Our tweens turn twelve!!!

It was a busy day for the birthday boys! Although we were gone for it, my parents covered for us! They first joined the boys at their school for their Student of the Month lunch celebration which coincidentally took place on their birthday. As it turned out they were both picked by their teachers for the month of January so that worked out nicely. Later that evening they went to their end of season wrestling pizza party and then my parents took them out to Menchies for yogurt with a couple of their buddies from wrestling! So it was a busy day. Once we returned back into town we had our family party where the boys requested Hello Dolly bars for their treat.  Jack, Grandpa and the boys had a night out at Buffalo Wild Wings for their birthday dinner. Us girls took a pass on that so the boys could have some boy time together!



I don't know if it's a good thing or a bad thing that our kids never really want much for their birthdays or Christmas, in fact most of the time they have nothing for us which means I'm stuck trying to figure out something. Knowing their old scooters had died a couple years ago I came across these. Although they aren't as fast as Jack would probably like to see, they will do the trick for a couple years. The longer I can keep them away from the real motorbikes the better! We did however get a call from my mom while we were away alerting us that Connor said he wanted a turtle. Well, I knew that the turtle would be cool for all of a week but once he realized the return on investment wasn't so great we worried he'd want to get rid of it. I mean really it's not like you cuddle with a turtle or it does tricks for you. How long can it be exciting to stare at a turtle yet each week he'd still have to clean out his tank?!? After heading over to the pet store and discussing the pros and cons Connor decided he'd rather stick with the scooter rather than the turtle...thank goodness! Jack and I laugh at these retro Oakley glasses and although we think they are probably Oakley's tackiest yet, we thought the kids might find them so tacky that they actually are cool. We shall see...



As it turned out the boys never pushed for a friend party. I felt a bit bad about not putting one together but since they didn't seem to care either way, I didn't push it either! It seems that as they get older, the big birthday bashes are getting less important to them. They know who matters most and we will never let one pass without a celebration! We love you Connor and Tyler!

Me time...

As a stay at home mom I find myself at times becoming very envious of Jack when he has to travel for work. Something about the hotel lifestyle of no cooking and cleaning is very appealing. Now for Jack it's no different than life at home but for me...it's a big treat! So when I learned he was once again heading out to sunny, warm CA on business for a week I decided that if the stars aligned and my parents could come watch the kids and my BFF Heather and I were able to plan a girls weekend during the same week it would be a go.

Thankfully I have been blessed with the most amazing parents around. They are always happy to jump on a plane and come watch the kids and I always know the kids are in good hands...perhaps better than my own! The only unfortunate thing this time around was that we'd be away during the boys 12th birthday but the boys were completely fine celebrating the weekend we returned since we would have had to wait until Jack returned anyways. So here are a few photos from our trip!

Talk about perfect timing, just as Jack and I were being dropped off at the hotel, I turn to get out of the car and see Heather parked right behind us. After an early and long flight food was first on the to do list! So off to the Grove we went...



After enjoying lunch we dropped Jack back off at his hotel and Heather and I went to check into a different hotel where we'd be meeting Pilar. How funny it was that as we pulled up to that hotel Pilar would also pull up at the exact moment facing us from the opposite direction! Here we were all traveling from different places yet we all were within seconds of meeting up with each other. I hadn't seen Pilar since she visited me in WA but like with Heather it was as if no time had gone by. We all had such a great time playing tourists while getting in our fair share of good food and laughs. We laughed so hard as we followed some open top tour bus giving a tour of where all the celebrities lived. Heather would pull over each time the bus did and we'd all listen quietly to hear whose house we were parked in front of. After doing that for a couple houses it was on to Villa Blanca.

After enjoying a lovely dinner at Villa Blanca which was made popular by the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills show (and seriously some of the best salmon I've had) we decided we wanted to drive by Sur to check it out. I mean there is a whole reality show based on the joint so we couldn't not check it out. Although it was booked solid for every weekend through March you can drop in the lounge/bar side that doesn't take reservations and hope to get in. Well there was no way on a Saturday night we were getting in. The line was out the door and the place was packed. As much as I was looking forward to finding some nice men for my two single friends it was clear it wasn't going to happen this evening! The next day we did Mulholland Dr., the Chinese and Dolby Theater and Walk of Fame, West Hollywood, and Santa Monica.





Aside from wishing we had more time together, the weekend was a blast. Next it was back to the Beverly Hilton to reunite with Jack! I was looking forward to spending the week with him alone even though I knew he'd be busy with work stuff. Thankfully the weather was perfect most of the week so I spent my lazy days at the pool. How easy I got use to the life of leisure... One cool thing that happened was on my first day out by the pool I ended up sitting next to and chit chatting with this nice British man. At one point I asked Glen what brought him to LA and he casually said he was nominated for an Oscar! He had asked if I had seen the movie Gravity, which sadly I hadn't even heard of and admitted to him. We talked about places we'd traveled, our families, his life working around celebrities, what he'd be wearing on the big night, etc. He also introduced me to a few of his buddies who were staying at the hotel too. As it turned out both him and one of his friends both won for different categories in Gravity. How fun it was to see him on stage accepting his Oscar as we watched from home! Kind of cool!



How funny that on Jack and I's last day at the Hilton Jack spots a bunch of the cast from Vanderpump in our hotel lobby. After the prank Jack had played on Heather, Pilar and myself, he knew he had to get a photo to prove to Heather and Pilar that indeed he really is a celebrity magnet ... even if they are C-listers...or maybe Z-listers...haha!



What a fun trip Jack and I had. Sadly I don't have one photo of the two of us together but I don't think we could have paid him to be in the photo with Jax... Now time to plan the next trip!

New experiences for the boys...

So in 6th grade the boys are required to sign up for a music class with the options being orchestra, band, or choir. I had assumed they'd select choir as it seemed to be the easiest choice (no practicing required) and let's be honest aside from Jack's sister, there is no musical talent on either sides of the family. I have clear memories of me trying out an instrument around their age. I started with the cello but the thing was bigger than me so that only lasted a week. Then I moved on to the violin but the ear piercing noises that came from it was enough to drive me crazy and after that I tackled piano which I did do for several years but sadly have nothing to show for it. Well, after attending an instrument fair Ty decided he wanted to play the viola and Connor chose the violin. Thankfully drums aren't offered in 6th grade. The only complaint I have was that the accessory kit should have included ear plugs...

So here are our musicians...



Next it was on to a new sport for the winter. Football had ended and wrestling is always marketed to the football kids. I personally think wrestling is one of the grossest sports out there but Jack got the boys all excited and within a week of finishing up the football season they were starting wrestling. They actually really enjoyed it and at their first beginner level match, they both took first in their weight categories. Of course once they were put up against kids that had been wrestling since they were four (literally), it became clear they'd need to really focus if they wanted to continue winning. Because most of the meets were on Sundays they didn't get in as many as we would have liked but they still really enjoyed going to the weekly practices. We'll see if it's something they'd like to do in middle school. The jury is still out on that...



Along with some good exercise, the boys also came away with a new friend because of wrestling. I love this photo of Ty and Joseph from their first tournament. Cute boys!!!

Well hello 2014!

And just like that we go from the high of the holiday to the lows of January... As for the weather that will be a low point too with a high of 1 degree expected on Monday! Here are a few shots from our New Years Eve that we celebrated with the Simmons and Denisoffs!

And in a blink of an eye the holidays are over...

This was the first year in a while that we didn't take a vacation during the months of November or December and I have to say it was a good thing we didn't because as it was we lost a week of shopping between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year due to Thanksgiving falling a week later and poor Mrs. Clause has enough to do without losing precious shopping days.

So here is our season in a post!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at our friends the Hayes and once again we got to experience Rick's yummy fried turkey! On Black Friday, in keeping with tradition we headed out to the mall for our annual photo with Santa. Once again this trip did not disappoint and we were literally the only ones in line. No one is thinking of Santa on the busiest shopping day of the year which is why we LOVE going on this day. Aside from a way overpriced photo that I insist on buying every year the trip was a success! I love that the boys keep the spirit of Christmas alive and well and are such good sports about the annual visits!



After returning home from the mall it was time to pull out all the stuff! Quickly we were reminded that our main tree is having light issues. After stringing some around the unlit spots we are good to go until we plug in the boys' tree which is now our dining room tree, and realize that another couple rows of lights on that tree are out so a trip to the store is required! I don't know what we were thinking thinking that Target would be quiet on Black Friday at 10 pm but it was a zoo. So after seeing a line that wrapped around the store we left and thankfully Michael's came through with a much shorter line...

Ty came up with the brilliant idea of hanging our large sized balls from our chandelier in the entry way. At first I kind of dismissed the idea but he insisted and sure enough it turned out really cute!



So here it is...or here she is...



Now Thanksgiving weekend is bittersweet for me. Love the turkey, time together as a family, decorating, etc. Not so sweet? Elf. Yes, Philburt would be returning and so would my night sweats from my rapid heart rate on those mornings when I realized that Elf hadn't moved... Next year I've decided Jack is on full time elf duty.

Clearly Philburt has a sweet tooth like Ty and likes to take selfies like Sage...



So finally it was the morning everyone had been looking forward to. It was anyones guess as to how the kids would rate this Christmas. Ty had changed his mind several times and the rule of once you tell Santa what you want you can't change your mind didn't seem to stick with him. Between Thanksgiving and Christmas he had changed his main gift request three times and Mrs. Clause was getting quite frustrated with it all. Aside from a book set the only other thing Connor had asked for was a new video game but after some research we didn't feel it was an age appropriate one for him so we gambled on an older yet well reviewed game and came up with a couple other things we thought he'd enjoy. Sage, on the other hand we had no worries about. Her list never changed (she knows and understands the rule), and we knew that she'd love her surprise gift. So here is how the day unfolded:

Christmas eve couldn't come quick enough. As a family we watched a video on the birth of Christ and then the kids opened up their new pj's. Finally elf would retire back to the North Pole and Mrs. Clause would rejoice...



Christmas morning:



Gotta love the look on Ty's face when he realizes the biggest box under the tree is for Connor. You could put $1,000 in a small ring box but if given the choice Ty would still gamble on the biggest box. Size matters with Ty. Connor kept hoping he'd unwrap his much desired video game. Unfortunately this wasn't a box trick. Sorry sweetie, not this time...



Originally Ty had asked for Beats. After trying on the different types at the Apple store we realized that the cheaper ones sounded terrible and weren't that comfortable. If you're already going to spend the money you mind as well get the better ones. So we did but of course we didn't let Ty know. Then he changed things on us and decided he wanted Heelys shoes (yes, the dated skate shoes) but ironically a week before Christmas one of Jack's colleague's kids was in the ER from his Heelys so we wiped those off his list. Then days before Christmas Ty placed a photo of a green electric scooter on our bedroom door. By this point I had the attitude you get what you get and don't throw a fit. Thankfully he was thrilled with his Beats and Jack will no longer have to share his Bose on flights...



Sage was in shock when she opened up her ipad mini. Sadly I didn't realize she was opening up the case we had got before the actual ipad but we played it off that it was for her leap pad.



After all the gifts were unwrapped we had one last surprise hidden in the basement!



I'll blame Costco for this. They are the masters of selling stuff that you didn't know you needed until you walked into their store. The kids had loved playing foosball on our last cruise and so one afternoon around Thanksgiving when we were browsing around Costco we came across this foosball table. Jack was determined to get this for Christmas. Of course when he went back with his buddy to go pick it up they were now selling a coordinating shuffle board table and you know what happened next...

Here's Jack enjoying one of his gifts!



Our happy campers...



Since we didn't have family in town to share the holiday with we invited the Hayes and Denisoffs over. We had a great time with them eating yummy food, doing karaoke, playing foosball and shuffleboard, and sharing many laughs. It's always nice to spend the holiday with people you know and love!



A special shout out to my parents for their thoughtful gifts and letters. We missed having you but will plan for next Christmas! And a shout out to Jack for my fabulous Christmas. He was indeed very good to me and although it's not in my nature to keep his presents, I'm slowly learning to. I've always loved them...and I love you!

Football!

Well, we have officially closed the chapter of pee wee football! Next year it's off to middle school where the teams are huge, the practices are after school and the games are during the week. The jury is still out on if the boys will even continue with football or not and as sad as the idea of them quitting now is for Jack, I have to say I'm completely ok with it. We shall see...

This season their team did quite well. Their new team had coaches who were more organized but unfortunately they didn't get to play both sides like they had last year and they moved around a lot in their positions. I'm sure being on vacation for 10 days a week into practice and taking a week off in October during playoffs for a cruise didn't help matters but we're not to the point of sacrificing family vacations for football yet! Between the two of them they covered the positions of lineman, linebacker, tight end, defensive end and fullback. The team made it all the way to the semi finals before losing to the championship winners for the past five years, which happened to be one of the other four Mason teams. It was probably a good thing we were on the cruise for that blood bath... but it was still quite an accomplishment for them to get that far.

Sadly, I didn't take many photos and as it turned out we also missed the beginning of the season jamboree and team photo so these few shots will have to sum up the season...




The end of season party was once again a highlight for the boys. They love hearing their coaches compliment them and receiving all their goodies! We'll sure miss the camaraderie of the football family but will look forward to continuing some of those friendships beyond the football season!

Oh how we love our Ohio fall weather...with the exception of Halloween night

So this year the kids begged to go to the pumpkin patch. They wanted the experience of picking their own unique pumpkins rather than me just buying a bunch at the store. Schappacher Farm had come highly recommended and since it was close to the house we thought we'd give it a try! They had hay rides, corn mazes, all sorts of apple treats for sale (we highly recommend the apple slush), not to mention an excellent selection of pumpkins of all sizes, shapes, and colors! It was a great time and it couldn't have been a prettier day!

Here is the gang trying to figure out which ones are keepers and which ones are being left behind...Clearly someone was overruled on size limits!



After some nearly back breaking lifting we managed to get the first batch loaded into the trunk. Not even the driver of the hay ride would stop for this load...



After selecting a few more colorful pumpkins and enjoying some apple treats it was time for the corn maze...



This year the kids each went with simple patterns to carve with Ty actually free handing his own...hmm, wonder which one that was...lol!



My long standing offer to pay the kids to find things around the house to wear for Halloween paid off as Sage chose to be a Pirate, Connor was Clark Kent, and Ty went as a mariachi boy!



Unfortunately for the second year in a row, Halloween here in Ohio has been a bust with wet weather but the kids still managed to go out for a little while! The boys had decided to go with friends over in another neighborhood and as always Ty returns home with more than Connor...hmmm. Our little trooper Sage stayed in our neighborhood and went with Jack. Even though the houses are much farther apart in our neighborhood, she clearly did just fine! Here she is with our cute neighbor Lynn!



Good bye fall! We'll look forward to seeing you again next year...