Christmas 2011!

The absolute best part of being a parent is Christmas morning! I mean, really, does it get any better than that???? Here are the fab five waiting for the grandparents to get here so they can actually open the gifts...but they have smiles of relief because at least they know at this point, that they made the good list!

This year, we started a new tradition...the kids decided to write letters to Jesus and send them up in helium balloons that said "happy birthday" on Christmas morning. Here is a picture of the kids doing the usual dropping of "reindeer food" (i.e. glitter mixed with oats) on the front lawn in the hopes that it will attract the reindeer to the house!!!

So- the big gifts this year were the Skylanders video game for the boys, barbies for the girls, and Drake got his own little tykes car--he has told mommy and daddy that he is going to Grammy's numerous times already.

The kids sang in the church choir on Christmas Eve...and Drew and Dawsyn both had solos. It was really nice and we were very proud of them. We also restarted a tradition that I stole from my childhood. When I was little, my mom's side of the family would choose "advent families" and all during advent--you would secretly take them gifts, then reveal who you had the week of Christmas. So, this year, we put the names of our friends in a hat and drew one. The winner (hopefully they agree with that) was the Byrd family. They have twins who are in Dawsyn's class at school. So, we very discreetly left them a gift or two every week from Thanksgiving until Christmas. We had so much fun ringing their doorbell and trying to run away before they saw us. It is difficult to be inconspicuous with 5 children! Needless to say, they figured out who was doing it before we revealed ourselves, but it was so much fun!

So--another Christmas is in the books! Literally--I already have the pictures in the photo albums! :)

Holidays weekends...

First weekend in December and I'm ready to drop already! We spent Friday evening in Mason for a Christmas parade. Then all day Saturday, my students and I rang the bell for the Salvation Army red kettle. The kids came and got in on the action as well and really liked it. We went on the Polar Express again this year. Drake really got into it, until he saw Santa. Then he was scared and wouldn't lift his head! Can't wait to sit on Santa's lap and try to get a picture this year. That should end well!

Today, the older three had their piano concert. This was Delaney's first time playing in front of a crowd. She played "Ode to Joy". We were very proud of her. Dawsyn played, "We Three Kings" and Drew played "Carole of the Bells". It makes the Tuesday piano lessons and sitting there for an hour and a half totally worth it!

So, we are off and running with the holidays. I can at least say that I am baked, bought, wrapped, and decorated. So, if I get a chance, I would love to take a little bit of time to just enjoy it all.

Happy Thanksgiving

I love those moments when I take a picture of the kids and just KNOW that 20 years from now, it will be the thing they will be sitting around the kitchen table laughing at me and saying how they can't believe what I did to them as children! This picture is definitely it!

We did our traditional Thanksgiving. The elves came back--and this year they had a baby elf with them whom the kids named "Dyllin". And--our friend, Alexa, who was spending the night even got an elf of her own on Thanksgiving morning. We had our Thanksgiving dinner, decorated our Christmas tree, and we even got a head start on the Christmas cookies for tomorrow. So, now we are in our matching pajamas (no-Shawn and I don't have elf pajamas) and watching a movie and getting ready to sleep in front of the Christmas tree as a family like we do every Thanksgiving!

Drew rolled his eyes about doing the Thanksgiving play this year, but obliged me and wore the elf pajamas, so I guess that the era of "choose your battle" has officially begun.

Number 5 is 2!

So little D is now officially two. Not that you need to be told that if you spent five minutes alone with him! He is the little man of the house and feels he has every right to tell everyone else whatever is on his mind, which apparently is quite a bit! He reminds me so much of Drew at this age with the way he talks and thinks, but he has Dawsyn's temper, Delaney's face, and Daxton's little ornery gene! What a combination!

I hate it when each of them turns another year older, but it is particularly difficult when it is Drake. He is the reason I started this blog almost three years ago when I found out I was pregnant for him. Now, as I type this, he is screaming that he needs Daddy because he wants his socks on!!!! He is very picky about having socks and shoes on. I think he is afraid that if he doesn't have them on, he will get left behind. I don't know where this irrational fear comes from since he has only been forgotten in the car once, lost at a greenhouse once, and accidentally left behind when we went to leave once--but most of the time we remember him--especially now that he is so vocal!

He doesn't like to be held anymore unless he is really tired or afraid. He hates the dark (the one thing he got from Mommy) and loud noises or heights. He is definitely becoming his own person and it is so fun to watch. I look at his little face and see so many possibilites for the future. I hope that he always knows that even though he is number 5, he is so important to us and we could never imagine life without him!

Dawsyn is 9!

Dawsyn is now half-way to 18! Watch out world!!!!! For her ninth birthday, she had a party at Sweet and Sassy. This consisted of getting glammed up with her nails, hair, makeup, and sparkly outfit, along with eight of her friends. They then got to model on the runway and put on a karaoke concert. They ended the party by riding in a pink limo around Polaris mall. Mom was the only adult allowed in the pink limo! Lucky me! There is not enough excedrin in the world for the loudness of the music and the strobe lights flickering in the limo, but the girls had a great time! And Dawsyn is convinced--she is destined for the runway!!!!

Happy Halloween...

...and may the force be with you!

Pumpkin Show 2011

We had another successful, fun Pumpkin Show week. The kids entered their decorated Pumpkins. Here is Drew with his. As you can see, the week started off rough with lots of cold wind and rain! Daxton's pumpkin took third place in his age group!

The kids rode on our church float this year. Here is how Dax ended every parade he rode through--sound asleep!

Delaney was in the Little Miss Pumpkin Show contest. She had fun even though the rain made it pretty miserable!

Drake was in the baby contest. He didn't win anything, but we think he is the cutest!

Dawsyn was in every parade for her Festival float. Her float took 2nd place in the float contest!