A White Texas Christmas...

Christmas in our house started all the way back in November. The first weekend to be exact. We do this every year and every year Clark questions whether it's too early. However, once we get everything up, get the Christmas music going, and watch a Christmas movie, he always starts to feel the excitement again. Our 2012 Christmas season was so enjoyable and lots of fun to spend with three two-year-olds. Unfortunately, our three two-year-olds ruined/broke/jumped on two ornaments and a small standing snowman. I resorted to telling myself that 'one day we will have nice decorations.' That seemed to help me cope with our losses.

I guess I'll start with some unfortunate Christmas events to go along with our decoration losses. Because we start Christmas celebrations so early, we have ample time to watch as many Christmas movies as possible. Last year we watched 15.  We wanted to step it up this year and add some new movies to our repertoire but after all was said and done, we randomly ended up watching 15 again! We would've surpassed our previous number but Polar Express was in our lineup and the kids were TOTALLY freaked out when we started watching it so halfway through we turned it off. It's a pretty dark movie for a two-year-old apparently.  Definitely not Thomas the Train. Ever since then the kids keep talking about how 'scary' trains are. So sad. We took them to a train exhibit downtown a couple days ago which was happy and bright so hopefully their minds are changed now.  Point is, we missed setting a new record. There's always next year!

Our second unfortunate event of the season was that the kids HATED Santa Claus. Let's just say it was the biggest failure ever. We had talked about Santa only a little prior to going and meeting him at a church function assuming the kids would be apprehensive but excited. Um no. We did not plan, prepare, or expect their reactions. Total triple meltdown. I can count on one hand the times we've had those. Caleb was screaming so frantically that his eyes had glossed over, lips were blue, and no one could bring him back from his deep place of fear. Mrs. Claus was even there but that didn't help at all. Unfortunately in all the commotion we didn't get a picture of everyone crying. We finally got them calmed down after what seemed like 20 minutes but was only a couple, and they sat with us for a picture. I was in a full out sweat by that point but we came away with a decent picture.

Now on to the good stuff. My first good news is all the Christmas crafting I did. I craft in spurts and everything has to be bought immediately and put together in less than an hour. Anything more doesn't interest me. However, an advent Calendar I made with my mom back in September was a much bigger project and I only attempted it because my master seamstress mother was around. I'll be sure to take a picture next year (forgot to take one and it's packed away now) but I'm pretty proud of it. I also put together a couple wreaths and some foam-board, engineer prints of our family.

 

We did lots of crafting/cooking with the kids as well.  We made tree garland with yarn and cheerios (which was completely eaten by the next morning), made foam sticker ornaments, and of course cooked some yummy treats.  I'll have to give Clark all the credit for the treats though.  He made peanut butter balls AND rice krispie treats with the kids one day.  What a guy.  I made a pumpkin roll but didn't let the kids anywhere near it because my last one I made for Thanksgiving was a total failure.  I'm happy to say that my Christmas roll was near perfect! 

Clark and I ordered pizza on Christmas Eve which was delicious and perfect to go with our watching of Miracle on 34th Street (my first time seeing that movie).  The night was so relaxing and led right into an awesome Christmas morning.  We woke the kids up, put them in the car, and headed over to our good friends house.  It was pouring rain outside but we were greeted with a DELICIOUS pancake/eggs/waffle/bacon/fruit breakfast and a cozy fire.  The kids were SO well behaved and SO happy the whole morning.  Mostly due to the fact that our friends have a dog and the trio chased her around the whole time.  We exchanged gifts later in the morning, played with toys, and sadly had to go home so the kids could have a nap. Once we got home though, our own family presents under the tree were too tempting so we let the kids stay up and open the rest. 

We got the kids these cool pillow racers and were so excited to have them cruise around on those for the day.  However, their legs kept hitting the wheels and they couldn't go very fast or far.  It's almost as if the kids were just too big for the racers.  Sadly, we returned them the next day but purchased a doctor kit which has been a HUGE hit.  While we were trying out the racers on Christmas, Clark also held an impromptu jumping session with the kids.  He taught them the basics of the double-foot jump, showed them proper arm movements, and even did some demonstrations.  Pretty impressive!

To top off our awesome day, the rain turned to snow and just kept on falling!  Nothing like a little bit of white falling from the sky to make Christmas feel authentic and homey.  We received about five inches (at least in our backyard) and it stuck around for a couple days.  Of course as excited as we are to see it fall, we are equally excited to see it melt.

The kids all got new pajamas from our friends and gave me some good smiles before going to bed after a fun Christmas day. 

The kids loved all the lights this year and seeing Santa all around town on people's lawns (not up close of course).  Their most talked about Christmas decoration was a blow-up Santa taking off in a hot air balloon.  They just thought that was the best and we visited that house several times during December.  We also had a Secret Santa who dropped off a surprise for the first twelve nights of December.  It was pieces to a Little People nativity set so we talked each night about each figure and how it was involved in the birth of Jesus.  We also taught that we give gifts to the ones we love because the three wise-men brought special gifts to Jesus.  Hopefully they understood some of the real meaning although I'm not quite figured out how Santa fit in to all of it. 

A few of our favorite memories from this year included listening to Leah sing at the top of her lungs 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' and 'Jingle Bell Rock.' All the kids were totally obsessed with dancing and singing 'Jingle Bell Rock.' Another fun memory was using our popcorn machine for the first time. We set it on the floor so the kids could watch the magic happen and they TOTALLY freaked with excitement and elation. Then we stayed on the floor and shared a huge bowl of popcorn. Lastly, there were a few beautiful days leading up to Christmas and we went to a park that is tucked away in a little neighborhood. Clark and I sat on the bench soaking in the sun rays while the trio threw leaves in the air, gathered acorns, ran up and down, jumped, climbed, and slid. Those are the moments that we say maybe this triplet thing isn't so hard. :) 

Christmas 2012 was a good one. No doubt about it.

Pacifier Bear...

It's not unusual for Leah to wake up in the middle of the night and cry out. Eventually she finds her pacifier and she's quiet again but then I'm totally awake and my heart is pumping because I was startled. I'd say five out of seven nights this happens. We never go in there because we know it's short-lived but that darn pacifier has been ruining my sleep for months. Not only that, Leah has a terrible rash/eczema break out all around her lips, chin, and nose which I assume is from the dry weather and her pacifier being moist all night.

So one day I just decided we were going to get rid of it. I started talking to Leah about how she was a big girl and we were going to give her pacifier away to a new animal friend. She seemed excited and on board with the idea so we made a plan and put it into action.

Years ago I heard about how families take their kids to Build-a-Bear to get rid of the pacifier. I thought that was fun and knew when the time came that I would do it that way. So we headed to the Bear workshop and Leah got to choose her very own animal to give her pacifiers to. She chose a pink bear formerly named "Hearts." We then took Hearts to the stuffing area to 'come alive.' The bear was stuffed and then Leah got to stick a tiny fabric heart inside too. Prior to all this I had called Clark's sister because she had done this very same thing with her daughter a couple months earlier. I needed some advice and support because I was starting to feel nervous that I was making the wrong decision and that this method wouldn't be successful. However, after our conversation I knew that I just needed to follow through and stay consistent and that Leah would adjust just fine! Afterwards I was totally motivated and ready to go. I was glad for the advice because the moment of truth came when Leah needed to hand over her pacifiers to Hearts and I got super nervous again. Leah was totally frozen and did NOT want to hand them over. It was heartbreaking. All her worst fears, although easy to talk about, were not so easy to overcome. She was brave though and found the courage to stuff them in the bear and say goodbye. We then picked out a shirt for Hearts and went on our way.

That night she got really panicked when there were no pacifiers in her crib and was realizing they were gone. She kept saying, "get them out! get them out!" because she knew they were inside the bear. But again, she was brave and adjusted quickly and we haven't had an issue since! We just would say that big girls don't have pacifiers and when she was sad she just needed to give her bear a big hug. The night wakings have decreased although Leah did seem a bit on edge for about a week afterward. Really sensitive and moody. Not sure if it was related. I tried to capture the event but was busy corralling Caleb, encouraging Leah, and talking with the worker. I'd say that the whole thing was a success and perfect for Leah's personality. She LOVES her bear and has since named it Teddy.

Family Photos 2012

Thanksgiving through Caleb's Eyes...

Hi. My name is Caleb but my brother and sister call me Cabee.  Mama asked if I would write on her blog today to tell all about the fun we had over our Thanksgiving holiday.  So here it goes...

Hello??  Anybody in there?  Papa keeps telling me there is an elephant in this big round black thing he's been pointing at me.  I don't see any animals though.  Just my reflection, which is equally as interesting.

Gram and Papa came to visit us in Texas for Thanksgiving.  They flew on an airplane while I was sleeping so when I woke up, I had been moved into my parents closet.  That always means we have visitors.  I was so excited that Gram and Papa were here.  Gram showed us this really cool bag that had three stuffed animals in it.  One for me, one for Zachary, and one for Leah.  Then we read books about the animals.  My favorite was Fly Guy.  I got to hold him for a long time which was special because usually anything I have in my hands is stolen by Zachary or Leah.  Daddy and Papa had to go to work for a couple more days before they could play so Mama and Gram did some fun things with us.  We went to story time at the library, went for walks to our favorite swings, and played play-doh.  We made birds and pretended they had eggs.  That was fun.  The most fun I've had with play-doh ever.

The first morning Daddy finally didn't have to work, we all got in the car really early and went somewhere to stand outside in the freezing cold.  I don't like the cold AT ALL.   Papa pointed that big round black thing at us again and kept telling me to say 'cheeeeeese.'  Mmmmm I like cheese.  My nose was bright red and I whined a little but then we got back in the car and I ate my cheerios which made me happy.

Finally we got to do some fun things.  Like playing in the leaves out front.  This was the first time I've ever jumped into a pile of leaves.  I liked the crunching sound and laughed a lot.  We also got to celebrate my Daddy's birthday.  I even got to help him blow out his candles.  I don't like cake very much but I like singing the birthday song.  

One of my favorite activities that we did was go to the beach.  I've never played at a beach.  I have a sandbox in my backyard but it's not by water.  I heard some loud boats and saw a sail boat.  I built sand castles with Papa which was so fun and also got to dig with a shovel my Dad used when he was my age!  I liked throwing rocks in the water.  I did that for a long time.

I really like my soccer ball.  We took it to the park one day and I showed everyone how to kick.  Gram let me drink out of her special grown-up water bottle and sometimes I would drink the whole thing! Sometimes I shared with my brother and sister but I wouldn't let them hold the bottle.

Sometimes I can get really clingy when Dad is at home and all I want to do is give him hugs and hang on his legs.  I don't want anyone else to hold my hand, just him.  I love my Dad. 

Daddy and Papa spent time out in the garage coloring on some wood.  My mama kept saying the words 'staining the bedside tables' and talking about how she was so excited to finally have some.  While they were busy with that, the rest of us made really special ornaments for the Christmas tree.  We got to decorate snowmen and write our names on them.  I even got to stick the snowman's buttons wherever I wanted.  Daddy helped us to hang them on the tree.

Last but not least, we got to eat at the BIG table for our Thanksgiving dinner.  I sat by mama.  All the food on the table looked yummy.  I ate some of my turkey and we sure had a lot!  I also ate some corn.  But my favorite was the rolls.  I call them turkey rolls.  I even had pumpkin pie for the first time!  Zachary cried in the back room for most of dinner which was sad.  I hate when he cries but sometimes he doesn't like to eat and won't let anyone help him.  Then he starts to cry which is why he had to leave.  Luckily he came back and ate some of my favorite rolls.

I had such a fun week with my Gram and Papa.  I got a cool haircut, went shopping for dinosaurs, got  up early in the morning with Gram, and read lots of books with her and Papa while they were here.  I even got to share a peppermint ice cream shake with Papa.  It was the best.  I love my family so much!

Dinosaurs are Scary!

Friday can sometimes be a long day.  By the time Friday rolls around all my good activities have been done, all my favorite parks have been visited, and almost all my energy is gone.  :)  The Friday before our Thanksgiving visitors (and lots more helping hands) arrived, I was desperate to find a fun NEW activity for the kids that wasn't totally overwhelming for me.  I saw a post on facebook from a friend who visited a local natural science museum and wildlife sanctuary.  She said she had taken her four young kids so immediately I was sold!  I had no idea what was in store for us but we headed out anyway.

Our museum visit started with some stuffed wild animals which were awesome.  So of course the kids were excited about the life-size bear, wolf, fox, eagle, and owl.  There were also real animals like a bunny, turtle, snakes, deer, racoons, and lemurs!  The lemurs were awesome and jumping from wall to wall.  It was crazy to watch and I kept saying 'oh my gosh! they are jumping everywhere!'  Now the kids say that all the time.  It's one of my three recurring conversations I have with them during the day.

After all the fun stuff we'd already witnessed, we headed outside.  I knew there were some dinosaurs at the museum but I didn't know they were outside on an actual nature/hiking trail.  I prepped the kids a little bit on the way to the museum and talked to them for the first time about dinosaurs to get them excited.  Little did I know, however, that the dinosaurs would be life-sized and would growl!  The kids were TOTALLY freaked out and my little dino speech wasn't nearly adequate enough to really prepare them for their first dinosaur experience.  At times Caleb was frozen and wouldn't get any closer to the dinosaurs.  He wouldn't even walk past them.  There was lots of panicked running and whimpers from all three as we hurried along the trail.  It was so sad and I felt terrible I hadn't really given them the full scoop on dinosaurs beforehand.  I can pass off a tiger or bear being cuddly and kind but I just couldn't do that for the dinosaurs.  We just talked about how big they were, how many teeth they had, and that their growl was scary.  We avoided the T-rex at the end of the trail so as not to scar them for life.     

Needless to say, it was a REALLY fun morning and the kids haven't stopped talking about how 'scary' the dinosaurs were.  I mean, they were kind of frightening for me when they growled.  The kids were pretty brave I have to say.  I'll make sure not to turn on Jurassic Park for a few years. 

The Biebs is in Town!

Oh yes. The Biebs. Just as good as I imagined. His concert did not disappoint. Although I still wish I had front row seats where I could've snagged his leather jacket when he took it off. That sadly was not the case but I was not disappointed at all with our seats. We had a great view and at one point were maybe 40 feet away from the JB. What more could two girls ask for?

Of course we got there early enough to take some pictures. Much to my dismay I was wearing the same shirt as 5000 other concert goers. Luckily I got mine at Kohls for less than half the cost than what they were selling for at the arena. We would've never made it through that line to purchase anyway!

 It was a crazy, energetic night and I was convinced my hearing was impaired permanently after the concert was over. We had a great time though and I think both Mubeen and I were so glad to be out doing something completely and utterly for ourselves. Although Clark would never admit it, I think he would've had a good time. However, in his absence I avoided his mocking and laughter. He would've died when JB entered the arena strapped to wings made of instruments. Quite the entrance and I admit it was over the top but it added to the experience. Clark would not have understood.  He's not a true Belieber.  I was sure glad Mubeen was there!

Next time JB is in town, you better BELIEVE I'm going again.  :)