When Dad's away, Papa and the boys will play!

The little monkeys talked Papa into building a fort out of the couch cushions. They all crawled inside and took turns being as loud and annoying as possible with the voice changer. Good times were had by all.

Congratulations Gwydion!

Yesterday Gwydion received two awards at school. The first was a reading award for the Reading Counts program sponsored by Scholastic books. He read books and took tests on them. He earned 25 points, for which he received a certificate. He was the first kindergartner at his school to be given this award. The second award he received was a good citizenship award for responsibility. He's very proud of both and we're very proud of him!

More Snow!

Late last week we had our second big storm of the winter. Luckily we didn't get much ice here in the northeastern part of the state. We did get several inches of snow though. Here are the boys watching the snow fall. They didn't even want to wait until it stopped falling before we went outside.

By the time it stopped we had about 6 inches. This is what our neighborhood looked like.
We did finally make it out to play. It was cold but sunny and still. No wind, for once! Gwydion ran through the ditch several times.
Goblin thought he wanted out, until he realized that the snow would stick to his paws. Silly beast.
Gwydion was content to play in our front yard but Gavin took off down the street, intent on reaching Papa's house. So off we went. Here we are sliding down the little dirt mound in Papa's field.
And here is Papa's train covered in snow. (He made it himself!)
The novelty of the dirt mound wore off quickly, so we made the trek across the field to the walking trail. At last, a hill just the right size for little guys.

January fun

We had snow on the ground for more than two weeks- from Christmas to first part of January. That's so unusual here that I can't remember the last time it happened. The kids loved it though. Gavin really knew what it was this year, and of course Gwydion was having a great time throwing snowballs.


Since it was sooo cold and snowy outside, we had to get creative with the inside activities. Here is one of the boys' favorites: dance party! They rush into Gwydion's room, turn the keyboard on demo and grab whatever musical instruments they can find. Then comes the booty shaking!
Gavin is quite the comedian here. He's madly in love with the movie Cars right now, so many of his jokes revolve around it. Here's a pic of him with his "new favorite hat" as he calls it.
We now have two little bakers in the house! Here they are helping to make cheesy breadsticks. They had a great time, though ooor Gwydion didn't know they'd take so long to rise.

I forgot to add....

these will be in the mail soon, hopefully along with Santa pics.

I took them myself because I couldn't bear the thought of going to the mall more than once during the holiday season.

Birthday Boy!

Gavin had a wonderful birthday thanks to all the people who love him. Thank you everyone! :)

It is hard to believe he was such a tiny little fellow not so long ago. He's so big and active now, and his conversations are fantastic. He loves to talk to anyone and everyone. He even talks to himself while he's playing. He also loves a party. He was super excited to see the birthday decorations go up and could barely contain himself when he saw all the guests arrive. His new favorite food is birthday cake, which he requests at least once a day.

Here are a few pics of the festivities:

Gavin surprised us all in singing Happy Birthday to himself and knowing he was supposed to blow out the candle. Smart boy!

Gavin's new favorite character is Wubbzy.

Gavin was a little overwhelmed with all the presents so big brother Gwydion helped out.

And here's a very rare and rather unflattering pic of me, just so you can see that we were all wearing the same shirt. It was entirely coincidental but funny nonetheless.

Eventful October!

What a month! We had our family vacation at the beginning of the month (see previous post), something the kids look forward to every year. It is always a fantastic time. This year though, the rest of the month was an adventure too!

Grandma and Uncle Chris came to visit, so we spent a few days touring around Oklahoma, particularly along Route 66. One of the things Grandma hadn't yet seen was the Blue Whale in Catoosa. It used to be a very popular water park and is still a tourist attraction.

Grandma and Gwydion in the whale's mouth. Eek!

Uncle Chris helps Gwydion climb to the portholes.

We also stopped at an antique tractor show in Catoosa, just for fun. It was chilly and breezy though, so we didn't stay long.

Then we made our way to the Will Rogers Memorial, which Uncle Chris had never seen. The kids weren't interested in much but the playroom in the basement and of course, the gift shop!

After what seems like weeks of rain, we've had some warmer sunny days. Perfect for bike riding and playing in the fallen leaves.

Gwydion gives Gavin a ride. He enjoys being a helpful big brother.

Tired of riding, Gavin runs through the field at the end of our street.

We also took Grandma Diane to the zoo. It was a short visit but we had a great time. Who wouldn't when there are trains to ride?

Grandma and the boys on the train. I got a whole seat to myself for once!

On the playground. The wooden train is their favorite spot! Sometimes I think the animals are just background for them- the playground is the real attraction.

Gwydion is SO STRONG!

And Gavin is so sweet! He gave the meerkat statue several hugs.

We also went to the zoo for trick-or-treating. Michael and I dressed as a knife thrower and his unfortunate target. Gwydion invented his own costume as a fireman rock star and Gavin was a snuggly little tiger.

More adventures to come!