Christmas wrap up

I feel like I haven't blogged in years!  We had a great Christmas filled with family and fun.  I took the kids to my parents house before Christmas to see all their many cousins.  They are only ALL together about twice a year, so although it can be quite crazy, it's so worth it!

After a few days, we drove back home to have Christmas with the hubs who had to work during this time. He works every other Christmas, and after several years of this, I still am not too "good" at it. I love being home for Christmas, but it sure is a long day waiting for him to come home and enjoy Christmas with us! I cooked all day while running zone defense on all that "comes up" when new toys are involved...batteries, sharing, throwing, untying those silly twisty ties that are so ridiculous with each new package, etc. Finally at 4:30 pm, he made it home. We had a great evening opening presents, eating, and playing board games.

Why stop now?? We packed up again and drove to the other grandparents! Unfortunately, the cousins had all left. We missed Zach and Colson by a day, and Abby stayed in Dallas waiting for baby Hunter to get her next month! We missed all of you! I threw some pictures together to finish up my scrapbook for the year. Page 100..DONE! I can't wait to order it. Hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Finally....a "framer"

A screeching hault

December is crazy for sure. Programs for church, school, and everything else. Parties, parties, parties....and then NOTHING. Guess I need to finish my shopping in that case. I haven't had time to organize all the pictures and videos, but here are a few.

Mary is starting to give me the, "DON'T POINT THAT THING AT ME AGAIN" look. Yikes.

I took these for our Christmas cards.  This wasn't our card, but I printed it out to frame, so I wouldn't have to put out three different pictures. Maybe some day, they will cooperate and all be in the same pic.

Are you catching on to the trend??  Again, she's not looking to thrilled with me. She did great at her dance program. Standing in a room where people are looking at her is her WORST nightmare. Trust me, I can tell.  She acted very uncomfortable, but I was really proud to see her loosen up. Maybe I'll eventually get some video posted.

Garret loves a good Christmas party. Actually he just loves to eat.

There's my poser! Thanks Mar!

Allie's school party was today. She's just a LITTLE excited about Christmas this year.

I was standing way back in the crowd when I took this. She saw me from a distance I guess, and looked right at me. I can't get her to look at me, when I'm five feet away though.  She had a tiny solo part in the school program, and she did GREAT! I was so proud of her boldness. Didn't get that from me...that's FOR SURE!

Hope your world has come to a screeching hault as well.  I can't wait until tomorrow....can't wait to do NOTHING!

This afternoon, I took some pics of a family here in town for a quick Christmas card.  Here's a little slide show of some of their pics.  

Free slideshow created with Smilebox

Teacher gifts

Teacher gifts are NOT EASY!!!  I started giving notecards for Christmas several years ago mainly because I don't have to think of something new. Everyone always needs notecards lying around. I came up with these, and printed them out for the kids' teachers.

Today was Mary and Garrett's Christmas program at their school. I never thought Garrett would stand in one place for such a long time, but he did!

Christmas past

I found this video of Allie on our first Christmas tree cutting adventure.  She was a month shy of 3.

I think she resembles Garrett SOOO much, but what do I know:)

WPS!!

This post has NOTHING to do with football, but I'm VERY EXCITED to see the HOGS go to the sugar bowl!!! Thanks Auburn! I have ONE very crazy happy sister-n-law who is even more excited to go the the national championship....a very exciting Saturday!

We drove out to cut down our tree yesterday! We normally go right after Thanksgiving, but were a little late. Apparently a little late means that there is NOT much to choose from. There were trees that were a little on the small size, so we went with one of the few BIG ones left. It didn't look HUGE, but it does now.  Oh well!

Our annual picture

Just her size

Love this grandparent pic! Bunny and Pappy came in their sleigh on Thursday. The bounded down the chimney with gifts for all the good boys and girls in the house this year.  We will be here on Christmas, so they made an early delivery!

Silly us

Sweet Mary found one

My sweet MIL! I am trying to be more intentional about adult pics! I did much better this time.

Pappy collects John Deere tractors (little ones:). Boys love tractors. What a great pic of father and son.

The girls and I went to the Nutcracker today to see their little friend Emma Cate perform. They LOVED it!  

All smiled out...nothing a cookie bribery won't solve.

Thankful

We made a Thanksgiving triangle in our travels this year. Our first stop was Bunny and Pappy's house. Mandy and Abby were there! We had a great visit. I don't know why I have been forgetting to take pics of the adults..just kids. The kids enjoyed running (not walking) all around Bunny's house chasing each other and screaming!

We also were able to visit with Sabrina too.  (the sweet wife of Hubs's best friend who died in September). This is the second Thanksgiving where we have watched people we love grieve. It is a helpless feeling when you just want them to have so badly who was lost, but you can't.  God is not helpless though. I was thankful to sit and listen to her speak of the ways He has provided for her these last 2 months.  She is an amazing woman; not floundering with a "why me" attitude, but giving thanks for the years she spent with David and relying on God to provide for her in the years to come. Wow, I was amazed. Her kids are precious, and she doesn't complain about meeting their every need day after day without relief many days. Please continue to lift her up.

Some how I my pics are all out of order!  This pic is our routine trip to Deedaw's garden.  This was the day before the freeze, so thankfully a few flowers and beans remained.  My sweet Deedaw. He loves to show the kids around the garden, and you wouldn't believe how excited they get!  I'm so so so thankful for my sweet grandparents!

Mary and Abby (18 months apart) are a PERFECT pair! They are alike in many ways.  Abby is 9 months older than Garrett, but from the looks of this picture, you would think she's Mary's age!

Poor Bailey boy.  I think he just missed Hannibal:) What a great cousin filled, grandparent, great-grandparent filled week.  Thankful.

This week

We started the week off right..with friends.  When hubs and I were in school, we became great friends with a guy named Shane.  We have seen him only a few times since then, so this past weekend was a real treat catching up.  I enjoyed so much getting to know his wife and son.

He's  a handsome, mild mannered little guy. 

It felt like old times....lots of discussion about what else? Football.

Emily turned thirty something on Monday. Being the nice sister I am, I gave her a candle for every year. Mary made the comment that with so many candles, she must be getting REALLY TALL!

I was trying to take advantage of the beautiful colors, and this is the response I get.

What a look.

Mary had her thanksgiving feast yesterday, sweet little indian.

The toothless wonder

Today, at the dentist office, Allie said something that put a proud smile on my face.


What comes with multiple kids, is multiple personalities. I'm sure birth order helps shape their personalities, but I know God gave them each a certain "way" about them. Allie has always been a big helper. Often times she wants to help so badly that it causes frustration for her and for me when the "helpee" (Mary) doesn't not want to be the recipient of her help. For the most part, she and Mary are a good pair because Mary is a follower.

This seems like yesterday!

Allie couldn't read yet, but she loves to talk, so Mary's been hearing it all her whole life.

Today, Allie had to have two more teeth pulled. As we walked into the office, she asked me the following:


"Mama, do you think if I put one of my teeth under Mary's pillow the tooth fairy might leave her half of the money. She's been wanting to lose her teeth, and I know it may be a while, so that would be a big treat for her."


Ahh...so sweet. Some days are good and some days are bad, but I will remember that statement for a while:) It's going to be tricky the next time she only loses one tooth!

The book

I've been slaving over my year book lately which is why I haven't been blogging. Thankfully I have scrapbooked the "big events" as the year as passed, but I needed to fill in all the little things than happened in between. I do one page for each child with something written to them and about them. Tonight I did Garrett's page, and it made me smile. I'm up to page 76...right on track. I am bragging a bit because in every other corner of my world, I'm a bit frazzled. The laundry is never completely done, the house never totally cleaned, but I have something to show for it thankfully! (not that I'm not insanely jealous of all of you who do have all the laundry done and house perfectly in order). This page may be hard to read without clicking on it to zoom in.

Huh??? He got his passy back?? If you read to the end you'll find this to be true.  I confess...I GAVE IT BACK. After 5-6 weeks of crying during nap time, and literally having a different child on my hands because of extreme tiredness....I gave it back....with no regrets. Maybe at 3?? Yeah whatever.

And here is the cover. Last year, I chose to make my book out of my blog header because it was already started, and it made it easier to design.  It also helps me to remember my blog theme for the year, since I do a new header every year.  I think I'll stick with this tradition.

Halloween 2010

We met our long time friends at the Great Wolf Lodge for the weekend.  Five kids in a hotel on Halloween weekend is AWESOME...he he he:) The kids had a blast, and I am still recovering!  

Gone fishin'

The G man caught a big one this morning. The annual Halloween parade was today, and he was all set. Mary walked in it too, but it was NOT HER THING. The thought of walking in front of a bunch of crazy parents who have cameras and looking at her is TRAUMATIC. Poor kid.

Pumpkin patch

Em and I ran over to the pumpkin patch after school today. I'm SOO far behind on blogging. This weekend was FULL of FALL. My parents, grandparents, brother (and fam) were all here for Abbott's baby dedication. We had a GREAT time, but I haven't had time to even look at the pics. I guess I'll be blogging backwards this week. Here are a few pics from the patch....a sweet friend met us there with her three kiddos. 

The last two pics of the girls are my favorites! I found the candy corn ribbon at walmart and sewed it on white t-shirts which I had monogrammed. They can wear them this week, and then I can rip off that ribbon and replace it with Christmas...ha!