The highly abbreviated version... sorry, turn your head side-ways again!
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Just around 7:30 this morning the pitter patter of little feet in the kitchen woke us up. It was Owen and he ran into our room and said "I want you!" as he climbed into our bed. We waited for Ben to follow... but nothing. Jason went to check and Ben was laying patiently in his bed. That was the last indication of patience this morning!
The moment he arrived in our room Ben was ready for presents. Owen was NOT. After much coaxing, it still took Jason carrying him to get Owen into the family room. Ben started unwrapping. Owen sat and watched. Finally the puppies in a playset in Ben's pile got him motivated and slowly but surely, Owen opened his gifts. The set of horses got a "gasp" but the puppies of all sizes were expected hits as well. And the backpack full of art supplies... well, he is still carrying it.
Ben especially loves his Justice League toys and his Green Lantern and Flash "muscle" costumes. He's been running and posing all day. We're getting ready to eat lunch now, play some more, and head to my mom and dad's for the night. More presents and time with family tomorrow.
Pics of some of the favorites, some superhero poses, and a small musical performance are included in this blog post -- enjoy!!
Treehouse present for both boys...
Polar playset - Ben got this from Santa..
This is Owen's riding stable...
Flash!
Don't mind the tooth-picking...Ben had just eaten a candy cane! Sorry -- you have to turn your head side-ways!!
The moment he arrived in our room Ben was ready for presents. Owen was NOT. After much coaxing, it still took Jason carrying him to get Owen into the family room. Ben started unwrapping. Owen sat and watched. Finally the puppies in a playset in Ben's pile got him motivated and slowly but surely, Owen opened his gifts. The set of horses got a "gasp" but the puppies of all sizes were expected hits as well. And the backpack full of art supplies... well, he is still carrying it.
Ben especially loves his Justice League toys and his Green Lantern and Flash "muscle" costumes. He's been running and posing all day. We're getting ready to eat lunch now, play some more, and head to my mom and dad's for the night. More presents and time with family tomorrow.
Pics of some of the favorites, some superhero poses, and a small musical performance are included in this blog post -- enjoy!!
Treehouse present for both boys...
Polar playset - Ben got this from Santa..
This is Owen's riding stable...
Flash!
Don't mind the tooth-picking...Ben had just eaten a candy cane! Sorry -- you have to turn your head side-ways!!
The days before Christmas...
I should have taken a picture of the van... given how much time we spent there this week! On Monday, Jason and I went Christmas shopping. The boys were with mom and dad ... we went to Indy, got home late on Monday, and then Jason went to Terre Haute on Tuesday morning to pick them up. We knew that there were 'weather warnings' out and thought that we'd go to the Indiana State Museum for awhile and then head home before the freezing rain was supposed to start at 6PM.
The museum was fun... Ben loved the wooly mammoth, wolf, and cheetah especially. Owen loved the bear. I was in line for Santa pics and the boys were riding the train when I got a text from a weather service saying that Greencastle was under a level 2 emergency ... essential traffic only. It was about 2:30 at that point and looking outside, it was completely dry in Indy. About 30 mins later another text said that most of the roads in Putnam County were closed. We left the museum at 3:30PM.
Two and a half hours later we had made it about 4 or 5 miles. We weren't even registering 5MPH. The road wasn't too bad but when Owen needed a pit stop (Goodwill parking lot), Jason found out how slick the ground really was... no one fell but it was very bad. Back on Hwy 40 we drove for another hour and then stopped briefly at the Goodwill outlet to kill some time while the boys were sleeping and let the traffic "thin out" - ha. Twenty mins later it was just as bad. We stayed in the crawling traffic for awhile longer and then ventured off of 40 to make some headway toward Metropolis and the nearby locations. We decided to stop at Applebees to wait it out a little, get some food, and let the boys stretch their legs. Just about an hour later we hit 40 again, thinking it was a better situation and that I70 must have re-opened because we were seeing fewer semis on the road.
For awhile we were fine, then we saw the backup... it went for miles and unfortunately, despite numerous efforts and phone calls to friends to find ways around the backup, we were stuck. Semis were unable to make it up the slight inclines due to the ice. Hotels in Plainfield were full... so no choice but to continue forward. Around 11:30 PM we made beds for the boys in the van and turned off our headlights. Mom and Dad called to say that the Terre Haute news was reporting 5-6 hr from Terre Haute to Indy. They were off... it took us just @ 11 hrs by the time we finally got home. The boys had gotten some rest, but we hadn't gotten much at all when we arrived home around 3AM!
So that made Christmas Eve a really lazy day.. more so than we had planned even. We mostly hung out at the house, iced cookies for Santa, and delivered gifts to 2 of our neighbors. We had pizza for dinner ... taking the easy route... and then went to church service at 8. Having the boys in service when we're not used to it is a chore -- but one broken up by frequent trips to the bathroom with Owen!
The boys were in bed by about 9:30 on Christmas Eve... anxious for the next morning to arrive!
The museum was fun... Ben loved the wooly mammoth, wolf, and cheetah especially. Owen loved the bear. I was in line for Santa pics and the boys were riding the train when I got a text from a weather service saying that Greencastle was under a level 2 emergency ... essential traffic only. It was about 2:30 at that point and looking outside, it was completely dry in Indy. About 30 mins later another text said that most of the roads in Putnam County were closed. We left the museum at 3:30PM.
Two and a half hours later we had made it about 4 or 5 miles. We weren't even registering 5MPH. The road wasn't too bad but when Owen needed a pit stop (Goodwill parking lot), Jason found out how slick the ground really was... no one fell but it was very bad. Back on Hwy 40 we drove for another hour and then stopped briefly at the Goodwill outlet to kill some time while the boys were sleeping and let the traffic "thin out" - ha. Twenty mins later it was just as bad. We stayed in the crawling traffic for awhile longer and then ventured off of 40 to make some headway toward Metropolis and the nearby locations. We decided to stop at Applebees to wait it out a little, get some food, and let the boys stretch their legs. Just about an hour later we hit 40 again, thinking it was a better situation and that I70 must have re-opened because we were seeing fewer semis on the road.
For awhile we were fine, then we saw the backup... it went for miles and unfortunately, despite numerous efforts and phone calls to friends to find ways around the backup, we were stuck. Semis were unable to make it up the slight inclines due to the ice. Hotels in Plainfield were full... so no choice but to continue forward. Around 11:30 PM we made beds for the boys in the van and turned off our headlights. Mom and Dad called to say that the Terre Haute news was reporting 5-6 hr from Terre Haute to Indy. They were off... it took us just @ 11 hrs by the time we finally got home. The boys had gotten some rest, but we hadn't gotten much at all when we arrived home around 3AM!
So that made Christmas Eve a really lazy day.. more so than we had planned even. We mostly hung out at the house, iced cookies for Santa, and delivered gifts to 2 of our neighbors. We had pizza for dinner ... taking the easy route... and then went to church service at 8. Having the boys in service when we're not used to it is a chore -- but one broken up by frequent trips to the bathroom with Owen!
The boys were in bed by about 9:30 on Christmas Eve... anxious for the next morning to arrive!
Ben & Owen after Christmas Eve Service... Owen was not cooperating!
Jason got some new Ostrich boots for Christmas... pics of all 3 boys and their boots on Christmas Eve.
Icing/eating Santa's cookies...
The short ride on the State Museum train just before the L O N G ride home!Thursday, December 11, 2008
Thanksgiving pics...
Some photos were out of focus -- oops! It was a day filled (as most at our house are) with many costumes! Kyle enjoyed the bob the builder vest and hat!
Owen's "Report Card"
You'll recall that we moved Owen up into the 3-y-old class at preschool in October. He just got his "I Can Do This" assessment from school. Here's the scale and the report...
- * is the "excellent" rating
- + is "satisfactory"
- - is "not yet"
MOTOR DEVELOPMENT
- * I can throw a ball
- - I can hop on one foot
- * I can roll a ball
- * I can hold a crayon
- - I can jump with one foot
- * I can paint with a large brush
LANGUAGE
- * I can describe what happened in 2-3 words
- * I can tell you what I want
- * I can repeat parts of songs, rhymes, and finger plays
- * I can listen to simple stories and songs
- * I can identify loud and soft voice
- * I know my first name
FUNDAMENTAL SKILLS
- + I know the concept of "one"
- + I can count to 5
- * I can point to big and little objects
- * I can put together a puzzle with large pieces
COLORS
I can recognize: white, red, yellow, black, blue, green, purple, brown, and orange. (got a "+" on pink... apparently ONLY SATISFACTORY on that one!)
I can recognize these shapes: circle, square, heart, triangle and star were "excellent" and rectangle, diamond, and oval were "not yet."
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
He got all "excellent" ratings in this area... items were:
- I can participate in group activities
- I respond to my teacher well
- I share with my friends
- I recognize my own things and can name them (backpack, folder, coat, etc.)
- I can follow simple game rules
- I can complete a task
- I listen to Mrs. Hanlon
They also had 2 "Just for Fun" questions at the bottom of the assessment... they were "fill in the blanks." Owen's answers are underlined...
- Name something God made: triangle
- My favorite color is: red
We were worried about Owen's poor teacher in this preschool thing... so it's a relief that he is doing so well! Ha! We'll have to decide later if we'll actually send him to kindergarten with this group (he's the youngest) or keep him for the next year. I'm thinking he'll be ready to go with these guys and will be very upset NOT to be going. We'll probably have some real complaining starting NEXT year when Ben goes and he doesn't!!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Dear Santa
Here's a copy of our letter to Santa... ready to be mailed this week!
Dear Santa.
We are Ben and Owen Huff. We live in Greencastle, Indiana and we have been pretty good this year. Ben has really been working on not asking for EVERYTHING this year because he knows there are children without toys and he already has many.
Owen has been trying not to bite his brother and is doing a pretty good job. He’s also wearing big-boy underwear and trying to get good at that.
Ben would like any of the following for Christmas surprises:
- Captain Marvel, Captain Atom, Captain Boomerang, Mirror Master, Gorilla Grod, and Green Arrow action figures. Green Arrow and Captain Atom are the two he’d like the most.
- An elephant that makes sounds
- Flash & Green Lantern costumes
Owen would like:
- John Deere toys
- Art stuff
- Games
- Play-doh
- Doggie or kitten coloring book
- Animal toys
- Superheroes
Both boys would like the Jungle Hospital and Rescue Center.
We will have cookies & milk for you when you arrive on Christmas Eve. We’ll also have carrots for your reindeer.
Love,
Ben & Owen Huff
Dear Santa.
We are Ben and Owen Huff. We live in Greencastle, Indiana and we have been pretty good this year. Ben has really been working on not asking for EVERYTHING this year because he knows there are children without toys and he already has many.
Owen has been trying not to bite his brother and is doing a pretty good job. He’s also wearing big-boy underwear and trying to get good at that.
Ben would like any of the following for Christmas surprises:
- Captain Marvel, Captain Atom, Captain Boomerang, Mirror Master, Gorilla Grod, and Green Arrow action figures. Green Arrow and Captain Atom are the two he’d like the most.
- An elephant that makes sounds
- Flash & Green Lantern costumes
Owen would like:
- John Deere toys
- Art stuff
- Games
- Play-doh
- Doggie or kitten coloring book
- Animal toys
- Superheroes
Both boys would like the Jungle Hospital and Rescue Center.
We will have cookies & milk for you when you arrive on Christmas Eve. We’ll also have carrots for your reindeer.
Love,
Ben & Owen Huff
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