Christmas Eve

On Christmas eve, the boys received their Christmas pajamas and we made hot chocolate and climbed in the car to go and look at lights.  The area that has the best lights includes about 30 minutes of stop-and-go traffic as people wait to drive through.  The boys got a tad antsy in the car, but it's always worth it.  Once we got home, we set out a snack for Santa and then went to bed!  The boys were not to wake us up until 6 a.m.!

Cameron's letter to Santa



Somewhere Over the Rainbow

Found this rainbow on our drive to Apple Valley on Sunday.

Rainy Holiday Sing-Along



Cameron the elf



Ashton singing in the rain



Ethan grinning on stage

We attended the school's annual holiday sing-along.  Unfortunately, it was raining (spitting) outside and the school has no building large enough to hold all the students, staff and parents.  So we stood in the rain and watched.  It didn't seem, though, that the kids even noticed!  They had a blast.  Cameron had a special part where he got to sing and dance as one of Santa's elves.  I caught a quick video of his part.  (He's in the brown jacket on the right side.)

Candlelight Christmas Concerts

Ethan and I performed at church's Candlelight Christmas concerts this last weekend.  He performed with his WOW choir and I performed with a quartet that assisted the choir and orchestra.  We did three performances over three days.  Whew!  But what a special honor to share the stage with my oldest son!

Ashton's award

Ashton received the "effort" award at school today.  We are so proud of him!

Settling the Parents in Apple Valley

The older Hubbards have officially relocated to Apple Valley and we headed over there last weekend to help them finish getting settled and helping them decorate their place for Christmas.  We love their new little house and are so excited for them!

Decorating the new tree

Ashton using the stockings as "stockings"

A finished sleigh before it collapsed

Creating gingerbread "sleighs"

Ashton eating too much frosting

The older boys enjoying the path behind the house

Ashton's our New Cleaning Guy

 Ashton got an itch to do some cleaning for us last week.  He stood at the sink for a long time and "washed" some dishes and then decided to use my dish brush to scrub the floor.  We all got a good laugh (and wet socks!) watching his determination.

Christmas tree set-up

Yep, he's almost as tall as our tree-almost five feet tall.  The boys set our tree up on Friday.

Thanksgiving craft time

We added a little fun to our typical Thanksgiving this year.  We created "pilgrim mobiles" that hang from the ceiling. 

Lego recreation

A few years ago, Ethan was given the Lego police station set.  I helped him put it together over two or three days.  He went "Godzilla" on it one day and it was back to pieces in a bin of other lego sets.  Well, Cameron asked me to help him reassemble it.  Thankfully, the instructions can be found online and we were able to rebuild it.  Ashton and Cameron spent several hours enjoying it.  Now, let's see if we can keep it together this time!

Happy Birthday, Derrik!

We honored Derrik a few weeks back on his 37th birthday!  He and I went clothes shopping and then the whole family went out for a birthday dinner. 

Halloween 2010

We started our Halloween festivities at our school's carnival.

Cameron as an alien, Ashton as Darth Vader and Ethan as a Ninja

We made some cookies,

carved some pumpkins,

roasted some seeds,

and hit the neighborhood for TRICK OR TREATING!

Singing in church

The boys all sang in the services last weekend.  Here they are, all dressed up.

Wildcats

We had jersey day during our "Red Ribbon: Say No to Drugs" week at school.  All three boys were decked out in K-State purple!

Park Outing

Here are some pictures I took from an afternoon outing to the park.  We're still experiencing warm weather here but fall is definitely on the way!

Music Fundraiser

Cameron's personal coin jar for raising money for music at school

Santa Clarita Elementary (where all three boys attend) has decided they want a music teacher.  More specifically, they want ME to be there music teacher but there is no funding for that.  So, the school announced this week that they are holding a "Coin Drive for Music" where each class will have a contest to fill their jars with coins and the classes that fill the jar get a popsicle party and more importantly, get music appreciation!  The plan is to add an all school choir as well.  Very exciting!  The results will be in at the end of next week!  We're all crossing our fingers here that we raise enough money!

Cameron gets an award

Cameron got an award at school on Friday for "scholarship" which I think has to do with setting a good example, getting work done on time and being a good student.  He was very happy!  The other boys were also at the assembly to watch him get his award.  Ashton's teacher pulled Ashton up and took a photo of the three of us after Cam got the award.  We're very proud of all three boys for the hard work they have put in to getting settled in a new school and doing so well!  Yeah!