Christmas Day

Boy, times have changed... I remember getting up early and running to the tree to see what Santa left us.  Kris wouldn't even sleep as a kid.  My kids? Well, they slept in, nonchalantly walked past their stockings and asked me if they could go play I-pad.  Um ~ NO!

All right, that is better - they are at least intrigued at what is in their stockings...

Kasey didn't even need to be taught how to fly this new toy.  "Watch this!" he exclaimed!

Oh Yeah!  Now, we are Excited!  Yes, folks... that is Karstens "Oh My Goodness, I got FRUIT SNACKS" face!

After Santa gifts were opened, it was time for family presents.  Unbeknownst to Amy, Daddy had asked the boys quite regularly on the way home from school what they wanted to buy Mommy for Christmas.  Their answer never wavered.  "Mommy was a dancer and she needs a ballerina!"  For the record, I took dance as a child/teenager and still enjoy it today, but no... I never went Pro.  So, Grandma Pat took the boys shopping and this is what they picked out.  The Most Precious Ballerina Music Box I have ever seen.

It honestly doesn't matter what present I have ever received in the past ... or what present I may receive in the future... Nothing, and I Mean Nothing will Ever be better than the First present my boys thoughtfully picked out for me together.  What sweet and caring little men we have been blessed with.

This year, we will now refer to the "Year of the Broncos". Everyone (except for David, the lone Bears fan) received Bronco gear this year.  Maybe we were all gearing up for the Big Superbowl, but more on that in a future post.  We all had a great time opening presents and the boys even let some of us open our own gifts this time!

Yup, nothing like a relaxing Christmas morning cuddling in your PJs.  Ok, enough of that relaxing stuff... we live in Colorado - who wants to go play outside and try out our new bikes? We only got a picture of Karsten trying out his bike.  Kasey got on and subsequently fell right off... refusing to get back on.  We will try again this spring.  Good thing the boys still Really enjoy their tricycles too.  They got quite the work out today too.

Karsten asked Santa for Dusty The Plane and received one that actually flys.  Here the boys are shooting Dusty into the air and trying to catch him.  Dusty is the little orange spec near the roof of that house.  Very fun toy, but we realized quickly it would be an outdoor toy.  Goes Really Far; which is code for "can do a lot of damage inside".

Time for our Christmas meal!  Since we had to share David... this was one of our smallest meals we have ever hosted, but it was a nice one, nonetheless.  Food was tasty and company was fantastic!

Mallory sent the boys a couple of cute presents too.  Kasey received a Jake and the Neverland Pirate Lego kit in time for his birthday and due to weather... a couple Christmas presents followed shortly after.  Mallory is a woman after my own heart.  She is a pinterest gal too! She found "Treasure Rocks" online and made the boys some special rocks.  They look like glittery rocks on the outside, but when smashed with a hammer... there is a toy inside!  The boys had a blast breaking them open!  My favorite part was when Karsten opened the present to see the rocks; he shouted out "Mom! ROCKS!" so excited to have received rocks for Christmas.  Wow, if he just wanted rocks... I have a bunch outside for him.

This was another thoughtful gift from Mallory. She gave both the boys books that fit them perfectly.  Karsten is a Ketchup fiend and puts it on everything.  He received "The Lion who Liked Ketchup".  Kasey has been getting frustrated coloring outside the lines.  We keep telling him that all true artists color outside the lines, but he still gets frustrated.  The book he received is all about color crayons called "The Day the Crayons Quit".  She even put a note inside reminding Kasey that she disagreed with the Purple Crayon and thinks coloring outside the lines is a wonderful idea!

Ok, Great picture opportunity, but ... poor idea giving a kid a hammer and telling him to not hit your table.  #ParentFail.

How did I not get a picture of them with the toys after the rocks were broke? #ParentFailAgain.  At least you can get the idea with the picture of Karsten.  It was a creative and neat idea and worked perfectly! #MalloryRocks!

Oh, and here is the best pic we got with Santa... Karsten still isn't quite sure about this guy, but he sure loves the presents he brings!  No worries, Santa. We will work on Karsten sitting on your lap for next year.  Enjoy your Summer, Big Guy!

Cannode Christmas Eve

Everyone in this house Loves Christmas.  Can you tell by all these pretty smiles?

Christmas Eve started out with our family attending the candlelight service and was followed by a lovely evening with the Cannode Crew.  Nothing says Christmas like Sharing your dinner.... Did you Ever get anything to eat, George?

We had to share David and April, who were going to her family's house for Christmas Day, which meant we got to open a few presents early this year!  You will notice a trend below.  Our boys really got into Christmas this year, and felt the need to assist Everyone with their packages.

After presents, we had a few secret messages sent directly from Santa himself to each of the boys!  Even Kris received a video!  I'm not sure how Santa knew, but he was very proud of Kris trying to fart less... haha.  Good One, Santa!  Lets hope he keeps it up all year long!

 

After all that excitement, it was time to relax with family.  Of course, we couldn't forget to feed the Reindeer or leave cookies and milk out for Santa!

What a busy day!  We better get to bed so Santa can come visit....

... Rest your eyes, little ones... Until Tomorrow!

Kiddo Christmas programs

The problem of having a blog?  It rats you out if you are Totally behind in posting.  Yes, it is February 10th, but ... since Karsten is Still singing "Santa Clause is Coming To Town" (yes, honestly heard it yesterday)... we figure it is still ok to catch up with some Christmas posts! Both the boys had Christmas programs at school.  Good news was that Gma and Gpa Cannode were in town to enjoy them.  Bad news was...they were held at the exact same time.  Therefore, one parent and one grandparent at each performance.

Karsten's teacher, Ms Carrie put on a lovely show complete with Jingle Bells and Santa Clause is Coming to town.  This happens to be Karsten's favorite song.  We hear it on repeat on a weekly basis, but it is So darn cute - none of us mind cheering for him each time!

Karsten was especially happy cause he got to stand next to his girlfriends (Natalie to his Right and Tora next to her).  I love these two little girls.  Karsten can not get out the door at the end of a school day without a hug from them.  Very Sweet!

They even had some craft time at the end and received a snowman book from their teacher!!

Kasey got to start out with his favorite poem "the Hungry little snowman".  For those not familiar - it was so cute... we included it below!

A chubby little snowman; Had a carrot nose.
Along came a rabbit; And what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny, Looking for his lunch,
ATE the snowman's carrot nose.......
Nibble, nibble, CRUNCH! 

He followed it up with We Wish you a Merry Christmas (and a "every other holiday possible") tune that went on for awhile to include Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, etc.  He did a great job participating and looked like he was really having fun!

Ms Julie was even sweet enough to hand out a present to each of the kids.  Kasey Loves "Pete the Cat" books, so this was especially exciting!

We also have adoption party that we attend each year at the Parker Hospital.  This year, there was a little confusion as we thought Santa was going to visit, but he got stuck in traffic.  Good thing, they had lots of arts/crafts for the kids to do!