Fresh Beat Band!

The Boys love to boogie and move to the sound of the Fresh Beat Band on Nickelodeon. Of course when I have the camera rolling they refuse to pull out all the stops. ...But I wanted to remember their cuteness and I hope to get a better video soon.

Determination!

Ryan is determined to master the skates. He begged Jimmy to take him out and when the night fell upon us...he continued to skate. I turned on the floodlights and the Ladd's across the bay must have been watching because they turned on their lights too! The kid is determined.

Hockey Time!

It was a nice day out on the ice. Smooth. Fast. Slippery. Wooops. Tyler kept falling but he was a trooper in his boots. Ryan tested out his new skates and is doing surprisingly well. A little puck action is motivating too! Tyler liked eating the snow off the ice and laying down to make snow angels.

Cookie Bakin' and Makin'

Making sugar cookies is definately one of our favorite things to do. We love to make 'em, decorate 'em, and eat 'em up!! Grandma Ellen and Papa Ralph joined Granna Cathy and at the table for some serious cookie silliness! MMMmmmm Funnn.

Kindergarten Christmas Program

Everyone who attended ( Granna Cathy, Papa Ralph, Grandma Ellen, Tyler, Mommy, and Daddy ) really enjoyed the performance by 4 kindergarten classes at Wayne Gray Elementary School in Addison! Ryan made us proud. He sang his heart out!

Painting

I got Tyler to spend some time painting with a brush today. He still wanted to use his fingers but finally got the hang. Now....to get him to use more colors! (So nice to see Tyler doing something other than video games:)

Day 2....Snow Day...No School.

Things aren't as smooth after 2 days home. A little more fighting and picking on each other. Daddy promised a "Crash" Video party tonight while I work. Hope that changes the pace.

Snow Day! No School Day!

The guys had their work cut out for them! Notice the pictures are taken by me, indoors, through the screen:) Tyler didn't last long before he came inside for hot cocoa and fell asleep. I really paid for that one b/c he bugger was still up past midnight. Ugh.

Check out Ryan's moves in the front yard!

Let's Play Dough!

Ryan had a great idea the other night. "Let's get out the playdough!" We rarely get it out and Ryan really used his imagination to make up a rice dinner. Tyler loved making an elephant. (Note: Tyler loves to pretend like he is an elephant...one like the big scary creature on Crash Bandicoot.) It was a fun activity. Well, gotta go...I'm still trying to clean the carpet:)

Ryan Talking to Santa

It was cute watching Ryan and Tyler talk to Santa.

Santa arrived in Cement City via a firetruck!

Santa stopped by the Village Hall this past Saturday. A nice fireman picked him up at the church while the reindeer rested. He listened to Ryan's list of wishes and also heard them play some tunes on the Viola. They got a small gift from an elf and enjoyed the coloring book, crayons and candy. It was especially fun to eat a cookie and have a drink with Santa. Ryan loved the fact that he and Daddy got to take Santa back his sleigh in our Tahoe. Good times.

Some More Scrappin for a Friend

I've spent 10+ hours sorting alone, the bin of pictures my friend had collected over the years. She did a really great job of getting the pictures only to jam them into a bin. Many of them have become torn, wet, and ruined. I'm having fun doing some scrapbooking of them and she is enjoying the memories. I'm also working on my own December Daily with Daily doings of the Ladd family. Keep posted!

Family Fun Gym Night!

Everyone loved the Family Fun Night over at the school. They set up play stations throughout the Gym and everyone could find something fun to do. Ryan spent a majority of the night shooting hoops and Tyler loved throwing the balloons around. Even the parents had some fun playing around. Sure wish they'd open it up a couple of times a week since there's not much to do around here to burn energy in the winter!

Carol On!

Found this little ditty online at Beckyhiggins.com and thought it was cute. I keep trying to explain to Ryan that another word for Christmas song is Christmas Carol. It's cute seeing his wondering eyebrows make the connection. He keeps walking around the house singing some of the songs he is learning in music class and it is too cute. Tyler too is listening to Ryan's favorite and belting out the words he knows. Some of the best smiles of our evenings come when the boys are rocking and dancing the fresh beat band.

Ryan was really hooked on the Polar Express movie the other night. He fell asleep on the couch early in the evening while watching it...so when he woke up at 3:00 a.m. he was gung ho to watch it. I held him off until 7 a.m. when it was promptly turned on before anything else. We've also been enjoying Rudolph, Frosty, and Charlie Brown. I'm really loving the DVR so we can rewatch them.

We're all worried about Papa T. He has the shingles and missed our Thanksgiving celebration. Hope he feels better soon as they are painful. Take care, Papa T.

Christmas Caroling and Santa Team

It was cold, but Ryan was up for the challenge! We went up to the school to sing some Carols and to partake in the tree lighting ceremony for the Village of Addison. The band played, the Santa Lucia girls performed and the Addison United Church graced us with song. Ryan and Granna and I sang along. Then we headed up to the senior center for a special visit: Tyler was shy, at first. He was probably too tired from the long day of celebration with Hailee. Some hot chocolate and frosted cookie did the trick and soon this sweet couple had him in their arms.

Happy Birthday Hailee, Age 7

This special little girl turned 7 and we spent the day celebrating. My mom fixed a really nice turkey and trimmings and the rest of us contributed to an enjoyable afternoon. Can't believe the time is going by so quickly.

Surprise Pictures

Laughed at these surprise pictures I found on my camera! Apparently, it was Tyler's idea to pose with his shirt over his head. He loves to come up with something silly.

Scrapbooking for a friend

I'm really enjoying doing some scrapbooking for a friend. Her children are adorable and the make the process that much more enjoyable. The bonus is...she is paying me and she is FB all of her friends in hopes to work up some business for me. Fun.