Happy New Year!

2012 here we come!

The other day while I was at the store I grabbed a few party hats and some noise makers so we could have a small celebration at home on New Year's Eve. Well I don't know how old Rick and I are that we couldn't even stay up till midnight. He was passed out before 11:00 and I didn't make it much past 11:20. Tyler was the only one....if you can believe it, that actually stayed awake for the arrival of the new year. But then after the fireworks woke us up, it was right back to bed for everyone.

New Smile

Big changes are going on inside Tyler's mouth. In less than two weeks, he's lost two more of his baby teeth. His top front tooth came out just days into the holiday break and then one of his bottom incisors came out last night.

And you know what that means.....he had some fresh money from the tooth fairy burning a hole in his pocket. So I took him over to Walgreens to buy a Chia Pet. He had asked for one for Christmas, but since he didn't it, he was prepared to buy one with his own money. He ended up getting a turtle, which we'll get started after it soaks for awhile. Hopefully it grows.....our house is kind of dark in the winter. I guess we'll see what happens.

Merry Christmas!

Tyler had big plans to wake up bright and early at 6:45 this morning, but slept in despite his best intentions. So at 7:30 or so, we started the party.....just a bit delayed.

There were lots of presents under the tree for the boys from Santa and the rest of the family.

Kyle got several wooden toys, some board books, baby bunting, and a ball popper.

I got some new makeup...Laura Geller eyeshadow, Smashbox eyeshadow and a Bare Essentials kit. I also got a new food processor and a juicer.

Kyle also got Mortimer the Moose, one of those cute Lamaze toys from Aunt Susan. He loves it!

Tyler got his Perplexus Rookie maze ball that he wanted so bad, and also a Newton's Cradle. Santa brought him a Nintendo 3DS and some games. That ought to keep him busy for awhile.

Rick got some new jeans, a few sweaters, new cologne, and a sausage/cheese box.

Now I'm about ready to serve up some pot roast for dinner. Mmmm, what a tasty way to end the day!

Christmas In The City

Today was the last day of Tyler's Lego City Advent Calendar, so here's a look at the goodies he got this week.

A vault with gold pieces inside.

Two snowmobiles and a hitch wagon filled with presents.

Behind the final door was a chimney and Santa, who even had a pack on his back with more presents. And as you can see, he's already started his deliveries....bringing a brand new bone for the police dog.

Cookies For Santa

Of all the things I bake, cookies are not my strong point....and thanks to Tyler, we all know how my last batch of Mint Chocolate Chip cookies ended up in the garbage. But with Christmas right around the corner, we needed to come up with something to give to Santa. I think there are some Dulce de Leche Girl Scout Cookies hanging out in the pantry and maybe a few Oreos, but we needed something better than that.

And so.....drumroll, please.....we made gingerbread men.

A small batch of 18, which is just enough for our family plus a few extra for Santa. I used a Taste of Home recipe for the cookies and used a recipe from Sandra Lee for the royal icing.

We even used her trick of putting the icing inside of a sandwich baggie to use as a homemade pastry bag. It worked alright for me....not the best for Tyler.

In the end they came out looking pretty nice. I think Santa will be pleased!

Anniversary Dinner

Rick and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary yesterday. Tyler doesn't quite understand the concept of that yet, so when Rick or I spoke of 'our' anniversary, Tyler assumed that he was included. I heard him several times say, "boy, I can't believe it's our anniversary already!".

Anyway, we went out to dinner last night, downtown at The 2nd Street Grill. It wasn't too crowded at all, which was perfect for us since we had the kiddos with us.

We started out with the Asian appetizer sampler and then for the main course I had the Chicken Alfredo and Rick had pasta with a sausage marinara sauce. The food was okay...not as good as the Creekside West, but at least we didn't have to wait over an hour for our food, so that was a major plus.

Tyler had cheeseburger sliders and fries off the kids menu, which he enjoyed, but he was unusually tired last night....probably still recovering from the strange 24 hour flu that hit him earlier in the week.

Overall, it was a great night, but now it's back to reality and the countdown to Christmas. I've got to run the boys out to the mall and look for some last minute gifts. Hopefully it's not a nightmare out there!

Back In The City: Part 2

A week has passed in Lego Advent Calendar Land and here's what's new.

The police station/jail that was previously under construction is now complete. Tyler noted that the criminals can escape by simply walking through the front door, going out the back or through any of the 3 windows. And while that might be true, I'm sure the policeman and his stern eye will keep those bad guys in place.

Oh yeah, and the policeman has a partner now, so one can keep watch in the jail while the other patrols the town. And to help them catch more criminals, they have a nifty new crime lab with an extra large magnifying glass....just what they need to spot fingerprints and other clues.

Then after a 3 day build, with what started out looking like a golf cart, they have a brand new police cruiser.
 

There's another criminal in the jail.

And in other parts of the city, not having to do with cops and robbers, there is an ice fisherman out at the frozen lake.

With a nice campfire to keep him warm.