Only in December...

ONLY in the middle of December will you see my daughter in this swimsuit!

ONLY in the South would she be in a swimsuit in the middle of December!

You will NEVER see my daughter in this suit again!

This suit WILL be too small by this summer!!!!

Annual Christukkahnza Party

Why we keep having this Annual Christukkahnza Party...







1. to pass on our love of good food!
(Charissa's yule log)






2. because they still believe in santa
(and don't realize that it's their papa under that suit)!









3. to share stories and traditions!
(Ella reading to us about the festival of lights)








5. to pass on our love of good food(did I already mention that?)!





6. because we can always use more handmade ornaments!
(cute four years old who can write their own names)






7. to play games!
(spin the... dreidel)







8. to pass on our love of good food (noticing a theme here?)!









9. because every mom needs a picture like this (poor baby also didn't realize it was his papa under that suit)!







10. look at this group... that's reason enough for me!

Helmet Head

our "absolutely-way-too-many-kids-in-one-place Annual Christukkahnza Party" is tomorrow.

and it's my year to hostess.

needless to say we spent all day cleaning up.

even our sideporch is clean.

my eldest dutifully cleaned at my side.

my daughter wanted to help.

"Mama what can I doooooo?"

"please put those brushes in the paint supplies basket"

"MOM, I DID NOT get those out!!!"

thanks, B!

the baby slept through the whole thing

and then I found him after his nap on the clean porch.

he somehow got a helmet off a hook, put it on and was driving his favorite car.

he loves his helmet and he LOVES that car.

what kid doesn't?

if I had five of them someone would still want a turn.

and yes, he was still wearing his superman PJ's at four in the afternoon.

it was one of THOSE days.

I'll let you know how the party goes...

bon voyage

my brother and his wife just left for Uganda

be YOUNG and adventurous for all us settled people

we'll miss you guys

don't worry, we'll take good care of Alice

and keep an watch out for us

you never know when ticket prices may plummet...

here they are with the kids the night before they left

don't you just love Auntie Linda's red stove?

Having a Ball?

do you see that cute guy?

that is my husband, the Coach,

and he is such a great dad!

he will bounce the baby on that ball for hours every day

you have no idea what a relief this is

you really don't

isn't he sweet?

Her First Ballet

we took B to see her first ballet, The Nutcracker

in her white dress looking a lot like Clara herself
see that sweet face waiting for the performance to begin

she assured me that she wasn't scared at all
but Judah, her imaginary friend, was a little worried about the mice
her grandparents surprised her by showing up from out of town to attend
I know my mother couldn't bear to miss it
amazingly I sat in the same auditorium twenty-nine years ago to watch my first ballet
I do not have a lot of childhood memories that I share with my kids
her big brother surprised us by coming along and even wearing a tie
he's seen it four times now yet sat on the edge of his seat for two hours once again
that boy does have a theatrical flair
B sat on my lap as still as she could, which wasn't very still,
and although I couldn't see her face I could tell she was entranced
I watched the back of her head for two hours
but it's such a cute little head I can't say that i minded one little bit
I've seen The Nutcracker before
how many times now...

p.s. when we got home the baby wanted to know where his "cracker" was????

Chainsaw Tree Massacre

every year we trot off to find "the perfect tree"
the coach and I try to decide whether or not our tree will fit in the living room
I like ones that are really big
(well, we never had a big one growing up...
except for that one that we planted in the yard
my parents were going to use it again the next year
unfortunately it was too tall the next year
I think it's still living in that tiny yard of ours in Japan)
so the coach uses a hand saw to take it down
this takes a long time...
I usually hold two cold babies and wonder if we should have just gone to Lowes
not this year
his dad decided to bring the chainsaw
we found the tree then out came the saw
the boys were mesmerized
maybe it was over a little too quickly though
so we visited the animals in the barn, loaded up and headed home

the other highlight of the trip? riding in pop's truck
no, they did not ride home back there
yes, we do live in the south but there are some limits!

we had to saw another foot off the tree at home
Coach had been right again

it was too tall...

Mini Minnie Mouse

My best friend has gifts, real gifts
among which is pulling off the best children's birthday parties

not just coming up with great ideas but executing them too

down to the most awesome goodie bags ever
the theme this year for her two year old daughter?
her favorite character - Minnie Mouse!
some of the highlights

for me - the ears, mickey shaped pasta and pizzas

the kids - the gigantic minnie lollipops

I don't think anyone slept that night they and so much sugar in their systems

still they LOVED their pops!

Thanks for another wonderful party Auntie D!

That's my baby!

It's time for the baby to move on to a big boy bed
so I snuck in right as he was waking up and snapped a shot of him in the crib
he opened his eyes, gazed up at me and I expected him to howl in protest
instead he flashed a huge grin and said "cheese"
is there anything sweeter than the face of a baby who has just woken up?
maybe their warm little necks and stinky drool breath?
he was just so cute!
I could not stop taking pictures
but he was out of cheeseslook at how long he has gotten
but he is still such a baby and when I really think about it why am I in such a rush
does he really need to be in that big boy bed?

and please don't remind him that he spent the first year of his life sleeping in a room with pink wall paper because someday I'll figure out how to change the background on those photos
he never has to know...

Art is not about art.

we've been watching it rain all morning

Mama wanted to get out of the house

Coach decided it was day for the art museum

bundled up we headed out

I didn't look at a single piece

the kids were the art I wanted to see

it was our first trip with all three in tow

the baby scurried around

B asked questions, questions, questions

boy, she wears me out!

sweet Coach, he buffered and answered

then there was my little sketcher...

wandering around, copying this portrait, drawing that sculpture

can it be that he too was once a little scurrying baby

and an all to eager three year old?

at the end of an hour his sketch book was full

moving on to the hot chocolate at a nearby cafe - it was snowing!!!!

unheard of for our small corner of the world

global warming? ha!

maybe it will be a white Christmas?

Pardon me... is that THE Chattanooga Choo Choo?

time to celebrate Black Friday

The Coach, my husband, has to work 50 plus hours this Thanksgiving weekend

a slight exaggeration but, we have a lot of time to kill
to indulge our one year old's obsession with trains

we went for a ride on THE Chatanooga Choo Choo!
steam locomo extraordinare!

the baby must have said "choo choo" a hundred times

B just wanted to know when we could eat our snack

mama was reminded of our country's history

yes that does say "COLORED" behind us!

and we were all filthy by the time we got off

filthy, tired, and happy...

time for dinner and a bath

now, what's on the agenda for tomorrow????

Pumpkin Pie

B made her first pie
complete in her brother's apron and panties sewed by Ba
she only cried once
probably less tears shed than the average first pie making experience
I scolded her because she had her hand in the sugar bowl
she does have a sweet tooth
the pies were lovely
I've been eating them at every meal
pumpkin pie and spice tea - one of my favorite breakfasts


and just 'cause he's so cute...
the baby eating a little pre-meal snack


also... my big boy helping me prep the turkey in his pajamas
and yes he does have his sister's purple headband on

I scream, You say cheese!

we tried for a Christmas photo
the result? everyone got a treat
mama did not get a photo
say cheese!
happy holidays?