Trimming the Tree

The boys were in charge of decorating the tree this year -- I decided I wasn't going to move any of the ornaments they put on the tree -- no matter how many they had packed on one branch!

To my surprise, they did a great job of spreading things out. I wasn't even tempted to move any! I added some breakable ornaments to the branches they couldn't reach and filled in the bare spots with some balls and bows. It turned out great.

Zak found the dog ornaments right away.

Zak kept taking ornaments
off and moving them around.

Sam was great at decorating the tree!

Zak kept trying to put this boot on his foot!

Sam directing the placement of the star.

Excited that the tree was done!

They were enthusiastic helpers!

O Christmas Tree!

We picked Sam up from school on Friday and headed to our local Christmas tree farm to find our tree.

Sam was excited to play hide-and-seek in the trees and Zak was excited to be wearing boots!

First stop was feeding the animals.

Our animal lover.

Quick pit stop.

Checking out the trees.

Taking a break.

Ready to cut down our tree.

Hiding out!

We were closing in on Zak's nap time -- so the traditional trip to Krispy Kreme was done via the drive-thru -- the boys didn't seem to mind.

A little pick-me-up after traipsing through the trees.

I think he enjoyed it!

The boys are going to help Matthew put lights on the tree and then we'll start decorating!

Quicker Than A Camel

Zak's all about speed!

Black Friday - Boy Style

The boys needed to get out of the house -- Mom needed some quiet rest -- so Matthew took them to Kid Zone to play on the slides and shoot foam balls at each other!

Here is how the boys spent Black Friday -- having fun!

They stopped for lunch at Burgerville before heading home. I'm sure they wouldn't mind this becoming their Black Friday tradition!

Fun with Grandpa & Nana!

We had so much fun when Grandpa and Nana came for a visit!

Saturday was a rainy day -- we needed an indoor activity. So, off we went to one of the boys' favorite places -- the Portland Children's Museum. We weren't the only ones with that ideas, but it really wasn't too bad. The boys were anxious to show Grandpa and Nana all their favorite things...

Sam gave a dog a bath.

They showed Grandpa how to dig in the pit.

Zak loves the pay phone!

Bench warmers!

Zak showing off his brushing skills.

Fun in the water! We were smart enough to
bring extra shirts this time -- and we needed them!

We spent a long time in the water area!

Good times!

We think we brought home the flu bug from the museum. Later that night Zak started throwing up...thankfully Grandpa and Nana escaped without getting sick! Sadly, this was not the case for the rest of the family. Monday morning, Sam started throwing up. Early Thanksgiving was Mom's turn. Dad finally succumbed on Friday night. The boys bounced back much quicker than their parents!

Needless to say, we did not have Thanksgiving at our house this year -- and we were hosting! Matthew and I have now made a pact that we will never get sick at the same time again!

We are thankful we were able to spend time with both our families earlier in the week. And we are thankful we're all finally starting to feel better!

A Kindergarten Thanksgiving

Sam's much anticipated Kindergarten Thanksgiving Program was a success!

After working in his class and watching how it was all coming together -- I wasn't sure if they were going to be able to pull it off -- but they did!

The Pilgrims sailing on the Mayflower.

The Native American's welcoming the Pilgrims.

Zak didn't make a peep through
the whole thing -- thanks to an Ipod!

Celebrating with their Thanksgiving Feast!

Poppy and Grammie made a quick
trip down to see Sam's program!

This ended up being the highlight of our Thanksgiving!

All By Myself!

Zak was so proud of himself this morning!

He's almost got it!