Patiently Waiting

Because we like to subject our kids to torture of unimagineable degree, we make our kids wait to open their Christmas presents until my parents arrive on Christmas morning. Here they are waiting excitedly.

The Booby Trap

When my husband and his siblings were growing up in this very house, their parents planned elaborate booby traps every Christmas Eve that prevented them from getting to their presents. The tradition lives on in our family. This year we put saran wrap between the banisters and wrapped string down all the stairs. Finally we put all of air mattresses on the lower stairs. And by "we," I mean Dan, of course. We were surprised at the ease with which they overcame this booby trap the next morning, however. Clearly, their skills are improving with age. It was the first year in our parenthood that we didn't have to wake our kids up Christmas morning!

Christmas Eve II

When we got home from Christmas Eve Dinner at my parents' house, Wayne and Jody invited us in to open our presents from them. First, Grandpa sang the kids a cute little Christmas song on the guitar.

Quincy got this wonderful tiara, boa, and tutu set truly fit for the princess she is. They also all got pillow pets and Taylor got some true blue Cougar attire.

Here they are all excitedly opening the first presents of the season!

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve this year, we were lucky enough to combine our parents for a wonderful dinner at my parents' house. We had the traditional ham and potatoes. It was the first year we didn't have my Papa Ace with us in as long as I can remember, so it was a little sad. But, it was fun to have a nice meal with my kids and all four of their grandparents.

Following dinner, the girls each played a couple Christmas songs on the piano and then we all sang Christmas carols (we're not big singers, but it's a tradition that Jeffrey insists upon!) Finally, we concluded with a very humble attempt at re-enacting the Nativity. A very simple and perfect evening.

Adieu

It is now 12:45 am. I am officially at my wit's end with my impossibly slow computer, that has succumbed to snail-pace status thanks to a wonderfully protective filter I installed to protect my children from the wicked wiles of the media. But, I can no longer bear it. So, until I receive another spark of energy to continue on my journey to update this blog, I bid you farewell. It may be days, or months, or years. But I will return.

Sleep Under the Tree

As soon as the kids got out for school for Christmas Break, we planned a family sleepover by the Christmas tree. We lined every inch of our family room with air mattresses and sleeping bags and cozied in for the night. The kids thought it was fabulous.

Almost every activity in our house inevitably ends in wrestling.

First Snow!

There is something magical and invigorating about the first snow of the season. I kept telling myself this on an early Saturday morning as I hunted down winter clothing items from the four corners of the house that we moved into. I believe the necessary clothing was scattered and packed hither and yon throughout the house, only to conclude that much of it no longer fit! But, in the end, there was a celebratory jaunt in the snow.

Cornucopias

Some ideas are just better on paper, aren't they? My sister-in-law and I, in an effort to be cute and crafty moms, attempted ice cream cone cornucopias with the kids in preparation for Thanksgiving. They didn't turn out as well as we envisioned, but the kids had fun trying. So, we gave ourselves an "A" for effort and were reminded that we are not the crafty type. (P.S. Do you like my mini remodel of the kitchen? I removed the cabinets that hung over the island, painted an accent wall robin egg blue, and hung curtains. Cute, huh?)

Stripping Wallpaper

As I spent days stripping wallpaper and dripping in beads of sweat from the steamer, I decried wallpaper as a crime against nature, the great abomination. However, I've repented. There are actually some cute wallpaper prints out there that I might even consider myself.

But wo be unto the person who shall inherit that wallpaper twenty years hence when the print that seemed so cute and stylish is now atrocious. I mean really, gluing paper to your walls! Such a sticky, icky mess! But my kids (and eventually, my husband himself) were very helpful and supportive in removing this marvelous mauve masterpiece from the walls of Loryn's bedroom.

Goofy Taylor

You know, my Taylor is an old soul. I've said this from the beginning. But, it always rubs me the wrong way when people suggest that she is a little too serious or even sullen. When Taylor gets comfortable, she is as silly and goofy as can be.

Halloween

So, this is the conclusion to a day full of festivity and sugar. My kids (plus a friend) came home after a long night of canvassing the neighborhood and poured out their loot to sort through it in the front hall.

Loryn proudly displayed her butterfly costume in the school parade. Taylor is now too old to participate in the parade and went roller skating with her class instead. Fisher's preschool parade reduced him to tears and he boycotted the entire evenT. Apparently some kid had convinced him that his Hulk costume was stupid.

Alas, we went home and changed to our back-up costume of a pirate. He perked up and we went trick-or-treating at our Papa Ace's. My Papa was tickled to see the kids in their costumes (or at least he pretended to be!)

Taylor and Fisher dressed alike for trick-or-treating. I personally think they are each other's clones. At home, we call them "Team Dan" because they look like their dad. We call Loryn and Quincy "Team Hillary" because they look more like me. Technically, they don't even look like me--they simply look LESS like Dan.

Colonial Day

Taylor had a Colonial Day at school this year at which they played colonial games, ate colonial food, etc. All the students were told to dress in traditional colonial dress. Strangely enough, my colonial wardrobe is a little lacking, so we had to ask our grandmas for help. My mother was so kind to make this dress for Taylor and Grandma Ross made the bonnet and scarf. Taylor was definitely the best dressed kid in the fifth grade that day. Plus, she had a wonderful time of playing marbles, carving soap, making butter, and square dancing.

Ward Halloween Party

The Halloween Party at our church building was a blast. Dan threw together an impromptu Michael Phelps costume at the last minute and was quite the riot.

Pumpkinland

Pumpkinland is a tradition at Halloween time. This year, we went with Fisher's preschool class. It was a cold and windy day, but the kids had a great time!

I love my babies. They have the strangest love/hate dynamic. Their relationship continues to baffle me. It takes all my strength and energy to harness their passionate emotions, but I love them desperately.

Please Forgive Me

Ok, my four children are nestled in their beds. Dan is happily snuggled in front of the TV watching a movie I don't care to see. I am wrapped in my bathrobe, sweats and fuzzy socks with Pandora blasting. And so begins my official launch into the tedious and herculean process of updating this blog. I am updating for all of those who have patiently waited for posts without reward for months. More importantly, it is my update this tragic version of my journal, since my journal is sadly in a more dire state than this blog. For those of you who actually follow this blog, please forgive me. Living life often gets in the way of writing about it. These posts will come slowly, but they will come until I can catch up to current time.