We're back!

We got back from Gatlinburg late last night (to a messy house!!!!) Today has been spent unloading the van, washing clothes, cleaning up the mess that is my house, and trying to grow back the hairs that I pulled out while we were gone. LOL Just kidding. It wasn't as terrible as I expected. There were a couple times I wondered if I had completely lost my mind taking 4 kids out of state, on vacation, by MYSELF! But, for the most part, we had fun. Pictures to follow later, after I recharge the battery in my camera.

Thank You!

A big Thank You to Grandma and Grandpa! You always know how to make the holiday merry and bright! Will call you when we get back from Gatlinburg!

Another Snow Day

Of course, today is Saturday. So it's not really a "snow day". Can you see how fat these flakes are? What's better to do when the weather is frightful? Okay, this was before the snow started, but I like the idea. I told Travis to go brush his teeth and get his jammies on, and I'd be in to tuck him in last night. This is what I found.

So, it started coming down this morning. I thought I heard we'd have an inch by 6 pm. I must have heard wrong. This was at noon, and it's still coming down. And yes, that is the window screen. I wasn't going to go out and stand in it. LOL (Although, I have been out already. My van is in the garage. This is Bobby's van getting buried in the snow.)
We had planned to take Tatum to a salon today for her birthday. But, we rescheduled for next week. Her birthday is next weekend anyway. I have been out to the bank, the grocery, and Tatum's ballet class (which, of course, was cancelled). The roads are pretty slushy and I'm sure will just get more icy through the day. Krista said the weather man was calling for another 5-6 inches. Ugh! We're supposed to be leaving for Gatlinburg in the morning. Bobby told me if it keeps snowing, he's not letting me drive to Gatlinburg. Um, excuse me, did you just try to tell ME I'm not going to do something? And yeah, it's just the kids and I going. Bobby can't get off work.
This is December in OHIO!

Sharpies are Great!!!

Sharpies are great, aren't they? I mean, when you need to label something that no ink pen will leave a mark on, they're just great. They label everything, plastic cups, plastic bags, freezer tape, moving boxes......etc. I love them!





I don't love them on my refrigerator.






Teagan's art work........

The joy of the Sharpie, prominently and perpetually displayed on my refrigerator.

Shhhh

Somebody skipped his nap time.

Cousins

Friday night was our second annual girl cousin ornament exchange. A little over a year ago, (I think), we all got together when our cousin Sarah came to visit from Montana. We decided to keep it going and try to get together every couple months. We always have alot of fun, eat way too much, and stay out way too late.

Krista and I both missed the close knit family feeling when we were young. Dad was the baby of the family, so our cousins were older by the time we came along. They had kids who were our ages. And since they all lived close to each other, and hung out more, we felt like the social outcasts of the family, just visiting twice a year, for the reunion and Christmases. Krista, Travis and I always sat around asking who was who, especially when new babies came along. I think we all really wanted to be a part of a big family, which is why Krista insists on all of us living close to her, and why I always wanted a gazillion kids. (okay, not a gazillion, just 5 or 10! LOL) Last year, we had our Christmas get together at Krista's house. This year, it was at Hope's house, which I just love. She has it decorated beautifully, and it's always felt very homey. Of course, it was Uncle Bob's and Aunt Shirley's house when we were little, so we all have a few childhood memories from there.
Hmmm, the profiles really give the family genes away, huh?
The little one is Miss Laila, Missy's daughter. She was very helpful, and such a cutie, even if she does look like her Dad.
Checking out Mom's stuff
Presents for me?
Krista AKA The Penguin Freak
Hope
Debbie
Lisa, yeah, she's a little kooky. You think this is funny, ask her about the poop story.
Bye-Bye!

Snow day!!

We woke up to a few inches of snow this morning. It snowed all through the night, so I wasn't too surprised when we got the automated call at 5:30 to say there was a 2 hr delay. And later, at 7:30, a cancellation call. Of course, the boys were thrilled. By 9 am, they were asking to go outside.
I don't know what's worse. Squeezing snow pants over a pair of toddler boots, or manipulating 2 yr old thumbs into a pair of mittens. I think I actually exercised today. It was all floor work, sweating and grunting trying to squeeze Teagan's little prebooted feet into his snow pants. Not fun. And then trying to explain the concept of holding your thumb away from your fingers to slide mittens on. Ugh. He just kept saying okay, then would clench all his fingers together as I put the mitten on. I'm so glad he stayed out there longer than 10 minutes, because it sure would have seemed like wasted effort.

What is eating snow all about anyway? I mean, really, why do we do it?
And yes, the goofy dog is trying to catch the snow in her mouth. I don't know what Travis is trying to do.

They had a good time. Teagan actually lasted longer than Tatum. She had to come in to pee about 15 minutes later and decided to stay in. Now, why didn't I think to ask her about peeing before bundling her up in 4 layers?

Our ballerina

These are some pics from Tatum's last observation night. They only let the parents in to observe once every 8 weeks. And since I couldn't find my battery charger, they've been stuck. She really loves it, and surprisingly, she pays attention. Tatum is the middle tumbler

Here she is, right in front of the little girl with the criss cross straps.
And with her ponytail swinging!

Christmas is in the air

The "kid" tree

We got our trees put up. Bobby told the kids we would put the tree up last weekend, so he had me drag all the decorations out of storage while he was getting the boys haircuts. We put the tree up, strung the lights, then Daddy parked himself in front of the TV while Mommy and the kids put the ornaments on. Tradition? Hmmm.... And yes, there are two trees. One is for my snowman ornament collection, the other is for all the kids ornaments, those made at school and those bought specifically for them.













Now, knowing that there were four little people hanging ornaments, that might explain why some areas of the tree are a little more populated than others. I find myself moving ornaments daily, filling in the gaps, and moving the breakables up from the bottom.













Tatum in her party hat
















Teagan "helping". He's too cool to look at the camera.













Tanner, hmm? How to explain? He thinks that every picture must be posed. So this is his version of Santa.








Travis had to get in on the action. In case you are wondering about Tanner's position, he was "catching the toys falling out of Santa's bag". Love the cool over the shoulder look Travis is giving.











These are some of my favorite ornaments. This one was a gift from some penguin freak I know.











This one came through the mail from an online friend.















I think I got this little guy, and his brother, from the gift shop at Der Dutchman in Waynesville, several years ago.










I know, he's not a snowman, but I love his dangly little legs and the "sugar" coating.











A few other Xmas decorations to share.



























This is the kids' favorite. The little snowman in the center "ice skates" when you wind him up.

Onward....

So, we took the 4 little turkeys to Grandma's house for Thanksgiving where we all (okay, maybe just the adults) preceded to stuff ourselves. The picky eaters settled for crescent rolls.

Kudos to Mom for the Gooey Butter Pumpkin Cake and the Cornbread Dressing a la Paula Deen. Yummmy!

On to Christmas preparations.....

Beef....it's what's for dinner

Normally, I'm not really big on cooking. I just don't like it. I don't mind cleaning up, I'm just not one of those weird freaks of nature who like to cook. And working full time in a largely female occupation, I have learned, I am not the only one. That said, I do occasionally like to try new things. Occasionally, as in once or twice a year. Because the usual response I get is "It's alright, but you don't have to make it again." Hmm, compliment or no? He says this now because back in the early days, when I actually used to cook for him, my husband would say "this is good" and I would interpret that as, I love it, I could eat it all the time. And then I would proceed to make it once or twice a week. I was mistaken, and years later, he eventually pointed that out to me. What he really meant was, I can tolerate this, but just stick with the steak and potato genre next time.

So I found this great new recipe. I have been following this amusing blog The Pioneer Woman. Her name is Ree, and she is a Mom to four and a rancher's wife. While she does live out in the country, she is not an actual pioneer, so don't get the idea that I'm going to mention cooking on a woodstove or anything. Her blog about ranch life is laugh out loud funny, so you should really check it out. But, what I really want to point out to you, is her cooking site, aptly named The Pioneer Woman Cooks. She has some really yummy looking recipes, but if you try nothing else, you must try Marlboro Man's favorite sandwich. Okay, so it's a steak and onion sandwich, but it's her recipe so she got to name it. Marlboro Man is the nickname she has for her husband, or maybe it's his real name, I don't know. (if you want to check out some great cowboy pics, follow the blog link). Anyway, this sandwich is absolutely yummy!!! And is now my personal fav. Bobby even liked it so much, he didn't mention not cooking it again.

If you have a chance to check out any of her other recipes, I have also made Marlboro Man's second favorite sandwich, AKA a chicken bacon cheese delicacy. Yum, yum, yummy!!!

Oh, I should probably mention, she is a big fan of butter. So you dieters out there, don't click the links. You might drool on your keyboard.

Halloween

Unfortunately, I am a bad mom and failed to take pics on anything but my camera phone. My battery for my digital camera is dead and I'll be darned if I know where the charger is.

I had to swipe this one from Krista. For more pics, you'll have to check out her version of the Trick or Treat story.

Tony Stewart, Ninja, ballerina, and the little elepant.

And yes, Krista, next year, the elephant will be retired. On second thought, I'm going to save it for Mia. So there!

Flooding, Boogers, and MRSA!

Have you ever had one of those days? One where you've been busy cleaning, while the little people quietly entertain themselves? At some point, you start thinking, hmmm, maybe they are a little too quiet. And two minutes after you think, maybe someone should check on the 2 yr old. That someone being the husband sitting on the couch watching TV while you are busy scrubbing the toilet. And then, hmm, is it raining?

In the DINING ROOM?!?!? Apparently, a 2 yr old can quietly flood an upstairs bathroom without alerting anyone until the ceiling starts dripping, a lot. Teag was having a grand time, playing in the sink with his bath squirters. Unfortunately, he had the water running full blast. He, of course, didn't think that was a problem. I'm sure it just added to the fun. In fact, I'm pretty positive he thought it was way cool. After Bobby sucked up the inch of water on the floor with the steam cleaner, I noticed the mirrors were splashed, as were the walls, the cabinets, the toilet, the DOOR ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE SINK! And, the midget responsible for this act of destruction, yeah, he was soaked. And for some dumb reason, I thought I would get a logical answer when I asked, "did you not think anything was wrong when you got all wet?" His response, offered up with a huge grin, no.

So I was in the bathroom earlier, cleaning water off the counter top...... different day, same kid. And Tate starts picking her nose. I say:
Got a booger?
Hehehehe, yeah. I'm going to eat it.
Ewww, gross.
No, it's good.
Really? What's it taste like?
Bananas.
You don't even like bananas so how could it be good?
I ate one at daycare.
What? A booger?
Nooooo, a banana.

This is just a guess, but I'm thinking boogers don't taste like bananas. More people would probably eat them, if they did.

So, we keep hearing MRSA this and MRSA that. Being a nurse, it's not a new thing. It just appears to be on the rise in schools. Or, they are just more concerned about it now. So Tanner tells me his big toe hurts. I looked at it. It looked a little red, and I immediately thought, OH NO, MRSA!!!! Then I looked closer and realized it's just a little pink where it rubbed against his shoe. No big deal.

So I got an automated phone call from the Superintendent today. Yep, a kid at the high school has been diagnosed. With MRSA!

A trip to the Farm

We always try to make it out to Brumbaugh Fruit Farm every Fall. We went out a couple weekends ago, when it was nice and sunny. The kid were slightly over dressed, and I, of course, became the jacket holder. That's the bad thing about having a 2 1/2 yr old. He thinks he's too big to be wheeled around in a stroller, so I'm stuck carrying everything. Anyway, Brumbaugh is great kids fun, and so much better than most of the Fall festivals around here, in my opinion. Although the old lady working in the bakery was a moody bugger. Of course, it was rather warm in there and there were alot of people, so I tried to cut her a break. Unfortunately, you couldn't really see what you wanted until your spot in line moved up enough to view the display case, which was exactly the time they wanted to know what you wanted. She seemed to be a little annoyed that people had to think about it before deciding between donuts, cookies, fritters, pies, dumplings...... I opted for the apple dumpling. Yum! And some apple fritters. Bobby chose a cherry turnover, and the kids split a dozen cookies. The kids got a kick out of the "Gourd"geous bathtub.



The 'Monster" slide. A huge plastic drainage pipe turned into an extra tall slide. It was pretty fun. I tried it out myself.

Teag had a little help from Daddy, swiping an apple from a tree. The boy does love apples. And whoever said the bees are disappearing, never walked around on a warm day, eating an apple.
The corn box. Much less messy than sand.

Such a cutie. Minus the snot.

Yummm, nummy pumpkin cookie.

No, I'm not a mess! Don't look at me.