I Want Candy

Well okay, I personally don't want candy, but this super cute little gingerbread boy I bought at Rite Aid sure does.  :)  Kyle loved watching him at the store and I couldn't say no to a dancing cutie, so I bought him.  It did help to convince me that he was 50% off.  Anyway, when Nicholas came home he was thrilled with it.  I am sure Connor will love him just as much!  I must say that while Kyle loves to watch the dancing gingerbread boy, he would rather watch from a distance.


Today was also Nicholas' last day of class until January.  They got a really long break.  They had a great little party and he bought his teacher's a chocolate cream pie to show them how much he cares.  He insisted that he wanted to get one for home and one for his teacher's to enjoy for their dessert after lunch.  He sure does love those two wonderful teachers of his.
They sang two songs for the parents.

The classroom tree they decorated.

Can you tell Nicholas is a fan of tons of glitter?

He ate the leg off his gingerbread boy he decorated before I could snap my picture.

 Lovin' Gingerbread Boy

Santa again

Today Santa was at the Santa Clara library!  Kyle, Nicholas, and I joined some friends in going to story time with him.  I thought it would be Santa reading to the kids, but instead he was telling stories.  The first story was kind of long and not that interesting.  However, the second story was much more engaging and enjoyable.  It was only about half an hour, but then Santa posed for pictures.  The first thing Nicholas said to Santa was, "Hey, my name is Nicholas too!"  I tried standing next to Santa to get a picture of us with him, but it still made Kyle cry. 

While telling the second story, Santa had a regular piece of copy paper.  He had some small scissors and was snipping away at the paper the whole story long.  At the end, he unfolded his paper and showed the following!  I was amazed at how good he was at cutting out this shape!  If you can't tell, the story was about some mean trolls and a polar bear.

Dance

We took more pictures today while we waited for Connor to finish dance class.

Breakfast with Mrs. Heiser

At the school auction, Connor was one of four kids who won breakfast with Mrs. Heiser (She was his First Grade teacher last year, and he adores her!  It was hard for him to decide if he was more excited about breakfast with Santa or Mrs. Heiser!).  So today, the kids all showed up bright and early to Room 2 for breakfast. 

 Mixing up the pancake batter

 Breakfast in the stroller

First Reconciliation

Connor was so nervous!  He was nervous about giving his very first confession.  Eventually he decided that he would be most comfortable if we wrote out his sins, so that he would not forget any.  There were seven priests available for confessions.  When we got in line, there were 3 kids in front of him.  He kept opening his list and reading them over in his head. 
He was very excited when it was finally his turn.  They did face to face confessions.  He started trying to read the list to Father, but in the end, Father just took it and read each one and they talked about them.  When he came back, he was so excited!  He was thrilled his soul was so clean.
He went to make a visit to Our Lady afterward to thank her for helping him get through his confession.  He also told me in the car that he might have to go to confession everyday to make sure his soul stays as clean as it was today. 

See his nervous smile?

The picture is not the greatest because there was very little lighting in this part of the Church and I didn't want to get closer and intrude upon his confession.

 So happy!

 Proudly showing off his certificate!

 I thought it was sweet he had his arm around Saint Juan Diego as he talked to Our Lady.

 Here you can see his excitement!

Breakfast with Santa

The boys have literally been counting down the days till today because they couldn't wait to have breakfast with Santa.  To be fair though, in their minds, they thought it would be us sitting at a table eating pancakes with Jolly ol' Saint Nick; in reality, it was a group of about 25 families sitting at one of several long tables eating.  Santa walked around and shook hands, gave hugs and high fives, but he never actually ate.  The older kids loved interacting with him.  Kyle was a little unsure what to make of Santa. 
The boys were also excited because we saw lots of people we knew there.  Mrs. Frietas, Nicholas' teacher was there volunteering.  Mrs. Adorable, Connor's Catechism teacher, was there with her grandkids.  Mrs.  Linnea, Connor's Hip Hop instructor, was there with her own boys.
After breakfast, there were six different areas set up for making holiday treats and ornaments.  You also got to take your picture with Santa and would get a gift.  The older kids got some cute inflatable balls with a snowman inside and Kyle got a plush reindeer.  They had so much fun!  I hope they all enjoy it just as much next year.  I'm praying Connor keeps believing.  I was in 3rd grade when my teacher broke my heart and told me the 'truth' about Santa.  I hope no one shatters Connor's world like that any time soon.

Coloring their place mats while we waited for our breakfast

Their favorite station was the one where you could frost and decorate a cupcake any way you wanted!  Then they gave you a nifty little cupcake box to take it home in.

 The boys were so excited to talk to Santa and take a picture with him!

 Kyle was not so thrilled, as you can see.

Step into the past

My youngest brother recently sent me some pictures, among them one of my Dad when he was a baby.  Just thought I'd share.