Thanksgiving week...

The week began with Alan finally going to the doctor. He had the bad flu a week ago and it had gotten worse, much worse. He was diagnosed with Pneumonia received several shots and prescriptions and was given orders to rest. By Tuesday he still wasn't better. Wednesday was spent at Urgent care (they we useless) followed by another doctor, more shots, more prescriptions... hoping to avoid the hospital. Thursday was surprising better. Alan was doing somewhat better and we were going to my Aunt's house for dinner and I brought nothing but ourselves. I spent the afternoon relaxing and reading The Hunger Games (which I highly recommend). I was trying to prepare for midnight madness and a night without sleep (can you really prepare for that?).

It was a great day. Filled with family and love. I am glad Alan was well enough to join us, although it totally wiped him out.

My sister Holly and me

My brother Stephen and Alan

Jacob and me

My sister, Diana and her husband...

Stayed tuned for midnight madness...

Christmas shopping...

This year I have all my Christmas Shopping done early. I have several projects to make but the shopping part is mostly done. My kids are getting one big present so that eased the shopping somewhat. Anyway, I got to thinking about toys that have been successes and toys that aren't so I thought I would share what toys have been hits here...
Leapster

This one has been a favorite in our house. We got one for Lindsey around age 5 and she is just outgrown it now at 9. Jacob loves his too. I think its best for ages 4-7. It is educational and fun.

Pop up tents

Barbie's and Disney princess

Interactive toys...
Dress up's
Kitchen
Kitchen food
Grocery cart
Doll Stroller
Trucks to dig outside
Scooters
Power wheels
Bikes
Sports equipment (basketballs, soccer ball)
Sleeping bags
Baby dolls
Webkinz
Digital Camera's
Art supplies
Disney movies
My little Pony (all forms)

I'll add more if I think them.

What are your kids favorites? You know the toys that get played with year after year. Which toys have bombed?

Mama....

This conversation took place when I was doing her hair this morning. She talks to much she almost forgets to breath.

Mama Remember last night (last night is anything that happened before today) when I was sick and my legs were broken and I could not walk and you took care of me?

Mama is Santa going to give me a good check mark or a bad one?

Mama I love your make up it makes you pretty.

Mama last night I was a princess for Halloween.

Mama I want to be a Mommy when I grow up too. I am going to have babies. Who will work at the store? I don't want to work at the store because I will be a mommy. Will you miss me when I am a mommy?

Mama I like you.

Mama do I look pretty...

Mama I have lots of names. Sydney, Sydney bear, baby B, Elizabeth, our last name (She said it but I don't share it).

and it went on Mama mama mama...
Makes all the bad stuff a little easier to deal with today.

Twilighter....

It's official I am acting like a teenager. I love Twilight. I have read all the books (and reread them). I was crazy over the movie coming out. So when Thursday came I was all over the midnight showing. We headed out and brought our books to discuss at dinner, a very long dinner. After that we headed out to the movie. It was packed to the rim! Thank goodness my theater always only does reserved seating. I was glad to see there were grown women a lot crazier than me dressed up in Prom dresses (that would never be me) etc ...

I loved the movie. Every minute of it. The only thing I would have wanted as well, more... Having read the book you know what is missing (isn't that always the case). So some of my favorite scenes were missing, moments gone. I figure those having not read the books would not have such high standards.

I'll be back.

Is there anyone out there as juvenile as me? Well, considering the crowd of adult women at the movie, I think I have my answer. I think I love Twilight book series because it brings me back to high school, to those feelings of young love the excitement of it all. I once read that Twilight was about finding first love, New Moon was about loosing it, Eclipse was about choosing it, and Breaking Dawn was Life with true love, I agree with that description. I know a lot of people did not love New Moon but having been through a painful break up I fully related to Bella and her feelings.

Waking up the next morning at 7am after getting to bed at 4am was a good way to remember who I am and that my life includes little ones and not much time to be so silly.





Thanks girls who joined in on the fun!

Getting my groove on...

I need some new music. I have BIG plans to download some new music from ITUNES for my work outs. So I need some help. Please share your favorite work-out songs (or not work-out). Please.

I'm open...

Calgon take me away...

Oh wait I can't take a bath,my bath tub is literally filled with dissolved soggy toilet paper!

Who knew toilet paper could cause such a nightmare? The girls were bathing I was in the room talking on the phone. Watching for someone to go underwater too long, or stand up and fall, those normal kinds of bath time risks. What I did not see was one of the twins slip a brand new full roll of toilet paper in the bath. That is, until I go to wash their hair and it is covered in white chunks. At first I thought it was conditioner (chunky) because its not within my experience to imagine toilet paper ever looking like that. I touched it was tangled and impossible to get a hold of, and it was toilet paper. Dissolved toilet paper. I thought I was mad but I still had no idea how terrible it was. I tried rinsing it out with the shower sprayer. I tried washing it out (like 10 ten times). I tried conditioner. None removed it. Their hair and scalp were coated. After several attempts and brushes I removed them from the bath and began using a fine tooth comb. Still toilet paper was found every time through. Looking more and more like lice. An hour later they are in bed... in BIG trouble. I go to check out the bath.
5 barbies with hair also coated in the toilet paper (which can give you a small idea of what I was dealing with). I was too involved to take pictures of the girls hair. The tub is white clouds of the stuff. The drain is whole other project I have been cleaning out. What a disaster.

Don't look to closely at the girls and if you do rest assured their hair is VERY clean and they absolutely don't have lice.

Oh my what will they think of next?

Wordy Wednesday- The BIG haircut...

Last week I took the girls to get their first real haircut (we had a slight trim once before). This time we cut 5 inches of Hailey's hair and 4 inches off of Sydney's hair!

The girls love to look at magazines and t.v shows and pick who they want to be. It's so funny.

Before

During

Sisters turnAll that hair was painful to see on the floor!

Sydney after

Hailey after...
It was fear that this hair cut would grow them up (in looks) and it did. They had so much hair that it was killing me to make it cute and it was always in knots. I think it looks cute and is so much more manageable. It still can go up and do all sorts of styles. Win win.

For more wordy Wednesday click here...

ID check

Tonight (after a lot of trouble getting kids to stay in bed) Hailey asked me to go to the bathroom, because bathroom trips are often excuses to get out of bed, I said no. Hailey responded with, "Mom I am Hailey in the kitty jammies that was Sydney in the flower jammies before". Apparently she feels has to prove her identity to use the bathroom.

Recently their preschool teacher told me a boy was playing with Hailey and asked the teacher, "where is that girl who has a girl who has the same face as her"?

Oh and for the record I knew it was Hailey kitty jammies, flower jammies or naked. I just know.

It's beginnning...

Yesterday I woke up to look outside and see this...

So I cancelled my errands because it was way too slippery and still really snowing and I went home and cleaned, and made cards, and even did some Christmas shopping online. All inside in the warm house.


When I picked Jacob up from school he was bursting with excitement to get home and shovel the driveway and chip the ice. Yes, you read that right. My son spends hours outside on my steep driveway shoveling and chipping away. It all started here.
When I got home he spent two hours outside working with small amounts of play. When we went to his parent conference at school it was so icey I still could not get up the driveway so he hopped outside of the car and began chipping more ice away.



I guess winter arrived with a bang. Last week we were at the pumpkin patch and it was too warm for sweaters.

Wordy Wednesday- Making the team

In the beginning of September Lindsey tried out for the local pre-comp swim team. She was thrilled to learn she made it on the team. It's a big time commitment because they practice three times a week. Lindsey has amazed me with her willingness to go to practice and swim laps for an hour straight. It's great to find an activity that she is good at and enjoys.




Here is what she wrote about on her blog...
Have you ever heard about the Dimple Dell Devil Rays or The Dimple Dell Dolphins? I am on one of them! The Dimple Dell Dolphins! We are in 6th Place in the whole country! I love being on the team with my cousin Andrew! (check the blog Our Family Chaos.)We love it, it keeps me fit and I am happy too!

It makes me so happy to see her feeling good about herself through success.


For more wordy wednesday's visit

When I grow up...

The other day I was dropping of the girls and their cousin to ballet. Cali (my niece) got out of her booster seat and unbuckled the girls from their car seats... Side note my girls have mastered buckling but not unbuckling. She unbuckled the girls and they told her "Wow are you all growed up"? To which she happily said, "yes". Hailey isn't fooled easily and wanted more info.. "so if you growed up, you can touch all the kitchen counters and drink diet coke"? To which Cali said, "No I can't touch the counters but my Daddy lets me sneak diet coke when mommy's gone".

I love hearing what is coming from the minds of little kids.

We headed out today in the rain/snow and voted. Hope you do too.

The rest of the crew...

Halloween night 2008...

Chili and cornbread with family before hand.
Seeing headless horseman galloping our neighborhood.
Sydney excitedly saying after every house, "Look what I got" then getting tired (after 20) and telling us she was not going to tell us what she got anymore.
Hailey saying after every house, "Can we go to another house"? saying "thank you" every time we said yes.
Light rain (but warmer temps).
Jacob and Sydney were done much earlier but Hailey was the die hard of the group and made it go on as long as possible!
Lindsey's first time trick or treating with a friend (and parents of course).

Lot's of sugar and lots of fun!

Jacob and my nephew Andrew

Meow Lindsey

So you can see the girls feet ...

Grandma, the twins, Molly (as a bat) and Cali (my niece).

Hailey

Jacob

Sydney

Aunt Holly (my sister) and the girls...