Sunbeams

Piper and Cy are now Sunbeams!! They are so excited to be in Primary with Landon, Mia, and Logan. They have the most fabulous teacher so the adjustment has been easy! I just can't believe how big they are getting.

Happy New Year

Nothing better than spending a day playing Just Dance 2 and Mario Kart.

I should have known she was up to something when there wasn't any crying. She was happy for a brief moment so I didn't even care. Cereal bag dumped on floor, oatmeal packets opened and dumped out, and grits packets opened and dumped out. One big mess worth one minute of happiness from my cranky little girl!!

Then it was show time!!!

Logan was the drummer.

Landon jumped in on guitar.

Cy just being crazy!

Piper relaxing on Daddy's back.

And I even got a smile from Adaleigh

We had to take time for Wrestling Drills.

Then it was a must that everyone eat atleast one blackeye pea. This was an easy task for everyone but Cy. Everyone else had bowls full. Poor Cy struggled getting one down. He really wanted Sparkling Grape Juice, so we used that to get him to eat it. He is giving it his all to keep it in.

Really trying to chew

I think he swallowed it but is trying not to throw it back up.

"But Mom, I loved it!"

Despite the few who are sick we had a great start to a New Year!!

Just Relaxing

December was one full month! I always look forward to the week after Christmas to get the house back in order and relax.

Mom and Dad left Tuesday with the oldest three to go to Chattanooga. They are visiting with cousins and the boys are getting in some extra wrestling time.

I opted to stay home with the three little ones because they have not been feeling up to par. All they want to do is sit in my lap. We spent most of Tuesday on my bed all snuggled together watching tv and it hasn't been much different today. I have managed to get all the sheets washed, some embroidery done and some blogging done, but that is about it.

I have loved every minute of my snuggle time and that we haven't had to go anywhere. I am catching up on all that sleep I missed during the first 25 days of the month!!

Christmas Day

After a late night, the kids actually slept in. Cy is my early riser everyday, but did not get up till 8:30 Christmas morning. I hate to wake sleeping children even on Christmas morning, but after Cy woke up Zack said it was time to get Adaleigh up.

Waiting for Daddy to get Adaleigh.

Still sleepy but excited to see everyone!

Best attempt at all six.

Piper with her girl and boy babies, Piper and Cy, in their stroller. She is in heaven!! Mom and Dad's house will never be the same. What was Santa thinking?

Cy with Thomas

Adaleigh's Boots

The Cookie Game

I found it very hard to take pictures, video, and watch the kids open their gifts. I wish I could have captured some of the moments better, but I finally gave up and enjoyed the moment!

We had a great, relaxing Christmas Day!!

Meghan posted more pictures from Christmas Day on her blog!

Christmas Eve

I got up early Christmas Eve morning to get started on all that needed to be done that day. I wanted all the laundry done, the house cleaned, food cooked, and everything ready for Santa and his reindeer before we left for The Farm.

Landon giving each of the kids reindeer food to sprinkle on the ground.

Following Landon's specific instructions as to where to put the food.



Carrots and water for the reindeer. Boy did they leave a mess!!

Just in case Santa didn't want to come down the chimney, the kids wanted to leave Santa's magic key outside.

I think we accomplished everything I wanted to and even made it to The Farm on time. Which is a miracle for us these days!

We had a great night at The Farm. The garage was set up with trains that the kids spent hours watching. Karen even had a scavenger hunt for the kids to find things on the train set. They had a blast with this.

At dinner Karen told the kids she had discovered the Norwegian Nisse had been living at the barn. So after dinner we took a hayride to try to see if we could catch a glimpse of the Nisse. We scared him when we came up but some were able to see his boots. We did see where he had been living. He had a nice cozy place in the barn.

We spent the rest of the evening eating Norwegian porridge, blowing bubbles, playing checkers, watching the trains, and enjoying each others company.

It is never a problem to get the kids to bed on Christmas Eve because they are usually exhausted from a fun night on The Farm. Three were asleep before we even made it home. The other three followed right after we got home.

Cousin Gift Exchange

Each year the cousins draw names and give each other gifts. We gathered on Sunday, December 19 to exchange gifts. Our numbers were low this year with Mary Kathryn and her family in Utah and Trip and his family in Hong Kong. Trip came home early December for work and was able to bring their Christmas presents here and we were able to send ours home with him. Everyone was missed but those of us that were here had a good time.

Jen posted pictures from that day on her blog.

I do not have pictures of all the great things my kids received, but I will try to atleast remember what they got.

Adaleigh got the cutest brown shoes from one of the K Meredith's. She has a major shoe obsession and did not take them off for days. She also got a baby doll. Babies and shoes make that little girl happy.

Cy got a stuffed panda and some cool lights for his fingers from Chase. Chase thought the panda was perfect for Cy because they have matching bellies. Kierstyn who is the most giving child also gave each of the cousins presents. She gave Cy the CTR Boy book, t-shirt and cape.

Cy was not feeling well and I found him on the couch with his panda wearing his CTR shirt and cape.

Piper got purses and more purses from Ellie (I think). Inside one of the purses was a bracelet. Piper has an obsession with purses and bags. That girl can fill a purse fast. If something is missing, the first thing to do is check all of Piper's purses. 90% of the time you can find it there. She also got bracelets, headband, lipgloss, and a notepad from Kierstyn.

Logan got a DS game from Kyler. Logan got a DSi for Christmas so he has had fun playing his game.

Mia got a Barnes and Noble gift card. She loves to read and was so excited to be able to pick a new book out. She also got an American Girl coin purse that she got to make herself. She spend the next day sewing her coin purse. It was lots of fun. I believe Jake gave her those things. Kierstyn gave her a Chicken Soup book, bracelets, and a headband.

Landon got the coolest stamp from Hong Kong. It isn't just any stamp. It is made of famous Shou Shan stone found in Fu Jian Province. It has his name in Chinese. He loved it. He wants to take it to school to stamp his papers so he doesn't have to write his name. He has also been practicing writing his name in Chinese. He also got a Chia pet from Kierstyn.

I even got a special gift this day, pearl earrings and necklace from Hong Kong!! They are beautiful!

Wrestling Season

Wrestling season has started. I can't seem to get any of my wrestling pictures on here.

Logan has wrestled in two tournaments and Landon has wrestled in one. Logan placed 1st in his first tournament and both boys placed second in other tournament. Things will really get going after the New Year.