Advent candy calendars

The kiddos finished their advent calendars today. They weren’t the normal ones - RJ liked that each day had a different shape. Morgan didn’t like that they were small in size. Oh well - still fun to open each day!

Opening Christmas Cards!

Opening up a bunch of Christmas cards tody!

First snow of the season!

Yay!  Snow! Even better - snow day for both the kiddos and I!  NO virtual learning! Yipee!

First cleared off the steps for the puppies then enjoyed a quiet cup of coffee (or two) before going outside to work on the driveway!

Time to head outside! I snow-blowed the driveway and cleared the cars while the kiddos built an awesome sledding hill with a hill (hump) to get some air and then created a huge snowman!

I was so excited to see snow!  I absolutely love snow and today was just the pick-me-up I really needed!  I was starting to get down in the dumps with all that has been going on even though I am trying hard to stay positive!  Today was just perfect!

More snow play!

More snow!  

I love the snow!  

I forced the kiddos outside so here are a couple pictures of them literally sitting and throwing snow in the air to make their Momma happy!

Twinsies at school

 Gotta geek out once in a while and match while advertising how awesome we are!

A random package...

What and who would send us this package without a note?  Feeling suspicious... 

Check out the inside...

Um... everything in this box is manufactured in different countries?  Um... who sent this and why is there all this foreign food?  Should we eat this?  Will we be poisoned?  Hmmm... decisions...

***Update: TWO weeks after I put this post up I got a text from my neighbor asking if we received her box from Yums... yes I responded cautiously.  Her response, "Since we haven't been able to travel the world I sent the world to you!"  Nice idea... very creative and thoughtful!  (Just next time include a note, lol)

Grave Visit

First stop, Mom-Mom's grave (Pop Pop's mom and dad)

Second stop, Nana's grave (MeMom's mom and dad)

Last stop... Daddy's mom (Grandmom)

We made it to visit our loved ones of the past.  It is something many people would not even think about, but this has been a tradition since I was young that I will continue to do as it brings back fond memories and makes me stop and think about loved ones that are no longer with us.

This year Willow took the trip with us since she loves the car.  Poor Duke stayed home because he does not enjoy the car.  He was sad, but in the end was happier (I'm sure!).

Daddy was with us in spirit!

Foggy Light

It turned pretty foggy tonight and with the lights pointed at the house this looked really cool!  I don't think the picture captures as cool as it was, but hey, I tried!

Sweetie - so silly again!

 And again!  :)

Shop with a cop

10 years!  Wow!  10 years we have been putting smiles on children's faces... from when Bob on his own first started this by going business to business and achieving $100 for each of TEN kids... to having an overabundance of money and providing for 175+ kids - obviously done more by the secretaries at the borough as that many kids is over the top for a single fellow to configure!  This year not only did each kiddo get $150 to shop with, the parents got $100 to shop the store, and each kiddo got a backpack full of winter and school necessities!  I know I looked silly... double masks, face guard, and gloves but being at the registration table where who knows what kind of germs were coming my way - I needed to be prepared!  You know me!

(update... one of these ladies in this picture was diagnosed with COVID days after this night... and folks asked whey I was covered head to toe...lol!)

Sweetie - so silly

 Sweetie is so silly!

Santa - a bit differently...

This COVID thing is really teaching me to have patience! We were supposed to go to see Santa the Monday after Thanksgiving - just like we were supposed to get our tree that Monday too - hence why I took a personal day off from school - but had to get the tree early because of the weather and couldn't see Santa because the booth was closed for cleaning on Mondays - gah!  Deep breathes and try my best to go with the flow... that is not my forte!! 

BUT... here we are!  We did make it!

So, tonight we quick jumped into our fancy clothes and off we went to see Santa!  This year it was a bit different as everything has been this year! I am glad we went and got our picture, and the kiddos lucked out and could take off their masks for all of 1 minute for the picture.  As long as they didn't turn around and look at the big guy they could smile without masks!  The mall was so quiet... not like Christmas time at all! 

Christmas Book reading...

 We started out December reading a Christmas book a night! We got 4 nights in and either I forgot to take pictures or we didn't have time to read.  Oops!  Good thought and try!