Christmas 2013 in Pictures

Maddie as a angel in the nativity on Christmas Eve.

Isaac played Joseph and Nater was the baby Jesus while a friend played Mary. Davis was a sheperd (no pic of him).

Christmas morning was everything I hoped it would be--excited and happy children, fun presents, and no fighting :)

Breakfast consisted of store bought cinnamon rolls (you know, like the Pilsbury pressure can type) in the shape of a Christmas tree. No work for me and the kids were totally impressed--win/win.

Ryan getting in on the action.

Every brother needs a silly sister like Maddie.

And every daughter needs a Dad that will photo bomb them. 

And six year old boys need to learn how to be dangerous. 

Opening presents together. 

We spent the majority of the day in our pajamas, playing and video-chatting and eating whatever we wanted. Later on we were able to get together with friends for dinner. It was a great Christmas.

Their Excitement is Through the Roof

A very sleepy Nathan meeting Santa for the first time.

Are your kids bouncing off the walls right about now? Mine are. Isaac came up with the innovative idea the other morning to climb on top of the radiator, pull down the cord to the window blinds, tie it around his waist (knotted several times), and leap into the air. He said he thought he would swing around the toy room that way. Needless to say, I found him in the middle of the room with the cord around his waist and the entire set of blinds dangling from his midsection.

At least he wasn't hurt.

I wrapped most of the presents for the kids the other night and it really got me feeling the Christmas spirit. We have a house full of believers this year and it is magical. I don't know how long that will be the case so I am trying to soak it up as much as I can. I remind myself of this when they drive me bonkers with their endless bouncing off the walls.

I can't wait for Christmas morning.

The Week Before Christmas...

Davis had a Christmas Story moment while one Santa's lap this morning and could not think of a single thing he wanted for Christmas. He finally sputtered out "I wanna a candy cane!"

I recently started the little guy on solids. He is slowly getting used to them and is actually the first of our four children to eat pureed green beans with a smile on his face. 

I wasn't lying when I said he had shoulder rolls. This picture is proof. 

Our school district cancels school when there is even a flurry of snow in the forecast. Seriously. It looks like the kids will be going to school until the 4th of July again this year. We did have fun making graham cracker houses on the kids' day off last week. FYI, burnt sugar is a fantastic way to stick the houses together. Check out a how-to here. 

I know this picture is super poor quality, but I had to post it for memory's sake. Last Sunday we got home from church and the kids immediately headed outside in the backyard to play in the snow. We noticed that Maddie was trying unsuccessfully to pull Davis around in our little kiddie toboggan, so Ryan went outside (suit and all) to take over and gave each of the kids a spin around the yard. I couldn't stop laughing as I watched Maddie with her hands in the air like she was on a roller coaster at Disneyland, squealing with delight while being pulled around by her dad. It was adorable.  I, as you can see, enjoyed the scene from the warmth of our kitchen. 

From the Mouth of My Babe

Baby is 6 months old! 20 lbs, 1 oz. of  pure love and chub!

"Mom!" said Maddie earlier today, "I really want to eat our gingerbread house...but eating it today would be disrespectful to Christmas, so I can wait."

From the Mouth of My Babe

What happens when free reign over cookie decorating is given to a six-year-old.

The other day Davis was gushing over how delicious his lollipop tasted. "Dis is da yummiest wawee-pop in da whole universe!" "No," Isaac interrupted. "You mean in the whole world. You can't find candy anywhere else in the universe."

Thirty

Baby push ups in a very blurry picture (cut me some slack, I'm on day 30). Check out the rolls on those arms!

Nater is becoming more and more mobile every day. He is now scooting involuntarily all over the living room. It isn't uncommon to find him backed into a corner or under a table.

Twenty-nine

Decorating the tree this afternoon.

Are you done Christmas shopping yet? Have you even started? I don't have anything but pajamas for the kids and I am itching to get it all done so I can relax and enjoy this time of year a little more.

Twenty-eight

Maddie took this picture of Nathan and I. "Ok, mom, I took it!...but the only thing missing from the picture is your faces."

 Are you going Black Friday shopping tonight? After looking through the ads I realized that the only thing I really need is Rubbermaid food storage containers, so I think I'll go to sleep instead.

I hope your Thanksgiving was a happy one!

She redeemed herself with the second shot. 

Twenty-seven

Ryan's the best at making Nater laugh. 

Thanksgiving break has officially started, so to celebrate we are watching Home Alone and eating maple leaf cookies.
My mom and my sisters got together this morning to bake pies (it's a yearly tradition). Instead of feeling sorry for myself that I couldn't be with them, we had our own pie-baking party here with some of our favorite friends. We made lemon cream, pumpkin, and chocolate mousse cheesecake. I'm of the belief that one pie per person is a good Thanksgiving ratio, so hopefully we can make a couple more tomorrow.

I hope your Thanksgiving is spent with the people you love and lots of delicious food!

Twenty-six

Michelle and I just before she left for home this evening. I'm hiding my bald spot from the camera. Does your hair all fall out after you have a baby too?

Our friends Michelle and Brandon and their cute kids came to visit Connecticut. It was so great to have them around. We met them back in Iowa during podiatry school and now Brandon is a resident in Boston. He had a couple of days off and we were so happy that they came to spend some of their vacation with us! We cooked and ate and baked and ate some more, all while the kids ran around having the time of their lives. I love Michelle---having their family around felt almost like family. It was a special treat during this time of year. We can't wait to visit them in Boston.

Twenty-five

Nathan and I the day after he was born. 

This morning at breakfast, Davis asked, "Is President Monson older than God?"

Twenty-four

I just read that "selfie" is the Oxford Dictionary's "word of the year" for 2013. Selfie. Is anyone morally or socially against taking selfies? We all know Justin Bieber isn't. Unfortunately neither is Miley Cyrus. President Obama takes them, and I even saw a selfie of Pope Francis on my newsfeed this morning (super awesome). Do you think history will look back 50 years from now and make fun of us and our self-absorbed ways?

P.S. I love selfies.

Twenty-three

Even her brothers will play with her itty-bitty dollhouse from time to time.

Isaac told me years ago that he was too old for kisses (I still sneak them in when he's asleep), and Davis follows Isaac's lead on everything (everything), so the only boy I'm allowed to shower with kisses openly is Nathan. But the one thing they still allow me to do it cuddle with them after they take a bath/shower. "Can we snuggle?" is usually the first question out of their mouths as they step out of the tub. It will be a sad day for me when they are too old for that ritual.

Twenty-Two

Isaac and Maddie think it's the greatest thing ever when I let them stay up a little bit past bedtime to watch Wheel of Fortune (it doesn't air until 7:30pm on the east coast). You should see how excited they get. Just look at their faces.

Twenty-One

Maddie's teacher took this picture on her first day of kindergarten.

A couple of days ago Davis was putting his pajamas on when he came up to me and said, "Mommy! I'm so pwoud of you! You cleanded all my jammies an put dem in my drawer! I'm so pwoud of you!"

Twenty

Please let these be the next box of cookies that you buy. They are my new favorite. The maple cream filling is pure Autumn-time perfection.

Nineteen

Isaac with a stick in his hand and a homemade bow and arrow attached to his belt. He is ready for anything.

I have to be honest, motherhood is beating me down to the depths of humility lately. I have no idea what I'm doing. I wish that I knew as much about parenting now as I thought I knew when I just had two little mouths to feed.

On another note, I need a new show to watch on Netflix while I fold laundry at night. Any suggestions? I've been watching too many episodes of Sisterwives and I'm starting to think I want one. I bet she'd help me fold all this laundry.

Eighteen

While building this tower for his Batman, Davis informed me, "Mommy, I can do anyfing!...'cept fight fires, 'cause ownee firefighters can do dat...or catch robbers, 'cause ownee policemans can do dat."

Seventeen

Proud of their pumpkins

We had parent-teacher conferences this past week for Isaac and Maddie. As a parent I always get a little nervous for these meetings, but it was good to meet with their teachers and hear about their successes as well areas where they need to improve. Both of my children have excellent teachers this year. While speaking with Maddie's teacher, we asked how she was doing socially. "Maddie runs around at recess like she has unicorn dust and glitter coming out of her hair! She is doing just fine."

Unicorn dust and glitter. That pretty much sums Maddie up.

Sixteen

I can't get enough of that face! He loves baths these days.

Nate the Great is growing right before our eyes. We finally weaned him off his beloved swaddling blanket (almost 6 months old and still adored being swaddled), and it went over better than I thought it would. Maybe now he'll learn to roll from his tummy to his back instead of just the other way around.

Even though he still tosses his cookies on a daily basis and his potent gas embarrasses us (how can such a small person create such a big, stinky smell?), he is just perfect to us. Some days we are all cranky with one another but no one ever gets cranky with Nate. He is our peacemaker and such a light in our family.

Fifteen

Maddie showing me her rainbow loom bracelet.

 Have you heard of rubber band loom bracelets? They are all the rage in elementary school these days and both Isaac and Maddie (and Davis for that matter) have jumped on the looming band wagon. They make bracelets, rings, and necklaces using tiny colored rubber bands.

I used to think that Legos were the weevils of the toy world (they are everywhere!), but rubber band loom has them beat.

Fourteen

Isaac and his fake smile eating the fruit of his labor after our annual caramel apple decorating night last month.

Last night during dinner, Davis kept saying over and over, "Dis is disgusting!" After about the 3rd insult, I told him he couldn't say that anymore, that it was rude and inappropriate. "You don't have to lie and say you like it, but find something that you do like and talk about that instead." "Yeah Davis," chimed in Maddie (with sympathetic eyes as she glanced my way), "Because, I mean, Mom did try really hard to make a yummy dinner."

Thirteen

Walking through Central Park on Saturday

My friend recently introduced me to the book, French Kids Eat Everything. Have you heard of it?

It takes sort of a Tiger Mom approach----except it's all about how the French are superior in teaching their children to eat well. While some parts of it rub me the wrong way, overall it is a really interesting read and one I would recommend to anyone trying to expand their child's diet. Le Billon comes up with 10 food rules for families to follow, i.e. "no snacking" and "kids eat what adults eat".

One thing that the author says to her kids often is, "You don't have to like it, but you do have to try it." I use that line with my kids all the time now. Of course, after using it on Davis just last night when I put avocado on his plate, he psyched himself out so much he lost his lunch right then and there. I wonder what Le Billon would have to say about that one.

Twelve

Allie and I at my favorite seafood shack, Stowe's. We stopped there yesterday before taking her back to the airport. Their lobster rolls are the best!


We had the best time with Allie here. I am so thankful for her and all of my sisters. Saying goodbye was rough but I feel blessed to have sisters worth missing. 

Eleven

Maddie at The Blaze.

Every year the town of Sleepy Hollow (yep, it's a real place) puts on a jack-o-lantern festival for the month of October and into the first weekend in November. After our day in the City, Allie and I met up with Ryan and the kids at The Great Jack-o-Lantern Blaze where we saw more than 5,000 carved and lit pumpkins. It was pretty spectacular. My favorite display was one where they used a couple hundred pumpkins to create the Loch Ness monster.

Ten

A day in NYC with Allie

One thing you most definitely know about me is that I love food. It's sort of in my blood, which means my sister loves food too. So when we got the chance to slip away to one of the most fabulous cities in the world, there was no doubt that we were going to eat our way through it. I'm talking French macarons, the Cool Haus ice cream truck (I tried browned butter ice cream with candied bacon bits---pretty much as weird as it sounds...), New York style pizza, and steaming dark chocolate hot cocoa. I've spent quite a few days in what has become one of my favorite cities in the world, and this particular day was one of the most memorable.

Nine

Have you seen this new Mormon Message? It's pretty good, and one that I think everyone can relate to in one way or another. Watch it! You'll love it.

Eight

Davis and I have been fighting for Allie's attention all day. 

We love having Allie here. Nathan gets held whenever he wants, Davis found someone new to read him all his Llama Llama books, and Isaac and Maddie are making video after video on her cool iphone. She even brought me my first pair of skinny jeans and convinced me to wear them for the day. I'm only five years late to that fashion trend. I must be getting old. No, I am old. I just realized the other day that I graduated from high school the same year that popular singer/songwriter Lorde was born. Good thing Allie is here to get rid of my mom jeans and make me look young(er) again. This is going to be the best weekend ever with her around.

Seven

 Baby Nate has mastered holding his own bottle (for reals, not just a few seconds). According to Ryan, "It's about time that kid started pulling a little weight around here." 

Six

This picture collage makes me smile. 

My sister, Allie, is coming to visit tomorrow and I am so excited!!!! It's been almost a year and a half since I've seen her and that's just way too long for sisters to be apart.

Five

This little man is five months old this week. He is squishy and drooly and squawks all the time now that he has discovered his voice.

And his little tongue is constantly hanging out of his mouth, just like this. I think he likes to feel his first tooth coming in.

Four

Davis has a thing for Llama Llama books so when one that we placed on hold became available at our local library, he couldn't even wait to get to the car before taking a look. 

Today, approximately 35 seconds after lunch was over, Davis announced that he was hungry. "Dave, you just ate!" "Well," he whispered "I'm not hungwee for fooooood...I'm hungwee for caaaaandy."

Three

Date Night Selfie.

 Ryan and I haven't seen much of each other lately so it was really nice to go out last night and have him all to myself. We couldn't decide where to eat so we went to three different places and got take-out at them all. Nothing like a little BBQ, a couple of pupusas, and some Chinese to fill you up.

Multiple plastic forks were needed. 

Is this as close as Mormons would get to a bar hop?