Merry Christmas!

I hope you have a wonderful Christmas! We opened gifts last night. I have lots of pictures, but I haven't loaded them onto my computer yet. But, I did get a new Flip video camera, so here's some video to enjoy. Note Andrew stealing the gift under the tree in the beginning :-).

Anatomy of a Christmas Card Picture

I am a firm believer in the benefits of a digital camera and Photoshop...and now you have proof! I was taking pictures of the boys the other day for Christmas cards (so I could send my pictures away for free shipping at Snapfish on Tues). I got some good pictures...but not THE great one that I always aim for. Enter...Photoshop. I took Andrew's head from one picture and inserted it into another picture where Adam looked really cute. No one knows the difference (well...except those of you who are reading this). I am not showing the Christmas card part of the picture, so I won't totally spoil the surprise of our Christmas cards :-). Usually, I don't have to be so extreme with my Photoshop skills (like swapping out heads). I've taken eyes from another picture if one person in a group has their eyes closed and everyone else looks good. It's a great way to get a good picture when you have more than one child.

Yes, I know, Sandra....Aaron wore that vest when he wasn't even a year and a half!!

Halloween

We took the boys out trick-or-treating in the neighborhood on Halloween night. Adam dressed up as Batman (same costume as last year), and Andrew was Superman. He actually had his choice of a cowboy costume that Adam wore when he was 2 or a Tigger costume that Adam wore when he was 3. However, he wanted to be a superhero like his big brother, and no one would have been able to talk him into either of the 2 other costumes. So, Andrew wore Adam's Superman pajama top with the cape on the back. I have a feeling that it was probably a good thing I didn't make it out to the store for clearanced costumes for next year, since Andrew is very particular about what he wears :-).

We actually walked around with our neighbor and her son, who is Adam's age. Adam and his friend ran from house to house, so I walked with him, and Andrew walked a little more slowly with Dan. Everyone thought he was so cute and gave him extra candy. One lady even gave him a little pumpkin pail for him to hold. He wouldn't let it go all night.

They've been enjoying their candy since then, but I think it will soon start to disappear a little more quickly into the trash can :-). They also usually tire of it fairly quickly (well...Adam always did...but I don't know about Andrew...he seems to be a junk food junkie if I'd let him!).

Fun in the Leaves

It's that time of year again, when we get to rake all the leaves. I don't really mind doing it, since the boys have so much fun playing in the leaves. They love to run through the piles, throw them in the air, and bury themselves in them.

I thought I would try to possibly get a Christmas card picture out in the leaves, but it was just an impulsive thought. They weren't too interested in getting their pictures taken when they had other things to do :-). I did get them to say "cheese" for me, which is why their smiles are a bit cheesy :-).

Great Video on Salvation with Kirk Cameron and John Mcarthur

Do You See the Resemblance?

About a week or so ago, Dan accidentally put Andrew in a pair of pajama shorts that were skin tight. As soon as I saw Andrew, I started laughing and said that he looked like my dad when he goes cycling. Anyway...we took some pictures...now you tell me...do you see a resemblance :-) ?

Adam's First Day of School

Better late than never :-). Adam started school about 2 weeks ago. He was really excited to start (and so was his momma!). He is doing Young 5's this year to give him an extra year to "practice" sitting during circle time and listening to his teacher. The first day (parent/child day) confirmed my decision to do Young 5's...since about halfway through circle time, Adam decided that he really needed to play with the train table. Now, there were some siblings playing, so it was very tempting, but... The teacher did mention the second day of school that "Adam really does like trains, doesn't he", so he must have made it obvious on the second day, too :-). You really have to be a special person to be a Young 5's teacher...since aren't most of the kids the rambunctious boys? Or they're really shy...

He is going to the same school that he went to last year, since we really liked it. The curriculum is really interesting to me...he's already gotten to see a real-life garter snake, go for a nature walk in the woods, and he's going to make apple cider on a field trip in a week or so. He is also going 4 afternoons a week, which makes it interesting for nap time with Andrew. We've not been so great about napping since school started. It is cute, though, because Andrew just started saying Adam's name...and he asks for Adam several times during the afternoon. They love to fight, but I guess they miss each other when they're apart.

As you can tell from the pictures...Adam didn't get his glasses until the second day of school. Speaking of glasses...the wonderful mom that I am...I forgot to make him put them on this morning and didn't remember until we were already at school :-). Whoops...the teacher did notice that he couldn't see. Some of the pictures are of the sandbox outside, inside the class doing a project, the infamous train table, and the sign outside the school.