Christmas Day 2014

We let the 3 older kids all sleep together in the boys' room but we told them they absolutely couldn't come out until 6:30.  I could hear them in there and knew they were awake but they were quiet and the door didn't open...until 6:30 on the dot. So funny. Kate just about burst our the door and dashed down the stairs but I was like, "hold it sister," and made them do the traditional youngest to oldest slow walk down the stairs. They were spoiled by Santa this year.

Carter got a big Lego set he's been wanting for a long time. Along with a smaller Lego set, some Mixel Legos, Lego idea books, some much needed PJs, and socks and underwear.  Kate got a giant Hello Kitty (what was Santa thinking?!), a Lego set, some books, a new coloring book, a stuffed animal, new ballet leotard and shoes, church shoes, 2 sweaters and some new PJs.

Eli got some big plastic dinosaurs, Duplo Legos, Mixel Legos, a little electronic laptop toy, and some Darth Vader PJs.

Lydia got a little toy vacuum, a doll stroller, a little talking/learning dog toy and two stuffed animals (101 Dalmation and Simba).

Then we had our traditional Christmas breakfast of ebelskivers, bacon, eggs, and homemade hot cocoa,  Delicious! 

We all got showered and cleaned up before we let the kids open any more presents.  We are so blessed by all the grandparents and other family who gave us such nice gifts!

Lydia loved her new bear from Grandma and Papa B. and her new Disney Merida doll from Grandma R. (Grandparents and Mary, please forgive the lack of pictures of every gift. I didn't do very well keeping up. Sorry!)

Carter loved his Legos from Grandma and Papa B. and the new fish tank he got from Grandma R.  Now Rhino has somewhere nice to swim around!

Eli loved his stomp rocket from Grandma R. and the Zoobs he got from Grandma and Papa B.

This is pretty much how Lydia acted all day - ornery!  This dress from Stacey and Shane was so cute but Lydia was being such a little stinker. Seriously, from the 22 to the 25 she was such a sad and mean baby!  Luckily today (Dec. 26) she has been so pleasant so whatever it was - she got over it!

Kate loved her Beanie Boos from Grandma and Papa B. and her Disney Ariel doll from Grandma R. 

The kids also got amazing gifts from Tanner's friend, Mary.  She sent Carter and Eli these awesome 3-D puzzles, Kate some Lalaloopsie dolls, and Lydia a sweet little Lalaloopsie baby doll.  So, so thoughtful and kind.  Stacey and Shad had our family this year and just spoiled us rotten. They gave Carter a Star Wars Lego set, Kate a Rapunzel doll set, Eli a Ninja Turtle Lego set, and Lydia the cute little Minnie Mouse dress-up dress.  They also gave Chad and I a gift card. We are so, so thankful for all the kindness shown to our family!

For Christmas dinner we invited Lydia's nursery teacher from church and her daughters. She is a single mom who was widowed 4 years ago at Christmas-time.  She is a wonderful and kind woman and we had a great time getting to know her a little better. She brought small gifts for all the kids too.  Lydia's gift was this little angel outfit. Kind of ironic because she wasn't being very angelic but very cute!

Lori Ferrer and Lydia

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, we drove to our friends, the Sorber's, house in Clemson, SC.  They had invited a couple of other families too so we had a nice version of a live nativity. Then we had a few musical numbers. Carter and Kate both played their Christmas pieces they've been working on.  I was proud of them for doing it without even complaining.  Kate tried to do hers from memory and got a little lost but she finished and I was proud of her.  

Then we had a delicious "Cafe Rio" style lunch with sweet pork and all the fixings.  So yummy.  We played a white elephant gift exchange game after that and then headed home around 3.

Carter and Eli were shepherds and Kate was Mary.

On the way home, Lydia just put her blanket on her head and went to sleep.  I guess she just couldn't take watching Polar Express another minute.

Class Parties

On the 18th Eli had his class party and then Kate and Carter had theirs on the 19th. I'm the room mom for Eli and for Kate so that's why I have pictures of their parties and not Carter's. I was so stressed trying to put these parties together even though there is another room mom in each class as well so I'm not doing it alone.  I just wanted everything to be nice but simple and made the mistake of offering to collect money for group gifts for the teachers. Anyway, it was a stressful week but the parties went well and the kids had fun.

For Kate's party we had Christmas bingo, made two ornaments and then had an ice cream sundae bar.

For Eli's class we made an ornament, made a cute bag of "reindeer food" to help direct Santa to their houses, and had a pizza lunch.  We had lots of parent helpers and really both parties went so smoothly. I'm so glad it's over though!

Sugar Cookie Day

I have a love/hate relationship with sugar cookie day at our house.  I love it because they taste delicious, the kids love it and have fun, and it builds memories. But I hate it because it is a LOT of work, it makes a huge mess, it takes being patient with kids, and they are so fattening and I have no self-control.  That being said, we had a fun day on Dec. 22 making the cookies.  We then delivered plates of them to our neighbors in spite of it being a really, really rainy and cold day.

Lydia was SUCH an ornery cuss all day. Such a joy and pleasure, really. Not.

Everybody else had fun though. What cute kids I have.

Kate was wearing this bride's dress and feather boa and dressed Lydia in this pink dress up dress. Eli also had on his ninja costume.  They were wearing this get-up when we delivered the cookies to the neighbors. That's what happens when you have kids. I guess you just stop caring what people think.  Oh, I did wrap a blanket around Lydia, you know, because it was cold outside. I'm an awesome mom like that.  Happy Hallowistmas!

Eli's Fifth Birthday

Our little Bubby is 5 years old! 

Eli loves:

Legos

Playing with/bugging Lydia

Apples

Cold cereal

Cinnamon toast

His Blankie (all the ties are gone now)

Watching TV while Lydia naps - he lives for that time of day

He still rocks and sings or groans at night. Poor Carter. He does NOT like Mexican food which does not jive well with our family. He is so strong-willed and stubborn and will argue forever if you let him.

We sure do love him though. He is a sweetheart and a tender little soul.

Legos from Grandma R.!

Zoobs and Lego movie from mom and dad.

Eli wanted a Lego cake. So, I put Carter in charge of making some cool decorations for the cake. I think he did a great job!

Thanksgiving 2014

We hosted Thanksgiving this year at our new house.  It was a wonderful day spent with good friends.  Not to mention the delicious food.

This is the Carter family.  Ryan, Evan, Becky and Reagan.  The dad of the family and one other son stayed home because the little boy was sick. They are a nice family from our ward.

What would Thanksgiving be without the Sorbers?  This is the third Thanksgiving we have spent with their family.  We met them in N.H. and now they live in Clemson, S.C.  So wonderful to have them close by.  Annnnnnnd Trisha makes the most delicious corn spoonbread.  Pretty much that's why we keep having them come.  Just kidding.

Maren, Eliza, Jacob, Jane, and Trisha

Then there's our crazy family.  Why do Chad and I look tan in this picture?  That's weird.

We had dinner at 2 and then spent the afternoon just visiting while the kids played.  I had bought some Christmas ornament kits for them to make so they had fun doing that and basically just making a big mess.  I really felt no stress though which is really big for me.  We had a great day and look forward to having many more wonderful memories in this house.

Eli's Preschool Thanksgiving Program

We love, love, love Eli's preschool.  They had their annual Thanksgiving Feast where family members come watch the kids do a little program and then they have a big Thanksgiving Feast.  Eli was so stinkin' cute singing his little songs.

The feast part did not go so well for me though since Lydia did not want to sit still and eat. Then she choked on a noodle and threw up so we left.  Eli had a great time and didn't even notice that Lydia was being a stinker so I guess it was a success.

Fall Afternoon

Gwinnett County has the best parks. Apparently our county is known for it's excellent healthcare and amazing parks.  And truly, the parks are so wonderful.  It's one of the things I love about being here. There are several really great parks just minutes away.  

Late this afternoon we went to Rabbit Hill Park.  It's HUGE and has at least three different playgrounds that I know of.  This is a new one I just discovered this week.  The kids had so much fun.

It was about 60 degrees so not too cold at all.  We played for an hour and then went grocery shopping for a few supplies for salads for dinner.  It really was a nice day we spent together today.