Christmas Part 1

This year we celebrated Christmas with my dad and sisters the weekend before Christmas. Here are a few pictures from the weekend. For some reason my sister Crystal couldn't come down on Saturday, but she was, however, able to send her two kids with my dad! Jaxen is four and Ella is two. So for one night Adam and I had: 1 four year old, 1 three year old, 1 two year old, and 3 one year olds! Yikes!!! All in all though it went very well and the kids had a great time. 

Here the kids are at supper time. Pizza and apples! Jaxen gave it a thumbs up.

Here Ella is dumping out all the toys she can find.

Aunt Crystal even sent a box of their old toys with the kids. So we know own a very cute Mickey Mouse race track that doesn't stay together for more then five minutes. Thanks Aunt Cystallll!



Now Ella Ray is getting some help from Hayden and Jonathan.



Hey, everyone, look over here!
L to R: Jonathan, Ella, Hayden, Jaxen, Olivia and Hannah

Okay, now lets all sit on the ledge and look over here.

Opening Christmas presents at Theresa's house. Jonathan is more interested in the electronics.
L to R: Kait, Rachel, Maddy, Jonathan and Ella

Liv got a really cute barbie doll and Ella was very, VERY jealous.

In this picture is Uncle Jack, Jaxen and on the floor is Matt.
If you look on the table you can see a glass of wine. More on that in a minute.

Sometime after this picture was taken two things happened. The first: Jonathan disappeared and my sister, Crystal, found him upstairs, OUTSIDE, in the snow with just his socks and normal clothes on, looking OVER the retaining wall!!! He was fine and was acting like it was no big deal, I was freaking out about all the "what ifs" that could have happen! Can you even IMAGINE?! Right before that had happened I had started doing a head count of my children, "Okay, there is one and two (Olivia and Hannah), now where is three and four (Hayden and Jonathan)?" We were all downstairs, so I looked in the toy room, in the spare bedroom, behind the bar, in the dear head room, and the finally the lower garage. Three and four were nowhere in site! I was starting to panic and head up the stairs when here comes Crystal carrying Jonathan down the stairs. His cheeks are red and his hands and feet are cold and wet, but he is happy. So wait, now you asking, "What about Hayden?" Well , when Crys came up the stairs to go out to her car she found Hayden standing in front of the door trying to shut it. So now I am convinced that these two little buggers went up the stairs together to snoop around and somehow Hayden talked Jonathan into going outside and so she could lock him out! I'm just glad that my sister decided to go out to her car when she did, because I hate to think of the "what ifs"!

Okay so that was the first thing that happened and now here is the second: Hayden climbs up on the chair next to the table and tries to drink a glass a wine that was left there. I actually saw the whole thing from across the room and when I saw her reach for the glass I started yelling, which is why she probably ended up spilling it all down the front of her instead of drinking it. Nice.
After that I was done and it was time to go home. I am so thankful that things didn't end up any worse, and I am also thankful that we only have "one, two, three and four."

Potty Meyhem

Oh drama! Well, not long after Hannah used the potty chair Hayden decided she needed to use it too. Both have actually only peed in it once, but here is were the drama lies... The potty I have has a lid, you can use the seat on your normal potty, and it plays music if you pee in it. While all of these things were great with Liv I am finding them to be a nuisance with the others. If I take more then one back at a time they try to push each other off, or will try to close the lid while someone is still on it. Then they are also trying to take off the seat to dump the pee (the pee is imaginary because no one is actually going in it) which is annoying as well. But all of these things can be handled. What is really driving me insane is when I put on their clothes and not two minutes later Hayden is undressed from the waste down. And as soon as Hannah sees this she starts pulling her clothes too. I CAN NOT keep a diaper on either one of these girls! But it doesn't stop there. Ohhh no! The new favorite thing is to take off your diaper while you are suppose to be napping and then peeing, and if I'm really lucky, pooping on your bed. Let me tell you, it is no fun cleaning up poopy cribs everyday!



Hayden giving the potty a try!

Hayden.

Hannah.



I hope this stage passes fast! I don't know how long I can take it! But there is some good news! Jonathan doesn't seem to be playing along with their new scheme to drive mom completely bonkers! Oh Big Boy, how I love you!

Somersaults

Olivia has been attending Somersaults on and off now since she turned 18 months. At times, as a parent, it has been trying...patience and all. Until they turn 3 they have to be accompanied by an adult. Now that Liv can go into the room by herself it has been much better. At least for me that is! I don't know how those teachers do it but they seem to do a pretty good job at keeping the kids in check. This was at the end of the semester so they had a special parents day where you can come in and take pictures. Olivia has come a long way, but I think we are going to take the spring semester off and maybe come back in the summer. If she wants too that is.

Somersaults down the ramp into the blocks. They were pretending it was a snowman.

Olivia is working on her cartwheel and the teacher is working on not getting kicked in the head.

I caught the perfect somersault through the hanging hula hoop on camera. Look at that form!

Carrying the stuffed animals up the balance beam to shoot them in the basket.

Mom, I made it into the basket!

Going skiing.

Jumping on the mini tramp. Below is some video of  her on the trampoline. They could jump however they wanted to, but they had to sing Christmas songs while doing it. She sang Jingle Bells.



If you climb up the rope in the back you get go down the slide.



How high can you get your legs up?

Olivia hates having to spin around the bars so the teachers try to improvise with her.

Swinging from a bar to kick blocks she had stacked.

Look mom a bridge.

Somersaults.

Batman in Elmo Boots

Going to get a snack.

After a little snack Bat-Elmo and Hayden are off on a mission.

Hannah Goes Potty in the Potty Chair

For a few weeks Hannah has been telling me "pee-pee" and "poopy" and pulling on her diaper. Not getting my hopes up, I introduced her to Liv's old potty chair. And like I suspected nothing happened but she loved sitting on it. About a week later after supper she started pulling on her diaper saying "pee-pee" and she started heading toward my room. Our door to our room is always shut. No one under 2 is allowed, but we do have the potty in our bathroom. Since it was right before bath time I thought we could give it a try so I sent her in with Adam. A minute later he comes out and says she actually went! We were all so proud of her!



Here she is on the potty! One day she may kill me for this, but I'm just so proud of her!



It's not much but I'll take it!

I'm not going to get my hopes up and expect this to be the end of diapers for all, but it is a reminder that diapers aren't forever, and my babies won't be babies forever either. :(

All Bundled Up

It was a half way warm December day so I had Nicole bundle the kids up and let them loose.



Hayden and Liv.

 

Hannah



I think Jonathan is either mad that Hannah took Cole's phone from him, or because he is wearing girls mittens and some ridiculous hat that his mom thought was really cute.

Great Grandma Powell and Aunt Aubrey's Birthday Celebration


A surprise party for Olivia's Aunt Aubrey was held at Great Grandma's retirement place. Their birthdays are back-to-back so they do usually celebrate them together. Aubrey had just gotten back from Cayman so we had rum cakes and ice cream for dessert. It was a good time and the kids had a lot of fun playing the piano with Great Grandma P.

Great Grandma Powell, Aubrey and Olivia



Mom, I promise I wasn't going to hide this empty water bottle in these pretty flowers. Promise.

Grandma just figured out that those are trick candles in her rum cake.



Hayden, Hannah, Great Grandma and Olivia playing the piano!



Great Grandma with Hannah and Hayden.

Its hard to believe grandma is 96 years old!  Amazing!!!

First Snow

On the weekend we had our first good snow Olivia was really excited to go out and play. So her and Adam got all bundled up and had some fun in the snow.

Mom I'm ready to go outside now!

Cleaning off Grandma's car.

Dad's helping too!

Look, I'm shoveling the sidewalk!

Wondering whats going on out there. 

Hannah and Hayden watching dad and Liv shoveling snow

Dad got Olivia this cool sled.

Dad making sure Olivia's buckled in before they go down the big hill!

Down the hill they go

Wee!!!!

Down the road to our house.

They played outside for awhile but mom had to come in because she was getting COLD!