Journal: early Advent

TODAY

Out my window:  Dark.  Cold.  Wiiiiiiindy.  Twinkly Christmas lights.  

Clothing myself in: pass

Around the house: Most of the Christmas decorations are up.  The kids actually helped with the ornaments on tree...all three of them (well, Clem played with the purple shatter-proof ornaments that don't match the red and gold on the tree)...and it went really well.  I think they are OCD like me (scary, yes? no?) because I only had to move like three ornaments.  They did a really good job.  Aaron got a bunch of icicle lights and lined the outside of the house with them.  In years previous he has just done our two evergreen trees, but he decided the kids were getting old enough to think that was kind of lame.  ;-)  It looks really nice.

I need to write our Christmas letter.  Sigh.  Starting is always the hardest part.

 

The baby: Cute cute cute.  My parents have this dancing monkey thing that sings Jingle Bells and he started rocking. out. to it on Thanksgiving evening.  Never seen that kid, or ANY kid, dance with the moves he had.  In footie-jammies no less.  I got some video on my phone, but it is horribly awful quality.  Kind of makes me want to cry.  OH well.  Maybe he'll do it again.  I treasure the memory.  He has started shaking his head "yes" when you ask him a question.  When he has to poop he grunts and looks at me and holds my hand while we walk back to his "poop chair".  He doesn't talk much but he definitely communicates.  Oh, and he LOVES the big slide at the park and can climb up to it and go down it all by himself.  I usually guard him because I am paranoid and over-protective but he can do it on his own.  The other kids weren't doing this until they were sneaking up on two.   Oh my.

 

The kiddos:  I enjoyed Gemma's week off school, it really was nice having her around all day and I loved seeing her get to just play.  But it is nice being back in our usual routine this week too.  I am excited for Christmas break and so is she.  Not much else new.  I have been getting more "okays" and less fits when I ask her to do something, or answer something she asks, even if she isn't particularly happy about what I ask or answer, and that has been nice.  She is growing up, have I mentioned that?  

Kolbe's speech is improving so much.  He has been working on initial /k/ and is learning how to say his name!!!!!  I am noticing that he is starting to use sounds that he learns/works on at speech in his everyday conversation and I think that's so cool. 

In the kitchen: This week homemade pizza, chicken picadillo, meatloaf, chicken noodles and baked salmon.  Steamed veggies, some stuffing, tortilla chips, cheesy bread and fried rice for sides.  We have also discovered ground pork at the local meat locker and have been subbing it for beef in some things and it is really tasty! 

Crafting: We made pine cone turkeys for Thanksgiving!

I have been working on Christmas shopping (mainly online, although I did get out on Saturday for a bit...no Black Friday shopping for me this year!) and thinking about wrapping.  Lest anyone think that I think shopping is crafting, I do not.  I just had nowhere else to put that.  Progress is being made.  WHEW, this late Thanksgiving is really throwing me for a loop.  Tomorrow is the 5th?  Of December??  holy crap.

Learning:  Advent is in full swing, and I love our activities.  I was telling a friend the other night, Advent just brings such a nice rhythm to our days.  The kids are watching the Holy Heroes Jesse Tree DVD each morning during breakfast and coloring an ornament for that.  We light our Advent wreath during mealtimes.  Our Picture Book a Day selections are being enjoyed by all and we are using O Radiant Dawn (I really love this book) for family prayertime/meditation/discussion each night.  The kids also have a story each night before bed from The Advent Storybook. It is very sweet.  We are also using our activity chain again this year and I am liking it, as are the kids.  It's a fun visual to count down the days and the activities are simple yet meaningful.

Reading: bleh. nothing.  I really should pick up something.  Should. 

Watching:  This and that some evenings.  Enjoying this season of Gold Rush immensely.  

Bringing me joy: Advent.  I think this is my favorite time of year, liturgically speaking (and maybe otherwise as well).  Shopping for the kids for Christmas.  Listening to Handel's Messiah.  (Buy it.  You will not regret this purchase.)  Kolbe singing Christmas carols.  The beginnings of Christmas traditions in our family...it is really fun that the kids are getting old enough to remember things we've done other years, and I love how excited they get about some things.  Kolbe thinks Christmas lights are THE BEST, and gets so excited when he sees them. 

Thinking about: Life and death.  My aunt passed away today and there is nothing like death to get you thinking about life.  May she rest in peace.  

This article, Choosing to Make the Coffee, was really good and since I don't think I will Food for Thought anytime soon I am just sharing it here.  And speaking of Food for Thought, I liked this one entitled Can Charity Hurt? as well and thought it brought up some really good points.  I am glad to see that those who oversee large charities are asking these challenging questions of themselves and others. 

Pictures to share:  

Happy Feast Day, Clement!

LEAVES!!!

My boy

Kolbe hasn't had much "blog-time" lately, so I thought I'd share some recent pics of him.

Sliding!  He loves the park soooooo much!

Riding "pony boy" at my parents'.  Always the favored toy.

His cheeks get so red when he's hot.

Wearing daddy's hat...by the front door.  Because every time I want to take his picture he thinks he has to be by the front door.  I have missed many a cute shot due to him desserting whatever he was doing in order to run over and stand by the front door.  Silly boy.

 I love my boy!!

Improvising

Improvising = putting a spare pair of children's (yes, girl's) underwear and a cloth wipe on your son's head upon arriving at the park on a sunny day and realizing you forgot his hat. Amazingly, this worked quite well. Don't judge.

And yes, of course I took pictures.

Flying

This is Gemma's favorite way to swing lately. 
We are lovin' us some park time on the days that are of the warmer variety lately! 
YAY SPRING!!!

Swingin' bubby

SO happy to be outdoors!!

Autumn park-time

We have been trying to make the most of the outdoors while the weather still permits. My sister had asked us to come play at "their" park in the small town where they live several months back, and we finally found the perfect afternoon to do so. Our park days are definitely numbered, so we thoroughly enjoyed this. The park was super-neat, and there were several items (see-saw and merry-go-round) Gemma had never tried, so that was cool.

The babies had a great time hanging out in the swings while Gemma played.
Look at this BIG slide!
Having fun on the see-saw. After a few times up and down she told me to get off so she could do it herself, then was a bit confused when she stood and it didn't automatically take her up. So funny!
Taking a spin on the merry-go-round!
Just hanging out.
And then. She found a kitty. Oh. My. Goodness. Cutest thing I've witnessed in a long time. This cat must live in a house where there are children, because he was very patient with her. Although after 10-15 minutes of this, he got away and then wouldn't let her within 10 feet of him. She was hilarious though, she'd clap her hands and yell "CAT" at it, trying to get it to come. Yeah Gemma. Cats don't listen. Sorry! She had a blast with him though; and NO we are NOT getting her one for Christmas.
Then she hugged and kissed every fire-hydrant on the way home. Weeeeeeeeird...
It was a fun way to spend the afternoon, especially since the time change she and Kolbe have been getting up from their naps by 2:00 or 2:30 and that makes for longer afternoons. It was a great time for all of us! We'll certainly be missing our time outdoors in the very near future. Ahhhhhh, winter...

Happy weekend, everyone!

Happy birthday, mom!!

We hosted family at our house one evening this past week to celebrate my mom's birthday. It was a lot of fun! We kept things simple and had a few crock pots of soup and the usual fare to go along with that. The weather was nice (albeit a bit warm) so we were able to use our deck, which is much bigger than our kitchen/dining area and on the east side of the house, so it has some nice shade in the evenings.

Kolbe grabbed an early bite to eat indoors to free up high chair space for ALL the other babies!! See!
Our neighbors decided to join in the party too! (Okay, not really, they just happened to be enjoying the outdoors as well.) Gemma-dog (or cat or sheep or whoever she was that day) and cousin Ira. I used the opportunity of having guests to plant some mums and pansies on the deck. Of course Max had to get in on the action too!
And what party would be complete without making a trip to the neighborhood park?! Look at those silly babies!! Gemma is getting very brave! Time for cake! All five grandchildren with my parents.
(Ruby - 7 months; Kolbe - almost 9 months; Ira - 4.5 yrs; Anna - 10.5 months; Gemma - 2.5 yrs) HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM!!!!!

Swinging

We have really been enjoying the cooler (albeit a bit shorter) evenings of late. We put Kolbe in the swing at the park for the first time several nights ago, and he thought it was pretty great! I think big sis was possibly even more excited, and now the first thing she asks us to do when we get there is put him in it so she can push him. They both have a blast and I love listening to them laugh and squeal together. I finally remembered the camera (after about 3 nights of doing this), so here are some pics. It wasn't really that dark, I was messing with some of the settings on my camera and think I finally found something like a sport shot that will not blur with movement. Yes, I have had my camera for 4.5 years. No, Karen, I have not read the manual. *blush* So without further self-incrimination...

Having so much fun!
Laughing at his sis!
She has so much fun pushing him.
WHEW! What an evening!

Sweet Gemma

I have taken some sweet pictures of Gemma-goo lately that I wanted to share.

Here she is trying to wear her baby in my sling.
"Chalking", as she calls it. As an aside, this is her all-time favorite outfit. She calls it "happy shirt" and "happy pants" (the shirt says 'happy' and has a big smiley face on it). I remember posting about these clothes back when I got them, and this was my favorite shirt as well. I guess we have similar tastes. But anyways, if this outfit is clean you can bet she will be wearing it.
Hangin' out. I'm amazed how much she has learned to do at the park in the past month or so when it comes to climbing, hanging, swinging, etc. Her gross-motor skills have really developed.
And here she is being a Sith lord.
Her daddy started calling her that way back when she used to wear hooded towels after her bath. (I guess it's a Star Wars thing?) But anyways, now she goes around making "sethalords" as she calls them out of random things. She's always very proud when she figures out a new one. Like her jammies. I think these two pictures are just hilarious. My sweet silly girl!