Christmas again!

We had Christmas dinner at my parent's house this evening

Jeff and Henry playing

Oh, and did I mention that we reenacted the nativity scene? Here is my dad helping Jacob get dressed as a shepherd.

He looks pretty thrilled considering he spent the last 36 hours insisting that he was going to be dressed as a train (you can imagine how frantic that made Hannah). I chose not to publish any other pictures (except I didn't get one of Angel Hannah, blast), just picture a lot of towels draped about.

More Christmas

Helen with her baby bump!
Jacob really excited about his big nerf gun.

Stephanie helping Jacob open a train and Jason, uh, apparently right in the middle of saying something.

Jason and Jacob hanging out over a bowl of icecream mush

This is my favorite picture this season! Hannah and Nana looking festive!

Christmas!

Baba and Jacob putting together a Thomas puzzle

Checking out the stockings!

Some more pre-Christmas festivities

Amy and Eliza came over to decorate gingerbread houses with us and Hannah made a princess apron out of a coloring page. Huh.
Lucky for Amy and me, the kids tired quickly of the fun and began playing with princesses so that we could decorate how we wanted to! Yes, the houses are really just cubes but those peaked roofs are darn irritating to make!

Intervention!

I have a new addiction and it is remodeling/decorating blogs. It is so very very bad. I have always wanted to put up Christmas lights and in 6 years of marriage I have never done it. Until this year! I put a lit garland around the door and then colored lights in the tree which look very pathetic but will be easy to top next year. I figure I will do a little more each Christmas until I have it how I want it. I also planted ranunculus bulbs ( my favorite flowers) with pansies on top in the pots on my porch!
I don't think I had changed my mantle display in over a year or maybe even longer, not sure. I know it is Christmas time but I am waiting for the after Christmas sales to get things for next year. ( I may be an addict but I can still be sensible). Anyway, I love these colors and it still needs work because it doesn't feel quite right yet (I think I need to lower the sign a little, any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated) but it makes me smile everytime I look at it.

Here are the little buckets I made for Hannah's two teachers. A school themed bottle of hand cleaner, gingerbread candle, and a Christmas themed display tile. Oh and did I mention that I am redoing my bedroom and master bath? When I am finished I will post the before and after pics. I am willing to start a support group if there are any others out there with this same problem. we can take turns meeting at each other's houses ( and bring a paintbrush).

Ornament dinner

Ah, the Christmas tradition of pulling out Martin's baby swim trunks. These pictures have made me realize that I need to work on my photography skills. (Sorry about the missing heads). Usually I try to just take a lot of pictures and get lucky but I was having so much fun at our annual ornament dinner that I didn't take very many and I apologize to the innocent bystanders who may be inaccurately, blurryly, or incompletely portrayed on this blog.
Dad opening one of his ornaments.

Jacob passing an ornament to Uncle Brian while wearing his new Thomas pj's. My mom buys them new pj's to wear Christmas eve night but Hannah had a pj day at preschool coming up so the kids got them early.

Mexican food is always part of ornament night!
Thanks Mom and Dad!

"Not my gum drop buttons!"

Me and the kids made gingerbread cookies and then decorated them. Lots of fun despite how serious Hannah is looking
Ta-Dah! but really not very tasty. I tried a new recipe and it wasn't so hot and personally, I just don't think gingerbread cookies taste as good when they are not plain. (but where is the fun in that?)

Strike a pose, there's nothing to it, Vogue, vogue

Sorry, Madonna starts playing in my head when I see this picture. Jacob was hiding from the camera, then he wanted me to take a picture of his arm, then Hannah wanted me to take a picture of her arm too.

Procrastinating with a blog

I really need to do some dishes but want to put it off so here is a funny/sad story from when we got the kids their first H1N1 shots.

It was a Saturday at the health department and fortunately I had called two of my friends who had gone earlier than me and found out that the line was all the way out of the building and it was a couple hours worth of wait. (They were still there when I got there). Jeff was helping paint a woman's living room but I pulled rank and told him that I needed him. I don't think he understood why until we pulled into the parking lot and saw all the people. The kids thought it was great fun because the line of parents made a big oval space in the parking lot where the kids could play and their friends were there. 2 hours and 45minutes later it was time for the kids to get their shots and Jacob saw the nurse preparing the injections which he was a little interested in. I had Hannah go first and told her to blow out when she got the shot (it is supposed to help keep their mind busy and not think as much about the pain- I think it is probably more effective for older kids) She was a little scared because she knew what was going on and instead of blowing she made a little barking sound. I burst out laughing and then she started laughing too. It wasn't until I handed her off to Jeff that she started to cry a little. Jacob didn't notice that part and was ready for his turn at fun. He turns to me and lifts up his arms saying: My turn! My turn! I put him on the table and start to hold him down and he is just smiling and giggling. I felt so guilty knowing that he had completely misread the situation. Smiles and giggles until he feels the sting of the shot and he makes a big O with his mouth and says this really drawn out OWWWWW.

For future reference little guy: if you are being held down, it can't be good.

Learning to spell

Hannah has been improving in her spelling which is nice because I don't have to dictate letters for her all the time. (Like when she wants to write the grocery list for me, if I am not feeling like mom of the year I tell her to draw it with pictures). There is also the downside. The other day she asked for some tape so that she could hang a sign on her door and this is what I found.
Not one, but two No Jacob signs. The lower one also has numbers (kind of) which I thought might be a room number but she informed me it was her bed time (9:45? you wish girlie) and then demanded to know when she could have an alarm clock. For such a smart girl there was a glaring oversight in forgetting that: 1. Jacob can't read and 2. Even if he could, he doesn't feel too restricted by rules, laws, or forces of gravity.
For those of you with inquiring minds, the other sign is a pictural representation of what she wants for Christmas with the curve dictating the level of desirableness. (We got the cat that's numero uno and the thing meows when it senses people near. um, even through wrapping paper). It will meow and Hannah will go over to it and say: that sounded like a sad meow. Jeff told her that it was because it hasn't eaten in months. Nice. I am putting another dollar in the therapy jar as I type.

What?

It doesn't take too long after having a kid that you come to realize that your home is no longer just your own. Not only do kids need a lot of stuff but as they grow they start moving things, using things which they don't put back, and decorating. Sometimes this is very frusterating and other times it makes me smile. Like the time I came across this pleasant care bear lounging on my sofa reading... a care bear book.

The Safari

As a thank-you for watching her cat while on vacation, Natalie invited me and the kids to a safari at her house! The pictures are a little out of order but when we first got there, there was a big tent set up in the living room with animal coloring pages for the kids while me and Nat finished up lunch.
Then we had a picnic on the floor and Hannah hid animals around the house that we then gathered and brought back to the base camp.

Sweet Henry being adorable.

Then the kids made animal shaped cookies and frosted them.

Taking a well deserved rest at Base camp. Thanks Nat!

Walking off the feast

The day after Thanksgiving we ate at my parent's house and then went for a good walk (ride, for some). Hannah and Jacob are at a really good stage together where they both can play make-believe and Jacob is verbal enough to be able to communicate about it. Which makes for two happy play mates and a very happy mom.

The Fomby Family

This isn't a very good picture but in the other one I took Hannah looked bored and my dad looked mad.

New tradition

I decided to start a tradition of buying a new game each Thanksgiving because I love playing games. I wanted to get a grown-up game too but decided to wait until after Christmas for that as the one I was interested in was rather pricey. I picked operation. Jacob looks like he is practicing ballet but he would throw himself on the floor every time someone hit the edge of the game.
Hannah and Jeff

Pretty sure that using your fingers is cheating. I don't know the last time I played operation but my motor skills have come a long way since then because I was rocking that game!