It's Christmas Week!

The most wonderful week of the year is here!

For as long as I can remember, I have loved the final days leading up to Christmas. This is the week that everything happens: cookies, wrapping, final preparations, Christmas music on the radio, etc. I wish I could freeze time on Christmas Eve-everything seems peaceful (well maybe not inside our house) and a little magical.

I even went a little further this year and placed a radio on the kitchen counter so that the kids could listen to Christmas music on a daily basis. This is something my mom always had playing in the kitchen around the holidays. You knew it was Christmas Week when the radio blared out Silver Bells in the kitchen.

We have survived all three kids having the stomach flu and a very stiff neck (me) this holiday season. And, two 'pinkalicious' eyes as Averie would say. We are crossing our fingers that this week is a healthier one... because we have to do really important things like baking cookies for Santa.

Averie at the Christmas tree farm

Keaton had his kindergraten Christmas program last Friday and this Christmas Eve we are looking forward to seeing him act out the part of a sheep at the Christmas Eve church service while his cousin, Ciara, plays the role of Mary. There no doubt will be video cameras rolling for that one. After all, Christmas Eve is the most wonderful night of the year.

Until then we are going to pack in (to make up for some lost time while we were under the weather) some ornament making, a cookie party with cousins-Carissa & Ciara, a trip to see Santa, some wrapping, and more listening to 'The Night Before Christmas,' which was mailed by cousin Jaimee in Colorado with her voice telling the story. The kids are so excited just to hear her voice and they will actually sit there and listen.

Even the littlest one gets in on the action.

Other Stories from the past week:

Number of The Grinch who Stole Christmas Viewings: 10+? Too many to count.

A family Christmas party where we discovered that white chocolate covered popcorn
might just be the best thing on earth.

A sleepover with cousins.

Last minute Christmas shopping (with three year old Averie) who lasted 3+ hours without complaint.

Keaton playing in the one inch of snow that we finally recieved for 3+ hours. How he can stay entertained out there is something we will never know.

And where are the pictures from Keaton's Christmas Program? Well, just my luck as the camera was used so much that the battery ran out. We will do better on Christmas Eve.

Hope you are enjoying Christmas Week and that you take the chance to rock around your tree.

2011 Christmas Tree

Dena
 

Gratitude Sunday

Last Sunday was 'Gratitude Sunday' at church.

It really got me to think more about this whole idea.

Definition of Gratitude:

The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation

for and to return kindness.

It might have been good to have thought about gratitude while the

following stories occured last week:

1.My husband and I could not find Averie anywhere but we heard her talking. She

 was found hiding underneath the kitchen table with her entire bag of Halloween candy

 and several opened wrappers.

2.While cleaning up the endless mess that was created in every room of the house.

3.While counting the number of times Averie gets out of her bed before 10 pm at night.

 How many you ask?  4-7 on average.

4.When Cameron started sweeping the entire house with the dirty broom

 including all the carpeting and walls. Number of times this has ocurred in the past week: 3.

He is getting a cleaning set for Christmas.

Then all of the sudden it snowed an inch of snow.

That kept Keaton busy for at least 3 hours.

It was dark by the time I ran out with the camera but the next morning

the other two discovered something white:

I was thankful the hardware store still had three little shovels.  This is gratitude   I tried not to look out the window. I really prefer summer and try to savor every second of the warmth, however the snow made me think of Christmastime, cookies baking, hot cocoa steaming, Christmas lights and I got all excited. I am trying not to fall victom to decorating way too early, (as I do every year) Christmas shopping more than I should, playing Christmas music and decoratingbut I might have to give in soon. There were even holiday movies that started playing this weekend. The Hallmark Channel is sure to get anyone in the Christmas spirit. Number of times The Grinch Who Stole Christmas was viewed this weekend? 3. And, one of those times was shared with a special friend:  Gratitude for playdates with friends     I could never express enough gratitude for the three healthy and happy children we have been blessed with. And, gratitude is the word to whisper when this one looks like this when she really should be sleeping:  Gratitude for the daughter I never knew I would have   Number of times I have had to put Averie back to bed while writing this? 8. And it could be more... Happy sleeping to all, Dena

Times Are Sure Changing

I went away for four day weekend last week. Just me. Nobody to worry about but myself for four entire days. It was fabulous.

It made me really start to think about how times really have changed. Gone are the days where I could pick up and go.  There was endless preparation and planning to get everything organized before I left. I frequently still find myself wondering...how do I possibly have three kids? I still feel like I should be the one babysitting.

There were two things that I was certain on in this life:
1. Marry someone who will not plan his day around sporting events/football programming/hunting activity
2. Have children who will dress nicely in polo shirts (boy) or dresses (girl)

I thought I had those areas all covered until apparently times have changed. I came home from a blissful shopping experience along Chicago's Magnificent Mile to find my husband and oldest son dressed in head to toe hunting gear while watching a football game. I must have had a horrified look on my face for the entire night.

What in the world? Is my own family ganging up on me I thought?

My son Keaton, who I want so badly to wear Ralph Lauren, would rather stay in camouflage from head to toe. He told me that maybe his teacher would not be able to find him the next day at school.

This happens every year in November when the hunting bin comes out. Keaton gets dressed in orange.

 Some things though have not changed. I have been friends with my dear friend Lesley for 16 years. It was a connection that occured almost instantly and we have talked almost every day since. I am so grateful for this friendship.

Myself and Lesley in Chicago Nov 2011

This photo of Cameron makes me stop and think... How is it possible that he was only a tiny baby last year at this time?

Times just keep changing.

Take for example my oldest niece, Carissa, who is turns 15 this week. It really does not seem like that long ago when we went to visit her at the hospital. Or the first Thanksgiving where there was a baby in my family. My brothers and sisters all fought over who got to hold baby Carissa.

Carissa was Miss America for Halloween-Plays the part well I'd say

The trip to Chicago could not have come at a better time. I am back feeling a lot more patient and that is not something you can just find anywhere.

Dena

A Zoo Kind of Weekend

I always have an idea in my mind of a relaxing weekend. This would include staying in pajamas until lunchtime, playing games, laughing, watching a movie and just simply relaxing. But let's face it-that's just not my personality. I wish I could "hang around" more and I envy the people who do. Maybe one of these weeks I will get there. We will have that pajama party soon.

Instead we went to the zoo.

Pictured above is my niece, Lyndsey (12 yrs), Keaton (5 yrs) and Averie (3 yrs). Cameron (1 yr) decided he was not available for this photo opportunity.

I was reminded again this weekend of a great life lesson that I learned from my children. They teach me things all the time without knowing it. It happened while we were in the middle of a very crowded zoo and waiting in a very long line. It seemed like the parents were the impatient ones. Especially me. Keaton refused to get out of the single file line that wrapped the entire length of the zoo so he could get candy. So we waited and waited. Here is a picture of them waiting about one hour in:

Notice they actually still look happy.

After a while I found myself saying, "Let's just go buy some candy at the store, any candy you want you can have!" That did not work so we waited. Two hours later they finally had their chance to trick or treat. How they waited that long I will never know. My memories from the zoo experience? It was set up all wrong, the line was beyond ridiculous and there were way too many people.

If you ask the kids about the zoo they would say they saw animals and got candy. They loved it. They didn't care about all the other stress factors. They were just living in the moment and having fun. I need to try that more often.

I would love to get a picture of all three of them in full costume. That will be the ultimate goal this week.  


This picture captures these boys perfectly. Cameron is always trying to do something and Keaton is always trying to stop him

 Other stories from this weekend include

Staying up way too late
Eating too much candy
Jumping in leaf piles
Playing with cousins

 Trick - or - Treat?  You decide!

Dena

Shop until you Fall

It was discovered that at only three years old, my daughter Averie can indeed shop for 8 hours straight. My sisters cheered in delight. It's not many that can keep up with us but we had high hopes. I am not saying that typically my daughter goes with the flow. Usually she is doing one or all of these things:

crying
looking for her blanket & bunny
fighting with her brothers
looking for her baby doll
taking her pony tail out

But there really was not much crying to be had at the fall festival and the pink icecream helped too...

I asked her if she was having fun at one point and she said no. I was horrified but only for a minute because after all she's three-we have many more shopping outings yet to come.

Other stories from this week:
The Great Pumpkin was found on a chilly Saturday morning trip to the pumpkin patch. This time we did the hayride and all. I asked myself when we got home why I take three kids to the pumpking patch by myself. The answer: memories for the kids. I always have a vision in my mind of how blissful each outing will be. It never really ends blissful for me but if the kids have fun it's worth it.

Averie told me last night she wanted to move to Far Away. She said that this is where her cousin Kenny lives. You're right Averie, Colorado is far way.

Averie and Cameron were banned from Keaton's second to last soccer game last night. It seemed we could not even control them in a park setting last week so they stayed home with Dad. I was able to see Keaton score his first goal! And yes, it was even the right goal. The best part? I was able to sit down for an entire hour.

Keaton apprently was so shocked I packed a chair for the soccer game that he had to try it out first and sit down for himself. Something he rarely does either.


And as for Cameron, he is the typical boy, 19-months old this week and running just as fast as we will chase him.

And for me? I went to the vitamin store and bought a very large bottle of B-12 so I can continue to keep up with these three. I might become their best customer.

Dena

The Great Pumpkin

We experienced it. The first weekend in October. The reality that summer is probably not coming back for several months, the start of stuffy noses, the leaves out the back window that are no longer green and the request to find a pumpkin at 6 am.

I knew that it was going to be an exciting Saturday.

My husband opted out of the pumpkin experience as he had a fall chore list a mile long and a pressure washer in his hand. So late in the afternoon after 75 requests all three children got in the car and we ventured out to find a pumpkin. A simple thing really.

Somehow I had a feeling that the experience would not end well with a five, three and eighteen-month old so I did not even pack a camera. Big mistake. I turned into a pumpkin patch at a local farm. There were several barns full of pumpkins but only one pig pen and one pile of mud.

The owners of the farm saw my distress at manuvering three kids and their pumpkins and decided to help out. This is about the time that the eighteen month old ran around the front of the car. I screamed and he fell in the mud/questionable substance.

"Do you have wipes?" I was asked. No I didn't and I don't think any amount of wipes in this world could have helped me with that one.

We are still on the search for the great pumpkin. My five year old son has made that clear.

Other stories that top the list for this past weekend:
Graham crackers in the toliet
A train derailment as a result of Hurricane 18-Month Old
A soccer game of 5 year old boys trying to figure out which way the goal is
A nice but loud family dinner where my husband noted..."It only gets easier from here."

I am looking forward to a shopping trip with my daughter, mom, sisters and niece this weekend.

She has quite the style sense at three years old. I have also never had a weekend just for us. So if the stars align we shall shop, eat and enjoy one of my most favorite weekends of the year in Galena, IL at their Fall Festival:
http://www.enjoyillinois.com/getaway/viewGetaway.aspx?gta=124&etb=3

And below is a picture from this weekend of the hurricane...

The cute before the storm.

Dena