Daddy behind the lense

The three oldest boys sang again at church.  This time in the sanctuary.

I was running the video camera...so Craig took a few stills.

I think they speak for themselves.

What do you think?

Football time in Tennessee....or Lancaster....

Craig is a proud graduate of the University of Tennessee.  He spent four of the best years of his life cheering on the Volunteers.  We continue to cheer for them...even though they haven't given us much to cheer about lately.

We're thinking a future recruiting class could be quite good.

What do you think?

We were shopping at the JCPenney Outlet when we spotted these.  They had a whole bunch of other SEC teams...but we dug through the bin to find ourselves a few UT keepers.

The boys were thrilled.  They couldn't wait to put them to the test.

First a quick huddle....

Some advice from the coach, too.

Then a chance to take on a worthy opponent.

UT vs. Daddy?

The boys had a great time.  (I dare say Craig had the best time.  I mean, what Dad doesn't love playing football with his boys while they're outfitted in his favorite team colors?!?!)

Jackson is really getting the hang of things.  He got a football for his birthday...so he and Craig spent the afternoon tossing it around.

Go team!

Try and try again....

I've been trying to get a good picture of the boys to use for our Christmas card this year.

I wanted to get something where they were all looking at the camera.

Craig took this one after church one Sunday.  Pretty cute....but...

I really had my heart set on doing something outside.

I tried to be realistic.  There was a lot working against us...like the sun for this one.

Then there's the issue of having 4 children age 6 and under.  One of them always seems to blinking or twitching or reaching.... 

Then, of course, there are the issues with the photographer.  Who says it has to be in focus?

I'd like to believe I get an A for effort at least....

I was patient....for the most part.....

We even tried alternate locations...without much improvement.

Oh, well.  After a lot of trying, I did get a useable picture.  It's not my dream picture, but it'll work.

Plus, it's the thought that counts.  Right?

I am a C, I am a C-H, I am a CHRISTIAN!

This morning the boys sang in church.  This is the the first time the choir sang this year...and it's also the first time the three oldest boys sang together.  Sawyer is the youngest of the group.

We were, admittedly, a little nervous. 

We really didn't need to be nervous.  He did great.  They all did great.  Here they are in action.   I know I am totally biased, but I think they're the coolest, cutest dudes around.  :)

jackson did such a great job.  He really loved it!  Connor really got into it too...though he did let out a huge yawn mid-performance. 

Sawyer decided he didn't want to sing the last verse.  Instead he decided to sit down and look cute.  It worked for me.

Friday Night Special

The boys all had dentist appointments Friday afternoon.  On the way home we stopped at AC Moore for a few things.  As we walked through the store, the boys spotted wooden bird houses and asked if we could get one.  Well, with four little boys, you can't go home with just one. So....

We got three of them.  One for each of the boys who can handle a paint brush.

We also got a variety of paint colors...and after dinner, we went to town!

Mitchell didn't mind not having his own bird house.  He was really enjoying watching his brothers go crazy with theirs!  He offered creative support as well.

Plus, he's so darn cute!

The boys had a great time.  They were each so creative and really took their time coming up with their finished products.

As we painted, the boys asked to see the "greenhouse".  Jackson made this in pre-school.  It was for the letter G week.  He put several seeds in a ziploc bag along with some moise cotton balls.  When we got it home we hung it in a window to see what would happen.  We've really enjoyed watching the seeds sprout.

What a cool project!

The Master at work?!?!?!?

We did have one casualty. Sawyer dropped his birdhouse twice.  This is what was left of the roof.  We think a little glue should work wonders.  We'll see.

Now we just have to figure out where to put our projects.   

Pork Chops and....

Apple sauce, of course.

Ever since Connor made applesauce at school, he's been asking about making it at home.

My mom used to make it when I was a kid...and Craig's mom still makes it...so I figured what the heck

We sliced the apples int the morning...then let them cook away.

I borrowed this contraption from a friend at work.

Here Connor is explaining the process for making the applesauce.

he was really excited to get going!

We made it a family project. (okay, so Mitchell was taking a nap, but he didn't seem to mind!)

Everyone took turns doing the jobs.

The favorite job was pushing the apples through the strainer

Yum.  It smelled so good.

Pure joy!

The true test....

They all ate it...no sugar added.  Even Craig gave it the big thumbs up.

We'll do it again sometime....

That's My Story....

Okay, actaully...its their story.  Toy Story to be exact.  The boys are infatuated with it.

So, I was thrilled to be able to take them to see Toy Story 3 On Ice.  (it was free...or we wouldn't have gone)

Before the show, we got to meet Woody and Buzz and get our picture taken with them.  Too bad I had the setting on my camera fouled up and couldn't get a really good picture. 

These are a little dark, but they'll have to do.

Check out Mitchell...he was so distracted!

We also got to eat in a dining room above the ice.  Chicken fingers and carrots.  The boys couldn't have been happier.   They even had chocolate chip cookies to top things off.

The only problem...we got to our seats an hour before the show started.  UGH.   We all now the attention span for four boys under the age of 6 is about 12 seconds.  Oh, my.  We pulled out all the stops to try to entertain them before the entertainment started.

Finally....the show is about to begin.

This is Buzz and Woody on the ice.  The boys were ooh-ing and aah-ing the whole time....except Sawyer who was pretty much catatonic the whole time.  I think it was sensory overload.

So cool.  All the LGM.  The skaters were on their knees for this part. Yowch.

This is at intermission.  Sawyer sat so still.  Barely any expression the whole time.

Mitchell on the other hand, would not stop fidgeting.  We passed him back and forth a few times.  Each time he would let out a shrill squeal.  We really enjoyed having all of the people around us stare at us when that happened.  Sorry.  :)

These are the kids coming to play with the toys at the daycare.

It was really cute.

Daddy doing double duty.

The down side of all this.  The show didn't end until after 9:30.  We had some tired, fussy boys on our hands.  Connor told me he wasn't my friend a few hundred times since I wouldn't buy him a plastic Buzz Lightyear toy.  It was only $20.  Oh, well.  I think he's forgotten about it by now.  I'm sure I'll forget about the fussiness...at least until the next time we try to take the boys to a late night event.