Non Traditional Christmas

Since the boys are older and don't believe in Santa Claus anymore, we decided to take a nontraditional approach to gift giving this year. Instead of opening presents from "Santa" Christmas morning under the tree, we decided to have them find their presents by following clues that led them from place to place within the house. Since they are out of school and received electronics, we did this a few days early so they would get in more play time before going back to school in January.

Todd and I sat down one afternoon and came up with all the clues for the game. We decided to make the first clue in code, so that they would have to put a little bit of brain power into it. It was really just the clue written backwards, so they both got it pretty quickly.

A couple of weeks ago I had them fill out Elf applications that I found on the internet. They asked me now and again since then what those applications were for. I just told them they had to wait and see, so that added a little to the fun. Their applications ended up being "Approved" and that qualified them to receive their first clue. Evan was a little more happy to go along with the story, but we all had fun doing it in the end.

The first video is of them figuring out the first clue and Chad finding his presents. The second video is of Evan following his clues. He didn't want to be taped through the house, so Todd agreed to only tape him actually finding the clues and opening his presents. Thus, it is a bit choppy.

Merry Christmas!

Basketball update

Evan's team has been practicing a lot. Their team has come together and they have won a couple of games. They have played some really experienced teams, though, and had their share of losses. Nevertheless, I still think Evan is the cutest basketball player on the court!




For family members and those really into youth basketball, you can check out a couple of video clips of his last game on my YouTube Channel.

Evan's Basketball Season Start

Evan is playing basketball on a parish team again this year. He is on the Celtics and they have been practicing for the past few weeks. They won their first game, but then lost two in a row, so the team is stepping up their drills and practicing almost every night. I got one photo and a short video of him shooting a free throw during the last game. Sorry for the quality, but the lighting was horrible.

I have learned to not sit to close to Todd during the games for fear of having my eardrum burst. He loves to coach from the bleachers and I'm sure he's thinking that all of his yelling is helping his boy and the team. I say that if it helps, keep it up! Go Celtics!

Giving me a smile during warmups.

Thanksgiving

We decided to hit the road for Thanksgiving and went to the beach in Alabama. The temps were mild and where we stayed had a heated pool, so we got to spend a lot of time outdoors. Evan was wet 90% of the time and couldn't get enough of the water. We also had a lot of fun shopping, eating out and riding go carts. Going back to school was hard this morning, but knowing that Christmas is less than a month away eased the pain a little. Here are a few of my iPhone photos:

Evan hanging out in the pool. There were about five other boys his age at the hotel, so he always had someone to play with.

Evan eventually dug this hole deep enough that he hit water!

Evan and Chad on the Beach

Sharing some of our food with the seagulls.

Ready to Ride!

Ready to Ride x 2!

Random Stuff

The boys are so happy to be out of school for Thanksgiving week. On the last day of school, Chad's Food and Nutrition class had a Thanksgiving Feast. He is learning his way around a kitchen and made a seven layer dip for the class. I love have multiple cooks in the house!

Chad's Seven Layer Taco Dip

Putting on the finishing touches.

Evan hanging out with Gwen.

 

More Evan and Gwen

Todd is on vacation this week as well and took the boys to the firing range yesterday and today. Chad and Todd both shot the gun yesterday, but Evan was a little worried about the kick after he saw them shoot. Today Evan got his courage up and shot the 20 gauge shotgun himself. Here is the video:

Weekend Fun

Saturday was the last day of football for the Colts. It was tournament day and both Todd and Evan were excited to see how the team would do. The first game was at 8:30 in the morning and it was really chilly. They won their first and second games and made it to the finals. They ended up losing the championship game, but came in second place, so that is really something to be proud of. Way to go team and Coach!

Colts Flag Football Team - Great Job!

Evan and Todd after the tournament. I don't know if Todd's expression is one of exhaustion or just relief that the season is over! It was fun, but also a lot of hard work.

On Sunday Evan and I made a trek to the pet store, which is one of his favorite places to go. He had coupons for some free fish and I needed to get some treats for Gwen. Evan put the fish in the pond, but it has been getting cooler here, so we will see how long they survive!



Last night Todd and Evan carved their annual pumpkin. I think that it turned out pretty good and they had a fun time. They will display it at Wanda's tonight, which is where Evan will do his Trick or Treating.

Boo!

Back in the Kitchen

It looks like Evan still has the cooking bug and pancakes are his specialty. Last night he told me that he couldn't wait for Saturday so that he could get up and cook. He must be getting that from Todd! I told him that he could cook, but he had to wait for me or his dad to supervise him. Before I could grab my first cup of coffee, Evan told me that he already had the batter ready and asked if he could fire up the pan.

I showed him a photo last week of someone who had made a bear face out of pancakes.

Source: cutestfood.com via Joan on Pinterest

He loved the idea so much, that he decided to try it for himself. He made pancakes in different sizes; smaller for the ears and mouth and a big one for the face. We didn't have any chocolate syrup, so we came up with the idea of using chocolate pudding to make the facial details. He took the pudding from a pudding cup and spooned it into a zip lock bag. He pushed it all to the corner and clipped off the tip so that he could squeeze out his design. He had a great time in the kitchen and the pancakes were delicious!

Evan enjoying his time in the kitchen!

Evan's Bear Pancakes