Making Christmas

My mom is trying to get more traditions started and she decided that she wants to make ornaments every year around Christmas starting this year. Somehow she got my little sister to do the grunt work and Kaeloni came up with some really cute decorations. The examples she saw worked great as ornaments, but I thought from the beginning they were better as decorations and that's pretty much what they became. 

A few weeks before we gathered we all decided on which decoration we'd make. A majority of my kids chose a gingerbread man, so I went with a penguin for Jace and a reindeer for me. I think Ailey originally chose a gingerbread man, but when it came time to actually do something, she wanted a reindeer.

We made this whole thing an event and a few of my siblings brought different soups to try, Kaeloni did grilled cheese for the kids and I had a simple task of bringing salad. (My mom knows that my pregnancy brain can't handle much)

After a yummy lunch - we got started. We really all had way too much fun.

And here's a look at our small army...

What Happens Next...

November's Nonsense

Wanna know what random things happened in November? Read on...

{...A BIRTHDAY...}

I had a birthday. It was a very low-key birthday, but it was a good one. Eric surprised me with a game. There's been a game around for awhile called Munchkin and it's one Eric and I both like and even a few of the kids like it. Well, recently they came out with a Nightmare Before Christmas version and that's what I got!

SOURCE

The kids made dinner for me and then we played my game. Eric, Tanis and Shaylyn so very politely let me win. Okay the truth is Eric was super close, but I managed to pull it off in the end thanks to some cards Tanis had to throw away.

I had some very giving relatives that gave me money for my birthday. I used some of that money at The Wood Connection to buy me some crafty crap. 

If you want more info on why I chose to do these two crafts, you can read about the turkey here and the rules sign here.

{...THANKSGIVING...}

Of course we celebrated Thanksgiving. My neice had a birthday party the night before and so we just opted to stay at Eric's mom's house for the weekend. So on Thanksgiving morning, I was able to help her prepare Thanksgiving dinner and the older kids helped set the table. 

We had a good meal with one of the smallest crowds we have had in years. Around 6 we headed back over to my mom's house. Eric played a few games with my dad, little brother and my brothers in law. They had a great time. I spent a majority of the night in the same position holding a sleeping 2 year old. That was no easy task with a baby belly in the way. 

My mom, brother Donovan and little sister (who was in my same position with a 3 year old and no baby belly) played a game as well. I'm proud to say that Donovan and I whooped my mom and sister's butts.

Before the little boys fell asleep, my little sister planned a little craft that we did. The kids made little turkey headbands with the feathers saying what they were thankful for. My cute 3 year old nephew just randomly named a few people in the room - I was surprisingly one of his favorite people that day. Woot!

Tanis, Nate, Ailey and Jace all made one. Shaylyn and Lex were too busy playing with cousins they don't see very often and when Shaylyn did see the craft, she and a couple other cousins opted to make Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle masks out of them. Go fig.

I was so excited to see that one of my niece's was dressed similarly to Ailey. Thankfully it was her 'twin' and they had so much fun together.

{...AN ANNIVERSARY...}

Eric and I got married 17 years ago on November 27th. We decided to have a very low key anniversary this year in an effort to have a bit more money at Christmas. This was a very good idea as we spent most of the anniversary in the car. 

Having spent the night at Eric's mom's we spent the morning getting things cleaned up and put back together. We left shortly after lunch and do to many unexpected circumstances we needed to take my nephew back home. He slept over at my mom's and his mom really wasn't thrilled at the idea of driving all the way back to my mom's to get him. (She also live an hour plus away from our mom) 

Because we were literally in the neighborhood, we offered to get him and meet up with her. Well, my little sister played a Speedy Gonzales and got to our meeting spot about a half hour before we would get there. So we changed the meet up place and then we changed it again. We eventually got her son back to her, but then we had the 20 minute trip back home. 

We got home and unloaded the car (somehow we always end up with tons of stuff after being with Eric's mom) and I then made myself presentable. We decided to go to Olive Garden as we hadn't been there in a long time. We got lucky and found a good parking spot and there was literally NO WAIT on a FRIDAY night! Thank you Thanksgiving and Black Friday shoppers! Sadly, we had a miserable experience. I ordered a drink that didn't taste the way I thought it should. The salad had a very miniscule amount of dressing on it and neither of our orders were anything to rave about. But we were fed and that was good enough.

We then ended up at Target. I needed a few things and also had a gift card from my birthday to spend. After wandering the store for probably an hour or so, we checked out. We then headed to the game store where Eric 'works' to pick something up. While there he was trying to decide if he should use his birthday money for a huge piece for one of his games. He debated for probably a half hour but then gave in. 

So yes, very low-key, but we spent the day with each other and that was all that really mattered to me. It's good to know we can still enjoy each other's company while doing the simplest of things and a good reminder that we make sacrifices for each other on a daily basis. Shopping isn't Eric's favorite thing to do, especially when there's no plan. I don't particularly enjoy standing around while someone makes a decision either, but these are the kinds of things we find ourselves doing a lot.

{...ERIC'S BIRTHDAY...}

Eric's birthday may has well never have come at all. I didn't do anything for him to acknowledge it in any way and I still feel guilty. He asked for one thing from me: devilled eggs. I told him I could do it after I dropped Shaylyn off at dance. I went to the store and grabbed what I needed, including a package of carmels for him. I got home and realized I only had 2 eggs and I was at the store. Failed yet again and I still have yet to make those eggs for him. His only saving grace, I suppose was that I gave him the freedom to play a new video game all day. So maybe he was happy.

I spent the night of his birthday getting a few things done on the computer, but Jace needed some love. So I did what I needed to on the computer left handed, which I'm not and held Jace with my right hand. And as soon as I turned the camera on my phone on, he was a happy camper.

And that, my friends winds up the month of November. It went by eerily fast!

What Happens Next...

Gobble, Gobble

Thanksgiving was coming up and we still hadn't done our traditional turkeys. One day I'll do it at the beginning of the month...one day. So two days before Thanksgiving I decided we should do it. I almost did it three days before, but decided the boys all needed haircuts and I should do the craft on a day Eric wasn't home so that I could spend time with him when he was home.

So on Tuesday we went about making our turkeys. I'm normally a little bit of a perfectionist when it comes to this craft, but I realized quite quickly this year that I'd have to give up a bit of that. Nate and Ailey were anxious to do their own turkeys and didn't really want to wait for help, so they did it their own way. Honestly, I think I should let go of the reins a little more and let these kids develop their own sense of creativity. Plus, I think it helps give them some confidence.

My turkey's created quite the rafter (yes, I looked that up). And I love that they all showed their personalities when I took pictures.

What Happens Next...

August's Antics

It's time once again for a look at all the crazy things that happen on a day to day basis in this crazy world of mine.

{...I'M NOT TIRED!...}

I could tell from looking a Jace that he was starting to fall asleep and he was ready for his nap, but when I asked him if he was ready for his nap, he told me no. Two seconds later he was out like a light.

{...I LIKE TO SNUGGLE TOO...}

One night we were getting ready to go to bed and looked over to find Domino snuggled up to a stuffed toy. (It's kinda hard to see with all his fur) He wasn't attacking it, just snuggled up with it like a human would be.

{...BACK TO SCHOOL SHOPPING...}

Eric's mom helped with back to school shopping. We had discussed taking different groups of kids at different times, but in the end decided it was a better use of time to go all together. I don't know if it was a good choice or a bad choice, but we had a full day.

The kids had fun being with grandma and choosing their clothes and they even got lunch at Chick Fil A. While in Target we found the perfect spot for a photo.

{...GET TO KNOW YOU JENGA...}

I got called to Activity Days and was way beyond nervous to be in charge of my first activity. After thinking on it for awhile, I decided to go with a Get To Know You game as the girls had 2 new leaders and we didn't know much about any of the girls. I found the idea online and the look for the Jenga pieces online as well, I just tried to make it my own.

Thankfully the activity turned out pretty good and I think the girls had fun.

{...LET YOUR LIGHT SHINE...}

I went to swap laundry one night and found the following sight:

Apparently the soft plastic battery operated tea-lights can survive a washing. Who knew?

{...HE MAY BE PART HUMAN...}

Domino definitely likes the softer things in the world. One of the kids decided he needed to be tucked in just like a kid. He didn't seem to offer any complaint.

{...IT'S JUST A LITTLE POKE..}

I got a little lax with Ailey's immunizations we realized when we registered for Kindergarten and then I slacked off and didn't get her into the dr's office as soon as I wanted. When I did call, however, I had to wait a week. This meant she was getting her last shots the day before school started. She was nervous about them and didn't want to go, but she was brave and went anyway. They had to take blood from her finger, which I didn't know about - but she did awesome and then she was ready for her shots.

She didn't do quite as well for her shots and was a sad little girl. But she brushed it off pretty quickly and I took her to Arctic Circle for lunch and let her play on the playground and then she got some toys from the store and she was a happy camper.

{...JUST LIKE DADDY...}

Jace is a very observant kid and knows exactly what Daddy does when he's on the computer. One day he wasted no time in imitating his Daddy.

I cleaned the desk a day or two after this...

{...TWO HEADS IS BETTER THAN ONE...}

With four boys there is no shortage of things that resemble fighting and wrestling. Even the two year old gets involved.

What Happens Next...