Christmas Box

We got lucky and a big wave of mail arrived early, with another Christmas box from Mimi and Papa!!

Our New PJs

Thank you Mimi and Papa!! The pajamas are very comfy and they fit really well!! We had to take Daddy's picture separately because Riley was getting anxious for bed, but as you can see mine and his are matching...awww...isn't that so cute? haha

Merry Christmas

The boys have opened their presents!! Andrew has been shooting his missiles non-stop, but Mommy might have to have a talk with Santa about bringing dangerous weapons in here, haha!! We are working on not aiming towards people or certain things... Riley is enjoying his Elmo guitar as well; Elmo's left arm slides along the guitar neck and his right hand is the whammy bar, to teach Riley where to put his hands! Mimi and Papa sent us all new PJs, the boys' came in a doghouse box with little puppies and Mommy and Daddy's are matching! We will take a family picture later once we all get into our PJs to show them off!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Santa Was Here...

This is the video from when Santa came to Italy! There wasn't a video from when he stopped by Pordenone, but this was the closest city they had a link for!!

He's Almost Here!!

We've been tracking Santa all evening on http://www.noradsanta.org/en/index.html and we have been getting ready for his arrival!! The cookies we made for Santa (Cinnamon Candy Canes) didn't turn out so well, but my little tester still ate a couple bites. But, we decided to leave Santa a slice of apple cake with some milk instead; we want him to enjoy his snack so he'll come back!! We left a bowl of apples outside for the reindeer and Andrew made Santa a sign so he would be sure to know it was for him!! Andrew enjoyed watching the little Santa move across the map, and hopefully Riley will be up for it next year!! Merry Christmas Eve everyone!!

2000 Chrysler Voyager

Here is our new vehicle...an automatic luckily!! It is in very good shape and even has leather seats and two side doors in the back, so I don't have to climb over one seat to get to the other this time! It also came with a GPS which is very nice, however my lighter doesn't work so it doesn't look like we will be able to use it for long trips unfortunately. But, I am excited I will be able to get around without being stranded while Adam is away!

Mommy Snowman

We had Cathy over yesterday while Tiffanie did some Christmas shopping, and when they got back home they invited Andrew over there to help them decorate. While he was there, he also made me this 'Mommy Snowman' for me. He was very excited to give it to me when he got home and is very proud of it!! He reminds me she looks like me everytime we walk in the kitchen :)

Preview...

Watch your mail...the little Brockman elves have been busy, here is a little sneak peek at what to expect...we have been busy reflecting on 2010!

Tree Lighting

The base had its tree lighting ceremony tonight, and since Daddy is on weekends overnight this month we were able to go!! Unfortunately that means he will not be home on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, but we will make the most of the days in December we do have!!

Santa, Frosty, and Rudolph even showed up, and although we didn't have time to wait in the line for Santa since Daddy needed to get a nap in, the boys and I are working on a letter to Santa immediately!!

They ended up pulling the switch inside since it was rainy, but as soon as we went outside, we saw the big tree all lit up!!!

Scrimmage

Here are the boys playing football/baseball with Daddy; Riley is getting his throwing right down!!

Brock-a-pult

The proof that the boys are going to like dangerous activites is...their favorite pasttime is to be swung around in blankets by Mommy and Daddy. They were having so much fun doing it together, and it was fun to watch their faces light up!!

O Christmas Tree

We put up our Christmas tree today and the boys put up the window clings (I was surprised they actually lasted in the tote from last year). The boys even wore their Christmas hats for part of the morning; Riley needs a new one, though, since his still says "My First Christmas" haha!! The boys were excited to come across their Christmas gobes, and to make the day extra authentic, we got our first little dusting!!

Happy Thanksgiving

Surprisingly enough...this is the first holiday dinner I have cooked completely on my own! I think it came out pretty well, though. I tried a new seasoning for the turkey, made Adam a pumpkin pie, and made the boys and I our famous creamy pumpkin pie!!

Unconventional Cleaning

Riley is always getting mad when I sweep or mop since he can't be held or hold the broom or mop himself, and is always trying to get into my mop bucket, SO...I hatched a way to keep him out of my dirt pile and mop bucket and he is happy because he is with me and is helping. It is quite a workout and very unconventional, but it worked!!

And, Mr. Jealous couldn't be left out so although I cannot lift him and carry him in it on my back he still got a turn to sit in it on the floor!!

Happy Halloween

I know it is a day early, but tonight was the 'Trunk or Treat' on base. We didn't actually make it to the cars unfortunately with the line being so long, but we stood in line and candy was delivered via wagon as we waited. It was a bummer, but next year we will know to get there even earlier!! The boys looked cute anyway! There were 3 other Batmans, but Riley was the only Robin!! We snuck into the commissary to buy some more candy to compensate...haha!

More Halloween Goodies

The boys got cards from Mimi & Papa with MONEY inside!! Andrew was very excited about the money and Riley will get up to speed when he realizes that he can buy something with it!!

Jack...carved

SO...it was bugging me that he looked silly, so I decided to carve him. The design WAS a little bit intricate for an inexperienced carver like me, but I did my best and Andrew and I had fun making a mess!!

First Halloween Box

We received our first Halloween box today...from Grammy & Grampy! Here are the boys with their goodies!!!! And, yes, Riley dove right into the candy, BUT mean Mommy took it away since it was his bedtime :( lol

Jack

Our pumpkin this year is Jack Skelton from "The Nightmare before Christmas" (Daddy's favorite movie!). I didn't get a carving kit thinking the face would be too complicated, I decided to just trace it, but it would have looked much better carved. Oh well, we'll carve again next year! It still came out cute, though, don't you think??

Plastic Bowl Band

Andrew insisted upon as all wearing plastic hats as bowls while we were playing instruments: I was the saxophone player, Andrew played the guiar, and Riley OF COURSE played the drums! So, I guess we are the "Plastic Bowl Band" haha!

Nintendo DSi

Andrew's new games finally came along with his screen protector and his new DSi skin (he had picked out Toy Story 3 skin). Doesn't it look cute???

Rental Car

So, since my car is parked and Adam is 'unauthorized' to drive his car, we now have a rental. It is a pretty rough ride and costs 15 euros a day, but it looks cute at least!

Bowling

Daddy ended up getting the day off so after Andrew got out of school, we went bowling as a family!! Andrew has been begging me to go bowling for a couple weeks now since he saw (Curious) George go bowling in a movie he owns. We had a lot of fun and Daddy won with a whooping 102 points, Andrew came in second at 87 points and Mommy lost at 65 points. But, before you give me a hard time, I would like to plead my case by saying that I haven't bowled in over a year AND Riley helped me...haha

Buddies

They were holding hands in the car on the way to the bowling alley; I thought it was so cute so I had Daddy snap a picture!!

Back at the Co-Op

Today was Riley and I's first day back at the Co-Op; he did really well but I am sure that was because I was there as well, we will see how it goes on Thursday by himself! It was just me, him and three girls who were all younger than him, so that was a change for him! He had a lot of fun showing them how to make noise and build blocks!!

Kid's Fun Run/Fun Day

Today was the base's annual marathon and they had a one mile kid's fun run as part of it. Andrew only ran two laps for a total of 1/2 mile, but he had fun which was the important part. Adam even ended up running with him to keep him focused; he was getting distracted by all the parent's standing around watching! Riley was too young to participate in the actual race, but he had his own little marathon in the field before the race while Andrew was playing field hockey with the other kids!!