On November 16, we took the boys to Branson for a weekend getaway. We drove straight to Silver Dollar City and spent about 5 or 6 hours there. The boys all rode rides including the kid roller coaster, the flying elephants, the teacups, and even Fire in the Hole! They didn't care too much for that one, but it was neat to say that they all rode it for the first time. Noah even got to ride it next to the fire marshall! After that, we drove to the Chateau on the Lake, where we were staying in a suite. It was the best hotel for us. It had a movie theater where we watched some of The Little Mermaid one night and some of How to Train Your Dragon as well. It had an awesome playground that the boys loved as well. The next day, we went to the outlet mall for some shopping and then ate at The Great Steak and Chicken restaurant right there by the mall. That afternoon, we rode The Polar Express on Branson's Scenic Railway. We got to drink hot chocolate, eat a cookie, and picked up Santa from the North Pole, who gave each boy a bell. The boys got to wear their pajamas. It was fun! The next day, we got up in the morning and headed home.
Thanksgiving was fun this year. We also continued our tradition of driving through the Christmas in the Park that evening. This is the third year we've done that. The boys love to see all of the lights, and this was the first year Joshua got to see it with his car seat turned around.
On December 5th, Brian turned 30! I had been planning a surprise birthday party for him since September and we did that on December 7th. Brian got the opportunity to go to the MLS cup game and watch Sporting KC win the cup (the game was at 3:30pm)...then he came home to a house full of 65 people waiting to surprise him! He was completely surprised that so many people were here for him. He was just expecting about 10 friends or so for a small get together. It was a success, although I've been kicking myself ever since for not taking any photos.
During December, we went caroling around our neighborhood with other moms and kids. It was very cold and a lot of snow was on the ground, but we made it to about 20 houses or so. Afterwards, we all went to one of the houses for hot chocolate and snacks.
Noah and Evan's school Christmas program was on Thursday, December 12th at the Summit Woods Baptist Church in Lee's Summit. The boys got to sing "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" and "Jingle Bell Rock." They pretty much just stood there with their class and didn't move or sing, but we still love watching them up on that stage! They're the cutest kids there :) We were so glad that Grandma Mary, Grandpa Mike, Grandma Cathy, Aunt Ruthie, Uncle John, Michael and Mia all came to watch as well.
Also in December, we went to Brian's cousin Cassy's college graduation party in Smithville. We've actually gone to Smithville about 4 times in the last several weeks...for the Thanksgiving, the party, Christmas Eve, and New Year's Day.
Christmas Eve and Christmas Day were so much fun this year. On Christmas Eve, we helped make tamales and then went to mass at St. Regis at 4:30pm. Then we went up to Smithville for the annual Christmas Eve celebration. We ate soups for dinner, opened TONS of presents, and even played a white elephant game where you can steal gifts (with good gifts though). That night, we came home and prepared cookies and milk for Santa and said goodbye to our elf Buddy, who was ready and waiting for Santa (even with a packed suitcase). Buddy was great this year. He did several funny things including turning the boys' milk pink, drawing silly faces on their photos in the living room, ziplining through the living room, wrapping presents for his other elf friends, putting red crepe paper on the outside of Noah and Evan's bedroom door, and more. After the cookies and milk were ready for Santa, the boys went to bed.
On Christmas morning, the boys woke up at about 7:00am and we came downstairs to find that Santa had come! He brought them a 2.5 feet tall Superman, Batman, and Red Power Ranger. He brought Evan an electronic Wolverine claw and some other super friends toys. He brought Joshua a Captain Jack Sparrow toy (which he has since lost and I can't find ANYWHERE). He brought Noah an electronic glowing Leonardo Ninja Turtle sword. He definitely came through with exactly what the boys asked him for this year. We bought the boys several things as well, including a Monsters University playset, a new Gotham City playset, and a new Jake's hideout playset. We got them each a talking/singing minion from the movie Despicable Me 2. Joshua got new Mike and Sully Monsters Inc toys that talk and roar. Noah got two new tubs of markers and crayons. (Evan technically got a little more from Santa). Brian took Noah and Evan to the Quirk side Christmas at 1:00, but Joshua and I stayed home so I could cook and he could nap. We hosted our Sonderman family Christmas that day at 3:30. We ate dinner first and then opened TONS more presents. The boys got so many new cool toys and outfits and they LOVED everything. We even took the next day off so that we could spend family time together playing with their new toys.
On New Year's Eve, we went to some neighbors' house where there were several other families just hanging out. We did a "kid countdown" at 10:00pm complete with sparkling grape juice and confetti poppers. None of the kids got too excited :) We came home at about 10:30 and let the boys stay up to watch the New York City ball drop live at 11:00pm. We all said Happy New Year to each other and I even got New Year's kisses from my three boys. They went to bed and Brian and I watched the ball drop again at 12:00. Luckily none of the fireworks outside woke the boys back up.
Tonight, the boys' swim teacher Ms. Melanie is supposed to come over and babysit them while Brian and I have a short date night (dinner and maybe a little shopping). The boys (especially Evan) are so excited!
On developmental notes, the boys seem to be doing fantastic and are growing like weeds. Noah still loves to color, and Evan has just recently taken up the hobby himself. Just in the past week, he has been coloring so much that it's difficult to tell his work from Noah's now. He loves it. They are both still doing great in school. Their teacher, Ms. Natalie, tells us the "work" that they do each day when we pick them up. Noah likes to do the color wheel work, while Evan seems to do a lot of counting work. They seem to enjoy school a lot. Joshua is growing so fast too! His vocabulary seems great and he also loves to count, color, and is amazing at puzzles. He does them by himself often and is always proud of his work. He has made up a couple of new words lately. While on our Branson trip, he started calling us all "pumies," which we had no idea what it meant. It has become a word that is used in our household every day. We call each other pumies pretty much all of the time. It really has stuck :) He also just started calling people "chokos" or "chuckos" so we'll have to see how far this one goes. He is a nut. He is also one of the sweetest kids. He loves to snuggle and is so affectionate with us. It's great. Needless to say, we are having a blast with these boys.
