Happy New Year at the pool!

We decided to bring in the New Year in the same way we did last year...at the pool! The boys get so excited to go swimming in the long winter months...so they were all over his idea when we told them where we were going! Jon, decided to secretly pack the car for our stay in the hotel, so they had no idea. We packed them up in the car and then Caleb asked where we were going. Jon said that we were going to the flu shot clinic on the other side of town (next to the hotel we were staying at)! I looked at him like...really?! He really had them going and Caleb was on the verge of tears right before we pulled into the hotel parking lot...cruel I know!!

So we got up to the room and the boys immediately started jumping on the beds...yes we do have to confess...we let the boys jump on hotel room beds...not our beds at home! BAD parents I know!! Jon packed the Nerf dart guns that the boys got for Christmas and decided to make them moving targets...they LOVED IT!

Josh was brave enough to go down this slide once, after that, he only stayed in the pool. Too much water spraying for him to handle!

Caleb on the other hand, is an avid slider, jumper and all around water boy. Spraying and splashing do not bother him one bit. He loves pools and swimming! He insisted on wearing his old water wings though. After a bit of convincing, he did take them off after he realized that he was tall enough now to touch the bottom!

Josh's Quote

I was getting Josh dressed this morning after his bath and he was really studying my shirt. He asked, "Mommy, are you hiding two balls in your shirt?" I said "no" and left it at that!!

Christmas!!

December was a fun and busy month! I will go through some of what we did this month!

It has become an annual tradition to build a ginger bread house around the first of December. We usually do it on Caleb's birthday, but that did not happen this year! We had a bit of a tricky time at first before the frosting hardened the house together, but it turned out pretty well!
A few days later, we celebrated Jesus' birthday at our church. We took this picture before going to the party. I helped out with the craft table.

They read Christmas stories.

Played games.

And we had lunch and a birthday cake for Jesus! The boys had a lot of fun.

I purchased an advent calendar that is a series of 24 mini-books that you read each day and then hang them on the tree. We decided that dinner time was a good time to do our daily reading. I noticed that Josh really started to understand what Christmas was all about this year. So, that was neat to see. The boys thought of dressing up as Mary and Joseph all on their own and then wrapped up a little teddy bear in Josh's blanket and placed him in the basket.

Caleb wanted a chance to be Mary too! So cute...

The following week we had Caleb's Spanish Immersion Christmas program. It was done entirely in Spanish and I was pleased to hear two of the six songs were songs about Jesus! His class sang Feliz Navidad and Jingle Bells (in Spanish).

They did a great job!

It was time to make and decorate Christmas cutout cookies! A BIG and messy job...but it is always fun!

We cut out and baked them one night and then decorated them the next night. Josh ate most of his creations, while Caleb admired his!

Jon took Caleb on a little outing with just the two of them. He decided to take Caleb to the mall to sit on Santa's lap and then they would go to the bookstore (one of Caleb's favorite spots!) They got to the line and Jon discovered that it was 25.00 to sit on Santa's lap and get a picture taken. He was expecting that there was going to be a fee, just not quite that steep! I remember being able to sit on Santa's lap at the store and I don't think there was a fee...those were the days! But, he promised Caleb, so they waited in line. Caleb had a bit of a nervous look on his face the closer that he got and he knew that it was a pretty good chunk of money for the picture. He whispered to Jon, "daddy, it is a lot of money for this picture and it is OK if I don't sit on Santa's lap...besides, I am not sure that I want to sit on his lap anyway!" Jon asked him if he was sure and he said he was. $25.00 saved and Caleb was just as happy to get his picture next to one of the reindeer! Off to the bookstore!

Caleb decided to put together a list of all the fun things that he did with just his daddy this last year. Some of the things were: going to a MN Twins game & Mall of America, camping in the backyard, going to Scooters for smoothies, play games, drawing, Taco Bell, playing at Falls Park, and going to the mall. It was neat to read all the things he remembered doing with just him and his daddy!

We left for the farm on Tuesday before Christmas and good thing! We ended up getting a ton of snow and it snowed for days! So, we definitely had a white Christmas in SD! It was almost too cold to take the 4-wheeler out and we were at risk of getting stuck several times!

Unfortunately, as timing would have it, Josh was sick with a tummy bug the whole week. You know Josh is really sick when he falls asleep on the couch 3 times in one day! He has not taken naps for over 1 year now!

Caleb eagerly waited by the front window for all his cousins and Aunt Anne and Uncle Stacey to arrive on Christmas Eve.

We played a few rounds of Scrabble Slam before dinner. This was a new favorite this year!

After dinner we all read the Christmas story from the Bible. Josh found a cozy spot on my lap.

Caleb and Cassidy even read few verses.

Josh and Caleb got a ton of gifts...thank you everyone!

Grandpa & Grandma Miller got us a family gift...a Wii! Josh is trying out the steering wheel in a Lightning McQueen racing game. Caleb loves the Sims Africa game.

We were stuck indoors for a few days after Christmas, so we played lots of games, did puzzles and played the Wii. We had a great week...

We headed home on Sunday after church. I did not get a picture (hard to believe) of Caleb singing a solo of Away in the Manger at the Redfield Wesleyan Church. He had so much nervous excitement, that he skipped all the way to the front and then after singing his song, skipped all the way back to his seat in the back row. I think everyone thought that was pretty cute!

We opened our gifts here at home on Monday after we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.

Caleb made a special card for Jon and I.
He also wrapped things from around the house that he thought we would like...pretty creative!

Piggy bank from Gma & Gpa Fisher.

Caleb & Josh got me this brownie pan that they saw on TV that bakes individual brownies. I think they just wanted me to make brownies more often!

Josh was EXTREMELY excited to get this Nascar and semi-truck from Uncle John & Aunt Jen.

Caleb was pleased to get this art easel and chalk board so that he could play teacher with Josh over Christmas break!

I told Caleb that if he tells me that if he is bored over Christmas break that I would quickly find him a job to do around the house. They both got so many new and fun toys that there were NO excuses for being bored!

We had such a HUGE amount of snow in our yard, that Jon decided to build a snow tunnel from our yard to our neighbors yard (about 15 feet). They boys love to travel through their own secret tunnel!

Thanks to everyone for all the gifts, Christmas cards, letters and pictures. We wish all of you a blessed New Year!

Goofy Joshy...

Josh has taken a new interest in painting during the month of December. He is much more creative and willing to draw with paint than he is with crayons! Painting runs in the Fisher family you know!

Josh can be VERY serious...but he has a real goofy and mischievous side too!!

He decided to turn this soccer ball Easter basket into a perfect hat!