January Snowstorm...

We got 6-7 inches of snow on Sat. Forcasts were all over the map, from 1 inch to a dusting to a braver forcaster who called for 3-6. Personally I was leaning towards the 6 inch camp. It was a light fluffy snow and cleaned up pretty quickly, but it was COLD. Temps on Sat. were around 22 and today (Sunday) finally rose to the 30s.

This first picture is today. I just missed Eddie being completely buried in the snow (just like being buried in the sand) and Josie is hoping up to take her turn "I don't want my head buried though", she said as she laid down.

Here the kids anxiously await Den to take them out. J wasn't out 10 minutes before she asked to come back in. Got all her outerwear off and declared herself ready to go back out.

This pikkie in the dining room is actually from way earlier in the month. The kids were singing and dancing some song we found so funny that we videotaped it...now to find that video...

Smiling for the camera...

Visitors...

We had Den's brother and his family in town for the weekend. The kids had a good time playing with their cousins who are 11 and 13 and we saw some local sites.

The night before their arrival, the kids were playing princess and pirate. I think I need to expand their dress up/ pretend clothing options...it involves Eddie helping Josie put on every necklace and bracelet she owns and Eddie putting on his eye patch and whatever else he decides is pirate garb.


Where's Josie?







Eddie voluntarily agreed to be in the whole group photo, saying he didn't want to be in the photo with his other cousins (no particular reason), but he would cooperate here.

This photo, not so much. Good time had all around.

2010

The kids and I have been having really good days together lately. Except that Eddie asked me why I was coming into the family room. Apparently I don't play as much with them in the family room). He Josie played together all weekend for several hours each day having a great time. Nevermind they had every stuffed animal and half of all the play-kitchen related toys stashed under the dining room table. They also had a load of books. 2 days later, we are still missing a slice of pizza.




This year we gave away our artifical tree because we were tired of it shedding so much. Guess it had been a long time since either of us had a real tree because we were not prepared for the shedding that occured as the kids and I removed the lights and ornaments. Still nice not to have to shove up in the attic. Next year I'd like to find a tree that we could then plant in our yard...







One of Eddie's favorite gifts seems to be this elevated wooden railroad track. It's quite fun, and he has learned how to make his own layouts instead of adhering to the layouts proposed in the drawings he and Den struggled with in this picture.
















I include this final picture of all 4 cousins because it cracks me up that Tyler and Will are in matching PJs and that Josie and Ed are in matching PJs as well. There were working on Ed's new solar system puzzle.

Sept. sidebar -- to save off

Sept sidebar

I WANT MY FLU SHOT NOW! Said Eddie as we waited at the CVS minute Clinic for an hour. In the end he couldn't get his because of the prednisone (we called his peds). Will get next week...

Photos taken as of Sept. 15: 6658. Not sure if that includes videos...

Josie, you want to wear big girl underwear? Huh? You want stripes, polka dots, what do you want? Eddie convincing Josie who has expressed a definite dis-interest in potty training to wear underwear.

Can we do the States puzzle? Eddie asks almost daily. It's a 100 piece puzzle I paid $1 for at a yard sale and has some of the oddest set of puzzle shapes I've ever seen in the puzzle. All the States are mostly appropriately shaped, but as ever my pet peeve, Alaska and Hawaii are shown directly to the south of CA.

We went to three parks today! Josie said excitedly (Beach, the preschool and Blue, in case you wonder).

I can read that book to Josie (Eddie as I'm reading a book about hats, with the word 'hat' on every page)

I'm going to make soup all by myself (Josie as she showed me 2 kid-sized pots)

I want to wear pajamas just like Josie--do I have fish pajamas? (Eddie to me)

These books are bad!!! Josie screams from her room if she has finished reading the books we gave her at bedtime, or forgot to switch out the books from the previous night.

the 12 of us (sort of)

This photo was supposed to go at the end of the post...it took 3 tires to get a photo where someone wasn't obscuring someone so we had to accept that Josie wasn't looking and Tyler, usually the smiler in my experience was being outdone by his brother. I would have taken a few more, but no one else was game...

I mentioned earlier that we had 12 people at the house while my family was here. That would be a set of g'parents, a couple with no kids sleeping directly below the playroom that got lively around 7:30/8am each day, 2-2 year olds, a 3 year old and a 4 year old. And the 2 sets of parents of those for kids. The joint was hoppin.

Josie bunked on an exercise mat in Eddie's room and they LOVED it. They wanted to sleep together all the time and continue to try for it most nights. We cracked up when we saw them like this. Earlier that night (around 9:30pm), I had gone up to 'yell' at them for still being awake only to walk in and find them both sitting in Eddie's bed, reading books together. I had to smile. When we came up to turn out the light, this is what we found.

Eddie started getting opinionated about who he wanted to sit by and in this case, he wanted Uncle Kevin. So..with Aunti M's help (she has the most elegant penmanship of anyone I've ever known), they made placecards. Eddie wrote some of the familar names in full and with others, he wrote the first letter and Auntie M filled in the rest. I saved all but the ones that were utterly trashed...



For the most part, the kids got along really well. Feed one, feed all...












Eddie was dying, and I mean DYING for Josie to open this very large present ever since g'parents brought it through the door on Monday. I think it was Wednesday morning before the kids opened their gifts. Eddie, Josie and Tyler opened it together, it was really cute. It was a dollhouse fully loaded with furniture and dolls and smaller boxes just kept coming out of this box as if there were a hole in the floor and someone was passing them up from the basement.

A good, if tiring visit. Next year Florida. Anyone have leads on warm-Florida rental properties (something in south FLA)?

Christmas, Birthdays and more

Because January is going to start off in a hurry, thought I'd quickly share some photos of what we've been up to. I can only upload 4 at a time, so more to come soon (so everyone believes we really did have 12 people at our house at one time I'll get those up too).

It was nice not traveling at Christmas--we really enjoy seeing the often taken for granted sites around our home this time of year. We hosted Christmas this year for both sides of the family--it was a lot of work, but a blast too.

Den had been traveling the first 3 weeks of December, so the snowstorm that hit the end of that week was a nice chance to just hang at home and an excuse to have a low key work week. Wed. Dec. 23 g'parents Wisconsin arrived. The same day I took Eddie to the doctor, took myself to the doctor to be diagnosed with bronchitis and sent home with anti-biotics (second time this year), and then in a panic, took Josie as she had the same thing I did and I worried she had progressed into something more than a cold. Doctor said she was on the edge and to watch her. She then told me the schedule of the doctor's office over the next couple days. So from 10-5, I was either at the doctor or en route to the doctor.

Den's parents stayed through until Sunday. Dec. 27. Needless to say, with J and me feeling pretty sick, it was a lowkey visit. The kids, Den, and g'parents did manage to make a snowman with the snow left after a day of rain and high temperatures. Eddie didn't want his picture taken much (posed anyway) and so I had to tell him he wasn't in the above photo--g'pa made some comment about me paying for that fib later as we chuckled at its success. Den assembled a wonderful Christmas Ham dinner. The kids were particularly upset to see them leave.


Not to worry, another set of guests would soon be arriving. I must add here that wehave a set of neighbors with kids the same age as ours and knowing we had barely 24 hours before the next set of visitors arrived, they took both Josie and Eddie for a 2-hour playdate on Sunday while Den and I ran around the house knocking out a 'to do' list--it's amazing what 2 parents can accomplish at home with no kids underfoot. Yay!
Monday was a full day of activitiy not at all related to the guests about to arrive, but arrive they did. G'parents Ohio came Monday, Dec. 28 right around their usual rush hour arrival, Uncle K. came in late that night right at bedtime. It was nice that Eddie could refresh his memory of Uncle K. since they were bunking together that night.
Tues. Aunt L., Uncle D. and their 2 boys (ages 2 and 3--6 months apart) arrived in the morning. We had to take 2 cars to pick them up from the airport. Den and I weren't home when Auntie M. showed up later that afternoon.
The kids on the couch are actually watching Uncle K. and g'pa play with a new remote controlled airplane Uncle K. got for Christmas--got to remember to post photos of it flying in the house...
And it wouldn't be Christmas-time without it being Den's birthday. I'm so proud of myself, the person who hates to cook--made him cinniman buns he loves (and they tasted great even after I dropped the container on the floor the night before and they popped open). I then made him a batch of brownies (he didn't want cake) and we all (12 of us) sang HB and enjoyed ice cream after freezing to death taking in a local tree and light exhibit. The fire alarm did not go off and no one got sick from my cooking, so I'd call it a sucess--and I had minimal supervision--but thanks to Auntie M for the cullinary guidance.
Kevin and Auntie M. left on New Years Day--Friday, G'parents left early afternoon on Sat. and I began the laundry and then Aunt L., Uncle D. and kids left Sat. late afternoon. We then were crazy enough to have friends who are our local family over for homemade sushi (rescheduled due to illness from New Years). It worked out that the house was clean from recent guests and the table had all its leaves in, so no problem to accomodate 13 people...and I'm still full as I type this.
Now to rest---next weekend.