Life with the Ball's: The 3rd Annual Brothers Night Out

This is one tradition you should really start in your own family. We love it and I've had lots of friends ask me about it so here's the rundown. In the beginning of December each of the boys drew names for their gift exchange giving them a couple weeks to think about what they wanted to give their brother. Brothers Night starts out with dinner at a restaurant. We rarely take all our kids out to dinner so not only is this a treat but it helps them practice their manners and how to order from a menu. This time we lucked out because Santa Claus paid us a visit while we were eating. After our meal we headed to Target. Each boy grabbed a shopping basket and began looking for a gift with the $20 I gave them. In the future I'll have them use their own hard-earned money but for now I like this system because twenty bucks goes a long way for a toy so the gifts are much better than junk at the dollar store which is the only thing they can afford right now. We braved the crowded aisles of the toy section as each boy selected their gifts and they had to be sneaky to keep their purchases a secret. Parker wasn't cooperating and wanted to sit in the middle of the aisle driving cars around so I found him his own little cart to push. Not only did this prevent him from being trampled by the mobs of parents but he happily followed us around the entire store while Randy did a little of his own shopping. It made things so easy and was pretty cute too. That night I let the boys sleep in their gigantic fort they built in the basement. It took up the entire room and was cozy as could be piled with blankets, pillows, and a lantern. Surprisingly, they slept there the entire night. Another successful family tradition down!