hodge podge

What a week!!! I am so glad the weekend is here....and I'm really ready for Christmas break to get here so the boys and I can just hang out and have some fun! This time of year is so busy and I am so glad that the upcoming week will be much slower than the past few I've had. This week should be a fun one full of things I enjoy...all I have to do is buy one last gift, spend a girls day with mom on Monday while Darren and Cale hang out (FUN!), make the teachers picture frames (last minute decision to make them something rather than give our usual gift card...they'd probably rather have the gift card, but I love making things to decorate with so....), wrap all of our gifts (not one is under the tree yet and I am out of hiding spots!), get items for the boys' class Christmas parties, go to the Christmas parties and I am really hoping to thoroughly clean my house and get caught up on the laundry before the boys are home for two weeks. If I can get these things done, I will be able to enjoy the boys Christmas break with them and hopefully find some fun things to do to keep them entertained since they are going to be out almost a full week before Christmas!

The boys have been pretty cute this week. Coby has always loved dressing up in costumes and this week he has decided that he's"really getting into cowboy stuff." Everyday after school he puts on his "cowboy" attire. It includes, but is not always limited to, a straw hat, a navy blue bandana, jeans, and a furry cat looking tail that he has from yet another costume that he ties around his waist and calls it his belt. I have to say that he does make a really cute cowboy! I love that he still likes to dress up and am always wondering how much longer it will last. I just wish that I could freeze him at this stage. He is such a sweetheart and is always so eager to please us. I can ask anything of him and he always responds with a yes, ma'am. He is so enthusiastic about life and when he comes home from school he is always so excited to share about his day. One example that I don't want to forget is when he got into the car during the school's drug-free week and excitedly announced, "Mom, you won't believe this (eyes so big with excitement and using his hands to gestured as he talked) I got to go to Mr. Haw's office today and got a prize because I was the only drug-free student in the school!" Yes, he was serious and it took everything in me not to laugh out loud. He is just so precious, innocent and tender-hearted. I wish I could bottle it all up!

Cale said something that made me laugh as I picked him up from school last week...there is a little boy his class that gets in trouble frequently. Anyway, this little boy lost his skittle on this particular day (the kids get a skittle if they've been good that day). Cale was telling me that the little boy had lost his skittle and went on to say, "He's been naughty for as long as I can remember!" Then tonight as we were walking into Darren's work party (in the very cold windy air) he informed us that he's freeze-proof (so in case you're keeping track...so far he's both fire-proof and freeze-proof). Oh, I just remembered a story that Cale's teacher relayed to me as I volunteered last week...I can't believe I forgot until now! Cale and a little girl (whom Cale has recently become very fond of) were sitting next to each other in round-up (where the entire school meets in the gym before school on Fridays). Mrs. Brown said she was thinking to herself they won't last long sitting next to each other and all of a sudden she looked over and the little girl was pretending to be a dog (and in a dog-like position if you will) and Cale was on top of her! Oh my!!!! We're definitely going to have to keep a close eye on this one.

Connor had his Honor's Chorus program last week and they sounded great! I am so proud of him!

He is growing up so fast! I was looking at him tonight and thinking that he just looks so OLD. I seriously asked him if he thought he could stop growing for awhile. He didn't go for that though. I can't believe he'll be 11 soon. I feel so old!

Goodness, this post really was a hodge podge! Next time I hope to recap Thanksgiving. I am so behind, but I love being able to look back on what we did during the holidays from year to year. One of these days I WILL get caught up.