Thank yous, crazy shenanigans and an 8 year old!

Since it's becoming apparent that I'm only getting to update every couple of weeks, you'll be seeing more crazy titles like that one, as I try to fit a mish mash of topics in one post!

First off, the THANK YOU's:
Thanks to all who supported Connor in his magazine subscription fundraiser, specifically Grandma & Granddad, Crystal, Elaine, Sheri, Lisa, Josephine and Michelle! Your support helped Connor reach the highest level and he came home at the end of November with this stash of goodies: A pen, stuffed animal (which for some reason terrifies his sister?), flying saucer-like thing, gumball machine, cordless phone (with two handsets!), a speaker system for an MP3 player and an actual MP3 player as well! He loves that thing! Although I have to admit, I'm getting tired of listening to the Crazy Frog songs... Bing! Bing!

And thank you, thank you, thank you! goes out to my cousins in Pennsylvania, Mary & Glenn and their adorable children (you may remember their daughter, Sarah, from previous posts). We received a parcel on Friday and in it, was this:
Is that not the most adorable thing you have ever seen!! It's a handpainted customized platter that says "The Sykes Family" with snowmen with our names on it!! As we were unpacking our Christmas decorations a few weeks ago, I noticed that I have an overabundance of snowmen (I think the last count was 14?) so this is the perfect addition to my collection!! (The cute snowman candle is part of that collection but he's the perfect prop)

Speaking of decorations, here's a few pics of the kids clowning around as we unpacked. This is the first year that Aili actually "gets" Christmas so she's very excited about Santa coming. When she asked me what these were, I told her that they were our stockings. I guess she took me very literally:

Oh and don't mind the large dragon tattoo on her belly button!! It's only the tail, but it travels up about three inches!! She wanted it on her arm but I figured her belly would be less conspicuous... usually!

And I love this pic of Connor that Gary captured: Now to come up with a cute caption! Any suggestions?

And lastly, on Thursday, Connor celebrated his 8th birthday!! I can't believe it's been eight years! And although we snapped a few quick pics of him smiling, this picture is more of a natural look for him right now!
Happy Birthday, buddy! I love you!