That's the Jingle Bell Rock!!

Going to the game with Grandpa!


Mommy Makes the best cookies!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night! Christmas at The Mathias house was very blessed and full of joy! We are so thankful for what we have been given and for the great health of our boys! The night before Christmas, the boys sat out cookies for Santa along with chocolate milk and some carrots for his reindeer. The boys also sprinkled their reindeer food on the front lawn. After bubble baths we read, 'The Elf on the Shelf' one last time to remind them that Neijel would return with Santa that night. We also had to read , 'The Night Before Christmas'. The boys were so excited the next morning as all little ones are on Christmas morning! They loved all their gifts and have been enjoying them ever since! We also remember the birthday of Jesus and thank God for that special eve every Christmas Day! We enjoy reading, 'The Crippled Lamb' to remind us of that evening!

After our regular morning breakfast buffet,which consisted of homemade waffles and biscuits and gravy, we all got ready and headed over to Grandpa and Grandma's. Christmas lunch was very yummy and unwrapping gifts and giving gifts was just as fun yet again. Rogan wanted to pass out gifts with big brother Grayson. The boys got so many great gifts to add to their collection of Christmas treasures! Later my Aunt Julie and my cousin's, Trish and her daughter Ashley and cousin Wesley came over. We are all so delighted to be able to share Christmas with Wesley! It was so nice to see all of them and share fun and laughter.

We have been recovering from all the fun and celebrating. The boys sure had a fun time with all the celebrating and visits to see Santa. Grayson was able to attend a Colts game with Grandpa this month. They had lots of fun spending special time together! We are enjoying time off from school and the hustle and bustle that goes along with it every day. Our Rogan has gotten his fair share of, 'Jingle Bell Rock'. I can't begin to count the number of times he has requested we play that song over and over! Grayson made me a recorded book from Hallmark of, 'Frosty the Snowman'. It is by far my favorite and most treasured gift! Last but not least, finally we were able to get in some play time in the snow! The boys were so thrilled to be able to run and jump in the snow. We hope all of you had a very special holiday this season and continue to have a great New Year!

Tea Room and Santa Visit with Grandma and baking sugar cookies with Mommy!!

Yesterday we had an adventure downtown to the LS Ayres Tea Room now located at The State Museum. When Grayson got out of school yesterday, Grandma went with me to pick him up so we could begin our holiday tradition! We were ready to eat for certain and have some yummy food from the Tea Room. I love all the giant snow flakes at the museum and the decorated Christmas Trees all throughout the museum. We love the giant toy soldiers and the display window on the second floor decorated like the LS Ayres display windows used to look when I was young and Grandma.

After our lunch we headed over to the train ride through the North Pole where we met Raggedy Ann and she gave us some very pretty snow flakes. The boys blew their whistles from the Tea Room during the train ride. After we had arrived at The North Pole, we went to Santa's house where we met him and Mrs. Claus. We got some funny pictures of the boys. Poor Rogan was getting tired. He's such an early riser and is used to having his nap. After visiting with Santa, we went down to pick out special ornaments to take home to put on the tree in the gift shop.

We certainly enjoy our Tea Room tradition with Grandma and feel so very fortunate to be able to create such wonderful memories with her. Grandma Lyons used to go when she was a young girl with Great Grandma Callaway so it is so special to be able to carry on the tradition with my boys! I enjoy myself getting to ride the train! The boys and I also made our traditional holiday sugar cookies. They are such good cookie cutters and wonderful decorators! We leave our special cookies out for Santa also but we always have to make a batch on Christmas Eve for him and sprinkle reindeer food on the front lawn. Merry Christmas as the days get even closer!! Only 10 more days left!

Visiting Santa at Conner Prairie and Jolly Days at The Children's Museum

Rogan mailing his letter

Grayson putting his letter in!

Mailing Letters to Santa

We have had so much fun these past few weeks with all the excitement of Christmas and counting down the day until his arrival! Last Wednesday we went to The Children's Museum for Jolly Days! We just love the holiday season there! The 'Yule Slide' is so much fun! Rogan feels he should be able to ride it himself but he's still a bit too young. I rode down the slide with him on my lap and boy was he not happy. I thought he was going to hank out all my hair in protest! That's our strong willed boy! Grayson just loved it! He rode down before us with his friend Seth, riding down beside him. Our wonderful friends Krista and her son Seth, who is Grayson's best bud went along with us and Seth's adorable baby sister, Abby. She melts my heart. We also made our way up to Jolly Land where it's all decorated for the winter season. The boys ice skated (in their socks) and Rogan pet and brushed the reindeer. He also played in the ice castle. Our last stop as always , the four floor where we ride the carousel.

We also wrote letters to Santa and dropped them off at his mail box. The boys already got their letters back from Santa at The North Pole. They were so excited to open their mail from Santa. Neigel, our elf, has been reporting good behavior at least a good effort for good behavior. It's hard when your young and there's so much excitement all around! The boys have been enjoying their calendar where they move the candy cane counting down the days until December 25th. After they move the candy cane, they get to pick out a piece of candy from The Christmas Bell from when I was a little girl, given to me by their Grandma Lyons. We have also been doing our holiday baking and sugar cookies too. We love to make trays and pass them along to our friends and neighbors! The boys had a fun holiday craft making holiday card hangers for our Christmas cards. We took clothes pin and decorated them to look like snow men. It was so fun. I just love doing crafts with them!

Saturday, we went to Conner Prairie to spend breakfast with Santa! What fun!! We had a great breakfast along with a cookie and then got to sit on Santa's lap and the boys told him their Christmas wish list. Afterwards, we headed over to see the ginger bread houses. They were amazing. Conner Prairie has a ginger bread contest every year and boy are they a site to see. After looking at the ginger breads, we bundled up and went outside for the Prairie Outdoor adventure. We had so much fun. It was cold but the sun was out and the wind was calm, what a beautiful day! Grayson taught a lesson at the school while Rogan helped too. After wards, we headed over to Dr. Campbell's house where the boys had some cookies they were baking because at Conner Prairie, it was Christmas Eve and everyone was getting ready for the big celebration that night. Grayson and Rogan helped carry in wood with Daddy's help and earned a hay penny (which is 1/2 a cent). They also get to pet some horses.

Today, we are headed to The State Museum for 'The Polar Express' at the IMax! That should be lots of fun as well. More fun to come as the days grow closer to Christmas! My boys have been enjoying dancing and celebrating to 'Jingle Bell Rock'! That is their favorite holiday song this year. One of my many favorites too. We will keep celebrating this amazing season of the birth of Christ and continue to share our memories with all of you.

Thanksgiving at Grandpa and Grandma's, putting up the tree and Reyonld's lights display

On Thanksgiving, we went to Grandpa and Grandma Lyons house. Grandma is such a wonderful cook! We had a feast indeed. Grandma always makes the dinner table so special and festive. We all ate on the holiday china as we always do. The boys brought their humor to the table as the hot topic at our house is always poop, why make this special day any different. My boys think that poop is the funniest word they know and they love to talk about it. Aunt Sarah made yummy cupcakes that Rogan couldn't get enough of! I made the pumpkin pies this year, they were yummy especially it being my first time making them. It was so nice having a small, close, intimate family Thanksgiving; we like nice and calm around here any day we can get it! On the ride home from Thanksgiving, we stopped by Reynolds farm equipment to see their lights! They are all hand made and just amazing, another tradition we do on our way home, as do many other families here in Fishers.

Marc surprised us and came home early on Tuesday so Grayson and I could go see 'The Muppets'!!! It was wonderful! I couldn't wait to go see it and Grayson as well. I think the adults loved it as much if not more than the kids in the theatre! At the end when they sang 'The Rainbow Connection' I thought I was going to cry because it brought up child hood memories of watching the show on Saturday evenings when I was little. Grayson asked me when it was over if we could go buy the movie he liked it so much! After we got home and had dinner, Grayson insisted (the night before Thanksgiving) we put up our tree. Our plan was to get a live tree but after Grayson discovered it couldn't be up early because it would lose all it's needles that idea was out the window. Besides, it's not very green to put up a live tree, after all we work so hard at our house to be green and make a small difference! So our tree is up and the house is ready for Christmas from loft to living room and every where in between! I enjoyed putting Grandma Callaway's Christmas beads on our tree, they look perfect. The boys love her bubble lights and are intrigued by them. We put those on our tree upstairs. Even our elf Neijel has arrived! Yea!!! We are ready for the Tea Room and train ride to see Santa at The State Museum, Jolly Days at The Children's Museum, Breakfast with Santa at Conner Prairie, and The Polar Express. I think that about covers every thing for the boys! Aunt Sarah also wants to take Grayson to Christmas at The Zoo!! I think we will have a great time celebrating the season and remembering what it is all about!! Let the celebrating begin!! Can't wait, we get as excited as our boys.

Children's Museum with Grandma and Mommy!!!

What fun! Rogan went to The Children's Museum all by himself with Grandma and Mommy! Yes, Rogan got a visit all to himself with his two favorite girls!! Jolly Days is just around the corner so the museum was all decorated for the season, even the Yule Slide was up but not available to ride down yet! Grayson went with Marc to see 'Puss in Boots", so I decided to take Rogan to the museum for a special day with him and we decided to see if Grandma would like to join in our fun! We are so glad she did. Rogan sure loves his Grandma as you can see on his face! We had to visit the dinos first and then head over to the trains and make our way to the underwater adventure with a new cool dig site the boys love. They also enjoy piecing together the soldiers as you can see Grandma and Rogan doing together! Next, we headed to Play Scape, so much fun! Rogan loved the sand table and the water table! Our last stop was the carousel on the fourth floor! Rogan loves to ride the carousel and this time he rode on one that goes up and down. Your not supposed to ride those until you are three and since Rogan will be three in February, Mommy broke the rule! Finally, we had lunch and headed home after much fun and excitement. Nap time was much needed after all that playing!