Performances

 Joel volunteered for a speaking part in his school Christmas performance.  We were so proud of him. He was so nervous and his part was towards the end.  We could actually see him turning paler and paler and he stopped singing for a few songs.  I don't think he realized it would be in front of hundreds of parents.  It came time for him to say his part and he did wonderful.  We were so proud of him.

Then Joel and Norah were asked to sing in our church Christmas program.  Joel was a camel and had a solo and Norah was an angel and sang away in a manger.

Joel was adorable as a camel

And Norah made a very angelic angel

Oh Christmas Tree

 We loved our Christmas Tree. I would find the kids sitting next to it all the time playing.  We haven't had any needles drop and I didn't need any allergy medicine after the first week so we were beginning to think that a freshly cut tree was the winner...

Until I noticed a few branches had this white fungus like stuff on it.  I didn't think anything of it because it wasn't that much.  Then a week later it looked like our tree was a flocked Christmas tree (the ones with fake snow on the branches) Colin thought Norah and I had taken cotton balls apart and thrown them all over the tree.  So after a quick google search it was most likely some type of bug.  I told Brent I would feel ok leaving the tree up but I wanted to take the ornaments off so if we saw any type of movement that tree would be gone.

That conversation was in the morning. I came home from Joel and Norahs Christmas parties at school and the tree was worse...and besides the white stuff everywhere it looked like some type of spider webby stuff was strung from branch to branch.

The tree went outside that night.

The kids weren't too upset. Norah in fact insisted that the tree go because she was afraid of bugs hatching in her sleep.  Brent gave us such a hard time but when it came time for him to take the tree outside he said it really was bad and he was afraid to touch it.

What?!?!?! There are bugs in our tree????

BUGS!!!!

YAY! The tree is leaving!

The tree is out on our front porch.  The lights are still on it. We thought maybe we could bring it back in but it looks worse so I think it will be out on the curb tomorrow.

Oh Christmas Tree
Oh Christmas Tree
How lovely are your branches
Oh Christmas Tree
Oh Christmas Tree
You scare me with your insects

This boy

This boy. Sometimes I really don't know what to do with him. 

One morning we were walking out to the bus and he was complaining that Daddy gave him a sock that's too small.  Brent had gotten socks out of our sock basket (sometimes I just throw them all in the basket if I don't have time to match them) I told him he could run back inside and get new socks.  He was panicked that he would miss the bus (it wasn't coming down the street so he had time) I told him I could run in and grab a pair and he could change at the bus stop.  NO! He didn't want to do that.

So we started walking down the driveway.  Then he starts complaining that I made his lunch and he wanted to buy today.

I had asked him when he woke up if he wanted to buy or for me to make his lunch - he chose for me to make his lunch. 

So then I told him he couldn't buy that day that his lunch was already packed but he could buy tomorrow..... grumble grumble grumble.  "I want to buy lunch today!" 

I told him if he wanted to buy he had to use his own money since I already made his lunch like he picked not even  30 minutes earlier... so much complaining. 

Well then the bus starts coming down the street so he takes out his lunch box. Throws it to me and as he's walking onto the bus he tells me "I don't want your stinkin lunch. I'll pay you $3 BUT mom that's coming out of YOUR CHRISTMAS PRESENT"  and he gets on the bus and drives away

He came home and gave me $3 and told me that the school lunch was disgusting and asked if I would please make his lunch the next day....

I'm realizing that the things he complains about and rants and raves about  aren't what's really bothering him. It started with his sock and then his anxiety of missing the bus. Even though his bus driver would've waited for him or I could've driven him. Anything out of his routine or even what he expects throws him off. He really didn't care about my stinkin lunch. I think lunch was something he could control.

This boy has been working to earn money to buy people Christmas presents.  He also lost a tooth and asked the tooth fairy for FIVE BUCKS so he can buy his family Christmas presents. The tooth fairy left a note that she hadn't heard such a generous request so she granted his request. He has been excited to get gifts for everyone for Christmas.

Norah's school had their annual Breakfast with Santa and kids Christmas shop.  Brent took the kids and said Joel brought his wallet and went into the store and bought us all gifts with his own money.  I'm dying to ask him if my gift was $3 short! haha!

O Christmas Tree

 Mom and Dad have season tickets to the basketball games so they gave their tickets to Brent and the boys went to watch the Hokies play. It was Joels first Virginia Tech basketball game and he loved it.

Milkshakes from the dairy club were well worth it.

The rest of us went to a Christmas tree farm to find a Christmas tree. This was mom and dads

 Norah was a great helper and this is what we ended up with.

The boys weren't sure we got a big enough one and I told them they can't complain since they weren't there. Also I go on allergy medicine most of December for them to have a real tree. So any complaints on our real tree was not going to be heard by me!  I was hoping since we cut it fresh it wouldn't bother my nose as bad. I'm still blocked up but it hasn't been too bad this year so I think we've found our new tradition.

We helped mom and dad trim their tree then came home and put our tree up.

 We spent the rest of the weekend in Blacksburg. It was fun going to the Inn and seeing all the Christmas trees and then we explored a new park to me. James and Angela went all the time when they were living there. We also went to their small business Saturday and went downtown where the kids did a scavenger hunt and got some amazing prizes.

 We found one random hay bale and the kids had to jump off it like they used to do at the farm.

 
And we even found a creek to play in