Archive for December, 2015

December 26th to 30th…

Tuesday, December 29th, 2015

So I’ve fallen a bit behind in December Daily, just a few stories to share from the last four days, and not many pics so I’m going to do it all at once.

 

December 26th: Gavin and Jennie!!!!

Today I took no pictures, which often happens at the end of December.  But we had a great day!  We got to see Gavin, Jennie, and Corwyn!!!  We all had so much fun.  Anne served us some delicious lasagna, we played a round of seven wonders, and the kids ran around and played so well!  We also got to play an awesome round of spades in which both teams got turns at blind nil, plus a ten for two hundred that worked.  Good times.  And not just because Jennie and I won =)

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December 27th: Slushed In

Today we were supposed to go to the Christmas Tea at Abbey’s house, but the weather was yucky so we stayed home instead.  Me, at home with 4 dozen pumpkin muffins.  Eeek.  I was a little productive though, and made the felt animal masks I’d been thinking about for Maia’s birthday party next week.  Donovan was SO excited about the fox mask he went to sleep.  And when I topped that by making a tiger mask that he’d asked for a few times, he jumped up (away from the Batman lego game he’s addicted to) and gave me a huge hug and said “huggy huggy huggy I LOVE my fox and my tiger.”  So sweet.  He’s put in a request for a fox tail as well which sounds like a great idea to me =)

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December 28th: Snow!

We had actual snow!  After LOTS of rain yesterday the snow was pretty… especially since Eric had already taken off work and we had nowhere we needed to be.  We stayed inside and played lots of x-box, read books, and just hung out.  Eric pulled out his Choose Your Own Adventure books from when he was a kid, and he and Serenity and DZ started an adventure.  And it was so much fun he started one with me too.  But he refused to give me any clues as to what I should pick!  When I was a kid, I’d read choose your own adventures I would flip to each option to see which I liked best when the decision was particularly difficult.  Since that was heresy according to Eric, I bargained with him that if he didn’t want me to peek, every time I made a choice we would clean something.  That worked pretty well for us both =)  But oh, sometimes I want to peek!  I sorted through all the school papers and photographed it.  Serenity writes lots of sweet things about her brother in her homework =)  I love it!

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December 29th: Still at home and loving it.

Today we kind of lazed away.  We organized the lego room, vacuumed it and banned the children from getting anything out in there.  We are expecting company later in the week and having a party on Saturday and we just wanted something to stay clean for five minutes after we cleaned it.  Unlike our closet, which Eric diligently cleaned and the kids exploded it the same day.  They had to pick it back up, but that’s what it’s like when we’re all inside for days on end.  Maia actually put on her shoes finally to go outside for a minute.  Her new shoes are fuzzy on the inside boots, which I thought would be warm and soft, but after a minute outside she started crying and came inside to take them off.  So I don’t know.  We may be housebound until summer.

We did spend some time decorating Maia’s room today.  Since her woodland birthday is this weekend I was inspired to get her pictures and stuff back on the wall.

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December 25th: Christmas Day

Friday, December 25th, 2015

December 25th: Christmas Day

Attempting selfies while waiting for Maia to wake up =)

Attempting selfies while waiting for Maia to wake up =)

Today was SO wonderful!  Serenity and DZ woke up around 6:45 and started sorting presents.  Then we took a few snuggly pictures while they tried to wait patiently for Maia to wake up.  Then I let them open their homemade present for the year, scrapbooks of all their birthday parties.  Eric read Donovan’s to him while I looked through Serenity’s with her.  They love them and I loved looking through all those memories together!

Sleeping under the tree together =)

Sleeping under the tree together =)

Reading his birthday party book =)

Reading his birthday party book =)

Finally Maia woke up, and Eric brought her to me while the kids grabbed the stockings.  Maia looked down into hers and immediately saw Chase, and was thrilled.  She pulled him right out and didn’t need to look further in her stocking =)  She was very happy to see twisty fruit in there later on though.

Maia's stocking!

Maia’s stocking!

Serenity got a pet kitten she’d seen in the American Girl doll catalog, a Himalayan kitten with a little collar and fish toy.  When she open the box she immediately started jumping up and down with joy!  So perfect!  She also got several books, a fairy wing pillow, and the Xylophone accessory for Dash and Dot.  She made a really comfy nest for her new kitten and McKenna (in a new Elsa dress) with all her goodies.  We even built a new bed for McKenna out of cardboard today.

She is EXCITED!  She loves that kitten.  She's naming her Selena (Not to be confused with her unicorn named Selena as well.)

She is EXCITED! She loves that kitten. She’s naming her Selena (Not to be confused with her unicorn named Selena as well.)

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New bed for McKenna and her new kitten =)

New bed for McKenna and her new kitten =)

A cozy nest =)

A cozy nest =)

Donovan got a three wheeled scooter, which he zoomed around the house all day on.  Really fast!  He was thrilled with it!  He also got an x-box game, a lego Batman one.  Everyone enjoyed that today, even Maia was entranced watching them play it.  Daddy got to play some too!  DZ also got a pet tiger from Serenity.  And five minute Star Wars tales, which I am even more excited about after seeing Episode 7!

Light sabers!  Donovan's was never far from his side today =)

Light sabers! Donovan’s was never far from his side today =)

With Tiggs, Serenity's gift to DZ

With Tiggs, Serenity’s gift to DZ

New legos of course! =)  Happy boy =)

New legos of course! =) Happy boy =)

DZ made a spot to snuggle near his scooter =)

DZ made a spot to snuggle near his scooter =)

Maia got new Skye and Chase plushies, and Everest figurine, and some books as well, including one My Very Own Name book.  She loved that as she is so into her letters.  However, the biggest hit was the new bath toy.  I was a little concerned because the last few weeks she has been tossing all toys out of the bath in favor of just splashing.  But I needn’t have worried.  She LOVES it.  She kept spraying Daddy in the face with it, and when it would get outside the bath she would laugh maniacally, “WA HA HA HA!”  SO funny.  And wet.  There’s still a swamp I need to dry up in there.  Good thing I got a brand new set of towels!

Maia opens presents now!  And says "THANKS!"  Sounds more like "danks" but it's there =)  A good week to learn that!

Maia opens presents now! And says “THANKS!” Sounds more like “danks” but it’s there =) A good week to learn that!

Sharing Daddy's magformers =)

Sharing Daddy’s magformers =)

Maia said "Wa ha ha ha!" More phrases added to her vocabulary during this bath: "Stop that" and "Yet go!"  (let go)

Maia said “Wa ha ha ha!” More phrases added to her vocabulary during this bath: “Stop that” and “Yet go!” (let go)

The kids gave me the Lego elves set with the pegasus, which I totally geeked out about.  And I got cool kitchen organization stuff and lots of fluffy new towels, and a Nora Roberts book I want to read.  So great!  Eric got several books, Fables and a Stan Lee biography.  He got a light saber science kit from DZ and new Magformers from Maia.  (Pink and purple and teal, his favorite =)
We had a wonderful snuggly morning playing with all the toys and eating cinnamon rolls and pumpkin muffins.  After lunch we piled in the car to go to Papa’s house.  He watched the kids so Eric and I could have a movie date.  Star Wars!!!!!  I won’t say anything except that wasn’t enough exclamation points.  I got to go on a date!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =)

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After we got home we finally got to watch our home movies for the year.  I love seeing all the cute movies!  I edit it to just the very best movies and try to keep it under an hour, but the kids get restless by October =)  Still fun!

Home Movies

Home Movies

December 24th: Christmas Eve

Thursday, December 24th, 2015

December 24th: Christmas Eve

 

Success! I stayed up later than the kids!  Gifts are out, stockings full, time for me to join them on the couch for our Christmas tree sleepover.  =)

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Today was a great day.  I gathered our home movies to watch (didn’t finish burning the dvd, that’s going right now, so we’ll watch tomorrow with popcorn =), we put together our Lego Winter Carousel, the lego advent we did last year, and we read lots of Christmas stories.  I ordered pizza and basically let the kids eat muffins, apples, cookies and pizza all day.  We Skyped with Ann and John and opened the gifts they sent us.  Donovan played the first 18 levels of Laser Maze Jr., he adores it!  And Maia loves her puzzle and Serenity danced around in her new nightgown.  Perfect choices, happy kids =)    Lovely, lazy day.  =)  So ready for tomorrow!!!