Top 5 List: Christmas Version

TOP 5 INDICATIONS YOU HAVE YOUNG CHILDREN AT CHRISTMAS

5. You had to remove the back seats from the van to prepare for family Christmas visits.

4. You plan ahead by taking gobs of large shopping bags for ease of loading.

3. You've done 3 loads of laundry, consisting of all new clothes. One of those loads consisted entirely of socks and underwear. (stocking stuffer of choice!)

2. It takes you 3 days to clear the plethora of brimming bags and boxes from visits to find homes for all the new stuff.

1. You have to re-arrange kids' bedrooms to make it all work! Really, I did!

"Elefun" was a real hit at the Ellis Christmas. The kids loved it!These are altered cookie sheets I made for our parents to hang on their fridges. I thought they turned out nice, so I snapped a pic of them to remember procedures. Some day, I'd like to do one for myself!

Merry Christmas and Thanks!

Hanna tries out Joel's new guitar!
Joel and Dad work on his very first LEGO set. He loves 'em!

The whirlwind of our children being spoiled is long from over, but I wanted to post a few pics. Thanks to our family for hosting a fab Christmas. Thanks to Mom, Dad, Erik, Susan, Henry, Jerry, and Joe & JK. JK, the kids love the shirts, but I must warn you: there are some other aunts out there who will, no doubt, try to get a piece of the credit! Happy Holidays!

BRRRR!

As many of you are also experiencing, we are in the throes of bitter cold! For the past 2 nights, Andy's built a nice fire for us, but then this morning, he had to go to work - so no fire today. Here's how much the kids like snuggling up to the warmth (basically sitting on top of it so their backs are burning) and then how "happy" they were this morning getting out of bed to a chilly livingroom! Warm thoughts and Merry Christmas from the Waltons!

Whew December!

Too cute!

Is that Joel looking all forlorn?

Aunt Cindy and Cousin Kara did a great job on the cake!

Now she can keep up with Joel!

What busy month we've been having! Graduate work is cumbersome, the Christmas musical at school was exhausting, and this weekend: our princess turned 3 ! Can you believe it? Friday, she received a new bicycle (which I'm sure she'll master quickly, considering she's been trick-riding the ATV for over a year!), and Saturday was her big party with the family. 'Twas the night of Barbies and games! Time to find storage containers for all these small parts...we're officially a Barbie house! In case things get too "whirlwind" this last week, Happy Holidays to everyone!

Turkey Cookies

Inspired (read as "brainwashed") by the little infommercial on Noggin (their favorite channel), the kiddos wanted to make handprint turkey cookies. Mmmm.... sugar cookies just like growing up, sticky hands everywhere, eating too much dough...Mmmm!

Yeah, I KNOW!

Yes folks, I'm really busy. I am well aware that I've had nothing posted for a month now. So all you get is a "hello" and we're still here! Thanks for stopping by... :0)

Free Falling (well, we hope not)

Our little sprite who's not yet 3 can swing with the best of 'em! She had a great teacher (that's Mr. Hot Shot brother). I'm thrilled, yet mildly frightened for her well-being. Hold on, Hanna!

A Li'l Bit of this...A Li'l Bit of That

Blogging is not #1 on the list lately so I'm behind (big surprise). Here are a few catch-up pics...


Madame Butterfly and Ferocious Tiger: they got their faces painted at a Fall Festival in Bloomington last weekend.

Roasting hot dogs with Grandpa M. at the club weiner roast...

This weekend was very warm, so the kids chose to get along wonderfully while they played in the dirt! They were filthy! (But happy!)




















As I write this, there's a chicken roasting in the rotisserie. Andy said, "C'mere and see this..." What a hoot! When asked, Hanna said, "I watching big chicken!" Who needs Noggin or Disney when you have big chicken?

Uncle Tim in Our Thoughts

Uncle Timmy was deployed for Iraq this past weekend. We all hope he stays safe and comes back home to MaryAnn in Alaska very soon!

Hurricane Hanna

As hurricane Hanna gathers her destructive forces and threatens the coast of Florida, I can only think this: "Yep. I suppose that sometimes the forecasters DO know what they're talking about..."

:0)

School Daze and more...

School is off and running. Joel loves Kindergarten! He's got a huge smile for me every time he walks down the hall toward my room at the end of the day. I've been told he's a great kid in class (do you think they would fibb?), he adores his teacher, and loves library day! The "first day of school" picture here is a total sham...I took it next to Andy's bus since Joel will probably never ride one (except for field trips of course!). Other pic is from Uncle Tim and Aunt MaryAnn's visit from Alaska last week. Tim gets deployed to Iraq in September :-( Time is movin' fast around here!

This marks the end of summer...

Tuesday, we went to the State Fairgrounds for the hot-air balloon Night Glow. It's the 2nd year we've attended, and this time was even better than last! There were more balloons and the weather was perfect! The state fair always reminds me that school is starting; next week, in fact. I'm not ready. I'm a little nervous about how I'll juggle school and Masters coursework, knowing that this summer's courses were pretty intense. Anyway, here are some neat pics from Night Glow...

Garage Sale Woes

I can't believe the last time I posted was way back at the beginning of the month! I'm terrible! So, we just had our big "Going Out of Baby" garage sale and......It STUNK! I put so much hard work and planning and effort into it. I advertised, I held it "in town" at a relative's house, I priced a bazillion things, I priced to sell--not to make money, etc... It had all the wonderful baby things people go for: crib, stroller system/carseat, changing table, accessories, tons of clothes! The clientelle was few and far between. I am disgusted! What a disappointment. The only bright spot was when a new neighbor of ours showed up (after I posted an FYI on their door at 6:30am) and bought the crib/mattress! They are a very nice family and we had a good time chatting. You know, I just don't think people garage sale much anymore. You would think, with the state of the economy, that more people would be second-handing it. Has my generation ignored their bargain-hunting heritage? You know many of us grew up with that! What gives? Oh well, at least it's over and my attic load is lighter. **sigh**
By the way, anyone need a stroller/car seat system or changing table? I couldn't bear to see them dropped off at Goodwill like the rest of it...

Hanna's Big Girl Bed

Hanna's been dying to see her big girl bed on the blog, so here it is. Here are some other pics from our visit to IL last week!

Joel's New Digs

For the boy who told us he wanted to be a monster truck driver at PS graduation....a new room, complete with the best monster trucks Mommy could paint. Don't get too close or you'll notice the many flaws, but Joel couldn't be happier! Daddy built the awesome loft bed this weekend...please pray that no 2 or 5 year-olds fall off! The kids love it and Hanna is ready for her new bed and accessories NOW. She doesn't get it that we need a mattress first. She's ready to rip open her purple fairy tale bedding and throw that old crib out the window! Soon kiddo....

Still here...

I'm swimming in online master's coursework right now, but I'm aware I haven't posted in a long time. So...here are some random early summer pictures to tide us over!

Graduation Day!

Time goes so quickly! Joel graduated from preschool the other night. He was awesome! They sang songs and had to tell the audience what they wanted to be when they grew up. "A monster truck driver," he stated. This momma's so proud!

Spring at the Walton House

Joel learns proper ball-throwing procedure from Dad...








Hanna sniffs the lovely tulips in the front yard...





and, in a moment of getting along, the kids share in the torture of driveway bugs.
I love Spring...