Shadows Hockey

Dallon and Dawson both got new hockey sticks and goals for Christmas. (They had about worn their homeade ones out). And they bought the rollerblades a couple days after Christmas with some Christmas money they got. They play hockey almost daily. They have gotten real good on their blades. Like I said in a previous post, they named their team the Shadows... and Dawson was really wanting to make them team shirts. So, one afternoon we made shirts. We used iron on letters and numbers for the backs. They did the ironing themselves and were pretty pleased with how they turned out. In the last couple pics is their friend/neighbor, Dylan. He is the one who has really gotten into hockey with them.

love...

Blue Hummer Limo.

Dallon had his first ride in a limousine friday. He was picked up at his school and taken to Incredible Pizza for games and fun. He earned it by selling magazines for a school fundraiser. He was so excited about this and worked hard to make it happen. Thank you to sweet neighbors, friends, and family members who purchased magazines from him to support him and his school.

Easton and I drove over to his school around the time that we knew they were leaving - and got there just in time to see them pull out. I shot these pics from inside the car leaning across the passenger seat as far as I could to see out the window. I was so happy for him when I saw just how cool the limo was. It was a top notch blue hummer limo. And he said the inside was amazing!

homemade hockey

This is how our boys spent the whole month of december. Outside playing street hockey. They went to a hockey game at the beginning of the month and that started their love for the game... and they've been playing outside since. They wanted hockey sticks so bad that they made their own. All on their own too. I had no idea they were even doing that. One day they just came in to show me the cool hockey sticks they had made out of sticks and duck tape. They first used a baseball for the puck. But after a couple broken hockey sticks, and another roll of duck tape they wised up and found a tennis ball. They wore their heeley's most of the time. It was the closest thing they had to skates. They use the baseball pitch back and a cardboard box for the goals. It was mostly just the two of them, but a neighbor (Dylan) would join in as much as possible. He made his own stick too. They named their team, The Shadows. They came up with that name one day in our backyard while playing. Our dog pen outside has the name Shadow written in the cement from a previous owner. Their colors are black, white, and red. They try to wear those colors when they play. They each have given themselves positions. Dawson is the goalie and he says he is #50 even though he doesn't have any kind of jersey or team shirt - he has already picked out a number. Ha Ha. He keeps asking me to buy t-shirts so he can make team shirts for everyone. One of these days I'm gonna do that for him. Maybe we'll post the team shirts on here. He is requesting white t-shirts with black and red paint or letters. We'll see.

Christmas

The kids getting ready to run down the stairs to see what Santa had brought...

Dawson must have been so fast that I didn't even get a picture of him. Ha ha.

Dallon and Dawson were so excited to see Santa had brought them street hockey sticks and goals. They were really hoping for them!

Santa brought Easton these toy story toys. To say he loved them, is an understatement! As soon as they were out of the box he was busy playing with them the rest of the morning. Hours of play! He had to be coaxed to even open his other presents.

Easton loves his new slippers and cars pj's!!!

And here are a couple pictures of our stockings this year. We decorate a new stocking each year. It's a Sullivan family tradition.... and a tradition that Aaron loves. Here he is with his. And one picture of the rest of ours too.

First Place!

Aaron really went all out with the lights on our house this year. Every year he and the boys have tried to place in the neighborhood competition. We have always had good lights! And we've thought they were good enough to place every year. But, we've never even placed before. This year Aaron told us all on thanksgiving weekend that he wasn't doing the roof lights this year because of his knee. We understood. Because he wasn't doing the roof he did the ground level and trees and balcony better than ever before. The boys were so much help this year. They loved being outside helping Aaron put them up. The lights looked so good that the night before the judging, when aaron came home from work, (at 11 pm) he told me that he really thought we had a huge chance of winning this year and that he was going up on the roof to seal the deal. (While others in the neighborhood slept the night away, he was working to one up them by adding the roof lights. Ha Ha!) The picture really doesn't do it justice. Have you tried to take a picture of Christmas lights? It's tough. But the lights really looked great! The kids were more than excited when we received the first place sign and were told the $100 award was in the mail to us. Of course, they want their cut for helping so much this year... but that is still in negotiations.

Bernard.

Our boys were so good this year that Santa sent his favorite elf, Bernard to help them count down to Christmas. Each night when they were asleep in the beds he would slip an envelope under one of their bedroom doors. In the envelope was a fun activity that they needed to do that day with their family. Each morning they would wake up excited to go find that day's envelope and read it aloud to their brothers. Some of the fun things we did were... watching a christmas movie and eating popcorn, driving around the neighborhood to look at Christmas lights, camping out around the christmas tree, eating breakfast for dinner, dancing to christmas music, going to see Santa, decorating the tree, etc. We had so much fun as a family doing these activities together. They loved Bernard! Who wouldn't? They looked forward to each and every letter. And they saved every one. Occasionally, he left the a little gift behind, like Holiday Smencils, Christmas books to read together, Snowman poop (powdered doughnuts) for breakfast, and even a painted self portrait, which they loved. Dawson must have been talking about it at school because one day when I picked him up he said... mom, I was telling my friends... "You know Bernard? Santa's favorite elf?" Mom, they didn't know him. Can you believe it? And, just a few days before Christmas, Dallon said... I hope Bernard comes again next year. This was so much fun!