Snowflakes and Sweets!

Oliver is quite the crafty guy and along the way, he asked how to make snowflakes.  I'm not sure how this request came about.  I also am not sure how my brain actually brought the information forward on how to make snowflakes.  It's amazing how much stuff the brain can file away for useful times like these.  It took a few times, but before we knew it, Oliver was a snowflake making crazy man!  Even in his 2011 Halloween Pajamas, snowflakes were falling all around.

Snowflake creation is serious business.

Snowflake creating went on well into the afternoon.

A little snip here, a little snip there... oops... not too many snip snips!!

Ta Da!!!  Snowflake number bazillion!!  

Not all snowflakes turned out like he imagined but like he learned, not a single snowflake is like another.  They are all unique, just like each one of us.

One thing that IS certain, snowflakes make a mess (real or paper, they are all messy) and a vacuum cleaner is required for proper clean up.

Someday I'll pull these photos out and remind him that he used to ask to vacuum.

Once the snowflakes were created and hung in his room, it was time to bake Mamas Chocolate Chip Cookies.  They are so good, she could write the recipe for Betty Crocker herself.  For now, there are notes in the cookbook to keep us on the straight and narrow.  Oliver is one lucky boy as he's learning the top secret secrets of a famous chocolate chip cookie at the ripe 'ol age of FIVE.

Making cookies with Mommy.

The best part!  The Chocolate Chips!

Oliver even learned to make a nice round cookie ball and place it on the pan, just right.

He's a natural cookie making man!

Just like snowflake making, cookie making required clean-up too.  Oliver was quick to jump up to the sink to wash the dishes.

After everything was cleaned up, he kept a close eye on his dessert that awaited him.

He had to jump up to see the upper oven.

Jump, Peek, Jump, Peek... Oops, don't loose your pants! 

(or Mom will take a picture of your hot cross buns too!)

Ahhh.... Mission Completion!

The final test.

The taste test.

The first bite....

... gets a big (unprompted) thumbs up!!

Happy Snowflake Cookie Day!

Christmas Party ~ Shanahans Style

Keith's company Christmas party was an Shanahans this year.  We had the sitter come a tad bit early so that we could enjoy a mini-date before everyone else arrived.  It was SO nice to have a few minutes together.  We had a great evening with Keith's colleagues and dinner was fabulous.  As an added bonus, snow was lightly falling when we left, just to bring in the mood of a white Christmas.

Like my brother said, "Isn't Shanahan in Washington DC now?"  Lucky for Denver, he opened a restaurant here and it's a fabulous treat!

Love and Funk

Weekends are for fun times, chore times and rest and relaxation times.  The weekends leading up to Christmas always come with all of the above.  While Daddy was doing whatever Daddy was doing and Mommy was putting together Christmas cards in the kitchen, Oliver and Kellan were quietly playing int he living room.  At one point, they built a fort with their Pottery Barn chairs (behind Kellan).  Then, they moved to arts and crafts.  This was about the time that Keith emerged and we found Kellan wearing a hat (or is it a bonnet?)

Oliver was very proud of the hat that he made for his brother.

We were quite impressed with his creativity.

We were slightly concerned that all of the staples were a safety hazard, but we decided that the hazard was low and the biggest injury that could occur was a scratch or hair pull and the cuteness outweighed the hazard. (note... no injury ever occurred.)

It's good to have a little brother who loves hats and it's great to have a big brother who loves to make hats for you.

Meanwhile, in the kitchen, Mama was busy creating Christmas joy in an envelope.

I LOVE getting the mail at Christmas!!  I love receiving Christmas Cards.  My favorites are those with pictures since I'm a picture lover.  My ultimate favorite is to receive a photo Christmas card, complete with a Christmas letter.  I love Christmas letters!  I love reading about what our friends and families have been up to all year.  I also love to send photo Christmas cards, complete with a letter.  I think about it all year, especially as the year comes to a close.  It gives me a good chance to reflect on our year and all that we have been blessed to accomplish and experience.  I always approach the letter with a huge sense of appreciation and love for all that surrounds us.  Then, one fine day, I sit down and create the card and the letter (not usually in the same day, they each get their own day).  Then, I sit on it (not literally, of course) for a day of two and then review it before hitting PRINT (or send/purchase, in the card portion).  I LOVE IT!!

Christmas card / letter day is usually an assembly line of work.  My Mom used to always tell me that she didn't like Christmas letters because they weren't personal and she liked people to write personal messages.  Well... if she (or anyone else) is waiting for that, the wait will be an eternity!  I always appreciate when people do that, because I know how much work it is.  I also appreciate that we each have our own style.  I mentioned this to my Mom this year and she quietly said that she is now doing a Christmas letter because she has learned to enjoy them too.  When I asked her why she doesn't send me one, she says it's because she used to tell me she didn't like them.  What a funny lady!  (or... maybe she's writing things about me that she doesn't want to admit!!  Ah Ha... I'm on to her!!)

Back at the creativity station (aka the coffee table) Oliver was hard at work making a Christmas Tree.

This is where Oliver exclaimed "Look at my tree.  Isn't it Funky!"  I loved his use of the work Funky!!!

Oliver and his Funky Christmas Tree.

My heart swoons for this boy!!

Merry Christmas prep to you and yours!!  May your mailboxes and hearts be full of love and joy.

Ji-Ya-Bow

Ji-Ya-Bow

Ji-Ya-Bow

Ji-Ya-All-the-Way-HEY!

It is VERY common to find Kellan quietly singing to himself.  A current favorite is Jingle Bells as demonstrated in this video.  He had been sitting on the couch singing with a book in his lap but by the time I got the camera, he was leaving his perch and needed a singing kick-start.  Therefore, it's a bit quiet and a tad more mumbled than usual but you can definitely catch the tune.

Blog Aspirations

I have great aspirations of updating the blog more real-time with thoughts and emotions that are occurring at that time.  However, days go by as we are enjoying and creating the memories that I blog about.  I have come to realize that it's not only important to document the moments, but to enjoy the memory making moments as they are occurring.  Plus, blogging often looks like this:

As I update the blog, which was originally created to share a video with family of Oliver rolling over for the first time and has evolved into a journal of our lives; the boys crawl all over me.  Kellan was climbing up and down declaring "By Self" and "I did it!" while Oliver was rolling around on the other chair arm.  It can make it tough to be super efficient.  It's good to have aspirations, but it's good to spend time with our family and friends as well.  

Until that aspiration comes to fruition, I hope you enjoy the blog with the updates as they come to life.

Silly Sam Returns

He's BACK!
Silly Sam, the Elf on the Shelf, has come back from his 11 months in the North Pole with Santa to spend the month of December with us in Colorado.  We are SO excited to see that he has returned to us safe and sound.  Oliver was a tad concerned that he wouldn't find our new house but Mommy guaranteed he would since she emailed him our new address.  His first perch was in Oliver's new room.

He came back, complete with his story of being an Elf on a Shelf.  We read the book to remember Silly Sam's story and to remind Kellan of the rules.  Oliver is well versed in the rules that you can't touch Silly Sam or he'll lose his magic.  As well as the fact that you can talk to Silly Sam, but he won't talk back, per Santa's rules.

After visits in both Oliver and Kellan's rooms, Silly Sam made his way to our Christmas Tree where he found his ornament (to the left) and he has been landing in crazy places all over the house.

Oliver has been having long conversations with Silly Sam and reporting what he would like for Christmas.  Hopefully he is relaying the message to Santa.  We'll find out on Christmas morning.

Nana and Papa in Colorado

Nana and Papa stopped by to see us on their way from Texas to Wyoming after Thanksgiving.  They came complete with hugs and Hacienda Colorado appetites. We made the long trek to Hacienda Colorado, one our our favorite places.  What used to be 10 minutes away is now a 30 minutes hike, but we still love it all the same.

Nana and Kellan having a snuggle for dessert.

Oliver jumped up with Papa seconds after finishing dinner.

At home there was a lot of relaxing, including Sunday morning coffee.  Ahhh... I love these moments.

Keith also worked on some of the camera settings that were driving me nuts so he took lots of experimental photos.

Take 1

Take 2

Take 3

A kiss for my sweets.

The boys were fair game as test photos too.

Kellan is always up for some cheese.

Oliver is a big ball of cheese too.

Later Sunday afternoon, Oliver took a nap, even though he insisted he wasn't tired.  He's getting to that stage where he doesn't always need a nap and can't always fall asleep.  However, we find that he still benefits so he typically is asked to try for 30 minutes.  We have about a 50/50 shot of it actually occurring.

This day required photos because just the day before we talked about this situation.

"Oliver, please move away from the edge of the sidewalk.  You could fall into the street and there is a lot of traffic." said Oliver's Daddy.

"Oliver, you like to live on the edge.  You walk on the edge of the sidewalk, sleep on the side of the bed, you make your Mommy and Daddy nervous." said Oliver's Mommy.

The next day, he slept like this.

This is actually kind of ironic considering he is one of the most cautious and calculated little boys.

There were plenty of Bey Blade battles as well.  Since Oliver's birthday, this is still his favorite activity and he'll challenge anyone who walks through our door to a battle.  We warned, he knows the favored Bey Blades and he typically wins.

3-2-1-Let It Rip!!

There was a lot of snuggle time on the couch while we watched the Broncos WIN again!!

Once Kellan realized that he had a willing reader, he kept the flow of books headed toward Papa to read to him.  He LOVES books!!

Oliver ended up sliding to the floor where took on the role of a foot stool.

We had a nice visit with Nana and Papa and we enjoyed our relaxation around the house with them as well.