Christmas Tree Day

Once there was a family who made their annual trek to the Christmas tree farm. The three small children posed for a quick shotand then they were off.
So many trees, so little time. (Not completely true as the family did have all day. It always seems like everyone is in a hurry, however. They probably just want to find the best tree before anyone else grabs it.)
There was some disagreement as to which tree would be best...
But, in the end, a consensus was made. (Too bad the silly family stood right in front of it so you couldn't see it.)
With the big job out of the way, the chickens were ready to play. They posed with a friendly elf who was watching over the tree field.The littlest chicken could not quite comprehend just what her brothers were trying to do.

Eventually they made their way inside for cookies and hot chocolate. This year, someone also put out a bowl of candy so one cookie was exchanged for a sucker.

For a little variation this year, the family rode the giant sleigh instead of the train.

Then it was off to the home where the real work began.
The three slave-driving children were not about to give the tree anytime to spread its lovely branches. Once it was upright, they began to hang ornaments.

The talking Star Wars ornaments are always fun to push and act out.

In record time the ornaments were hung and the pretty tree was missing just one thing.
The star at the very top.

Daddy helped straighten it out

and then she was perfect.
While all in the family were proud of their tree, this little ham seemed to take the most delight in showing it off to all of us.
So excited to have the warmth of this beautiful tree in our house once more. There is nothing like sitting on the couch and admiring the pretty lights (and smell) of a Christmas tree. And I am so glad that my kiddos like the tradition as much as we do.

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving morning. We got up and finally convinced our children to watch the Macy's parade. (They have never been interested in watching parades on TV. This was especially hurtful on New Year's Day. Maybe we have finally overcome this obstacle.) Can I just mention here that the coverage for this parade is atrocious? I should probably look into getting my own station so I can do it the right way. Anyway, back to the family... While they were all captive in front of the TV, I talked them in to helping me with a special project.Noah was willing to help, but he would only use grapes as the cheese was too slimy for him to handle. The other two, however, had to be reminded not to eat the cheese, but to put it on the stick. I will admit there were a couple chunks used that had little nibbles removed from the edges. They were unnoticeable. Really. And what were we making? Well, this of course...
The perfect centerpiece/appetizer for a Thanksgiving feast table. Right? Daddy picked it up off the table at our house and promptly tried to drop it in to the front yard. Thankfully, Tom Turkey lost only a few tail feathers in the incident and survived the car ride the 6 blocks to Grandma's.

Noah and I were in charge of place settings.
Not ones to discriminate, we even included the obvious. (This could be the last time she uses a highchair, after all, it should be noted, right?)While waiting for everyone to arrive, the little ones hung out in the front room. The bigger boys were very attentive and played well with the kids. (We will assume that the bigger girls were in the kitchen helping prepare the meal and not just in the other room watching TV.)It was a beautiful day and after eating we took full advantage of the chance to be outside. It should be noted that we actually could have eaten outside - it was that nice. Several neighbors did just that and they didn't seem to mind at all when our screaming tribe of munchkins went running past. There was some basketball...Some chalk drawing...And we even ventured up to Noah's school for some kickball. It started out with just 4 of us, but there were so many people outside enjoying the weather that they eventually had a pretty good size game going.The big kids were just as excited about the playground...Abby, on the other hand, had no patience for kickball. There were swings to be had, after all. And swing she did. (Side note - how come they don't make crank swings for bigger kids? She would probably spend the majority of her time in it, if she had one. Instead she is subject to a playground with a swing AND the stamina of mommy's arms for pushing her.)Say Happy Thanksgiving, Abby.Very nice. And now for a group shot...

Not bad! We did have a wonderful day remembering all that we have to be thankful for and hope that you did as well.

Dress Rehearsal

I have to post these videos for Grandpa Doug. Benjamin was SOOOO excited to be up there. And I think they were both a little less tired than tonight. (Maybe playing outside with daddy all afternoon before the big show is not such a good idea...)

Enjoy, Grandpa!

Angel Alert

The boys had their Christmas program at church tonight. Have I mentioned before that my boys are a little different? They have had choir practice every Sunday night since school started. Benjamin would cry if we came home from church without staying for choir practice (even though there was a 5 hr. gap). Noah cried almost every week when it was time to actually go. BUT, throw them up on stage with 200 of their closest friends, and all of the sudden they don't look so different after all.

Wanna see them in action? Remember Noah's first choir show? We were concerned that he would spend the whole time just standing OR picking his nose. That was not at all the case with Benjamin. In fact, he was so in to it that he actually danced himself right off the step a time or two.

And, Noah has really come a long way in his actions also! For all the complaining he does in getting there, he sure had fun while he was up there.

It was so fun to watch the boys up there and I am so excited that they love music as much as I do - whether or not they willingly admit it.

My Girl

Abby had her first dance recital this past Sunday. After having witnessed her last few classes, we tried to be realistic with our expectations. Oh, but she did so, so good!!! Right from the get-go she was ready to perform. All the little dancers sat by class and waited their turn. She never even twisted in her seat - she just sat like a big kid both before and after her dance.

Then it was time for the big show.

At the end of the show, all the dancers were on the stage for "Hit the Road, Jack!" Unfortunately, she was seated at the far end of the stage from where we were seated.

Her big brothers were so cute and so proud. They sat so nicely and watched her big moment - and then rewarded her with some beautiful flowers.

Which she proudly displayed for anyone and everyone who passed her way.

A new pose she has been trying out for the past few weeks. It's a keeper, don't you think?

Now, I have the full dance on our real video camera but we have no way of getting that on to the computer. Daddy didn't take any video with our digital camera. But we do have Grandma's video. She was stellar for the first half of the song and this clip shows you how cute she still was at the end. (Anyone who wants to see the whole thing is welcome to come over any time and request it. This proud mama will be happy to show it any time.) The lighting is not the best, but you get the gist. Oh, and she's the little cutie on the far right side.