Our Very Own Easter Egg Hunt

I'm not really a fan of the Easter Bunny or Santa Claus.  They just distract from the true meaning of the holiday.  My desire to stay far away from them surprises me since I love imagination and playing pretend.  I love Disneyland and all the fun it offers.  However, for holidays where what Christ did needs to be the center focus, I stay far away from the pretend.  

With that said, I shocked myself when I jumped right into the Easter Bunny coming on Easter morning.  Thomas, without any help from Jared or I, was very intrigued by the Easter Bunny and how he works.  He was at school, they saw him, he told me, well, his shadow and his ears in the window anyhow.  He asked if the Easter Bunny would come to our house and at the time I just avoided the question and probably just changed the subject.

Well, Easter morning rolled around and I hear Thomas' door open.  I was curious to see what he would do because I had hid their Easter treats, but left one out in plan sight for him to see as he walked down the hall. I heard his steps walk, then pause, then come running into the room. 

 He excitedly, but matter-of-factly asked, "Did the Easter Bunny come?"

 I responded with a, "huh?"

Thomas said, "Well their are peeps on the table and I didn't put them there, so he must have come."

Well, that was all it took and I just jumped right in and went with it.

Thomas loved it, ran down the hall telling Benjamin just what was going on.  It was priceless, we listened in on the monitor as he filled his younger brother in, telling him just how it works.

The two of them went to town finding all that they could and Thomas made sure all was even and even figured out that there had to be more because it wasn't even yet.  It was so cute!!  

His first discovery:

Benjamin showing Daddy what he had found:

The Easter goods.

So, I'm still pondering, but I did learn a few things.  We explained the whole gospel and the joy that Easter really is.  Thomas asked questions and even told his friend and his brother all about Easter.  He loved looking at his set of Resurrection Eggs and telling us what each one holds.  That is the joy of Easter and the part that we will share with him throughout the year.  The Easter Bunny, well, I told him it was just pretend in the weeks before Easter, but still that morning he seemed to really believe and had fun with it.  We didn't let it take over, but still let him have his fun with it.  It was fun to see him have fun with it.  It was fun to see the joy of a child in him.  I will continue to ponder these things between now and way- too- soon re-introduction of the man in the red suit, and figure out just how much they'll be around.

What do you all do about these characters?

Valentine's Day!

 What fun Valentine's Day is when you have a son in school!  He was so excited to take his special treats to his friends.  We found some springs at Target that he chose.  We didn't want to just do those so decided to turn them into animals.  Thomas chose a giraffe!  So you can see it down below.  He's passing them out to each friend by placing them in everyone's goodie bag!  I found a clipart of a giraffe that we printed out and cut in half.  We placed the head above the spring and the body below, making the spring the neck.  I then added "From you head, down to your toes, God Loves You!  and Thomas signed his name.  He was happy with them.

We celebrated as a family with a yummy dinner and goodie bags.

We made heart shaped pizza which we enjoyed after a trip to coldstone to enjoy dessert before ice cream! (and yes, thomas' hair is usually a mess because he loves to wear his sweatshirt hoods all the time!!)

New Year's Eve

It was another year for the party pooper party!

It all started 2 years ago when I was pregnant and didn't have the energy to stay up late.  We invited another family to join us and had a great dinner and lots of fun playing games while the kids played.

This year we decided to try it again.  With kids it's hard to stay up until the new year with other families.  The kids can't make it, so they get crabby, but where do you put that many kids to sleep!!  So, we decided to host the "Party Pooper Party" and ring in the New Year east coast time.  Yep, at 9.  But take a look!!  It was a great night!

Fun was had by all as we squished into one room for some fun games.

Even the kids got in on the action.

The Rauch's put together some fun "MInute to Win it" like games. 

This one was bouncing ping-pong balls into an egg crate.

 Everyone brought their favorite pizza toppings and meat, we provided the dough sauce and cheese. 

Each family built their own pizza and there was plenty to share.

We had 6 families: the Rauchs, Coulters, Crouches, Kiles, Sanas and ours

 . 

Proof that the kids had lots of fun!!

We could hardly see any of the floor!!

Christmas Day

What a joy to celebrate Christmas Joy, Christmas Day, Christ's Birth on a Sunday!!  Sure, it made things a little more scrunched, the morning a little rushed, but to be in church and sing of His glories on a day to celebrate His the coming.  The coming that meant our salvation!!  Glory!!  I feel like I should, like I could end this post right there... but alas, the pictures!!  Hopefully, He was honored in our celebration.

Sweet Thomas!

4 and a half years old

snuggling his spiderman he received from Grammy Berry

With his superhero shirt

The boys checking out their Christmas goodies

 and Thomas already hard at work in his notebook.

Sweet Benjamin

at 17months

also, holding Thomas' spiderman

At Church, all dressed up for Christmas Sunday

Took the opportunity to snap a picture with a good friend

My family, 

my beautiful boys and my wonderful husband,

what more could a girl want!!

We enjoyed an amazing dinner, mostly prepared by my in-laws.

BBQ'd lamb, mashed and scalloped potatoes, lots of veggies and delish rolls!

Lots of time after for playing games, football, naps and talks over coffee

Christmas Eve at Home

This year I had the joy and the priviledge of hosting Christmas Eve at our home.  We traveled to Roseville for Thanksgiving, so I announced that they could all (my sister's family and my parents) travel for Christmas. They went for it!!  So the party began Friday when my sister and crew arrived to begin the preparations.  Mom and Dad were arriving on Saturday at 11 and we had a lot to do before they got here.  Groceries to buy, a house to clean and presents to wrap!!  Audra in all her preggo-ness was a huge help, as always, I couldn't have done it all without her!

Friday, I finished the cleaning, ran some errands and Audra and I wrapped the gifts.  Then we my family headed over to my in-laws for Christmas presents with them!!  It was a beautiful dinner and hope to have pictures from that soon!!

Saturday morning we woke up, made the coffee and got right to work.  Our first trip (with all 7 of us) was off to the Chinese Market for some fresh fish and crabs.  I should have had the camera there!  Live crabs, lobsters, fish.... the boys loved it!  We picked our 4 crabs and some other shellfish and headed back home.  The crabs made it to their final vacation destination... the bathtub  (yes, i scrubbed it first!!)  Where they were able to be observed and fight with their little crab friends (they were super feisty!)

 Benjamin was not a fan of all the fighting and excitement!!

 Thomas was all too ready to be they one in charge of watching them and had all sorts of stories ready for Grammy and Papa when they arrived!!

Well, as a pleasant surprise, Papa's Sleigh full of presents arrived right on time!  Presents were unloaded, snacks eating and the opening began.

 The Byers' Family

Ross & Audra (30or so weeks preg.)

Ethan, 16months

 Strike-A-Pose shot

created by Ethan

 My very own Matlock Men

Jared, Thomas 4 1/2 & Benjamin 17months

Here's Benjamin with his favorite gift, a mop and broom.  

Seriously, he was so excited and didn't want to put them down! 

 Asking Papa for some help!

Ethan got his very own wagon!!  

He was thrilled with the wagon, not too sure about all the excitement 

 Surprise, surprise, the box was just as exciting!

The boys all got matching jammies - which Thomas thought was the coolest!!

They looked so cute and we thought it would make a precious memory to get a picture of them in the wagon.  Who would have thought it'd be so hard to get half-napped, well snacked, over stimulated kiddos to take a cute picture... oh well.  maybe next year!  Still a good memory!

After presents, we ate dinner, cleaned up, at dessert and then headed off to Christmas Eve service.  It was a great day.  A true celebration.  Left me so thankful for the wonderful family I've been given and so thankful that we can be under the same roof together and all get along!

Merry Christmas!!

The Train

Jared set up the train this year.  This is a train that has been in his family for generations.  His Grandfather had one and started one for his dad when he was young.  Jared remembers playing with it around the bottom of the Christmas tree all growing up.  Something he looked forward to every year.  We have set it a couple of times since we have lived in Vacaville and he and Thomas have enjoyed it together. 

He was excited to get it back year and let Benjamin in on the action.  I gave up decorating my table so the boys could have it set up for some fun with Daddy.  Well, it was a huge hit!!  Thomas loved getting to play with Daddy's legos (he had a few special ones stored away with the train), micro machine's (also a bit of his collection reserved just for Christmas time) and of course the train, complete with his dad's horses and buildings.  The boys loved it all. 

 Benjamin loved the train, he surprised me with how much!  So much that he figured out how to get himself up on to the chair so he could sit at the table and watch it.  Most days I would find him there on and off through out the day.  He'd call me over, point and say "ahh" his word for just about everything, but with the use of his handing pointer finger, I knew just what he wanted.  I don't know how to hook up the train compartments together, but occasionally I would give it a shot, get it as best as possible and he'd be thrilled - until they came apart.

Monday, he spent most of the day there.  The train was going on and off all day.  At the end of the day I was totally over it, but I found him like this:

sitting in the middle of the table, waiting (mostly paitiently) and pointing.  I couldn't resist.  I turned it on and snapped a few pictures.  (you can see him holding a blue piece in hopes that i'd hook them together)

Then it happened.  The train crashed with a loud bang to the ground!!  Falling into 3 pieces.  My heart broke.  Benjamin was crying.  Thomas just wanted to see just what had happened.  I wasn't looking forward to breaking the news to Jared.  Thankfully, he just smiled, shrugged his shoulders and said, "I guess it was too soon after all."  Thankfully he was able to fix it and then we packed it up and stored it away for next year.

I know this is way too long of a post on a train, but it's a part of our family heirloom history.  A special piece of our history.  Memories with a special treasure.  This is after all the best place for me to store moments like this, so thanks for reading along!

Live Nativity!

Jared's parent's are attending a church here in town that has done a live nativity for the past 27 years.  It's a musical that is performed outside and the open area is made to look like Bethlehem.  They have a live camel, donkey and even the sheep.  It's great!!  The boys sat through the entire hour long performance, thanks to the snuggles on Grandma's lap and the entertainment of the animals.

Afterwards, they got to go down and meet and feed the animals.  They loved it!

We bundled them up nice and warm, complete with a layer of pj's underneath.  We stayed cozy with blankets and the cookies and hot chocolate that was served.  A fun family tradition.

Sweet times

Our baking is done!! And every year it's more fun as I get to enjoy it with my boys.  I tell you, Christmas is wonderful in and of itself, but what a joy it is to experience it with your kids.  Just another reason they are a blessing.

But back to cookies... I made up 2 recipes on Tuesday and then saved all the real baking for Thursday.  My Mother-in-law was available to come help out, so I snagged her and set the whole day aside.  She came over just after lunch and we jumped in.  Her and Thomas went to town decorating and making Gingerbread Boys and Girls, while I worked away on a few other things.  It was so much fun to watch them enjoy this experience, a first for both of them.

They put buttons, smiles and cute trim on each and everyone.  Just as they were almost done I realized that Thomas was going to town decorating most of them and it looked as if he had.  They had brains and bones and globs of stuff all over the place.  What a fun surprise that was.  : )  Honestly, I wasn't at all upset, just surprised.  That was so much more special than if I had stopped him and made him do it like the pretty picture.  He and Grandma had had so much fun and they were way cuter than I could have planned.

He then added a fun outline all around him.  This was in the beginning before he really got into it.  It was such fun packing up the ones he decorated and handing them out to all his friends. They knew Thomas had made them just for them.

Even Benjamin got in on the action after he woke up from his nap.  Yes, Linda is brave.  Her motto is, "you're not having fun unless you're making a mess!"  And oh how right she is!!

Here the boys are a day or so later having more fun with the candy canes.  Benjamin wasn't sure how he felt.  I thought he polished off a big chunk, only to find it stuck to his pant leg!!

So many sweet memories made with my precious boys and family this year around the kitchen!

Advent Calendar

Well, it's not really a calendar, but it's been a big hit with the boys this year!  It's an advent book.  Everyday we read a verse and a few sentences and then add a character to the scene.  A great way to set aside the time each night!

Christmas at the Matlock's

I love Christmas decorations!  They were down and up as fast as they could be.  

This year I added a new sewing project to the list of things to-do, thanks to a friends fun find online.  A tree skirt!  I chose 4 fun prints and sewed away!! I'm even making one for my sister and if you know us well, you know that is quite backwards!!

I've collected snowmen and trees over the last couple of years and spread them all out over the fireplace hearth.

Last year, my mom passed on the family nativity scene.  I'm loving having it in my home and seeing how excited to boys are to check it out.

Of course, you can't forget the stockings.  Our fireplace is out of commission and behind the TV, so we got as close as we could!