Happy Birthday to You

Our Baby is 4

Time goes so fast!  Our boy is 4 today.





Christmas Snow Brings Tears

Christmas 2010

The last couple days have been perfect.  Laid back Christmas Eve - Eric ran a couple errands and I cleaned the house.  I did get to open my present early...a new Shark Seam Mop.  Yes, this is what I wanted. 

We had to be at church at 4:15, in time for our beautiful shepherds to get ready for their first pageant.  I love that they offered/wanted to do this role.  I suspect Mcie knew what she was doing when she raised her hand - she knew she would stand out more being a shepherd than one of 15 angels...she was right.  The girls did a great job.

We came home, ate dinner and opened presents.  Garrett had a sense of nervousness and mixed emotions all night.  It only got worse the more we talked about Santa coming.  He wanted to hide his gifts that he had already opened (something about Santa accidentally taking them), he quickly chucked carrots out the front door for the deer, and listened intently when dad read T'was the Night before Christmas (but all the while scanning the room for how Santa would get in, since our fireplace looks nothing like the one in the book).  He refused to watch Norad to track Santa, slammed the laptop closed and proclaimed that it was bedtime and "we have to go to bed NOW".  However, he was scared and begged to sleep in our bed.

Eric, Calvin & I were up until midnight waiting for Santa. 

This morning Eric & I thought we heard them up at 5am, but they had strict instructions to not wake us until 7am.  We came downstairs at 6 expecting to find them, but instead they were still asleep.  So I made the quiches, and we finished a pot a coffee and watched the snow start to fall before the lazies finally got up at 7:30.  Maybe we were more excited than they were.  Needless to say, Eric & I were ready for a nap about 10am.

I think they were all pleased with what Santa brought them - Polar Express Train, pillow pets, DS games, doll, EasyBake oven,....

This afternoon we headed to Kelli & Brandon's house and had a great dinner.  We drank, ate too much, exchanged gifts, opened Christmas crackers and the kids ran laps around the house.  (I forgot to take a photo of the whole group, bummer.)  Minus both the girls falling down the stairs in the last 24 hours and Macie having an upset stomach, it has been a great Christmas...now I am VERY tired.  Next up, birthday celebration & New Years Eve at our house.

ABC's Optional Ending

Cha-cha-cha!  What, you have never heard this version?

Sidenote, this is an Alphie 2010,...way more advanced than Alphie 70's.  You've come a long way Alphie.

 

Super Entertaining Heroes

G is finally able to have a couple toys in his room - until now it has been limited to books & stuffed animals.  He loves his new Bat Cave!  He voluntarily goes to his room for an hour at a time now.  Occasionally, the girls and their barbies are even invited to play.  So far only scolded (or caught) once for a middle of the night play session.

Laney Lou-Who

 Look at my great find...my new favorite shirt

How cute is she!  Likely the Christmas she was coined Laney Lou-Who

More Snow Videos

We are loving the Flip video, Grandma & Papa.  Thanks!!



Snow Cat

Monti isn't too crazy about the snow...

Christmas at our House

I just have to post a photo of our pretty tree - it might be on its last year.  Also, I went cookie baking crazy last weekend.  I had 4 trays just like this one, full of cookies.



      

Snow Day #2

Today we had Snow Day #2 - this time with actual snow...imagine that.  On Monday we had Snow Day #1, minus snow.  This day was better, but it can melt now.  By the way, Macie claims all credit for the snow, due to her wearing her pajamas inside out.  She is powerful like that.

We had a fun day.  Pajamas until noon, played outside for an hour, decorated our gingerbread house, watched The Nutcracker, and Peaceful Christmas on Pandora.  Too bad I pulled out all my entertainment tricks today, because... we will be doing Snow Day #3 tomorrow.

    

     



My Christmas Angels

I love Christmas with the kids at this age.  The fact that Zack holds special powers, sweet voices/lisps butchering singing the same 3 songs all day long, admiring ornaments on the tree, recounting the presents underneath, and asking about EVERY photo card that comes - who are they, how do we know them, where do they live,...

We have a couple ornaments that stand out this year.  Of course, the ones that sing obnoxious songs are always a big hit.  But we have a few new ones that the kids placed with gentle care.  When we were in Sunriver this year (July) the kids all got to pick out something in one store.  Macie picked a little coin purse (that has since been lost), Laney a hacky-sack (random, and yet, so fitting) and G picked a deeply discounted, poorly painted, Santa ornament.  He hung it with great pride in his room when we got home and has been waiting for Christmas so it could finally be put on the tree. 

Last year I found Laney an adorable hippo ornament.  When I saw the look in her eyes as it came out of the box this year, I instantly knew that this would be "the" ornament that she forever remembers from childhood.  Like mine is the carved wood ornament of a girl riding a star, this is hers.  This will be the one I will give her 20 years from now to hang on her tree and she will already have a lifetime of memories with.

The last one is special to me.  This year I had two family members pass away.  My cousin Bob, who was just a little older than I.  My memories of him are all from childhood.  Of course, Nanny and my mom always kept me updated on his life, but I often hoped our lives would cross as adults.  Unfortunately, that never happened.  I never got to see him as the adoring husband or loving father that I know he became. 

My Grandma Reid also died unexpectedly this year.  This was really sad and it still occupies a fair amount of thought for me.  I have always really loved my Grandma and Grandpa.  I suppose with an absent parent all of what I knew and felt from that side came from them.  They stepped up, they filled a void.  Grandma and I had a lot of draining, and somewhat, dreaded conversations about my dad...why things & people are they way they are.  Her unwarranted apologies, and the regrets they carried always made me sad.  I always knew, and felt, how much they love me.  Their commitment, efforts and unconditional love was not unnoticed.  I loved that they still adored and praised my mom on the job she did raising us.  Of course we went to the funeral.  I don't regret that for a moment, I just hope it didn't detract or create a sideshow.  Our relationship may not have been visible to others, but she was my grandma for 36 years.  I loved her for all the same reasons, and a few different, as all my family members.  Sadly, I realize that as my grandparents pass so does one side of my family.

My Aunt Gin mailed me this angel ornament of my Grandma's.  It doesn't hold a specific memory for me, but forever will remind me that I have a couple new angels above.

Bathtub Caroling

Praise to Zack

Allow me to introduce Zack. (see header photo)
Zack is our lifesaver during the blessed Christmas season.
He is much more than a decoration.  A member of our familiy since 2007 and way more power than mom and dad...
A direct line to SANTA.
God Bless Zack!

Boo!...belated Halloween

I realize I forgot to do a Halloween post...I must begin by sharing that getting 3 kids ready = 1 hour (...tights, hair, makeup, full costumes, safety pins, shoes...)

The kids all had celebrations at school that week, and our good friends had a great party on Saturday - full costumes, painting pumpkins, lots of sweets,... On Sunday morning I realized we still hadn't done the real deal.  So we had an early dinner, full costumes again and the dads took the kids out.  Lots of goodies, scraped knees, fighting over who gets to ring the bells & then who gets to answer our door, baths, and to bed for school the next morning.  God bless all teachers the day after Halloween.  Thankfully the "Great Pumpkin" takes the majority of the candy in our house in exchange for a small gift (this year a Zhu-Zhu pet).  The kdis each got to pick 5 pieces to keep and they are still being rationed out - my stash, on the other hand, is long gone/consumed.

So this year we had a Spider Countess, a cute witch, and a pit crew chief.  (We got a good laugh when Macie confused her words and called herself a Spider Temptress). 



Yes, Laney had me make her a HIPPO pumpkin



A Month of Thanksgiving

Wouldn't it be ideal to celebrate (at minimum) a month of gratitude and thanksgiving before it is all undone in December.  For the past couple years we have done a "thankful tree" - unfortunately, the cat (that we are so thankful for this year) would likely destroy it.  By the way, I can't claim to have come up with this...it came from my favorite go-to site for kids crafts...Family Fun


Thankful Tree 2009

So this year we did "thankful valances".  I am always amazed with the thoughtful, and of course a few trivial, suggestions that the kids come up with. (I believe you can click on the photos to make them larger if you want to see what the kids said).

"Airplanes that bring Papa & Grandma to us next week"

"It's all about the baby"

"It's allllll abouttt the babyyyyy" (must be said as a long, drawn-out, pouty complaint)...this favorite line was born when papa was first displaced by Macie.  Well, Eric just informed me that my blog is "all about the baby".  So here is one for the firstborn, the one that stole papa's thunder.



She is loving soccer, (scored 3 weeks in a row), now looking forward to cheerleading, made the honor role with all A's (yes, that officially begins in 3rd grade), and had a nice notecard put in her report card from her art teacher praising her "artistic ability, great attitude, and creative imagination".

Fun Fall Week

Fall is in full swing here.  G, Cadence and I went on a nature walk to collect signs of fall.  We brought our leaves, sticks and acorns home and created a collage.  He is very proud of his masterpiece and it is prominently displayed.  It even received praise from our resident artist (aka Macie).



Garrett had his first field trip this week.  He talked about it every day for the week leading up to it.  It was beautiful weather, yet (much to G's pleasure) messy enough to warrant his beloved rainboots. 



We went to Layz S Ranch where they had a hay maze, a "maize maze", animals, a cornbox (sandbox), huge pumpkins and a hayride. 

  

Unfortunately, he informed me I was not needed on the hayride (bummer, because I was looking forward to doing that with him).  He did however reluctantly agree to a photo with me before we left.  My baby is growing up too fast!



Well, he must have had a good time because he tried to bring a bit of the field trip home with him...



Tonight the kids and I put together an awesome gingerbread haunted house that grandma & papa mailed us.  I have to say, these kits have gotten so much better!  Or at least this one from Williams-Sonoma was great.



It came with a tray that helped hold the pieces in place while it set.  (I also finally figured out a trick to avoid holding pieces in place for 20 minutes...put it in the freezer.  And easy to do since it was all sitting on a tray.)  According to G, the finished product looks "cary (scary), pooky (spooky) and yummy".