More of December up to Christmas

We've been very busy this month! Here are some highlights:

The kids visited Santa at our church Christmas party.

Jamin asked for a tetherball. He seemed pretty impressed when Santa explained what a great tetherball player he used to be (before his wrist injury).

 Travis asked for a Jake and the Neverland Pirates talking spyglass, map, and headband. We're not sure what else he said, but Santa and his helpers were in stitches.

 Libby politely asked Santa for a Minnie Mouse doll and was on her way.

Brock turned 7, and Camryn turned 1.

Lots of birthday fun!

We sent snowflakes to Sandy Hook Elementary.

After we spoke with Benjamin about the news in Connecticut, he wanted to know how to help. He specifically felt a desire to cheer up the kids who missed their friends. When we learned that the district was collecting paper snowflakes to decorate the school, Jamin got to work.

 

Scott took his finals.

Hurray for a break!

I turned 30, and the world didn't even end.

 Due to the craziness of finals and the flu, I wanted a quiet night in. We celebrated with a nice dinner, chocolate cake, peppermint ice cream, and some great gifts (I got spoiled). 

We tried getting some good pictures of the kids in front of the Christmas tree.

Emphasis on "tried."

We made graham cracker houses:

Scott cooked tamales in preparation for Christmas Eve.

 Batch #1:

(I know I'm not writing about Christmas Eve yet, but these tamales tasted amazing. My husband rocks.)

Libby's third birthday

Our 3-year-old princess had a wonderful day!

She asked for M&Ms for breakfast. She ate chocolate chip pancakes while watching Beauty and the Beast instead.

Later, Libby had her Nutcracker party. She seemed a little disappointed that she didn't get to dress up like the Nutcracker (she wanted to "stomp, stomp, stomp") but was thrilled with her balloons, ballerina snowflakes, white Nutcrackers, and cherry-topped cupcakes.

 Libby felt special being showered with love and attention (not to mention gifts) all day. Thanks to everyone who shared in the fun with her!

Gatorade, saltines, and heavy hearts

It started Thursday night.

At 5:00 in the evening, Travis complained that his cheeks hurt and asked to go to bed. He had a high fever. Travis slept 15 hours and spent much of Friday napping.

As Benjamin got ready for school on Friday morning, he threw up. His face was pale, his body was weak, and he threw up 5 more times over the course of the day. 

I felt overwhelmed. Everyone wanted my full attention. Travis wanted to sleep on my shoulder. Benjamin wanted to cuddle and talk with me in his room. Libby-- who felt fine-- wanted to play. I wished I could be there for each of them at every moment. However, I also needed to mop vomit off of floors, wash soiled clothing, and frequently let out the dog (we got a dog last week... more on that later). And then there was the rotating order of Gatorade, saltines, and medicine. If only 100% of me could be in 4 places at once.

During a rare quiet moment that morning, I checked the news. My heart dropped.

And in despair I bowed my head:
"There is no peace on earth," I said,
"For hate is strong and mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good will to men."

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead, nor doth he sleep;
The wrong shall fail, the right prevail,
With peace on earth, good will to men."

 -Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

My soul aches for the families involved in this tragedy. I pray that, in time, they find comfort.

Suddenly, I realized how small my burdens are and how great my blessings are. I am thankful to be able to care for my children, to cuddle with them, to have them call for me when they need me. That could change at any moment, and I'm going to relish this day-- vomit & fevers-- for all that it's worth.

Libby turns three

Miss Libby Jean is three today! This girl makes us smile.

At a moment's notice, she goes from dramatic...

to sassy...

to silly...

to sweet...

to contented...

to creative...

all the while bouncing with energy.

At three, Libby's favorites include playing with/teasing Travis, wrestling with Daddy, playing with Benjamin, climbing as high as she can, reading with Mama, having tea parties with Nanay, eating chocolate, watching Max & Ruby, building blocks, singing, swimming, jumping on the trampoline, listening to music, changing her clothes at least 6 times a day, playing at the park, and digging in the dirt.

Happy birthday, Elizabeth! We love you!

Thanksgiving 2012

This Thanksgiving was low-stress, laid-back, and fun. The best part of all: my mom came to visit us for ten days!

For the holiday itself, Scott played football with some guys from work, we watched the Macy's parade and played with the kids at home, and then the six of us enjoyed dinner & dessert together. 

Here's the one picture I got all day:

Immediately after Thanksgiving, we set up Christmas!

During Libby's nap one afternoon, Grammie, the boys, and I made coffee filter snowflakes.

 We spent most of those ten days catching up, shopping, eating, and just hanging out. It was so nice.

Thank you for coming to visit, Mom! We love you and had a wonderful time. Hopefully we'll see you (and Humey) again soon.

The Tooth Fairy strikes again!

Thanksgiving parties

The boys both celebrated Thanksgiving at school this week.

On Wednesday, we headed to Jamin's school for his party. The first graders participated in a shoe box float parade. We loved seeing all the creative ideas each child put together. Seeing Jamin enter the hallway was the best part! 

Everyone cheered as the kids walked around the school. Jamin had a great time marching with his classmates and showing off his work. Our first grader with his Mario Kart Lava World float:

After the kids visited the other classrooms and read some stories, everyone gathered in the hall for a Thanksgiving lunch:

On Thursday, Travis' preschool held its Thanksgiving feast. In the days leading up, they baked, made crafts, and held special activities to learn & prepare for this event. Travis couldn't wait! 

Halloween 2012

As evening approached, our Sunshine, Angry Bird, and Lady Bug were extremely eager to trick-or-treat! The last thing they wanted to do was go into the back yard and pose for pictures. Three siblings together was tough...

...but 5 cousins together was impossible! Charlotte and I just laughed and snapped the best/worst candid pictures we could to capture the anticipation of the night (her pictures are obviously much better; check them out here). 

We packed up the kids and headed out trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. 

It was Libby's first time. She got a kick out of it and lasted one street before her legs got tired. She joined Daddy at home to help him hand out candy. 

Brock and Jamin were total pros. They set the pace with their flashlights, and we sometimes had to slow them down. 

Travis had us laughing the entire time! After home owners would open their doors, he would announce the most hilarious things ("My costume puts out the rain!" or "Your pumpkins are exra spooky!") and then carry on random conversations with them ("Did you know I love dogs?" "I went to Disneyland last year!" "My favorite color is green!"). At the end of the night, Travis was thrilled to trick-or-treat at Nanay & Papa's house. Uncle Sean answered the door. After getting his candy, Travis chatted with Sean for about 3 minutes then brightly realized, "Hey! You live here!" We just about died.

More fall fun

Two weeks ago, we picked the pumpkins from our garden. Not only did we harvest a measly four, but they were small-- much too small to carve. Along with Travis' Linder Farms pumpkin and a few leftover squashes, we painted our display of gourds.

While we initially planned to paint faces on the 5 pumpkins, the solid painted look grew on us. The kids wanted an outlet to unleash their Halloween creativity. So we spent evening together where we drank caramel cider, decorated clove oranges,

 

 

and frosted sugar cookies.

Last Friday, Jamin's school held its fall carnival. We dedicated that night a "Mom-Jamin date" and spent hours playing games.