O Christmas Tree!

Ashten was trying to reach as high as he could. The bottom was jammed packed while the top was bare.

Ayden was doing very well at spacing them out
Isn't he so cute!!
My three boys with the completed tree.
Good job boys!Me and my boys

We almost always set up our Christmas tree and decorations after church on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. So after the kids and I took a long nap, Armand and I got out all of the decorations from the garage. Of course, when I went to set up our tree I remembered that last year I had put new lights on it and only got a third of the way done. Doing lights is my biggest pet peeve. So I called Mom and Dad who had bought a tree for me on Black Friday, I was going to buy it from them so we could use it this year but they decided that I could just have this present early! Thanks! You are life savers!! After the boys and I got home from picking it up we spent the next two hours getting it all decorated. They were so excited. Even AJ was getting into it putting ornaments on the tree, but he pulled off more than he put on. We had to remove all the bottom glass ornaments and move them up high. I hope he doesn't do too much damage. When the other boys were little we had years with a tree on top of the dining room table, a year with no tree, and years with strings of cereal and bells, because it was the only things they couldn't really destroy. This year I am just going for it because I think between the four of us we can keep AJ away from the tree.

Thanksgiving Round 3

Papa and Grammy explaingin the rules to Ayden and AshtenAyden wished for a Remote Control Car.

Ashten wished for a Gun to shoot people.Ayden won!

I told Ashten that he lost because he wished for something naughty. Our last party was today at Grammy and Papa's house. I totally forgot to take pictures until the boys were going to break the wishbone. This dinner was our least traditional, Hawaiian haystacks made with turkey. The kids had a lot of fun playing games, cars, Legos, and watching movies with their cousins in the play room upstairs. Downstairs the grownups played games like Pictionary and Yahtzee. Some of the girls worked on crafts while almost all the boys played Counter Strike on the three computers and two laptops. We left at 1:30am! The boys were beat but they said they loved the party and playing with their cousins.

Thanksgiving Round 2

The Cueto FamilyAshten and Anderson working off their dinner on the exercise bikeAyden This is funny...I thought wow this picture isn't cute of Grandma and her grandsons: Ayden is shrugging or something, Ashten's looking disturbed, AJ is trying to get away and Grandma has her eyes closed but then I saw the next picture... HAHAHA!

Our second dinner was less traditional. We had turkey with lots of Filipino side dishes. It was very good and nice not to have to go straight to the next party to eat the same food again. This time there were lots of kids for Ayden and Ashten to play with. They were all boys so it got rowdy fast! They were teasing their uncle Marlon and running around screaming. No one seemed to mind other than me haha. We had lots of fun and it was good to see this side of the family as some of them had not met AJ. He was the center of everyone's attention at this party, which he wasn't sure about, except when there was pie involved.

Thanksgiving Round One

Me and AndersonAfter dinner AJ was acting a little cranky so we set him on a chair just because we were out of options. He actually sat there for a good 30 minutes just looking around just like this. It was pretty funny.Battle of the Sexes

Girls: Hillary, Me, Natalie, Kristin, and Aunt Ardie

Guys: Armand, Dad, Peter, Wes, and Aaron

Boys whooped the girls...can you believe it? Zero was going on at the other table

Grandma, Carol, Aubrey, Mom, Julie, Brian

Ayden and Ashten had lots of questions for Aunt Ardie, who was visiting from Utah Ashten kept coming to me and saying "my belly hurts", a few minutes later I'd see him with more food. He'd come back to me again saying "my belly hurts". I kept telling him to stop eating but he didn't get it.
Aunt Julie and AJ
My cute hubby
AJ asleep on the couch

Today is Turkey Day! Our first celebration was at Grandma Anderson's house for the traditional Thanksgiving dinner. Everything was delicious. They boys had a great time playing with all the family that they don't get to see very often. There weren't any kids their age the closest being 16 ... so basically, not close at all. haha I was worried that they may get bored but they had tons of fun I barely saw them the whole time. Anderson ate throughout the entire visit there and eventually I laid him on the couch and he passed out within minutes despite all the "partying" going on. We had to leave early this year because Armand's family was also having a Thanksgiving Dinner this year.

Salad Spinner Art

Ashten and Ayden getting ready to take their turns Ayden giving it a good spin
Ashten kept spinning and spinning.
"I don't like it yet"

Ashten's "turkey feathers"

Ayden and Ashten with their finished projects

For our craft today I looked online for something new to try out and I found salad spinner art. I am mostly glad I found this because I have a salad spinner, which I never use, but now I have a use for it. haha I cut out large circle out of cardstock and let the kids squirt paint on it. After that we put the lid on it and let it spin. Then I cut out the head and body and had the kids decorate with crayons and googly eyes. I think salad spinner art is going to be very popular in our house, it was surprisingly clean and took less than five minutes for me to clean everything back up.

Pajamarama Story Time

Ashten and Ayden during Story TimeThe puppet show
Ayden and Ashten who is bowing after his performanceAshten
Tonight we went to Pajamarama Story Time at the Federal Way Library. I forgot about it until about 630pm and it starts a t 7pm, so I had Ayden and Ashten hurry and get ready (Anderson was sleeping). They get to wear their jammies and bring either a blanket or a stuffed animal. Ashten was very wiggly but they both had a good time. Afterwards, they played the computers that the library has set up for kids. They really like doing that although Ashten has a hard time with the mouse. I'm not sure if this is because he doesn't have a ton of practice or if it's because he's a lefty. Just before we left the kids put on a puppet show for me. They don't know to make the puppets talk...when I asked Ayden about this he told me: "the puppets mouth doesn't open so I can't make it talk". Anyway, it was good to get out of the house and the boys are always excited to go somewhere at night, they always think it's an adventure.

"Are These Real Turkey Feathers?"

Ayden lining up his favorite feathers for his turkey feather hat Ashten liked the straight and bent feathers Ashten and Ayden and their finished projects I found some cute ideas on the MSN website for Thanksgiving crafts, I love doing Holiday crafts with the kids during the week. It makes the day go by fast and the kids have lots of fun. My Mom had some feathers for us to use. After she dropped them by this morning, I got the kids set up. They loved this craft and it was clean and easy for them. I think they look great!

Thank You

Ayden working hard to sign his name One of his completed cardsOne of my finished cards Ashten made his own thank you cards for when it's his birthday

I decided that Ayden was old enough this year to make his own thank you notes for his birthday gifts. I got out my dinosaur stamps and put him to work. He did really well considering he had to make 12. I ended up making 3 and he did 9. I asked him what he wanted to say in each card and wrote it down for him. Then, I had him sign his name in each card. I hope by starting him young he will always remember to thank people properly.

Escape 2 Africa

Ashten, Daddy, and Ayden

Anderson really wanted to play. I let him spin for me but then he wouldn't share the spinner with the other players. Then he was eating the cards so he had to get down. Cassi and Gavin sent Ayden a Madagascar game. We waited for Daddy to come and after dinner we set it up and played. It was actually a lot of fun. Ayden was the final winner and Daddy was a very close second. Ashten and I were the biggest losers, but hopefully Ashten learned out to be a happy loser.

Chugga Chugga Choo Choo!

The kids' basket train
Ayden the Engineer

Anderson was being silly spinning his arms around as you do when singing Wheels on the Bus
Ashten was reading "Chugga Chugga Poo Poooooo! The Potty Train"

I can't believe the things they find at the library. I was lucky enough to be able to sleep in today while Armand took care of the kids. When I finally decided to wake up, I found that Ayden and Ashten had constructed this "train" using belts and all the empty laundry baskets that I had finally got emptied after a whole day of laundry. I don't remember the last time we had five empty baskets at the same time. Don't get me wrong we still have one more day of laundry until we are caught back up completely.

Star Wars

Ayden and Ashten fighting with light sabres Ayden is really into it.
Ashten kept getting beat
I know this picture is all blurry looking but I was trying to show the effect of the light sabres

Ayden and Ashten have been really into Star Wars ever since McDonald's had Star Wars Clone Wars toys in their kids meals. They watched Star Wars II with Armand the other day when I was out and they both really liked it. I can't believe they are already into this stuff, I thought I still had time. Anyway, today we went over to Grandma Acheta's to help work on her house a little. The kids brought Star Wars II with them to watch while we were working. Grandpa Acheta gave the kids these flashlights to play with. Next thing I know, they were fighting each other with their flashlights. It was very funny. Ayden would swing his at Ashten and say "Your light sabre is broken" then Ashten would switch off his flashlight/light sabre. We were watching the show in the dark and it really did look like light sabres flashing around. Those boys crack me up!