What We Did Over Winter Break

The boys had two weeks off from school for Winter Break. I took those two weeks off too, and Braydon took all but two days of it off. This was the first time, ever, that we've taken so much time off-- and we LOVED IT!!!!!!!   We were away (in NH and CT) for all but four of those days. But those four days were spent entirely at home, just the five of us, making the most of our down-time. In a few photos I can document pretty much all that we did. Because we did the same few things over and over and over. Here goes~~

1. We enjoyed our Christmas presents (photo above, the boys with a book that Margie gave them).

2. We watched football. We watched it being played on tv, and we watched it being played in our house. Braydon and I have absolutely zero interest in football. But K & O are obsessed with it. Obsessed. Kyle especially. And MorMor and MorFar's Christmas presents to them (the full football gear) has taken the obsession to a whole new level. Due to Owen's broken collar bone, they haven't been wearing the shoulder pads, etc. (the shoulder pads put pressure on Owen's shoulder and it hurts)... but they spent a great deal of time over Winter Break with the helmets and gloves on. Yes, it is surely crazy to let them throw the football around in the house. But, whatever. We do what we do.

3. Kyle is currently also obsessed with knights and armor. He gets obsessed with things. Like, totally locked-in, fixated on things. And he pulls Owen into it and then they are both sort of locked-in. Kyle asked and asked and asked repeatedly constantly incessantly for me to help them make swords, shields, and armor. Our first day at home over the break, we made it all (out of cardboard and tin foil). They couldn't have been happier. They then played for hours and hours and hours with the stuff over the days we were at home.

 

 3. Candy Land. Another Christmas present from Margie. (she gave them a ridiculous amount of very nice presents!!!!!!!!) I think that over the four days we were home over the break we played Candy Land at least 700 times. No joke.

4. Meera discovered the beauty of having her brothers (Owen, in particular, is her brother of choice for this) push her around in the toy doll stroller. This stroller was used for this exact same thing four years ago when K & O would spend hours upon hours pushing each other around in it. Crazily pushing each other around in it (like, one running like a madman, pushing the other in the stroller, and slamming him into the wall/counter/door/cabinet/whatever). Now Meera has discovered that they'll do the same for her. And this is now all that she wants Owen to do. 24x7. She pulls the doll stroller to him, and says, "Peees! pees! pees!" looking up at him. She does this until he gives in to her (which doesn't take long-- Owen is a sucker for Meera), and  then Owen pushes her around, maniacally, in it for hours. With Kyle running around along with them. With Meera screaming happy squeals and the three of them causing quite a ruckus. This goes on multiple times a day, for long stretches of time. I am totally completely shocked that this pathetic little Toys-R-Us cheapo doll stroller is still holding up.

5. The Leapsters. The "video games." The boys have been loving the Leapsters since they earned them a few weeks ago. But this Winter Break was really the first time they had a chance to just hang out, playing with them whenever they felt like it. Kyle is practically fully reading and spelling now, and Owen is doing pretty complex addition and subtraction -- all the direct result of the Leapsters. Seriously, I am very impressed with the educational quality of these things. And it takes a lot to impress me that way.

 

6. Meera has been power-napping every day. 3-4 hours daily. She's making up for lost sleep (all those nights she was up all night long while we were traveling), and she's also still battling the double-ear-infections (whole other subject, but I think we might be on the way toward ear tubes for our girl). Anyway, over the Winter Break, when she wasn't sleeping or sitting in the doll stroller, she was eating... with bunny and monkey. She is so stinkin' cute we can hardly stand it. All four of us are gaga over her. It is pathetic. Can you imagine the poor soul who is brought home for her first date???? Heaven help them. For now, the loves in her life are --thankfully-- just bunny and monkey. Here she is, having lunch with them one day:

7. Speaking of eating... The boys have been eating up a storm. I guess another growing spurt or something (who am I kidding? they seem to be in a constant state of growing-spurtness). Some stats from recent days-- 1 large loaf of banana bread that I made one afternoon was gone --all but one slice-- the next morning; one day Owen ate 5 pieces of cinnamon-raisin wheat toast with butter in one sitting; Kyle ate 3 large bananas in a row (in less than 10 minutes) one day; 1 gallon of OJ, gone, in less than 48 hours; 1 package of Cracker Barrel sharp cheddar cheese in 1 episode of Curious George; they now eat the "family size" package of ravioli between the two of them, I now have to make 3 (not just 2) boxes of Annie's mac-n-cheese for them, and we go through a ridiculous amount of fresh fruit each day. You should see the grocery bill. Like I've said many, many times... I cannot imagine what it is going to be like when they are 16. Seriously. Here they are having an afternoon "snack" (one of probably 2-3 "snacks" they had over the course of that particular afternoon) of bagels with cream cheese (note, these are very dense "fully loaded" whole wheat bagels from our local bagel shop-- they are loaded with seeds of all sorts, cranberries, raisins, nuts, etc. and I am full when I eat one for breakfast in the morning), apple juice, and grapes. These boys can eat.

 

 And that's what we did for our Winter Break.