Sick

We're sick. Ranging from stuffy noses to hacking coughs and high temperatures. We've put ourselves on quarantine which makes cabin fever eminent. The kids are fighting over new toys and old toys. We are trying to clean up Christmas stuff everywhere and wiping noses, when all I really want to do is take 3 Tylenol PM and wake up in a week. 3 more days until the end of Christmas break for me and I think I will need every last minute to pull it together for my first graders. Oh, and did I mention Benny got stitches? He was wrestling with Tate and hit his head by the wood stove. I got to take everyone to the doctor's office by myself in bloody pajamas. At least that was before I got sick and became such a whiner. Going out with a bang, 2012!

Our Christmas Card

A little late, but just wanted to post for fun since we worked on it forever! The theme was A Charlie Brown Christmas! The front of the card was Lucy

Then on the inside was Charlie talking with Linus, saying "doesn't anyone know what Christmas is all about?"

Then Linus says, "Sure Charlie Brown, I can tell you what Christmas is all about..."

Then on the back is the kids singing around the Charlie Brown tree!

Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!

Angels

Gracie and Tate got to be in the high schoolo play "the Best Christmas Pageant Ever" and don their costumes again for their Pre-K Christmas concert at school with the "big kids" (kindergarteners and 1st graders). It was sort of exhausting shutting them to rehearsals and all that, but so worth it. Gracie made it clear nobody was allowed to cheer for her or smile at her, but Tate gladly takes her portion. He blew kisses to us and waved between songs.

Another Milestone

I came to pick Tate and Gracie up from school and noticed he was wearing different pants than what I sent him in. His teacher told me that he had a little incident in the bathroom. I sighed and said ok, then she mumbles under her breath "and he walked into class naked."

Open mouthed shock.

Whaaaaaa? She said she thinks he got confused and just came back to class. "But don't worry, as soon as we saw him we scooped him up and took him to another room!" It doesn't help that his merciless and chatty twin sister saw him as well as 14 other four year olds who giggle and squeal just hearing the word underwear.
Thankfully, he really seemed unaffected. Like I was talking about him leaving his coat on the playground, "oh THAT incident". I got the full-ish story out of him though and it seems he went to the stall and there was no toilet paper, so he thought this meant he would have to hold it. So he went to the sink and grabbed a wad of paper towels and "put them on his privates and then couldn't stop it." So then his pants and everything were all wet and he couldn't go back to class with wet pants. That would be yucky and embarassing. So he stripped fully from the waist down and strolled through the hallway past 3 kindergarten classrooms(!) back to class. He walked in the door and they scopped him up. Unfortunately, we used his emergency clothes last month when he went down a wet slide, so he had to use another boys pants and Gracie's underwear for the rest of the day. You would think he'd have enough sense not to admit that detail to anyone, but alas. Gracie was quite chatty about that too.
Fortunately, we ARE talking about 4 year olds and their memories and short and fleeting. If this happened in 2nd grade, you'd better believe he'd be assigned a painful nickname for the next 5 years. A Pre-k kid can get away with a little streaking at school. But I had to write it down, for my memories and of course, to delight his sister.

Santa Letters

We've tried to write letters before, but it never really got through. This was the first time that we sat down and I wrote down exactly what they wanted to say to Santa. I thought I should post them here for posterity.
Gracie, Age 4

Tate, Age 4

Benny, Age 3

I love that Benny said I love you to Santa and Gracie cracked us up with the whole "this Haney is named Gracie" thing. I'm realizing that this whole believing in Santa window could be very short. We've been waiting for them to be old enough to get it, and I know many 5 and 6 year olds who are already over it. I am praying we get a few more years. There is nothing like it. We left our letter with Ernie (our elf) last night to take to Santa for us. Why would we waste a stamp when he goes every night? In a couple of days we'll see if Santa answers.

Picture Post

It's been a pretty good weekend.

My favorite quote is the new verse to Frosty the Snowman tyhat Gracie made up "Frosty the snowman was as big as he could be. The windows shine and the children mind because nobody wants to sneeze!" Um...catchy.

Long Weekend

We had a much needed long weekend and quality family time over the holiday. Thanksgiving proved to be terrifying cooking for 16 people, but overall the meal was a great success (just don't ask my husband about how much salt was in his gravy).

G and T drew pictures of our Thanksgiving dinner at school today. I don't think they actually did eat anything except rolls and pie.

It's funny to see the difference in perception of how many people were there. Gracie also noted her favorite grandma Heather who actually doesn't exist. She has an aunt Heather who wasn't there, but how much can you ask from a 4 year old.

The day after we stayed in pj's all day-HEAVEN. We watched movies and got out Christmas decorations. Very low key, just the way I like it. Saturday we went for it and cut down a tree at a local farm. We haven't done this before, so it was a step towards Daddy's Griswold Family Christmas dreams. The kids had a great time running through the trees finding the 'perfect one'. Gracie and Tater loved all of them. Benny of course didn't like any and wanted to leave. He also wants pie for breakfast, so we can't win with him.

Then it was time to decorate and the season has been in full swing ever since! We are watching movies and drinking hot cocoa with reckless abandon. I love it.

I Was Vewy Thowsty

Report from daycare: Benny was caught twice drinking water from the toilet with his hands. Daddy: Gross buddy, don't do that! Benny: I stuck my finger up my bum, too. Thankful for Purel today.

Thankful

'Tis the season for thanks and I am really trying to focus on enjoying our little blessings this week.

Instead of how fat I feel, I am thankful for a halthy and strong body that allows me to do anything I want.

Instead of how messy my house is, I am thankful for our abundance toys and clothes to entertain and warm our little ones.

Instead of how many bills we have, I am thankful that we both have jobs and can afford what many cannot.

Instead of headaches from noise all day long, I am thankful for the little voice that just yelled down the stairs "Mommy, Gracie, Tater come eat pancakes!"

Instead of feeling too busy, I am thankful for quiet moments of being present with my kids. We read, we enter Gracie's new dog house she built and compliment her decorations of sharpie on the basketball hoop/front door.

Instead of Benny's nightly battle for bed, I am thankful for a safe warm place for my family to sleep.

Instead of sunday morning obligation, I am thankful for worship, faith and those that teach my kids about Jesus' love.

Another little voice is calling! "Mama! What do I smell like?! Like pancakes you are missing!" ha ha. Time to go!

Gracie Reads a book

Ok it's obviously memorized, but still cute to me. Click to watch!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Doc McStuffins, a hamburger, and a racecar driver. We had a great time trick or trating around the neighborhood with friends, and even visited Gracie and Tate's teacher's house! Such a thrill to see her! Gracie only slightly mortified us by asking where Mrs. Goheen's husband was and if he "got dead". Good Lord, this girl...

Aaaaand...the morning after:

Classic.

First Pets

The kids have been working hard to earn their next reward on their reward chart, which was gold fish. We went to the pet store yesterday and it turns out you can't just buy cheap fish in a bowl anymore?! Any way we figured it we'd need expensive tanks for all three or cheap ones for individuals plus accessories. We ended up going with betas in hopes that they last longer than a week. I was an idiot and said something about not dropping the fish in the store or they'd die, so now Tate has been obsessing with the thought that any second his fish will just drop dead. Awesome. Luckily they bought the amended version of the story where the fish only die until you flush them and they they find the ocean and come back to life...

Here they are!
Tate and his fish "Grandpa Ron" after his great grandpa in California.

Benny and his girl fish "Tutu"

Gracie's fish Molly. She refused to be photographed and insisted Molly doesn't like it either.