Gaylord ICE!!!

We decided to head out to the Gaylord Texan resort in Grapevine (by the airport) yesterday to see their giant ICE exhibit (basically rooms all made out of ice, filled with ice sculptures of animals, trucks, people, a sleigh, the Nativity scene, etc.). It was crowded but we still had a great time.

There is SO much to see at the Gaylord, even aside from ICE! There were Santa statues, a giant Christmas tree, a trolley and little train going on a track, a guy painted gold who pretended to be a statue sitting on a bench but would then freak people out by suddenly moving (we tried to tell Jacks he was a statue and he watched closely for a sec and then delighted in telling us we were wrong), a cowboy doing tricks with a lasso, you could actually visit Santa, etc. It's pretty amazing.

They have to keep the ICE exhibit at a certain temperature of course, and OMG 9 degrees is freakin' cold. Cody hated the weather so he and Anthony made their way through pretty quickly, but Jacks and I braved the final room which had a giant slide made of ice. I let him choose whether he wanted to do the children's one or the big one (he was tall enough to do either) and he picked the tall one. He LOVED it!

The price is pretty prohibitive....$60-something and we didn't even have to pay for Cody. But it's really cool and worth checking out at least once.

Picture Captions:

1) Right before we went in to the actual exhibit, we put our coats on and got ready for the cold...you can see Cody is still relatively happy here. This is the only pic you'll see of him from yesterday.

2) Jackson was SO excited to get all dressed up with his hat and gloves, etc....especially since it was 80 degrees outside.

3) Once we walked in, the cold hit us right away! (note how Jackson's gloves aren't actually on his fingers....he's just got his hands balled into fists inside them LOL)

4) This is my favorite pic...he was just in awe of it all!

5) But still, unwilling to pose with Daddy. Right after that pic, Anthony took Cody out (and the stroller and camera) to go listen to the teenagers singing Christmas songs out front, and Jacks and I stayed in to go on the slide.

What a fun Christmassy way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

Christmas Tree Cones

Here's what the boys and I made today. We used regular sugar cones and some green icing. Jacks tried to put the icing on himself but the cones kept breaking, so I spread the icing on and then the boys went to town with the sprinkles. If you look closely, you can see the smiley face Jackson put on one of them. ;) We had so much fun!

Dino Hats

The first pic is "Cheese!" and the 2nd is "ROAR" like dinosaurs. :)

Jacks had a similar hat that was orange and blue, but he needed a bigger one and I got Cody one, too. I was shocked that he kept it on for as long as he did!

You can see the remnants of the tape they put on Cody's eyes during surgery....and you can see Jackson's tonsils.

Cody's 2nd Surgery

Well, it's over and we're home. It went smoothly and the post-op MRI "looks good." They said that last time so we know that doesn't mean a definite all-clear, but we're optimistic. The docs were absolutely right that this surgery would be much easier on him than the last. We were only in the hospital from Friday through Monday, and he was impossible to keep in his room on Monday so he was REALLY ready to come home. We rode the elevators up and down, visited the play room and the trains, etc. but it was a long day because he just wanted out of there. He's loving being home, eating and sleeping well, and having a blast playing with Jackson. So far so good!

(click on the pic above to see it bigger)

Bungled Song Lyrics....Xmas Edition

Jacks: Mama, who's Snofa sleigh?

Me: Um...what?

J: SNOFA SLEIGH.

Me: What are you talking about?

J: "Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way...lalallalalalala snofa sleigh." So who is that?

Me: It goes, "One-horse open sleigh," honey.

J: But whose is it? Is he Santa's friend?

Teehee!!! It is so much fun talking to Jacks lately! He cracks me up every day!

Handsome x 2

Does it get any better looking than my two sweet boys? I don't think so!

Jackson's Letter to Santa 2006

Dear Santa,

I have been a good boy.

Cody wants cars.

I want markers and wooden Thomas track. (Neville and a caboose, a coach, and that crane thingie.) Also a truck that I saw at Target. And the machine to make Slurpees.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

That is the ABC's, Santa. I know them.

Love,

Jackson

A conversation with Jackson 11/30

(while making banana bread after he successfully cracked 2 eggs into a bowl BY HIMSELF...and helped me make stew this morning by peeling a potato and cutting it with a butter knife)

Me: Jacks, you are really good at this. Do you think you might be a chef one day?

J: Yeah.

Me: Do you know what a chef is?

J: Yeah.

Me: What is it?

J: A cooker.

Me: Right.

(later)

Jackson: Yep, I think I'm going to be a chafe when I'm big.

Me: I know it!

J: I know it, too. I think I could even make pizza. Not now, but when I'm bigger. Like 11.

:)

Time for Hot Chocolate

Nothing better after playing in the freezing cold than warming up with a cup of hot chocolate! And this is the good stuff, made by Godiva. Of course, I'm not sure the cocoa gurus at Godiva intended their sacred chocolate goop to be drunk through a straw, but so be it. :)

SNOW 2006!!!!

We woke up to snow after nap today!!! Jacks immediately put on all his cold weather gear and ran outside, for fear it would be gone before he had a chance to fully enjoy it. Cody, on the other hand, chafed against the suggestion of a jacket. Having convinced him he needed at least that, I lost the battle over the gloves and hat (the latter mainly because his head is too dang big for his hat from last year!). Once outside, Jacks had fun touching the snow and the frozen water in the lid of our sandbox (yes, we left it open....oops), but Cody was disgusted by the cold and kept blowing on his hands after touching the snow, hoping to warm them up. Jacks was slightly disappointed that the snow wasn't sticky enough to make a good snowball, but we had fun trying. We didn't stay out too long, but it was great to have snow to really get us in the holiday spirit!

Meg and Anthony go to Prom

Not technically about the brothers, but just for you K-K! :)

Santa Visit 2006

I took them today because I figured that after tomorrow's MRI, Cody's goodwill towards his fellow man will have disappeared LOL. Honestly, I didn't have high hopes for today either after he kept telling random people NONO, but as soon as he saw Santa he walked right up to him. Santa asked him to give 5, and he did...then he went over to Santa's other hand and gave 5 there, too, since Jacks was being shy and not responding.

Once on Santa's lap, Cody wouldn't smile but at least he wasn't screaming and crying! This is progress, and I was completely gobsmacked. Anthony said Cody looked like a mob boss who was thinking, "Oh Mama. You made a big mistake. Big. No one puts me in Santa's lap. Ever. Now you're going to have to sleep with the fishies."

And Jacks told Santa he wanted "fresh markers since Cody dried out the old ones" and wooden trains.

Ho Ho Ho!

Jackson's Christmas List

Here are a few conversations Jackson and I had this morning about Christmas presents.

*************

Me: What should we get Z (his best friend) for Christmas?

J: Does she have any GeoTrax?

Me: I don't think she does, but remember that we're trying to think of things the OTHER person would enjoy.

J: (long pause) How about some flowers?

Me: Oh that's a good idea, girls always like flowers.

J: Yeah, we can get her a red, and blue and white and pink and purple. And put them in a little pot. And none of them can be the same.

Me: Ok!

*************

Me: How about Gramma and Grandad, what would they like?

J: Hmmm. (thinks so long I think he's forgotten what we're talking about) How about a little tree?

Me: Ooh that's interesting. Do you mean a real tree or a little statue of a tree?

J: A statue. Or since they don't have any dogs, we can give them one of ours.

Me (choking): I think they might like to pick their own dog if they get a new one. But which one would you give them?

J: I want to keep Zoe.

********

Decorating Daddy's Birthday Cake

Jackson's Antiquity Portrait

A friend of mine was doing a fundraiser for her MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group, and they dress the kids up in costumes, give them props, and then make the pictures look antique. On our day, Cody was not interested in participating...I got the tux on him, with him protesting mightily throughout, and that was a far as he was willing to go. Once in the photo room, his tantrum escalated and I decided it wasn't worth it to force him. So, only Jacks is in the picture. But I just love it. It's silly, but the look on his face says he's in on the joke (and trying to determine the exact depth of the IQ of the lady taking the picture). And, HOW much does he look just like Daddy (who taught him the IQ trick)?

Awfully Big Shoes to Fill

Cody had some fun trying on Daddy's work shoes. Looks pretty proud of himself, doesn't he? :)

Family Photos Part II

A few more...couldn't narrow it down to just 5.

Family Photo Shoot

A friend of mine took a bunch of pictures of us at this beautiful church not too far from our house. There's a gorgeous fountain, a waterfall, a bridge, etc...perfect for pictures. Here are a few favorites, although you can't see the BEST one since it's likely our Christmas card pic this year. ;)

Pumpkins and Leaves...Fall has arrived

Jackson throwing leaves (I love how they're in focus while he is not):


Jackson balancing at the pumpkin patch:


Cody picking his pumpkin (serious business):



The Running of the Pumpkins (note both of Jackson's feet off the ground):


Jacks on our playscape in the backyard...cutie