The Great New Years Eve Bash of '14

We did our best, but when three year olds are involved parties tend to end rather early. Early and with lots of tears. Happy new year everyone!!

Taking the Chalkboard wall for a Test Drive

Number of pieces of chalk dropped on the floor and broken in the first minute -- 4. But who's counting?

Puppy Dog Eyes

Sheba's took this pic of Clara while they were boarding her over Christmas. What a cutie!!

Chalkboard Wall

A much easier project than the kitchen cabinet makeover -- a chalkboard paint wall for the girls. It can't be written on for a couple of days so I will have to update about how it turns out! We did three coats, hopefully that's enough. 

Sour Warhead Challenge

AKA Saturday afternoon boredom :)

Sticker Shock

Clara's Home!

Clara spent Christmas at Sheba's since we were away at Great Wolf Lodge. She came home this morning to some chin scratches from her boy :)

Christmas @Great Wolf Lodge 2014

Water park fun--

Ben hit the jackpot -- twice!

Story time and snow in the Great Hall with Daddy-- I love this pic!

We were randomly selected as a "very important family", one of the perks of which was a bedtime visit to our room from Wiley the wolf bringing milk and cookies. When I told them Caroline couldn't have cookies unless they were gluten free, the staff arranged for Wiley to bring gluten free cupcakes instead!

Flip Flops on Christmas Eve

Here is Ben sporting shorts and flip flops out to dinner tonight. I got him new flip flops today because his last pair literally broke in half and we are going to Great Wolf Lodge tomorrow. I was hoping to get him a pair of Reefs but the store only had child sizes and the smallest adult size they had was a 9. I was about to give up when Ben put on a pair of Olukais and they were a perfect fit. Of course this was probably the most expensive brand in the store. Ben gave me a look that said he was not game for any more shopping, so I grudgingly talked myself into getting them reasoning that, well, I am pretty sure breaking in half will not be an issue with this pair of flip flops. He better not lose them :P

Christmas Eve

Today I took Ben and Becca to Game Stop where Becca got a DS game and a new charger so she could charge her DS (we lost the original charger and looked for it for like a month before buying a new one today. Ironically we found the old charger about ten minutes after we got home from Game Stop). 

We also went out to lunch, played Hide and Hug Olaf and rented The Grinch. After that we went out for Chinese food for dinner with Papa and Mary. 

When we got home Becca announced, "This was the most boringest day I ever had in my whole life!" At which point I chased her around the living room daring her to say that again. She quickly took it back. But still--!

Chinese food:

Last Night of Hanukkah

Becca contemplating the meaning of Hanukkah. Or something. 

Hanukkah, Night 6

Joel and I teamed up in the kitchen to make homemade latkes and white bean, turkey sausage and kale soup. It was delicious! 

Clara got a latke too!

Tonight's gifts -- wide receiver gloves for Ben, Furblings for the girls!

Cookie Decorating

Rebecca and I were invited to a mother-daughter cookie decorating party at a neighbor's house today. We offered to supply some of the cookies to be decorated, so last night we baked,

and then this afternoon we decorated!

Cookie Baking

(To be followed tomorrow by cookie decorating). 

Gap Model

Hanukkah night 4, brought to you by Grandma and Grandpa. Becca was the only one willing to model for the camera (which shouldn't be surprising to anyone). Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

5th Grade Holiday Party

The lucky 5th graders got a departure from the usual classroom holiday parties of years past, and got treated to pizza, cupcakes and a DJ in the gym for their holiday party. Ben and his friends spent a large portion of the time examining a wall of photos at the back of the gym, and generally doing everything but dancing.

This is what a 5th grade party looks like. I should have taken Advil beforehand.

Eagles Nation

Joel helped Ben put up his new Fathead tonight. 

He also helped Becca with her new Beados. Happy kids tonight!

Crazy Thursday

I got a call from the school nurse at 7:30 this morning -- yes, immediately after Becca arrived at school she went to the nurse -- saying that Becca looked like she had pink eye and I needed to come get her. (Yes she had complained about her eye hurting this morning but I blew it off and sent her to school). So Joel took Caroline to preschool and I went and picked up Becca.

Becca got to help me take Clara to the vet, where she got a tentative "all clear" to resume normal activities other than running around with other dogs/chasing frisbees and that sort of thing. She needs to work her way back up to that stuff over the next couple of months. We also picked up a new rabies tag for her while we were there since hers seemed to have fallen off her collar at some point. Clara of course is a total spazz at the vet -- she barks and whines and pants and tries to climb all over everyone and everything.

After that we brought Clara home and I squeezed in an hour or so of work and then we went out again to take Becca to the doctor to have her eye looked at (pink eye confirmed), grab some lunch, and get her eye drop prescription. After that back home to do a little more work, and then out to pick Amelia up from day care and get Charlie and Ben off the bus -- Abby has the flu or something, ugh!!

Hoping for a quieter day tomorrow!

Hanukkah Night 2

D.A.R.E Graduation

This morning was the 5th grade D.A.R.E graduation at Ben's school. His is one of only a few elementary schools  in the district that participates in the D.A.R.E program, which is a collaboration between the police department and the school. The ceremony was very sweet, with the mayor and several police officers in attendance including the 5th grade's D.A.R.E officer, Officer Green. She has spent the last few months not only teaching a weekly class to the kids on drug and alcohol abuse prevention, but she has also accompanied them as a chaperone on their Thunderbird camping trip, attended class functions such as Ben's poetry recital last week, and really formed a relationship with the kids. (This was ratheer evident as she cried during her closing speech).

Here is a video of the 5th graders performing Stand By Me:




And Ben and the rest of Ms Ebert's class receiving their certificates. The dress code for the ceremony was jeans and the supplied D.A.R.E t shirt, and the jeans caused quite a misery for us this morning because Ben does not wear jeans and only had one pair which were more than a year old and shall we say, a little too tight.( "I can't move my legs!" he complained this morning).

Teacher Gifts, Take Two

Last night we tried (and failed miserably) to make peppermint bark, so tonight we went to plan B-- sugar cookies. Which also did not go off without incident but at least we did manage to get three tins of cookies done. They do look like they were made by children, which in large part they were, so I guess that is okay :) Ben wrote "to the best teacher I ever had" on both tins of cookies and when I pointed out that his teachers could not *both* be the best, he just looked at me blankly. 

Happy Hanukkah!

Hanukkah night 1. Ben got a new Eagles jersey and the girls got new boots (Becca declined to be photographed for this blog post, but her boots are hot pink). 

Birthday Videos

Happy Birthday Caroline!



Trying out her new ride:

Birthday Party

It was a great day for a birthday party! Caroline thoroughly enjoyed her rainbow cake, and with sunny weather and temps hitting 60 degrees it was a great afternoon to ride her new four wheeler. She LOVED it and her other gifts too. I can't believe this sweet princess will be three years old tomorrow!!!