Christmas Visit

We got to spend some time with Aunt Jean, Uncle Bill, Tom, Heather, Amber and Jonathan yesterday. We all had a really nice visit and were glad no blizzards got in the way of our plans. Aunt Jean helped Ethan build a giant tower that he was really hoping to knock over with a tornado, avalance, or  hurricane but the force of gravity took care of it before he had a chance. He also enjoyed pulling Uncle Tom's beard quite a bit.

Cookie time!

We're having a fun time with Amber. Today we made and decorated cookies!

More Photography

Now even if he doesn't have his camera, Ethan has a way of taking pictures. I finally cleared the memory on my phone, and these are some of the gems I found from the past month. I really love his self portraits :)

Art Work

We've had a crazy busy couple of weeks so I haven't had a chance to share any of the really great work Ethan keeps bringing home from school like the Itsy Bitsy Spider that he made during Fairy Tale Week- it was really more nursery rhymes but whatever. They used drinking straws for the water spout. I don't know that I was writing words in kindergarten, they really have them doing a lot.This is something he made in the after school program he goes to three days a week.

The stocking on the bottom is something he made at home. This one was for James. After he finished making it, he told a story which he wanted me to write on the back of the stocking. It goes like this:

The Abominable Penguin
Electricity is good for the penguin to eat. He also eats light bulbs. He is bigger than any dinosaur. He's even bigger than tyranosaurus rex and any other meat eater. He also eats birds. He also eats elves. He also eats every single toy. The end.

I don't know about you, but that is one penguin I don't want to run into.

All Decorated

Here's our big fat tree all gussied up. It's a good thing it has a lot of branches. I think we're going to need to stop making ornaments or start putting up more than one tree!

Party Day

Today Ethan had a busy social calendar. This morning we went to Fun Factor to celebrate Gavin's second birthday. As you can see, Ethan even managed to con James and I into participating in the bouncing, sliding, etc. After that, we headed to Brookfield for his school friend's party at the aquatic club. There he got to swim, play in the gym, and have pizza and cake. He was nearly asleep in the car by the time we got home. I have to say, I was fairly well wiped out too. But we managed to get some Christmas presents wrapped and finish decorating the tree and play a few games before dinner.

Oh Christmas Tree!

Saturday we went to get a Christmas tree. It was a gross day, but the only time we really can do it. Well, it was damp and misty but I guess it could have been worse. We went to a farm in Woodbury and "chopped it down" as Ethan would say. We chose a tree with long needles, which I haven't had before. They are very soft which is much nicer for decorating, though it was challenging to get the ornaments to stay on.

Santa Express

Last Sunday Ethan and his Hocking cousins enjoyed an outing on the Santa Express in Essex. Some of them were happy to see Santa, others a little timid. There was also a penguin, rudolph, Mrs. Claus and some elves. We all stopped in Middletown at the toy store to see the big electric train display on our way out of town.