sneak peek

Well... it's that time of year.

Everyone's favorite part of the holiday season:

the school program!

...

This year, our 1st and 2nd graders got together to present "Christmas Around the World" and it was, indeed pretty fantastic! But this is not the regular Mom Report ~ the one where I get to brag about my child's lovely voice, his speaking part, his wonderful stage presence or even his sweet smile or good behavior on stage.

No, no, no... this is very different.

...

First, I am offering up 2 quick peeks at the afternoon rehearsal for the school program where I got a chance to video Hamp in all his glory... and by glory I mean nose-picking, goofing-off, yawning, face-making glory. Yeah, this Mom Report is less about bragging...

and more about laughing!

Speaking of which ~ sorry about the bouncy video!

I was holding the camera and I couldn't control my laughter!

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dress rehearsal 1

...

dress rehearsal 2

proof

Geesh.... some people have no faith!

There has been some question about our big ski day last weekend ~ apparently the photos I posted never actually pictured Sam in his skis! For all they showed, he could have just been standing in front of me! Well... here is a picture to quiet all the doubters out there:

Satisfied, Mom?! ☺

first ski day!

It's Official!

We are now a family of four skiiers!!!

Took off Sunday for Sunlight, our favorite little family ski mountain.

Hamp took to the first day of the season pretty quickly ~ and having buddies around to ride with on the chairlift made it all the easier to get going!

(Hamp's in the red boots)

Sam had a great first day ever on snowskiis ~ he was excited about the whole event, and so easy to instruct. Of course, he can only (so far) keep his skiis parrallel, so he can't stop. Therefore, Mom gets to ski behind him, holding onto his jacket, and stopping for the both of us! (ouch!)

We took four runs together, and Sam had a great time getting used to the whole idea of sliding down the hill while standing up on two thin planks! Next lesson ~ how to stop on your own (if for no other reason than to save Mom's legs & knees next time!)

~

Of course, hanging out in the ski lodge between runs was nothing new for any of us... and we were so happy to have several friends there to play with!

And the best part ~ as the day wore on and warmed up we moved the whole party outside to watch everyone come down the mountain!
Perhaps the craziest part of the day was when Hamp suddenly figured out that there was a gap in his mouth that was not there before... he lost a tooth on the slopes!

Everyone had a great time on the slopes... and a great time just hanging out at the lodge, too!

The Whole Gang:

Looking forward to many more fun ski days this season!

gingerbread houses

We are so lucky to have good friends that invite us over

for fun afternoon adventures!

Not wanting to let a tradition die, this year we took it into our own hands (and Jessica's kitchen!) to continue making our Christmas candy houses...

There was plenty of candy ~ as all three boys were quick to point out!
And some of the candy even made it onto the houses...
in fact, the boys took great care to place all the m&ms, skittles, jelly beans, peppermints, and chocolates in just the right spots!

As the houses all came together, there were certainly

some "extra" pieces that had to be eaten!

And I believe that the final products were really something to behold...

Really puts you in the holiday mood, huh?!

breakfast with Santa

Look who came to visit Meeker this morning!

The boys were so excited to see ol' St. Nick -

ran up and gave him a big hug!

afterschool sledding

Decided this week to take advantage of the warmer weather combined with a little good snow... I took the boys and friends to the sledding hill for some afterschool adventure!

They were all pretty thrilled to get to play in the snow for a little while...

... even when things got a bit hairy!

And the best part - when they got tired of sledding they could always play at the park!

As the sun started to go down and the kids started to all get cold and tired, I requested just a few posed group shots... and I think they turned out pretty darn great (thanks to the cute kids, not the photographer)!

hunting

Thanksgiving weekend is our traditional time for a family hunting trip ~

for our Christmas tree, of course!

This year was a great success... beautiful weather, a perfect tree,

and fun snow to play in!

I think Hamp played hard enough and was ready to get the tree home
and get warm...

Spent the rest of the evening trimming the tree, listening to the season's first Christmas carols, and watching the boys get excited for the season!

Happy Holiday Season!!!