My Little Drummer Boy

Luke is SO in to music right now. He loves to sing, play the drums, guitar, piano and more!

Right now though, he is super in to drumming! Maybe he has some of his Papaw and uncle Jeremy's rhythm in him? It's hard to tell right now, but I'm telling you...that boy can make some noise!!

He will set up his "drum" set using our Little Tykes drum, a bongo drum, my bowls turned upside down and anything else he can get his hands on!!

Just yesterday he was explaining to me how his base drum, right tom, left tom, crash symbol, etc. were arranged all around him. And, today alone, he's broken two of my plastic storage bowls by banging on them too hard.

I keep trying to talk Papaw and uncle Jeremy in to sitting down with Luke and helping him with his rhythms and beats. We'll see what happens. Right now, I'm just listening to the banging of various pots, pans and toys...and contemplating on whether or not I should get some ear plugs.

Padron Pancake House

When I think of what I had to eat for breakfast as a kid (usually cold cereal or a pop-tart) I realize how lucky (and spoiled) my boys are. Every morning they want a hot, fresh, home-cooked waffle or pancake...no Eggos in this house!

Right now, while they are both in preschool and don't have to be at school until 9:00, I don't mind cooking for them in the mornings. Next year, when kindergarten starts at 7:30, I'm not sure what we're going to do though. Luke isn't even hungry when he first wakes up!

Regardless, we'll make it work...and it's my privilege to take care of my boys. I still don't know how I got so lucky to be blessed with the two best boys in the whole world!!

Unlikely Hiding Places

I recently brought the boys art easel inside so they could play with it in the toy room during these cold winter months...it just seems like there isn't enough to do when they can't go outside.

I love this art easel because one side is a dry erase board that is magnetic and the other side is a chalk board. Both sides have a clip to hang paper from, so both boys can create masterpieces at the same time.

The other day though, I came in the toy room and could hear Noah giggling, but I couldn't see him. I quickly realized my little monkey had climbed up between the easel and was hiding in the middle!

Not to be outdone, Luke had to try it too...of course, he is not as small as Noah (to put it nicely), so only the front half of his body made it through! Too funny!

Fire Station Tour

I'm catching up on some blogging...A few weeks ago Ms. Christy took Luke, Lil' Luke and Noah on a tour of the fire station with the Wylie Moms' Group.

Even though Luke has been on at least one or two other tours, each time he has blast. This time was special because they got to tour the new, big fire station that was built in Wylie this year.

The boys had fun seeing where the fireman lived, sitting in their rocker-recliners, checking out their super-sized kitchen and, of course, checking out the fire trucks.

At the end, the boys got a special surprise when the fireman got a call and had to leave, lights and sirens a blazing.

It was the perfect ending to a really neat tour!!!

Fresh Squeezed Apple Juice

This morning Luke and I decided to make some fresh squeezed apple juice. It's all part of our trying to eat more natural, healthy food.

Luke had so much fun putting the apples in the juicer and using the plunger to push them down and make juice! I think he was surprised at how sweet and tangy the juice was...nothing like the pasteurized store juice. Noah liked it too. In fact, we all had two cup fulls!

We're headed to the store in a bit to pick out some other healthy fruits and veggies to juice. We might try carrots this time, mixed with our apples. Luke wants to try blueberries too.

I also introduced the boys to almond milk this week. I started by mixing 1/2 almond and 1/2organic cow's milk. Then, they both had it in their cereal and oatmeal...and I had it in my coffee and tea. It was honestly yummy and sweet.

Next on my list to try is a meat substitute. I'm wondering if the boys will notice if I mix 1/2 meat substitute crumbles with 1/2 ground meat? Hmmm...we shall see!

White Christmas 2009

To all of our surprise, it started SNOWING on Christmas Eve day. We were all at my dad's house celebrating our Christmas, opening presents and eating turkey and ham when we looked out the window and saw huge snowflakes falling. Luke, Niki, Linda, Leo...I'm not sure who was more excited. The kids, Leo and Niki all ran outside to catch snowflakes in their mouths! After dinner was over, we all came home to give the baby a nap. We couldn't believe that it kept snowing...all evening in fact! Even though the sun came out and it warmed up in the morning, the snow was the perfect ending to Christmas Eve and the perfect start to Christmas morning.

Christmas Eve at Dad's

This year since both Jeremy and I have kids, there was a lot more planning and sharing of our time between all the grandparents and in-law grandparents. We ended up deciding to spend Christmas Eve Day at Dad's opening presents and eating lunch. It was especially nice because Niki and Linda were there...extended family (to my dad) that are considered part of our immediate family.

Luke was very eager to be helpful in passing out the presents. Memaw read the names to him and he made sure they got to the right place. Noah even got in on the action, showing us how strong he was by carrying a gift or two.

Once the opening began it was a free-for-all with the boys. Luke's favorite presents, by far, were the toolbox with real tools and Buzz Lightyear action figure. Noah's favorite gift was definitely the "box of balls"...we're talking big balls, little balls, soccer balls, footballs, tennis balls and more!

My favorite part was getting to hold my new nephew. Graham is 7 months old and gets cuter and cuter everyday. He actually makes me want to have another baby!! I could just eat him up!

We ended our day eating a lunch of smoked turkey and ham. As usual, everyone ate so much we were miserable. Around 2:00 we left to come home, give Noah a nap and rest ourselves. It was a great day visiting with the family and celebrating the birth of Christ!