Christmas Programs and Traditions

Pics and updates from Dec 7-13.
It was our last week of Bible Study for awhile so the children put on a program singing songs and Bible Verses they had learned. Jacob dutifully went to the stage

but refused to sing or do any of the hand motions, and in fact, covered his ears for half of the show saying it was "too loud."

Oh well :)

Thankfully, at his Sunday School program on Friday night, he dressed as a shepherd (with some coaxing)

and stood with his classmates and sang several songs. We were so proud of him.

Luke also got his first "full head" haircut this week. As hard as it was for me to do, it really was time.

Daddy and Jacob continued another tradition of building a gingerbread house together.

This year, they had Luke looking on (and helping to eat some of the treats.)

Luke has started copying actions/motions he sees others (especially Jacob) doing. My favorite is trying to push the handle release button on his vacuum with his foot. Adorable.

His climbing hasn't stopped, but now he's loving jumping/flailing himself to his belly on the couch and bed. Boys...

Here are the rest of the pictures from that week.

Back in routine

Pics from Jan 4-10
Last week we finally got back into our normal routine. Mia and Papa left, school and Bible Study were back in full swing, and our playdates and birthday party schedules started again.

The weather was still cold, which really was getting to all of us. Thankfully this week warmed up a bit (even if it did rain).

The boys were invited to a birthday party at a gymnastics place and both boys had a blast. I think I've found the spot for the double birthday party we'll be having for the boys this summer.

Our church Moms group also had a Holy Family party and the boys had a lot of fun there too.

Aunt Rachel's wedding is in just 3 weeks, so we tried on the boys tuxes. They look ADORABLE!

Luke talks all the time now and even has a name for Jacob - "Dup". He also learned the infamous touchdown sign (arms straight up) and says "Down"..love it.

He tells us "I want ____" now and of course, 'No' is his favorite word. He knows the ropes around here and is becoming self-sufficient.

Here are the pictures from the week.

Luke's Growing Up

Pictures and update from Jan. 11-17

This week marked a change and a first for Luke. We finally turned his carseat around so he's facing forward. He didn't seem all that interested in the change, just took it in stride.

He also attended his first birthday party without Jacob.

He loved running all around the gym and not having his big brother to get in his way.

The cupcakes were the best part though.

We have hit a bit of a whiny patch with Luke as he has realized that his communication skills will get him what he wants...a lot of the time, but he is not a fan of being told no.

Unfortunately, he has also learned some bad habits from his brother, including hitting and throwing toys at people. Definitely not something I had hoped he would pick up.

On a good note, he is taking great 3 hour naps and has been a breeze to put to bed. Too bad his internal clock says 5:15am is the time to wakeup.

Jacob has been getting a little better about holding back instead of retaliating lately, which is great. He hasn't quite gotten to the point where he wants to share everything with Luke, but at least he is spending a little less time in time-out for beating on his brother.

Here are the pictures from the week.

Finally some good weather

Pictures and update from Jan. 18-24
After a shortened zoo trip a few weeks ago because of the bitter cold, we decided to go back on MLK day. It was a "free" day at the zoo, so we arrived early and saw what we wanted before the crowds arrived. The weather was beautiful this week, so we were happy to get out and enjoy it. More on the zoo visit here. The boys also had an opportunity to make their own pizzas at a playdate and they had a blast, especially Luke. More on that fun here.

The petting zoo came to Jacob's school this week, so Luke and I went up to the school to see the animals as well. Both boys are a bit afraid of the animals, but still liked looking at them. More pictures from the petting zoo here.

Jacob loves picnic lunches, so, since we had a couple of Top 10 days this week, we took our lunch outside for a picnic, once while Daddy was at work, and then of course, we had to do it again when Daddy was off for the weekend.

Luke was just happy to be outside and was too distracted to eat.

We've hit a patch where both boys are not eating much. Jacob has been picking at his food (no matter what it is) and has been very picky in general for about a year now. So far, Luke just goes through phases. Right now, he's rather not be bothered with eating, he'd rather make a mess! (as he exhibits here throwing food on the floor!)
Here are the pictures from the week.

Petting Zoo

January 21, the petting zoo came to Jacob's school. Parents and siblings were invited to attend when the students attended, so Luke and I decided to go. It was a gorgeous day, perfect for spending a little time outside with the animals and on a train ride.

Both boys were tentative about touching/petting the animals, but they did do it a couple of times.

When we hit the petting zoo at the regular zoo, Jacob loves to take a hairbrush and proceeds to give one quick brush to each animal. Without a brush here, he was happier just looking on, most of the time.

Cousin Caroline goes to the same school, so the boys were happy to play with her too. She's a lot less tentative with the animals.

Make your own pizza night

A local pizza joint has "kids night" on Tuesdays where your child can make their own pizza. Jacob had so much fun doing it for a birthday party a couple of months back, we decided to join a few members of our playgroup and do it. The restaurant had a little play area and video games which the boys were happy to play on while we waited for the "chef" to bring out the ingredients for our pizza making.

Even though the boys didn't get to wear the chef's apron and hat like they did at the birthday party, they were very happy to pound out their dough

and then worked diligently to put on the sauce and cheese and toppings.

OK, so Jacob worked diligently. I had to work hard to control Luke's excitement about the whole situation and keep him from eating all the ingredients raw.

It was a fun night!