Finally 3!

Henry has not liked still being two when Hunter gets to be four, so he's been waiting for weeks to turn three. Jordan had some out of town business, so we actually postponed Henry's birthday a few days (you can still get away with things like that when your child doesn't fully understand the calendar). But yesterday was the day! And in Henry's world, you can do or have anything when you're three. Pizza and games at Chucky Cheese for me- because I'm three! A CARS cake it had to be- because I'm three.

Daddy said the candle would taste yummy. I didn't know he was just teasing me- I am only three.

Henry has grown and learned so much in the past year that it astounds me. He is my handsome prince and I love that he loves with reckless abandon; he gives loves and kisses like nobodies business. He may look/act exactly like his daddy, but at heart he is his Mama's boy! We're so proud of our little one- Happy Birthday Henry.

Worth the Wait!

The boys have been saving their money (with lots of help from family) for just over two years. We always knew it was a "Mickey Mouse House" fund, but only in the last year did we decide to make the leap before leaving NY. The boys worked really hard- we have added many gross, dirty pennies found in a parking lot to the fund. So, the day after Christmas, we let them open up their bank and count the money. I'll admit, I was impressed!

The last week of January found us escaping yukky cold Rochester for a week in sunny warm Florida. Can I just say, I would worship the sun if Icould! It honestly makes my soul happy. We were lucky enough to have Grandma and Grandpa Higham come as well; they too make my soul happy.

I know the boys may not always have true memories of WDW, but right now it's all they can talk about. I constantly hear about this ride or meeting this character, and I love how their faces still light up when they talk about it. Besides, in 15-20 years, they'll have the implanted memories from their scrapbooks to carry them through. It was a great trip, and I feel strengthened to survive the rest of this artic winter that is devoid of real heat producing sun.

Winter in our World

The New Year found us on a fabulous sled hill with some great friends. We went to the same hill last year, but it was tons better this year. It was warmer, the wind was calm, and both boys could walk back up the hill by themselves this time. It was a great outing.But when Henry's done, he's done.A recent playdate graced us with the fun of an inside "snow storm". It's amazing the amount of little clingy bead things are in about half of a large bean bag. It's even more amazing the mess two four year olds and an almost three year old can do in about 30 minutes of un-visually observed playtime. (My friend and I were upstairs chatting while the boys played in the basement.) A perfect example of why we need to visually check on our kids, not just always trust their verbal answer of "We're just playing".

Oh well, nothing an extra four hours with a borrowed shop vac and a batch of blueberry muffins (for the shopvac owners- our apartment maintance crew) didn't fix. Gotta love the winter time!

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,
We're calling your bluff. Mama and Dad have been making us be good for weeks now, saying you won't come if we're not. Well, we're done! We woke up looking for a fight today and we know you're too busy loading the sleigh to back out now, so we're done being good. We're fighting, yelling, being sassy and whiny, throwing toys, and causing mass havoc. What are you gonna do about it? Mama said she was about to be done with us by 8:30 this morning, and she's still here, so we know you won't bail out either. It sure does feel good to get all this pent up naughtiness out!
Love Much-
Hunter and Henry

Merry Christmas Grandma and Grandpa!

This year we've decided to send Christmas to the Grandparents via our blog. The boys have been practicing for weeks. We miss you, love you, and wish you a Merry Christmas!

The Big 4!

Hunter turned four last week; an event he has been waiting for and planning since December of last year. I promise he hadn't been three for a day when he started talking about when he would turn 4. This year he got to have his first friends party, and that too he has been planning for over a year. Since Disney's Cars is still his favorite movie (and the only movie he's not scared of), Hunter had a Cars Party. It was a great day- Hunter says it was a "Super-Dee-Duper Fun Party". No, those are not eggs on the cupcakes, they're tires. Or at least they were supposed to be tires. Hunter didn't blow out the candles, he blew off the cupcake! Luckily, Jordan picked it up really quick and nothing caught on fire.Hunter after eating his whole cupcake. None of the other kids managed to eat a whole one. (I made them from scratch, and those cupcakes were solid! Even though is was a seriously yummy little cake, it was just that- a mini cake.) Hunter is in love with his remote control dump truck. Every morning he sneaks into our room and tells me we just have to go downstairs because he's hungry. But then as soon as we get downstairs, all he wants to do is drive his truck. Hunter knows I'll jump and run if I think he needs food; he's a crafty little 4 year old!

Hunter and I made him a real cake on his actual birthday. Daddy also took Hunter out to breakfast and Hunter got to see Santa at Pre-school on his big day too. It was a busy day, but worth it, because Hunter loves being 4!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I've never been this ahead of the game before. Usually I don't start acknowledging the Christmas season until mid-December. This year I got my stuff together early, and now our tree is cut and decorated, our gingerbread is baked and decorated, and our shopping is done. It's nice to not be hurried up until the night before.

I find that trees are always better at night with the lights on, but my camera seems to only like it in the daylight hours.This year's house turned out to be a little more than I expected, but it was fun. It was harder and at the same time easier to assemble than last years graham crackers. Again, the boys loved every step; baking the gingerbread, picking out the candy, and of course decorating/eating.

We weren't on top of everything this year. Again we missed the boat on Christmas cards. I have an utmost respect for those families who can get everyone to look decent at the same moment for the camera. I know I could send out a card without a picture, but who wants that? So Merry Christmas to all.