Christmas Events

We have been having lots of fun this December. After our Tulsa Christmas, we had a house full of friends over to bake cookies! Well, that's what the moms did. Each mom brought her favorite recipe and the ingredients to make them. My kitchen was busy for hours but it was so much fun to share baking time with such great women!

The kids painted ornaments, made Christmas trees with sugar cones, frosting and M&Ms, some watched Polar Express and then I think everyone spent some time outside chasing Brendan!

Last week, we went to the My Help Co-op Christmas Party on Monday. Crafts, pizza and book exchanges were the events for the party.

Wednesday, we took Granny and PawPaw to see Christmas lights, celebrating Granny's birthday, as well. We went to the Yukon park for a fun display and then we spent some time driving around the Chesapeake lights. The Chesapeake lights are such beautiful!

Friday, we had our Piedmont Co-op party. That party mostly just involved food after Cam's PE time and before Bren's. No pictures of that party.

Saturday was my mom's annual Cookie Exchange. Just look at all these cookies!!!

This is our main get together for mom's side of the family and it's always good to see everyone, eat brisket and lots of cookies!

Oh, and look! A picture of my big belly! Christmas Day will put me at 32 weeks! Although some days my body feels ready, my mind knows not to rush this one by wishing the due date to hurry!
Sunday we had brunch and our Christmas Service at church and last night we went caroling with our church members before sharing communion and visiting over snacks.

It has been a busy December. We've had colds and other virus floating around and hopefully we're done with those! We are looking forward to Christmas with family and a relaxing week before the New Year begins!

Merry Christmas!

Tulsa Christmas

We recently went to Tulsa to visit Gramma and Grampa Polliard plus aunts and uncles. We left right after JC's last day of teaching and celebrated at Johnny Carino's before driving up and checking into the kids favorite hotel (now a Wyndham). Although mom & dad prefer free breakfast, the boys prefer fun at the pool! This Wyndham has a great mini-water park and it is a lot of fun.

Unfortunately, I had so much going on before we left that I managed to leave my camera at home. These pictures are from Bren's iPod and aren't the best quality. I was hoping to get some family photos from Gramma but I haven't yet. We had a great visit.

18 months old!

Little Miss is 18 months old today. A year and a half. Time is such a weird thing. It has gone by fast, but she seems like she's been a part of our family forever.

Cait loves to read, especially about animals. She makes a great MEOW sound. She is learning to say all of the animals and their sounds.
She makes school time a challenge, especially when I'm trying to read to the boys. This morning {above} she actually was pretty quiet!
She is full of mischief and always busy. She still loves shoes and she loves having her hair brushed.

She loves "playing" with Cam's electronics, and mommy's computer.
She's so big but sometimes still such a little one.

She is, of course, creative in her mess making. I just loved watching her fill her tea cup with water from a sippy cup then drinking it.
And she loves to help. Well, we call it help. She likes to unload the dryer (regardless of if it is clean or dirty) and reorganize the silverware drawer, among other things.
She talks up a storm and is really good at telling us what she wants. She has even learned "mine" recently. What fun!

My mom & sisters

Back in September, mom treated my sisters and I to tea. We went to a lovely tea house in Edmond and had a delightful, yummy lunch and tea.

These pictures got lost in the shuffle but I just wanted to show off the pretty gals in my family. Thanks again, mom, for the yummy treat!

November tidbits

November has come and gone. With it has come the excitement of a wonderful job offer for JC. There has been lots of anticipation around our house!

The kids had a fun time shopping to fill shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child. We enjoy participating in this Christmas giving with the Tinker's church in Carnegie. Each kid selects and packs a shoe box for another child their age. Even Cait helped this year!

Cam & Cait have been having a lot of morning fun playing legos at the counter. Cait can move a kitchen chair up to the counter so that she can climb the stool and sit with her brother. Nothing is safe anymore!!! At least she is putting less things in her mouth these days!

I've been looking for play clothes for Cait, because she gets SO dirty outside, and I thought these overalls are just so cute on her! The next picture shows the kitchen chair she moved to the stool so she could get brother's breakfast and drink! She's pleased with herself!

Brendan's pumpkin got hit with some throwing knives (I seriously did not know there was such a thing until recently!) and is shedding a tear. It was sad to get the boot to the trash can!

We had a wonderful and delicious Thanksgiving at my mom's house. We are thankful that the Tinkers join us for the day. We also enjoyed the day with my grandparents and two of my sisters with their families. Unfortunately, Cam came down with a fever shortly after dinner.

He had his fever for 3 days then Cait had it for three days. Coughs showed up after the fevers but I think we're finally healthy again!

JC's first day of work is today. We really don't know a lot about the job except that he will be a software specialist. It is a very big advancement for JC!

The kids and I are wrapping up school for the semester so we can take a Christmas break. We have plans to bake cookies, go on some field trips and maybe even just be lazy!

I give up!

Really, Cam? I think my days of taking family pictures are over...

The kids-just this & that

Well, things are busy as normal around here. I've snapped a shot or two here and there and just haven't gotten them posted lately.

Cam & Cait watching something on the computer. Early morning cartoons via Netflix! {Below} Cam & Cait jump on Brendan, providing everyone with just a little bit of entertainment and laughs!
Cameron got a hold of colored tape scraps and decorated his face while working with geo-shapes for school!
Cait loves for her brothers to build towers and castles for her... so she can destroy them!
Cam's newest costume, purchased at an after-halloween sale. Watch out!

Another Pinterest idea: Cloud Clay. Not a good idea if you want to keep the house-or the children-clean. However, it did provide about an hour of uninterrupted play time! Just flour and baby oil and it's a little like the play moon sand. Also, not the best idea for a little one who MUST taste EVERYTHING! Geesh, child!

Oh, how she loves to climb. {Above} "I'm caught" {Below} "Smile for mommy" pose
I've been trying to think of things to keep these two happy and busy while the big fella and I do school work or while I work on freezer meals or Christmas crafts. Painting is another, messy, not-good-to-taste, activity!
Cait loves watching her shows on my computer. She especially loves it when she's in reach of the keyboard!
Hanging out in big brother's game chair while he cleans up his room (the only reason they're ALLOWED in the game chair!)
Cait LOVES shoes. It doesn't matter whose. We have a sack of too-big shoes for Cait in the closet and some days I'll get it out just for her to play with them. Her favorite pair is a pair of those squeaky (Wee Squeak) from my friend Sara. She loves running around squeaking in them.