Car Recycling Facility

Jonathan and Caleb love family movie night. However, we are in a phase of documentaries. On trucks. And tractors. And recycling trucks. We have seen, "Recycling" and "All About John Deere" more times than I would like to count during family movie night.

As a result, Jonathan has decided on a new future occupation:

"Mom, I'm going to be a worker at a car recycling facility. The cars come into the recycling facility on trucks and I'll help them move into the compactor." Aaah, the joys of boys! I now have an extensive base of knowledge about car recycling facilities and garbage dumps.

NO, MY Mommy!

The increasing verbal prowess of the two year old is bringing about a few interesting exchanges between the two boys.

On the way home from church on Sunday, I was the subject of much debate:

Caleb: "She my mommy. My mommy. My mommy."

Jonathan: "She's my mommy, too.

Caleb: "No, MY mommy!"

Jonathan: "She's my mommy, too, Caleb."

Caleb: (shrieking) "NO, MY MOMMY. MY MOMMY. MY MOMMY."

Jonathan: (escalating): "Caleb, she is mine, too!"

Caleb: "MYMOMMYMYMOMMYMYMOMMY!!!!"

Apart from my husband's kind intervention, there would have been constant shrieking all of the way home about this topic. Guess it's good that they want to claim me.

Numbers

7: The inches of snow we got last night.

140: minutes it took Jamie and I to shovel the ridiculously steep driveway of this house.

10: nights that Jonathan has slept in his bed instead of on his floor (since exiting the crib he has slept most nights of the last year and a half either on the floor or on his chair).

"30+60": The numbers that Jonathan uses to refer to a large sum of objects.

3: numbers of nights Caleb has gone potty on the toilet before his bath.

60: minutes of delightful snow play that we enjoyed today.

2: Spunky little boys that live in this house.

1: Tired Momma who is ready to rest.

Car Repair 101

Our car battery died this week, and Jamie showed his mechanical abilities by successfully changing it with his trusty assistant. Trusty assistant's comment: "This is so fun!!!"

Drum Line in a Parade

Jonathan got out the instruments while the iPod was playing the other day and the pictures below are of the "drummers" in "the parade". Caleb was a stationary part of the drum line and was just beating on his chair. Jonathan had gotten the packing tape (of which we have PLENTY!), the wood block, and two wooden mallets. He was almost done with his drum and created tape straps when he asked for help on some last details.

Caleb really liked drumming on his chair and stomping his feet to ring the bells.

Check out the tape straps to hold the drum on the drummer.

Midway through the parade we added some ankle bells to spice up the drum line a bit.

This Momma Loves Snow

Maybe if we lived in the frozen tundra of the far northern plains, I would feel differently about snow. However, we get minimal snow and I have always loved playing in it. I like walking in it, and I even like running in the newly fallen snow. Our kids love playing in the snow, as well. We didn't have warm enough mittens for the kids to use, so Grampie came up with the idea to use tape to hold on these enormous mittens:

Caleb with well-secured adult size mittens

Jonathan

Jake taking a tumble

Caleb

Celebration #3

We were all present and accounted for on Christmas evening at my parents' house. We celebrated with the most treasured spaghetti dinner all of the fixings followed by playtime, presents and dessert. The boys had a wild time playing together, and I think Grampie was ready for a nap after we left the house. I think the house may have sighed in relief to have a bit of quiet and calm return.

Nate and Josh

Jake, Caleb and Jonathan... Jamie supervising

Celebration #2

We traveled to Iowa to visit Jamie's family on the 23rd. The boys enjoyed playing with their cousins and tromping in the snow.

Drew and Jonathan

Caleb

Sofie, Drew, Jonathan and Caleb

Nic and Jonathan

Uncle Doug and Caleb

Caleb became adept at telling the two little fur balls what to do.

The boy cousins (minus two)

Our Celebration

We usually travel to Iowa for the Christmas holiday so our family's celebration occurs on the Saturday before or the Saturday after we travel. We give gifts, read about Jesus' birth, have a special breakfast, play, have birthday cupcakes in celebration... a day for our family to celebrate.

The boys played with old and a few new legos for over an hour that morning.

Look at the "Giant Jellybean Jars" in our stockings! These were from a story we read entitled, "The Giant Jellybean Jar". Jonathan loved the story and both boys loved those jelly bean jars!

The House for the Baby

The "gingerbread baby" from the previous post finally ends up in a gingerbread house made for him by the boy in the story. We decided our gingerbread babies needed a house, too. Jake was over at our house for this adventure, and he was the most cooperative crafter of the three. He did exactly what I asked him to do!! Jonathan always has other ideas and Caleb tried to eat most of the candy.

Jake's corner of the house... he ate NO candy until I told him it was time.

Caleb ate pieces of candy that Jake tried to put on the house if I wasn't watching. Little rascal!

The three "artists"