Bowling - Chitown.

Bowling is always a good way to ward off the winter blues.

We hit the lanes with Novacek clan while in Chicago.

 

Team Under Armour.

 Chicken legs still in shorts.

 

The night took a devastating turn as Chris' bowling shoes circuit 1990 something....took a digger.

 He refuses to give them up......Seriously is there anything duck tape can't fix?

 Cousins hanging together on Christmas break.

Christmas 2014

Another Christmas season has come and gone, each one seems to move faster than the previous one.  

This was Christmas 2014

 Brady walked in the Santa Parade with his boy scout troop, the clear skies and sun shining makes no indication of how VERY,VERY cold it was!

Brady and his bud Max braved the cold and threw out candy.

 

 

We found the old time Santa at the lighting ceremony. 

 This is proof of how things run in our house. You must claim stake to any sweets left out before you go to bed. Brooke will literally never let Chris off the hook for eating her entire pan of brownies.

 Christmas eve, too excited to go to bed....

 This may be my last year for the matching jammies (sniff sniff)

I admitted that I bribed Brooke with a candy store if she gave me one more year. I can only imagine what I will have to raise the stakes to next year.

 

These two decided to bunk together, not sure if that was the best idea.....

 

Case in point......

 Christmas Morning.....waiting patiently (haha) for everyone to get out of bed......

 Boom. Reading Santa's letter. 

 Stocking stuffers!

 Even helping Roxy out before tearing into their load.

 I know, socks....but that smile is not fake. They may have been his favorite gift. I mean who gets that excited over socks? Well at least he can rotate colors now.

 

Brooke's big gift was the Ipod 5 and lots of athletic wear!

 

There is a close race in our house to see who has less wall space, Chris or Brady.....one more thing to hang up.

 

The Wubble Bubble ball.

 

Plastic bubbles....

 

 

A walking sports store.

 

Little did he know he would be watching this guy go to the super bowl!

 

 

 

 This didn't last as long as you would think!

 

Testing out Dad's new "Selfie" button.

Finally Greg's gift.....This one is always a special treat. This year it included multiple boxes, packing tape, duck tape, and super glue.....she complained the whole time, but secretly loves it.

 

This year he actually had her sweating (did I mention no utensils or scissors are allowed!)

 



 

Requests.

2014 visit to see Santa:

 

Brady's had complete tunnel vision when writing out his list this year (imagine that!). He also confirmed that he wasn't having the disbelief that may be a topic of conversation on the playground. Brady also admitted that he knows he won't get the Ray Rice jersey because he is a bad person before I could even debate while he was on his list.

 

 Brooke continues to have a broad base and remains very specific in her gifts vs. stocking stuffers:

 

The man in red listened and took note of all the things requested. My only request is that he threaten to bring coal if he continues to see the boy in shorts while it is 20 degrees outside. I wish I would have thought about that then instead of just now. wah wah wah.....

Thanks Uncle Tom.

The other day I bopped over to Brady's Christmas classroom party, doing my Forest Hills motherly duty, and Brady's teacher started chatting with me and it went something like this:

 

Mrs. O: "So did Brady tell you about his great story his been writing lately? He has been working so hard on it and it so proud"

Mom: "No he hasn't, I usually get it was "just a normal day" most of the time when he recaps his day, so what is it about?"

Mrs. O: "Well It is titled BEER. (giggle giggle)

Mom: "Really? (noticing teacher still giggling) You have been waiting all day to tell me this haven't you?"

Mrs O: "Yes."

Mom: " Okay so what is it about?"

Mrs O: " Well its about how his Uncle gave him his first sip of beer"

Mom: (I will preface this by I really had no idea that this occurred between the two of them) "Well that is super, just living up to my super mom persona!"

 

So we continued to giggle about it and she said I need to make a copy of it so you can give it to your brother. She also told me that she made him change the title from "Beer" to "The worst thing I ever drank" so she wouldn't get in trouble.

 

So here is our author trying to play dumb as he is overhearing this conversation with his teacher.....

 

In hind sight I got to the end of the story and have to actually thank Uncle Tom, because the moral of the story is that he hated beer and will never ever drink it again and now it is documented. I have already framed a copy of this and will nail it on his dorm wall when he moves in on his first day at college.

 I will decode:

The worst thing I ever drank by Brady

Yuck. I was 7 years old. Me and my awesome cousins and my grandma and grandpa, P.S. they are awesome. We rented a lake house for two weeks (really only one) After one week I got changed into my clothes because I was just swimming in the big lake. My uncle was on the long dock. He had a small can of Miller Lite beer with him. I asked him if I could have a sip. IT WAS HORRIBLE. I didn't really know what I was drinking. It was so horrible. I never want to drink it ever again.

 

 

November

November random happenings:

 

Brady still enjoying a costume.

Brady started playing basketball again, he seems to love it. Here he is on a breakaway...number 19 in white.

Sinking a free throw.

 

Brooke is in craft mode a lot lately, which I LOVE! Painting seems to be the new obsession but this was a random holiday surprise.

Watching the Thanksgiving day parade in Kiss boots, seems normal, no?

Roxy continues to be queen of the castle, I mean look at this spot she carved out for herself....

Brady jumped to the next group in cub scouts and now has yet another costume  uniform to add to his closet.

Brady learning the tricks of the trade to getting a full page done in his journal.

While also hopefully working on the trick to get his P's and D's going the right way. Either way sweet idea.

Brady finally voicing his opinion that Brooke always has a sleepover and he never does, so we complied. He had his bud Devin over for a sleepover - they watched a movie and looked at the clock and both went "8:30? I guess we should go up to bed" (BROOKE PAY ATTENTION...Brady might get one every weekend if this is how easy it is)

Just another cute school project I wanted to remember. He had to write a guess who.

"I like to play baseball. The first letter in my name is D. You can find me in Ada Moorings. I am best friends with Brady. I am loud like a lion. Who am I"

You guessed it.

November also involved waiting for the ice to freeze, with no such luck.