MeRrY cHrIsTmAs

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas!

Much love from our family to yours.

Ski School

Our first family ski day! Alan will be skiing for a week in January with his dad, uncles (Glenn and Don), and family friend (Tom). Roger and Tom thought it would be good to test out their legs by skiing in Michigan before heading to Lake Tahoe. Enter us. Alan decided it would be good for him to go as well. I decided it would be fun for Thomas and I to tag along :)

We left early this morning for the 2.5 hour drive to Cadillac, Mi. We skiied at Caberfae Peaks. They, like us, haven't had much snow yet this season. They've been making snow at night and had about a third of their runs open. Getting ready to head down with Daddy. Thomas looks so grown up to me in this picture. I can hardly stand it. He is growing up too fast!

Whoa, buddy. Thomas loved going fast down the hills. He spent the majority of his time skiing between Alan's legs. I took him down a couple of times as well. It is HARD work skiing down in a snowplow with a kid between your legs. Our legs are going to be sore in the morning! Thomas skiied independently when we would get closer to the bottom of the runs. Surprisingly, he was pretty well balanced.

Trying another method - holding onto Dad's ski pole while skiing next to him. This method didn't work quite as well.

Carrying his skis.

A little ski school. Alan, Grandpa, and Tom all helped Thomas learn how to go down the hill. I think Roger and Tom had a good time working with a little one on the slopes again. They taught their kids how to ski when they were about T's size. Riding up the chair lift with mom.

Skiing was a fun family activity. It was so rewarding to see Thomas trying something new, even though he was nervous, and succeeding!

One Lucky Boy

Our Christmas celebrations started last weekend. Thomas is one lucky little boy. We had a short visit with Grandpa on Monday morning. Grandpa Dale and Grandma Pam bought Thomas some new Legos. He is a little Lego boy these days. He had a great time putting together some new trucks. (Sadly, we had to cancel our big Christmas on Monday because Alan was sick.)On Sunday, we had Christmas with Grammy, Uncle Mike, and Aunt Bri. Uncle Mike and Aunt Bri got Thomas these awesome new pajamas and cuddly robe. Grammy made T's day with the Slush Magic, games, and goodies.

We were all pretty skeptical about the Slush Magic. Surprisingly, it works! No blender, no mess....

Chores

Whenever we visit the grandparents, Thomas gets chores. Now, these chores are more fun than the ones at home. Yesterday, we arrived at my mom's house. Like usual, she had some chores for him. Here's his list: use the dustbuster, fill the fridge with juice boxes, pop, and bottled water, set out bowls of candy, nuts, and snacks. He took the fridge filling job very seriously. So seriously that we won't be able to fit any food in there. We thought is was hilarious that he sat down in the fridge to complete his work. In case you're wondering - chores at the grandparents = cash. Chores at home = room and board.

First Snow (finally!)

We have been disappointed in the snowfall amounts so far this year. We didn't even get measurable snow until December 9th. How is this winter loving family supposed to survive?!

In true Thomas fashion, he was eager to get out and play in this freshly fallen snow. Just like last year (and the year before), he had to cram all of his favorite snow activities into this first snow.

We have our fingers crossed for a snowy Christmas vacation. I'm sure we are in the minority here. We love the snow!

Fall Photo Shoot

We had some family pictures taken over Thanksgiving weekend.

I love this candid shot of us. All cheeses.

The whole Asiala clan.

Wowza

It has been over a month since my last post. Oops, sorry! Well, how about a bunch of catch up posts?

Randomness

I had an interesting conversation with T's teacher this morning. She reported Thomas telling her he was very tired yesterday. This isn't too surprising because it was, afterall, the day after Halloween. His reasoning is what is so random. He told her, "I didn't get much sleep last night because my dad was up all night smoking cigars." Really?! It's a good thing we don't believe half of what kids tell us at school!

Dress Up

Dressing up is - well, it's just fun. Kids (and parents) put a lot of thought into dressing up at Halloween. What to buy, make, pull together that speaks to your childs personality at that point in this year. It's often a production.

This weekend, Kyle and Erin had their first ever sleep over at our house. All the kids were very excited about this opportunity to play together for so long. As well, our church was having a Halloween fun event for kids. So, Laura sent along Kyle and Erin's costumes and we headed off for some Halloween fun.

Erin, the tiger, Kyle, the flight commander, and Thomas, the worker guy, had a great time. They got a kick out of putting their costumes on and playing games together. I wanted a picture of the 3 of them on the way in. They decided it would be a good idea to make choreographed faces.

Here are scared Tiger, Flight Commander, and Worker Guy.

Mad Tiger, Flight Commander, and Worker Guy. Happy Tiger, Flight Commander and Worker Guy.


Do kids have all the fun? Nope, not always. Alan went to a Halloween party tonight as well. I couldn't go because I was taking care of the 3 previously mentioned kiddos. This Halloween party was at the house of his boss, Tom. So, I thought it would be fun (and oh so fitting) to have Alan dress up as a golfer. He and I had a great time pulling his costume together. I pinned his dress pants up so they would look like knickers. Yes, I drew a mustache on him. And yes, those are my socks. Before he left, Erin commented, "those are girl socks!" Hee, hee. They are pink.

For the Love of Leaves

Leaves are fun. Unless, of course, you are the one responsible for taking care of all of them. Luckily for Thomas and I that isn't our responsibility. Rather, we get to enjoy them. Thomas absolutely loves the falling leaves. He loves them for a variety of reasons. He can rake them,

jump into them,
jump over them,

pose for mom in them,

roll around in them,and drive through them.

Sadly, for Thomas and I, leaf season doesn't last very long. We are really blessed with such a picturesque piece of property. Our yard is stunning when the leaves start changing. I love all the reds, oranges, and yellows that I can enjoy when outside and inside out of our large windows. But, all good things must come to an end, right? Thomas remarked today that our trees are already bare. That means no more pretty colors for mom, leaf fun for T, or leaf duty for dad. Now that the leaves are gone - mother nature can bring on the snow as far as I'm concerned.

Thomas-isms

A couple new Thomas-isms for you all:

"Gavin should spend the night. Then, we would never have to stop playing." Mourning bedtime after his buddy went home last night.

"Daddy doesn't like to ride on the tire swing. It makes him too Disney." While spinning in circles on the tire swing at the park.

"I would name the kitten Pat the Hammer Asiala Kitten." A little pause then, "No, I would name him Thomas. Thomas Asiala." Trying to persuade me to let him get a kitten. I wanted to get him a kitten in the spring and his response was, "we already have a cat."

Wordless Wednesday

Just Monkeying Around

Thomas has a new favorite activity. He's very proud of himself. Any guess what it is?

This old apple tree is a good climbing tree. He can climb up about 6 feet before the branches get too far apart for his little legs. That is plenty high as far as I'm concerned! Thomas and I searched a good portion of our property yesterday and couldn't find any other good climbing trees. We might just have to put on our muck boots and search the ravine high and low.

Wordless Wednesday

More Soccer....

I can't think of a better way to spend Saturday mornings. I take my coffee along, chat with friends, and get to watch my big boy play soccer. Beth and I spend a great deal of time chasing after Brett at the games. He really just wants to be a big boy, too. We frequently have to pull him off the field.
Apparently in Michigan, Soccer = rain. We had our first experience with drizzle last week. Luckily, it cleared up. Brett enjoyed playing in the umbrella while he waited for Thomas and Jack to be done.

Go, Thomas, go! The coaches do a nice job of making sure all the kids get a chance to play. This was a nice little turn for Thomas. He typically runs alongside the others and doesn't make much of an attempt to go for the ball. Aren't they so sweet in their little uniforms?!

Buddies.

The Help

I loved this book! I read it upon the recommendation of my good friend, Kathy. She was also nice enough to loan me her copy. Thanks, KB! It read a little slower than books I normally choose. This turned out to be such a benefit. I fell in love with the characters and didn't want the book to end. Reading it slowly, just a few chapters a night, allowed me to soak it all in.

The movie. To see or not to see? That's the question now. Typically, I am disappointed with the movies that are based on books. However, I've heard that this one is really good. So, I'll probably have to see it. If nothing else, it will let me get a few more tastes of Skeeter, Minny, and Aibileen.

Traditional book or e-version? For me, it's all about the traditional, turn the paper pages, and hope your bookmark doesn't fall out of its place type. I have numerous friends that swear by their Nook, Kindle, etc. I even have a friend that loads books on her phone. I, unlike my husband, am always late to the technology game. Maybe I'll jump on the bandwagon in the future. For now, there's nothing like a book with real pages.

Today

• 5:30am: Beep, beep, beep- Alan is up and at 'em.


• 5:45am: Beep, beep, beep-Jill's turn. I get up, quickly change and head downstairs to work out.


• 6:15 am: Alan is ready and backing out the driveway.


• 6:21am: Thomas makes his way to the basement. Upon arrival, he informs me that there was a "7" on his clock. Most likely 6:17 and not 7:00 like we've talked about. He is suppose to stay in his room until 7:00.


• 6:30 am: turn on cartoons so I can shower and get dressed.


• 7:00am: Pack lunches and sip some coffee before Thomas and I make pancakes for breakfast.


• 7:30am: Dishes done, tossing in a load of laundry. Snuggle and coffee time.


• 8:00am: Teeth brushed and finding shoes.


• 8:15am: Arrive at school. Stand in the parking lot for a few minutes, marveling at the double rainbow that is arching over the school. Chat with some co-workers who are taking pictures.


• 8:30am: Finally in the office and getting settled. Thomas does crafts and puts them on my bulletin board.


• 8:50am: Last hugs for a slightly weepy Thomas on my way out of his classroom


• 8:50-3:45: Work hard! I got everything done on my list AND saw all the kids I needed to :)


• 3:00pm: Alan's home.


• 3:45pm: Pick up Thomas and his buddy Kyle from their classrooms and bring them back to my office to finish up the day.


• 4:05pm: Heading home with 2 cute kiddos. Alan is in the basement working out.


• 4:30pm: Retrieve T's wagon from the ravine. Apparently he was taking Kyle for a ride. Luckily, Kyle didn't tumble down the ravine. His orange push up was the only tragedy.


• 4:40pm: Get changed. Have pictures at church at 5:30.


• 4:50pm: Alan's ready.


• 5:00pm: Load up the car - need to take Kyle home.


• 5:15pm: In town. Kyle's mom isn't home and he tells us his dad is on a business trip. Get back in the car only to have Kyle's dad open the door. Oops. Kyle was wrong. Dad IS home ;)


• 5:40pm: Pictures taken. They are running behind. Skillfully dodge the sales pitch to buy pictures and survive the cheese head photog who is calling me "your highness" and Alan "sire." Really?!


• 6:00pm: Just heading out. Need to get Alan to his friends house to help him move.


• 6:15pm: The guys are done. Alan invites them all to dinner. Yikes! Hadn't planned on company.


• 6:30pm: Scrambling in the kitchen to make dinner for a crew of men.


• 6:50pm: Dinner's done. We ate spaghetti and meatballs, chicken ravioli with alfredo sauce, and burnt garlic bread. There. Secrets out. I'm not perfect - even I burn bread ;)


• 7:20pm: Thomas gives our company the grand tour, including showing off his treasures.


• 7:40pm: Sending T off to bed with stories.


• 7:50pm: Folding laundry while Alan reads the last story.


• 8:20pm: Got the bills ready for the morning deposit and organized my coupons. Need to get groceries tomorrow. It's been 2 weeks. No milk. No bread.


• 8:40pm: Sit down to play on the computer and realize I've forgotten to blog every night this week. Crap. Strike 2 on the imperfection meter. Maybe it's because we're boring and don't do exciting things. Maybe it's because we are freaking busy all the time and I forget things (strike 3?). Depends on perspective, I guess.


• 9:00pm: Alan is snoring on the couch.


• 9:05pm: Blog done. Time for bed. Good night.

Transition Troubles

Thomas was so excited about his first day of school. He hasn't been nearly as excited about the following 4. We're having trouble with transitioning into school in the morning. His mornings have been tearful. So, if you're so inclined- keep us in your thoughts. Having him so worried is hard on Alan and I as well.

Antique Engine and Tractor Show

It's that time of year again. The Antique Engine and Tractor Show was at the Michigan Flywheelers Museum this weekend. Thomas and I camped with Kathy on Saturday night. I love that this is only about 4 miles from our house. It made going for 1 night really easy. We went for the day last year and had a great time.

Thomas hitched a ride in the Snoopy plane. The guy on the tractor built all of these little planes and takes kids for rides. I think he has just as much fun as the little ones. Lauren might just be a little bit too big for driving T's tractor.

Rob was nice enough to take Thomas on a ride around the grounds.

In his happy place.

Just another tractor on exhibit.

Thomas tooled around Flywheelers on his John Deere the entire time we were there. He loved being "just one of the guys." Older gentlemen totally understood and indulged Thomas a bit. They waved at him, complimented his tractor, and asked him questions about it. He loved telling them about his gears and showing them where his battery is stored.

Soccer Saturday

Thomas is playing AYSO soccer this Fall. So, for the next 6 Saturdays we'll be soccer parents. The hour is split into 2 parts. They practice for the first half and then have a scrimmage for the second half. Thomas was very focused on his dribbling. They had to go around the field twice while kicking the ball around the little cones.

Game time. All the boys were glued to the ball - as one would expect with 5 year old soccer. Thomas enjoyed himself and is very excited that his buddy Jack is on his team.