Abstract Art

Here is the picture Natalie colored this morning to take to her teacher with her Christmas card:

I think she did a really good job with her name (without looking at an example).

Playtime

Friday night, Nat and I went to the play put on by the community theatre, like we usually do. It was really good. There were a lot of kids in the production, and Natalie always enjoys it especially when there are kids up there.

After the play, Nat left with Gigi and Grandpa, and they stopped by to talk to the woman who wrote and directed the play. The woman remarked that Natalie was such a pretty girl and they would need to get her into a production and up on stage. Natalie says she would like to be in a play sometime. She used to say that she wouldn't want to, but now she seems to like the idea.

I'm pretty sure we've gone overboard on Christmas presents for the kids this year. I think we're subconsciously trying to compensate for last year when Christmas was sort of an afterthought, because I was kind of splitting my time between our house and trying to help at Mom and Dad's will Mom was going through the chemo. Anyway, it's going to be a long Christmas morning - and a long afternoon trying to clean up afterward.

I promise to post some pics soon. I just haven't had time for a lot of stuff I'd like to do.

Christmas Tattle-Tell

When Jeremy and I were probably almost 4 or almost 5, right at Christmas time, all of the family was gathered at our house. Jeremy and I were playing at the end of the hallway (well, the part where the L-shaped hallway turned), and he begged me to tell him what Grandma (now Gigi to the young grandkids) and Grandpa had gotten him for Christmas. I said that I wouldn't tell him, because he would just tattle on me and get me in trouble. He pleaded and PROMISED that he wouldn't tell. Of course, I told him. I think it was a watch (Superman or something). Right after I told him, he looked down at what we were playing, paused a minute, and then told me he would be right back. I knew he was tricking me and going to go tell on me. I begged him not to go into the kitchen where the women were talking. I remember running after him and getting sooooo mad when he rushed in there and told. I also remember sitting by the fireplace after I got in trouble, and my brother-in-law, Jim, said something like, "Hmmm, I guess you shouldn't have told, huh? I guess you'll learn and not fall for that again." I was so mad.

Well, Sunday, I was helping Nat get her play clothes together to go to Gigi's with Olivia while Billy and Parker and I went to pick up some stuff at Lowe's. She whispered to me what Gigi got her Daddy and me for Christmas. I told on her. I guess she'll learn her lesson.

Illegal Boarding

This past Saturday, I spent the day moving all of the furniture in the living room and cleaning under everything. We had started smelling something weird and stinky Friday night, and we couldn't figure out exactly what it was. I cleaned all of the cushion covers and all over the big chair and sofa fabrics. We couldn't pin-point the smell. It sort of moved a little as we searched. By the end of our day of thorough cleaning of the living room furniture and floor, it was much better.

Sunday morning, when Billy went into Parker's room, he smelled the horrible smell. After he told me the smell was in Parker's room really bad, and after thinking a minute, I said that the only thing in his room different was that I moved his little ride-on airplane toy back into there while we were cleaning. I told him to go look under the seat which opens up. We've found all kinds of interesting stuff in there before. Well, the smell was so disgusting it smelled like a dead animal, and that's because it was.

Thursday afternoon, I caught Parker pulling 1-lb. frozen beef packages out of the freezer. I took the one in his hand and cleaned him up and put the beef in the trash. He had put his teeth on the package. Then, I found one more on the kitchen floor and put that in the trash also. Too bad I didn't think to look in his airplane for the other one he had tried to bite into and hide.

It was so disgusting in his airplane seat compartment. The beef was spilling out of the little teeth mark holes.

Of course, Billy had to do the clean up for me. I hate being around or touching raw meat under "normal" cooking circumstances anyway, so that situation totally traumatized me. At least the mystery smell is gone.

Ornamental Death

This is an amendment to the blog I posted earlier this morning.

The total number of ornaments broken while I was out of the house for 30 minutes this morning has now been discovered to be 5 - not the 3 I reported earlier. Daddy is in trouble too!

Sleeping Angel

The christmas tree in the living room turned out really well this year, even though not all of the lights are on. We have the little train going around the tree - when the kids leave it alone. Hopefully, we'll get the other tree up in the family room next weekend. I'll post tree pics soon.

Every year (since kids arrived), my best ornaments are the ones that get broken by little hands messing around where they shouldn't be. Today, I was gone for about 30 minutes, and Olivia and Parker were home with Billy. When I got back, 3 more ornaments had been broken (good ornaments).

Children always look so sweet when they're asleep. I took a pic of Parker in his bed last week when I went in to wake him up to take Nat to school, because it was the first time I had seen him asleep in his big-boy bed by himself. Usually, he is up before I can get him. I just thought he looked so cute asleep with his bear blanket - and staying out of trouble.

Christmas Parade

Thursday night, we went to the Christmas parade.

Gigi and Grandpa took Nat to her martial arts class for us before the parade, and we met them just before the parade so we could pick up Natalie. Natalie had just seen Santa at her class. He knocked on the door and surprised them. She got to sit in his lap, and he gave her a stuffed reindeer.

The kids really enjoyed the parade. Parker especially looked so cute with his little mitten hand waving to the people in the parade. Our favorite was the tall snowman that stopped and spun around in front of us.

Cold girls.

Our favorite.

Christmas Cookies

All three of the kids got to make and decorate Christmas cookies with Gigi (my mom) Wednesday afternoon. It was originally going to be just the girls, but as a result of a series of boring-blog-content events I'll not include, it worked out that Parker went also. I stayed and took some pics and tried to get some Christmas music recorded on my composing piano while the kids decorated. I didn't get much done, because it was too hard to focus.

Gigi's oven was messed up for some reason, so she had to carry the cookies over to the other house to bake them. A few of them got burned, because we didn't wait in the other house while they baked.

The kids did a really good job with the cookies. Parker was very serious about his cutting out the cookies and frosting and decorating them. He clapped after each one just a little bit and then moved on to the next. The girls wore their aprons that Gigi made for them, but Parker doesn't have an apron, so he just went shirtless. He actually didn't even make a big mess decorating like I thought he might. I didn't get a photo of all of the finished cookies on the tray, but they were really pretty (and yummy).

Playing in the flour.

Serious Cookie Cutting.

Serious Frosting (with sun in his eyes).

Some of the first ones. The finished product looked really pretty. I just didn't get a chance to take a photo of the full tray before they started being eaten.

Flying High

Monday started out a typical day...Natalie went to school; Parker and Olivia were trashing the house; I was overwhelmed and tired and busy...

Ninny (Billy's mom) called in the late morning to ask if she could pick up Natalie from school a little early so that she could go flying. I said that would be okay, and I asked what time they were flying. After I said she could go, I knew that my dad would be disappointed because he was waiting to be the first one to take Natalie up in his plane, but I hated for her to miss the opportunity to go with Ninny. Anyway, she was supposed to go around 11:30, and when it was around 11:00, I decided that I would put coats on Olivia and Parker and try to make it to the airport in time to photograph Nat's first plane ride. I rushed around to get us there, and it turned out that the pilot wasn't going to be there until 12:00, so I would have had plenty of time to get us ready properly. The kids were a mess, and Parker didn't even have shoes on.

Well, as I sort of expected, my mom and dad showed up to see Natalie's first flight. Of course, Dad had to inspect "the other guy's" plane and talk airplane talk with the guys for a while. Papa (Billy's dad) went to the store to get Parker a pair of shoes while we waited. Bart (plane owner and friend) said that Olivia and Parker could fly after Natalie got back, if they wanted to.

So, Natalie went for her first small plane ride with the pilot and two friends who work with Ninny. She loved it. It was probably actually a good thing that she went up in the air for the first time with someone else in the plane besides the pilot, because when she goes up with Grandpa, it will be just the two of them. Now, she knows what to expect.

After Natalie's flight, Olivia and Parker were ready to fly. Of course, I had to go with Parker because he would have freaked out when he realized that I was staying on the ground while he went up. Then, there was going to be an extra seat, so of course Dad had to ride along. He said he hated to see an empty seat. Parker loves airplanes, and he was thrilled to be there. It's so exhilarating as you taxi and get ready to lift in a small plane. It reminded me how much I'd like to take lessons and get my pilot's license. It's just so expensive and time consuming - maybe when the kids are older. I saw our house from the air, and I discovered that the CLEET facility (law enforcement training) has a massive concrete slab that they must use for driving training. I so badly want to get out there on it and do some "stunt" driving.

So, Natalie didn't seem at all surprised to be taken out of school early to go for her first flight. She's used to spontaneous plan changes. I'm getting used to it because I have to with the kids. It really was a fun day, even if I didn't plan it. :)

Waiting for Grandpa to finish his inspection of the plane.

Nat was getting ready to board, and I yelled for her to look over at me. She raised her hand up in a peace sign as she looked over at me. I happened to catch it. I was giggling. She looked like a celebrity. I think she's probably seen them do that to the paparazzi or something. It was just funny. She just did it like she always gets photographed boarding a plane.

Saying a prayer, I think.

Getting Started.

Taxi.

In the air (sort of an obvious caption, huh?).

Christmas Cut

I'm taking the time for a little blog - just for you who have been complaining of the absence of a blog lately.

I'm so overwhelmed with everything I need to get done right now. I have so much to do before we can get the Christmas trees up, etc. We have all of the shopping done for the kids, at least. We finished earlier tonight.

I cut my hair last night - finally. I had more than enough length in the ponytail I cut to donate to Locks of Love. I cut about 14 inches. It was so long. Now, my hair doesn't get caught in the car door when I get in, and I don't get it stuck under me when I turn over in bed. It's way better. Billy likes the cut. It's kind of a choppy, shoulder-length thing. I might post a pic on here soon.

So, I don't think anything exciting has happened since my last blog. At least not anything that most of you who read this don't already know - like the fun Thanksgiving activities, the Mickey Mouse taco buffet birthday party, winning the lottery, etc. Too bad the lottery part is made up.

I made a really pretty bell wreath thing for Billy's uncle today. He wanted one that looked like something he saw in a book. I never got his Thanksgiving wreath done for him, so at least the Christmas one is out of the way. I also got the priming done on the new sheetrock in the family room finally. Did some laundry, finished the Christmas shopping, went out to dinner with Billy, made some to-do-list changes. See, do you really want a blog when nothing blog-worthy has been happening?

I'll try to be exciting this week, so you can enjoy reading an excitement-filled blog soon. I'll post some pics so you don't suffer a complete let-down.

My guys asleep on the couch after Thanksgiving, as I was going out to play black-light indoor mini golf with my sisters and a favorite neice.

Stealing turkey (YUCK!) before Thanksgiving dinner.

Playing around with Daddy. (Upside down with gum in his mouth - an obvious choking hazard!)