Friday Fun

Most of the month of January has been spent in a direct effort to get our little home cleaned and better organized; trying to make the best use of every bit of space we have available. Spring cleaning come a few months early, as it were.

And as you can guess, that means a focused effort by all members of the family. It hasn't been much fun (for any of us), but we HAVE gotten so much done and the effect on the house has been amazing (imho).

But as I mentioned, it's not a lot of fun. Especially for Wonder Boy. He's entertained himself on the days we haven't set him a task or two. And he's done a lot less complaining than you might expect for a 10 year old boy stuck at home with little to do but housework.

SO ... to give him a break and to reward ourselves for some of our hard work, we let him invite one of his best buds over for some fun time after school.



The guys made Jolly Rancher stained glass sugar cookies and played video games until their hearts content. And they both closed out the day with a high five and a smile.

A good day indeed!

Mr. Fabulous

Live. Learn. And soar!

That's the motto at Wonder Boy's elementary school. And each week, the teachers each select a student from their home room class who has best represented those values. That student is dubbed the 'Fabulous Falcon' of the week.

We were so very proud when the Boy came home sporting his purple ribbon on Friday! This will be his 5th Fab Falcon award, making it a clean sweep for his tenure at Forest Ridge Elementary school.

Of course, you don't have to get an award for us to know he's a totally fabulous young guy, but it's quite cool to be recognized outside of the home.

Year in Review

Like most years, 2011 was a year filled with highs and lows, changes and routines. We saw our Wonder Boy grow by leaps and bounds. We had fun with friends and quality time with family. We learned a lot - at school, at work, and even at play. It was a very full 12 months.

And here are a few images reflecting our journey through the calendar:



Here's to looking forward to the new year to come!

Holiday Wrap Up

For us, Christmas is not just a time for presents and food. Most especially, Christmas is a time for family. We treasure the time we have off and the opportunities we have been given to spend time with our families - both those related by blood and those friends who make up the family of our hearts.



Christmas is a time to fully understand the overwhelming blessings in our lives, to know we are loved and to celebrate the many with which we get to share our love.

God bless us, everyone; this year and always!

Deck Them Halls

Today was an early release day from school for the local boys and girls! And what better way to kick off the long winter break than a play date with a favorite fellow elf?!

Wonder Boy and his school bud spend a great couple of hours bouncing around the house, playing video games, and trying their hands at some holiday confection creations.



I think they did a great job considering none of us had ever given it a try before. It is unfortunate that the house didn't stand for very long and Santa's sleigh never really got off the ground either. But the boys had fun and were able to dive head first into the spirit of the holiday.

That spells success for me!

Do Over

Howdy! And welcome to our family blog!

We have tried our hand at this blogging thing before but couldn't find the right balance in the material we were posting. But now is our chance to give it another go. A 'do over' as it may be.

We will be revisiting some old posts and, of course, we'll be adding more as the days tick on by. Sit back, relax, and follow along as we hold up our magic mirror for you.

Buzz Words

As the end of November rolls around each year, Wonder Boy's elementary school hosts the preliminary rounds of the 3rd and 4th grade spelling bee. The top two spellers from each classroom are then entered into the school-wide bee.

Last year the Boy worked furiously to shore up his spelling skills, dictionary or word list ever at the ready. And we were all overjoyed when he made it through his classroom competition as one of the top two, followed by a very impressive performance in the combined competition.

With all of the craziness in our little world this fall though, we didn't have the opportunity to cram in spelling sessions like we did the year before. So you can imagine our elation when Wonder Boy came home with the news that he had again made it past the classroom competition!

This year, his confidence was miles ahead of where it had been the year before. And while we still did not manage much 'quality time' with the dictionary leading up to the school-wide competition, we knew that Wonder Boy would shine. We were not disappointed!

To finish any place further out than first is hard on all of these kids, but we parents understand that simply taking the chance, putting yourself out there for all to see, and giving it your absolute best effort means total success!

We're so proud of you Wonder Boy! And don't be surprised when Mom has you proof read her next written assignment!