I love...

...the creativity.

I asked the boys to strip sheets off the bed the other morning and bring them downstairs.  Joe invented a handy way to accomplish it.

And, of course, I enjoyed the giggles and laughter that were prompted by their creativity.

Where does time fly?

    I have to admit, I have been a bit of a scrooge to start this holiday season.  Lack of sleep and feeling the onset of stress of "all that has to be done in a small amount of time" will do that to a person. 
    But, task one...getting a tree...proved to allow a relaxing stroll up and down the hills of the great outdoors.  We basically saw a tree we liked, looked for 30 more minutes and came back to the initial tree!  It is still fun to see all the shapes and sizes...and anticipate the cutting of "the one"!  

 Jake collected things to make a "creation" when he got home!
 

 
   Joe just wanted to muscle up and help carry the tree to the tractor!

Later...task two...making Christmas cookies!   Jake made Jake Thumbprint Cookies...which have been the favorite so far! 

Well, that's all for now...I better get going...more tasks are calling my name!

Doe or Buck...

   Who cares?  He finally got one!

   After days of hunting, Josh finally got a shot off on what he thought was a doe (it was at dark as he was just packing up for the night).  Turns out it was this guy...

    The boys wanted "trophy pictures" with it before we stripped it!

    And, if you have never opened an animal...it is amazing how intact everything is.  What a science lesson of what our own body holds!

The Ride

   We spent an afternoon recently doing school work in the truck while the boys took turns riding with dad in the tractor and the combine.  Jake graciously let Joe have more time...since Joe loves farming stuff.    And Joe genuinely thanked Jake for allowing him extra time in the combine.  :)