Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! I have had a great week home with the boys! I am so happy I decided to take some vacation while they are off from school. With Grandma Rosie and cousins here it was a fun week for everyone! 

I was so happy that the boys got to be with me on Christmas morning. I realize now, that that won't always be the case. Kelly was here too to watch them open the presents that we had picked out for them together. The boys got to have the Christmas that they have always had, even though it was different for mom and dad. 

I got great news on Christmas eve when I found out that we will be able to rent a house in Daryl's same school district. I was so worried he was going to have to change schools and with all the change he is already facing I didn't want to add that to the mix. Because of that news Christmas day was a little happier than it could have been. We will move in mid January so if you don't hear from me in awhile it's because I'm packing! The yarn closet alone took six boxes....;-) 

Maybe one of my new year's resolutions should be to use more yarn!

Daryl got Pokemon cards, KD shoes, Cam Newton jersey and Mario Kart! 

That explains the big smile! 

Alex got the game Don't wake Daddy and it is a really fun preschool game!
He is doing much better with not winning all of the time. 

Finished the Christmas sweaters on December 26th! Figures!

Stiles' Cousins! Next year we will have one more!!! (Congrats Asa and Diane!)

Daryl and Charlie are Twining!

Christmas exhausted Purl! 

2016 Christmas Card

Hello All, I present you with the 2016 edition of the Christmas Card story. Back in October I decided I didn't want to do a picture this year. I wanted the boys to MAKE THE CARDS. Oh my gosh, how much fun does that sound like?! All of us, making a little assembly line, like the elves must do at the North Pole! We would sing carols, drink hot chocolate and produce perfect Christmas cards!

I found a totally doable snowman card to create. Went to Michael's and got all the supplies we would need for perfect day of family togetherness! I showed what we would be making to Daryl and Alex and received very different reactions.

Daryl-Um, Nah
Alex-Yes, scissors, glue, pens!! Oh Man, Yes!

So, the cards are mostly from Alex and I. :-) He loved drawing all the faces on and gluing all the pieces down. Some of your cards may have arrived with just one eye, shake out the envelope because the other eye might be in there!

What I was most proud of is both boys WROTE THEIR NAMES in the cards. This is why they went out in flights, because I could only get about six signed at a time. I also cut the Christmas card list down a little bit, because....after 25 snowmen we were not making any more! LOL

Merry Christmas everyone, I wish everyone a Happy, Healthy and Joyous New Year!

Snow Daze!

This weekend was a cold one! I'm glad I payed attention to the weather for once, because I made sure we had everything we needed for the weekend. That way we didn't have to leave the house if we didn't want to.

Since we were going to be cooped up the boys and I did go see Trolls on Friday at the theater. We all agreed it was a good movie. Now, we are just waiting for Sing to come out! 

On Saturday, I had no plans of getting out of my PJs. Once it started to snow the boys did want to get dressed to go outside. I don't know why they want to be cold and wet, but after lunch I let them go play in the trace of snow we had at that time! It was more fun to slip on the ice than anything else, and they lasted longer than I thought they would. 

On Sunday, they went out again and tried to build a snow fort. The snow was not staying together so they came in before too long for hot chocolate and microwave popcorn! 

Today makes four weeks since our household went from four to three. The boys and I are finding our routines, and can now make it out of the house in the morning in good time and spirits! Except for Monday, there is not usually a dry eye in the car on Monday morning. ;-) No change in status just wanting to thank everyone for the hugs, warm thoughts, prayers, positive words and understanding. Your encouragement really does matter to me, and I know everyone is wishing us the best. Thank You Again!

After much begging, I got them suited up to go play outside! 

Patio was a little slick! 

Had our own Meerpohl Manor skating rink!

This snow was not good snowball material! 

Eventually, I was watching from inside! Crazy kids! 

Christmas Program Numero 2!

I know that I rave and rave about our Elementary school, but it is true, it is an amazing school! Last night was Daryl's Christmas program and the songs and dances were so cute! The music teacher really outdid herself! It was just the second grade classes, but that was still 60 kids. 

They sang a song about Rudolph's blinking nose keeping them up at night. It was such a cute song! Daryl had a speaking part and did really well. 

Daryl had a small fit after the program because there were selling smencils in the lobby, but he had already bought four this week. He wanted Aunt Barb and Grandpa to buy him more. I told him no, we have to nip the hoarding instinct in the bud! 

Alex did good during the program, he sat and drew pictures. He wasn't really interested in the music, but he was quiet for 20 minutes, so that is a WIN! 

You will notice Daryl is not wearing a hand knit sweater for his program. New goal is Christmas morning. It is going to be snowy this weekend so hopefully I will get a lot of knitting time in! 

Purl is doing really well living inside. She hasn't had any accidents this week, and she told me she had to go out once by pawing at the door. What a good girl, Purl!! I'm going to have to vacuum more now that she lives inside, but it is totally worth it!! 

Happy Blogaversary!

I have been writing this blog for eight years now! I love that I get to look back at all the fun memories over the past eight years. Just last week I looked at an old blog when Daryl was in preschool. He told me he learned to draw circles and trineapples! Come on folks, that's gold!

The next eight years won't have Vinny. :-( I had to put my fourteen year old puppy down on Wednesday. I was in the room holding him when it happened. I was with him and hugging him when he passed. The boys were in the waiting room, I knew they wouldn't understand, and I didn't want to have to be strong because they were there. I wanted to cry, and I did. Collected myself and told them Vinny wasn't coming home with us.

So fast forward to about an hour later when we are breaking the news to Purl.
Daryl-"Purl, Vinny was sick but he is not sick anymore, he loves you and he wants us to tell you goodbye."
Alex (Hand on hip one hand pointing at purl in the nose)- Purl, Vinny went to the vet today and he is not coming home!
Me- Alex, you can't tell her that! She is never going to want to go to the vet again!!
Alex- But mom, it's true!

Oh geez Alex, right when Daryl was about to make me cry Al provided the comic relief. RIP Vinny Bo Binny
One more funny story from the library today. The boys were playing in a pretend bake shop that the library had set up. (Topeka has the best library on the planet, we are so lucky to have it!) It had pots and pans, plastic baked goods and a cash register.
So I walk up to be the customer.
Daryl-What would you like ma'am?
Me-I would like 3 gingerbread cookies, this sign says they are $3 a piece.
Daryl-OK here are 3 cookies. (he hands them to me)
Me-How much do I owe you for 3 cookies, I have this ten dollar bill but I will need some change.
Daryl-(Pauses for a  moment trying to crunch some numbers in his head.) It's your lucky day ma'am they are on sale 3 for five dollars. NEXT!

What a sly fox, trying to avoid doing math on a Sunday!

Deck the Halls!

So the first priority this weekend was to get some Christmas decorations up! I had other things on the list that did not get done, but by golly we have a tree up. :-)

I decided not to try and get the seven foot tree wrestled to the living room. Saturday morning the boys and I packed up to Wal-Mart in search of a tree more our size. Daryl, for some reason, really wanted a white tree. Not a flocked tree, but a white tree. The first one he found was six feet tall and I said that wasn't going to work. He very hesitantly agreed with me on the four foot pre-lit tree. I could tell he was disappointed so we went back to that aisle and looked one more time. What do you know there was ONE four foot tall, pre lit, white Christmas tree. He was such a grinning fool for the rest of the day! I just kept telling him what a great tree he found, it is his tree. It is growing on me!

Things to do this week:

• Knit the sleeves on Daryl's sweater
• No cereal for dinner this week
• Buy a new vacuum
• Use new vacuum

That sounds like enough! Merry Christmas everyone! And if not, fake it till you make it!

This is with the lights off. Such a cute/weird little tree. 

The santas are living on the mantel this year. 

My precious nativity with the Wii bar going through the middle! LOL 

It's not looking like Christmas, yet...

I'm going to make this the weekend I WILL go into the basement and drag up all the Christmas stuff! The boys have been bugging me for a week to get out the decorations, so I will do it for them! I hope I have some decorated house pictures to post next time. 

Tonight was Alex's Christmas program. That helped give me a little Christmas spirit! He did a great job with the songs and actions. Before the program I picked both boys up then had to feed them dinner. Alex wasn't really that excited about dressing up so I was pulling all of his shirts out of the closet trying to get one to appeal to him. If I thought he would go for it I would have never pulled out the shirt I made for Daryl when he was three for Christmas! But it had Santas on it, so of course that is the one he wanted to wear! It was a little small but it worked. That also means for all the work I did five years ago, it got worn for a second time. That's a plus! 

Lastly, the conversations these boys have in the car are priceless! Like I said before, it's hard for me to be sad with these two around! 

Daryl-Mom is that 24K on the radio by Bruno Mars? 

Me-It is Bruno Mars but I am not familiar with this song. 

Daryl- I think it is and I'm not going to watch that video anymore. 

Me-Why not? 

Daryl- It is inappropriate, girls are just shaking their butts. 

Alex-Oh wow....

Alex-Can you see their underwear? That makes it inappropriate, if you can see their underwear. 

Daryl- I think so, but it's inappropriate because of the shaking...

Alex-Oh.... 

I'm glad that Daryl is teaching Alex the ways of the world! :-) 

Showing me his Raccoon hat! 

Sweater progress!