And He's Off....

While coming up with new Bruno antics seems daunting to me at the beginning, it doesn't take long before the end arrives.  This year Bruno saddled up his loyal "reindeer" and left for the North Pole on Christmas eve.  He left behind elf jammies and a new Christmas book for the kids.  We're glad we had our time with him again this year. 

 

Christmas Eve in their new jammies .... Merry Christmas to All!

Super-Bruno

 

This crazy elf, he never ceases to amaze us!  Nothing like doing a little zip-lining through the house.

 

 

Speed Demon

Bruno has a need for speed ..... we're wondering if the little motorcycle cop ever caught up to him?  Well, at least he had on his safety gear.

 

Ooey, Gooey Goodness!!

Last Sunday Dan and I looked at each other in shear amazement - how in the world could two children have so much energy?!  They were going stir-crazy, which in turn, was making Dan and I's heads feel like they were in a drunken state. 

 

So little Miss Domesticated Diva (a.k.a. Me) decided that it was time to roll up her sleeves and get dirty, sticky-dirty!  The kids and I made some pretty Oooey, Gooey Popcorn balls.  So much fun and so much sugar!!

Official Helper Elves

Kitchen Selfie

In go the marshmallows

Pretty self-explanatory picture, here! :)

2nd Annual Reindeer Sighting!

We are so very lucky that we've gotten to see Santa's reindeer two years in a row!  We learned this year that Noel is Blitzen's mother.

 

Pump IT Up!!

Getting a head start on his New Year's Resolution.

 

Last Day of School - 2014

Wow!  Kailer's last day of school for 2014!  I was explaining to him that when he goes back to school it will be 2015.  Then I asked him, "Do you know what else happens in 2015?  You will start 1st grade." Now that seems crazy.

 

Kailer at the end of the day on Friday. I was fortunate to go in and help with their Christmas party.
They had a whole week of "Holiday Spirit" dressing up - So.Much.Fun!!

Movie Night!

It appears that Mr. Bruno took advantage of the 'silent' night and pulled out the popcorn to enjoy with his movie watching. 

 

Making Friends

 

Bruno has decided to make friends with the "locals," and it looks like he might have even let his new friend win!

Finally.....

 

Pretty sure Bruno was beginning to think that we were part of the Grinch Family.  Since Dan's birthday is on the 14th, we (well, he) reserves all festive Christmas decorations until after that day.  Bruno was pleased to finally see some holiday spirit as he sat perched on this over-sized Christmas ornament.

 

Gingerbread Train....

All aboard the Gingerbread train!  This little treasure was created by the kids (and two adults) this year.  Every year we fight the "easy to use" frosting (Ha, ha - someone lied about that) and the kids eat several pieces of candy for every one that is put on the gingerbread.


 

 

In response to this picture, Kailer said, 'Grandpa, I think something is wrong, it looks like a wheelchair!'

 

Bowling Fun!

Last Saturday morning, we loaded up the kids (and Grandpa) and headed out for a game of bowling!  The competition was tough and in the end Mom and Dad tied, which made it a lot easier to tell a competitive Kailer that "No one (actually) won."

 

Learning the tricks of the trade.

Waiting for the ball to come back ... she's quite the little bowling enthusiast.

Watching the game with great intent.

As we all know with bowling ... It's ALL about the shoes! :)

 

Scrub-A-Dub-Dub

Scrub-A-Dub-Dub....one Elf in the tub! All of those goodies that Bruno has been eating have left him a sticky mess!! Time to clean up.

 

Yummy?!

If you've ever seen the movie ELF, then you know what the spaghetti with candy and maple syrup is all about. What can he say, Bruno has a sweet tooth!

 

Yee-Haa!

PNP

Yeah!  I got these special videos tonight from Santa.  I know the kids will be thrilled to know that the Portable North Pole is up and running again.  Good thing, too, as my camera/computer are giving me fits about downloading photos, so I don't have any new ones to post! :(

https://www.portablenorthpole.com/app/video/watch/5493af93987a3-5493af939884b

https://www.portablenorthpole.com/app/video/watch/5493aec879bfd-5493aec879ca3

Falalalalalalala ......

Kailer's concert was quite entertaining, to say the least, and the videos give you a pretty good idea of how the entire concert went!  It's hard not to slap a big 'ol smile on your face and not be proud of these kids. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PLJrj7_WoZU&feature=youtu.be
(Warming up their voice)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSQW8VuV6KI&feature=youtu.be

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZxO0ETt1SH0&feature=youtu.be

Pre-concert photos!

Aylah thoroughly enjoyed the concert and told Kailer as much when we got in the car afterwards!

Proud parents!

Breakfast!

It's always nice to have a day off from making breakfast; Thanks, Bruno!

Cookies and Cocoa....

When do you know that you've "officially" lost it?  I'm pretty sure the light of insanity flickered in my life last Wednesday when I hosted a "Cookies and Cocoa" event for friends and their children.  I mean, honestly, who in their right mind agrees to having 10 children (ages 4 and under) and 2 babies in their house for a morning of cookie decorating and hot cocoa!  That's right, 6 different colors of frosting, 9 different colors of sprinkles, a bowl full of candy and cocoa and marshmallows galore - all at the hands of these children! 

Just moments before our doorbell was to ring I realized that Aylah had been awfully quiet..... I rounded the corner into my bathroom just in time to see a sea of sprinkles from one end to the other; in fact, I'm still randomly stepping on sprinkles now and again.

A good time was had by all and the children were pleasantly sugared-up when they left just in time to attempt a sugar-high nap!

 

Patiently waiting!

The girls weren't too shy to eat their cookies!

Organized chaos!

Sick Day!

Apparently Bruno caught the nasty bug that's been going around our house for the past week-ish.  Poor little guy!  We hope he gets to feeling better soon!!  Our only question is, "Do we tell him that's a rectal thermometer?!" Yikes.

 

Santa's Cookies

Book 'Em

Just another day on the streets chasing the bad guys!

Spidey-Sense

 

"With great power there must also come great responsibility," - Spiderman

 

 

Polar Express

The lasting impression made by a teacher goes beyond the classroom, for year to come!  This past week I was taken back to my 1st Grade year.  Mrs. Betty Sample was my teacher and I do believe she was the first person to introduce me to the book, "The Polar Express."  I vividly remember boxes decorated like train cars and enjoying hot cocoa and a small piece of chocolate one afternoon in our classroom while wearing our comfy pajamas!  Oh and lets not forget the magical bell that we were given at the end of the day.

 

The Kindergarteners at Saddle Peak were invited to an evening at the school; watching The Polar Express and enjoying hot cocoa and popcorn.....oh and their very own conductor to punch their tickets!!

 

 

The Conductor .... A.K.A.: Seriously, the coolest principal, ever!!

 

A sea of kindergarteners for as far as the eye could see!

Aylah enjoying some popcorn

The experience of watching a movie with a bunch of children, in a confined space, was a bit much for Dan and I.  All of the children were overall, quite good, but every time one coughed, sneezed, or wheezed we would think to ourselves, "Oh there's the flu," "Yep, that was ebola (kidding)," "Pretty sure I was just infected with Hand/Foot/Mouth!"  Blankets on dirty floors, runny noises and coughing were just a bit much for these OCD parents!  But, we survived and then promptly washed all blankets and footed PJs that were worn to the school!!