More Christmas Fun!

Decorating the tree!

Setting up the Little People Nativity set.

Madeleine and Alex (with Leah in the background). The kids were all playing while they waited for the church program to start.

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Christmas Programs!

Alex had a really fun Christmas program at his preschool. If I showed you a photo, all you'd see is just a sea of preschoolers, though. I don't have any photo-editing software that would allow me to easily circle him so you could find him in the crowd.

Our church had a really great children's Christmas program on Sunday. The kids did such a great job! It was a pretty long program, with a skit, a shadow puppet show, narration, and songs. Here is just a short clip of one of the songs:

Alex's 4th Birthday Party (2)

The kids played a few games. Here they are playing "Robot, Robot, Droid!"

Here is the robot after they played, "Pin the antennae on the robot".

The kids loved hitting the pinata. Eloise hit it hard and made the legs fly off!

After a pizza lunch, we all enjoyed cake and ice cream. Alex loved his party!

Alex's Party (1)

Alex wanted a Robot-Themed birthday party, so that is what he got.
It was really fun!


He REALLY wanted a Robot pinata... and that isn't something you can just go buy, so we made one.

Here's the cake I made him. He loved it!

Molly and Alex had fun coloring the robot poster for the "pin the antennae on the robot" game.

Yay for the Birthday Boy!

Happy Birthday Alex!

Happy 4th Birthday Alex!
Alex is such a fun boy! He loves to be active and play. He loves to be silly and make people laugh. He likes to draw and create fun art projects. He also loves to cuddle and gives great hugs! We love you, Alex!


Alex spent his 4th Birthday at Mall of America. Kids get free unlimited rides at Nikeloden Universe on their birthdays. Mommy was sick (boo!), but Daddy was able to take a day off of work to play with Alex. Alex said he wanted a HUGE slice of pizza at the mall food court for lunch, so that's what he got. I guess he ate the whole thing, too.

Then Alex got to go on ride after ride after ride. Fun! He loves the bumper cars!

Grandma and Grandpa L came to play with Alex on his birthday too! They built cars with him at the Lego store and raced them down the ramps with Alex.

Here's a photo of the screen displaying the photo take of Grandpa and Alex on a big roller coaster. This roller coaster is Alex's favorite ride! Alex had a blast on his birthday!

North Shore Fun!

In mid-November, our small group from church enjoyed a weekend on the north shore of Lake Superior together. Our friend's parents own a fantastic place there that is large enough for several families to stay. We had a great time.
Here we are sitting on the rocks right outside of where we stayed.. right on the shore of the lake.

We drove a few miles to a shoreline with tiny rocks. Cory tried to teach Molly and Alex how to skip rocks. The kids loved it.

Molly, Madeleine, and Eloise played together on a huge rock.

Molly showed me a pebble she liked.

Turkey Hats with Alex and Ru

Alex and his friend Ru really love doing craft projects together. Whenever Ru is over, they both ask if I can get out a craft for them to do. Did you know that coloring does not count? No, they are almost four and want much more involved projects.

I'm thankful for familyfun.com I can usually find a good idea or two on that web site. Today's project: Turkey Hats

Aren't they adorable?!?

Legos

Cory took Molly and Alex to the Lego build event at the Lego store at Mall of America. Each of the kids got to build a lego turkey to take home (free!). They had a great time, and their little turkeys are adorable.

Lego Turkey

Molly and Alex playing with their lego cars.

The lego fight

Molly and Alex are getting really into building things with legos (the real legos - the tiny ones - not duplos). We only have one very small set, though, and not many fun pieces.

Today we were at the Mall of America and got some sets of wheels and some other fun pieces from the bulk bins at the Lego Store. When we got home, we made cars with the kids. Molly got some lego flowers and decided to make a flower delivery van. Alex made some other cars.

After a while, Cory and I left them playing so we could get some things done around the house. At first they played really nicely. Then we heard fighting.

Alex yelled, "Molly won't share the flowers". Molly said, "I am selling them from my van. They are one thousand ninety-nine dollars each and he only has nine ninety-nine so he can't afford them."

We told Molly to share the flowers.

Apparently she didn't share, and they both ended up kicking each other in the legs and then having time outs. Lovely.

Stories

A while ago Cory was trying to convince Molly to build something other than a house with the legos so Alex could have the door piece.
Molly said, "But I have to build a house or my lego girl will have to live out in the cold."

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This evening, Alex was having a great time playing a friend's DS.
During dinner, Alex stopped eating, looked at me, and said, "I'm sorry I couldn't hold it so I peed in my underwear while I was playing the DS."
WHAT?!? I was shocked to hear him say that since he hasn't had an accident in around a year.
Me: Alex, you peed in your pants?
Alex: Yes because I was playing DS and I couldn't hold it so I peed.
Me: Alex, where were you sitting when this happened? (I was wondering if he left a puddle on our couch cushion.)
Alex: (smiles) In the chair where you are sitting now. (giggles)
Me: (thinking AAHHHHH!!!!)
Alex: You are sitting in my pee. (more giggles)

Nice. Thankfully it must have been very little and his fleece pants must have soaked it all up. Still -- Ick!

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Sometimes Alex and his friends have really funny conversations.

Today after preschool, Alex was telling his friend Mado how he got to go build a Lego turkey at the Mall of America last night. He told her he got a poster there, and it is HUGE. (This conversation happened in the car on the way to our house.)

Alex: I'll show you my poster when we get to my house. It is really big.
Mado: How big is it? Wait. I want it to be a surprise. Don't tell me how big it is.

We drove past our church building.

Mado: Is it as big as a church?
Alex: No but it is as big as a GIANT or an ELEPHANT!!!
Mado: Don't tell me. I want it to be a secret.
Alex: It...
Mado: Don't tell me anything about your poster. I want it to be a surprise. You can show me at your house.

Then they started talking about the car wash they saw out the window. :)

Happy Halloween!

Alex the monkey and Molly, as Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. She was Dorothy from the book (who has silver shoes) rather than Dorothy from the movie (who wears ruby slippers).

We went to quite a few different Halloween events last week. The last event was the carnival at the church where we attend MOPS. They had a lot of games the kids could play for prizes. Here Molly and Alex are attempting to bite powdered donuts off of a string without using their hands. It took them quite a while, and it was pretty funny to watch.

Happy Halloween!

Alex's hobbies

This is how Alex spends many afternoons. He creates things with paper, tape, and sometimes staples. He cuts all kinds of things out with scissors. He's really pretty creative, but I never know what I'm going to find him making.

He made these.

One day he did this.

He's also quite obsessed with talking about how every animal poops. It's hard to see on the small photo, but he discovered that he could use his toy hammer to pound the edge of a dime under the white air plug on the back of his bouncy horse. Once the dime was in place, he'd bounce on the horse, and the bouncing would make it "poop" the dime. Then he'd laugh hysterically. :)

First Day of School

Alex's first day of preschool.
No, he wasn't upset about going to school. He was mad at me. He bumped his head ever-so-slightly and demanded a bandaid. I told him he couldn't have one because there was no cut and there was no blood. Tantruming ensued. He cried, kicked, and screamed for a long time. Finally I decided that he needed to have a calmer, happier start to his first day of preschool, so I gave in. I gave him a bandaid, and then all was well.

Alex, with bandaid. Much better. :)

Molly on her first day of 1st grade. She was very excited.

Oh, I almost forgot one other funny part of Alex's tantrum that morning. When I first told him he couldn't have a bandaid because there was no blood, he told me "Yes there is. It is just coming out VERY slooooooowly, so you can't see it."
What a little wise guy. It was after he said that and I still wouldn't let him have one that the tantrum started. :)

Molly's Birthday!

Molly turned 6 on August 31. Happy Birthday, Molly!
Molly is an amazing girl. She is outgoing, caring, bright, loving, persistent, joyful, dramatic, beautiful, and a lot of fun to be around. She's a great kid, and we're thankful to have her for a daughter.

Molly wanted to have a Barbie Princess party with all girls (except for Alex). She requested a Barbie Princess cake.

Here is the cake I made for her. It's all cake and frosting from the waist down.

The kids painted crafts, played games, and hit the princess crown pinata. Here they are playing "Barbie Says" (like Simon says). Oh, and she told her friends they could dress up like princess if they felt like it.

They had pizza for lunch and then cake and ice cream.

Presents! Molly had such a fun time at her party. Thanks to all who attended!