Group Hug!

Can't you just feel the love??

Santa Research

Here's a conversation I just had with my older 2 guys while looking at different pictures the DAM moms have taken of their kids with Santa so far this year (so all the Santas vary because they are from different area malls):

Jacks: Is the Santa at the mall real?
Me: Well, what do you think?
Cody: Yep, he's real.
Jacks: Hmmm, real. (pause) Yeah, real. (walks away and comes back again) I just don't know. Can we GOOGLE it?

Hahahahahahahaha!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My 6 year-old is all about Internet research! :)

Decorating the Tree

As soon as Thanksgiving was officially over, it was time to decorate for Christmas!

Jacks and Cody tried several different vantage points for hanging ornaments. Jacks went with low....
While Cody tried high....

Jacks with the finished product (if you look very closely, you can see his new R2D2 ornament):
Cody was very excited by all the fun, and I loved this shot of his naked glee, even with the chapped lips, leftover snack, and still-healing chin:
Once the tree was decorated, Jacks moved on to decorating himself:The proud artistes with our beautiful tree:
And of course, we all had the help of a certain little reindeer:

Santa Hats

I am having SO much fun with my new camera! :)

Family Christmas Pictures Sneak Peek!

The Nutcracker

Anthony and I took the older boys to see The Nutcracker this weekend. To give them some idea what to expect, we borrowed some of the picture books from the library, watched a version on DVD, and of course, listened to the music. It turns out that Jackson will be going to see a puppet production of The Nutcracker on a school field trip in January, so they've been studying up in music class, too. By Saturday, both boys were ready.

Cody had a rough time waking up from nap yesterday so he wouldn't cooperate for any pictures. But both of them looked extremely handsome. :)

Anthony and I were very pleasantly surprised by how well the boys did. We half-expected to leave at intermission, but armed with Starburst and M&Ms, they made it through the second act, too (and that's the better one, so we were glad we stayed!). They sat still, watched intently, and only got a little restless at the end. Cody even hummed along with the Sugar Plum Fairy.

Jackson's favorite part: "The Snowflakes." Cody's: "The Nutcrackers." (by which he means the toy soldiers LOL). I asked Jackson if he had enjoyed it and he said yes. But when I asked if he'd want to go again some time, he shook his head. Once was enough. :)

It was a really great afternoon and we're now officially ready for the holiday season. :)

What Cody Wears to a Swordfight

Cody was chasing Jackson around the house yesterday, in the hopes that he'd be able to poke him with the sword. Jacks knew exactly what his nefarious intentions were and was too quick for Cody; Cody couldn't catch him. So Cody began shouting, "JACKSON, come HERE!" It never occurred to him to try stealth (until Daddy suggested it, that is). Love the brutal honesty you get with this age! "Jackson come HERE! I want to stab you with this sword, so come HERE!" :P