A little taste of Christmas...

I just wanted to post two of my favorite pictures from Christmas....

The first one is from Christmas Eve when we were about to put all the kids to bed and Andrew was telling them what Christmas is all about (baby Jesus etc...).  He wanted them to be attentive and they were doing great, then in the midst of it I capture this split second of a moment where Shaw is reminding Blaize to pay attention... and well, Blaize is doing what little brothers do best.  Why the girls look like zombies?? I think they are exhausted.  **Kelly: That striped blanket in the one you gave me a few years back for Christmas, that I'm pretty sure you got at an amazing black friday sale... it is one of our favorites and is constantly being fought over**

This next one is from Christmas morning at my mom's when the whole family comes together to open presents after opening all the presents at our own houses.  I feel like this one just needs a caption.  It's my niece Tearony.

"With my mind on my money and my money on my mind!" 

Let's DO THIS!!

Tonight was our churches annual Christmas concert.  I wanted to go but was trying to figure out how to fit it in with Andrews crazy work schedule and 4 children.  I decided to just throw in the towel and pass on this years festivities.
Then this afternoon as I'm on the phone with my sister she mentions that she is going to the concert and suggest that I come along.  I express my concern that attempting an hour + concert with 4 kids doesn't really sound like something that will put me in that holiday spirit.  She suggest I pull out the secret weapon.... Candy.
I give it some thought and make the decision... let's DO THIS!

Being a mother of 4 young children I have come to realize that being a mom has A LOT to do with planning and preparation... so I made a plan.

-Gather Supplies:
     -$7 worth or candy = 1 bag of suckers, 1 bag of gummy bears, 1 bag chocolate covered raisins.
     -Large bottle of water (to wash down all that candy).
     -Blaize's sippy cup with fresh milk.
     -Wipes... lots of wipes.
     -Single stroller = to lock down the little one.
     -Hearty Bear. This is Blaize's favorite stuffed animal pal.... he just makes life a bit happier.

-The game plan:
     -Divide and conquer. Split up the children between my sisters kids who are helpful, older, and distracting and my sister.
     -Lock down Blaize in the stroller so he has limited movement.  He runs fast we don't want him taking off.
     -Distraction = let them enjoy a sucker so they think they are just hanging out eating candy when actually they are enjoying O Holy Night.

The result....

We choose a nice seat on the second row.... now some of you might be saying, "What are you thinking?!? Sit in the back!"  But sitting in the second row gives you great motivation to keep everyone obedient and quiet and it also gives you and them a great view of the show.
All the kids did fabulous.  Blaize enjoyed the large screens that always seemed to have some kind of movement playing on them that he found quite mesmerizing.  He also realized it was cool to clap and cheer on the second to last song.  Shaw enjoyed a nice comfortable lounge with his head rested on Aspyn's lap and his feet elevated on my sisters lap... such a dude.  Marinn and Taurin did so great the only time I knew they were there is when they were asking for another sucker.
Overall I would say it was a success... but when they say it takes a village to raise a child I would totally agree.  I couldn't have done it without my sister's family helping me out and helping my family enjoy the holiday festivities.

Don't think you've missed out on the Christmas concert fun because they are doing it again tomorrow night!! And guess what? Tomorrow night they offer child care ; ) ; )  (You might be asking why I just didn't go tomorrow night...well, that because I'll be there to watch your kids!  Don't worry I'm leaving the candy home.)

Some things you don't want to forget...

There are some things that you don't want to forget....

Shaw demonstrating proper thumb etiquette.


Blaize asking his sister for a hug.

Does it get any cuter than this?!?!  I love these boys!

Christmas Decorating:Memory Making

Since we don't have a mantel,  we found a new place to hang our stockings this year.  I particularly like this idea because it's about 2 feet or more higher than any of my children can reach... perfect! 

We also devised this space saving placement of our tree... that's right we put it right on top of the coffee table in the corner.  I really like this because there are no lights in this living room and it always seems dim in the evenings.  I'm considering just leaving the tree up all year so we have a nice happy glow in the living room :) 

I have such beautiful tree models. 

For the last 3 years I have video taped parts of our Christmas morning to put together a video of some highlights of Christmas.  Last year I decided to put them all on one DVD and pack it away with our Christmas decorations.  So that this year we can sit down as a family on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day and watch the years past and see how everyone has grown and changed.  I didn't really plan it out to be that way but just thinking about having something like that, that we can add to every year is so exciting.  Many years down the road when all the toys have worn out and the memories have faded I will be able to give my children 10+ years of Christmas mornings. 

This year I decided to record our tree decorating, it's not crazy exciting or wild but it shows us as a family and it will be fun to add to our Christmas DVD collection.  Here's to making some memories this Christmas! 

Voting & Chicken Noodle Burritos

Election day was Tuesday and this is what Shaw has to say about that...





Then, today was rough... Shaw threw up in the car... Twice.  By dinner time he was pretty hungry having "given up" his 2 previous meals of the day.  As I was making dinner he was insisting that he was no longer sick and would like a tortilla.  I gave him a tortilla along with some chicken noodle soup which mostly consisted of noodles.  I went on having a chat with Andrew and a friend that had stopped by then looked over to see Shaw seemed to be not just eating a tortilla but a burrito?!  Upon closer inspection I discovered that he had placed his noodles inside the tortilla rolled in up and was eating what I would describe as a Chicken Noodle Burrito.  I just giggled and let him scarf the rest of it down, then finish off the can of soup as well.  I feel like I've had a glimpse into his teen years... Oh Shaw boy how I love you!

Concern from a child...

The other day Andrew and I were sitting on the couch as he was telling me about a difficult person he dealt with that day.  It was a pretty serious and intense story that Marinn happened to be overhearing as she sat next to us.  Andrew was basically describing a type of physical danger that comes with his job.
In the midst of the story Marinn interjects with concern, "Dad, you should really be careful."
Andrew and I look at each other with that look of, 'Oh isn't our child so thoughtful and sweet to be concerned about her daddy's safety.'
About the time that thought has crossed our minds she adds, "Because the remote is right there behind the pillow and I don't want you to crush it."
BAHH HA HA!  We both just died laughing realizing she was not concerned for him at all but concerned about the safety of the remote.  I guess she has full confidence in his super hero powers.

Marinn & 1st Grade

Today was Marinn's first day of the 1st grade.  She was really excited about her outfit :) 

About to head into class. 

 

Finding her seat in Ms. Ford's class. 

Kindergarten                                                                                                                               1st Grade

I think the similarities in her hands are hilarious. Is she nervous?

Another first...

A few weeks ago Marinn comes running out of her room and says, 

"Mom!  The most wonderful thing has happened to me?!" 

I say, "What's that Marinn?"

With such pride and excitement she exclaims, "I have a wiggly tooth!!!"  

Then, on July 28th, 2012 she lost her first tooth.  It's amazing how something kind of disgusting and a bit gruesome to see can be so fun and exciting.  

After leaving her tooth under her pillow she received 2 gold one dollar coins.  

She asked me the next day, "Mommy, was it you or Daddy that really put that under my pillow and not the tooth fairy?"

I was honest and told her it was Andrew.  

She said, "Okay, I won't tell anyone."  She wasn't disappointed and seemed a bit pleased that she had figured it out on her own.  Pretending can be fun.  

Nuts?!

 

The other day Marinn was playing a game of leap frog with Shaw and Blaize.... well, she was basically jumping over them and they were laughing.
She jumps over Blaize, then as she jumps over Shaw she doesn't quite make it high enough and totally clocks her "potty parts" (for lack of a better term) on Shaws head.  She grabs herself and says, "OH, MY NUTS!"
I laughed out loud and couldn't even bring myself to correct her because I knew I wouldn't be able to hold together a straight face.
Because there are no older boys in our family or friends I feel like I have the public school system to thank for this hilarious moment.

Vacuuming...

We were cleaning up the house today and the kids had picked up their toys but wanted to help more. Yay! Could any mom turn that down???

Taurin got to vacuum and Marinn and Shaw tackled the dishes.  

 Taurin was hilarious vacuuming... she was so concerned about holding the cord up out of the way.  Thanks to my Kirby's awesome "Drive" mode she was able to maneuver the vacuum quite well.  

Now the dishes are done, the carpet is vacuumed and the kids feel accomplished. 

Getting "comfy"?!

On more than one occasion we have found Blaize sleeping in a bit of an odd position.  The other day I got the chance to get a picture of the craziness. 

Oh Marinn...

Marinn was helping me fold some laundry... she loves a competition so she decided she would divide the laundry between the two of us and race to see who could fold it the fastest.  She was winning and would occasionally throw an extra piece in my basket.  I threw a few back in hers, but she was paying attention and gave them right back to me.  So, I decided to get sneaky and told her to check out the cool birds outside on the tree so I could put some in when she wasn't looking.  She glanced over for a moment (I barely had enough time to toss some in), and turned right back saying, "I'm not going to look because it might be a trick.... So, I'm not going to look."  Then inspecting her basket she notices the new articles of clothing and promptly tosses them back in my basket.  When did tricking a 5 year old become soo difficult?!?!

Marinn's funny quote of the day:

Marinn is in the van asking everyone what they want to be when they grow up... she gets to Blaize and very animated asks, 

"Blaaaaaize, what do you want to be when you grow up?!"  

There is a pause.... "Oh... he said he wants to be a food messager.  I know that's what he said because when I asked him he looked at his feet." 

Marinn's celebrity look a like... Joey King (Ramona and Beezus)

She even has very similar mannerisms. Crazy!

Taurin Turns 4!

Taurin's Birthday was on February 15th... she turned 4!

 Had some fun with balloons, the siblings, and the cousins.... 

The party wasn't quite exciting enough for Uncle Brian....

Yes... she got a lizard from Aspyn and Tearony.  She loves it! Shaw hates it! (SEE VIDEO HERE!)

 She blew out the candles after about the second line of the Birthday Song.

Now for a few highlights / Birthday girl interview....