Twas the night before Christmas

And all through the house, the children were crazy, they scared the mouse.  They woke in the morning with excitement and cheer, knowing that Christmas would soon be here.
First on there list was to open a gift from there Grandma Ginny, each year with more kids she has to send so many.  Smiley got a car Tow Mater, he drove it all day and later.





Gregory got a wii game so much fun, Monster Hunter he has them on the run.



Evan opened legos this one not from Grandma Ginny, hundreds of pieces I will be vacumeing up so many.



Now Princess Faith opened a singing panda bear, she was dancing to the music and brother wanted to share.





5 minutes later when the gift opening was done we headed to the kitchen for some more fun.  It was time to bake, and then to the neighbors home the cookies we wold take.



Dozen upon dozen we made, working for hours in the kitchen never being paid.



We made chocolate chip, chocolate chocolate chip and best of all sugar cookies with lots of icing.  We ate as we made them they were to enticing.  For Santa and his reindeer there were so many, we hooked him up to erase the bad times because with 3 boys there can be plenty.





While we were cooking under the table hid an elf, red and cute it could be none else, than our sweetest girl so kissable and cute, but there for handouts for that delicious sugary food.



The baking was done, the cookies were made, as the day went on all the children played.  The loved their new toys, and together they wondered about Santa and when would he come, would he come down the chimney?  Or through the door?  They though about the presents he would bring them because they wanted more.

But have the boys been good or were they bad?  We were glued to the computer watching Santa on NORAD.  He flew to Russia, he flew to Fiji, he flew over oceans, continents, islands and more.  We watched and waited for soon he would be at our chimney or door.

Waiting the children never grew tired, we cuddled up and watched movies but nothing worked.  The were as excited as ever and the hour was late, they needed to go to bed and it had been all momma could take.  I sent them to bed but they did not stay.  I told them you better go to sleep or Santa won't stop with his sleigh.

Finally asleep I begun my work wrapping presents should have been left to the elfs.  Because I was up past 1 AM and tired myself.  But eventually it got done and the stocking filled and hung.



It was a glorious night the room was glowing, and the was a sea of presents blessings overflowing.



So many packages!  So many gracious family and friends.  We are truly blessed and I was thankful the evening was at its end.  For now I could go to sleep and rest my head  I quickly fell asleep cuddling my princess in bed.

As we slept the boys swore they heard him he thumped on the roof and never was in sight but then flew off exclaiming  "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"\

A cat came to us

A few weeks ago a little scraggly cat came around on a Sunday night.  It stood across the street and meowed.  It looked so hungry.  We brought out a bowl of milk and the cat eventually came to us.  We let it drink and it snared and ran away.  Stupid cat.  We did not see it again.

One week later the same day it came back.  But this time I had picked up a small bag of cat food that day to leave out with the milk.  My son was so excited and joyfully feed this cat.  We let the food alone and went inside.  The next day the food was gone.

Later that week when I was at work and my husband was on the computer the cat got in the house and surprised him by jumping on his lap.  He pet the cold cat and then threw it back outside.  From then on it has hung around the front sometimes still finding its way inside.

The boys have continued to feed it, pet it and sit at the door and talk to her through it.  They wish we would let her be our inside cat but that is not in the cards.  We sometimes have a dog and that cat would drive the dog nuts.  Which would drive me nuts.  Plus I have a large tropical fish tank that would look like a buffet.  If that was knocked over it the weight would crush any of my kids underneath.  plus at a doctors appointment yesterday they specially asked me if I had any contact with a cat and I told the story of our new outside cat they immediately sent in for blood work for toxoplamosis.  It will remain an outside cat.

My Evan has named her Wyatt.  There dad has said he will build Wyatt a little  house outside so she wont freeze.  They have really took to her.  Big smiles across there faces.  There dad says she is special because she chose us.  I say ugh....  But I love my boys so now we have an out side cat.

Gregory's weekend away

After November ended so warmly December cam in frigid.  It was so cold.  So why not send my son off camping?  Gregory left by himself  to his first ever sleep away camp.  It was not long 3 days, 2 night but that was long enough for the rest of us.  We all missed him so much!  We are never apart.  Evan his closest brother cried from the time we dropped him off till he went to bed that night.  Evan was sad the following day but his younger brother moped around as well.  We were all looking forward to picking him back.

While we were sad Greg was having a great time!  He was staying in a warm cabin.  When I dropped him off there I felt better about that.  I had bought him a mummy sleeping bag on black Friday and sent him with warm pj's and blankets.  He probably just need the pj's and blanket, I believe the cabin was warmer than our house. Comforting.  Still it was hard to leave him.  He was so excited even the counselors questioned if there was anything else I needed because I kept hanging around.

The days went quick for him.  He was so busy.  They had study times,



guest speakers that were famous balloon artist, games, songs, food.  And my super picky eater who I packed a bag full of food with him because I was worried he would starve did not touch what I sent and ate every meal they gave him.  At least some portion of it.  What music to my ears he is warm AND not starving!  But do you see him all bundled up in the picture?  What is that all about?  Well at lest he was not cold.

His favorite activities of the weekend were what they call the flying squirrel and go carts.  The flying squirrel I don't fully understand but from the few pictures I have seen pared with his description it seems like you are harnessed up and he swing you around?



The best part of him being away was picking him up.  He had hours worth of chatter box stories to tell us.  We all listened and found his adventures so funny and exciting.  Evan now can not wait to go also.  I am amazed in his confidence and how grown up he is.  We dropped him off and he knew no one who was going, but declared that's not a problem I will make some friends.  He returned from his first experience away from his family even better than before.  I love my little , I guess big, guy.

I am glad he had fun.  I am glad he got to go.  I am glad we celebrated his homecoming with cake.  I am glad he is home.

Letting your friends babysit

Today a brave friend, her husband, daughter, daughter's friend, volunteered to watch my 4 for the afternoon in her house full of all the above mentioned plus her 2 boys and a handful of their friends there too.  Yes she had more than a hand full.  But the first for were really the ones going to watch my babies and my two big ones ran off with the older boys.

After the afternoon of shopping I came back and collected all of mine to their disappointment.  They wanted to stay and play.  It was sad I had to bribe them to come home with the doughnuts in my trunk.

Once home I went to change the babies and....



She put the diaper on backwards!  Bahaha.  It has been a long time since her 3 were babies and I guess you can forget.  You would think with all those helpers it would have been a different story but no.  It made me laugh.

The baby in the picture is not mine I took that off the web.  You would not have wanted to see a picture of my babies diaper before I changed it.

Caught in a hurricane

Does your mall have one of these machines, a hurricane simulator.  Well hurricane wind simulator?  My boys had to try.  I was a little apprehensive about putting my 2 year old in there but he was happy to do whatever his big brothers are doing.  They all climbed in and the winds gusted up to near 100 miles per hour.  They made it through with smiles and staying on there feet.  It is days like this they are lucky they had their dad there, because I would have said no.  But we are all glad he was there and that I didn't say no.  It was to funny watching there smiles, hair flying and wild giggles.

Christmas Tree 2011

Whew is it really now 14!!!! days left till Christmas.  14,  Fourteen , 4 + 10, wow.  Are you ready I am not.  I am close but not quite ready.  I hope that by the conclusion of this weekend I will be done with all the fluff stuff.  As far as the family stuff well check we have been doing that everyday.  So much so it keeps me a little to busy to blog right now.  As I am writing this my son is standing next to me with a list of activities he wants to do this weekend.  Saying "mom lets get to it!"

One of my favorite traditions that we do everyday, but Wednesday nights because of AWANAS, is winding down our day.  The kids and I all cuddle together on the coach and watch what ever Christmas show is on that night.  They never complain and never ask to change the channel.  The other night the movies were from the 1970's and they watched the whole time.  They can be rowdy and all I have to say is time to watch a Christmas  show and they will switch it to it and settle down.  

After the movie is over they do their chocolate advent calender.  They love countdowns.  So not only do we have 1 advent calender we 2.  They have a Santa that we have been turning the blocks counting down since September.  How exciting that it is getting so close.  They do the Santa one every morning and the chocolate one at night.  Next year I might have to get a more involved advent one.  I have seen some great ideas of ones with activities not chocolate and I know my children would like those ones the best.  However I do love my creative boys.  The chocolate is in a different shape everyday.  After they open it and break the chocolate in half sharing it between the 2 oldest, (their own idea not mine!) they make up a story about what the chocolate was.  It is often influenced by what movie we just watched and it is darling.  For instance they had a squirrel the other day and they were making up a story about the squirrel helping Santa.  I give the wonderful credit to my kids school for this.  What a great school and the thinking they encourage and nurture.

December has been cold.  Like it should be if you regretfully live in Pennsylvania.  It is in the upper 70's in the Florida Keys right now, just saying.  I would be more than happy to trade in my evergreen for a palm tree.  But before the weather turned, before it got cold, before no one would want to go,  we went out a got our tree.  We went out the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  We went back to our favorite place to get Christmas trees.  We got our tree there last year and had they best time.  Despite the fact it was flurrying, dark and just so cold.  But this year we went out in the morning on a warm day to the cheers of my children.

The farm is large we walked up and down the isle of trees.  Everyone was picking out a different tree.  Last year we got the all time best and most beautiful tree how could we top it.  We did not need to.  We just needed to find the best and most beautiful one for this year.  We looked and poised next to so many.  All different shapes and sizes.

We were looking for more of a small one this year.  No more than 6 feet and not as wide.  I did not care what they picked any would be fine.

We stopped and took a few pictures trying to get that one for a Christmas card.  A few is an understatement, more like a hundred.  Any of you with kids know how that went but we managed to get one...

One where no one is crying, picking there nose, looking anywhere else, hitting their brother, anything.

Eventually we found the tree.  We tagged it and so the guy came.  He chain sawed it down.  Which scared poor baby Faith.

He threw it on the wagon and took it back to the barn.  There they shook off the excess needles.

And wrapped it for us.  Smiley thinks watching the whole process is just the greatest.  He was so excited.  Such a joy at Christmas or anytime.

They even through it in the truck for us.

I found our latest addition there for just $3!  I love him such a cute snowman.  And $3 all hand made you can't beat that.  We were more than happy to take him home.

We quickly got it up and it looked great.  And our new snowman is enjoying his new home.

I strung many many many light on it.  We went colored this year.  Then the boys covered it in  so many balls you can no longer see the green tree but that is what they want.

Now it is up and we have our 2011 Christmas tree.  They balls have begun to be pulled off the bottom.  They are slowly making there way up top.  We sorta new this would happen.  After all we have had 3 babies at Christmas before her.  

She gets into everything as she is fully crawling around causing chaos.  She loved the lights too.  We don't mind we just love her so much.

Now we have our 3/4 decorated tree of 2011!  And another great memory of the Christmas tree.

Thanksgiving 2011

Are the holidays ever not busy?  Is anyone's family ever exempt from sickness during them?  Both are true with mine.  Time is flying and the tissues are always empty.  And each year it seems to get busier, however each year we have more kids.  Maybe there is a connection.  This year I wanted to do it up for the kids but this year now only has 19 days left till Christmas!  I even started before Thanksgiving and am so far from done. I kinda have a mess and boxes everywhere.

As far as Thanksgiving goes it was nice.  It was not what we had planned.  My family is not much for (one of my all time favorite meals) the traditional thanksgiving dinner.  So we decided to go to our favorite family dinning place and have a Chinese dinner for Thanksgiving.  Chinese restaurants are ALWAYS open, so I though.  On Thanksgiving day after we did not watch the parade, we loaded up in the truck and headed out for our lunch.  We arrived at the Chinese restaurant and they were closed!  I could not believe it.  Chinise restaurants never close.  I guess in small towns they do.  We drove around two towns to ALL the other Chinise restaurants and yes they were all closed.  We were sad.  We drove to cracker barrel which was open but had a wait time of an hour and a half and with hungry screaming kids that was not an option.  We drove buy all the big chain restaurants and they were all closed.  UGH.  I thought lets just stop at the grocery store and get something but no one wanted to do that either.  Finally there was hope.  Ruby Tuesdays had cars in the parking lot.  We drove in and yes they were open.  Hooray!  We will have dinner there.  We stayed and ate.  We all had a seafood dinner which was not bad but was not great.  I don't see us going back.

We headed home full.  Dad spent time doing the traditional Thanksgiving activity, went to bed, and the kids and I went out into the warm weather for a soccer game.



As far as the traditional dinner maybe I will make it for Christmas.  Maybe my husband will make it for me.  Maybe we will have better luck with the restaurants then.  Nothing has been decided yet.  But I did get to go have thanksgiving with the boys at school.

They had a feast.  A grand feast it was great.  We the parents served the students, staff and teacher all the Thanksgiving trimmings.  My boys even ate it! They enjoyed it, we all did.


Evan


Greg and friends

They were all to cute.  The lower elementary kids dressed up like Indians and pilgrims.  They each made there hat.  Evan made a necklace too.  The girls wore there bonnets I wish I had a picture of that.


Gregory


Evan

As I said he made the hat himself and glued the feather on how he wanted. Process art not product art. It was hard for me to look at and not want to fix but the feather in the face did not bother him at all.

I love going to there school and spending time with them.  They may have perfectly dressed themselves as opposing pilgrims and Indians but they are still my two turkeys.