Terry's parents came to Indy on Christmas night and stayed through the weekend to celebrate the Moritz Christmas. The kids, of course, love to be together non-stop! We went downtown to the Spaghetti Factory for our "Christmas Dinner" the day after Christmas.
The kids {big ones included} got in plenty of time playing the Wii, eating a ton of great food, a bunch of relaxing and even a nap or two!
The boys love to come home from church on Christmas Eve to find jammies under their pillows {the only "matching" outfits daddy thinks are cool!}. This year they were pumped to have sock monkey jammies. Funny.
We had a super day on Christmas Eve. . .celebrating with the yummiest brunch at my mom and dad's house as well as little gift opening. Star Wars seemed to be quite the theme this year, at least for the youngest 2; Luke chimed in on the shirts, though. After church we headed to Bravo for a great dinner, thanks to a client who sent us a gift card!!
Santa stopped by for some milk and cookies and left a few things for the boys. The favorite stocking stuffer were the spinning toothbrushes!!
We headed to Champaign for the day to celebrate with Terry's extended family. Cole got to reuinte with Ellie. . .she was the spark that led us to Wrigley. And so the beat goes on. . .daily do I hear our boys say "Wriggy, I lov
e you." and hug and kiss the dog. He is the light in their lives and has found a special place in, yes, all of our hearts. We celebrated one year with Wrigs by watching the video of last Christmas when Santa brought us the tiny pup!
All the boys had their Christmas parties at school today. . .last night it looked like there might not be school today due to a big ice storm coming our way. Unlike most times there is a chance that school might be cancelled or even delayed, they were hoping for school!! Their wish came true, we ended up with lots of rain. I got to join in the fun at both Luke and Grant's parties. Luke's class has been together for a year and a half because his teacher looped. It has been SO fun to watch these kids grow and develop as well as build some really strong friendships. 
Not only was today special in Kindergarten because of the party, but it was also Miss Weither's last day of school in Grant's class. She is a student teacher from Butler and has been with the kids since the first day of school. . .they don't know what Kindergarten is like without her. The kids just love her {of course!!} and will have to adjust come January. Grant, although he would not want to admit it, is NOT happy she is leaving. I am sure Miss Weither will be back a time or two to visit!
Luke turned 8 today! The day he was born seems like yesterday. . . it was a super cold day with a snow storm outside. It was also the day George W. Bush was finally declared President almost one and a half months after the election.
Eight years later Luke has turned into a great kid that we are SO proud of. He is a self-motivated guy who is eager to please. God gave him to us first. . .to be a great big brother who is also a responsible rule follower!
Luke chose to celebrate his birthday with friends by having a Wii Party at home last night.
He was joined by a goofy group of friends and family. . .the kids held a Wii Bowling Tournament and made homemade personal pizzas.
The cake was a huge hit. . .a great big thanks to uncle Brett for making this wii remote control cake. Isn't it amazing?
For Luke's birthday today, we had somewhat of a normal day because of the activities we had planned. . .a Christmas breakfast at church and a basketball game this afternoon (a super birthday game for luke--scoring 16 points!). Tonight we headed to grandpa & grandma's to celebrate with a McDonald's dinner and scotcharoos at Luke's request!
This is it. The last pre-school Christmas program we will ever attend. We have had 5 straight years of programs at Castleview, sometimes because we had 2 kids in preschool at the same time we would see multiple programs. It is always fun to watch kids this age, some with much timidness and others with no fear at all!
Cole was a Magi this year as well as an angel in the "Ten Little Angels" song. He did a super job!
After the program we all enjoyed cookies and punch back in the classroom. A special time when we received gifts from Cole and got to socialize a bit with others from the class.
Of course, what would a post about preschool be without a picture of Cole and his VERY best BUDDY, Derek! These two have such a special friendship, they enjoy carpooling to school together, many play dates and love "bossing" each other around at school!
Every December the boys can't wait to spend an afternoon with grandma (and sometime Uncle Brett, as was the case this year) making gingerbread houses. Luke and Grant had a half day of school today, so it was the perfect day to head to grandma's house for a candy-filled afternoon.
I was pretty impressed with the thought that went into their houses this year and the ability for them to do a lot of it on their own. Each year their houses become more "of their own." Luke made a dog house for Wrigley in his gingerbread backyard and Grant added a garage to his house!
Luke went with his class to visit Conner Prairie on a field trip to see all of the gingerbread houses and learn about how Christmas was celebrated in the 1800's. Later in the week all of the parents were invited to come make gingerbread houses with their child. We had fun using LOTS of frosting to make all of our candy stick!
Afterward, the second grade had their caroling Christmas program. Luke had a speaking part, he memorized it and did perfect.
Each class got to "play" the carol they sang on the xylophones!
The boys each wrote a list of things they are thankful for:
Cole—Mom, Dad, Wrigley and Christmas tree
Grant—Christmas tree and a Ferrari {funny, he doesn't have one!}
Luke—Wrigley, that we got him for Christmas and that he looks like Chewbacca
Wrigley (written by Luke)—Is thankful for his girlfriend, the turkey {yes, Wrigley found a new love this thanksgiving, eating scraps of turkey made it his happiest day ever!}
This week at school, Grant's class was studying the pilgrims. They ended their study with a thanksgiving feast. After the kids got all of their food, Mrs. Walter asked them stand and told them they were going to have to eat like the pilgrim children did {they ate standing up!}. . .hmmm, thankfully she let them sit after a minute or two. Look at how the expressions on the kid's faces changes after they sat down!!
Last Christmas Cole got a gift certificate to take a kids cooking class at the Young Chef's Academy. His age group only has classes offered on Saturdays. . . so, we finally got him scheduled for a class. Just a small group, Cole and 2 other girls, made "Healthy Apple Crunch" (aka Apple Crisp). The kids did great. They peeled and chopped all the apples without help. It took a while, but they got it done.
With a little guidance, they got everything measured out and mixed up. We had a happy kid who LOVED his class. He is always the first one in our house to head to the kitchen with the desire to help. I would imagine that someday he will be one of those husbands that cooks dinner!!
Luke started his basketball season today. Luke has a few friends on the team, which always makes playing even more enjoyable for him. The Raptors are off to a rough start; they suffered a 40-10 loss today. Hopefully, things will turn around--we are always amazed at the progress a team makes together from the start of a season to the end. We'll keep you posted on how things turn out!
A good friend of mine {and my former teaching partner} asked me to take a few pix of her kids. . .I was glad to help her out and we had so much fun! Here are a few of my favorites:
Today was the inaugural monumental marathon downtown Indy. . .there was both a full and half marathon. Our family, along with some others from church, worked a water station about the 10th mile into the full marathon. It was really inspiring to watch the runners while handing out water. We could not have been more proud of the boys {they were in charge of picking up all the cups that the runners throw on the street}, they kept the street clean while cleaning up thousands of cups, never once complained and even asked to do it again next year!
Oh, we have way too much candy in our house, but the kids had fun getting it all. It is always tradition to trick-or-treat with the cousins. . .it was our turn to go to their neighborhood this year. We had beautiful weather--the 70 degrees was joyfully welcomed after a VERY chilly week. This year Luke was Darth Vader and Cole was Anakin, Grant was a blow up elephant--this was the funniest costume (we borrowed it from a friend) because it had a battery pack and fan inside of it that kept the elephant looking plump!
In the afternoon, while Luke was still at school, I took the other boys to trick-or treat at the Town Hall, Fire Station and Police Station. The boys loved the desk at the fire station--it even lit up!
We could not have asked for a more perfect fall break--we flew to disney and enjoyed 80 degree, sunny weather with a breeze everyday. The kids had a blast. . .
Cole experienced "the magic". . . out of all 3 boys, he was the most in awe of his surroundings--Luke remembered most things from the last time we were there, Grant remembered some and Cole didn't remember any of it--this was a great thrill for him!
There is a new roller coaster at Animal Kingdom called Expedition Everest (it is in the mountain in the background of the photo)--you get to see the Yeti in it--and the kids couldn't wait to ride it. We all got to ride every coaster(minus Rockin' Roller Coaster for cole, he was too short) in the 4 parks, Cole LOVED space mtn. and rode in the front 5 times!! We have decided that the youngest 2 boys love roller coasters and luke could take them or leave them.
Our favorite day of the trip was the day we got to spend with dear friends--the Michel family moved to KY 2 years ago, so our visits are few and far between. We so enjoyed doing the Magic Kingdom with them. . .it was also a great break for our kids to be with friends (it's amazing that we didn't hear much arguing this day!) Don't you love the crazy hats? Thanks Michels for joining us, we loved it!
One of the things the kids were most looking forward to was making their own light sabers (I have been known to say that we could get rid of every toy in our house except light sabers and my children would still be happy!)! Of course we headed to Downtown Disney the very first night we were there so they could make them, I loved watching them, they were so excited! (and a great big thanks to grandpa & grandma for the souvenir money!)
We did get to enjoy some pool time, too at our resort. The boy's favorite part was the waterside and the pool games led by the lifeguards!
We made it through football season. . . they boys had their last game which, after half-time, turned into a game of kids vs. coaches! Everyone had so much fun {while trying to stay warm} and we enjoyed watching the boys on play on the same team.
Wrigley turns 1 today. . .time sure has flown by. Considering I am NOT an animal lover of any sort, I am glad that Wrigley has become part of our family. Our boys are passionate about their "fluffy little brother" and not only do they have fun with him, but he has taught them responsibility in the past year. What better way for our boys to learn that even though they don't feel like doing something (like taking W on a walk) it needs to be done. I, on the other hand, have had to get used to have a "shadow" follow me everywhere as well as feel about 20 nudges a day on my calf from a dog begging to be pet!
After lots of pleading from our boys, I finally gave in to throwing a "dog birthday party" for Wrigley. So, yesterday we had 3 dog friends over for FROSTY PAWS (yes, they really do make dog ice cream treats) and a little play time. I think dogs and kids had fun alike!
my website, littlePiggleWiggle.com has had a makeover! We have a new look and a new name. Check it out: Moritz Fine Designs
Of course, this time of year you will want to check out the brand new line of Holiday Photo Cards! If you order by October 30, you can save 10% by entering the discount code NEWSITE in the checkout.
Even with 8 staples in his head, and a mom & dad who have continually been telling him to "lay low," Grant can't be still. We have found him playing football with the neighbors in the backyard, wrestling with his brothers and running through the house.
Less than 30 seconds after I look in the backyard and tell Grant I don't think jumping over the fence with huge cut in his head is a good idea, I hear him scream,"MOMMA!!!!" I run outside to find him literally dangling from the top of the fence by one foot. The foot was stuck between two slats and he is upside down, flailing! Besides his very bruised and scraped up foot, he is fine, just a few other cuts. Oh yeah, and the head is fine too.
Ever since birth he has been our most physical child--and up for any challenge. . .I'm thinking we have a long road ahead of us and most likely, a few more hospital visits.
Tonight was the premier of the Star Wars cartoon...an event the boys have been looking forward to. Each boy invited a friend over for homemade pizza and to watch the cartoon. Grant's night took a turn for the worse when, while playing in the basement, Cole pushed Grant and he hit his head on the corner of a square post. We ended up going to the med-check and Grant had to get 9 staples! ouch! He actually did a great job, "took it like a man" and got to watch Star Wars while getting staples in a hospital bed!
I got to go with Cole on his field trip to Stucky Farm. All the kids love this trip and seem to learn a lot...about bees, how cider is made, how trees grow apples, how we get corn meal. . .and of course there is the every popular hay(-less) ride! Derek, in the photo above, is Cole's best buddy at school!
