The Cookes

I Think You're Wrong (But I'm Listening) by Sarah Stewart Holland and Beth Silvers (9)

Resistance Women by Jennifer Chiaverini (7)

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert (7)

Call of the Wild by Jack London (with the boys)

Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery (8)

Meet Cute by Helen Hunting (6)

Know My Name by Chanel Miller (9)

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein (with the boys)

The Cruel Prince by Holly Black (7)

The Wicked King by Holly Black (8)

The Queen of Nothing by Holly Black (8)

Trouble I've Seen by Drew G.I. Hart (8)

Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer (with the boys)

The Breakout by Rachelle Harp (7)

Untamed by Glennon Doyle (8)

The Last Wish by Andrezj Sapowski (7)

Season of Storms by Andrezj Sapowski (7)

Sword of Destiny by Andrezj Sapowski (7)

Good Luck Charm by Helena Hunting (6)

Don't Overthink It by Anne Bogel (8)

Possession by A.S. Byatt (6)

Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire by Jen Hatmaker (8)

Love Lettering by Kate Clayborn (8)

All Things Reconsidered by Knox McCoy (7)

Native by Kaitlin B. Curtice (8)

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone by Lori Gottlieb (7)

Finnikin of the Rock: The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta (8)

Froi of the Exiles: The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta (8)

Quintana of Charyn: The Lumatere Chronicles by Melina Marchetta (8)

The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See (8)

Beach Read by Emily Henry (8)

The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan (7)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (7)

American Royals by Katharine McGee (7)

Majesty by Katharine McGee (7)

Midnight Sun by Stephanie Meyer (6)

King of Scars by Leigh Bardugo (8)

Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake (7)

One Dark Throne by Kendare Blake (7)

Open Book by Jessica Simpson (8)

Ember's End by S.D. Smith (with the boys)

Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker (7)

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling (6)

Two Dark Reigns by Kendare Blake (7)

Five Dark Fates by Kendare Blake (7)

Children of Time by Adrian Tchaikovsky (7)

The Letter for the King by Tonke Dragt (with the boys) (8)

Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier (7)

Thursdays with the Crown by Jessica Day George (with the boys)

Red, White, and Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston (7)

Ghosted by Rosie Walsh (7)

The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa K. Adams (6)

Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian (7)

Lady Smoke by Laura Sebastian (7)

Ember Queen by Laura Sebastian (7)

Too Much and Never Enough by Mary Trump (7)

Fridays with the Wizards by Jessica Day George (with the boys)

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab (8)

Beginner's Luck by Kate Clayborn (7)

Luck of the Draw by Kate Clayborn (7)

Best of Luck by Kate Clayborn (7)

Bridgerton: The Duke and I by Julia Quinn (7)

Saturdays at Sea by Jessica Day George (with boys)

2019 Books

2019-01-02T13:36:00.001-06:00

Kingdom of the Blind by Louise Penny (8)

Tower of Dawn by Sarah J. Maas (8)

Kingdom of Ash by Sarah J. Maas (8)

Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi (6)

I'm Still Here by Austin Channing Brown (9)

The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken (8)

Never Fade by Alexandra Bracken (7)

In the Afterlight by Alexandra Bracken (8)

The Darkest Legacy by Alexandra Bracken (8)

Bring: The Last Beholder by Megan Beam and Erin Hicks (7)

Gather: The Last Beholder by Megan Beam and Erin Hicks (7)

Ember Rising by S.D. Smith (with the boys) (8)

The Ghost Map by Steven Johnson (6)

Educated by Tara Westover (8)

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley (8)

The Selection by Kiera Cass (7)

The Elite by Kiera Cass (7)

The One by Kiera Cass (7)

The Heir by Kiera Cass (6)

The Crown by Kiera Cass (6)

Happily Ever After (novellas) by Kiera Cass (6)

Red Queen (reread) by Victoria Aveyard (7)

Glass Sword by Victoria Aveyard (7)

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman (8)

The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan (with Ethan)

King's Cage by Victoria Aveyard (7)

War Storm by Victoria Aveyard (7)

Shameless: A Sexual Reformation by Nadia Bolz-Weber (8)

Inheritance: A Memoir by Dani Shapiro (6)

A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness (8)

Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness (8)

The Land of Stories: A Grimm Warning by Chris Colfer (with boys)

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan (with Ethan)

The Book of Life by Deborah Harkness (7)

Time's Convert by Deborah Harkness (7)

A River in Darkness: One Man's Escape from North Korea by Masaji Ishikawa (7)

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (7)

North of Normal by Cea Sunrise Person (7)

The Hating Game by Sally Thorne (7)

Dangerous Territory by Amy Peterson (8)

Emily of New Moon by L.M. Montgomery (8)

Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery (8)

Emily's Quest by L.M. Montgomery (8)

Everything Happens for a Reason and Other Lies I've Loved by Kate Bowler (8)

The Land of Stories: Beyond the Kingdoms by Chris Colfer (with the boys)

The Naked Now by Richard Rohr (7)

The Lost Book of the Grail by Charlie Lovett (7)

Leaving Church by Barbara Brown Taylor (8)

The Birth Order Book by Kevin Leman (7)

Longbourn by Jo Baker (7)

Summer at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan (7)

The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang (7)

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren (7)

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan (7)

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (6)

An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor (7)

Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale (7)

Everything We Left Behind by Kerry Lonsdale (7)

Everything We Give by Kerry Lonsdale (7)

The River by Peter Heller (7)

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry (6)

The Good Widow by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke (6)

My Glory Was I Had Such Friends by Amy Silverstein (6)

Unleashing Mr. Darcy by Teri Wilson (7)

The Land of Stories: An Author's Odyssey by Chris Colfer (with boys)

The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary (7)

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (7)

The Stationery Shop by Marjan Kamali (8)

A Better Man by Louise Penny (8)

The Land of Stories: Worlds Collide by Christ Colfer (with boys)

Well Met by Jen DeLuca (7)

Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo (8)

Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo (7)

The One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood (7)

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman (7)

Miracles and Other Reasonable Things by Sarah Bessey (8)

The Path Between Us by Susan Stabile (8)

Field Notes on Love by Jennifer E. Smith (7)

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson (7)

Girl Meets God by Lauren F. Winner (6)

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez (6)

The Only Girl in the World by Maude Julien (6)

Playing House by Ruby Lang (6)

The Priory of the Orange Tree by Samantha Shannon (8)

Not Counting Women and Children by Megan McKenna (6)

One Day in December by Josie Silver (7)

Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan (7)

The Bride Test by Helen Hoang (7)

2018 Books

2018-01-01T16:32:00.002-06:00

The Nature of the Beast by Louise Penny (8)

Braving the Wilderness by Brene Brown (8)

Windfall by Jennifer E. Smith (7)

Still Me by Jojo Moyes (8)

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid (8)

Boundaries by Henry Cloud and John Townsend (8)

Church of the Small Things by Melanie Shankle (8)

This is What Happy Looks Like by Jennifer E. Smith (7)

Happy Again (novella) by Jennifer E. Smith (6)

What to Say Next by Julie Buxbaum (7)

The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith (7)

Half the Church by Carolyn Custis James (8)

Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas (7)

Crown of Midnight by Sarah J. Maas (8)

Pachinko by Min Jin Lee (8)

Heir of Fire by Sarah J. Maas (8)

Queen of Shadows by Sarah J. Maas (8)

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis (6)

The Assassin's Blade by Sarah J. Maas (7)

Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller (6)

Circe by Madeline Miller (8)

As Good As True by Cheryl Reid (6)

Drop the Stones by Carlos A. Rodriguez (8)

Paris for One by Jojo Moyes (7)

The Third Reconstruction by Rev. Dr. William J. Barber II (8)

That Kind of Mother by Rumaan Alam (7)

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (7)

Emmy and Oliver by Robin Benway (7)

Little Beach Street Bakery by Jenny Colgan (7)

Empire of Storms by Sarah J. Maas (8)

A Great Reckoning by Louise Penny (8)

Inspired by Rachel Held Evans (9)

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan (8)

The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer (with the boys) (8)

The Very Worst Missionary by Jamie Wright (8)

Belleweather by Susanna Kearsley (7)

Jesus, My Father, The CIA and Me by Ian Morgan Cron (7)

Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams (7)

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (7)

Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan (8)

I'd Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel (8)

Wednesdays in the Tower by Jessica Day George (with the boys) (8)

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (8)

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (8)

Learning to Speak God From Scratch by Jonathan Merritt (7)

First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen (8)

September by Rosamunde Pilcher (8)

The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile (9)

The Clockmaker's Daughter by Kate Morton (8)

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (8)

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (8) (with the boys)

The Antelope in the Living Room by Melanie Shankle (7)

Windfallen by Jojo Moyes (6)

A Spark of Light by Jodi Picoult (7)

The Land of Stories: The Enchantress Returns by Chris Colfer (with the boys) (8)

Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief by RicK Riordan (with Ethan)

The Wondering Years by Knox McCoy (7)

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens (with the boys) (8)

Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah (7)

Glass Houses by Louise Penny (8)

Broken Throne by Victoria Aveyard (6)

Bullet Journaling

2017-04-27T10:50:00.000-05:00

This post is not about how or why I Bullet Journal...because I don't actually bullet journal at all. (Can I use that as a verb? I don't know, but I'm leaving it.) BUT, I feel like it's something I would be very much into if I started. Let's just look at the things a Bullet Journal does:

Organize
Keep Records
Make Lists
Be Creative about all of those things

^ ^ ^ That is literally a checklist of all my favorite things. So why don't I bullet journal? (Yet.)

My problem with bullet journaling is NOT that it's everywhere. It feels like everyone is doing it. That sometimes deters people from trying things because they don't want to go along with the flow of popular culture. That is not me. I am not worried about doing something that everyone else is doing...IF I like it.

My problem is that I feel like if I get started with it...it will be my new time suck. Sure, there would (could) be a payoff that's much greater than wasting time on Facebook, but it will still suck time out of my day. Where is that time going to come from? Also, I will be perfectionist about every page. I know you can make it as simple or as complex (and creative/colorful) as you want. But perfectionists and those who love a good design on a page find that difficult.

I also feel like I just got on board with digitizing everything in my life. Once upon a time, I swore up and down that I'd never stop using my little black book (my planner). And I did. I keep every list, note, record, calendar item, etc. on my phone. And it syncs perfectly with my home computer, so I am a happy, organized person. And now everyone is going back to paper? What is happening?

This post could also end up being like my wariness of the Kindle before I embraced that completely. I recently whittled down my collection of real books to only the ones that I love, love, love so much that I could never part with them. It's not that I don't love and appreciate physical books anymore, but I just love the convenience and efficiency of reading (almost) exclusively on my Kindle. Apparently, I did sort of see that coming.

So, I may end up bullet journaling in 2017. Or starting in 2018. Who knows? Because just look at all this loveliness I rounded up on Pinterest:

Harry Potter Library Event

2017-02-04T16:26:00.001-06:00

We are getting our mileage out of the boys' Harry Potter costumes. Not only do they play with them at home with regularity, they used them to dress up for a Harry Potter event at our library last Thursday. My friend, Christina, had told me about the event, but what really sold it were the posters on the end caps at the library itself. Ethan spotted one on our last trip and asked if we could go. Our friends went as well.

Logan chose to wear his new Quiddich robes that the boys got for Christmas. And crocs for both of my boys. Sigh. Shoes are simply not something I will choose to argue with them about...unless a special pair is required for a certain activity.

The library had several activities set up for the kids to do. One was a scavenger hunt - they had to go find things like a broomstick, etc. And mark it off their list.

Give this child a checklist and he is a happy camper. He is my son for sure.

They also had Professor Trelawney handing out fortunes to the kids.

Inside another room there were several tables with activities. There was also a Butterbeer station. The younger boys decided to give it a try. Looks like Brennan was not a fan!

And Logan wasn't either! Haha! At least they gave it a try - the big boys didn't even want to do that.

The younger boys also designed and colored their own crests. Logan did a section for each of the Hogwarts houses.

They all made their way back to the tables and played with some blocks at one point. I think some of the activities were too crowded and they just wanted to play with each other anyway.

Christina took a photo of the boys and me for us. The boys barely stopped playing and running around long enough to do this.

While you're in the library, you might as well have a look at some books...

They cannot resist playing with an iPad. Christina and I (thankfully) had the presence of mind to check what they had done on the iPad and we deleted three videos they had made.

In all honestly, this was a wild night. The event started at 6:30 on a weeknight. That's right about when we winding down for the night on a school night. Logan is usually in bed around 7:15 and Ethan has lights out at 8. And this time of night is not known as their best time of the day, especially after a full day of school. Friends and fun activities keep them from melting down completely, but they only amp up the craziness factor. So, while Christina and I were struggling to keep these four from feeding on each other's energy and going totally rogue in the middle of the library, we did all have fun.

There were quite a few people at the event, which added to the chaos. At least our children were not the only crazy ones. And ours were not the loudest and rowdiest either!

2017 Goals

2017-01-02T10:53:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, January 1, I decided I didn't really want to write down any goals this year. And today, January 2 - my birthday - I decided I did want to. I like having my birthday at the beginning of the year...it's like a new year for me in several ways.

First, I always like to read last year's goals and see how I did:

I could have done better on catching up with photos and photo books, but I did ok. I did read...63 or so books. The boys did learn new life skills. We traveled. I was actually active more than I have been in the past 6 years. So, check. I did reorganize the whole house. Slowly, but I got it done. I did not really write more. And I did get IN more photos, but not as many as I could have.

____________________________________________________________________________

Although I could pretty much copy and paste last year's goals almost exactly, I'm going to simplify this year and really focus on 1-3 things I really want to accomplish. I'm leaving out the things that I feel like I've already made a regular part of my routine now (hello, reading).

1. Catch Up on Photo Editing and Photo Books. This is #1 for a reason. I really, really, really, want to do it. I want to be all caught up, get them all organized, and complete more books. This is my year.

2. Continue being Active. Like I said above, I actually did pretty well with this in 2016. I'm making it a goal for 2017 because it's really easy for me to let this drop...and I don't want to.

And...that's it, I think. I'm really narrowing it down this year so I can FOCUS on these two. Let's go, 2017!

2017 Books

2017-01-02T09:44:00.001-06:00

Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult (9)

Postcards from the Edge by Carrie Fisher (6)

Passenger by Alexandra Bracken (8)

Wayfarer by Alexandra Bracken (8)

Out of Africa: Saga 2 by Ian A. Fair

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart (with the boys) (8)

Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery (reread) (10)

The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny (7)

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum (8)

Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher (7)

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (reread for me/with the boys)

Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny (8)

Executing Grace by Shane Claiborne (7)

The Black Star of Kingston by S.D. Smith (with the boys)

The Jungle Book: The Mowgli Stories by Rudyard Kipling (with the boys)

My Notorious Life by Kate Manning (7)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (reread)

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George (with the boys) (8)

The Course of Love by Alain De Botton (7)

This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (8)

At Home In The World by Tsh Oxenreider (9)

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (8)

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley (7)

All is Grace by Brennan Manning (6)

When I Found You by Catherine Ryan Hyde (8)

Winnie the Pooh Volume 1 by A.A. Milne (with the boys) (8)

A Trick of the Light by Louise Penny (7)

The Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny (8)

Talking as Fast as I Can by Lauren Graham (8)

How The Light Gets In by Louise Penny (8)

Evicted by Matthew Desmond (8)

Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor E. Frankel (7)

Henry Huggins by by Beverly Cleary (with the boys) (8)

The Girl With Seven Names by Hyeonseo Lee (7)

The White Queen by Philippa Gregory (7)

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley (7)

Of Mess and Moxie by Jenn Hatmaker (7)

The White Princess by Philippa Gregory (7)

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (6)

Cashelmara by Susan Howatch (8)

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness by Arundhati Roy (6)

Every Last Word by Tamara Island Stone (8)

Diana: Her True Story by Andrew Morton (8)

The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson (7)

The Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner (8)

The Polygamist's Daughter by Anna LeBaron (8)

The Hobbit by J.R. Tolkien (reread - with the boys)

Roger and Amy's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson (7)

The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley (7)

The Midwife's Revolt by Jodi Daynard (8)

Reading People by Anne Bogel (7)

Beyond Belief by Jenna Miscavige Hill (7)

The Moffats by Eleanor Estes (audiobook with the boys)

What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan (7)

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work by John Gottman (9)

The Chemist by Stephanie Meyer (7)

Coming Clean by Kimberly Rae Miller (8)

The Long Way Home by Louise Penny (8)

Christmas with the Fairs: 2016

2016-12-28T14:06:00.000-06:00

After everyone left our house from breakfast, we cleaned up - the house and ourselves - and then headed over to Mimi and Pop's house for a little more Christmas. My aunt Pam had brought her Bingo game stuff and everyone had contributed to the prize table. And everyone played! It was so fun. The boys especially loved it.

We used dry beans to mark our bingo cards. The boys had already opened their stocking stuff at Mimi's house...and Elliot the Dragon (from Pete's Dragon) was one of the surprises inside!

Lunch was super-easy, which we've come to love. We have our traditional meal of curried meat pies, toppings, and a salad. It's so nice to spend Christmas actually enjoying family and the day rather than slaving over a meal in the kitchen! The clean-up for this meal is quick and easy too.

Kevin brought over some of his cider and juices to mix in. Tasty!

There were two small Lego sets as prizes for bingo. They were Ethan's first two choices when he won. He gave one to Logan. Logan's first two prize choices were bags of chocolate gold coins!

Before long, it was time for presents! The boys took the part of the elves and delivered all the packages.

With a smile!

One of the first ones Ethan opened had money inside!

Logan got his very own bow and arrow set. And this thing is amazing - now that we've played with it some. It's so fast and goes really far! Let's see if we can be careful not to "misplace" the arrows.

This hovering soccer puck is really fun too! You just turn it on and place it on a hard floor like wood and kick it around. Aunt Pam and Uncle Steve got those for the boys.

Mimi and Pop got Ethan a real, flying Millennium Falcon! It is so cool. Ethan tore into the box immediately.

And Logan got a flying X-Wing. Awesome!

We stayed for a while at Mimi and Pop's house but spent the late afternoon and evening back home playing with all our new toys.

Everyone in our family loves BB-8. When we got back home from the Fair Christmas, they were all charged and ready to go. You control his movements using an app on the iPad. It could not have been easier to get them synced and to start playing.

Duke is the only one of us that is not sure about the BB-8 robots...he barks at them any time they move! In his defense, he is not used to having something move like that down on his level. And BB-8 makes his little beeping/talking noises too. Haha! Duke will just have to get used to him!

Christmas at Home: 2016

2016-12-27T13:45:00.000-06:00

After coming home from Nonnie and Papaw's house on Christmas Eve, the boys changed into their Christmas PJs and picked out some of their cut-out sugar cookies for Santa.

We poured a small glass of milk (it's a wonder I even had milk since we never buy it any more.) And the boys carried it all into the living room to set out for Santa.

Unfortunately, as soon as we set down the cookies on the coffee table, Duke came up to eat them.

So we moved everything back in to the kitchen and set it on the island. Ethan wrote Santa a quick note to let him know where his goodies were and left it on the coffee table.

And Santa came! The boys each asked for a BB8 robot. Ethan also asked for the Battle of Hoth Star Wars Lego set and a Nick Wilde (from Zootopia) plush toy. Logan also asked for remote control tanks and a military helicopter.

I did not get one un-blurry photo of them coming into the room on Christmas morning. Mimi and Pop were there right before 7am so the boys could come down and see what Santa brought them.

It's funny to see what they picked up first. Logan went straight for the BB8 robot. More on him later - he's fun. But we had to set them both up to charge for a while and we didn't really get to play with them until later on Christmas Day.

Ethan, on the other hand, went straight for his stuffed animals! He was so thrilled to see Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Chip from Beauty and the Beast too. He did not specifically ask for those, but Santa brought them anyway.

They dug into their stockings too. Logan is not disappointed by this treat...he's actually just surprised that there are Kit Kat Santas!

Santa knows we like Mickey!

That is one giant Lego set. And he has been patiently waiting for Santa to bring it to him.

Logan loved his helicopter and tanks too. For some reason he is really into military stuff right now.

After the boys had explored all that Santa brought them, they started passing out the boxes under the tree.

The boys picked out presents for each other again this year.

Ethan got Logan an Army truck, which Logan thought was so cool. He said, "Thanks, Ethan!" when he opened it.

For some reason I missed getting a photo of what Logan picked out for Ethan...it was an Ewok stuffed animal that Ethan has had his eye on for a long time. He was so excited to see it!

And then came a couple of presents from mom and dad...the Hogwarts Express with Harry, Ron, and Hermione POP vinyl figures.

And Quiddich robes and goggles. They were totally surprised by both of these gifts and were really excited.

Ready to hop on their brooms and play Quiddich!

Next Casey and I opened our gifts from the boys and each other. Logan is laughing here because those are Star Wars underwear for daddy. He also got some socks and a Dumbledore POP vinyl figure from the boys. I got him a special razor handle and shaving cream from The Art of Shaving.

The boys got me two necklaces from Kendra Scott and Casey got me a Michael Kors purse. I love how they like to watch us open gifts too.

After we cleaned up the wrapping paper mess, the adults headed to the kitchen to put the final touches on our breakfast, and the boys played with the remote control tanks.

The tanks had surprisingly loud sound effects and I was wondering why Santa thought that would be okay. I guess he didn't know how loud they would be.

Before everyone showed up for breakfast, we took a quick family photo. I'm wearing those two necklaces from the boys! And I have no idea why, but I don't have a single photo of breakfast. I guess I was too busy enjoying our traditional fare: sausage balls, coffee cake, fruit, and an egg bake. Plus mimosas from Pop! It was a good morning...but our Christmas Day was not over yet!

Christmas with the Cookes: 2016

2016-12-26T12:58:00.000-06:00

This year we had Christmas at Nonnie and Papaw's house on Christmas Eve. Avery was sick and so only Chelsea and the boys were able to come this year. It stinks to miss Christmas! And Grandaddy and Nana Betty were with other family celebrating that day, so we had a smaller party than usual.

Yes, that is bree cheese baked in pastry dough with cranberries. It was as delicious as it sounds.

The adults take the folding table in the living room because it actually holds all of us.

The kids sit at the kitchen table, which Nonnie always dresses so cute!

All the Cooke cousin stockings hung up on the mantle...

Donna always works really hard and makes a wonderful meal for us. But this year, she really wanted to to Beef Wellington, which is no easy feat. She worked double hard on the prep work and here she is making the last scoring marks on the pastry dough before popping it in the oven.

After a lot of prayer, checking the timers, and meat thermometers, she ended up with these beauties. They were delicious!

Ethan stole Uncle Jeff's boots. Aren't they supposed to look a little bigger on him? I remember when he was a toddler and they would have covered his whole leg.

Boys waiting patiently for lunch...and then presents after (the real thing they're waiting for).

It's finally time and you're making us pose for a photo? We told them they couldn't open anything until we took it, so...

Thrilled over his Disney gift card. He's saving it for our Disney Cruise next summer .

Ethan is still on his stocking stuff and Logan is starting to tackle the presents!

A small Nerf gun in the stocking was a hint of what was to come in the wrapped gifts...

Logan finally got some Nerf guns. He loves them!

And Ethan got this cool bow and arrow.

And of course, a Star Wars Lego set.

Nonnie is going to be finding a few Nerf bullets in and around her house because I'm positive we did not get them all when we left...and there was a lot of target practice going on that day!

Christmas Cookies 2016

2016-12-22T14:10:00.000-06:00

Today we made our Christmas cookies...like we do every year. Two will be for Santa and the rest will be for us! This endeavor started out a little rocky for the boys (and me, by extension). They were cranky (for some unknown reason) and therefore, fought with each other quite a bit during the dough-making part. It was so much fun (insert eye roll).

They cut up their own sticks of butter this year. Any recipe that starts out with two sticks of butter is a winner in my book.

They took turns with the mixer. They're getting good at not flinging food all over the place when they use it.

They each got to crack an egg and we had no shells that we had to fish out. So, good job, boys.

They had to share the rolling pin too. Every year I think, "we should get another rolling pin so they can do this at the same time." And then a whole year goes by before we use the rolling pin again so I forget about it. And really, we don't need another one.

They've got this part down now...rolling out the dough and cutting the cookies.

We added a few new cookie cutters to our stash this year: a mitten, Christmas light, stocking, and present.

Ethan wanted to transfer his cookies to the baking sheet all by himself. I only ended up having to help him a little bit.

So, after we took a break for the cookies to bake and cool, the boys mellowed out and didn't fight any more - hallelujah. They're checking out their cookies here to see how they baked.

A couple of hours later when the cookies were completely cooled and we were ready to get back in the kitchen, they decorated their cookies. The icing was a little runny at first, but it actually firmed up as we went along. So the first couple of cookies look peculiar (but tasted great!). Ethan wanted to make an "E" cookie, so I used a knife to cut that out.

I did an "L" for Logan too. They didn't need too much help with the icing...it came out of the bottles pretty well.

I spy Duke trying to get anything he possibly can that's dropped...which did happen, of course.

Logan kept sneaking tastes of icing. He did the same with the cookie dough. He probably had the equivalent of three cookies with icing before we were all done!

So serious...

The boys let me decorate a few cookies too. It's fun! This was my tray. I really liked how that snowflake turned out and I also enjoyed doing the Christmas lights. See how our icing was a little runny? We do not worry about such things. It's fine. They tasted wonderful!

These are Ethan's cookies...

And these are Logan's. I know it's only three days until Christmas, but it might not be easy to save two of these for Santa!

Do You Wanna Build a Snowman?

2016-12-21T16:09:00.000-06:00

This was a new activity for us this year and the boys totally loved it. They were with me when we bought the modeling clay at Michael's a while ago, but I told them it would be a surprise when we used it. They were so excited to see it on the coffee table today for our snowman craft.

I just happened to find little "snowman kits" at Hobby Lobby on sale (50% off) that had the stick arms and nose. (Before I found the kits, I was planning to use real sticks and candy corn.) We already had the buttons, the ribbon for the scarves, and the googly eyes.

The magic model clay is really easy for kids to work with, so I didn't have to help them at all. And it dries a little after you leave it to set up. Perfect for sculpting.

Duke wanted to know what was going on and if there was food involved.

Ethan wanted me to cut his stick arms a little shorter so they didn't poke through the other side. Then he used the scraps to make an "E" on the bottom of his snowman.

Logan started out having a little trouble rolling balls, but then he got the hang of it.

We put their two cute little snowmen over by the gingerbread houses. (Logan's snowman is holding a snowball!)

Our Polar Express

2016-12-21T13:04:00.000-06:00

We have an awesome heritage center near the downtown area of our town. Several historic buildings...and trains. We've been coming here for years, especially for photos, and the boys have always loved the trains. So today, just a few days before Christmas, I asked them if they wanted to help create some magical photos like the Polar Express.

It has been cloudy ALL day today, which was perfect because I knew I wanted to add snow in post-processing. It looks a little weird to have snow falling with a bright shining sun. And wouldn't you know, just before sunset, the clouds broke and there was a gorgeous sky with pinks, blues, and purples. Normally absolutely perfect for a sunset shoot...but not if you were counting on the clouds to make your fake snow look authentic. Oh, well. We were already out there and shooting, so it is what it is!

The boys wore their "classic" Christmas PJs and their moose slippers. They were thrilled at being allowed to wear their slippers outside! They don't have dressing robes otherwise we would have brought those...very authentic to the Polar Express illustrations.

We did bring along our "Harry Potter" lantern that I got for Ethan's wizarding birthday party two years ago. The boys still play with it when they play Harry Potter. It was perfect for this. (I did add the light burst in post - the actual light looks really dim in real life unless it's super dark!)

This shoot was really easy and quite fun. They didn't have to look at the camera and smile very much.

One more thing I brought was the actual Polar Express book. We love, love, love it and I'm so glad we got to capture a photo like this together.

Even though I am glad I got in the photo, I really love this next one because of their expressions!

After I was done shooting, I was ready to pack up and go, but the boys wanted to play "Polar Express" before we left. It was really mild outside so I agreed...and kept my camera on. They did the whole thing...here they are helping the little boy onto the train before he misses it. This was more movie than book, but it was really cute to watch them.

Grinch Night 2016

2016-12-18T14:39:00.000-06:00

This year I decided to change up a few of the Christmas activities...or add to them, really. We always make a night out of reading How The Grinch Stole Christmas and then watching the animated movie. But this year we added cookies! Because you can never have to many cookies at Christmas. Actually, I saw the idea on Pinterest for Grinch cookies and I loved it.

These cookies could not have been easier. We just used a store-bought sugar cookie mix and added green food coloring before baking. The boys loved doing that. They each got to add a few drops of the coloring and watch the dough change as we mixed. I had purchased these Valentines over-sized heart confetti and we used one heart for each cookie - as the Grinch's heart. Super fun, super easy, and super tasty!

I didn't photograph us watching the movie, but that was fun too. The boys somehow noticed this year that How the Grinch Stole Christmas is a really short movie! (It's around 25 minutes!)

Snowman Breakfast 2016

2016-12-17T14:33:00.000-06:00

This morning we had our second annual Snowman Breakfast. I like to have it on a Saturday so we can relax and enjoy ourselves and not rush.

This year, instead of making the snowman donuts with faces, etc. and serving them that way, I gave the boys all the pieces to make them on their own. They were confused by this at first, but quickly got into the "food craft."

This seems like a big production, but really, all I did was decorate the table the night before after they were in bed. I used a white tablecloth in my stash and some Christmas wrapping paper from the Target $1 section. Done. (We already keep those snowmen on the breakfast table as part of our Christmas decorations.)

Christmas Tree 2016

2016-12-15T14:26:00.000-06:00

I have several Christmas photo traditions...and taking some of the boys in front of the tree is at the top of the list. It's a keepsake I have of every year.

Duke just could not stay out of the photos. Nor could he keep his tail still enough to not be blurred by my lower shutter speeds.

I also included the fireplace. I have a few new decorations there this year and also, we love to sit there and enjoy it.

And we have TWO trees this year. This one in the foyer is new and hold all of our photo ornaments. I love it and those two cuties on the stairs.

Snowball Cookies, The Library, and Frisco Square Lights

2016-12-13T14:06:00.000-06:00

Our Christmas activity for today was to make snowball cookies...a favorite! But that morphed into a few more unplanned activities as well. But first, cookies.

Ethan was supposed to be reading the recipe, but I caught him sneaking chocolate chips. At least it looks like he shared with Logan.

They always take turns with ingredients and mixing. We baked these and then left them to cool. And we went to the library on a whim because Ethan wanted to look for books on the Nazi invasion. Haha! He read an I Survived book about the Nazi Invasion and wanted to know more. So off we went.

After a good while in the library, we walked out with 20 books. And not one on the Nazi invasion! Ha! But they each had picked out several other books that interested them. Star Wars for Logan and several fiction series for Ethan.

I had in the back of my mind to go look at the Frisco Square Christmas lights after we finished up at the library. I knew it would get dark while we were in there. My plan worked perfectly.

The lights are set to music they have coming from speakers all around the square. They are really quite neat...and hard to capture in a photograph. They are way more impressive in person. We had a lot of fun walking around the square and enjoying the lights.

When we got back home and unloaded our library haul, we rolled our cookies in powdered sugar and dug in! They are so good!

Paper Snowflakes 2016

2016-12-12T13:29:00.000-06:00

Today we cut out paper snowflakes for our Christmas activity. The boys were really looking forward to it, which is why we did it. We cut out such a huge batch last year (and laminated them and used them on the walls as decoration) that I didn't think we'd do it again. But oh, no! They really wanted to.

But we scaled back quite a bit. Each of them did 5 snowflakes and we did not use any elaborate patterns or anything like we did last year. And I did not laminate the resulting snowflakes. They have put them up in their rooms, which I think makes them happy anyway.

PS - I did not tell Logan to wear his Santa hat. He just likes to do it!

Outdoor Christmas Lights...Late

2016-12-10T13:00:00.000-06:00

Well. We just put up our outdoor Christmas lights....today. It's something I usually like to have done before December, but it didn't happen. However, the boys helped again this year and they were even more helpful than last year. Seriously, with their help, it took under an hour to get it done.

Side note: this is one of those times I appreciate having slightly older children. Sure, I loved (loved) them as babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. But, there is sweetness to every stage. And perks. Having them joyfully help with things such as this makes it not as much of a chore...and it was actually a little fun.

They each took one side of the yard and were responsible for setting out the stakes for each light, hammering them in, and inserting the lights. True, it took them longer to do it than it would have taken me, BUT, while they were working on that, I was able to get up both inflatables, the LED light projectors, AND run the extension cords. It was awesome.

Plus, my least-favorite part of doing Christmas lights is securing the stakes...and they loved using the mallet. So win-win.

They had to keep passing it back and forth, which they actually did with no problems.

Toward the end when they were done and I was finishing up with the extension cords, they even pulled out the old fall annuals that just died last week and were looking terrible in our flower beds. So, it's been a good day for getting things done! Let's hope they are this eager when it's time to take these all down.