Christmas at HOME!

It was sooooo much fun watching the kids open Christmas presents this year! They got such a kick out of everything and really enjoyed opening all of their packages. Santa filled their stockings with lots of fun stuff and brought a roller coaster, a Cars 2 race track and a comfy chair for baby Kate to sit in. Mom and Dad threw a few things in the mix, too : ). Such fun. What a joy it was to watch. J's parents and my mom and Anthony came by this year to watch the madness, which was so great. What a fun morning. It's just going to get better each year. L.O.V.E. it.

Christmas Celebration #2 {in photos}

We had such a fantastic Christmas this year! We were surrounded by our family for 3 days, which was such a blessing. There was plenty of great conversation, company, play and food to carry us into the new year. We feel so blessed. What an amazing and humbling time of year it is. Just a few more pictures from our weekend! (More to come).

Christmas Celebration #1 {in photos}

Christmas Cookies

The boys and I made cookies for Santa this year and we had so much fun. They started off by helping me roll the dough into balls and placing them on the cookie sheet. They had an even better time decorating the cookies with icing, sprinkles and colored sugar. Funny thing - we went to the store to pick out the stuff to decorate with and they picked red, white, and blue colors - I threw in some green for good measure. They're a patriotic duo, apparently. Anyway, we had loads of fun and they really got a kick out of picking three to set out for Santa with a glass of milk at the end of the night. Santa thought they were pretty good, at least that's what he said. : )

December (so far) - {in photos}

LOTS of warm fires going on in our house, which naturally leads to toasted marshmallows. Yumm. It's the one thing I do enjoy about winter. A real wood burning fire roaring in our fireplace. Divine. 

Christmas decor is up

So . . . getting a real tree this year didn't quite make the cut. I love the smell and look of a real tree, but really dislike the mess and remembering to water it. So, we got a fake one and we quite like it. The kids (ok, not Kate) picked out their annual ornaments and as shocking as it may seem (not really), the boys picked Cars 2 characters. They love them. It did take some convincing that they were just to look at and not play with. Kate got a bird ornament, which she loves, lucky for us it's not breakable. Ahh, I can't believe it's December! I love this time of year (minus the cold).

Skate Party

My friend Carrie's daughter had her 4th birthday at a skating rink recently. The boys and I had so much fun (J stayed home with a sleeping baby girl)! (Luke and Emerson are only about a month apart and get along really well.)It was one of the best birthday parties we've been to. The boys brought their bike and scooter and rode around freely. It was so neat! They didn't want to leave and for days they asked when we could go back. Such a great time.

Eating Healthy

Justin and I are attempting to start eating healthier. I'm putting this on the blog, so we will be held accountable :). Here's to hoping that it works! For the first time ever, I had salmon. I was a bit nervous. First, because I'm not a huge fan of fish to begin with. And, secondly I was going to be the one making it. To my surprise, it was quite good. So now if we are ever out at a fancy schmancy restaurant where salmon is an option, I just may have to order it!!! This is the recipe I used. I changed it up a bit. I marinated it in the foil for an hour or two and then grilled it. Not bad, not bad at all!

Thanksgiving 2011

We had another great Thanksgiving! Justin was off work again this year! It was super having him there with us. We celebrated a few days early with J's family and unfortunately I have only a couple of pictures from that night. Kate is proving to be much more challenging with her walking and new-found curiosity and need to get into everything. The boys on the other hand, I barely saw. They were downstairs playing with their cousins all night. It was great to see everyone, as usual.

We spent Thanksgiving day at my mom's house. It was a small gathering, just our family and my siblings and their family (minus Shaun, who is in Kuwait.) We missed him this year, but luckily he'll be home for a few weeks in December!!! The kids had a great time there, too. Lots of cousin time and new (different) toys to play with. I love this time of year!

She thought she was pretty big stuff sitting in the rocker.

This is the best family shot we could get. Bummer, it's blurry. 

Preschool Thanksgiving Feast

Luke had a Thanksgiving Feast at school today. It was absolutely adorable. Evan, Kate and I got there a little early (shocking, I know) so we could get some pictures before the kids came in. The volunteers did such a great job setting everything up and had all the food and drinks out and ready to go before the kids came down to eat. The teachers were dressed in pilgrim and/or Native American attire and the kids wore feathered headdresses they made in class. Again, so cute. It was neat to see Luke with his classmates and how he acted before he spotted me. In the few minutes that I had, he seemed to follow the rules and sat quietly while the rest of the kids came in. He was sitting next to a little girl that he talks about often, so it was great to finally have a face to associate with the name. It'll be fun next year when Evan is there, too. Oh my, I can't even believe we're that close to him being in preschool, too! Oh and Kate and Evan just hung out in the stroller taking in all the action going on around them. Way to go, guys!

It's getting COLD outside!

Brrr. I do not like that it's turning cold outside! I suppose it's been pretty warm for the end of November, but I am not looking forward to the super cold temps that are due at any time. And, since the temperature dropped this week, we had our first fire of the season. Love having a wood burning fireplace! We were going to have s'mores, but the boys didn't eat their dinner . . . so I had to play "tough-mom" and squash those plans. Maybe since I followed through they'll knowI mean business next time! Ha. 

I wonder if we'll have as much snow as we did last year (good grief it seemed like a lot)??? I'm sure the kids would love it if we did. Only time will tell! Happy {almost}Thanksgiving!!!

Kids

These 3 . . . they melt my heart. Seriously. Don't get me wrong, there are times that I feel like pulling my hair out. In all honesty though, they make me a better person. Without them I wouldn't be who I am today. Raising them forces me to be the kind of person that I want them to grow up to be. I hope and pray that we are doing a good job and that we are raising them to be good, loving, spiritual, kind, happy, generous people. They are all three so different from one another and each of them act and respond to me in different ways.

Luke is definitely the "first born" He tends to take on the "responsible" role and is more bossy. He's also an observer. He is not quick to try new things without watching first. But once he decides to do something, he generally picks up quickly. He is an awesome helper. Whenever I need him to do something for me, he rarely protests and is eager to please. He's an awesome kid and big brother. He can be a bit jealous at times. If Evan is doing something or has something that Luke wants, watch out. He has been known to throw an absolute fit. Obviously that isn't something we condone, so we're working on in it. We're getting there. 

Oh boy. This guy is a riot. As I've mentioned before, Evan is a stinker at times in the attitude department (another thing we're working on), but he is an absolute lover. He snuggles on me any chance that he gets (which I adore). He has a soft spot for his brother and sister, too. When it comes to Luke he wants to please him. He gets Luke's cars for him or grabs his cup when Luke asks. Small stuff. With Kate, it's more the "I'm the big brother" role. When Evan and Kate are alone he's more apt to play with her, share his stuff, "show" her how to do something. As long as she's not taking his stuff, they get along quite nicely.(They've even started wrestling (gently) - no joke).

And then there is this sassy gal. Kate is definitely giving me (us) a run for my money. She may be the most independent yet. Maybe that's a third thing? Although she is super laid back, she's beginning to develop an opinion. She absolutely knows what she wants and doesn't want. She wants to "play" with her brothers so bad, but they just are not interested. She knocks towers down, scatters cars, grabs books, turns the T.V. off in the middle of a show. She's ONE. What can I do? I try to distract her with puzzles, books, Little People or anything that may deter her from bothering the boys, but they are who she wants. Not me. At least in the play-time situation. They'll figure it out.

Whew, that was a long one, but I just want to remember everything (impossible, I know). Maybe it's the time of year, but I'm feeling terribly nostalgic lately. 

Potty Training - Day 2

Day two started out rocky, but ended in SUCCESS! After several attempts at sitting on the potty chair (with no success), pooping and peeing in his underwear (at Hobby Lobby, ugh) . . . he finally did it!!!! I took him into the bathroom after nap (his diaper was dry!!!) and he didn't go, so I kept trying and finally a couple of hours later he went #2 on the potty chair!!! Woot. Then about an hour later he walked to his potty chair and sat down and went pee all on his own!!! He was so pumped. Even Luke was excited. Nice. We'll see how tomorrow goes. We're proud of him either way. This was a major check mark in the positive box, if you ask me!

Potty Training

Ok, so Ev is now 2 1/2 and we (J and I both!) feel like it is time for him to start the potty training process. Ugh, if only it were that easy. Evan is a sweet boy but he is also one of the most stubborn, bull-headed and short-tempered boys I know. He as ZERO interest in going potty anywhere but in his diaper. Seriously. With much convincing I finally got him to put some big boy underwear on and give the potty chair (PC) a chance. We started the morning by watching Cars 2 in the living room, while sitting on the PC, nope. Nothing, not a single drop. So, I let him up to play for a bit and then we went in the bathroom to try again. After 15 minutes of sitting on the PC, standing at the toilet, sitting on the toilet, and back to the PC . . . still NOTHING. Ugh, but I wasn't going to get discourage, nor was I going to let him get discouraged. So we got up, washed our hands and put the CUTE undies (can you call boys underwear undies???) and headed back out to play for a bit. Well ...

After all these cute pictures and several attempts, he went in his underwear. Not surprising, I suppose. The real kicker though is after I got him and the floor cleaned up he repeated the incident 15 minutes later. Oh good grief. I WILL NOT GIVE UP. I am committed to staying home for the next few days and continuing this process. Not sure what progress we'll make, but I'm dedicated to the cause! Ha, wish me luck!

Hanging Out

We live with a wild bunch, that's for sure. It has been so busy lately that I've been trying to stay home as much as possible. With that comes some wild and at times unruly children. The boys are becoming more and more interested in wrestling or playing "bugs" as of late and it makes me a nervous wreck. I can remember my mom always saying, "stop or someone is going to get hurt" and sure enough that's what I find myself saying all day long. On one hand I want them to play a little rough, they are boys for crying out loud, but I don't know. Luckily they know not to play rough with Kate. However, that doesn't stop her from trying to get in on the action. Love those guys.

This one right here is literally into EVERYTHING! I know all kids are naturally curious, but for some reason I feel like she's an extreme case. Maybe it's because I'm so busy with the boys, too, but it's just out of control sometimes. I find that we are constantly closing doors, putting the gates up and blocking her off from stuff. Seriously don't recall doing all that for Luke and Evan. It seems like they learned quickly what the could and couldn't touch or get into. Maybe I'm out of touch with reality or she really is just a handful. Ah well, handful or not, she's still a sweetie. 

My little helper

Halloween 2011

Halloween was SO much fun this year! Luke was Francesco from Cars 2, Evan was a fire fighter and Kate was a cow. Very cute. The boys took FOREVER to decide on costumes this year. Originally I had planned on making their costumes, but they couldn't make up their minds and it was just too late for me to try and throw something together. That and I just couldn't figure out how to make a centipede costume! Really, Luke?
My cousin, Blair had us (and my friend Carrie and her girls) over for a Halloween lunch and play date. She had the kids make mummy pizzas. Again, so cute. There were six kids 4 and under and all played wonderfully together. We had such a fun time. As usual.
Halloween night we headed over to J's sister's house for chili and trick-or-treating. The evening was beautiful. The air was crisp, but not cold or raining. Thank goodness. Luke and Evan were an absolute riot this year. Luke wanted to keep up with Lil and her friends and Ev gained more and more independence as the night went on. By the end of the evening he was knocking on the doors, holding his bag open, saying "trick or treat" and "thank you" and then moved on to the next house. : ). Kate was her usual laid back self and just rode in the stroller all night. Not one fuss out of her. Such a doll. Happy Halloween . . .

Oh and seriously . . . check out the cool costumes my sis-in-law made. Ah-mazing!