'Tis the Season

 This time of year we are just super busy...  Add to that a stomach bug and a head cold/fluish thingamajig and my blogging has been sorely neglected.  So here's the last week and a half in a quick post of pics....
We ended our Thanksgiving weekend by watching our friend Nadia be the cutest baby mouse ever in the Nutcracker.  We went to the store to pick out flowers before and these are the ones he picked.  My heart swoons.  He sure looks good with 'em!

He really enjoyed the story of the ballet and said his favorite part was the "baby mouses".  He adores his buddy!

The next week the fevers hit....  First Ethan and then Lucas.  After Brian taking a day off to watch them and then Uma, they seemed much better.  I was a mess, but couldn't take a day off since my students were presenting and getting ready to perform at Barnes and Noble for the bookfair.  That is the hardest thing about being a teacher - there are times when you just feel awful, but it is just too hard to be gone.  Sometimes I dream of a job where you just call in sick and that's that....
We finally got our tree up and the boys had fun decorating it.  Lucas was the director and Ethan just had fun going through and trying to read the ornaments.

 Saturday we geared up to go and cut down a tree with Uma and Upa.  Since forever and ever we've gone to the same tree farm every year.  I love that my boys get to be part of that tradition too.  And now they are apparently old enough to carry the saw... Eek!  We do remember that this is the boy that has gotten hurt numerous times......

 Lucas makes a really good overseer - though he didn't want to actually touch the tree...  Ethan held on to a branch and told everyone "Don't worry.  I'll hold it up."

 The big guys took turns sawing... but ran into a bit of trouble since Brian's left handed....  Or as my father refers to it, "cursed".

The tree finally went down!

 And Uma found a nice branch to serve as a tree - Lucas wasn't buying it....

 We took the obligatory cider shot, though the boys refused to actually drink the cider.  Some things just don't change......

 And then it was back to Uma and Upa's to decorate.  We also made some cookie dough for a party next weekend.  Lucas actually managed to stir without dumping out the flour.  Ethan not so much.  But I'm sure they'll still be delicious.

Sunday we went to another showing of the Nutcracker, this time to see his friend Thomas (his teacher's son) play Fritz.  In the ballet, Fritz is naughty.  When he threw the stuffed mouse at the tree Ethan yelled, "Thom-AS!"  The people in front of us were friends of Thomas as well, so we all got a good laugh out of it.
That's where we are....  Back to the real world as I try to finish the family newsletter, enter grades in the gradebook, and get Ethan ready for basketball to start tomorrow.  We are sooooooo looking forward to Christmas break!