Christmas Begins and Sick Sunday

We celebrated Christmas with my brother's family yesterday while they were in town. All 3 kids and Dave were (and are still) sick, but we had a good time anyway.

Phillip with the kids
Alexa opening a present
Caleb opening a present
Alexa "helping" Poppy. She wanted to open everyone's presents.

Jordanna figured out pretty quickly that she likes presents and Christmas.
Caleb making dirt pudding with a kit he got from Uncle Phillip and Aunt Lystra
Playing with their new playdough
And eating dirt pudding
Matching clothes
We stayed home from church today since everyone but me is still sick. Alexa did some coloring.
And I have soup in the crock pot and bread in the bread machine for dinner.

Lazy Thanksgiving Week

Dave and I both have the whole week off of school for Thanksgiving (although I have quite the pile of grading and some lesson planning to get home), so we have enjoyed a fun, lazy week around here.

I took Alexa shopping on Saturday and finally got her some boots. Here she is all decked out for church on Sunday.

We've been busy this week wrapping presents, coloring, reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader before the movie comes out, cooking, and more. Dave took the kids to a museum on Tuesday while Jordanna and I shopped with Molly.






Today we went to my parents house where we feasted on turkey and ham and all the fixing and played some Wii. My brother and his family are in town, which is fun since we haven't seen him since January.


When we got home, we put up the Christmas tree. I let the kids take some pictures.






Tonight I plan to do a little shopping at midnight at Walmart, and we are going to open presents with Phillip and Lystra on Saturday.

Cooking Day

As we have done several times before, Molly and I got together today to prepare some meals for the freezer, this time with our friends Laura and Stacy. We made slow cooker brown sugar pork loin, raging garlic pork stir fry, cheesy chicken bundles, and balsamic roasted chicken.

Here's Stacy making a turkey craft with the kids.
Molly and Laura working on the stir fry sauce.
And here's the very goopy pork roasts. Hope they taste better than they look!
Laura reading a book to Caleb.
Everyone enjoying lunch: chicken salad on croissants for the ladies and hot dogs for the kids.

Busy but Boring

I know I haven't blogged much this week, but I figured that no one really wanted to hear about how much laundry and cooking and home schooling and cleaning I have done. And I haven't really done much of anything else. So for now, here's a picture of the girls "helping" Dave play the piano.

Fun Saturday

Dave was gone rock climbing this weekend, and we had no plans on Saturday. So I decided to make it a fun day for the kids. In the morning, we hung out in our jammies (except for Alexa the fashion queen). Here's Caleb reading a book to his sisters.
When Jordanna took her morning nap, Caleb and Alexa watched TV in our bed. Meanwhile I ran around trying to get everything done including laundry, dishes, cleaning 2 bathrooms, and showering and getting dressed.
We had Chickfila for lunch and the kids played on the playground. Then we went to the library and picked out some new books and to Target and did some Christmas shopping.

After Target, we went to Barnes and Noble and had a (free) smoothie and some cookies for a snack.


Then we took a goofy picture with the reindeer
and went to Gymboree where I got Alexa a $30 dress for $2.15 using coupons.

We went home and both girls napped. I tried to nap, but Caleb woke me up.

After unloading the dishwasher with my helper,
I made the kids some BBQ chicken sandwiches, baked beans, chips and apple slices for dinner. I decided I didn't feel like eating it, though, so instead I baked some cookies while they ate.
When Dave got home and we got the kids in bed, I talked him into ordering bread bowl pasta and molten chocolate cake for dinner. Yum! Then we went to bed, and Jordanna slept horribly. So I was tired today, and now I am going to bed. The end!

Day on the Town

We had so much fun at the aquarium a few weeks ago that Molly, Stacy and I (minus Laura who couldn't come) went downtown again this time to the Coke museum. Alexa "helped" Stacy push Garin's stroller.
Alexa is terrified of the cow at Chickfila, so I was surprised when she wanted to see the polar bear. She was a little nervous, but she didn't cry and managed to smile for a picture.
It is impossible to get a good picture of these three.
Jordanna looking cute in her stroller.
And the big kids playing on the playground afterward.