Christmas Morning 2014

I just realized I never blogged about Christmas morning...and doing it 7 months is no easy task.  But here it goes!

On the night before Christmas... 

Rylee didn't waste anytime getting started

While the other two went straight for their stockings, of course!


Tanner got some fun new games to play!


Rylee was thrilled to open up her own presents too!


Brooke loved her Anna and Elsa dolls from Frozen, along with coordinating dress-up outfits for her.  No matter how hard I fight it, this girl loves, loves, LOVES princesses!





Funny part is, she couldn't get their names straight! Uncle Brendan tried his best to re-program here...

Tanner will all his loot!



By far his favorite gift was this Lego Tree house.  He can tell you all about it here!

He plays with it nearly every day!  Best $20 Santa ever spent :)

The best part about Christmas is having our family together.  My kids never lack for attention with their Uncles around!

    

Christmas morning we had a yummy breakfast and my parents came over to join us.

 

Followed by lots and lots of playtime

Keith and Kristan hosted family dinner at their house.  Here's most the gang!

Take 2!

  















It's hard to believe these two were just itty bitty newborns or fetuses last Christmas!

The nativity set has lots of visitors.

And in case you're wondering, Brooke picked out her own outfit!

But this one still let's me dress her!

     

Those these two cute smiles!

Katelynn and Jon's first Christmas together.



Our family just wouldn't be complete without him.  Just ask my kids!!


More presents.  Nanny and Grandpop visited earlier that morning with a special delivery -- a puppet theatre.

Best part is my mom doing a solo to showcase it's wonderfulness!

 

All the helpers come out when presents are involved, lol!


And a design-your-own puppet monster!


It's crazy how much preparation it takes, but totally worth all the magic.  Merry Christmas!

Christmas Videos

For some reason, when I embed my videos in my posts they never ever load properly.  But when I do it separately, it works just fine.  These are some of my favorite, worth the view :)

Video - Sledding Wipe-out

Video - Brooke wanting to be a "Ballerina Princess!"

Video - Playing games with Alisha and Brendan

Video - Tans-Siberian Orchestra 

Memory Making – Summer 2015

Sometimes I wonder if it’s worth it being a stay at home mom.  And while I definitely think it is, I can’t help but think I’m messing it ALL up! 

There’s nothing like Brooke to remind me (every day), “Mom, why are you yelling!?!  You’re being MEAN!”

Or my aspiring little tattoo artist that seems to find markers and color all over herself no matter how well they are hidden.

But then there’s small moments that make it all worth it.  Most of which are not captured,

When Rylee keeps asking me to push her in the swing,

And even though I’m pushing her,  yells louder and louder, until finally I’m pushing her so high she’s touching the tree behind her and practically falling forward in her chair.  Only then is she satisfied, and her WHOLE body jolts and squeals with delight!

 

Or when Brooke to tell me she wants to be a rockstar when she grows up. 

While I usually only listen to kids music in the car, I popped in Taylor Swift’s newest CD and now she can’t stop signing it.  Throughout the day, I”ll hear her singing, “I”m lightening on my feet, hmmm, hmmm, I never miss a beat, hmmm, hmmm!”  And she believes it too as she laces up her shoes and races or dances around the house!

And when Rylee is sad and won’t stop crying, Brooke is the first to suggest, “Mom, she wants to listen to “Welcome to New York!”  And when it actually works, she’s ecstatic.  Thanks Brookey!

Tanner usually insists on having “Bad Blood” play – and then I realized – what the heck am I listening too!  I don’t think they’ll pick up on any of the lines, Brooke repeats them all “where boys can like boys, and girls like girls!”  Time to go BACK to listening to kids CDs, thank you very much!

Or when I get the crazy idea to take Brooke to see Cinderella (the broadway musical version) at Starlight Theater

Before the first song is even over, she asks be if it’s time to go home.  Yet somewhere in the magic of song and dance, she fell in love.  When intermission came – she pleaded – “Mom, I don’t want to leave!  I want to keep watching the show!!” 

And months and weeks later, when we pass the venue, she tells everyone in the car, “That’s where I saw Cinderella!”

Or offering to a very BORED and TIRED Tanner something to do WITH ME -- bake, read, build Legos, make playdough, craft, anything and everything. 

Then he asks, does crafting include MINECRAFT!?!  I finally responded I’d play Minecraft with him.  Even though I got lectured the whole time, lol!  And made myself nauseous in the process, it was fun!!  How do these kids do it?!?

And there’s so many more, but my tired mommy brain can’t remember (unless i write it down…instantly).

Or the times Brooke spreads her arms apart and runs as fast as she can -- proclaiming "Look at me, I can FLY!"

Or Rylee squatting, grabbing her diaper, and saying, “I poo poo!” It cracks Tanner up every time and he now does a perfect impersonation of such!  Now that I think of it, wishing I would have channeled that energy into remediating the problem!

Tanner helping buckling his sisters in and out of the car, or helping bring in all the groceries, or getting the girls to play his made-up games of “Hot Lava” or “Ready-set-GO” chases around the house.  it's the little things I'll miss the most.

It's ALL these moments that help me *almost* forgot ALL the others.  The time Rylee emptied a jar of black paint on the table, or the entire bottle of Tylenol in my bathroom, or the cheerios that cover my floor when I finally “come-to” each morning.

And sometimes, I get lucky and capture the moment:

June – Memory Making

     

July – Memory Making

August Memory Making