Its a Christmas miracle!!!

Saturday we went to a kids Christmas party on base.  It was pretty fun!  Santa flew in on a helicopter (how cool is that?!).  All the kids went crazy when he flew by.  The helicopter flew by 3 times then....

Santa slid out of the helicopter on a rope.  Once again, very cool.  I've got to say though, that this was a Santa stunt double.  How do i know this?  Well, it so happens that I know who the REAL santa was talking to all the kids, promising gifts and asking if they had been good this year.  

It was Brooke!  The best lookin' Santa i've ever seen!  And this is where the miracle comes in.  Jake hasn't ever wanted anything to do with Santa.  At the Mall he keeps a safe distance and the most interaction we can get Jake to do is wave to the big guy.  Brooke and I were both shocked that he agreed to sit on Santa's lap.  I think he wanted to make sure Santa knew what to bring him.  We weren't sure if he would recognize his dad, but he didn't seem to and didn't say anything.

Then we added Gracie to the mix and she had no problem with Santa.  We think she may have recognized her Dad.

While we were waiting for Brooke to finish up his Santa duties,  Jake had a blast in the bouncy castle and walking around to all the different booths that were set up. 

Today I was taking a few pictures of Gracie by the tree and Jake decided he wanted to jump in.  This is his Blue Steel.

jake/spidey/horse

This morning I was finishing up my candy lights project...i guess i should explain that first.  So, When I was getting out all the Christmas stuff, Jake spotted a string of lights with one light wrapped to look like a piece of candy.  He thought it looked pretty cool and wanted me to finish the string of lights.  I got the supplies I needed and started working on it yesterday and finished up today.  It was supposed to be a project for US, which turned into a project for mom.  Jake would help every now and then, but i guess his toys looked more appealing.  Anyway, they are done...here is a picture.

So back to this morning.  Jake was being spiderman when he decided he wanted to be a horse.  He put shoes on and then another pair on his hands and galloped around the house.  Here he is "horsin" around.

Brooke is getting over a cold.  Gracie has had a very runny nose all day, so either she is teething or she is getting a bit of what he had.  Hopefully, whatever it is, it doesn't last long.

weekend rundown

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving.  It was pretty quiet and mellow, but we enjoyed the relaxing day together.  In the morning, Brooke went and played in the Turkey Bowl with people from church.  While he was gone, I worked on our feast and watched some of the Macy's parade with Jake.  When Brooke got home, he started working on making the Lefsa.  He insisted on taking a picture of me with all the Lefsa stuff, but he did all the work. 

It was rainy and overcast all day long.  We really didn't mind too much...it reminded us of home.  A cloudy rainy day is a rare thing here, so i had to document it.

Here we all are about to enjoy eating our Thanksgiving meal.  Even Gracie joined us and chowed down on some mashed potatoes and rolls.  As you can see, the kids are in their pj's.  Like I said, it was a very relaxing day.

Today we were busy getting Christmas decorations up and doing stuff around the house.  Jake was watching Superman and I put his blanket on top of him.  I think it took him about 2 minutes to fall asleep.

And here are a few shots of Grace looking cute as usual.

Our weekend

Saturday we went to The Museum of Natural History and Science.  Jake was SO excited to see the dinosaurs and he had a great time exploring the Museum.  

After the Museum, we went to a local air field because there was a B17 there for the day.  We got to take a close look and then watch it taxi and take off.  You could go on a 45 min. ride on it for the bargain price of $395....ouch!  It was a great weekend and we are looking forward to the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend we have to spend together.

learning

I'm trying to learn more about photography.  I have a LONG way to go.  Here are a few of my experimental shots.  Luckily I have fabulous subjects to work with!  

funny times

I pulled out some of Jake's baby toys and she is having a blast with them. Jake is too.

Look at those cheeks. I just want to kiss them all the time!

The other day, we were in the kitchen and Jake put his face close to Grace and all the sudden she started clapping her hands against his face. They started laughing and laughing. By the time I got the camera out, things weren't quite as wild, but it will give you an idea of how much fun these two have together.

Last night, It was bedtime for Grace, but she was full of energy. She kept making this cough/laugh noise...we love having her in our family!

Kung-Fu Jake

We got Kung-Fu Panda this weekend and Jake has gotten into it.  On Saturday night we were at the grocery store and they had some halloween make-up on sale so we picked it up.   Sunday after church, Jake wanted to paint his face and decided he wanted me to give him Kung-Fu Panda eyes.  He then proceeded to show me his Kung-Fu moves using his weapon of choice...a bat.  He definitely keeps us entertained!