Happy Valentine's Day

We had an amazing day together as a family. It was seriously one of the best Valentine's we have ever spent together. The absolute best was 10 years ago today when my love proposed to me. He got on one knee and professed his love to me and asked me to be his wife, not today but someday :-)


The morning began with L running in and telling me to check under my pillow. She had made Valentine's for everyone and tucked them away for us to find this morning. Then she threw some other rolled up Valentine's at me. I got up and found her to give her hugs and hugs. We got the kids kites and temporary tattoos for their treats. Daddy Piper got up and we started a great breakfast. Bacon, eggs and pancakes. We did try to make the whole day fun. We made rice krispie treats together and L and I shaped them into hearts (another treat I made the day my love proposed 10 years ago). I decorated them fun with everyone's names. It's fun to do sweet things like this for the kids (and Daddy Piper). They all appreciate it so much! I had made cake pops for the family too from Bakerella's site. They were fun to make. Super simple but time consuming. The picture is courtesy of my phone. I still don't have a working camera. $300 to fix the camera just isn't in the budget right now. After making treats, Daddy Piper and S ran to get a part for his truck (yes something ELSE is broke around here). I made L a scrumptious lunch and J slept. L's lunch was a heart-shaped PB&J with carrots. Shortly after L's lunch was made, J woke up and he got a heart shaped sandwich too. I don't think he was too concerned with the shape but he was appreciative of no crust. When they got home, they brought up a rose plant!!! It's a gorgeous yellow rose with pink tips. I do appreciate fresh flowers but love having the plant even more :-) Then L & I ran to Target. We returned the purse I bought yesterday that had some damage on the bottom. And we had some prescriptions transferred to take advantage of their gift card deal. I had 4 prescriptions to transfer so that netted me $40!! I used that money to get L some much needed new clothes. She is growing like a weed and has needed new clothes. This gift card opportunity meant the clothing money didn't have to come from the budget. She got a ton of clothes too. A new nightgown, 2 shorts, 1 capri, 1 shirt, 1 dress and 1 new shirt for S (J has tons and tons of clothes from S) and it was only $2.41 out of pocket, thanks to the giftcards. God always provides, doesn't he?!

We got home from our fun Target trip then headed out to fly kites together. We had a blast!! We did this last year too. J was a teeny little guy. This year - he was a part of the fun. We got all 3 kites going pretty easily. J was so amused and delighted by the flying objects. He was more fun to watch then the kites were. L & S flew their own pretty easily. The wind was perfect for flying the small kites. There was also some people nearby flying their airplanes so we watched those for a bit too. I would show you pictures but I used an old fashioned, gotta be developed camera :-)

Tonight's dinner was crab, steak and rice. L LOVES her crab. We had 2 1/2 pounds of crab and I bet she ate half of it by herself. S doesn't like crab and J slept through the entire dinner.

We had an all around great day. I went in with no expectations and it exceeded my thoughts and more. It was a calm, peaceful holiday filled with love and laugh - life is GOOD!!!!!!

Now we sit here watching the Olympics and talking about our upcoming summer and the possibilities that lay ahead...


"I am going to sleep in my beautiful nightgown but not my brothers. They didn't get a nightgown because they aren't girls and they aren't beautiful" direct quote from L while I write about our day as she sits in bath. "And do you see what I am doing - rubbing my eyes since I skipped naps. I can't skip naps ever again. I am too tired to skip naps again Mama". Another L quote!

Merry Christmas 2009!

Perfect - this was a perfect Christmas from start to finish. I don't believe I have ever declared a holiday or any special event perfect before. The morning started out with L running in yelling "He brought me a fish!". Santa had brought her a fish - just as requested. I got up and came out (so thankful I put the coffee last night!) and then L woke up S to see his requested item, a GraveDigger Monster Truck. Daddy Piper got up quickly to attend to the fire mishap. I had started a fire but forgot to open the damper to release the smoke. I hadn't ever had it closed on me before and when I started the fire this morning, smoke filled the house - oops!! Anyway he got up, I got J and we started our Christmas morning. Thankfully all this happened at 8 this morning - not too early! S was classic waking up - he stumbled down the hall, almost crabby for being woke up, only to find a GraveDigger Remote Control awaiting him. He rubbed his eyes, as if he couldn't believe his own eyes. It was so cool to see him this way. If I had been more prepared, I would have grabbed the camera only 2 feet from me but I didn't. I lived the moment instead. J was super excited to see his own Pottery Barn chair. All the kids have them. They are worth every penny. We didn't have to buy this one though since Santa brought it : -) We spent the next couple of hours opening gifts, hear glorious squeals over the socks and undies in the stockings (S was sooooooo excited over his undies - he opened them and checked them out one by one). Their stockings were so full this year, Santa couldn't even hang them back up, he had to sit them by the fireplace - what a problem indeed!! We gathered close to the fire and finished opening all the goodies, which included things like the socks and undies, moon sand (bad idea Santa), glitter glue, Transformer trucks, sippies for J, nail polish and lip stuff for S, movies and Playdoh. Santa included only one candy gift this year. He gets smarter and smarter each year : -) It was easy to say yes to the pixi stick stuff. J's had some gummy Lifesavers. He started saying "Candy" and improved his "More" this morning. The neatest thing was all the stocking stuffers cost Santa almost nothing!!! Next up was gifts. For a year that has been super lean for us, the tree was loaded with gifts for the kids. L got some cute clothes, jammies, lunchbox, Tinkerbell movie, Connect 4 game, art case from Grandma, purse and goodies from Auntie LW and Fancy Nancy as her special Christmas book. S got Leapfrog tag reader with 6 books, jammies, lunchbox, Hungry Hippo game (which J loved!!), Santa Buddies movie, Tball set from Grandma, remote control car from Auntie LW and his special Christmas book was "Snow". J got his library bag, some books for his Leappad touch system, an Elmo phone, a telephone from Auntie LW, a HUGE dump truck from Grandma and a baby Christmas book. By the time we got all these fun things opened, I realized we were going to be late for my sister's house. I had to call her and tell her. No biggie. I then had to call my mother and tell her Merry Christmas. This was a terrible thing. I should have just text her. This was the only glitch in the day. She was mad because we were going to be late. No asking about the kids' Christmas morning or anything - just upset attitude. I wouldn't even discuss the call with Daddy Piper. I REFUSED to allow this to bring down our day. We opened our gifts from each other. The kids made Daddy Piper a picture frame and their cute picture and got him a Transformer shirt. He went all out with the gifts he got me. I got a dish rack and wooden kitchen utensils (just as I requested) and he included some grilling utensils and a new ironing board cover. He had these wrapped in a huge box so it threw me off totally!!! He did include my ring pop. I get jewelry every year - We have diamond years and we have ring pop years. This was a ring pop year!!! Daddy Piper called his mom to wish her a Merry Christmas, I started breakfast and the kids played in the room where ToysRUs threw up : -) We had toys and stuff all over this house. It was truly the things Christmas mornings are made of. There was laughter, playing, fighting, fusshing and lots of fun!! We forgot to put out the bop bag thing. Daddy Piper quickly got it out and ready. The plug came out of the bottom and water went everywhere. On the second try, it worked great : -) S was super excited about this, because it was just like Daddy had when he was a boy!! Breakfast and getting dressed went quickly then it was time to gather a couple of toys and hit the road to Auntie DP's house. L was insistant on bringing her red purse from Auntie LW, filled to the brim. I think that is one of her most prized gifts. It is a super cute purse, just perfect for her lipstuff and phone. S LOVES his Gravedigger Monster Truck from his stocking. He brought that along with his new water bottle. The drive went pretty quick. Well as quickly as it could go with L asking "Are we there?" "How much longer?" "Where's the tunnel?" "Are we there yet?". I got car sick driving up. I had a sinus headache when we left and this contributed to that yucky, nauseous feeling.

L hates going to DP's house because she usually gets trampled by the dogs. We reassured her it wouldn't happen. Today was S's turn to get hurt. He got hurt this time - he fell on a rebar and scratched his cheek.

We spent about 4 hours at my sister's. It was wonderful. Everyone was in a great mood. J wasn't too sure of anyone at first but came around pretty quickly. We opened gifts with them almost right away. Tons of fun stuff from both my sister and my mother. My sister put the dogs away and the kids enjoyed playing outside with SP and RP with their new remote control trucks.
I spent some of the time helping with their laptops. We got them hooked up wirelessly with Verizon. That was quite the ordeal but we got it worked out. I love working on computer stuff like that.

All 3 kids make themselves at home at my sister's house. They go right into RP's room and play with his toys. I am not sure he enjoys that all too much but he tolerates it okay. All 3 kids are also flooded with sugar from their Auntie. I try not to intervene too much but seriously, I don't think J was without a sucker for most of the 4 hours we were there : -)

The trip home was quiet for the most of it. J and S slept almost all the way home. L sang Christmas carols and complained loudly that it was too dark to draw or read.

Tonight S was going to feed the fish otherwise known as Cookie. He grabbed the food and the top popped off. It went everywhere. This was a classic moment when I would have gotten upset but chose not too. It really is a choice, most of the time. He started crying, I grabbed him and hugged him, got the Swiffer and cleaned it up. No harm done. It felt great not to be upset. S was quickly comforted when he saw I wasn't upset. I need to work on that - not getting upset over the minor stuff. And truly - spilling fish food accidentally is minor stuff.

Dinner was frozen pizza then it was quick baths and off to bed. Goodnight prayers, hugs and kisses then they were off to snoozeland. Or maybe not. Daddy forgot the damper thing again and this time the fire alarm went off, LOUDLY. L slept through it. S hopped up to investigate. J just kept hollering "Daddy?Daddy?Daddy?" from his bed. Daddy comforted everyone, got the alarm shut off and opened the damper : -)

This was a wonderful, special holiday with lots of fun memories to hold onto forever. I am so thankful for my family this year. Attending the Christmas service last night meant so much to me. I am looking forward to learning more about God in the coming year as I attend a Bible in 90 days study thing Jan-March.

Life is good. God is good!!!!!

Merry Christmas Eve

Today went off just as anticipated. Daddy was determined to go through the day with no yelling and he managed to do just that. I did get frustrated early in the day but managed to get it under control and the rest of the day went off without a hitch and just lots of fun!

This morning we made some yummies for the neighbors. Daddy Piper and S got more wood for the fireplace while J, L and I finished the treats. We had a snacky kind of lunch since we were going to have an early dinner. Well that turned into a full lunch. I was worried no one would have an appetite at 4 for dinner. No worries - dinner wasn't until 5 anyway :- ) Daddy Piper and the kids delivered the goodies (**how funny - story below**). While they were gone, I was finishing up dinner, mainly the whiskey sauce. I couldn't find the beef stock to make the sauce. I had everything made up to the adding the stock. I couldn't find that stuff anywhere. When I got home from Target last night, Daddy Piper helped put away the stuff. He didn't put the stock away where I would have put it. So today while making the sauce, I started to get super upset and then put it into perspective and let it go - not worth getting upset. I text him and he sent L home to tell me where it was : -)

Dinner was a ribeye roast, green bean casserole, roasted potatoes and fresh fruit. It was delicious.

J has been running a fever. Poor guy. I think it's just his teeth.

Tonight was the service at church. We attended as a family!! We did leave early though because J's fever spiked again :-(

Tonight we took the pic of me with the kids in our matching jammies - an annual tradition from L's first Christmas.

*** The neighbor brought over a goodie box. I had told Daddy Piper I couldn't imagine him delivering my baked goods for me. Then later in the day - that's exactly what happened. It was pretty funny.

Museum Visit

The morning started out before daybreak. I awoke to a smothering of kisses. They were the open mouthed, slobbery kind. My baby boy was loving on his mama. I couldn't quite work up the gumption to get upset about the time since the kisses were so sweet and filled with love. He was simply adorable laughing and leaning over me, coming at me open mouthed and trying to give kisses. I just gave up on going back to sleep and got up for the day. We needed to get a move on anyway since we had planned to leave kinda early to go to the Children's Museum here in town. I had planned on packing our lunch to take with us but that was not meant to be. I pulled out all the fixin's for a great lunch. J decided to take that moment to pull out 2 packages of blueberries and dump them on the kitchen floor. The story gets better - he then proceeded to traipse through them, squishing each one with precision. I tried to laugh it off and tried even harder not to let it be a bad start to the day. I started to pick them up, the ones not smooshed beyond oblivion and J sat down and helped me. Having him help, so intently picking each one up, really changed my mood. It was a snapshot in time. He was trying so hard to pick them up with me and was so cute doing it.


Lunch was not made - there simply wasn't time after the blueberry debacle. I finished getting the kids ready and off the five of us headed to the big city. Everyone was in a good mood and I am extremely happy to report that we stayed that way for the entire day!


We made it to the museum in record time and the fun quickly began. Thankfully we had a free pass to get so that saved us close to $50!! We went right to the fun stuff. I had wanted to bring the stroller in and Daddy vetoed that idea in favor of keeping up with J. I think that was the only negative because I had to keep with my diaper bag and all the coats. Next time - bring a stroller. Right away there was a tricycle car wash area where the kids were able to ride their trikes through a pretend carwash. S tried to pull L but she was way too heavy for him. L loaded J on her trike, S rode alone - all was good. They got a rush out of riding through there. The giggles and fun started there and didn't end until we left 2 hours later. Next up there was an art studio where the kids made gingerbread men, painted on a castle and played in a real gingerbread house. J played on the sand table while all the fun creative play was going on. From there we headed up another level where there was a 3 and under room. I stayed there with J while Daddy took the other 2 off to explore the rest of the museum. J LOVED this room. Everything was his level and he had a ball. He climbed the stairs and headed over to this fenced part where he stood and giggled and laughed for a solid five minutes. It was absolutely wonderful to have this time to play with J. I think it might have been one of the first times he has played with kids his own size. We don't have anyone close by that his kids his age. The closest is 2 years old. J went from one to the other playing in that room. He pushed the button to play the bell, crawled underneath the crawl space, went down the slide and played in the play kitchen. I went right along with him, enjoying every second of it. We left there after an half hour or so to find the rest of our family. We found them at the race car exhibit. The kids would push the cars and the cars would race down and end up at the bottom. L & S enjoyed this one the most. S could have stayed there for hours sending those cars racing to the end. L ditched it for something more exciting though - driving a pretend motorcycle! There was a pretend race car and motorcycle. J was upset because I had to hold him in this area = he was getting ran over by the bigger kids. Daddy Piper took J through the noodles and he didn't enjoy that one bit. I took J back to the 3 and under room. On the way, we passed through the noodle thing and I wanted to try it. YIKES - I was totally having an anxiety attack and J was crying. I was hyperventilating because I felt claustrophobic. And I think my mini me felt the same way. Boy aren't we quite the pair. Back to the 3 and under room we went - safety :-) J and I finished up our museum trip in that room while Daddy Piper and the kids enjoyed the rest of the exhibits.


We were hungry at this point so it was off to find some grub. On the drive in, L remembered a Barrel kind of place was somewhere around here. She couldn't quite remember the name of the whole place but it was some kind of barrel (Cracker Barrel). She eventually saw a sign for it and was delighted when we chose that place for lunch.


Lunch went off without a hitch. Everyone ate great. J was the destructive monster, like usual. He just isn't the kid to sit still without having something to occupy him. He was taking his plate and holding it up to his mouth and eating lunch off it that way. He is just a way different child than L or S ever was. I know a parent isn't supposed to compare but it happens sometimes. As we were almost done with our lunch, an older gentleman came over and said "Picture perfect family" and complimented us on our family and in particular, the children's behavior. Gosh - that felt awesome! I did say though that he must not have seen Destructo in the corner : -)


We snagged some candy sticks and headed out. Naps were next up on the agenda. We did have to make a quick stop at the library for S to go #2. He had to go baaaaaaddddd and couldn't hold it one more second and the library was the closest stop. Back in the van, headed to the house. We got everyone settled down after more kids went #2 (what is up with that - they all had to go!!). Daddy Piper, J and myself napped while L & S just rested for their required hour.


After naps, S and I ran to Target to get the gingerbread house I forgot last night (when I totally rocked at coupon shopping - got $164 worth of stuff for $32 and that includes the last of my Christmas shopping. To date Christmas has cost us less than $200!!). S was buckled in the van and mentioned that the next Target trip, he wanted to bring his shopping cart. I surprised him by pulling back in the drive and grabbing it quick. The quick shopping trip was so bonding for us. I like having time alone with the kids like that. I think some of the best conversations we have are in the car.


Dinner was chicken and noodles, per S request. My chicken and black bean concoction I put in the crockpot this morning was a flop :-(


After dinner, the kids played and then had their bath where they were super wild. They watched Shrek the Halls and I nursed J to sleep then we decorated the gingerbread train with the big kids. I tried not to be obsessive about what goes where (SHOCKER!!) and just have fun and it worked - we had fun!!

The day went so well. No nasty exchanges or snide comments, well behaved children - all combined made for a very nice day!!!

O Christmas Tree

We are in the process of putting our tree up. We get a live one and a cut one every year. The live one gets planted outside (we have 6 from all our Christmas's in this house). The cut one stays inside and gets decorated to the max! The first ornament has been hung. It's our special one from this year (free from Photoworks!). I present our 2009 ornament....

Christmas Lights

We went tonight and got ice cream and drove around to check out the local Christmas lights. Not very many people have their lights up yet so it was kinda a flop except the family togetherness was nice :-)

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween 2009!!

We had a great Halloween! Fresh home from a night of trick-or-treating with great friends, I sit here enjoying a cold Bud Light (thanks R!) and eating freshly toasted pumpkin seeds (my first attempt).

We started the day super chilly (lovin' Fall!) and a fire was a necessity to ward off the crisp air. I love having a fire and it's not something we get to do very often so I do it every chance we get. Thankfully Daddy Piper spent most of his Monday morning chopping wood so we could keep warm without the use of our heater. S had a soccer game. He and Daddy went to his game while L, J and I stayed home. I have been feeling under the weather - not sick but run down. This morning's rest was well deserved and very needed. J took his morning nap and L did schoolwork on the computer. I learned how to make a souffle and creamed spinach thanks to Food Network : -) The boys came home from soccer. S didn't do very well and was outright rude to our neighbor so he nor Daddy Piper were very happy when they got home. Pumpkin carving took the edge off their bad moods. They made some cute pumpkins. J was thrilled with getting his hands in the pumpkin and feeling all the gooey stuff inside. At first L nor S wanted to get their hands in the pumpkin but L stepped up and dug in. S still wasn't too excited about the icky factor but tried to help the inside but quickly came back inside to clean his hands :-)

After pumpkin carving, L helped make sandwiches. S jumped in to help too so I didn't do anything but cut the tomatoes with the sharp knife. I fed J while they had sandwich making fun. I heard the sandwiches were yummy. I opted for a steak and cheese burrito! I laid back down for awhile and Daddy played Uno and Cooties with the big kids while Baby J took a nap too. After naps, we were in a conundrum about what to do for the evening fun. We decided to head to a friend's house for some authentic Trick-or-Treating. We have done Halloween festivals in the past but never actual door to door stuff. This is the stuff Halloween was made for. L & S had a great time with 4 of their friends (and their baby brother of course - who tried to take a header off the wagon... not once....not twice... but THREE times!!). But having their friends along and getting free candy - who could go wrong with this kind of fun! We did a couple minor bumps. J started out kinda fussy but calmed down in the stroller ride from S.G. L liked to run ahead and get away from the crowd. It took 2 times to remind her to stay with and a quick threat to head home but she did listen. She was a grabby girl at times but did always manage to say thank you. At one house the guy asked S "What do you say?" he was asking for him to say Trick-or-Treat. S replied with "Please - Thank You - Trick-or-Treat". He got it right but in the the wrong order : -)

So today was a success. No crabby attitudes - great times and great friends ....who could ask for anything more?!?

Happy 4th of July

Things didn't go as planned around here (do they ever now that we have 3 babies?!). We were able to get some cute pics of the kids though :-)

Happy first 4th of July J - we truly live in the best country in the whole world!!!!

Evil little smiles

The boys were DONE with pictures while L could sit all day and smile for me : -)

Happy Easter 2009

We had a wonderful Easter. J's first Easter began and ended so nicely. The whole weekend ended up being just what we needed as a family. Saturday's rain day eliminated all plans (soccer & a birthday party for one of our favorite kiddos was canceled). We spent the day scoring some free milk, making more freezer jam, making some cute Easter eggs and lounging together as a family.

Easter morning brought baskets from the bunny for all 3 kids and that silly Easter Bunny left a trail of eggs from the kids' bedroom all the way to the living room! I was so happy that I was already up with Baby J, nursing him on the couch. I was able to see the look on the kids' faces as they walked out from their room. It was a look of amazement and wonder. So awesome to see!!! We realized a bit later that the Easter Bunny must have spent quite awhile outside because there were dozens of eggs in the front and back yards too!! L and S enjoyed finding all the eggs. There were some hanging from the trees, stuck to the windows and laying under the play set - they were EVERYWHERE :- ) Baby J didn't really get the whole Easter egg idea but did enjoy playing with his plastic eggs from his basket. We didn't make it to church, unfortunately, but did get in quality family time. I made a delicious ham dinner complete with mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, cool-whip salad (thanks Lisa!) and Cherry Delight for dessert. In the evening, we set up the tripod to get some family pics. They turned out okay and then we monkeyed around, letting the kids play with the camera and take pics. We got one that I LOVE. Why do I love it so much - we are all laughing and having a good time together... my favorite kind of picture!!

We had a great holiday together. I was pleased with the whole weekend - nothing I would change and that says a lot!!

Our first attempt at a family pic. Come on J, look at the camera!

My whole world wrapped up in a picture.

Baby J is sitting up all by himself. What is up with this goofy face?!?

Mama and her babies!!

This one is my fav. L set up the self-timer feature and her and I dove into the picture at the last minute. Everyone is looking and so happy - a great reminder of how the whole day went!

Happy Valentine's Day!

We started the day out with pink pancakes and pink hot cocoa. L & S enjoyed my efforts at making the day special, I think so anyway. Then later, we left Baby J alone for the first time along with L and S for a Date!! We set out to see Grand Terino but it was sold out. Guess alot of other people had the movie date idea too : -) We ended up seeing Paul Blart Mall Cop. It was a cute, funny movie. We enjoyed our time together alone. The kids did wonderful with my mother. A nice Valentine's indeed!

Happy New Year's 2009

We had a great day ringing in the new year. I woke up just before Midnight and was able to kiss Daddy Piper just at midnight while watching the ball drop in New York. I would LOVE to be there one year and see it live - a personal goal of mine.

Today we got up and got everyone ready and went hiking. I packed us a lunch to enjoy at the park (next time pack more sandwiches - hiking makes us hungry!!). We went to a local state park that we had never visited before. It was FUN! I snugged Baby J into his moby and we set out for some fun. The weather was gorgeous. L kept saying what a nice day it was and S thanked me for packing a yummy lunch. It is nice to have kids that thank me for the little things. After the hike and lunch we stopped by the church parking lot to let the kids ride bikes and that was cut short when Baby J puked all over me. His spit-up had pooled between my booms - yuck! I need to throw extra clothes in the van for me. Then it was home for a snack and naptime. I got frustrated because I really wanted a nap too and for the last 3 days, L has woke me just at the point where I am falling asleep. Oh well so it was up for me. We ate crab and rice pilaf for dinner. Delish!!

I hope 2009 is as wonderful as the past years have been. We are a truly blessed family with lots to be thankful for. Some of my goals for the year:

1. Spend more time with the kids playing and just having fun.
2. Be a more attentive/better wife
   
3. Keep up the housework
4. Find a hobby I enjoy and work on it once a week - take time for me once a week
   
5. Reduce/Eliminate debt
6. Lose this 10 pounds I gained with Baby J
7. Get rid of the clutter around here - hold a yardsale/sell off stuff on Ebay

I don't normally write down my goals for the year. Maybe putting them in writing will help bring them to fruition.

New Year's Eve

Today has already been a semi-productive day. I went to the fruit and veggie store to get stuff for the next week & hit the library, all the while listening to Baby J HOWL from his spot in the van. I think he was just overtired but I sure hope he's not getting to hate car rides like his brother at this age - that would not be good. The kids are happily enjoying their new playset. We got it finished yesterday and they played on it all afternoon and evening. When they got up from naps, I suggested a game of Hi-Ho Cherry-O and they screamed "NO" and dashed off to their new playset. They have loved having such a fun toy right out their backdoor!

Daddy juggling Baby J while pushing S on the swingI love the expression on S's face in this picture.Please Mommy - no MORE pictures!!!New Playset!!!

Baby J is sleeping; L & S are just laying down for their naps. I have dinner in the crockpot, a broccoli slaw already made in the fridge (who knew that broccoli slaw would be so hard to find!) and the fruit washed & ready to go for dinnertime. I love my new Crockpot!! I have about 1/2 my checklist done for the day. All the laundry that is clean is folded and put away - miracles do happen. Daddy Piper is outside building the dogs a kennel. Our weather has been gorgeous this week. It's great timing with his vacation to have such nice weather. He has been so productive this week. We did have plans to go over to our friends, K Family, for New Year's Eve but we still have this lingering cold thing so we'll stay home to keep from spreading it. Now I think I shall curl up with a good book and rest for a bit.

Stocking Exchange 2008

I participated in a stocking exchange with other bloggers. It was so much fun first buying stuff for someone else and then opening surprise things this morning. Thanks to Lisa for a wonderful addition to our Christmas morning!! She really went all out and was very intuitive to what I would enjoy. I received things like a good book, comfy socks, great smelling lotion, fun pens, chocolate and a ton of other little goodies. It was very fun - can't wait till next year!

Merry Christmas 2008

We are still sick but it didn't slow down the fun for the day! Baby J and I were up all night with this yucky flu bug. We both even had a 103 fever at one point. L was running a fever too but slightly lower. It was a rough night without sleep for all of us. Daddy Piper was wonderful taking care of us. He was everything I wanted him to be earlier in the day - guess waiting until 3 in the morning was worth it : -) Baby J finally slept from 4:00 until 6:30 so that was nice. L & S got up about 7:15 and walked out and were so happy. It was so wonderful to see them excited over their toys from Santa (bike for L and sit-n-spin for S). We proceeded to open stockings (my stocking exchange was awesome - read here for that one). Besides all the fun goodies I got from Lisa, my stocking exchange, I got money to buy a new grill - WOOHOO!!!! The kids got me a larger Crock-Pot, which I wanted. I have a small one that was perfect for 2 people but since our family has grown, I wanted a new one. Daddy Piper got a GC to Summit Racing for parts for his mustang - I think he was pleased with that gift. The kids opened a ton of gifts from far away family and friends. I am happy to report that all the gifts were wonderful and useful - something important. I hate having junk toys that they play with once and never again. One of the hits of the day was a set of Walkie-Talkie's from their Grandma that they have played with over and over all day. We spent most of our rainy Christmas day playing together as a family. We played the kids' UNO game and a round of checkers. I tried to put together a 100 piece puzzle that L got in her stocking but had no help from the peanut gallery, so I ended up doing it alone.

It was a nice day with no nasty exchanges, just a pleasant time for all. It was so pleasant and relaxing that here at 6:40 at night, we are still in our jammies : -)

Merry Christmas 2008!!

Sick for Christmas

That's what Santa brought us early this year - sickness for the holidays :-( L woke up sick throughout the night and I got it too. S seems to be fighting it and unfortunately, Baby J is fighting something too. Daddy Piper is the only one who isn't worse for the wear. Sure made for a not very fun Christmas Eve but we did try to make the best of a cruddy situation. The kids and I have on our matching jammies (Daddy Piper declined to participate again!). Each person got to open one gift. L picked her Air Hogs and S picked his ornament from Peytie. Baby J "opened" his book from our good friends in MN - 5 little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed! Daddy Piper got his Ac/DC jam pants and I got a mother's ring. I got a very cool Mother's Ring - here is the link to the website. I LOVE it and love that is totally unique and without the gemstones like most have. We got the candy set out for Santa (no cookies this year so I was sick today) and an apple for the reindeer. We also read The Night Before Christmas in front of the fireplace with our matching jammies on. No picture since Daddy Piper was trying to console Baby J the whole time.

Daddy Piper just climbed on the roof pretending to be Santa - shaking his bells and jumping around. L wasn't too freaked but oh my gosh, S was nuts. He was so scared. He said "but we already have presents" when I explained that Santa was delivering presents. I hope he sleeps okay. We'll be up and at 'em early I am sure to open gifts. I remember being up at like 3 o'clock to open presents and then going back to sleep afterwards : -)

Off to get some rest while Baby J is sleeping!

L opening the Air Hogs. She immediately offered 1 of 2 to S. Very sharing!!

Daddy and his babies playing with their new Air HogsThe kids sitting by Santa's candies and the apples for the reindeer.

Sugar Cone Christmas Trees

We spent part of the morning making Christmas Trees from sugar cones. Baby J slept through all the fun. Here are some cute pics from that adventure:

Also this morning L and Baby J had some fun bonding time - they really played together for the first time. L was lying on her belly talking to him and everytime she tried to leave, he would fuss so she came back. Then Baby J did the same thing with S. It was too cute. They finally got tired of his game though and took off to play in the playroom, leaving him fussy until his Mama came to his rescue. It was so heartwarming to watch the 3 of them interact. I am very much looking forward to the day when they are all running around playing together!!