Scary Trex

It is no secret that Thomas is a big fan of T-Rex, Sup likes dinosaurs but I am not sure that he really has a favorite like Thomas. For Christmas Aunt Sara got him these really nice green T-Rex jammies he absolutely loved them.

 After our whirlwind weekend Tuesday was a "stay at home all day in our jammies and play with our new toys" day. This was right up the boys ally, neither one like to get dressed now that its colder and would rather stay in their jammies all day any way.

 My Gramma also got the boys each T-Rex slippers so Tuesday this is what I got most of the day... my scary green T-Rex :) He actually did a pretty scary roar for me for his picture :)

It didn't take Sup long to join him...monkey see monkey do ;) even though he had footies already on his monster jammies he insisted that he needed to put his on " be like Thomas mommy" so here are my two little T-Rex's :)

Santa Claus, IN

With all that comes along with Christmas it has been a little while since I have posted. So I am hoping as things start settling down I will become more consistent :)

About 2 weeks ago Eric and I wanted to take the kids for a fun little Christmas adventure. There is a town not too far from here called Santa Claus, IN. We have gone there since we have moved here and have always had a lot of fun with it.

 We thought it would be a good idea to bring some yummy treats along for the ride. We had eaten dinner before we left but wanted to bring our sweet with us. We all really like these Oreo truffles that I have made a few times so we took these with us. The night before I had the boys help me making them. Because you have to crush a whole package of Oreos I thought this would be fun for them to do. So I spilt up the package, put them in baggies and let them crush them however they wanted too. They had a lot of fun with this activity, and saved me from quiet a bit of work :)

We put our treats in the football tray, and when we were ready to leave the boys did not let us forget. They ran to the frig and both had to carry the treats out to the car to see the lights and Santa.

Because we didn't have a chance to go earlier because of Eric's work schedule we went the weekend before Christmas. The traffic was a little crazy and we had to wait in a pretty big line before we were able to drive through the lights. The boys are a little restless but when we were able to drive through they really loved it and the treats were a nice touch.

After the lights we drove over to the Christmas store. Thomas really wanted to see Santa and tell him what he wanted for Christmas...A Megatron Transformer. They were both a little shy but they didn't cry so that was nice and were able to tell Santa one thing they wanted for Christmas. It was a really fun night for all of us and was fun to see the boys so excited for Christmas :)

Twister

On Saturday everyone was feeling better so we wanted to make sure to have a fun weekend. We thought it would be fun to play some games. Thomas loves to play games so we thought we would try out Twister.

 To make it a little easier I spin the spinner and let them know where to put their hands and feet. Thomas is learning is left and right so the game was actually good practice for him. Sup was just happy if he got the color right.

Sup lost interest pretty quick but Thomas really had a lot of fun with it. Although he did have some disadvantages with having shorter arms and legs I think he was pretty flexible.

Daddy had a little disadvantage too Sup....Sup found his way back into the game, apparently it is a lot easier to play if you just hang on Daddy's back ;) Poor Daddy after Sup climbed on him Daddy didn't have much of balance and Thomas was able to win :)

Gifts from teachers

On Wednesday Thomas came home with some fun goodies from his teachers. Thomas was very excited to show me what is teachers got for him for a Christmas gift.

 In his little bag he got the little blue cup with baby Jesus and was filled with Skittles and candy canes. He was most excited about his cup even over the candy. It was the first thing he used when he got his bag opened. He didn't let the cup out of his sight for the rest of the night.

The teachers also made all the kids a little nativity ornament, which I thought was really cute. On the top it has a little star that says Jesus loves Thomas. Thomas made sure that I put it high on the tree so Sup couldn't reach it or touch it. He is very protective of things ;)

Christmas party

On Monday Thomas had his first school Christmas party. The party was scheduled for the last hour of his class so after I dropped him off Sup and I did a little Christmas shopping.

 Since his preschool is through a Christan based program they really focused on the birth of Christ versus Santa (not that there is anything wrong with Santa it just nice to focus on the reason we really celebrate Christmas), which was really nice. They had a little nativity set up and they had the kids sing two songs about Christmas. They have two afternoon classes they combined with the program with both classes. Thomas class went first and when he came in and seen me sitting there his eyes lit up. He was so happy to seen that Sup and I came to see him sing. I was actually very impressed and surprised that he was actually singing. In primary during singing time he just sits in his chair and he has done this now for almost a year and I have yet to see him even attempt to sing. So the fact that he was ringing is little bells here for this first song and singing the song was amazing.

 The preschool does a really nice job and Thomas has learned so much since he has started. During their circle time they also learn some basic Spanish and sign language. Thomas is getting really good at the sign language and the second song they sang and signed it. It was amazing to watch how well he did with it, I was a pretty proud mama :)

 After they sang we headed back over to the classroom for our snacks. Sup was so excited to be with Thomas at school. Right when he came in Sup ran right up to him gave him a hug and stood right by one another on the carpet and held hands.

 Prior to the party they had a sign up for parents to bring different snacks for the party. It was nice because there was a nice variety and lots to chose from.

Sup was a little sad that he was not able to sit next to Thomas but then he seen there were cupcakes...so that was able to put a smile back on his face :)

What a day

Yesterday was one of those days. We all have them I'm sure and if you haven't let me know the trick I would love to know your secret ;) I started out my mornings as I always have been for the last several months. I got the boys and I breakfast and then went for my morning run. Something I have been working on is not looking at the ground and have gotten much better with it. As I finished and was walking for my cool down it felt that something was on the bottom of my shoe right on the arch of my foot.

As I looked at the bottom I was not happy at all with what I seen... Yes somewhere along the way I must have stepped in a pile of dog poop and now it was all on the bottom of my shoe. I was not happy about this at all. Not to get me wrong here I love dogs I know they need their exercise too and with nice days it is good to get them out for a walk. I had a dog when Eric and I were first married and I loved to take my dog out for a stroll but we ALWAYS picked up after him. My mom and sister have a dog and go for walks all them time around the city/neighborhoods and again they ALWAYS pick up after them. I know its gross I never really enjoyed doing it but it was in a plastic bag and was disposed of properly. It is part of being a responsible dog owner and I think stepping in it is more gross (or grosser whatever the proper English term for that would be ;). And picking out a bunch dog poop out of my shoe with a stick at 9 am was not pleasant.

After get the boys ready to take Thomas to school and Eric up to go with us we barley made it on time. Eric and I needed to pick up some Christmas stuff and other errands. Sup was not himself and looked liked he was not feeling 100%. He was pretty crabby and seemed really tired. Eric had picked him up a Reese peanut butter cup at Target and was not interested in it at all...this is a HUGE red flag....this boy will always down a Reese. Since we were out and about for most of Thomas' class time we just headed back over to the school a little early and just sat in the parking lot. About 5 mins before it was time to go in and get Thomas Sup throws up all over inside the back seat of the truck. Great... I hop out of the truck to go get him and Eric jumps out he wait inside til Thomas gets out...Eric does not do well with vomit and better he leave or I would have to clean up two piles. Of course I have no extra clothes but there was a plastic bag so I try my best to clean up with napkins and such I have available in the truck. Sadly most of got on Eric's atlas so something we will have replace. 

After Eric gets back with Thomas I have to go in and wash my hands. Thomas school is connected to a church so I go in and the bathroom is locked...really the bathroom is locked?? Thankfully there was one in the main hall way that was not locked so I could wash up before heading home. I was good that it was a mild day outside because we had to ride home with the windows down to help air out the smell. 

Poor baby we got home and he said he was feeling better and wanted a drink. I put in a movie for him and laid him down but he was not happy at all that I didn't give him something to drink. After a little while I did give him something to try and he wanted to cuddle and a few mins later he lost it and we were both wearing vomit...This was not my day..I got puked on two more times but at least by 10 pm I was able to get Sup to sleep for the night and was able to take a nice hot shower.

He is doing much better today. He has been very tired and not a lot of energy still...which is a big change for me.. But he is on the up swing I think lets hope it is not passed on to each in the family...

Makin' treats

As I was taking inventory of things in my kitchen and trying organize things I noticed we had a lot of marshmallows and not wanting to try a place for all of them, which means find a way to use them.

 As I thought about something that I could make easy and quick I noticed I had three boxes of Rice Krispies. I thought the kids would have fun with making them so I went with Rice Krispies treats. I also have a ton of chocolate chips so we mixed in some mini chips for a yummy twist. After it cooled instead of cutting squares I thought the boys would have fun cutting out Christmas treats with some Christmas cookie cutters we have. So I cut two bigger squares for them they could have fun and cut their own by themselves.

 With the boys knowing what all the cookie cutters were they were very vocal on which ones they wanted. The Christmas tree had a little bit of an issue to it. Thankfully we had two of them and Thomas wanted the bigger one and Sup wanted the "baby one" so we were able to bypass an argument/crying scene.

 Sup was barely able to wait until the piece was cut out until he put it in his mouth. Both the boys said they had a lot of fun and "these are so yummy!" or "nummy" ;)

 As I was cleaning up and putting away the ones we just into squares I turn and the boys have decided to dissect what was left of their personal squares. I am not sure what happened but apparently this was very exciting too. Thankfully it was a small amount and it wasn't too sticky messy. For obvious reasons these dissected piece that according to Thomas were "attacked by decepticons" were not saved ;)

Baby Jesus

When Thomas came home preschool last week I was greeting with a bag of goodies that were given out to the kids as a little gift. There was a little book and some other trinkets included in the bag but what he was most excited about the nativity sticker board.

 He was ready right when he got home to put his nativity together. I had to help him take the stickers off because he would get really upset if they ripped a little but other then that he did all the placements by himself.

Thomas is very particular when he is doing a projects and very meticulous on where everything was placed. I was pretty impressed that he had a plan for everything and with the exception of having the cow, donkey, and camel in the sky he did very well placing everything together. He made sure all the sheep were near the shepherd so that " he could keep track of them". And the three wise men together so "they could all give there gifts to baby Jesus at the same time". The final placement was Mary and Joseph "right by baby Jesus" in the stable. After he was done he took me in his room and wanted me to hang it up on his door so he could stand and admire his hard work ;)

Letters to Santa

A few days ago Eric thought it would be fun to have the boys write letter to Santa this year. Thomas is getting to the age were he is getting ready for Christmas and has been very excited to get ready for the holiday.

 Thomas has been learning to write is letters in preschool and starting to draw pictures so we thought he could have fun with the letter. He started out okay and then decided that he needed help. So Daddy had to go over and help him draw and write his list. He did sign his name and was excited to put in an envelope and put it in our mail box where "Santa" aka Daddy picked it up on his way his way to work.

Sup was excited to do his letter but not as independent as Thomas, obliviously only being two. So Daddy was a little more involved in Sups letter. He was still able to tell Daddy exactly what he wanted so that he could draw and write his letter fr him. Sup so happy when his letter was done he just wanted to keep it so to say the least his didn't get sent with Thomas ;)

Fun at the park

While our family was visiting we had a chance Friday afternoon to take the kids to the park to run around and enjoy the warmer weather we had. There is a nice park not too far from our home that we went. There is a nice play gym for the kids to play and run around and there was a flat and sandy ground to test out the monster truck that my brother-in-law brought with him.

 The boys really had a fun time with the truck, and loved running around with it and being chased by it.

They sand was really good for it to drive on and we all had fun seeing it in action :) I think all the boys and girls had fun with it ;)

Thanksgiving

So I know it has been a couple of weeks since the Thanksgiving celebrations and my blog has been a little neglected. But I am going to try to get back on track :)

 Thanksgiving Day was a little crazy for me and as I look back I am not sure how I got through and I imagine some reading this are going to think I am nuts ;) Eric and I started our day out pretty early. Since I have been back running I look at the races to see which ones might be fun to try out. Over a month ago I decided I wanted to try the Turkey Day 5K. The race was held downtown so I pre-registered and was set to go Thursday. Eric didn't know if he wanted to try it because he hasn't run a quite sometime but I think the running bug got to him and he decided that Monday or Tuesday that he was going to try it.

After a late Wednesday we were up at out the door at 6:30ish so we could register Eric and warm up for the race. We didn't have to worry about the boys as our family visiting from town were going to bring them and cheer us on. The race started at 8 am and there were over 1500 people there for the face. We both had a really fun time and it was nice to be able to do it again. I was able to shorten my time by 2 minutes from my last race which I was really proud of. Eric being male of course still beat me (and very much expected) but since he hasn't been running he felt it for the rest of the weekend where I was just fine because I have been so that made me feel a little better ;) 

After we got home from the race it was time for us to start prepping for our Thanksgiving feast. We had a lot of yummy pre-dinner snacks and dinner foods to prepare. We always try to have some special foods and snacks and this year was no different. We were in the kitchen the majority of the day and I think we had dinner around 5 ish. After filling our tummies I finally had a chance to sit and look at the ads for the infamous Black Friday sales. Eric and I were able to figure out what we wanted to try and get and come up with a plan. Eric was excited to go out with me this year as he hasn't been able to because he worked retail. After clean up from dinner and putting the boys to bed, left the boys with family and headed out the door around 9:30pm. (I know I am crazy after already a long day and really no time to sit I was going out shopping)



I was hoping to get a little nap before we left the house but with more of the stores opening at ten and midnight I didn't have that chance. I was a little disappointed at the earlier openings but it seems that this is going to be a trend. I was actually doing pretty good up until about 3 I think. We stopped and got a little breakfast I guess we'll call it and that help to wake me up a little. After a few more stores we got home around 5:30 am, so yes if you do the calculation I was just 45 mins shy of the up and going for literally 24 hours. I hit the bed and I was out, but I was back up around 10:30 so we could visit with our family. Although it was a long crazy day we really did have a lot of fun :)

Goin' French

While we had family down for Thanksgiving weekend we a lot of fun things planned for meals and yummy foods. We had work on our menu together for several weeks prior to our visit. I love to plan/cook/bake foods and meals...probably why I have a food/nutrition major. One of the things I wanted to try for some time is the art of making crepes. Since I am a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to cooking/baking the crepes scared me a little.

 When Eric and I got married I got a special gift from Mark and Kris...a crepe pan from France.... Eric's family went on an overseas vacation when he was just a teenager and they had picked up a crepe pan for each kid and when they got married they were given out. So I have had this poor little crepe pan in my kitchen for 5 years and I still haven't used it. So when I found out that sister-in-law and her family were coming I decided to seize the opportunity. It was time to break out and use that poor little crepe pan and no longer neglect it. Have some one to help was great! She taught me the recipe and how to make and cook the crepes. After a few I think I really got the hang of it and since she brought her crepe pan as well I was manged both and was pretty proud of myself :) 

Although we had the choice of sweet or savory crepes...the kids went for the sweet..no surprise whatsoever. Thomas has a thing with eggs and has decided he doesn't like them. He will tell me he liked them when he was a "little boy", so since crepes have a ton of eggs he just has a plate of berries....hopefully one day he'll open up and try them because they turned out really yummy!

One big Reese!

It has become well known around our home that our little Sup loves Reese peanut butter cups. If they are in reach he will polish them off in no time flat! Back in September when we were visiting family and to see Jason and Sandra get sealed there was a mini bag of Reese left for grabs. Long story short.... for Sup to share we told him his little cousin had brought them so they could share the bag. This worked out very nice and the two of them would sit and polish them off without screaming or fighting and very content to sit and share the bag.

 When it comes to his precious Reeses he seems to remember it all, including how many come in a regular pack and the king size pack so you can't trick him into they are all gone unless they are really all gone. When his cousin came to visit for Thanksgiving he remembered that he had "brought" him Reeses to share before and was expecting with great anticipation that he could get some more. So after a yummy... well say brunch ;) It was time to surprise Sup with his Reeses. He recognized they were Reeses but it was a big package and I think he was a bit in awe. They brought a package of 2 Reese's totaling 1/2 lbs of Reese peanut butter cups! It was pretty impressive.

After it was opened and he seen the "Big, Huge, Reese!" He and his little cousin went to town! It was fun to watch them trying to eat such a big Reese ;) I think they both had about half and I think they had their sugar rush for the day. He was one happy little Sup :)

Snuggles

Since we had family over last week for Thanksgiving the boys have actually been sleeping in their room. I know this may seem like an odd statement to some but for the last few months both boys had claimed the couch for their bed. Not a huge surprise for those who have known an Anderson boy ;) I think it is just in their blood.

 We are still not sleeping in beds but we did make it to the floor IN their room which is a big accomplishment. They lay out all their blankets and pillows and curl up and go to sleep. When I checked on them before I went to bed last night I found this..

It was so cute seeing Sup all snuggled up with Thomas both sound asleep. I am sure this is not a picture they will like later in life but it sure made me smile when I walked in and couldn't resist taking a picture. Although they pester one another I can see that they love each other and look out for one another :)

Snow...

This is not a post I am excited to blog about but the boys were so funny and in awe with the site of the snow. Yes my friends we did see snow here yesterday morning. When we first got up in the morning it was rain so I thought I would wait to run or at least til it lighten up. We had our breakfast and came into the family room and I noticed that the rain had changed to snow..yuk!

 They were huge flakes and the boys tore open the curtains to see our first snow this season. They were both plastered to the window and completely fascinated with watching it fall. It was coming down pretty good and Thomas wanted to know if it was Christmas. Funny boy last year the first time it snow was on Christmas so now every time it snows he thinks its Christmas.

It actually snow for a little while so they decided to pull up their little couch. There was not much that could tear them away from this site. We do not get a lot of snow here, none of it really stick and it was gone in a few hours, much to my delight but pretty sad for the boys. 

Their own tree

A few years ago Eric and I thought it would be fun for the boys to have their own tree. This way they could pick out what they want to put on it.

 Even though they were younger when they picked out the decor both of the boys love being able to do whatever they what with this tree because it is theirs to do without help from Mommy and Daddy.

We have put it in their room in the past but this year we had a nice little corner in our family room so they decided to put it there. They both took great pride in their tree and were very particular on where all ornaments went. It was fun to sit back and watch. 

Christmas time

The boys were so excited to start decorating for Christmas. A few weeks ago we took all the Halloween stuff down and packed it away and started getting ready for Christmas. 

 I think the highlight of the decorating for the boys is the tree. They were so excited to to put up all the tinsel and lights. It was really nice because we have a rotating stand so with help from Daddy Thomas could stand in one place while the tree spun and put up the lights and tinsel.

 Next were the ornaments. We have collected quite a few since Eric and I were married and it was fun to see some of the older ones and remember some of our earlier memories as a family.

It is getting easier to decorate the tree. As the boys are getting older they can put the ornaments all by themselves, so my job has gotten easier ;) And of course the boys probably have a lot more fun putting them up as well. We did have to help a little on putting the more breakable ones a little higher on tree. Even though they both are good about not touching, Sup is still learning not to throw. 

Buliding project #3

As you can see Eric has has a pretty productive couple of weeks with his building projects. He was a little disappointed that I haven't blogged about this one. Again I made it a point to be sure to show it off for him.

I think out of all his latest projects he was the most pleased with this one. Probably what he was most proud of was the fact that he knocked it out in an afternoon. The second is that from his eyes he has yet to find a flaw, which is a big deal to him.

It his own little display shelf. If your wondering what he put inside they are Halo figures. If your not familiar with Halo, consider yourself lucky ;) But he plans on displaying them in his workshop so he was excited for them to have a home that they could be seen.

Pomegranates

Last holiday season I found that the price of pomegranate were pretty reasonable and thought it would be great to pick some up. The boys were pretty interested in them and wanted to give them a try.To my pleasant surprise thy both loved them. So when I started seeing them again this year I picked one up for us.

 These boys both have an amazing memory and couldn't remember the name but remembered the fruit and were begging to hurry up and get the seeds out. If you are not familiar with pomegranates..although they have gotten a lot of health buzz of late...they are a big round reddish pink fruit that are filled with a bunch of little seeds. They are filled with a sweet and tart juice with a tiny white seed in the middle.

It takes some time to get all the seeds out but once they were out the boys dig in and were eating them handfuls at a time. It has been a great snack for them and it is fun to see them enjoy them so much ;)

A talking gift

A few days ago we got a package in the mail with a few goodies from Gramma Kris and Papa Mark. There was a special gift for the boys. Gramma and Papa got the boys a recordable book, "Frosty The Snowman". The were do excited for the gift and didn't take them long to learn that it was Gramma and Papa reading the story.

 It didn't take out little Sup to figure out that if you cover up the small holes on the inside of the book the voices stop. This did not sit well with Thomas whatsoever. He was actually trying to listen to the story and Sup would come over and make it stop so he could hear Thomas yell. Ahhh.. little brothers... (hence why he is sitting in the box).

So now when we have the book out Sup has to listen from afar. This particular night he decided to listen from the box the package came in. I think the only thing he liked more then the box were the Reese Peanut Butter Cups that Gramma sent for him. That he polished off mind you in less then 24 hours and that was with restrictions. I am sure if I would have let him he would have eaten them all that night for his night snack.