Catchin' Up

Well, if you follow my blog at all you know I have obviously not kept up with it lately. :-O  I usually have pictures uploaded but always seem to be pressed for time to write additional thoughts about them.  So, I've just not posted.  So here's a synopsis of the goings-on since October or so.  The boys played soccer in the Fall and enjoyed that very much.  They both are budding artists!  It makes me just giddy that they enjoy drawing and painting so much.  On warm days, they usually take a little bit of time to some chalk work.

A fun trip to the Pumpkin Patch with kindergarten.  I can't believe this school year is essentially gone.  There's only about 5 or 6 weeks left.  Dax LOVES school!  He thoroughly enjoys reading and writing and is excelling in all areas of school.  He has a really sweet class!!  And of course we love Mrs. Lisle!

For Veteran's Day in November the school does a tribute to the students' family members who have served in the US Military.  The boys know about Grandad and wanted to send in pictures of him and as I was chatting about it with Mrs. Voss, our principal, she eagerly encouraged that my dad should come and represent his dad.  So, he did.  He briefly shared about Grandad's service and how he had been captured by Germany and served time as a POW in German camps.  The entire program was very moving and I could not be proud and pleased with the school that the boys are privileged to attend!  It was wonderful that Pa got to come and be a part of it with the boys.

Christmas came in like a whirl-wind this year! I think because there was such a short amount of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it seemed to zoom upon us.  We enjoyed the holidays very much.  I didn't feel rushed or too stressed and that is a definite plus! ;)

The boys had a great Christmas!  They got a lot of fun stuff but not excessive.  Some of their gifts included art supplies and gift cards to Hobby Lobby to re-stock when they run out! They also got bean bags that have proved really handy for lounging and hanging out.  Puzzles, new clothes, some books and nerf guns are just a few of the goodies they opened. 

As I mentioned above, Grandad served in the military during WWII.  When Granny Ree passed away last year, we were going through pictures and re-discovered some old photos from his service time.  This is one that Daddy has always liked, so for his Christmas I had a tin photo made of it in a larger size so he could hang it in his office.  I must say it was hands down one of the best gifts ever! Mama and I were thrilled with how it turned out! Bedford's did a wonderful job of maintaining the age and vintage character of it and preserving it as well.  And Daddy was really excited to have it!

Not the sharpest photo of it but it is a photo of Grandad and some buddies on a tank.

For Christmas this year, the boys painted pictures for Yaddy and Pa and Gigi and Papa.  This is one of Tate's paintings.  It's a prong-horned antelope.  I helped them some with the background wash and showed them how to achieve some of the grass/tree texture but Tate did this almost entirely on his own!

I have always gotten the boys a Christmas ornament each year.  Usually it is something they have liked through out the year.  One year it was a fire engine for Tate because he wanted to read and had basically memorized the Little Golden Book about Fire trucks.  And I got Dax a train as he was a big fan of Thomas.  This year I searched for a lab in honor of our good ol' buddy Drake.  I don't know why I didn't think to do the same when Choco died but next year I will start early and find a chocolate lab one for them also.

LEGOS!

And no holiday is complete without an attempt at a gran-kid photo shoot.  The sun was blaring and I didn't get my camera settings adjusted as I was trying to get the shot while there was mostly cooperation but all of them.  So....a bit blown out but pleasant faces by all :)