Ho! Ho! Ho! It's Santa Claus!

Today we visited Santa Claus at Bass Pro Shop.  The boys weren't shy!

And thus the love affair with all things Disney begins...

Last night, we took the boys to see Disney on Ice.  This was their first time going to any type of show like this.  They didn't really have any idea of what to expect or what we were talking about when we told them they were going to Disney on Ice.  We told them about how lots of the Disney characters would be ice skating.  They could understand the ice skating part since we had just taken them ice skating for the first time a few weeks ago.  I was bummed that I didn't take my camera.  But the website said only small cameras would be allowed.  So I had to rely on my iPhone camera instead.  Oh well, at least it is documented.

Fenn stood up a good bit of the time.  He smiled a lot.  He danced a good bit.  And he told us the names of lots of the characters and even told us some of the storylines.  He is more familiar with Disney stuff because we have been reading a set of the Classic Disney books given to us by Grandma for a while now.

Boone sat in my lap the whole time and stared in amazement at the activity on the ice.  He didn't really smile.  He didn't really talk.  He just watched and occasionally looked back at me.  If the skaters moved to an area of the rink that he couldn't see, he would quickly lean in whatever direction necessary to be able to see.

So our first time to a big show or concert was a success.  The boys had fun.  Mommy and daddy had fun.  And now we'll look forward to that first trip to Disney World... perhaps in Summer of 2013 when Fenn will be 5 1/2 and Boone will be 4.

The Serta Sheep Have Arrived!

Wow!  It's been a really long time since I've done a blog post.  My last post was in early January.  {But, I will be going back and filling in the last 5 1/2 months.  One way or another, I will get it done!}  Anyway, life has been extra busy for us since January.  My job got eliminated at the beginning of January, so I have been out of work since then.  You'd think that would give me MORE time to work on my blog.  But instead, I've been busier with stuff around the house.  Plus, to cut back on childcare expenses, the boys now only go to school 3 days a week.  And they only go from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.  So needless to say, I've been kind of busy with them.  And on the days they're at school, the time I have to get things done during the day is limited.

Last week was an even crazier week than normal.  A big storm (apparently not a tornado) came through and knocked out our power around 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday night.  When we saw the strong winds and how all the trees were bent over sideways, we grabbed the kids (still awake) out of their rooms and headed to the basement.  The storm passed quickly and we were able to go back upstairs.  We made it through the night, but awoke to a house that still didn't have power.  I spent most of the day tracking down dry ice and buying regular ice to pack into coolers and our 2 refrigerators.

Fast forward to Friday morning, we were still without power.  Another storm had come through the area on Thursday night, and this time the power was out at Dan's office.  So he left work and headed to the nearest home improvement store to purchase a generator.  Well worth the money... even though we really didn't want to spend it on a generator.  But we'll be prepared for future power outages.  It made Friday night so much more bearable because we could watch tv, run a fan, plug in some lamps, and also plug in the gas cooktop to cook.

That afternoon, we received a package in the mail from a childhood friend of mine.  He recently purchased a mattress store and sells Serta mattresses.  He's one of those people I look forward to seeing what he posts on Facebook because he is so darned funny.  So we had been communicating some on Facebook and he said he would send the boys a Serta sheep.  The boys were excited to get them!  It was perfect timing.  They had just had a nice warm bath thanks to our generator.  {The first one since Tuesday night before the power outage.}  And they were ready to go to bed.  Thanks, John!

The power was restored late afternoon on Saturday and things are starting to get back to normal around here.  Well, except for the fact that I'm way behind on laundry.  I'm going to work really hard to fit in some time to catch up this blog.  It may take me a couple of months, but somehow I'll get it done.  Keep checking back for January through June blog posts!

Boone Pee Pees on the Big Boy Potty for the 1st Time

Yesterday evening, Boone actually peed while sitting on the big boy potty.  Of course, he doesn't have a whole lot he can point down (if you know what I mean).  So instead, it shot straight out, with a slight arc, and hit the wall in front of him.  I actually tried to stop it with my hands without much success.  Anyway, he's been showing some interest in the potty, such as wanting to sit on it.  But we know he's not really ready to officially start potty training.  This was more of a fluke.  Hopefully, this summer he'll be ready.

I've Been Working on the Railroad...

Yesterday, we went to the Holiday Express at UT Gardens.  It is an amazing display of hobby trains.  And the boys loved it.  I didn't get very many good pictures because it was really crowded and the boys kept running around from place to place and wouldn't stay still.

Love this photo of Fenn.  Such a cutie pie face.  I took it on our way to UT Gardens.

And then here's our other cutie pie, Boone.

Fenn watching the trains go by.

Boone was mesmerized by all the trains going in different directions on different tracks.

This is about the best shot they would let me get of the two of them together with part of the display in the background.  It was twice the size of what you see behind them.

They even got to experience what it's like to work one of those old manual push cars.

That Bandit Church

Tonight when we mentioned going to church tomorrow, Fenn said he wanted to go to that 'bandit' church again.

Let me explain.  We are members of a very large church here in Knoxville with both traditional and contemporary services on Sunday mornings.  We normally go to the traditional service and the boys go to children's church.  The contemporary services are held across the street in another building.  On Christmas Eve, our church was offering candlelight services at 3:00, 5:00, 7:00, and 9:00.  The only time that works for us is 3:00 p.m. so we can go to the service, then go to an early dinner for mexican, and still get the boys to bed at their normal times.  But that service was a contemporary service in the other building.  As soon as we pulled into the parking lot, Fenn said, "This is the wrong place.  We need to go to that other building across the street."  So we explained to him why we were going to a different place, but that it was still the same church.  And then we proceeded to go inside for the service.

Well, needless to say, it made quite an impression on Fenn.  He loved the singers.  He loved the band.  Hence... that "bandit church".  And we told him we would try the contemporary service very soon.