Christmas 2010

2010 is over.  Whoa.  

Here's the Ussery Jr. Christmas recap:

We got a new camera.  This was the first picture I took with it.  Clearly, Jack was so confused by the different black box I was holding that he couldn't remember how to smile.  

Finley learned from his brother's mistake...

Ten minutes after the camera landed on our doorstep, we headed to Harbor Town to listen to Greg Russell (Gweg Wussell for those of you who know him) sing 'neath the big oak tree.  I failed to learn how to use the new camera in the 20 minute drive there.  Partly because I'm a victim of car sickness, and partly because the manual was in Spanish.

Regardless, this turned out to be a cool picture.

After the sing-a-long, the cousins played around in the yard and hugged for about 0.5 seconds.  Thanks to my new super fast camera, I was able to catch it on film.  Our lives are so much better now.

Finley hates candy canes.  Can't you tell?

Thankfully, we got to spend a good amount of time with these guys...We're excited for Smith Baby #2 to make his or her arrival in early Spring.  

This was a fun night.  We were in the Christmas spirit.  I hope to go again for 2011.  Hopefully this year we won't lose Jack for 5 minutes when he bolts towards Santa at the end of the show.  

On Christmas Eve, we did the 2nd annual Wrapping of the Door.  As much as I would like to claim this as my idea, I can't.  My friend, Jessi, clued me in on the awesomeness that is Wrapping of the Door.  Basically, it goes like this:  

Wrap the Door frame with wrapping paper....

...and on Christmas morning when you say it's "go" time, they bust through.

Finley got a Big Wheel.  Sadly it's too big of a Big Wheel, and he'll have to do some growing before he can ride it.  Oops.

Jack got an Iron Man head.  It talks and says things about checking your systems and having your repulsors ready.

And Mama got a shot gun. 

Actually, John's parents got the Ussery girls a joint gift this year because we had so much fun this past summer shooting skeet together.

This was just a very natural thing, so I took a picture of it...

**John got a Keurig coffee maker.  There's no picture of it here because that would require him to let it out of his loving embrace long enough to photograph it.  Seriously, it is the coolest thing.

Austin was receiving his baby Iron Man mission instructions from the giant Iron Man Head...

This is what Austin does when you say "What's your crazy face?"  He's so smart.  

On Christmas evening, we went to Trevor's parent's home for the annual gathering of neighbors and other random families.  There's always a one point ping pong tournament.  Everyone plays.  This year Jack made the bracket, which was the best Christmas gift he received.  

However, it was the worst news ever for Finn, because he was too small.  We tried to remedy the situation by letting him "play" with me, but that did not suffice.

The next day, all was forgotten. :)

So, Christmas was a lot of fun.  Our Christmas Eve service at LCC was the best I've ever been to.  The boys seemed to understand more this year about what Christmas really is.  One evening I let Jack watch a show that told the Christmas story on a child's level.  After the show, I asked him to retell me what he had learned.  Here was part of his reply:

"And then an angel showed up to Mary in her sleep and he said, 'Hey...don't be scared, but, girl, you're 'bout to get pregnant."

More on post Christmas fun coming soon. 

Maybe now that I have a new camera, and theoretically better photos, I'll blog more. 

Hopefully so!  These guys are hilarious, and we have some stories to share.

On Any Given Sunday Afternoon....

You can find my men doing this...

With Jim Nantz speaking them to NFL sleep.

But the Middle Man would rather not rest (ever).

He "helped" me take some pictures of some paintings in the yard. 

It became apparent to me very quickly:

 that he was cuter than the artwork:)

And funnier than the artwork...

And weirder than the artwork...

And sillier than the artwork...

And that these Sunday afternoons shenanigans really were not interruptions..

But maybe...

what Sunday afternoons are all about.

A New Season

There are 6 seasons in the Ussery home:  Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter, Soccer and Basketball.

Let's reflect over Soccer Season.

Jack loved it.

He was #6 for the Phantoms.

Each player has to sit out for 1-2 quarters each game so everyone can get a turn.  

Despite the fact that Jack LOVED soccer, he thought that sitting out was a reward.  

One time he ran to us on the sidelines with a big grin plastered on his face and said, "Coach said I get to sit out another quarter!"  

Hmmm...

Jack loved playing goalie.  He would keep his heels planted on the goal line and would not move until the ball was within arm's reach.  He was very serious about standing on that line.  

He saved many balls.

He threw many balls.

He did it all so well.

Jack really improved since the previous Soccer Season.  He was so proud of the goal or two he scored.  And we were, too.  

He loved water breaks and snack time the most:)  

And that concludes Soccer Season.

On to Basketball.  First practice tomorrow!

Our Trip to New York

I know.  Two months.  There's no excuse.  And yet, I feel like there are many.

Moving on...

We went to NYC at the end of September.  It was a blast.  Here's the proof:

John and I discussed the two ways our flight to NYC could have gone:

1.  Really good.  2.  Really bad

Jack sat across the aisle from me by himself.  He had his Transformer backpack filled to the brim of his special things:  his Leapster, coloring books, lollipops, a book about airplanes and some matchbox cars.  He loved the flight and behaved like a champ.

Finley was the one we were worried about.  We broke the news to the boys about a month prior to the trip that we would be flying to NY.  Finley very quickly noted that he "belonged on the ground."  And then he asked what would happen if the plane didn't stay in the air.  Wow.  Tough questions at the age of 3, huh?  

Anyway, as soon as the plane took off, Finn shouted, "I'm SO EXCITED!"  He loved the plane ride.  Especially the ginger ale.

Taxi rides were, by far, Jack's favorite thing about NYC.  Everywhere we would go..."We should probably take a taxi there.  I'm tired." 

Family of 4 in the taxi cab.  

So, why did we go to NY?  

Poppy Johnny (John's Dad) had several doctors' visits at Sloan Kettering, and they asked us to come along.  The best news of the trip was that Johnny's CT scan was CLEAR!  No visible signs of cancer.  He is continuing his chemo treatments and will soon begin radiation to hopefully battle any remaining cancer cells that cannot be seen by CT.  We pray that there are none of these cells around, but if they are, that the chemo and radiation will blast them. 

Thank you for all of your continued prayers and support to Johnny.  We appreciate all of you, and we are so thankful to the Lord for Johnny's continued progress.  

We walked a lot....

We smiled a lot.  

We picked some of the best places to visit :)

And we spent a lot of time with Austin!!!

Love this picture.  They look like they're making devilish plans...

Jordan and Trevor are the perfect hosts.  They even withstood a stroll through Times Square.  I guess that's the equivalent of someone who lives here eating at Salty Dog.

Jack loved all of the lights and action.  He said it was "crazy."

We did a lot of kid friendly activities...like riding the ferris wheel inside of Toys R Us...

and pulling all the handles at the M&M store.

A playdate at a central park playground with cousin, Austin...

Many walks through the park

A talk with a silver person...

A trip to the Central Park Zoo

Ready for the show:

We went to The Lion King...

One of us slept through The Lion King:

We battled the rain with a smile.

And made some buildings of our own at Lego Land.

Surprisingly, the boys really enjoyed the Museum of Modern Art.  They had headsets available for the kids to listen to descriptions of the art.  The crowd favorite was "Starry Night".

The 4 of us at the MoMA.

On our last day we ventured south to the Village.  We went to the Scholastic store where Jack made friends with Clifford.

And after a very quick 5 days, we found ourselves back at the airport, exhausted from walking, thankful for such good news for Johnny, and blessed to have had such a fun trip with our family.  

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!