Christmas

Christmas this year my parents were able to come done for a visit.  I thought I would try and be a grown up and make most of the meals and thought why stick with tradition lets try some new things out.  I got most of my ideas off pinterest and a note for future reference DON'T EVER DO THAT!!  Throw in one or two new things not entire meals or you might just be sorry.  Also when you have a great cook who makes all your favorite things better than you, just let them make them for you.  For Christmas we had crockpot oatmeal for breakfast which was more like strawberry fermented goo.  For lunch we had a Mexican fiesta with poorly seasoned fajita meat and not so awesome spanish rice.  Luckily my mom thought things might not turn out so she had a few back up plans like cinnamon rolls and chicken fajita meat just in case.  Also we got to have our friend Eric over since he wasn't able to go home with his family like planned when his laundry decided to overrun his house.  Try getting a contractor to work the night before Christmas eve when you have 2 inches of water all over your second story and pouring down your walls into electrical sockets - but at least his son got to see the firetrucks right??  Don't worry his wife took their sons and went to see family since they had to take out all the walls and floors in their house.  Too bad he beat me in a game I was undefeated in until that day!

The girls got some awesome gifts this year.  We stuck with my favorite tradition of opening up one present Christmas eve.  Christmas morning I didn't know if Molly was going to make it because the first thing she opened in her stocking was hand sanitizer and she went crazy screaming and yelling how happy she was.  She was that way with every present and it was so fun to watch her open them from lipsticks to clothes.  Riley also loved opening the presents and would just grin and smile and then grab a present to give to someone else.  Kelly however was probably most happy just eating the wrapping paper.  I know she ate some since it came out in the diaper. 

This year we asked grandparents to give the girls joint gifts since we really don't need that many toys.  Nene and Papa got them an IPad that they have loved playing mickey mouse clubhouse on.  We are looking for more educational apps for them and I am afraid to leave them alone with it since I have heard horror stories of kids ordering things on Iphones in the app store.  Granny and BertBurt got them a power wheels and they are learning how to drive.  Kelly gets to sit in it when the battery is out. 

Also I stuck with my tradition on not getting the baby a present on their first Christmas, instead they get and ornament and will wait for next year for presents:)

 

 

Elf getting to travel the world

Ready for Christmas

Our Jesse Advent Tree - every day the girls would get to put
an ornament on the tree and learn how it related to the
coming of Jesus

still haven't mastered the art of picture taking with 3

Kelly says get me away from them!

opening presents after the Christmas eve candlelight service

Everyone loved the paper - some more than others

Opening presents Christmas morning - I swear Granny and BertBurt
are there I just don't seem to have photo evidence

Learning the art of reversing

Riley's First Haircut

Tonight we decided it was finally time to give Riley a haircut.  Her hair was getting scraggly and I figured if I screwed up too much then we could get a professional hair cut before Christmas pictures.  She sat pretty well on the chair and mostly kept still.  Big sister also really wanted a hair cut after she saw her sister get one so she was next, we will see how well that went in the morning.  Post hair cut pictures will be posted later:)  We had many conversations on how mommy and daddy are the only ones who cut hair - let's see how long before one of the girls cuts their hair.

 

 

The first snip

Still going

Go Big or Go Home

Riley is my favorite middle child!  She does everything big.  We have had her hearing tested because she doesn't really talk much or say the recommended number of words her age.  I am pretty sure this has to do with her laid back way of life and the fact that big sister feels the need to talk on her behalf ALL THE TIME!  At our campout the other night she pulls out a Dora book and points to the word Dora and starts saying it over and over and over.  Jon and I tried to get her to say mommy or daddy but it was either no or Dora.  Tonight she throws her foot in front of me and starts saying off over and over until I take her sock off.  And then 15 minutes ago she walked in the bathroom points at the toilet and starts yelling poop, so I let her do her business on the toilet tonight.  I don't think she was as excited about it once the whole process started but she was happy to get the candy.  This does not mean we are potty training because until I am sure the girl will communicate with me in public I am not prepared for the frustration of messes out and about with 3 kids.  I guess she has decided she will talk - at least at her next doctor appointment I can say she talks!

 

Movie and a tooth

As part of our staycation we decided to camp.  There was some rain and well we have three small kids so we set the tent up in the living room and watched a movie.  Towards the end of our movie some friends called and their house was being flooded by the second story washer and they had to evacuate because it was coming out of their electrical sockets.  After the fire department came and all the power and water was turned off to their house they came over with their 2 small boys.  We all played for awhile and then sent the kids off to bed.  It is so nice having a "house" upstairs as Molly calls it and getting to have friends come over. 

 

And another monumental moment - Kelly's first tooth has come through.  It is not her front tooth as she decided it was more fashionable to start with her canine to pop out first.  I tried to get a good picture and well I will post the best.

 

Movie time!

So glad they let me stay up

Can you see the white??

Yeah not much better - sorry.  It is a hard shot to get the side tooth

2012 Christmas PJ's

Well it is Christmas time and that means a new pair of matching pj's for the family.  This year we went with small candy canes all over - or as Molly calls then candy cans.  I attempted to get some pictures of the girls and well of the 20 I took Kelly is not screaming her head off in 1 of them.  After the family photo we loaded up in the car and went looking at Christmas lights. Saturday we attempted to carol at some friends houses but one was out of town and the other we ended up singing to the babysitter - whoops, so tonight in our pj's we just drove around. 

Molly this year sings non-stop Go Tell it on the Mountain that baby Christ was born.  Also while going through our Jesse Advent devotional as we talked about Jesus coming to clean our sins.  When reviewing with her she gave us the reason Jesus came was so Santa could come visit us.  I guess we have a little more work to do on that one!

Riley just smiles non stop and loves getting to participate in the advent tree.  The odd days she gets to open the present holding the ornament and hang it on the tree and it is so fun to see her get excited about this.

Kelly - well if she is being held or fed is happy otherwise she is prone to break out into spontaneous tears for no real reason.  One thing she really likes is when we are doing our daily devotional we sing He's got the whole world in His hands and then go through with each kids name and she smiles and beats her fists when we sing to her.

 

The one and only picture where someone is not screaming

Can you feel the love?

Trying to get a happy group shot

What you actually want me to sit next to her?
Don't you see she is still screaming and I didn't do it - promise?

Merry Christmas 2012

They love me, they really do love me!!

PRC

Jon has officially finished pre pre ranger and now the pre ranger course. I will give this to Jon's unit and the 82nd - they want to make sure you are fully prepared before sending you off to ranger school. I guess it could be that 50% of the ranger class fails in the first week and they want you to make it past that. Either way we are thankful that this go round he finished and is doing well. Now to get some good family time in before he leaves for Ranger School next year.

Jon met us for lunch at chick-fil-a and was greeted by two very happy little girls to see their daddy. We had planned on me taking the girls to Disney on Ice and Jon staying home with Kelly to get caught up on sleep but the joy of seeing them and Molly asking for him to take them must have been too much because he agreed to go tonight. So after no sleep, a long shower and two meals with the family Jon loaded up on some coffee and took the big two to see the princesses. I think tomorrow will hold a few naps for him and a few errands for me and the girls so he can get more than 3 hours of sleep in a day.

Getting his certificate of completion

The long process of waiting while others congratulate him and the others from his PRC class

Brave man - taking 2 super excited girls to see the Disney princess on ice.
We loaded him up with coffee, this can't be worse than 16 days with no sleep - RIGHT?

 

Christmas tree lighting

All bundled up and enjoying the night

 Tonight was the Christmas tree lighting on post and some of the girls in our children's church had asked we come and watch them preform.  Oh my way to get out the door we had a visitor that delayed us a half and hour.  We had a rental (our new car had one thing that needed to get fixed when we bought it and the part came in today) and I forgot to get my garage door opener out so I was using the house key to get in and out so I left the girls in the car with the door open and was running in to shut the garage.  In my abscence a pit bull decided to take up residence in the front seat of my car.  Lucky for me my neighbor was out playing catch with his dog and when I screamed to please help me get the pit bull out of my car he put his dog away and came straight over to help.  We thought it might be a neighbors dog but instead it was a stray pregnant pit bull who was getting ready to have puppies.  I guess she thought my car would be a great place to have them but wasn't too keen on me getting the girls out.  Praise God they were very calm during the whole experience, I kept asking Molly to keep her legs folded in her car seat because she was closest to the dogs face.  Once I had the help of two neighbor men - one with a bat and the other with sasuage I was able to get the girls out of the car and into the neighbors garage with the moms watching over the kids.  It took awhile to get the dog out and we had one failed attempt that we got the dog out with chicken but she jumped back in before we could close the door.  The second time we got her out we got the door shut and then all backed up giving the dog space.  She decided the garage with all the kids would be her next space and even with 5 adults blocking the path - some more treats later we got her to move on down the street.  I then got some magazines to cover up the blood and headed out to cheer on the girls in my chapel.  After that we met up with some friends to celebrate their daughters 14th birthday.
On a side note, I called animal control and was told that they would come sometime during the night so my neighbors were willing to help me any non violent way to get the dog out.  2 hours later I got the call that animal control was at my house which I had to tell them I had left.  They wanted to know where I had caged the dog - HA I guess they thought I might do their job but I was a little afraid that the angry about to give birth dog might not appreciate me tyring to cage her.


The stray that tried to have puppies in my car

Molly's first school recital

Happy before leaving for the night



Not so sure about singing but excited about Santa and cookies

Molly had her Christmas school musical.  She has been practicing the songs for the past few weeks on the way home and singing around the house.  I guess she used up most of her joy about singing before the event because she wasn't as joyous to be up singing on the stage.  Her shyness came out for the 20 minutes of the concert but as soon as Santa came in the back door she got  excited while Riley kept shaking her head NO.  Riley has a great fear of the bearded man but she does have the joy of the season.  All the girls were well behaved during the recital and got to eat lots of cookies afterward.

Camera Found

So we took some photos of bubble paper fun