Wrapping party

Our community adopted five local families through a non-profit organization.  Overall, we provided food, toys, clothes, books, and games for each family member.  This year, Brady and Rudy decided to use their charity jar money to buy toys for one of the children.  Between their charity savings, the money in their wallets, and a ToysRUs coupon they were able to purchase two Lego sets for the little boy.  They also helped wrap the gifts for the families...

Getting some help from Gavin...

Loading the gifts.  Other families in the neighborhood were coordinating the actual deliveries.

They even made it into the newspaper the next week:

Painting party

I organized a painting party in the community clubhouse.  Each child created his own snowman masterpiece, no parents allowed!

 

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Santa brunch

It was the annual neighborhood Santa brunch this weekend.  This time, Santa wore his cowboy boots :)

Brady looks about as tall as Santa!! 

Cats and Toys Club

Visit to Mr. Jefferson's house

Monticello had a special admission price ($5!), so we had to take the opportunity to have a tour from Cindy!  I think they enjoyed it, both because they knew the tour guide and because it was better than an afternoon at school.  I loved it, because we got a special tour of the upstairs of the house and the dome room!

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Back seat chatter

I couldn't quite keep up, but this is what I could catch from Ben and Rudy in the backseat:

Pretend it's fathers day and our daughters give us both the same thing and it's work stuff like a work truck and covered in weapons and rifles and and stuff.

And our daughters also have us posters that said "my dad is awesome." nd we put them both on our trucks and we always drive right beside each other and our license plates  said awesome buddies.

And then when we go home we live in a brick house and when we get home there is no more work and no more homework and that's where we keep our families safe.  

There's like two sides to the the house.  It's split in half with a door on the middle and you live on one side and I live in   one side and you live in the other.

Button tree

Another  Christmas craft I tried out for the party tomorrow night.  Not bad...

Talent show

I'm not sure who was more stressed out by the talent show tonight:  James and I or the kids.  It's been months of practice (or not practicing, despite the need to do so).  In the end, they pulled it off and were a great success in their act:  Who's on First.  We're really proud of their hard work!

All of the evening's performers:

 

Brady's teacher even came out for the performance (she had two students performing tonight), which I thought was really special.  Definitely above and beyond!

So, for your viewing pleasure...here it is!

Follow Up - the boys are highlighted in the county gifted and talented newsletter:

 

Above: Showcase Students—Brady with his younger brother, Rudy, had the audience Laughing with their “Who’s on First” routine. Kate wowed the audience playing Up on the Housetop on the grand piano.

Rudy & Mary Emma

 I really wish these pictures were in better focus.  These two were a couple of giggling fools after the talent show tonight.  I love that Rudy has Mary Emma for such a great buddy.  

Gingerbread house

We got an early start on our gingerbread houses this year when Mom and I found them marked way down on black Friday! I'm no purist when it comes to this holiday project - from a box and assembled with a glue gun is perfectly find for our traditions!  (An added bonus is that it never even occurs to the kids to eat the assembled projects!)

We had one house per kid, with a tree for Teddy to work on.  For as much as my boys have NOT been into crafts lately, they were quite meticulous with this project!