Raking Leaves

For the first time, the boys got to experience raking leaves with Grandma. Monday morning brought about a beautiful sunny sky, and though cool, the boys kept busy with my mom raking up her front yard. Hayden went to work with "his" rake, piling the leaves into his dump truck before putting them in the garbage can for yard waste. He worked hard, stayed to the task and truly was the one who cleaned up the yard. Noah, on the other hand, had a great time trying to undo the piles of leaves, and you guessed it, being in charge of dumping the leaves into the "bahtich" can. Watching them outside this morning brought back memories of days long past when my brothers, sister, and I would rake leaves, pile them high, jump in, and do it all over again. Though there wasn't much jumping in, Hayden loved helping my mom, relished in the compliments that he was doing a great job and well, Noah just had a blast being near the garbage cans and riding on his brother's bike.

Staying Warm

It's been a while since I've really felt winter ... an Arizona winter is slightly different than the winter of Central California. I love it, don't get me wrong, but Hayden and Noah don't experience this every day as all they usually need at home is a sweatshirt and they're good to go. After bundling up with layers of shirts and sweatshirts, hats and mittens too, they played out in the garage this morning, riding bikes and dumping trucks due to the rain we woke up to today. Thought I'd share these cute, bundled up little boys, trying to stay warm as they experience the cold of California.

Road Adventure

Thursday brought us an adventure on the road. The boys and I left home early in the morning, while still dark, to drive up to Stockton to spend the holidays with my family. The first part of our drive went as usual and we made it to our first stopping point in Indio, California making decent time. It was then that our trip took an unexpected turn ... my dad called and informed me that both mountain passes that I could use to get into the Central Valley, the "Grapevine" using I-5 and the Tehachapi Pass on Hwy. 58, were both closed due to an overnight snowstorm. Okay, I'm thinking, breathe and be flexible ...
So not wanting to waste any time, I got back on the road and stayed in constant contact with my dad who was able to keep track of the road closures for me and was able to guide me along an alternate route through downtown LA (not fun!) and up the coast using Hwy. 101. A beautiful drive it was (and according to Hayden, "how awesome mom"), however my main goal at this point was to drive, drive, drive until I got back onto a road I was familiar with! So three hours later and a few hundred extra miles, I finally get to I-5 and finish up our journey to my parent's arriving after only 14 1/2 hours! Though the nerves in my rear-end were numb from sitting for so long, I have to say my children were amazing little troopers (partly thanks to our portable DVD player which kept them occupied watching Christmas movies at a few different times during the day). Not once did they squabble with each other nor did they have any major meltdowns to speak of ... a whine here and there, but I was right there with them, and so we persevered and drove on! If there ever was a truer test of patience, I think I experienced it on this drive though would rather not have to again anytime soon! One of the most memorable moments of the drive was during our last two hour stretch towards "home" when Hayden said to me, "Mom, next time can we please just fly? You can borrow some of my money - really, I don't care." Out of the mouths of babes ... what a sweetie this 5-year boy of mine is!
A great deal of thanks goes to my dad who called me every few hours to make sure I was doing okay, and kept me going in the right direction toward home. In thinking about our road adventure as a whole, I am grateful we made it here safely to enjoy this time with my family, and enjoy it we will!

We've Been Elfed

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BOLT

As I put Hayden to bed the night of his birthday, he looked at me and said, "Mom, I don't have any friends." When I asked him why he felt this way, he replied "because none of them came over for my birthday." With my heart a bit broken for him, I explained to him as best I could why we didn't have anyone come over for his birthday, the primary reason being he and Noah had been coughing and running fevers just a few days before. After doing my best to reason with his five year old brain, I told him that if he was feeling better on the weekend, he could chose some friends to see the new Disney movie, Bolt. Fast forward a few days to Sunday, and this is exactly what we did - invited a few friends for an impromptu birthday celebration at the movie theatre. His friends helped him continue the celebration of turning five, though they didn't quite understand that they weren't the only ones watching "Bolt" as us moms had to quiet them down just a few times as their excitement over the movie got the best of their "inside voices." Hayden had fun watching the movie (which by the way is very cute and highly recommended as a family event), eating his popcorn, and slurping a slushee for the special occasion. When the movie was over, we walked across to where the Westgate fountain, usually there in summer, now replaced by a beautiful Christmas tree and opened a few presents. What a special way to celebrate a very special boy!

Our Singing Star

Hayden has been practicing for the last few weeks singing us a song from today's preschool program. Though the past few days he hasn't been talking due to a bit of laryngitis and the cold he's been getting over since Thanksgiving, today he managed to find his voice to sing just a bit - but, we've come to realize that he's not destined for American Idol anytime soon. During the program, there was a slide show of pictures showing kids from Hayden's class through the past weeks as they prepared for the program. Hayden was a bit distracted by this, and so in most of the pictures I took, you can see him either looking up to the side watching the pictures rather than at his teacher and us performing, or just standing next to his classmates. It was a treasure to see him, with his quiet voice singing softly, and his "scaled down" hand gestures. This a big improvement over the first singing program he did last year at Thanksgiving when he just stood up front with his face in his hands. We've come a long way with him feeling more comfortable in front of people, and though he may not be a rock star someday, we were glad to see him participate with his class and smile a time or two at us. We'll be saving the fame for little brother, who enjoyed the spotlight before the program began and then even snuck up to sit at Hayden's feet in the middle of one song - our Noah is a kid who is definitely not afraid to be in front of people!

The Big "5"

Today we celebrated Hayden's 5th birthday - as I sit here I am amazed that five years have gone by so fast! Not so long ago, he was this tiny little baby and is now my big, grown-up boy. I can't believe he is five already, which means next school year he'll be in Kindergarten. He is so full of joy and love, curious and inquisitive to the workings of the world - all day long, we were blessed with his bright smile as he relished in the birthday attention and celebration.
Hayden chose his birthday dinner of "zini" (Turkey Tetrazini) and wanted a yellow cake with chocolate frosting - to which he received both. It was a quiet day as he and his little brother continue to recover from having croup, but it was one we enjoyed together as a family.
Wednesday night after dinner, we went shopping with Hayden so he could pick out his new bike that we wanted to get him for his 5th birthday - he picked out a bright green and blue "Hot Wheels" bike and had fun riding it through the store that evening. First thing he did this morning when he woke up, was hop on his bike and even tried to ride it through the house. He didn't get very far, and so immediately after breakfast he was dressed and ready to ride. As he was outside riding, I tackled the Christmas tree decorating ...
and when all was said and done, we went to Chick-Fil-A for lunch (our favorite place to eat!). Though Hayden didn't understand why his friends weren't coming over for "his party," he was blessed all day long with phone calls and a special delivery from UPS containing his new Tonka Motorized Street Sweeper Truck from Grandma and Grandpa. His night got even better when Grammy and Grampy gave him a Hot Wheels "Stunt Track" which he'd been eyeing at Costco for the last several weeks, to which he replied "Awesome!" Lucky? Yes, for having so many people who care and love him and so are we to have been blessed with his life. Loved? More than he will ever know! Though he won't share with us his birthday wish, I know that mine for him is many more happy days ahead, and "awesome" birthdays too.