New Clothes

After all the toys were bought I noticed Dallin had grown again. I wanted to kill him for growing again cause he just got all new clothes not even a couple months before. When Becka called to see what to get them I had to ask her to buy clothes. The kids really needed them. Here are a few pics of what they got. They normally do not look this cute. Its the clothes that make them adorable.

Merry Christmas

I didn't send out Christmas cards this year. I never do cause its not in keeping with my personality flaws. But I know that people want to know that we care so.... I decided to say Merry Christmas and capture a memory on my blog all at the same time. First I have Derek saying Merry Christmas. Followed by Olivia and Addie singing Christmas songs. One might argue that its better than a card cause its LIVE... but... I wouldn't want to make other people feel like their little cards are second rate. The truth is its for their aunts and uncle who can't see them this Christmas. You might have to watch the video of Derek twice to catch him saying it. I have gone bonkers trying to get a clip of him saying it. He wiggles and runs around too much to want to help my cause. Any way Merry Christmas and Enjoy!!

Addie's Joy to the World

This is Addie in all her glory. I love how she doesnt sing quiet or act shy in these moments. It means she knows who she is and doesnt have to hide it.

Olivia's Jingle Bells

Notice how she gets upset that her brother is grabbing for the microphone and yet she can continue to sing like a true star. (the kind of star that won't sing at the preschool program but has the ability to sing at home)

Schlitterbahn at Christmas time

Schlitterbahn is this awsome water park that they have in Texas. There are a few in different areas but in New Braunfels they make it into a Christmas themed park for an extra buck or two. Its was fun to go with my parents and sister Becka. After dinner we headed over there and had so much fun. They had millions of lights with music. Its was so cool. I mean in my mind it tops Temple square bar none. (but thats cause I have never been to temple square)

There were so many fun things to do. They had a carousel, fake snow falling, ice skating, a jumper, pictures with Rudolph and Santa, story time with Mrs. Clause, a big nativity, and the best was sledding down the water slides. All of it was adorned with millions of lights that were synchronized to music.

This is one of my favorite Christmas songs.

Preschool Christmas Pageant

The Methodist preschool put on a Christmas pageant. And since we need to keep the Christ in Christmas we did what any moral parent would do and went to watch our kids. We also supplied paper plates, cookies, and lemonade for the after party. (try and top that do gooders) It was really cute. These little things are the best part of Christmas time (for me at least).

She was an angel singing about the birth of Christ. And when he was born she belted out the song Joy to the World. I mean belted it out. I had no idea she knew that song.

Addie did a good job of singing loudly and E-N-UN-CIATING her words when she sang. I have no idea why she makes it a point to sing her words S-O CL-EAR-LY. I guess maybe its for all the deaf people in the crowd that lip read only. What an Angel.

Real quick I would like to thank our sponsors. This Christmas pageant was brought to you in part by Aunt Annette. (she bought her outfit) Mrs. Melissa (her teacher) Andrew (the dad who pays for the preschool) And Camille Weeks (i pretty much had the child).

Olivia again was not having it when it came time to preform. I am not too worried about her not knowing all the words. But we do at the very least expect a three year olds version of karaoke . I am pretty sure she derives satisfaction out of being such a grumpy chub. I still think she is adorable (looking) at this age.

The LOCAL crap parade.

The city of Pflugerville is very close to Dell which is Andrew's client but it is a pretty small town. So we either do bigger things in Austin or we see what the locals have to offer. With kids it easier to not drive very far and its free to just hang out in Pflugerville. The only down side is the light Parade consists of a million boy scout troops riding in trailers hitched onto the back of a Tractor with a string of lights flung over it. Oh and I forgot to include the BMX bikers with glow necklaces laced in the spokes of their bike wheels. Inadequate YES! Do my kids know any better? Nope. The best part is you can see that we parked right next to the no parking sign and no one cared. (In Texas as long as you have a support our troops bumper sticker you can get away with all kinds of parking violations)

Because they were handing out candy (I am pretty sure it was left over Halloween candy) the kids loved it! And when we asked what they liked most about the parade, they said "the candy". Fine by me. They better not claim we never did anything fun during the Holidays.

Dance Recital

The girls had a Christmas dance recital this Saturday. They each did a dance from the nutcracker. It was very well attended and they each got a cupcake in the end. I am glad after a whole season of dragging them to football they had a chance to shine and be in the lamplight.

Olivia REFUSED to dance. I could barely get a picture of her cause she made a game out of hiding behind her classmates. This is a product of the counter productive nature my mom breeds in others. Olivia is her pet and they love just not doing their best in a moment. I can tell I need to be more aggressive with telling my mom to not help Olivia with everything and have her be more independent. When she came down from the stage Dallin told her it was the worst dance he had ever seen. I can't get that mad at him cause it was. I am brewing up all kinds of chores she can do to pay me back for that dress.

Adelaide did great. She is the most confident girl I know. After she was done and we all told her how good she did she would just say "I know." SNAP!! You go girl.

Gingerbread Houses

A tradition we do every Year (though I can only remember the last two years of Christmas time). This fun activity was made possible by having the little demon Derek go to bed early. I decided to get two houses cause the older two kids usually squeeze Olivia out of the equation thinking she is still a baby. Dallin and Addie had a house supervised by Andrew and Me and Olivia had the other one.

Mine and Olivia's is very different. You can tell I don't buy all that let the kid be creative and do what they want crap! I directed her in a happy way towards the areas I thought needed candy. You could say there are many many underlying themes going on here. My house shows how my real home looks when I am in charge of the kids and Andrew's house reflects what my home looks like when he is babysitting. My home shows how I eat healthy and exercise. Andrews shows that he spends no time taking care of his body. Spirituality..... Brain capacity..... You get the picture.

Fireplace

This is my firs time ever owning and operating a fire place. And I guess my first time really needing or wanting a fire. But it got cold enough this past week that the forecast included snow. So we bought some logs and started a fire. It really does warm up a whole room and the ambiance was great. Its the perfect thing at Christmas time. This Christmas we have so many ups and downs but I think that part of growing up is figuring out how to stay calm and relax during those times. We also have scaled back so much this year. We used to buy the kids more presents than they had the energy to open. Now we limit it to three max and a few stocking stuffers. I think its better for them to learn that life isnt about stuff. A lesson some times you don't want to have to teach your kids cause it sucks but...again its time for me to grow up. Lets just say at least Andrew is happy with the adjustment.

Ho Ho Ho

Who would have thought my dad would be willing to play Santa but he said yes and it was crazy. He is chubby but hardly a jolly old elf. He is moody and has the mouth of a sailor. So when our first Santa bailed. I was hesitant. I knew he would look the part but I was thinking the only way he would know how to talk nice to kids was if I had que cards in the back ground. He ended up being perfect. Cause he was a very funny Santa and he was real good with the kids. What a sweet guy I love him to death. I know your wondering if my kids noticed. And yes Dallin and Addie did. But now they just think that their Grandpa is super awsome cause he is Santa on the side.

He calls me Odie. Its been my nick name for years.

The River Walk

We went to San Antonio this past Saturday to see the River Walk. Its this cool part of their downtown that has shops, restaurants, and hotels that are right on the water facing the river. Kind of like Venice. You can walk along the side walks or ride on these boats. We have been there before but this time we wanted to ride the boat. They light it all up for the Holidays for a little more family fun. It was well worth the trip. Andrew loved it and the kids really liked seeing the lights. Its now on our list of things to do each year around Christmas time.

The lights

I know pictures don't do justice to the awsome lights we saw that night but it gives you a general idea. It was so much fun!

Waiting.

I am calling this post waiting because there was a ton of waiting that evening. Waiting in the car on the drive there. Waiting to meet up again after we parked on a different level. Waiting in line for tickets. And the most annoying was my mom decided right when we were next in line to get on a boat that she had to go to the bathroom. I don't know what she was doing in there but we had to let people go past us as we waited for what seemed like hours for her to come back. Lets just say little miss bathroom breaks is not getting invited next year. Notice the picture of my brother looking at his wife hoping she is not as pissed as the rest of us were. Lol :) Check out the other pics I got while we were waiting.

Annette's 30th Birthday

Annette some times has her birthday on Thanksgiving. This year it was the day after and this year she was able to come and visit during the holiday. When we asked the kids what we should do to celebrate the answer was Chuck E Cheese. They felt it would make her day the very best. To them you cant top a Chuck E Cheese party. So we headed out and had so much fun. The kids ate all their pizza and as usual used up all their tokens. It really was the most fun we have had for a grown party ever. After we got our cheap prizes we got in the car and jammed out to Hannah MOntana before heading home to have some purple cake. Addie was convinced Annette wanted purple cake. What more could an Aunt ask for. She turned 30 and was fine with it. Apparently she was more depressed to turn 25.

the kids are singing her happy birthday as loud as they can so she feels how much they want her to be happy. I am sure this single lady is used to more adult interaction on her birthday cause you can see in her face she is not used to being sung to like that.

Pre Turkey Car Wash

Grandpa came a day early for thanksgiving and we all thought it was time for a car wash. I don't think he has washed that thing in over 9 months. It ended up being pretty fun cause the boys built a dam with rocks from the yard to hold all the worms in. My mom is so happy the truck got washed she kept going for rides in it to the grocery store.

Dining room table

I got a new dining room table just in time for Thanksgiving. I am very excited this year cause my whole family will be here. We have not all been together for Thanksgiving since Addie was a new born. I hope to take a family picture this year cause the last one we took I was so fat and Addie looked weird. She looked ugly. Not that I think she was an ugly baby but she didn't take a good picture. We all are most excited about my mom rolls. We love them when they are hot and fresh. Its the best part. I plan on making pies the night before and my dad (as usual) went way over board on buying the Turkey. I think the one this year weighs more than Derek. Any way I am happy to have the extra seating with a new table and cant wait to see every one. Nothing could go wrong this year. Annette even had a new t.v. shipped to my house so the men can watch football and the kids can watch movies! We don't have to play with them and entertain them with Candy land and other really annoying games that get old when kids freak out cause they didn't win again. Any way tune in for more........

Pajamas

I had to post this picture of the kids in their new pajamas cause they were so happy to get them. I am not big on buying pajamas cause I think no one ever sees them so why not spend money on the things that people notice. (this is why my underwear are so nasty). My sister Becka came to town and wanted to buy them some pajamas. They really needed them. When they touch me in the morning and have freezing cold hands you know they were not sleeping all warm and snug at night. Any way they were really happy to pick out what they wanted. Derek went nuts over his Thomas pjs. Dallin loved Thomas as a baby too. We would buy other trains but Thomas always was more exciting. Some things are just timeless like that.

The PlayOffs

Dallin was put on a team with children in his age range. His team didn't win too many games so they didn't make it into the playoffs. But the coach called us to see if Dallin would play on one of the older kids teams that did make the play offs. Of course we said yes. Dallin was so excited to win for once and he was amazed at how far he could run when he actually had his team mates blocking for him. They won all their games and got into the finals. This last Saturday was his last game and they won that one as well. Football here is so much better for him than it was in Arizona. I am so happy his coaches see his potential and love him like a son. And now we get a season off before we put him into another sport.

He got a medal at the end and he was happy with it. I am glad it wasnt another trophy cause his dresser top is loaded. We will have to trash a few from when he was three cause I hate the junk.

This is a small clip of Dallin running the ball. He got the first down. He always pushes them forward into a first down.

Addie's Art

Now that miss Adelaide is in school she is drawing up a storm. She has very girlie pictures most of the time with rainbows, hearts, flowers, horses ect... The other day I went to pick her up and she could not leave cause she had to finish her picture. Most of the time I tell her we have crayons at home and she can finish up there. But this picture was extra special. So I waited....... It turned out to be a drawing of her Aunt Annette. I think its adorable cause it really does look like her. I asked her why the lips were so big and she said because Annette's lips are big! and I quote "she has the biggest lips of any one I know!" Cracks me up how random she is most of the time.

Only the Good Die Young!

This means Derek will live forever. His actually birth day was a drag. The kids were so tired and grumpy from Halloween night. They got so hyped up on sugar that they didnt go to sleep till late and then had like a hang over the next day. We went to church and tried our best to manage the grumpiness and then crashed when we got home. By the time any of us were ready to make the cake it was almost bed time. I will have to remember this in the future and plan ahead. Having your birthday the day after Halloween is kind of a downer. Thank goodness he doesnt care that much at this age.

Bath Tub Basketball. This is one of his favorite presents. He loves playing basketball. We never noticed till one day he was at his cousins house and was having such a good time with Nolan's hoop in his play room. We came home and got him one and he went nuts. When you put him to bed he will play for an hour before he settles into his bed. So we saw this little hoop for the tub and thought he would love it. Its nice cause he will play for a while so I can get the girls hair washed and in their pjs before he climbs out of the tub butt naked and streaks around the house. The simple joys in life right!

The quad. He got a battery powered bike. We tried to see if he would peddle a trike but he was not going for it. I remember Dallin and the girls wouldnt do it at this age either. Then you have this bike that you bought that your kids wont ride so your mad at them. This time. 4 kids into the whole thing we bought this with the money that was sent from people. He loves it. And he is getting better at steering every day. It goes like 1 mph so its not that dangerous. Though I know he can make a lethal weapon out of a pillow so we will just knock on wood and look for sales on bandages.

Happy Halloween

We had a ton of fun this year. The kids had a trunk or treat at the ward party the night before. Dallin played a football game the next day and they won! He was so pumped. Then we came home and made chili and had fun trick or treating around our neighborhood.
I think the kids really love all the little things we try to do to make it more memorable. We had cups and plates all month long that had Halloween pictures and once a week we would watch a Halloween movie or do some sort of treat or craft. I am spent. Lucky for me thanksgiving is more layed back.

Derek is 2

Well Derek turns two this Sunday. But because it will be hectic the next couple of days with school carnivals and Halloween parties. I just wanted to write about what a fun ball of head injuries he has been. I can't believe how much I love him cause he is so difficult to manage from a parenting perspective. He is so much fun and he does the cutest stuff. His latest thing is to come up and tap his dad or grandma real soft to get their attention. And he gives kisses and says "yay you" (love you). He can say all his siblings names. Trust me this is not a my kid is smart routine. I am just journaling for memories sake. I feel like I spend so much time holding him and loving him cause I never know when he is going to take another jump off a cliff or something high. He made it to two years so lets just hope for more and see how far it gets us.