Cousin time

Ryan surprised us by taking us to Springfield to visit Mom and Dad for a bit before we were to head to SDC for the final time. Well, it turned out to be waaaaaay too cold to be outside and we were having so much fun hanging out with cousins so we ended staying in town. While we were there, Joycelyn arrived with Katie and Connor.










Mom and Dad were getting their hair cut when we initially arrived. I got right in line and had mine done too. And then the line really started forming...Joycelyn, Katie, Julia....Katie had her long locks trimmed off--she looks BEAUTIFUL!!!! Julia loved how Katie's hair looked and therefore wanted the same thing. Here's the girls sporting their new dos. Thank you Crystal!!!!

Random pix

Evelyn is finally big enough to wear this sweater/skirt combo--the skirt (though you can't see it) is plaid and is bonified Christmas.



Holy cow, this girl is pretty!



Jacob sporting his dad's favorite colors (besides blue and orange). He was soooo excited to realize that he finally fits into this sweater (and just in time too!).



Marcus has found a new favorite past time--sitting on someone's lap and playing on the computer. Mema is checking out blogs here and then switched and was showing him the San Diego Zoo. He loved seeing all the animals. Oh, and the green circle? That's a balloon that was floating down at the moment...

Birthday party with cousins, Mema, and Papa

Mom and Papa brought some cousins up here to celebrate Julia's birthday (a HUGE thank you!!!!!). All the cousins simply couldn't get enough of each other and the energy buzzing in the house was incredible. Man, we miss everyone! Jacob was flying on cloud nine to be playing with Ben again. We knew there was a good chance of him coming today--Hannah was a complete, and most welcome, surprise. :)


Julia wanted to play the classic game of pin the tail on the donkey. The kids all lined up and took their turns being blindfolded, spun around til almost dizzy, and trying to pin their tail in the right spot. (no pix of them actually doing it since my hands were busy spinning them). :)



Julia is NOT a fan of cake. Or perhaps frosting is the real culprit. Well, whichever it is, she doesn't like having a real cake for her birthday (she wouldn't even bring cupcakes for her class--she brought cookies). So the past few years I've been making her my (and hers) all time favorite oreo ice cream cake....yumm-o!



To the Grandon's--the absolute perfect gift! I think she's actually SLEEPING with that book tonight.....




Julia and her stuffed animals--there's no such thing as too many. I think she regards them as I do my books--each one is unique and special and there's no such thing as getting tired or bored with them.



Mema found this absolutely gorgeous Sunday outfit for Julia. She adores it "Now I'll look just like Mommy!". Mema, thank you soooooo much!


Thanks again to Mom and Papa for going out of your way to celebrate Julia's special day. We had so much fun and more than anything, we love having you in our home. Miss you...

Elfed again...

This seems more in line with the craziness of our family...be sure to pause the playlist down on the left column so that you can hear the music. :)

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Elfed!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Ryan's gonna flip....

So yesterday Julia turned nine...and today is going on 16? See the lovely picture of her above? Take a closer look at her finger--notice the very pretty ring? Yeah, some boy in her class gave that to her today! (Apparently he bought it at the Secret Santa Shop). Ugh, I gotta teach her that boys still have cooties....


UPDATE: Julia just informed me that her favorite song is "Fall for You" by Secondhand Serenade...we're doomed.

Happy Birthday Julia!

Can anyone believe this girl is 9 years old now?! I think I blinked and the years have just passed by...

Well, her first gift came around 6am when my phone started ringing--no school today! Our low was only 8 degrees last night and it never stopped raining (=iced roads everywhere). The kids were so excited at the thought of just running around in their pj's half the day (of course in elementary school it never occurs to them that this is a day to SLEEP IN). I made a deal with them--everyone get ready for the day and then Julia can open her gifts. It's so funny to see how eager and cooperative kids are when there's good incentive. :)

Julia opened her first gift from her siblings and I--she loves horses and she loves being artistic. So I thought this gift was perfect.



Painting by numbers. She wasted no time in getting started--and with no school, why not?


Nana totally earned some serious brownie points with this gift. A brand new (and incredibly soft) fleece horse blanket. Mom, I wish you could've heard all the squealing that came out of her mouth!



Her brand new webkin from Granny Mac. The webkin she originally wanted is expired (she's asking Santa for that one). This was the other one she wanted. I know she's nine and all, but this girl still absolutely LOVES her stuffed animals.


Has anyone ever been so excited to go to sleep? Julia was all smiles as she snuggled in with her blanket and Crookshanks (as the new cat is now named).



We're having a small party for her this weekend when Mom and Papa come with the kiddos. Julia's been looking forward to that FOREVER. She told me today that the part that she's looking forward to the most is just being with her "Mema and Papa--I really miss them." *sigh* My girl is growing up! Can't wait to see you guys Saturday!

Holiday Eating Tips

A friend sent this to me....all I can say is AMEN!!!!!

Holiday Eating Tips


1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrot sticks on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit.
In fact, if you see carrot sticks, leave immediately! Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.

2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly! Like fine single-malt scotch, it's rare. In fact, it's even rarer than single-malt scotch. You can't find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has like 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into some kind of eggnog-aholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two! It's Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That is the whole point of having gravy. Gravy does not stand alone, pour it on! Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim milk, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. Hello? The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free! Lots of it.
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's Eve. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies ... Pumpkin, Apple or Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or, if you don't like Mincemeat, have two Apples and one Pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with all the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip ... If you don't feel stuffed when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention.
Reread tips .. start over, but hurry, January and exercising is just around the corner!

Holly Jolly Party

Yesterday I decided to be brave and take all the kiddos to a Christmas function going on at a park on post. I'd never heard of the park, didn't know where it was (I looked it up on the fort map and it wasn't listed), and wasn't sure what to expect...all I knew was that it was open to the public, there was supposed to be tons of activities for the kids, and hey, it's free. I debated all day about going--I'm a bit adverse to wandering around and getting lost on post without Ryan and I wasn't sure about being out in a large crowd with 4 kids without him too. On top of that, it was stinkin COLD!!!! The high was only in the 30s. But of course I had already mentioned the idea of going to Julia earlier that day so she held me to it. I'm sooooooo glad she did.

We found our way easily (a girl at the community center for my neighborhood called the place and got the directions for me) and the parking wasn't bad at all. There was tent after tent lined up on both sides of the field. The line for Santa was too long to stand in, but the kids had so much fun seeing everything else.

Here we are at the Whoville Library tent with Cindy-Lou Who (each tent had a theme and was decorated accordingly--and had people dressed up as the characters). And at each tent, there was either an activity for the kids to do or they could pick out at toy.




And at Cinderella's castle...


Julia's gift which she picked out--she absolutely loves her new purse.


Eveln and Jacob with the gifts they picked out--a new purse, bookmark, and stuffed toys.


I'm not quite sure who this is supposed to be--some Christmas puppy? He had a basket full of toys which he was handing out.


Even better than Santa (sometimes) was Frosty the Snowman!!! Julia and Jacob couldn't get to him fast enough while Evelyn was too scared to approach.



The best for last--they had the Polar Express! Of course, my batteries had all but died (there were so many pictures that I missed! Buzz Lightyear with Woody and Mr. Potato Head, Jacob sitting on The Grinch's lap--that green dude was kinda scary, Tigger, the Christmas Post Office, Mary Poppins who handed out plastic spoons dipped in chocolate and covered in powdered sugar (get it?)....oh well). I was lucky that my camera even turned on to get these two.



We all had soooo much fun there, however, we only stayed an hour since it was just sooo cold. But we got to enjoy the music (there was live singing and cute little girls dancing in tu-tus to the Nutcracker) and meeting so many characters. The also enjoyed seeing some of their friends from school there.

So it's supposed to snow this afternoon--between last night's fun and the weather, I think we are all in the Christmas mood!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

Much to our surprise and joy, it's started snowing this week! Hurray! The kids were quick to get ready for school and then head outside to start a snowball fight. They also quickly learned that it was just too darn cold to really play out there. Here everyone is enjoying the snow, but also all huddled around each other trying to stay warm. (those little bits of white all over the pix are actually snow falling at the moment)





Seeing as it was sooo cold this past weekend, we stayed indoors made our own snowflakes. Of course the kids watched Jack Frost--they now know who Snip is and how he makes each individual snowflake.





And here I am trying my hand at taking pictures with my children while being in it at the same time.

What kind of ornament are you?

Here's my results...pretty accurate I think!

You Are a Snowman

Friendly and fun, you enjoy bringing holiday cheer to everyone you know!

What Christmas Ornament Are You?

Sweet success

What is sweet success? To me, it's finally reaching my jogging goal. This morning I ran 5 miles in 52 minutes. This is coming from the girl who couldn't run one entire mile without walking while in highschool. Couldn't run more than two miles before I moved to this place!

And the cherry on top--Marcus asked to sit on the toilet this morning and he actually peed in it! I'm kissing diapers good-bye next year!

Twilight

How do I even begin to describe that insane night? Tons of teenagers, women, older women, a few brave dudes trying to impress their girlfriends.....hormones out to wazoo.



Let's go from the beginning...I was hightailing it back to town so that I could meet up with my girlfriends to stand in line at 6pm. We all carpooled over to the theater and it was already packed. Apparently the highschoolers beelined it to the theater once school got out. LOL. Well, we hadn't eaten dinner yet, so we split into two groups--half stayed in line while the other half went and got sushi. Of course, I was with the group getting the sushi. :) Kelly and I made ourselves comfortable at the restaurant (Mijuri--oh yum!) and ordered a yummy feast. About an hour later we made our way back with an order for Gail. We highly recommend the shrimp tempura.



So we're in line FOREVER. There were actually five auditoriums showing Twilight that night. We were supposed to be seated at 9pm...but it didn't happen til, oh, 10:30 or closer to 11. So annoying. Not annoying having to stand there, but it was annoying cause people in front of us were letting TONS of late-coming friends get in line with them. Dude, there's a reason we show up so stinkin early--to get a good seat. Call us old (well, being 25-40 is reasonably old with this angst crowd), but it was really gettin on our nerves when the line which was only about 20 ahead of us swelled to almost twice that size. And you know, it was hot, everyone was anxiously excited--and we had a pregnant girl in our midst (in my group). She had NO qualms with bringing our irritation to the managers attention (no qualms WHATSOEVER). I believe that my group was trying so hard not to laugh (I believe some were ducking their heads out of embarrassment). Well, the manager took one look at Suzanne's furious face and her expanding belly and quickly set a guard at the front to watch for line cutters. And when the guard didn't catch them all and Suzanne complained again (LOL) they placated her with her choice of ice cream AND pulled her to the front of the line so that she could be the first one in the auditorium. Note to all--when you want a good seat, bring a hormonal preggo with you. :)



Now I have to say, as much of a "gotta go to the midnight show" person that I am, I was nervous about seeing THIS particular movie at that time. I seriously considered actually going Friday morning so that I could avoid all the shrieking "OM-EDWARD!!!" teenagers and all the screaming that was surely to happen at his every appearance. However, fate was with us that night--a group of girls in front of our row requested of the auditorium that all screaming/cheering/crying wait til the credits. Everyone turned to eyeball the crazies beseeching this request but kept their opinions to themselves when they noticed Suzanne sitting behind them. :) (Again, gotta love her). So we got to enjoy the movie thoroughly--there was appropriate enthused applause at the right times, muted squeals, and silent cheering. We got to sit back and enjoy the movie--and WHAT A MOVIE!!!!! Absolutely hilarious at times, right in with the book (at other times)--definitely a must see. They've already announced the making of New Moon--hopefully with a much bigger budget, they'll be able to stick to the book storyline a bit more.

Ah yes, last photo. Of course Gail and I had t-shirts made for the occasion. Tons of girls were wearing Twilight shirts although I think ours were the only one-a-kind (we went to a place downtown that does graphic designs for shirts). :) It was still fun to check out what everyone was wearing. Well, it was fun til I spotted some dude wearing a "bite me" shirt. It's the one with the bitten apple on it which you can order off of Stehpenie Meyer's website. No big deal--except that this was a girl's fitted shirt. So, really high in the sleeves, tight around his chest, curvy around the waist--GUH-ROSS!!!!



So to end the crazy-but-totally-worth-it night, we car pool back home and I crashed at Gail's (I believe hit the sack around 3am). My alarm woke me up at 5:45 so that I could be on the road just before 6am. I was able to roll in at 7:30am to finish getting my kiddos ready for school (a HUGE thank you to Meg for coming and watching my kiddos for me!).

I was pretty much worthless the rest of the day--not just from sleep deprivation, but I was also getting sick. Penance for a day off? I'll take it! But my question now is--who's gonna go to the midnight showing of Harry Potter with me next summer? :)

Gonna find out who's naughty or nice....

This was the absolute best thing EVER that I bought last year. I help Santa with his nice and naughty list on a daily basis. We brought this out yesterday.

Let the games begin....hehehe.

Testing...1,2,3..testing....

Here's a lovely topic: potty training. Jacob has had the hardest time staying dry at night. Every night he wears a pull up (and up until 3 nights ago that pull up has been absolutely soaked by morning). I tried everything--no water after 8 (and when that didn't work then I moved it to 7pm), making sure he goes right before bed, going first thing in the morning. Nothing helped--he's just an immensely deep sleeper and simply doesn't wake up when his body says "I gotta go!". So for the past week, I've been getting him up at 10pm and around 4-4:30am to go (I personally don't set my alarm for that--I just randomly wake up each morning and force myself to get up to get Jacob to the bathroom). Amazingly, the past 3 nights he's been completely dry! Honestly, that the first three nights of dryness in almost 7 years for him. I totally owe him some yummy Andy's for this.

So here's the test--let's try to stay dry with UNDERWEAR on tonight. His poor face became terrified at the thought when I suggested it earlier today. But he's putting on a brave face and prepping himself tonight. And I think he's actually a bit excited now. I'm still gonna wake him up at the wee hours on both sides of the sound tonight/tomorrow.

Let's keep our fingers crossed.....(and I'm still keeping a water-proof pad under him just in case). :)


UPDATE: Test was successful. :)