Last Christmas in South Bend...

Time to decorate the tree!

All 3 boys love the fire going in the fireplace.

Belf's first night back...  The boys loved it!

 The boys enjoyed learning Belf is buddies with Batman and Hulk.

Belf spelled everyone's name out with cereal another morning...

The boys made their ornaments this year!

 Finn surprised me with how well me followed the directions.

thankful for Cullen

The cutest Tiger Cub Scout ever.  :)

Cullen had his second Cub Scout meeting last night.  He loves it!  He looks so grown up in his BSOA outfit.... what happened, where did the time go??

Cullen's Thankful list.  No help at all.

God, Mary, Video Games, Quinn, me, mom, dad, Jesus, I like teacher, the sun.

I love his list!  Still wondering why Finn was beat out by the sun.... ;)  We had a great Thanksgiving!  We went to the Wilson's house.  It was a beautiful day in the upper 60's, so the kids bounced on the trampoline while the men fried the turkey outside.  Jan and I enjoyed the quiet and stayed inside to gab.

While we are on the thankful topic... I am so thankful for these two years at Notre Dame, they are better than I could have possibly imagined!  It will be so incredibly hard to leave this special place.  I am also thankful my husband went for the Fort Leavenworth, ILE option... even though it may set him back on the Army's timeline.  And my two beautiful, ornery little boys, I am so thankful for them! 

We had Cullen's conference at school last week.  Let me say, I am SO thankful that he had a perfect report from his teacher!  She told me immediately that I should be very proud of him.  He is smart, respectful, nice to everyone, and has good self-control.  (MY Cullen, self-control?  What!?!)  She said he is right on target with everything and very strong in science and math.  She said Cullen is amazing because he really listens to what she is teaching, and then perfectly executes it on his own work.  She said the only thing that she has to watch him on, is talking with this buddies.  :)  But once he's reminded, he stops and minds.  Praise the Lord!  This boy tests EVERY limit we've ever given him, but he is ideal at school.  I'll take it!  I am so proud and thankful for Cullen!

Sean and I were so thrilled, we let him eat out at a restaurant of his choice (McDonalds) and then we went out for ice cream afterwards.  :)

So much to be thankful for.

Uncle D and Jessica came to town!

Watching ND beat Wake Forest.  Our last ND football game. :(

  Just after watching the trumpets play under the Golden Dome.

What an awesome Uncle!  Playing Batman on the Wii. :)

AWESOME tailgating location!

Legos, Uncle D knows a thing or two about those...

Beautiful Indiana sunset over the Golden Dome.

Where we were tailgating.

Thanksgiving lunch at school with Cullen.

Finn's Thanksgiving Feast in preschool.

Dustin and Jessica came out to visit us this weekend!  They came by taxi, plane, subway, train, and car to get here. :)  We had a great time showing them all of Notre Dame's treasures...  Football game, tailgating, Basilica Mass, rosary, Sunday Evening Vespers, lunch in South Dining Hall, Trumpets under the Dome, Irish Guard Inspection, rubbed Knute Rockne's nose for luck, and lighting candles in the Grotto.  We were also lucky to have them here to enjoy the Thanksgiving Feast at the school with Cullen.  It was a wonderful visit!

The boys are now counting the days to Christmas, until we see them again.

swimming lessons

This session of swim lessons has come to an end.... I'm very happy with all the progress the boys are making!  Cullen has started to learn strokes, and how to take a breath while swimming.

Next up... basketball.

Notre Dame hockey game

Finn was on the jumbo-tron before the game started!

Watching those big guys skate by FAST!

Finn with the ND Mascot.  :)

In awe!

We got 2 tickets to Sunday nights ND hockey game.  Sean had tons of homework, so I took Finn.  It was a lot of fun!  He loved watching them and would laugh when they would spar for the puck and ram each other into the glass.  When the Irish were warming up, a few of the players would bang on the glass at Finn as they would skate by.  He loved it!

As we were leaving, we saw the Leprechaun!  I asked Finn if he wanted to take a picture with him.  Finn did!  He ripped his coat off and ran up to him.  :)  It was so cute!  What a fun night.

Notre Dame wins in triple overtime!

The football team singing Notre Dame, Our Lady to the student 

section after the game.  They do this win or lose...

East entrance into the Basilica.  Beautiful stained glass at night!

We love walking by the Basilica and Grotto at night on our walk home after games!

Notre Dame wins in triple overtime!!

These characters stopped by our tailgate!

 Can't say I'm used to seeing a drum player with a bagpiper! :)

COLD day and evening!

Wow! What an EXHILARATING (and freezing cold  ((low 30's at the end)) game!  We sure weren't feeling good about the game in the 3rd Quarter...  But the Irish rallied!  That, my friends, is why they are called the "fighting Irish"!  What a great year to have season tickets.  :)

And how 'bout those K-S-U Wildcats!?!?  We heard lots of cheers during the tailgate from strangers, passing by, for K-State (after they saw our K-State chairs).  AMAZING year for our favorite college teams!

Learn to Play Hockey Night

Finn

Cullen

Before

Two sweaty boys after...

I signed the boys up for a night to try out Hockey at the Hockey Arena on campus.  It took forever to get them in the uniforms!  I'm afraid to say they LOVED it!  They did pretty well.  Not bad for a couple boys that haven't been on the ice much!  They both started with the "walkers" then Cullen left it behind.  Not long later, Finn abandoned it too... He went clear across the rink to play hockey with Cullen.  :)  He was telling all the instructors he was on Cullen's team.  Too cute!  They both wiped out SEVERAL times, but (true to form) always hopped right back up for more...