Mother's Day Was Sweet!

We spent Mother's Day enjoying our family!  There was a bit of breakfast in bed, a bit of outside playing, some small chores (because they never end in this house!), a bit of lunching of out, a store or two, some yard work, and then a happy ending ice cream treat!

A local ice cream shop offers free ice cream for mommies on Mother's Day ( and for daddies on Father's Day, for equality!), so we headed out before bed for a treat with our friends, the Johnson family (because we couldn't think of anyone else we'd rather share a sweet treat with!). 

We tried for a family shot with Mommy...but life with three kids can be a bit sticky!

(Plus Daddy needs a bit of camera practice!)

The best of the bunch!

And someone was so tired, this is what a short trip home in the car resulted in!

Love the necklace in the mouth!

All in all, it was a great Mother's Day!  Daddy helped the kids deliver flowers, a new chair for me to NOT sit in at the beach, and a few blueberry and raspberry bushes.  I think the family time helped block out the fact that I still had to do dishes and laundry...although, I didn't change one diaper all day!!!

And just for the memory books, Daddy stated this line as I was complaining about laundry "Well, it's Mother's Day, not Wife's Day." - and that is MY husband...all mine...aren't I so lucky!?!?!

We're Not Irish...

...but we like to celebrate ALL holidays!

Merry Christmas (a few days early!)

Because we travel for the holidays, we have discovered that it is impossible to bring all the children's gifts with us. Some are just too large! So today we had an early Christmas where the kids got their presents from Mommy and Daddy (since Santa doesn't come until the 25th!) and Daddy and I exchanged our gifts.

The before shot

Tater exploring her "vet station" (and Bruiser having meltdown #2 for the day!)

Sassy "washing" her hands at the play sink Daddy built.

Sassy opening her dolls to go with her wooden doll house

Bruiser playing with his wooden castle

Sassy and Bruiser opening their gifts from Tater (that she picked out herself!)

(Oh, and Bruiser recovering from meltdown #3)

Daddy opening his gift from me

Daddy and Tater trying to figure out what the gift is!
(Daddy, who is a huge Monty Python fan, will be going to see Spamalot in April!)

I should have taken a picture of how the living room looks now! I can only imagine Christmas morning...today ended with only one bag of trash! But there was lots of great playing, a bit of trouble with sharing, but some amazing imaginative play!

It was especially interesting to watch Bruiser experience the event. He really struggled with others opening gifts and it not being all about him. We need to have LOTS of conversations about taking turns and sharing between now and Christmas day...or the whole day might result in tons of tears (well, it might anyway, but at least we'll have tried!).

Tree Decorating!

The pictures are sparse...but super cute! We had a bit of help with decorating this year when a neighbor needed an emergency sitter...so it was a bit of a stretch to take picture while wrangling 6 excited children decorating a Christmas tree!

All dressed in our holiday nightwear...including the purple cowgirl hat!

Bruiser posing!

Super Sassy!

A Relaxing Long Weekend!

As I said before, we chose not to travel this weekend and spend the four days at home with just the five of us...and it has been wonderful!

Bruiser is in the midst of potty training and staying close has made it a bit less challenging...as much as that can be with a sensory child...who never knows when he has to "go"! I love how he wears his underwear...backwards so he can see the pictures! I mean, really! Whoever thought to put the picture on the back?

Daddy and Tater made a homemade pumpkin pie...crust and all!

Here's our T-Day turkey! Daddy did a great job!

And here are a few shots of the meal!

We spent the actual holiday at home and in jammies until the middle of the afternoon. Friday we did a bit of shopping (because we are crazy like that!) and Saturday ended up being another lazy day. We did venture out to lunch and Target...where Bruiser had a screaming meltdown and had to be removed from the store by Daddy...not that we were surprised! Today we all headed to the Y for a break...Mommy centered herself with a bit of yoga, Daddy strengthened those muscles with some weights, and the kids played in the play area. Amazingly we are all a bit calmer today! After a quick haircut for Tater, I came home to continue on with my Christmas preparations.

And now...for a last burst of holiday cheer before we return to work and school...we are heading out on a chilly mystery trip! Pictures and details tomorrow!

A Different Kind of Holiday

We stayed home this year instead of making the trek "over the river and through the woods" to Mimi and Papa's or Memaw and Pop-Pop's house. This isn't the first Thanksgiving we stayed put...but it is the first one that we were all alone and decided to cook the entire traditional dinner. Despite a bit of stress (there were still three demanding children in the house!), Daddy and I worked well together, sharing the responsibility of making the dishes. The 21 pound turkey cooked for a bit more than 5 hours and was super-yummy! The only major problem was that the turkey filled the oven and we couldn't cook the other dishes! Luckily our across-the-street neighbors ate earlier than us and shared their oven space so we could eat everything at the same time. By dinnertime, we enjoyed the aforementioned turkey, homemade mashed potatoes, Pop-Pop's filling, creamy corn, sweet potato delight (a la Aunt Crystal) and rolls. Daddy and Tater even made a homemade pumpkin pie that was fresh out of oven and gobbled by three little mouths (and one big one!) before an early bedtime!

It was a different kind of day. There was quality time with each of the children, two Skype sessions with family far away (and one even "shared" their meal with Sassy!), and a laid-back relax feeling over all. As much as we missed the time spent with family, we have been craving this time in our home, without overloaded schedules, to just enjoy one another.

Hope everyone had a fabulous day...whether you spent it with your small family or your extended one!

Everybody Loves A Parade!

We headed out today to our town's annual Memorial Day Parade! Luckily we are able to pile the kids in the stroller and walk a few short blocks for a great vantage point. We saw lots of motorcycles, lots of scout troops, lots of baseball players, lots of Mommy's students, and even Bruiser's best friend from school! It was a fun break from the routine and a great time spent with friends!

Happy Memorial Day!

Getting Back In The Swing Of Things!

After being away for a week, it should be understandable that there is a lot to do. But then add in Christmas and New Years and the "to do" list multiplies!

So, I know my blogging has suffered and my plan is to fix that! And address the fact that I've been blogging for an entire year...thinking about a giveaway...maybe!

Here is my "to do" list for this weekend:

• unpack all the gifts
• sort and organize toys - you know, what to keep and what to pass on (the old, not the new!)
• go grocery shopping (after planning this week's menu)
• buy diapers and toilet paper (you know, the REAL important things in life!)
• spend some Christmas money (clothes or a coffee maker? Or maybe both!)
• write January lesson plans
• laundry (what a surprise!)
• miss Tater while she is Papa and Mimi's house for the next two weeks
• figure out the new camera
• BLOG!!!!!!

So, without further ado, I'm off to dry my hair and get busy! See you all soon!

Happy Holidays 2009!

We made it until 7:00 am before we were awakened by certain two-year-old who couldn't wait to see the presents and "fars" that Santa brought him! The last gift was finally opened at noon - a long and excitement-filled morning! Lots of new goodies and gadgets for all -but best of all was the time spent with family!

Waiting to see if Santa had come!

Santa ate the cookies and drank the milk!

Mimi before she had her coffee...

The Before

Papa and Miss Wiggles

Bruiser getting his own Leapster

Tater opening her Snow White lithograph (which Mommy won from JoLynne over at Musings of a Housewife - thanks for a very happy little girl!)

Sisters

Miss Wiggles

A-nut H

Packing up the loot!

Daddy!

Uncle J (and that's a good shot)!

Hope your day was as wonderful as ours!

Merry Christmas!

Nativity Set Blog Carnival

Today I'm joining JanMary's carnival of Nativities!

This is my Willow Tree set that stays out all year...its too pretty to put away and it gives us a daily reminder of the real meaning in our life!

My grandmother quilted this one and I searched for years for the perfect way to hang it...

This is the children's Fisher Price nativity that they can play with! They love to retell the story of baby Jesus!

Last year we added the stable with the Little Drummer Buy and...

...the sheep. Thank you, Papa and Mimi!

And this is a cute nativity that I made years ago...Tater made the tree in preschool last year and it's a perfect addition!