Snowapalooza, Part 1

Back at the beginning of the month, the heavens opened up and our little corner of PA (and much of the East Coast!) was blanketed in white! It was a sight to behold and the boys were absolutely thrilled...as was their Mommy since it took place on a Saturday and there was no doubt that we'd all be snowbound together.

The boys were so excited to get snow that they could actually play in. All of our previous storms had either ended to late in the day or were just not that impressive. No matter how many warnings that we gave him that the snow might be too deep for him, Zack was not to be deterred! Despite about 16-18 inches of snow, he prevailed and had a blast!

Jacob is sitting, not standing but still, it was really deep!

The standing picture

Attempting to sled...nothing really happened until we spent some time making a "track."

We found that this method worked best.

Trudging through the front yard.

So much snow that even the big one could stand on top without sinking.

Eventually, little one joined in on the face first sledding.

The wind blew hard enough that this guy ended up cold.

Ready for cocoa!

My baby turned 4!

I'm feeling the guilt of neglecting the second child just a little as I write this post from January. On January 9, my baby turned four...and I am just now writing about it. However, we celebrated that day in style...he had no complaints!

We started the day opening presents. More Dragon Castle pieces from Uncle Timmy and Aunt Rachel started things off.

Uncle Jon Jon, Aunt Mary Katherine, and Cousin Ben sent an Iron Man cartoon DVD. It is now in the official "must watch" rotation.

Opening Grandma and Grandad's gifts.

Not to be left out...there were even a few things for big brother in the box.

More Dragon Castle figures. He now has most of the set...and one on it's way that Nana hunted down.

Lunch was a trip to McDonalds for Happy Meals. They'd been asking to do this for weeks.
You can tell how excited Jacob was to have his picture taken.

If I only knew how to Photoshop...this pic of Jacob and the other one of Zack would be perfect!

Another thing that Zack had been asking to do for forever was go back to Cedar Lanes and go bowling. Instead of a big party at the church, we did lunch and bowling as a family and a smaller party at our house that evening. All of this took place on this actual birthday...making it absolutely perfect!

A little assistance from Daddy.

Getting ready to throw the ball.

Watching his ball inch it's way down the alley. It actually went faster than it did the last time we bowled...practice makes perfect!

Jacob had a little more finesse to his form.

Rolling the ball more smoothly. However, he was extremely disappointed that it wasn't as easy to get strikes and spares as it is when bowling on the Wii.

Pizza party with his friends. Can you guess what the theme of the party was?

Blowing out his candles.

A big piece of cake...surprisingly, Daddy had to help him finish it!

Opening his presents from Mommy and Daddy and his friends.

It's the Amazing Spidermen!

My grandmother, Meme, scored big with the gift she gave the boys this year. Lifted from Zachary's Christmas list was an item that he wanted not only for himself but "one for Jacob too." My children are now the proud owners of The Amazing Spiderman Electronic Web Spinning Blasters. Complete with web fluid and a mask.

A little problem presented itself upon inspection of the web blasters instructions. The web fluid included extensive warnings about all of the surfaces NOT to have the material come in contact with...a list that included carpet, furniture, and clothing. Needless to say, they weren't going to be playing with these things in my house! Since it's winter, extremely cold outside, and there was snow on the ground, to say the boys were not happy with this pronouncement would be an understatement!

God must have been smiling on us all that weekend. The sun came out, the temperatures rose to a reasonable level, and the snow melted away. The boys dressed in old clothes and had a blast running around the front yard, masks on, shooting each other and the entire lawn. I'm sure you can imagine how extremely disappointed I was that they ran out of web fluid in just this one outing! However, on the bright side, the blasters come with a mechanism that allows you to shoot water instead and the boys are presently counting the days until it's warm enough to do so.

Jacob getting started.

Thinking it was funny to shoot at Mommy.

Little man needed two hands to make it work.

Their favorite part...getting to shoot at each other and not getting in trouble for it!

Christmas Day

Christmas Day turned out just as wonderful as Christmas Eve. Although we definitely miss getting to see all of our family, it is kind of nice to be on your own schedule for the day. It was noon before anyone thought of getting out of their pajamas!

This year the whole holiday experience was so much more than it ever has been before. Both boys really got what Christmas was...the story of Jesus (who Jacob prayed for without out being prompted on Christmas Eve), the enchantment of the lessons and carols services, the giving of gifts to other people, the anticipation of Christmas morning. It was infectious and really added to the spirit of the holidays!

Don't tell the boys, but I snapped these first two pics on Christmas Eve...after Santa came. I knew they wouldn't be able to hold off while I took photos in the morning.

Surprisingly they both slept until about 6:45/7:00 and let me read them stories in our bed while Daddy took Annie for her morning walk.

Zack just getting started on his haul from Santa.

Jacob's pile.

Surveying the damage...and what was left to open.

Zack had one present that he was absolutely, positively convinced Santa would bring him. How can you disappoint that level of assurance? Despite the size of the box, he waited until the end to open it. The look on his face at getting his Dragon Castle says it all!

Luckily when Jacob was questioned about his top choice (other than a Wii game), it turned out that Santa had read his mind. A big set of Indiana Jones Legos made his morning!

Daddy and Jacob got started on construction while breakfast was being prepared.

Zachary needed no assistance exploring all of the features on his new castle.

Even Annie got something. Jacob was very concerned that she might be forgotten and gave her the present before anything else was opened that morning. Pretty impressive!

The Legos provided hours of fun!

Christmas isn't Christmas if you don't get to play some of the new Wii games from Nana and Grandpa.

For some reason, this picture is the only proof I have that my parents were at our house on Christmas Day. The arrived around 2:00 and stayed until Monday morning. The lady who takes way too many pictures only caught them opening that set of presents on the seldom used video camera! I know there are some photos on Nana's camera but she's even further behind than I am! ; )

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was a wonderfully relaxing day at our house.
The boys had waited for weeks to open two presents that had been under the tree since Christmas number one with Grandma and Grandad. We didn't have the heart to make them wait until that evening so the present opening started early...like as soon as we got down stairs!

Every year, Grandma and Grandad get the boys a new Christmas book that they get to open on Christmas Eve. Zack's was a Christmas themed look and find book. Jacob's was a pirate version of Twas the Night Before Christmas that the boys absolutely loved!

Continuing a tradition from my family, the boys also get pajamas on Christmas Eve. This picture gives you some idea of how much Zack loved his new "snuggly warms." I think he thanked Nana for them about 100 times...no exaggeration!

A Walz family tradition is lasagna on Christmas Eve. Andy loves it so we do that one at our house too. This year marked the first time one of the boys helped...just like Ali and I used to help my mom. It made the day that much better.

...and I really mean that he helped! He was great!

He was even willing to put in some of the stuff that he's not so sure he likes!

Nana helped out by finding the boys new shirts and sweaters for church on Christmas Eve. I don't think either of us realized how well they'd match Daddy! (He's had that sweater for years!) It was unbelievably cute!

Even Mommy managed to find something that coordinated!

Right before bed we headed outside in our jammies to sprinkle homemade reindeer food on the front lawn. You can't forget that special snack for those hardworking animals! (