More Christmas pictures

My stocking present was the biggest hit of all. Everyone else wants to play with it (and eat it) which means mommy is getting a few back massages. . .

Ammon with his stash

Micah's Santa present was a block that we found in the toy bin the night before and wrapped for him. Is this bad? I personally think it's great because you know at this age the love the paper and boxes the most, they don't know how to count presents, and are over stimulated within the first 10 minutes of Christmas and need to go take their morning nap instead.

Christmas in Virginia

We have been spending money like crazy with this move--I don't even know why. . . so we decided to make it a simple Christmas. We always try to make it simple and it ends up being more than we intended. But we Santa gave the kids one gift and then they got things from Grandparents and other families. But Travis, well, he had a big Christmas. He has never ever had any tools and we went and got a few fun things for him so that he can just build and fix whatever we need him to from now on. He usually doesn't ask for much, so he deserved it and by Christmas he was well started on making a desk for us.

These are the fun faces that we are working for when we fill those stockings . . .Santa gave Ammon a Diego toy, because fell in love with Diego when we were in Florida and had cable.

Kaden's only wish this Christmas was for a sled. But he was also under the impression that he would wake up to a magically white and snowy Christmas. So he got a playing mat to play with cars on, and we did go into our garage and get the sleds that we already had and the kids had forgotten about. They had lots of fun pulling their goodies around on them and putting their pillows and blankets in them and pretending to sleep.

Noah got an explorer kit, so that he can properly explore the woods behind our house. You can see outside the beginnings of a Christmas at 65 degrees. Noah went on and on about how it just didn't FEEL like CHRISTMAS--"No family is with us, it's warm outside, and it just came so fast!"

Travis grew up with the tradition of having Captain crunch on Christmas morning before going in and opening presents. Obviously the kids don't mind too much.

Christmas Eve

Our friends invited us over to do Christmas Eve with them. We have actually never had our kids act out the nativity scene. I guess I don't feel creative and was always embarrassed about stuff like that before, but doing it with them showed me how easy and simple it is, and how great the spirit of it is. I think we will definitely try to do something like that every year. I loved it! And look how cute and sweet they all are. And the kids were the perfect combination to make a good nativity scene, with Kaden's friend Ava, as Mary, and little baby Jack who laid so quietly and helped the rest of the kids feel gentle and reverent.

He's on to me

Now a quote from Noah, as he was taking out the garbage today: " What, do you think you are being sneaky or something, Mom? Throwing away candy canes?!"

I admit it, I did think I was being sneaky--he always catches me at things like that. It's a good thing he was the one that caught me and not his 2 younger brothers. . . he made his own decision the other day to sort through candy he got from school and make 3 piles--to keep, give away, and throw away. What a kid!

Just because

Just because this kid is adorable, I mean. Not to brag or anything--I really had nothing to do with it. Anyway, Micah has taken to squealing and yelling this week. If I knew an easy way to tape it and put it on here, I would. Right now it is just hilarious and cute, but I can see a day when something like that won't be so cute anymore.

I admit he in on the border of needing another haircut, but I just don't want all of his hair gone again! What to do, what to do.

Giggles and Grins

Don’t you love it when you are busy doing something, like cleaning after lunch, and a child is talking to you and you are only half-way listening—enough to say uh-huh, that’s nice, etc. Kaden was doing that a few minutes ago and somewhere in my belated hearing I heard him say (I was slicing him a piece of bread) “Mommy, I really like that kind of knife—if you rub it softly on your hand, it tickles”. . . “Uh-huh, that’s nice” Wait a minute. “Did you just say. . .” I need to listen to my kids a little better.

He and Ammon have been having quite the conversations lately. Kaden pointing out the world the way he sees it, and Ammon agreeing and learning from him then putting in his own 2 cents. “Hey, I just saw a picture of you and Daddy and you kissed when you got married”—Has he never noticed that since?

These two hooligans have been saying things lately that are just very funny, and I keep thinking I need to write them down and then forget. So I am sure I have much funnier ones to share but for now these will have to do.

Ammon: "Daddy is working with his toodles" (tools)

"Mommy, can we please ride the alligator?" (elevator)

There are a lot from Kaden lately that are cracking me up. So bear with me. Maybe I should take some kind of action instead of laughing.

Kaden:

#1: Trav was having a heart to heart talk with him earlier this week, asking his favorite color, favorite number, then asked his favorite thing to do. The answer was "My favorite thing to do is. . . eat".

#2: The next day I had a couple pf friends over playing and was being nosy trying to get new ideas for dinner so we don't eat the same 3 meals our whole lives. Anderson's favorite dinner was mashed potatoes and gravy, Ava's was stuffing, Noah's was sweet and sour chicken, and then I asked Kaden. He said "ohhh, there is too many--I think I love every dinner".

#3: Yesterday I was in the talking to the kids and said, "guess what we need to do tonight?" Noah said "b-a-t-h?" and I said "yep!". Then Kaden piped in in a slightly panicked voice. "AND we need to eat more food today still!"

#4: Lately when we are doing the "highs and lows" by the Christmas tree, Kaden's low is that we didn't go to eat at any restaurants that day. Oh yeah, I just thought of a couple more. . .

#5: We were in the grocery store and he saw something that looked good to him, and I said off-handedly, "well it's sure not very healthy--it has a lot of sugar in it. And he said. "I really like things that are bad for me sometimes!--and I really like sugar".

#6: Oh, and when he was in Pre-K in Florida--Every day I would ask him how school was and what he did, and all he could remember is what was for snack (it was always very bad, by the way--why do they do that?) and that based his whole opinion of his day.

He also makes sure that if someone else doesn't finish their dinner (as long as it's the right dinner), that it doesn't go to waste "okay, I guess I'll just finish Ammon's."

Hmmm. Is there a trend to all of these funny things he is saying? And should I worry about him? Anyone who knows Kaden is not surprised by this. He was born wanting to nurse ALL the time--seriously. It didn't just seem like it. My friend Marian would take him from me and try to hold him off. Our first goal was to go 2 1/2 hours, but in the end we settled for an hour and a half between feedings, and that was with having to make him really mad first. When he started solids, I 6 months but gave in before that because he wanted it so badly, and he was a pro from the start. He did try to tell me the other day that he likes the healthy food just as much or more than the others, though. I think he just wanted my approval at the moment. . .

Speaking of worrying about Kaden, he also tells me he really like the bad guys and fighting in movies. I tried to get them to watch "The Miracle on 34th street" yesterday with me, and he complained the whole time and asked if their were any bad guys in this movie. I said the psychiatrist sure wasn't very nice, and apparently the guy was not bad enough for him. I think the only part that he like was when Kris Kringle hit the psychiatrist on the head with his cane. Noah wasn't really like this, so it does worry me a little sometimes. But it could all be normal little boy things, right?

Picture Perfect--Not!

So how's this for a picture perfect day? The day after we get all of our boxes, and Noah's birthday. We were up to the ceiling in boxes, and I had made waffles for Noah that morning and was trying to make a cake that I didn't have all of the ingredients for and unpack. Trav had told me that they were doing family pictures by in front of a raptor, and we were a little bummed because it was all going to be done before Noah got out of school (inside I was a tad bit relieved--I wouldn't have to shower!). So just before it's time to go and get Noah from school, Travis calls and tells me that we are getting pictures after all. We will just pick up Noah and go straight from there. Great--except I haven't even brushed my own unshowered hair, let alone thought of what to dress everyone in. And the kitchen disposal is clogged from trying to put carrot peels down it, and the plumber is on his way. But it worked out. Then the normal great family moments while we are getting pictures taken--Noah making faces, Ammon crying, and Micah trying with all his might to grab Kaden's hair (you can't tell but I am trying with all my might to hold him up and back as he throws himself on Kaden) and thinking it was the funniest thing on earth. So I didn't really expect a perfect one. Trav thinks they are great pictures, however, because when he looks he sees a sleek cool jet (hey, this is a stealth aircraft, I thought you weren't supposed to be able to see it, anyway). So his favorites have nothing to do with which kid's belly is showing, and everything to do with getting more jet with the family close up. =)