Getting Ready

The stockings were lovingly taped to the mantle before Santa filled them with treats and placed them at the foot of each bed. The boys didn't really get their stockings in their cribs though. Santa knew that wouldn't be a good idea. So he just put theirs on the floor beside the cribs. Santa knew E would make sure the boys got their stockings too.

E pointing to her stocking.

Daddy reading The Night Before Christmas.

Once the kids were in bed, we pulled out all the gifts to place them under the tree. This year I decided to "Go Green" and not use wrapping paper. I have always been the person saving boxes, bags and bows for the next year. I've never really loved the fact that you spend so much money and time on wrapping, just to rip it up and throw it away...and there's a lot to throw away. Don't get me wrong, I do like wrapping gifts...it's fun. I also like ripping into them. Regardless, this year I decided to sew fabric bags to wrap our gifts. It was super easy and my hubby, A, absolutely loved it. He didn't have to cut paper or use tape and everything was wrapped in record time. I think wrapping presents was one of the many highlights of Christmas this year.


On a side note, E loves the garbage truck. She knows when it's Tuesday and knows when he comes down our street. She'll run to the window so she can watch him dump our trash. They expect to see one another now and they exchange smiles and waves. He'll even honk his loud truck horn for her. So for Christmas she drew him a picture of his truck with very colorful trash all around. I wrote "Merry Christmas! From, Your Friend in the Window" but I'm bummed that I forgot to take a picture of it. E was afraid to actually go up to the truck, but she enthusiastically watched Daddy give the picture to her friend. He was very pleased with the drawing and gave her a tootsie roll.

Dear Santa

This was the first year E knew about Santa. She placed our homemade Turtles on a little plate for him with milk and left carrot sticks for the reindeer. She said she wanted to have carrot sticks too. Then E got busy "writing" Santa a letter. She was intensely working as we watched the minutes pass by.


When we finally offered to help her, we were amazed that she had drawn a picture of mommy and daddy.

Mommy with a skirt.

Daddy with a tie. I am quite impressed with this one. He has ears, feet, a face, and a knee. I had kindergartners who couldn't do this much!

Daddy decided to write the letter for her. She told him exactly what to say. She was really getting into it.

Prior To Christmas

You know, Christmas really did seem to fly by this year. It may be because we were all sick for so long. It may be because I was busy trying to pull off a successful church Christmas Social. Maybe it was because I couldn't find the right present for my husband, so shopping seemed to come down to the wire. Or could it be that I decided to create and sew new stockings for all the kids along with a new star tree topper. Or maybe it was because I was busy searching for holiday traditions I would like to start with my family. It could be that we were rushing to get presents and cards sent off by a reasonable date. Time just seems to fly by faster and faster every year.

We were told of the Caswell lights last year, but were unable to make it. So, after hearing that our friends went this year, we decided to go check it out. We were so surprised that it was a simple home, a big yard, and millions and millions of lights. We were also surprised that we had to park about a mile away and hike to the place, dodging traffic, and pushing a double stroller in the dark through neighboring yards which had plenty of hills, holes and bumps. It was neat to see all the trees lit up from top to bottom, along with trains, snowglobes, and plenty of kid friendly decor. E ate it up, especially when she saw Santa.





A couple accomplishments for the boys. O has started rolling all over the place to get whatever his heart desires. He has also pulled himself up on all 4 ready to crawl. He rocks and moves his legs, but hasn't quite officially crawled.


W is now capable of riding in E's cart without parental supervision. He fits quite nicely in the front and E thoroughly enjoys pushing him around the house, pretending to take him to the store, the park, or the museum.

This One's For You

This post goes out to Saucy Chocolate, a lover of fine foods and of course...chocolate. I told her of a new recipe I found for homemade Oreos. Let me just tell you...they were heavenly. They were addictive. They were gone within 24 hours. I have found a new family favorite. YUM!

Just looking at this picture makes me want more.

The only thing I changed was that I made them soft and chewy instead of hard and crisp. Look at them...don't they look good? Well, I'm here to tell you...they are very good.

A Few More Pictures From Thanksgiving Weekend

Let's see...we had 2 cousins to celebrate birthdays.

E's cousin got a walkie talkie set for his birthday. Several of the boys spent the rest of the evening playing on these things. E, of course, was right there with all the action. She didn't have a walkie, but smart girl, she improvised. She talked into a Tupperware pitcher lid. "What?! I can't hear you! Corbin, come in!"

Wedding pictures can be frustrating and long, especially when working with a huge family....in the blinding sun. But we managed, and we captured a few funny shots.

Doodle pad swiped from one of the many children as they exit the Temple.

Lovely shot taken during several moments of mass confusion as we were attempting a family picture...which consists of a ton of people.

The bride and her brothers.

Welcome to the family.

Did I mention the blinding sun?

Smile for the camera!

E was so excited to see her cousin show up at the Christmas tree lot. Of course we had to take a picture of the two. They're such good friends. But E just....

could not...

stand...

still!
It's all fine and dandy though. I love these pictures of her.

My dad assembled his Christmas train that runs around the tree. E fell in love with this train last Christmas and talked about it most of the year. She was so excited to see it again. She sat right beside my dad, helping him with any task possible to make sure the train would get set up in a hurry. It has all the sound effects of a real chugging train, a whistle, and actual smoke. It's a big hit with all the grand kids!

The boys were mesmerized.

A Bunch of Sickos

As I mentioned earlier, the kids caught a bug at Thanksgiving time. We first noticed runny noses on the boys. Then while we were attending Aunt Rachels' wedding, we got a phone call from Grandma that they were going downhill fast. E happened to be at the zoo with her cousin so we weren't sure how she was feeling. But as soon as she was dragged out of the van that evening, we knew she was just as sick. All had the runny nose, cough, sneezing, and fever. We had to cancel our traditional trip to the mountains and just try to get some sleep. It's not fun taking care of all your children when they're sick. The whining and crying, coughs and sneezes in your face, and ALL that snot! It was everywhere! I've never seen so much snot. Before getting sick, my boys didn't mind the nasal aspirator (the nose sucker), but after a few days we had to hold them down to keep them still. The torturous cries that followed weren't pretty. During all waking hours we were wiping or sucking all their noses. After sleeping, it was if they had been slimmed. Not only was their nose encased with dried snot, but it was all over their face, in their hair, and all over their clothes and bedding.

So, it was no surprise that a few days later A and I get sick. Now the whole family gets to enjoy this experience together. Now we're really having fun with the holidays. But wait...it gets better. After having a cold for a few days with a cough that almost breaks a rib and wakes the neighbors, A and I get strep throat. We're lovin' life. This was one happy household for awhile there. But the fun...the fun doesn't stop! No sirree! We've got a 3 year old copy cat, so E decided to get strep throat as well. Fun...we're a funhouse alright. Not only does she get strep, but...drum roll please....scarlet fever! Hooray!

We're all on prescription drugs and cough syrup, so hopefully our fun filled two and a half week ordeal is mostly behind us. We're still recovering, but doing a lot better. Let's hope we don't get sick for Christmas, which was the case last year when E had a spike in fever, feberal convulsions, and Roseola. Good times.

Christmas morning...no fun.

Christmas evening...no fun.

Dr's office the day after Christmas...still no fun.

Thanksgiving

Ok, so I tend not to post directly after an event. We usually wait until the camera is full and then we upload everything at once. Even then I'm not promising a quick blog post. But, I'll eventually get to it. Today's post is Thanksgiving. Ahhh, the holiday to openly express our thanks to so many things...family and friends, home, car, job, our country, our freedom, our ancestors...there are so many things we are thankful for.

Our holiday was packed full of events that kept us on the go. We had a lot of family events that didn't leave much down time. Here are most in a nutshell.

*Family came to town and stayed with us for a week, which was great fun.
*Prepare food for Thanksgiving
*Family pictures- Sports attire this year and very casual.


*Thanksgiving football game



*The actual Thanksgiving meal for A's side of the family, which fed about 57 people this year. I'm not sure if that's the record or not, but we had A LOT of people there.
*A second Thanksgiving dinner at my family's home. And yes, we were stuffed.
*Aunt Rachel's wedding


*Pictures and wedding luncheon
*Shopping. Oh, and we also stopped to get Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory dipped apples. YUM!
*Christmas tree chopping and picnic in the mountains were canceled due to the kids getting sick.
*Choosing Christmas trees on a lot near my parents' home with family


*Decorate my mom's tree
*Game Night with A's family
*Sewing Christmas
*Decorate my own house and tree
*Made a traditional childhood paper chain for the Christmas countdown. E and I made it a little late, but she doesn't know that.
*Work feverishly to get everything ready for the church Christmas Social
*Then just get feverish. A and I ended up getting sick from the kids.

And with all this rushing around, my Christmas Cactus bloomed! Looks good.

Her First Birthday Party

E was so excited to go to her friend's birthday party at the Children's Museum. All the kids had a great time exploring and then having cake and ice cream. I found it funny that there were more adults than children and we were all clicking our cameras in the excitement. Most cameras were on Avery, the birthday girl of course, but I found myself taking more of my own daughter... eager to capture another first.

She and Avery just talking away. E- Oooo, I like your cake. A- That's Dora. E- Wow.

Are there any other kids in the room? There's plenty, but E has some interesting things to say. E- My mommy went to the dentist. I'm gonna go to the dentist. Did you go to the dentist? A- No. I go to the Doctor. E- Did you get a poke? A- Nods head. E-Ooohhh, are you ok?

You think cake and ice cream might slow these two down? Nope. The conversation just got more entertaining.

All the kids finished eating...except E. So, everyone was whisked away to open a few gifts. Well, I thought it was so funny that at one point, this entire table was full of people eating and now there was just one. My little one. And good for her! She decided that finishing her chocolate ice cream was worth sitting by herself as everyone else gathered around the birthday girl and new toys. A true chocolate lover. That's my girl.

Look at these two...holding hands and just giggling away! They are so adorable.

We're Getting So Big!

It was about Halloween when we got the latest weight, measurements, and developmental benchmarks from the doctor. Since it's been holiday busy around here, I'm just now getting around to posting them. Each child will tell about their accomplishments...well, sort of.

I was so eager to see the doctor. I like watching her listen to my heart go bump bump, my lungs when I breath, and she put me on a big kid scale. She even tapped my knee with a hammer and I laughed because it tickled. I got a flu shot for the first time and I was so brave. I didn't even cry! Here's the latest info on me.





*I weigh 32 lbs. and I'm 37 inches tall.
*I wear a size 7 shoe and my favorite shoes are my rainboots.
*I can color, cut with help, and string beads.
*I can count to 10, recognize most letters, and recognize my shapes...even when they are in the environment (Example: I recognized a bunch of parallelograms in the cement walkway).
*I did not know my full name, but then mommy and daddy practiced with me until I did.
*I can hop, jump, spin, walk the stairs, balance on one foot, catch and throw a ball. I do have a hard time riding my tricycle and running fluidly though. Maybe in a few months I'll have it down.
*My language skills are getting better. More people understand what I'm saying. My sentences can have up to 6 or 7 words and I usually include polite words.
*I love to sing and I've almost memorized several songs.
Some of my favorite music comes from Signing Time, Barney, Sesame Street, and church songs. I Love to See the Temple and I am a Child of God are my most favorite with I'm So Glad When Daddy Comes Home and I Am Like a Star coming in for a close second.
*I love to pretend. All my toys are real people with real emotions. I'm busy dressing up, cooking in the kitchen, and taking care of my many babies. Lately I've really been busy pretending to be a doctor, to have birthdays parties and taking a shower.
*Speaking of kitchen, I try to always help mommy in the kitchen. I grab my stool and watch, but then I always want to help. Sometimes mommy makes me get down from my stool because I get too close to the stove or my fingers grab food too close to the knife. I just want to help!
*I'm still shy around new people and some strangers scare me. But yesterday, I went to a birthday party and I lost my mom. She was helping me put things away. She turned around and I ran into another room. I realized I didn't know where I was and mom wasn't there either, so I asked a nice lady, "Where's my mom?" Just then mommy appeared right behind me and she was happy that I asked another nice mommy for help.
*I like to do most things by myself these days. I like to wash my hands by myself, dress myself (even though I have a hard time) and I really want to wipe myself by mommy still insists on helping me.
*This is a bad time of year for my skin. I have really sensitive skin and when it gets cold my eczema bothers me. I try to keep lotion on me and we'll try a humidifier and a baking soda bath, but so far nothing has helped. I also have a scalp irritation. Mommy's been washing my hair with a special shampoo and I get to rinse my hair under the tub faucet. That's awesome! (E really does say that).

*I am 15 lbs. and 28 inches long.
*I am thrilled to be mobile, crawling around the whole house. I always keep mom guessing as to where I'll be next.
*I really want to walk around and I can now pull myself up on everything. I can even climb up onto things like the stairs, E's stool, and the dishwasher. Boy, I really got a good gasp out of mommy when she saw me on the dishwasher door with my hands and face inside the dishwasher.


(As a sidenote, look at W compared to the size of a dinner plate. He's too tiny to be mobile!)


*When I pull up onto things, I show off by letting go with one hand and stomping my foot up and down.
*I love to bounce and get tickled...and when I do I squeal really loud.
*If I'm placed in a bouncy seat or swing, I can easily squirm my way out. Mommy's always strapping me down.
*I can play soccer with any toy using my hands to roll it along. I'll crawl, hit the toy forward, and continue my crawl to go hit it again. I've crossed the room several times playing this fun game.
*I like to talk and I can now use consonant sounds like dada.
*I want to eat every time I see someone eating and I like to whine about it. I finally got the hang of eating Cheerios. It took me awhile not to gag. I can also pick them up and eat them!
*It's extremely rare that I cry. If I'm upset, hurt, or hungry I just whine or shout at mommy.
*I'm a secret spitter-upper. I'm able to spit up at any point in the day and I'm super quiet about it. If I don't have it dripping down my chin, Mommy may not know what happened until she steps in it on the carpet or hugs me and it's then smeared on her clothes. I can also make great designs in my clothes from spitting up and then rolling or crawling through it.
*I'm a hit wherever I go. Everyone thinks I'm beautiful. They like to see my smile, all my hair, and my ever so long eyelashes. They're always watching me and wanting to hold me.


*I'm 21 lbs. and 27 1/2 inches long.
*I wear 12 month clothes.
*I have 2 teeth to chew on everything, well, actually I did that before I got teeth.
*I can lift my chest off the ground, roll over, and touch my toes. I can also turn myself around in a circle while on my tummy.
* If I'm on my back and I want someone to pick me up, I plant my feet and just lift my bum off the ground. Give a few grunts and I'm good to go.

*I'm a fantastic eater. Mommy tried to give me solid food, but that didn't go over to well. She may try again in a few weeks.
*I usually belch like a grown man, but sometimes mommy or daddy have a hard time getting a burp out and I end up spitting up later like when I get picked up again or playing in my bouncy seat. Sometimes... I just spit up. Last week, I think I slimed mommy every time she picked me up. I guess that's why she doesn't get dressed up a lot. If I don't spit up, you can guarantee I'll be drooling.
*I have the greatest chuckle laugh and it's seriously contagious.
*I'm pretty laid back. I don't even mind if my brother crawls all over me, grabs at my face, sucks my hand...he loves me. I like to be near him, watch him, and sometimes mimic him. Mom loves it when I join W in a loud whine.
*I used to just grunt with a deep voice, but lately I've been trying out a higher squeal.
*I can reach for toys and have a tug of war with W. He's fast, but I'm stronger.
*I love the bath. I get mom really wet when I start kicking.
*I'm also a big hit wherever I go because I'm so big and chunky. They also love my fuzzy head and bright blue eyes. Oh, and the ladies just love my dimple. So if I'm not too tired, I'll show it off.