Christmas Stroll, Georgetown Square

Despite the allergies and the hot weather, Alex and I ventured out for our first Christmas festival of the season this afternoon.  Georgetown, Texas was hosting it's Annual Christmas Stroll on Main street, and the word FREE stamped all over the flyer grabbed my attention.  First up, the 25 foot tall "Snowzilla" slide (FREE).  It looked really, REALLY tall for a 3 1/2 year old, but he met the height requirement (of course he did) and while we waited he compared notes with the little boy behind him.

The conversation went something like this, Alex - "I'm 3 1/2". Little boy - "I'm 5 months old." Little boy's mom interjects - "No, your 5 years old."  Little boy - "I'm tall enough to ride the slide." Little boy's mom interjects - "just barely".  Alex - "Well, I'm 3 1/2 and I'm tall enough to ride the slide."

The first time I went on one side and Alex went on the other.  He loved it.  And wanted to go again.  By himself.  Sigh.  "Mom," he says, (yes, he calls me mom when he's serious.  Not mommy...just mom) "You already went once to make sure it wasn't scary.  You weren't scared, right?  So I will go by myself this time."  And he did. Twice.

That's him looking TINY at the top...

We saw the Grinch, but he didn't want his picture with the live one, so he settled for this one instead.

Riding the train by himself after tackling the Godzilla of slides was No.Big.Deal.

As if daddy wasn't already sad enough he had to miss the excitement today, Alex made sure to play hockey (which he almost NEVER wants to do at home) and even scored a goal!

Finally we spent some time walking around the Bethlehem Village, complete with a fully occupied Inn and a beautiful little rendition of the nativity, tucked into a quiet little corner.  

Trifle with Death

Halloween has always been a favorite holiday for Dustin and I.  Honestly, I have no idea why, but every year we decorate and eagerly await the arrival.  This year we set out with the same exuberance  but  suddenly everything had more meaning than before.  Homeschooling has created a whole new perspective on learning, and for Alex, everything is a research opportunity.  We usually spend a good deal of time looking things up, so it was especially nice this year to find a number of great articles, suggestions and ideas in my inbox about ways to include christian traditions and history into this celebration.  We've had fun reading and learning (certainly more than I ever knew about Halloween), but at the end of the day, he was most interested in creating a Halloween dessert masterpiece.  Oh, boy.  Here goes.

A masterpiece indeed.  He tried one bite and said he didn't like it at all.  This one is just for looks!

Day Out With Thomas

My camera broke.  Again.  Boo!

In September, Granny and Pappy took the boys (and us parents) for a special Day Out with Thomas.  In case I haven't made it clear in previous posts, Thomas is a BIG deal in our house... so this will a big deal for Alex.