We had a very relaxing and nice Christmas Eve. We went to 4PM Mass, then home to light a fire, eat some appetizers and open presents. Thank you to all the Schoeberl cousins for the nice gifts, and to Grandma and Grandpa Schoeberl for their nice presents and to Grandma Connie for the ornaments. Everything was a hit and thank you notes are forthcoming!



Christmas this year was about music, music, music...some of it very loud! Aren't you glad you don't live in Connecticut? Jack is seen here with his new Sing Star game which is like karaoke, except it actually keeps track of how well you sing. I have not tried this game yet as I want Jack to enjoy it before I short it out with my vocals. He also received an electric drum pad, and a "Power Tour" electric guitar. Here is Sam in deep concentration trying to get to the expert level of Guitar Hero. When he is in the zone, we must not interrupt the master. David has had this drum set since last Christmas, but got a new double bass drum pedal so he can drum twice as fast. He also got new drum sticks, a subscription to a drummer magazine (yes, there is such a thing) so he can dream of his next upgrade, and a new ipod to drum along to.

Blue Man Group - Boston

Since David and Jack are both into percussion, Brian and I decide to surprise the boys with an early Christmas present and bring them to see the Blue Man Group in Boston. We told them to get ready for church, but instead we turned off onto the highway. We expected them to immediately ask where we were going, but it took them a while to even notice we were not on our way to church! They were so excited and surprised, although Sam says he knew something was going on when we told them they did not have to get very dressed up for church since we are going to Christmas Eve mass tomorrow. I guess he thought that was wierd! Anyway, this is a picture of them in the car right after we told them our surprise. Notice how well they hide their disappointment in missing church. Boston is about 1.5 hours from us so it was not a long trip at all. The show was loud, messy, funny, interactive and we all loved it. If you have never been to see the Blue Man Group perform...here are some things we experienced: marshmallows, Captain Crunch, jello, paint, toilet paper, twinkies, fire extinguishers, and the list goes on and on. It was a really fun day. We got home just in time to see the Vikings choke...

We would have loved to get some pictures of the performance or of the "Blue Men" but pictures were not allowed, so we had to settle for a shot with the marquis.

Brian and the boys on Boston Common after watching the show. Notice that we finally got all the white streamers off of us...if you have never seen the show, it is wild and crazy!

The Charles Theater was only a block from Boston Common, so we took a little walk to look at the Christmas lights. It was very mild out, although a little damp and drizzly. The lights were pretty and there were a lot of people skating at the outdoor rink. These pictures are very dark and do not do the Common justice...but it was very pretty.