Goobie creations by Gavin...

I love that Brent occasionally captures some of Gavin's elaborate Goobie creations on film.  These are really cool magnetic building toys that he got for Christmas, and it's fun to see how many different things the kids can make with them. 

A Hearty-felt visit...

This is one of my oldest and dearest friends, Sarah (Hearty) Price with her twin daughters, Violet (in my arms) and Julianna, at her mom's house in South Boulder.  (We natives who were here at the beginning don't usually refer to this part of town as "Sobo," though many newbies do.)  It was so strange and wonderful to see Sarah as a mother.  It seemed so natural, as if she'd been doing it for ages. And so sad to me that our kids will grow up without knowing one another the way we grew up in each other's back yards.  Sarah and her husband, David, live in Portland, Oregon, which I do have to admit--if they're going to live out of state at all--is a very fun place to visit.  It's so neat to see them as parents now.  Welcome to the party!

And, speaking of parties, we brought all of ours, and poor Grandma Hearty hardly knew what to do with so much boy energy in the house.  Bless her heart, all but one of her grandkids are girls (and the boy is still a baby) so we tried to move the party outdoors as quickly as possible.  Boys and girls really are so different, aren't they? 

Serving at FISH...

 

Apple Tree, the boys' school,collected a bunch of food items (I wish I could remember how many pounds, but it was something impressive) to donate to a local food bank here in Broomfield (FISH), and Gavin's class was in charge of delivering all of it.  The kids all had so much fun unloading our cars and carrying in the crates.  They gave us a tour of the facility, and I asked that day if I could bring Gavin back to help there in the future.  These pictures were taken when I brought him back to help out there for an hour.  He loved it, he was good at it, and we both had a great time.  His first job was dent duty, during which he had to alert me of any and all dented cans that we shouldn't stack on the shelves.  He loved that.  When he tired of that job, which was fairly quickly, he tracked down Mr, Mike (I think that was his name) and asked if he could help him with other jobs.  I loved watching my son serve in his community and enjoy it so much.  I would love to do it on more of a regular basis, so when you see me next don't hesitate to ask, "Have you been back to FISH with Gavin lately?"

Christmas at the Toppings'...

This picture captured the few moments of perplexion (is that a word?) before the new Christmas toy was promptly broken.  One waya of solving a total mystery is to break the thing altogether so that no mystery remains.  Had you considered that option before?  Write to our dear Gavin if you have questions about this technique.

One of Gage's gifts from Grandma and Grandpa was a new set of clear Magnatiles to add to his existing sets.  Both boys make the coolest things out of these, and the more you have the cooler things you can make.

 

The kids all got fun animal towels, too.  Gage is our little lion, and below you can see Gavin (the penguin) with his cousins, Madison (unicorn) and Sarah (butterfly).  These kids are all growing up so fast!

 

Christmas day at our house...

Have you ever heard of Goobies?  Brent found these new building toys in a kid catalog and recommended them to Grandpa Bruce as a Christmas gift for Gavin.  They are perfect for him.  He builds the coolest things out of these little magnetic toys. 

Gavin got a new really "BIG boy" bike this Christmas.  Like the kind with hand brakes and gears!  Brent had fun picking this out for him.  It will last Gavin for the next couple of years, we hope, and he looks so cute--and big--riding it. 

I think that these were a Mommy gift: more Tag books.  I'm a big fan of them--and the new flash cards for Gavin--but they are only occasionally engaging for the boys during their quiet times.  Besides being able to listen to the books, there are all kinds of fun games for the kids to play.  I feel like I would have loved Tag books as a kid! 

Christmas with the Wills'...

Gavin is marveling at his new, GREEN (very important in his world) bike helmet from Grammie and Papa.  Beyond just being functional, it's so cute on his little head.

This year Mom invited a friend of hers, Jeanie, to join us for Christmas.  I was hesitant (and selfish) to add someone new to our brood, but Jeanie fit right in.  It was fun to have her there. 

Both boys got CU jerseys from Uncle Zachie (only fitting) and Auntie Lorna and insisted on wearing them immediately. 

Here are Jim and his son, Rick, talking it over between presents.  Doesn't it look light Santa is growing right out of Jim's head?

So serious!  I don't remember if they were watching others open their gifts (unlikely) or just zoning out to a TV show.  Whatever they were doing, they're my sweet, little CU Buff fans.  Must be because I take football so darn seriously, too.  :)

Pajama day...

It was Pajama Day at Apple Tree right before the Christmas break, and Gavin and Gage wore their matching spider pajamas.  Too cute!

Santa paid the kids a visit that day, too.  See Gage's antlers?

I love this picture!  Gavin has begun to consistently refer to Nathan and Callie as his two best friends, which I find wonderful since I happen to be friends with their mommies.  I'm starting to get sad for the three buddies knowing that they'll all be at different schools next year.  They've had two great years of school together with two fantastic teachers.   

Class caroling trip...

Gavin's class took a field trip to a nursing home around Christmastime, and bless their little hearts, they were like tiny pospsicles out in the cold waiting to be welcomed inside.  The picture above features Gavin and his best bud, Nathan or "Nath," as Gavin likes to call him. 

Here are Gavin and another classmate, Olivia, trying to stay warm inside Mrs. Carter's coat.  Once inside, the kids sounded so pretty singing their Christmas carols, and you can always tell that kids' visits make the residents' whole day...or week...or month for that matter.  I was glad that I could be there to watch and listen. 

Gavin's ready to ride!

Oh, funny, I've never seen this shot before.  Gavin's decked out in all of Daddy's gear, including the "goo" Brent takes on long rides.   It's so true:  Little boys want to be just like their daddies.  Man, you dads have a big and important role in your kids' lives. 

Apple Tree's Christmas program...

These are so nondescript, I realize.  Gage performed one or two songs with his class, and he's standing second from the right side. 

And Gavin and his class performed lots of songs in this year's school Christmas program.  He's wearing a green shirt and standing on the far left in the second row from the bottom.  It was so fun watching both of the boys practice their songs and motions throughout the month of December, and it didn't all necessarily show up in the culminating performance, which is kind of funny and frustrating as a parent.  But how frustrating should it really be?  It's a Christmas show, and I'm thrilled that they're in it and loving it and having a great time being part of something bigger than themselves.  OK, the perfectionist in me just took a deep breath and re-evaluated all of that.  I'm better now. 

Baking Christmas cookies...

My sweet friend, Amanda, invited us over to bake Christmas cookies with her daughter and Gavin's buddy, Kyla.  Actually, maybe they were already baked...I can't remember.  And maybe we actually invited ourselves over to her nice, new, big house to utilize her awesome island to decorate cookies. 

Attempted family hike...

 

We didn't quite realize the severity of the wind and cold when we planned a family hike up Mount Sanitas in Boulder, but Gage wasn't feelin' it.  That or he was feelin' all of the elements a bit too much, so we turned around shortly after we set out.

I love to watch the way boys like to collect sticks.  

 I'm learning to be glad.  Even just for the attempted hike, even if it turned out to be way short-lived.  It was something, and we were all together, and that's what counts, right?

Gavin: One of the Bears...

These pictures were taken at one of Gavin's soccer practices.  In the one above, he's practicing a throw-in (right term?) from the side, and in the bottom shot he's dribbling the ball between the cones.  Gavin loves his Bears class and the three great coaches who are helping him to become a better soccer player.  His class is on Tuesdays from 5-6, and since Gage can never last at that hour of the day, I've resorted to feeding him dinner during Gavin's soccer practice and putting him into his footy pajamas right then and there.  And all but one time so far, Gage has fallen asleep on the drive home...almost instantly, in fact.  This is what happens when he refuses a nap during the day YET STILL NEEDS ONE: bed time at 6:30 p.m.  Then he transfers like a champ once we're at home and, generally speaking, sleeps the rest of the night...or at least as "well" as he would given any other circumstances. 

Vince's birthday party...

Darby's son, Vince, invited Gage to be one of his three friends to help celebrate his third birthday.  It was a wonderful, sunny day so they got to most everything outside, which was nice.  In this picture, they're all digging for wheeled treasures in a big bowl of beans.  (If you're ever at a loss for birthday or play date activities, Darby's your gal!)  Gage is on the far right with a spider painted on his cheek. 

Santa train in Georgetown...

One weekend in December we headed to Georgetown...

...and boarded the Santa Train.  Our boys don't know a whole lot about Santa or Mrs. Claus, so watching them interact with them on the train was pretty classic.  Not quite like the kids across from us who were requesting very specific items on their Christmas lists. 

The boys loved it!  I loved knowing that we were all doing something that they would love.  Isn't that a great part about being a parent!?

"Wow!" was a common utterance for Gage that day.  He just couldn't believe that we were actually on a train!

We had cheaper tickets for the cars in the back, and that was great for us because the boys could move around that way.  Besides Mr. & Mrs. Claus, the elves also visited and served everyone cookies.  And the boys received candy canes upon their departure, which they thought was extra cool.  I was into the hot chocolate from the station, of course, but it was so hot that the kids couldn't really enjoy much of it.  Funny to me how my husband can pass on all of this and not think twice about it.  Must be nice...kind of.  I'm sure that my waistline would thank me, but I just love experiencing the flavors of every season.