Purse

I made a Minnie Mouse purse for Ellyson. She currently is using it as a Lego pouch. Whatever works for her. :)

Scenes from My Kitchen

Now he's climbing Grant's high chair. Pretty proud of himself, too.

Pants

I finished my first apparel project: cotton pants for E! (She was moody when I asked her to model them.) They aren't pretty and they barely fit over her hips ... but it was a good project for walking through the process.

 

Now if I can ever troubleshoot my shirring (did it right for a few rows and now unable to replicate), I'm almost finished with a skirt for her.

 

 

Frozen

Ellyson saw her first theater movie this week! She did great. Sat to watch the whole thing, and didn't even get up to go potty.

One of the kids' Christmas gifts from an out-of-town family member, was money. Honestly, I dreaded the additional toys involved in spending more money. So they each got something small (for Ellyson, it was a shirt for the movie), and then we took the big two to see Frozen. In case you haven't seen it, it's great. Of course, the only other movie I've seen this year has been Monsters University, so I don't have much comparison. ;) Carter has been to the movies more than i have this year!

Turtle Party

Earlier this month, Ellyson attended her very first birthday party that wasn't for the whole family. The birthday boy (from her preschool class) is into Ninja Turtles, and Carter was a little bummed the party wasn't also for him.

Little Miss was really proud of her grown-up party status. I'm not sure what excited her more: going to a party without any brothers, drinking orange soda, or eating cake.

17 Months

Grant and Graham are 17 months old today - Ellyson's exact age when they were born. Eek! Jack thinks the twins seem much more "baby-like" than Ellyson did at 17 months. I can't decide. Here's a picture of Ellyson at 17 months and a day ...

G&G at 17 months.

I do know one difference off the top of my head. By 17 months, C&E both had started potty training. I haven't started yet with G&G. However, with Santa's gifts of two new potties (I have two, but they need to stay in Ellyson's room for overnight and in the van), and new Ninja Turtle and superhero underwear, I plan to start that project soon. One of the twins, whom shall remain nameless, is showing a preference of peeing when his diaper is off anyway. I just keep telling myself we're half-way through potty-training the kids ... and following in C&E's footsteps, hopefully we can wrap this project in the next six months. Not holding my breath, since we (I) have to train two this time.

Merry Christmas From Our Family to Yours!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. Hard to believe another year has passed but at least I don't have any new babies to report on around here for once! :) Where to begin?

This year Carter began kindergarten at the "big" school. He is learning tons at school and making new friends along the way. He's also being a great "big" brother as he continues to plough new territory and experiences for the entire family.

Ellyson is the princess of the house. There is nothing "tomboy" about this curly-haired two-year-old. She loves all things Rapunzel, pink and superhero. She, too, goes to school, but only three days a week. I actually miss her soft little voice on those days - however, I appreciate the extra nap time.

Grant spent most of the year sucking his thumb. And giggling. That kid laughs more than anyone I know, and it is infectious! He and Graham hit the big "one-year" milestone over the summer, and the whole house seemed to calm a bit after that. Until the babies started crawling walking running.

Graham is the climber of the family. He will climb anything, anywhere, anytime. No matter the obstacle, he will always rise to the occasion. His motto is "Challenge accepted."  Keeping him in line is a full-time responsibility.

Jack and Christina are still hanging around. Christina continues to be Supermom as she juggles the house, kids and half-marathons. Jack has been super busy with work this year - until a corporate layoff right before Thanksgiving placed him back on the job market. Bummer. While the winds of change are already blowing strong for 2014, there is nothing that these two can't overcome together.

I am thankful for the year that our family was blessed with and I hope your 2014 is a year filled with blessings. Take care until next year. I'll bark at you later!

-Marley

Christmas Program Video

Finally tracked down video of Ellyson's Christmas program. She is in the middle row, third from the left. The start of her "Jesus" song is at 10:30. You will hear her responses loud and clear. ;-) I still laugh out loud when I watch it. I also confirmed that she wasn't prompted to carry that "solo" - she sang along during the first day of practice, then decided she needed to answer everyone's questions, and the teachers let her run with it.

Sewing Projects 1-2-3

My first three sewing projects are complete! Not perfect, but complete.

 

A pin cushion. I used scrap material from an old pair of baby pajamas, and it turned out a little smaller than planned. I followed instructions for this one.

A pillowcase for Grant (next up is a Cars one for Graham). I made up my own instructions for this one, just mimicking a pillowcase we already have.

An apron for me. This was originally to be a skirt, but I cut it about half the size I needed - oops! So it was resurrected as an apron. In the last year, I have started wearing aprons a lot, since I've been scratch-cooking a lot more. I was following skirt instructions - though apparently not closely enough - but went on my own to make it into an apron. I also used the apron to practice pleats, hems, circular hems, multiple layers, and thread-through pockets (across the top).

I even pulled out some decorative stitching on the edges. 

I also have cut (and started pinning) a pair of pants for Ellyson.

Christmas Parties

Yesterday was my birthday. When asked how old I was turning, Ellyson answered "six." Give or take 25. ;-) Jack made my favorite chocolate-peanut butter cake, but aside from the cake and singing (and a new sewing book), we really spent the day in a Christmas mood.

Once the big two were at school, I started making my holiday party rounds. I co-hosted Carter's class party, where the kids made crafts, played games and posed for a photo booth. And the mistletoe art that the teachers helped the students make, was really cute!

 

 

Then it was off to Ellyson's school, where the kids ate lunch and made crafts. She was really proud of the snowman juice box wrappers we made for her friends.

She even colored two all by herself. ;-)

I had fun seeing my big two in their other "homes."

As soon as Carter was home from school, we started getting the kids ready to see Christmas lights at the Magical Nights of Lights. The little three all sat in laps in order to see better. We stopped along the way to see the live nativity and "Santa's workshop" (aka exiting through the gift shop).

This is pretty much what it's like trying to hold Graham ... he was grabbing and pushing anything he could.

Jesus!

Carter has always been such a serious child. That isn't to say he always follows the rules ... but his demeanor has just always been so serious. So Ellyson is definitely a change of pace. Silly sister is living up to her name. And she isn't so shy these days, either.

Last night was her Christmas program for preschool. We've been through a dozen or so programs now - Thanksgiving, Christmas, end-of-year, etc. - between Carter and her. We watched last May, as she stoically waved her American flag exactly as instructed, during her preschool's end-of-year program. But she has really developed a big personality in the last six months.

At her Thanksgiving program last month, as soon as she locked eyes with me (among the sanctuary half-full of parents), she yelled out "hi, Mom!" - something Carter never would have done.

So at her Christmas program, we didn't really have much expectation for her performance. We assumed she'd clam up and just stand there with the other kids.

Her performance started with the second or third song - The Shepherd Shuffle. The kids do a little dance while they're singing. Graham was dancing along, in my lap. When the song ended, Ellyson yelled "Mom, Grahammy was doing it, too!" with no fear of the hundred or more strangers in front of her.

(Notice the girl in front of us falls at 0:12)

At one point, she did her "head twist" dance. I've seen it before. She leans her head out in front of her, nose to the ground, and alternately points one ear, then the other, to the ground. The way some people bob their heads to a song they really like, Ellyson does this little head twist. Oh, she had us laughing.

And then she really came out of her shell. I don't even remember exactly what the other kids (four classes, about 35 students in total) were singing. Something about "Who was in a manger? Whose birthday is on Christmas?" blah, blah, blah. I was so distracted that I can't even tell you what the other kids were saying. Because our daughter was not singing with the other kids. While they were singing those questions, she was very loudly, very matter-of-factly, but without trying to drown-out the other voices, answering with "Jesus! Jesus! Jesus!" At first I thought I was imagining it. I thought she was just mumbling something to herself. But she got louder and more distinct. As if she was answering their questions, and wasn't sure why they continued to ask. We couldn't stop laughing. I was crying, laughing so hard. Unfortunately, we weren't taking video of the whole show, and we didn't get the video turned on in time to capture the finale - the video below is the tail end of that song, but not Ellyson's solo. (Even if we had, Jack's whole body was shaking in laughter and I couldn't see a thing because of the tears in my eyes, so I'm not sure how effective any attempt would have been.)

Hands-down, the most entertaining program we have ever attended for our children. But based on her level of comfort in front of that crowd, I'm guessing it won't be her last.

Stone Mountain Christmas

Friday night, we took the kids to Stone Mountain Christmas. We have Mountain Memberships and the Christmas festivities are included - otherwise, I don't think it would be worth the $30/person price.

We got to the park just after dusk, so the kids were in awe of the lights. We rode the Christmas sing-along train and watched The Polar Express 4D movie. Carter and Ellyson both love The Polar Express. In fact, Carter often references the Polar Express as a place - the imaginary land where his imaginary friend Rusty, lives. But I digress. The kids sat perfectly still for the movie because they love it so much - though Carter pointed out that Stone Mountain didn't show the whole thing (only a 20-minute montage of the story).

The park also had character greetings and story readings, but our crew isn't exactly into characters right now, so we skipped those. :)

Pictures of the Kids

Love these!

 

 

This one really shows off Graham's blue eyes. And I'm pretty sure it captures the only moment during the photo shoot, when he was sitting still.

See? Graham is trying to take off running again!

Room Upgrade

So, Grant and Graham have received another room "upgrade." They no longer have a changing table or rocking chair - evidence of their "baby" days coming to a close. The changing table (which we've been using as storage in their room; haven't actually changed a diaper on it in more than a year) is now storing crafting materials in my new work room (separate post to come), and the rocking chair has been replaced by the loveseat that used to be in our "formal" (aka unused) living room (my new work room). I think the boys are digging their new space.

Things I Love About Carter

This morning when I took Carter to the bus stop (and now that Jack's home, I'm not dragging any of the other kids with us to the bus stop), I realized some things I love about that kid.

He holds my hand to cross the street, and doesn't have to be reminded. But this morning, he realized I wasn't wearing gloves, and wrapped both of his gloved hands around mine to keep my hand warm while we crossed.

And then, when the bus pulled up, he threw his arms around my neck and planted a big kiss on me. He does it every day. But one day soon, he won't.

Tired much?

Apparently, unloading the contents of my cabinets, wore them out. Ironically, as soon as I put them in their beds, it was time for romper room. Naturally.

Scenes From My Kitchen

I can't prep lunch without these two climbing into the warming drawer!

Christmas in Grayson

Our church choirs participated in a local tree-lighting ceremony on Sunday night, and the children's group (Carter included) sang. It was cold and wet, so I took the big two while Jack stayed home with the kids. I often feel guilty about not getting to spend quality time with Carter and Ellyson (but especially Carter), since I give so much of my attention to the younger ones (and laundry, and house cleaning, and now work as well). So it was nice to be able to watch Carter and not be distracted by won't-sit-still toddlers.

Carter is in the front row, wearing a red knit cap with black stripes. The first one is serious; the second is fun. And my memory card ran out before the second song finished. (I can't imagine why; we still had spring break pictures on it ... pictures which had been loaded to the computer, but hadn't been deleted from the card. We aren't that bad.)

Side note ... looking at his height, can you believe Carter is actually the youngest kid up there? (The children are kindergarten or older, and he has a late birthday.)

Santa, Baby

We knew this year would be bad. With two one-year-olds and a two-year-old, we knew the Santa visit was bound to be full of tears. So instead of paying for a breakfast with the big guy like we've done the past couple of years, we did a lower-key visit at our church. After months of Ellyson telling us she doesn't like Santa - he's scary - when she was a baby, she liked him, but not now - she doesn't want to see him ... she held true to her word. She didn't cry. She and the twins all had some big lower lips at one point, but no one cried. I had to hold the twins so we could get a picture with all of them, but that's fine.

We anticipate next year won't go well, either. Maybe when the twins are three, it'll be better. Just one more reason we won't make another trip to Disney World for a couple more years.

The kids also drank chocolate milk (resulting in a chocolate mustache on this cutie), decorated cookies (which E then refused to eat) and made reindeer crafts.