Christmas Cookies

It's raining and messy out today, so the boys and I stayed indoors and made Christmas cookies.

Let me rephrase. Keagan rolled the dough and made a mess with the flour, 

I painstakingly decorated each of them, and before Wes came home, Evan had them eaten. 

Some traditions never change. 

Jolly Old St. Nicholas, Lean Your Ear This Way

This happened tonight and it didn't cost us a thing! I guess Evan was just filled with Christmas joy and decided to humor us all with a picture on Santa's lap.

At the office Christmas party, Evan even got to tell Santa what he wanted for Christmas. Santa then told him to make his list of wishes short; 162 pounds can get heavy!

Keagan got a turn, too, but he refused to sit on Santa's lap. He told Santa he wanted an AirSoft gun, and Santa told him to be careful because he got shot in the eye once while playing with a gun. Keagan was mesmerized with the story and ended up having a full conversation with him about guns. 

St. Nicholas Day

St. Nicholas found his way to our house! The combat boots are stuffed with a few German treats, but

I am sure very few German kids are waking up to a flag football kit. Keagan came home last weekend from playing football with the neighborhood boys with a black eye. I'm certain big E was responsible for the elbow that caused the black and blue, but this is the second time this school year that he has gone to school with a black eye. To prevent any future markings (or questioning looks from the teachers), St. Nicholas thought it wise to invest in a flag set.

Christmas Eve

We began the day opening gifts from our family back in Texas. 

Evan's Bakugan Colossus. 

Keagan's Batman Joker Cave to go with his Batman Cave. Oma wrapped it in an old Vaporizer box, and Keagan has never been so disappointed to open a present. "Oma, why did you do this to me? I want toys; not medicines! I'm not even sick!" 

Much to my family's misgivings, we do have a Longhorn fan living among us. 

I will leave you, though, with this. At least I know that if this whole sports thing doesn't work out for Keagan, he has the big stage.

And that's a wrap! Merry Christmas!

Just Bribe Them

They were so good in the commissary today. There were no fights over who would push the buggy. No one begged for Reeces Christmas trees or Captain Crunch. No one wrestled in the produce section, and they even went so far as to help me unload the buggy at the check-out counter instead of browsing the headlines of Army Times and drooling over the candy rack. So I let them open one gift early.

Yes, from time to time, I do bribe the boys. Used in moderation it can be very successful in yielding positive results. Today is one such example.

Eyeliner and Football Brackets

I play sports. I watch sports. I like sports. However, if I must endure one more story or monologue from Evan about some random football headline, then I might lose it. I really don't care that the Kansas City QB was/is (I don't even remember because I was trying to find my happy place about mid-story) out for emergency surgery. I don't need to know the records of every NFL football team. Although, I think I was told this week that the North Carolina Panthers have the worst. I didn't even remember they were a team until it was brought to my attention on Saturday. Frankly, I could care less if the Bears or the Vikings win Monday night's football game.

But it doesn't end with the endless headline recaps or various pieces of trivia. The boys have countless brackets and score cards written on crumpled paper lying all over the house. I am doing at least a load of laundry a day to keep their multiple uniform changes for every hour clean. We have miniature helmets set up in a bracket on the dining room table, and Keagan constanly raids my make up bag for black eyeliner so that he can draw blackout stickers under his eyes. 

This morning I was awakened at the terrible hour of 7:58 with, "Mom, can we go outside to play football?" When I said no, Evan took it in stride and then went to the living room and turned on Sports Center in a volume level reserved for nursing homes. The same headlines heard on TV will no doubt be repeated within the day, in between uniform changes and drinks of water, because it will be assumed I was able to sleep through all that noise and didn't catch it the first time around.

Oh, who am I kidding? I do find it all a bit endearing. Otherwise, I wouldn't have this awaiting the boys on Christmas morning.

With blackout stickers included, my eyeliner will now remain in its rightful place: my make up bag.

Gingerbread Train

We bought a gingerbread kit two weeks ago and put it together this afternoon. Unfortunately, we couldn't get it to stay upright. Evan was so disappointed.

This, I have decided, will be a Daddy job next year. Evan tried so hard to make it perfect with the candy decorations. I bet you can guess what Keagan did. He ate the candy and watched Evan do most of the work.

St. Nickolas Was Here

Six years ago, while living in Germany, we were introduced to St. Nickolas Day. We brought the tradition with us when we crossed over the Atlantic and the boys now anxiously await his arrival. St. Nick brings candy and a reminder that you must behave if you wish for him to return on the 24th. This reminder often includes switches or pieces of coal, and all of the goodies, both good and bad, are stuffed into a boot. For the Toole family, an Army issued black boot does the trick.

This morning Evan and Keagan found bubblegum, candy, and a Transformer toy in the boots. Evan, the more sensitive and conscientious of the two, was almost upset to find the coal in his boot. Keagan skipped over it and didn't give it a second thought except to say it looked a lot like a big piece of chocolate.

O Christmas Tree

Evan LOVES to decorate the Christmas tree. He dutifully helped me bring the Christmas boxes from the basement and helped me unpack and hang every ornament. Of course Keagan preferred to play with the ornaments instead of hanging them, and he has asked at least five times today, "When it's Christmas?" The excitement and anticipation of the Christmas holiday begin.