Welcome Tooth Fairy!

You know that grin from the other night? Well, now Joel's got his first gap in that grin. Today, Andy used a piece of floss to "convince" that last thread to break loose. A good salt-water rinse later and we have an excited 5 year-old who's anxiously awaiting the Tooth Fairy tonight. He can't wait to tell all his friends at school, too!

Thank you!

Joel says a great big "thank you" to Uncle Jason, Aunt Wendy, and Cousin Rylee for his awesome birthday gift that arrived in the mail today! That grin hasn't moved since opening the manilla envelope. Next Saturday, Joel gets to go see Monster Jam at the Lucas Oil Stadium. This is his 2nd year for this event and, as you can see, his first experience had a lasting impact. (but at least I don't have to paint his room again after this experience!) So.... now to plan what Grandma, Hanna, and I will be doing that night... :0)

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!