More Family Photos

This time our friend Mandy gave us a free photo shoot - hooray! It was a very bright, very windy day, but we managed to get some nice shots nonetheless. And the kids were startlingly cooperative.

All Hail Aslan

Caleb & Madi are absolutely obsessed with "The Chronicles of Narnia." They are constantly enacting scenes from the books and movies. Unfortunately, one of Madi's favorite scenes is when the White Witch grabs Edmund by the face and squeezes his cheeks; Madi likes to do this to me often. They refer to Matt as Peter, me as Susan, Caleb as Edmund, and Madi as Lucy. And they have designated Richard as Aslan. The other day Caleb decided that Richard needed a mane. He gathered some supplies and created a mane all on his own. Then he put it on Richard, who was not a completely willing Aslan. The mane did not last long.

Happy 100s Day!

We celebrated the 100th day of school this year (we followed along with the pace of Steph's kindergarten class). Apparently 100s day is all the rage in schools these days, so there were plenty of ideas for 100s day activities. First, we made a trail mix that consisted of 100 items (10 each of 10 different foods). This was a big hit! Then we made a paper chain with 100 links (10 of each color). Caleb really got into this, but it was a little complicated for Madi and her friend J. Later, Caleb raced to write his name as many times as possible in 100 seconds. And to cap it off, we popped 100 kernels of popcorn (turns out that this is not much popcorn). It was a fun day and hopefully the kids learned to count a little better in the process.

Caleb the Hero

Caleb did a great thing recently. While I was in the shower, I overhead him shouting, "Stay in the chair Madi! Just stay in the chair!" When I came out, I found a barefoot Madi sitting in a chair that was surrounded by shards of broken glass. She had been "exploring" in the kitchen and had broken a glass. Caleb had ensured that she sat in the chair until I could clean the glass, thus saving her from a near certainty of bloody wounds. Meanwhile, Caleb stayed out of the glass himself. Good boy Caleb...THANK YOU!

Caleb Quote O' the Day

Madi, accustomed to many handmade goods, asked me who made her sweater. I looked at the tag and informed her that someone in China made it for her. At this point, Caleb started shouting, "Oh! Madi, stop tugging on it! It can break easily...things made in China can break easily!"

Another Round of Merry Christmas!

Caleb and Madi enjoyed celebrating Christmas with GaGa Karen and Papa Ricky over New Year's.

Gingerbread House Decorating

They are really beginning to do well with the Gingerbread House decorating. The only problem is that they want to eat it as soon as they finish decorating it.

Madi the Manipulator

Along with pouty lips and pathetic whines, Madi has now added religion to her toolbox of manipulation. She ate her entire bag of crackers and then expected Caleb to share his. When he refused, she said, "Jesus wants us to share."

Warning: Disgusting Potty Humor

I walked into the bathroom and found Madi sitting on the toilet. She started singing, "Happy Birthday to You" and when she was finished with the song, jumped up and said, "Tada! Here's your presenent!" as she pointed to the contents of the toilet. Gross!

Feliz Navidad

Christmas morning at home...what a rare treat! The stocking photos are not staged. Have you ever seen 2 people more excited to get toothbrushes? We had a lovely Christmas.

Christmas Stockings

I cannot recommend making your own Christmas stockings. These took me most of the Advent season, and you can probably find similar ones at Hobby Lobby for $5.

Early Christmas

Early Christmas with GaGa Brenda, Papa Jerry, aunts, uncles, and toddler Christian. Madi attempts to put on a record number of accessories.

Our Christmas photo session courtesy of our sweet neighbor Chantal. Two of the kids' friends hopped in for some pics at the end.

We toured a historic home that was decorated for Christmas. The kids were surprisingly into it, though Madi was terrified of the giant Santa and Gingerbread Man that roamed the grounds. On the plus side, they served wassail, hot cocoa, and cookies.