and kept asking to do them...and now we have!  GOBBLE GOBBLE!

Evey year since we have taken Dalton to grandma Wanda's he plays on her piano...maybe one day it will sound a little bit more like beautiful music!  For now it's just something to bang on!

He's trying to reach that LAST key...got it!

We headed home Saturday evening and did loads and loads of laundry...or at least mommy did!  And did our best to get back into our routine back at home...the idea of getting away is always fun but it always feels good to come back home...so thankful for my home and my two boys...most of the time anyway!  HA HA!

Dalton didn't have a Thanksgiving Day party at school but they read Stone Soup and everyone got to bring an ingredient to contribute to the soup...he brought carrots and said that he liked the chicken the best!  He talked about the day at school quite a few times so my guess it made quite an impression!  They also did a cute turkey art project...see pics below!