Good helpers - December 14

I am so blessed to have two incredibly good helpers! Logan, who received a toolbox and some tools for his birthday, works to repair the horn on Kayleigh's bike.  He needed a little help from Daddy, but did a great job starting it on his own.

Kayleigh carries the recycling box back toward the garage.  The box is as big as she is, but she is "as strong as Daddy" (her words).

Logan's new carseat - December 13

This is the text I got from Shane:
Logan says thanks for the new car seat.  Though it is a bit rough.

We're going all natural here at the Flachman house!  These are pioneer car seats!  Save the world from over plasticizing!

The Shirt - December 12

So, we've seen the photo floating around Facebook about the get-along shirt, and we decided to try it on our kids.  Shane had a shirt that had some major stains on it, so when the two of them were nitpicking and just generally not being kind to each other, we stuck them in The Shirt.  For some reason, this really upset Logan, and he fell to the floor, dragging Kayleigh with him.  They couldn't figure out how to get back up off the ground.  Teamwork was not in their vocabulary at the time...

Needless to say, going into the The Shirt has become a meaningful threat that works, for now...

Lego loonies - December 13

Logan and I went out shopping to buy presents for Kayleigh.  While we were at the mall, we stopped by the Lego store to spend Logan's birthday money.  He picked out a Creator set that had a semi-truck that carried a smaller truck.  Of course, you can make 2 other sets with this, but Logan had to make the hardest one straight off.  So Daddy and Logan started working on it.

It took the boys about two days to complete the trucks.  They did an excellent job!  And Logan did a lot of the work.  Shane said he really enjoys building the Legos - especially with Logan.

Dickinson Festival of Lights - December 10

On Monday, December 10, we took Bapa and Gram to the Dickinson Festival of Lights.  It was a cool night, so it was a great way to get in the Christmas spirit.  The kids and grandparents had a great time!  The lights were beautiful, and I love that they display the true meaning of Christmas.  Shane really likes the reflection of the lights in the bayou.

Family pictures!  After almost 41 years of being married, Bapa and Gram still like each other.  Aren't they cute!  And the Flachman Family in front of the cookie house.

Logan got some money for his birthday party - so he bought both Kayleigh and himself a hot chocolate. But the cookies that they got to decorate were bought for them.  They got to pick the kind of cookie they wanted (chocolate chip, sugar, etc), the color icing they wanted, and then the topping (sprinkles, M&Ms, etc).  The kids had a good time perfecting their cookies, and then eating them!

 

Of course, we had to take pictures of the airplanes.  And airplanes with Daddy.

And of course, Santa on an airplane...

As always, the Dickinson Festival of Lights was fun and beautiful.  Ready for next year!

Sunday morning presents - December 9

So, back up just a bit - before we went four-wheeling, Logan opened his presents from his party the night before.  The boy was so tired at his own party, that at 9pm, he asked if he could go to bed!  Both of our kids actually put themselves to sleep!  Sweet kids.  Anyway, so he had a pile of presents just waiting for him!  He just couldn't wait!

Logan unwraps the toolbox that Mommy and Daddy gave him.  A REAL toolbox - not a little boy one.

Playing with a new toy...

Kayleigh loves to measure things!

Watch out world - Logan just got a NERF gun!  Ruh roh!

Kayleigh gets her picture taken beside the tree...sort of...

Somebody took a picture of the photographer!

Logan's friends were so generous - the Danihers and Hoffmans gave him cash, the Sterners - a gift card to the Lego store, Auntie Hope and Phil - Legos and a Lego cup, Fontinopouluses - a NERF gun, the Martins - a bank (that counts change!  sweet!).  The presents were wonderful, but the presence of all the people was even more wonderful!  We are so blessed to have such great friends and neighbors!

Four wheeling with Bapa and Gram - December 9

December 9, the day after the party, we took Bapa and Gram four-wheeling at Down South ATV park in Crosby.  Shane actually took Logan and Bapa four-wheeling at about 9:30am while Gram, Kayleigh, and I went to church.  The three of them had a blast, and when the girls drove up just before 1pm, they met us at the gate, and all three of them had goofy grins on their faces.  But Bapa and Gram both have goofy grins on their faces while we stop for a minute by the San Jacinto River beach.

After we ate lunch at the truck, we headed out - Kayleigh and Mommy, Logan and Daddy, Bapa and Gram.  Kayleigh rode on the back and would occasionally look back at Bapa and Gram and smile and wave.

We went down Cola Pass first - and of course, Shane got stuck in the only puddle it was possible to get stuck in.  Then later in the day, Shane got stuck in a puddle that was super muddy - that time, we had to use two four-wheelers to pull him out!

 

 

 

At the end of the day, we came back to the truck in the muddy parking lot.  Logan and Kayleigh enjoyed sliding around in the mud.  Everyone was nice and muddy from the four-wheeling (don't you love my shoe-y self portrait?).  Daddy let Logan drive the four-wheelers on to the trailer.  He did a great job, especially for the first time driving by himself!

Bapa is already planning his next trip down to go four-wheeling.  Shane is excited to take him out again!

Logan's Glow-in-the-dark birthday party - December 8

For his birthday party, we had a Glow-in-the-dark party.  We put Christmas lights, black lights, and gave the kids LED lights and glow sticks.  The party consisted of all the people on the block with kids, Aunties Hope and Phil, and the Daniher family (or as Shane calls them, the red heads).

The kids loved jumping on the trampoline in the dark (Bapa and Gram held back the floodgates).  They also had fun playing statues, a little glow tag, and just running around like crazy people.

We had taken our pool down, borrowed some chairs from a neighbor, and put a firepit in the middle.  It was there that we had Logan blow out his candle (he picked out a big number 5).  Here he's flanked by Sadie and her friend, Dakota.

Daddy brings out the cake.

More glowy pictures...

Because of the slow shudder speed, you can see the streaks of the kids running around the backyard.

More streaks!

Julie holds Baby Bethany Sterner.

Cory Hoffman claimed to be the best marshmallow roaster.  Of course, if you are going to make such grandiose statements, you have to be ready for a little light ribbing.  Some one took glowsticks and made Cory a crown for the "King of the Marshmallows".

Thank goodness Mama and Daddy were down - Bapa manned the grill, and allowed us to mingle and get other things done at the party.  Mom washed dishes and made clean up so much easier!  I'm thinking this would be a great service to provide - cook and clean for people's parties so they can worry about their guests and not the actual party.

Logan had a great time at his first official birthday party.  Thanks to the Sterners, Hoffmans, Fontinopouluses, Settle-Simmons, Martins, Danihers, and of course, Bapa and Gram, for making it so much fun, and such a success!

Model Trains at the Train museum - December 8

While Shane and I were getting ready for Logan's birthday party, Gram and Bapa took the kids to the Train Museum just up the road (that I'm sorry to say, we've never even been to, though we pass it every time we go to Kroger).  Once a year, around Christmastime, they have a model train exhibit.

Bapa and Logan watch some of the trains outside.

Kayleigh actually climbed on to Santa's lap and told him she wanted markers for Christmas.  I think Santa just wanted cooler weather - Gram said, since it was in the 80s, this Santa took lots of breaks!

The kids also enjoyed the bounce house.

"Cheese!" Kayleigh and Logan pet one of the reindeer.

There was a "train" out back for the kids to actually ride in.

Having fun hanging out with Bapa!