Finally the weather calmed down...

By Sunday the weather seemed calm enough to attempt a trip down to Owatonna to exchange presents with the Boyces. The boys were thrilled with their new games and toys. Here are the 2009 Christmas Boyce and Hagen family photos.

Merry Christmas!

Our Christmas plans had to change quite a bit since we did manage to get a snowstorm here in Minnesota. Christmas eve with the Waceks/Boyces has been rescheduled for Sat. Jan 2nd and so we went to Mass on Christmas eve afternoon and then had a quiet evening just the four of us after the boys added baby Jesus to the creche.

The boys opened their gifts this morning and have been playing (and fighting) ever since. They each got a Vikings t-shirt and a Chuck E Cheese $10. gift card. Connell also got a Backgammon game and a mini pool table. Liam got a little parking garage for his Matchbox cars and a cash register (those are all the presents from Santa and within our family, too)

Merry Christmas to everyone reading my blog!

Sledding

Christmas eve day was perfect for sledding at the neighborhood sledding hill! Ray and I went with the boys and a few neighbors and their kids. Thank God for the warming house afterwards and the hot chocolate that Marta made them to have with cookies! (Ray didn't make it into any of these photos that Brian Fendrich took).

Christmas Decor

I thought I would share a couple of pieces of our extremely minimal Christmas decor around the Hagen household. We don't decorate a lot as we have very little room and the boys are infamous for destroying things.

We do have our Little People Nativity set adorning the fireplace mantle. It's been up since the first Sunday of Advent and we chose not to put baby Jesus nor the three magi in it until the appropriate time (so the boys will add baby Jesus on Christmas morn and we'll add the kings on the Epiphany). We purposely do that to remind us of Jesus' coming. Well, the reason I thought to put the photo was because when John Henry was here yesterday, he looked at me and pointed to the creche and asked in a serious tone, "What happened to Jesus?" Then I explained it all to him, but given that he is only 3 1/2, I'm not sure if he understood the whole story!
Our Christmas tree went up for the second year now (we didn't start putting one up again until Connell was 4 and Liam was 2 for obvious reasons -- well, obvious if you have spent any time around our curious, energetic boys...) So here is the tree. And I have often talked to many of you about how simple we have tried to be in our Christmas and gift giving for the boys' sake. To put it into perspective... this tree has under it everything among the four of us, presents for all the Boyces, presents for Ray's mom and Tom & presents for 4 of the boys' cousins. We already had some Christmas celebrations and so several presents are gone. Santa will bring one thing for each boy as he always does and that will be it.

Liam entertains

Liam had his friend John Henry over for 3 1/2 hours this morning. They played inside and I took them out back sledding for about 30 minutes. We also got our winter gear back on to walk up the hill to meet Connell off the bus. Connell took one look at John Henry and asked, "Who's that?" It was a fun morning.

Liam's Christmas Concert

Liam had his preschool Christmas "concert" this morning at church. Although he doesn't look very happy in these photos, it's mostly because the lighting is so bad in the sanctuary that the photos never turn out. He did a nice job of pretending to sing (or actually singing) and behaved quite nicely.

Weekend Recap

Luckily the snowy weather took a short break for the weekend to allow us to make the 2 1/4 hour drive to Little Falls for Christmas with Ray's dad and wife. It was a fun afternoon. The boys had fun playing games and playing with their new toys. Liam got a GeoTrax portable track and train and Connell got Othello and Battleship. It was nice to see everyone. Ray's grandma Hagen came with aunt Sheila and her husband and so it was a nice size group.

Yesterday afternoon the three males put up the Christmas tree while I paged through hundreds and hundreds of Connell's paper scraps from the last year trying to decide what was worth keeping and what needed to be recycled or thrown out. Connell is the "king of paper" in developing his own games and somehow there are scraps all over the house. We had been throwing them in a bin when people came over just to get them all out of sight and so it took HOURS to sift through them all. Of course Connell didn't want to part with any of them. There were also about 10 partial decks of cards in the mess from which I was able to create 2 full decks. Argh. Someday I have to go through our real paperwork to figure out what to shred or keep and yet just keeping up with Connell's paperwork is nearly a fulltime job.

This week is quite full with Ladies' Night Out, several church programs and meetings at church, ECFE, last-minute Christmas prep, etc.

Santa's lap

The boys sat on Santa's lap at Michael's (the Arts and Crafts Store) last weekend. It was the first time that Liam wanted to and he didn't scream. Connell told Santa that he wanted the games "Pictionary" and "Battleship" to which Santa honestly said, "Oh, so you're a game guy, huh?" Liam froze and couldn't think of one thing he wanted (which made me happy because at home he keeps talking about the obnoxious Rocky the Robot truck which he is most definitely not getting!) But the $2. photo they took for us is perfect for the scrapbook and turned out quite nicely.

Bring on the cold...

I picked up a pair of double-bladed ice skates for Liam (or Connell -- although I think they are too small for Connell) the other day at the thrift store. They were about $2.50 and white and so I bought a bottle of leather dye and dyed them black so that they looked like boys' skates. We have another pair from last year although those don't have the double-blades on them. I'm not sure that ice skating will be anyone's calling in the family (I was pretty good in my day although I think my skates need some serious sharpening before I try them this year).

Right now it is snowing here and there are 7-10 inches expected here by early tomorrow. I wouldn't mind except that I have a dentist appointment in the morning to get to (and I was counting on both boys having school as planned on schedule to be able to go to the appointment alone). I might need to count on a neighbor to take the kids for an hour if there are any changes in the school schedule because it would be hard to reschedule my appointment.

OK - I'm hooked

Now I'm just thinking of more ideas for the softies I've been making. My latest is called, "The Magi". Here are two different renditions.

Of course one again it became a teaching moment as Liam looked and exclaimed, "Three Josephs!" He was only 2 last year and so he doesn't remember much about the 3 kings or the Magi I should say. This year will be fun since both boys are old enough to really internalize some of the concepts!

Catch-Up

Well, I better get everyone caught up to speed now.

Thanksgiving was spent in Annandale at Ray's aunt and uncle's house and the word was that there were more than 25 people there. The next youngest cousin is in 5th grade so my kids were really in the minority and everyone doted on them. It gave me a chance to sit back and relax and enjoy the silence! On the 90 minute car ride both up and back, the boys caught a movie on the new DVD system Ray purchased for the car.

After Thanksgiving, I spent many hours finalizing my part of a presentation for my Catholic Parents church group that I presented this morning (Tues. the 1st). I co-presented with an elder in the parish and we spoke about the Catholic Liturgical Year. Her main focus was to have historical info about how the feast came to be and I supplemented with tangible ideas and topics to use with young children. We were given about 75 minutes to present and we went a little over. We rushed through many parts and so really I see the entire presentation lasting 2 hours (with a break in the middle) when done properly. It was organized and was well-received. Whew. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief. If nothing else, it is preparing me for getting back into teaching full days!

The Holy Family

Here is my latest felt creation called The Holy Family. I have fine-tuned my pattern pieces (like the beard/mustache combo) and used several symbols. The prickly holly leaf represents the crown of thorns that Jesus will wear and the red holly berry represents the drops of blood he will shed for us. The candle symbolizes how he is the light of the world and the cross that Joseph is holding just symbolizes how Jesus triumphed over death. It's a little bit putzy to cut out all the pieces and sew it all together, but the kids are loving the results.

My Toasty Kidz

My neighbor, Sara Ead, who has 4 children of her own started her own business about a year ago. She designed a children's hat that serves as an "all-in-one" hat/scarf combo with no fasteners. It simply pulls over the top of the child's head so it's super easy for even young children to get on themselves. It covers the ears and the neck with a warm fleece that is washable and durable. She has put together many cute designs for both boys and girls. They are all reversible as you can see in the photo as I purchased the same design for both Connell and Liam and just reversed one to show you both sides. She has them made in sizes up through mid-elementary school at the moment and shows them at craft shows. She has an entire website with all the designs and colors and prices. Check it out... http://www.toastykidz.com. 'Tis the season to be spending lots of time outdoors in the snow and cold and you will want your children to be "toasty warm"!

A creative project

I saw an example of a felt stuffed softie doll on a blog I came across although the person had made a nurse and a soldier. I thought to try and design my own related to Mary so I started making the hair, arms, etc. The top one I call "Mary, Queen of Heaven" complete with crown and stars. The other one I call, "Our Lady of Sorrows" complete with broken heart as there are 7 times in her life that the church identifies as her "sorrows" (like meeting Jesus along the way of the cross and Jesus being taken down from the cross and being laid in the tomb, etc.) Now I want to make something that relates to Christmas... Stay tuned for more softies...

Looking towards high school graduation....

Our friend Katie and son Nathan had fun making these tie-dyed shirts for the kids. Here is Connell sporting his with his high school graduation year. Nathan is in the middle and friend Jack is on the right.

Beginning of November

I can't believe it has been more than a week since I blogged. I guess not too much has been going on. We have had a nice spell of weather and so the boys have had fun playing outside again although they are not as content with their bikes put away for the winter! Had we known it would have been this nice after all our snow in early October, maybe daddy Ray would have kept them down longer.

Ray went hunting this past weekend for the first time in 4 years. He had a nice time although he didn't shoot anything. I warned him not to bring anything home since I despise deer meat even when it is combined with other meats. Yuck.

My parents celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary on Saturday and came up to our house for the day. We played games, went to a park and I fixed a simple crepe meal for them. It helped to make the time go by quicker while Ray was gone.

That's the scoop from around here.

Happy Halloween

Here is our family of cards for Halloween. Almost everything was homemade of course (except Connell's black top and pants which were thrift store finds and Ray's white shirt which he wears from time to time and my maroon shirt which was dug out of my closet simply to add a little more warmth). My dress is made from two tablecloths (a gold and a maroon) and then a bed dust ruffle (the green with stripes) -- all from thrift stores. Do you see how I used the extra fabric to make Ray's sash and cinch belt? All the black fabric was new but only $1.-$2. per yard at Walmart. I love how it all turned out. I spent lots of time making crafting the extras (like the real-life looking cards, crowns with added jewels, etc.) It was very fun to do.

Halloween at St. John Neumann

Liam had his little Halloween parade this morning at preschool. His joker costume was a hit! Connell is off from school due to conferences this week and so he came along also in costume.
Here the boys look really great!

Here is Liam in the parade.

Liam and John Henry don't look very happy -- maybe a little overwhelmed by all the spectators!

Then the boys sat down to watch the rest of the classes.

We attempted a class photo -- although Jacob was absent today.

Connell had fun hanging out with his former preschool-mate Matt Bowers doing puzzles while waiting.

Liam had a playdate

Today Liam was invited over by his preschool friend John Henry for a playdate. John Henry's nanny called us yesterday to mention the possibility even though we have had little contact with the family (beyond the fact that the two boys are in preschool together and I saw the parents on the orientation night). They only live about a mile away and so since Liam seemed excited about the prospect, I went along with it. I dropped him there as Connell and I headed to Bible Study and then picked him up on the way home. He had a great time -- they had a snack and decorated pumpkins and played nicely. How fun! As we left, Liam told me that he was going back after lunch. I'm sure it was way more fun that hanging out with me all day long!

Fuming mad!!!!!!!

Liam is having a Halloween party this Friday at preschool. We were in charge of bringing a box of Triscuit Crackers. Since I know that my kids have a bad habit of getting into food items, I put the $3. box (purchased especially for the party) on the top shelf in the plate cupboard instead of next to other food items since it is the one item that I didn't want them to help themselves to.

A few minutes ago, here came Liam carrying a ripped box of Triscuits that he climbed up on the counter to purposely to reach. ARGH!!!!!!! I can't tell you how upset I was! I am still upset. Now I have to go get another box of Triscuits for the occasion.

Handwriting fascinates me...

I'm sure many of you are thinking that this post is rather goofy, but I couldn't help myself. I've always had a love for handwriting (hence my interest in calligraphy and creative lettering styles).

Last night was Liam's preschool open house and so as we entered, I invited him to write his name on his name tag just like I did with Connell exactly 2 years ago when he had just turned three. So I had to post the results!

Here is what Liam came up with -- we love the clockwise motion to it!

Here is what Connell came up with shortly after he turned 3 (done in Oct. '07)

And here is what Connell came up with last night...Not too shabby, huh? (although handwriting is NOT one of the strengths of any of the "boys" I live with! Just ask Ray!)

Halloween at Highland

Liam and I went to Highland this morning for Connell's Halloween parade. Since they have so many days off in the next few weeks, they do it today. Since only the one morning kindergarten class is absent in the afternoon at Highland and the mass school parade is at 1:15 pm, the morning kindergartners parade around alone and some of the classes are allowed in the hall to watch them. Liam wanted to join the parade, but couldn't. I did get some compliments on his outfit from the other kindergarten parents though. Not to mention that when I walked into the office to sign in and the secretary saw Liam's costume, she said, "I know who your brother must be! I saw another card walking around this morning!"

I apologize for the poor quality of the photos as I had to crop them since I couldn't figure out how to zoom in.

Halloween Preview

These costumes have been sitting here since I made them in May-June and so I was dying to have the boys try them on. We still have about 3 weeks until Halloween, but here is a preview for you.

Inspired by Connell's obsession with games -- we decided to go as "cards" this year. We thought that the joker fit Liam's personality and the Ace of Spades fit Connell's. The boys were really excited just hearing about the costumes and then attentively watched as I made them. Liam's is from all scrap fabric and was a blast to make! Connell's was a little boring to put together (black) and I actually made the cape just to give it a little pizazz! I had fun doing coloring on the cards on their fronts. Those are spades on Connell's head by the way. A few Dollar Store accessories (axes, etc.) and I thought they turned out rather cute. I also felt like they needed card-themed trick-or-treat bags instead of the normal ones.

And my sewing did not stop there. I also crafted costumes for Ray and myself -- he will be the King of Clubs and I will be the Queen of Diamonds. You will have to wait for Halloween itself to see those costumes.

(excuse the poor photos as I think my batteries are almost dead thus resulting in poor lighting)