The last 2 weeks of December...

We had our 2nd annual Christmas cookie workshop at our house! Cailean decided to join in on the fun and did his mass production. Personally I think he wanted to eat dinner and not see everyone else take their time decorating!

Then Gavin had his Christmas concert at pre-school on December 21. He did great! In the past he stood up front with a look on his face and didn't participate. This year he joined in. For this picture he cracked up laughing and couldn't stop. He definitely takes after me on this one!

After the concert the class posed with their teachers! What a great lookin' class!

I was hit with the stomach bug and it was getting worse on December 21. I made it through the concert, but I am so glad Cailean took the week off because he ended up being at the Christmas party with Kim. I had to go home and I was soooo sick!

Grandpop flew down on December 21st for Christmas and the boys made their annual gingerbread house. I love this tradition!!

The finished product! Well done, boys!

On December 23 Ella, Sophia and their dad stopped by to pick up some venison. The kids get along so well. We love the Volpe girls! They did funny faces for this picture. ;-)

Whenever Grandpop comes down for a visit it seems to go by so fast. The boys always have a To Do List of everything they want to accomplish with him. They do get most of them done. They really love to play chess with him and I'm impressed my dad taught both how to play. They also love to go downstairs to wake him up in the morning! He treated them to the movies when he was on babysitting duty.

What comes around goes around I guess. Dad introduced them to a noogie. Therefore, Gavin is giving one to his Grandpop.

Christmas morning...I heard Gavin wake up around 7:15am and he says, "Wow...look at all the presents!" Then, he went running into Ian's room who didn't want to be awake at the moment. When Ian finally realized what time it was he raced out in the living room while Gavin woke me up. The two raced downstairs and told Grandpop that Santa was here.

The kids are always spoiled by our family. Thank you to all for thinking of them and us!

One of the highlights for Gavin was more reindeer poop! LOL

Another highlight and I cannot believe I didn't take pictures...was that we were going to the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl Game in Orlando, Florida on December 28. The plan was to leave on December 27 and drive to Jacksonville, FL area to visit with Cailean's parents, brother, sister in law and niece. We would overnight there and then drive down to Orlando for the game at night. Then, leave there on Wednesday morning and drive to Myrtle Beach, SC to meet up with my mom and grandparents and to spend the night before returning home on Thursday.

We wanted to do something special for them, so we came up with a scavenger hunt! After all the presents were opened, I pulled out an envelope underneath the tree skirt that was addressed to Ian and Gavin.

The first note said:

You're headed south...

It's south of South Carolina.

Can you guess what state it is?

I'll give you a hint.

It starts with a letter from a bottle in the frig!

So, they run to the frig and find the Florida Natural orange juice bottle with a note attached to it.

The second note said:

So now you know the state you'll be in...it's time to guess the city!

Where do Mickey and Minnie live other than Disney?

I'll give you a hint.

The first letter can also be played in tic-tac-toe!

They guess Orlando.

There's an envelope on the kitchen counter that read:

Now you know the city and state!

There's a certain team that is in need of 2 young fans and their parents for a VERY important game!

Do you know what game I'm talking about?

(On the note it says...helmets.)

They go over to their NC State helmets and another note is attached.

Get out your WOLFPACK red because...

with the Turners at the Champs Sports Bowl Game...

WOLFPACK WILL BE IN THE HOUSE!!!!!!

There were 2 tickets under Ian's helmet and 2 tickets under Gavin's helmet. Gavin threw them up in the air and Ian was shaking because he couldn't believe this was happening!

We received 8 inches of snow and my dad's flights were canceled on December 26, so he drove down with us to FL and flew out of Orlando on a direct flight to Burlington!

Shoveling break for a photo opp!

One thing Grandpop does on his visits is read a bedtime story to the boys!

Now we're in Yulee, FL...the boys with their cousin, Sarah.

My dad, Cailean's dad, the boys and Sarah

Ian and I were one of the first ones in the Fan Zone!

We walked by the buses and the mascots were the last ones off and there was Ian! Lucky boy!

We parked on someone's front yard across the street from the stadium. I can't believe we did this!

Getting ready to head over to the game!

Trying to get a family photo!

The team about to run out onto the field!

Ian had a great time!

It was a very cold night! We're all bundled up!!! Can you tell Gavin was exhausted?

Off to Myrtle Beach next. This was our resort for the night. Oceanfront on the 4th floor.

My mom with the boys!!!

Sunrise!

We came home on Thursday, December 30 and had Christmas over at mom's. Cailean got called on a roadtrip while we were there, so off he went. He came home this morning and slept for a few hours. Then, the phone rings again and he has to hurry to the airport to catch a flight to Toronto to fix another plane. So, Happy New Year! LOL

A Week in Review

The days are just flying by! Our tree is up and nicely decorated. Our mantle looks very nice with the greenery, white lights, stockings and my Christmas village. The kids have their trees lit at night in their rooms. The refrigerator and closet is full of food for Grandpop's arrival in the upcoming week!

Monday was an interesting day to say the least. We did the normal routine for drop off. Gavin went to the babysitter's house as usual and I dropped Ian off at school before heading to work. Around 11am I received a call from his school telling me that Ian needed to be picked up because he grabbed a hold of his stomach and collapsed, but didn't faint. I raced over to get him and got him in with the doctor. After a few tests we were sent over to radiology where they x-rayed his stomach area. Thank goodness it was not his appendix. The poor kid was just "backed up" and we were sent home.

Ian and Cailean had their Y-Guides meeting Tuesday night. They always look forward to those meetings and it sounds like they are a great group. Gavin and I stayed home and watched a Christmas movie together.

On Wednesday Gavin got to stay at school until 2pm because he did "Wonderful Wednesday." For just $10 the 4 and 5 year olds can stay extra time and they are split into groups. They play games and have fun together and Gavin just loves it. I took advantage of the opportunity because I missed some work hours earlier in the week, so I was able to work a little longer on Wednesday.

Thursday became a snow day for the kids since the county closed schools due to the tracing of snow and slippery roads. Cailean was home with them, so they went swimming at the Y and then picked up two friends and my grandfather and headed to the movie theater.

Friday was a 2 hour delay for Ian because they weren't sure if the roads would be slick. His class still had the Polar Express experience at school. He went to school in his pajamas! LOL Friday night we went to a Christmas party and then had a sleepover at my mom's house.

Here we are on Saturday...two basketball practices...birthday celebration at mom's...baked cookies to frost tomorrow afternooon...and the list continues!

Visiting Santa

Last week the boys and I met my mom and grandparents at the mall and they visited with Santa for a few minutes. I believe Gavin told Santa he wanted more poop candy for his reindeer thing and Ian asked for Pokemon cards. LOL Maybe later this week we'll drive around and look at the popular houses in the area that do a great job with the Christmas lights!

The boys have school for 2 days next week and then they are on vacation! My dad is flying down from Vermont on Tuesday to babysit the rest of the week. The boys are looking forward to spending time with him and making the annual gingerbread house!

Post Thanksgiving

Sorry about not updating since Thanksgiving! I need to download some pictures, but you'll need to wait until later in the week for that.

We're in full swing with basketball. I'm coaching Gavin's team and Ian's team this year and so far it has been going great. We have a lot of wonderful kids and parents, so I'm happy. Gavin is #1 on his team and Ian is #4.

While Cailean was out of town last week I braved it and went into the attic to get our Christmas tree down. It was easier than I thought, but my goal was to have it put together and decorated before Cailean got home. Well, I put it together...but for some reason it looked a little crooked to me. So, the boys were disappointed I didn't let them decorate. Oh well. Once Cailean got home he looked at it and said it was fine. Okay, maybe I just wanted him to be here to watch the kids decorate? Sure, that's a good excuse.

So, Saturday night the boys had fun listening to a Christmas CD and decorated the train. Then, we put the train together...put up my village on the mantle with the stockings and some greenery with the white lights and our house is beginning to look like it's ready for the holidays.

The boys and I attended a service at the Kirk Sunday night for the greening of the Kirk and it was amazing! It was totally done by the youth of the Kirk and it really was outstanding with all the Christmas carols and singing. The choirs, solos, tone chimes, acting, etc. It was a lot of fun and the boys were really into it.

I was able to find our Elf on the Shelf. We received him last year and forgot his name. I know...you are supposed to write that information down, but I didn't...obviously. So, the boys came up with Russell Owen Turner. Russell after Russell Wilson (quarterback for State) and Owen after Open Spencer (plays for State). So yes...we have an elf named Russell Owen! Each morning he is found in a different location. I just need to remember to do that!

Tonight Cailean and Ian made me dinner, so they could earn a patch for the Y-Guides. It was nice to have a night off from the cooking and planning, but I'm excited to have control of the kitchen again! LOL Then, I escaped for a few hours and went to a friend's house for a party. It was so nice to just relax and chat with some great people who I haven't been able to see in awhile.

Over the weekend mom bought a new van and we bought her van. Paperwork isn't official just yet and won't be until January. But, that's what's going on with the vehicle situation. I'm not too thrilled about driving a van, but I guess I'll get used to it!