Catching up…

I am going to start posting some “catch-up” stuff from November to now.  So if are a reader of my blog, be sure to read BELOW this post until all is caught up…

THUNDER!!!!

“Here comes the tater wagon…”

That is what Phil’s Grandpa Keith used to call thunder…the tater wagon.  When he told me that, I couldn’t stop giggling.  Loved it!  Had to share it!!  We will use that with the kids and pass that one on!

SANTA is in town!

Can you see the excitement in her eyes?!

Yes, we decided to get to the mall on a Monday (mid-week), at opening so we could beat the rush.

This is what we walked in to…

 

Seriously!  Unless I become one of those cut-throat moms that shows up to everything at least 70 minutes early to “get a good spot”, we will always be waiting.  And honestly, I would rather do that then become one of those moms!!    Whether I wait for 45 minutes for mall to open in the start of the line vs. 45 minutes in a line when we get there - both are miserable for the kids.  So be it!

Daddy came with us so we sent he and Keith over to the Starbucks to get some goodies and coffee to make the time pass quickly.  That worked, and the kiddos were happy!  I don’t normally dress them up for Santa, but Chloe wanted to wear her pretty green holiday dress, so I put Keiffy’s dress shirt on to tie them together.  Two peas in a pod!

And as always, here is our wind up….

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

Children’s Theatre

I wish I had more pictures of this event, but couldn’t get them.  Chloe’s 1st grade class took a field trip to the Seattle Children’s Theatre where they saw “Lyle the Crocodile”.  My sister-in-law, Claire, is a huge theatre person and really wanted to chaperone the event.  She met up at Chloe’s school and they rode the school bus into downtown together.  They were able to enjoy this play together and create some memories with each other.  Unfortunately, there wasn’t any photography allowed, so I don’t have a picture of the together.   BUMMER!  But memorable none-the-less!

Candy Cane Cookies

Our friend, Dylan Windred, spends Wednesday evenings with us while both his parents work.  He is Chloe’s age and attends her school.  They were in the same Kindergarten class together, but have different 1st grade teachers this year.  They still ride the same bus, however.  Dylan is into Star Wars BIG TIME and has, therefore, won Keith’s little heart over.  Keith adores Dylan!

Anyway, since the holidays were upon us, I thought I would make up some dough for a kids project.  I made some red, green and white dough with the intention of the kids rolling their own candy cane cookies.  It was a perfect kid project, and the kids could eat the dough, the cookies, their fingers, whatever they wanted!

House Elf

Hermie made his debut back at our house on the morning of December 1st - right on schedule.  He moves around and shows up in a new spot every morning until Christmas.  Christmas morning, he returns to the North Pole with Santa for the year.

The kids really got into Hermie this year.  Every morning, they would wake up and look for him.  Chloe, in particular, is super fast at spotting him.  He moved around upstairs, downstairs, in the tree, everywhere.  And she would always find him right away!

This was one of her favorite spots to find him in.  She cracked up and talked about it for weeks.  I am not sure why, but finding him in the candle holder made her laugh so hard!

Keiffy’s Preschool Christmas Concert

Keith’s preschool has an annual Christmas program.  We have attended Chloe’s in the past since she went to the same preschool.  But this was Keith’s first year.  This mommy went and splurged on a “suit set” at Fred Meyer so he could dress up. 

The state was set beautifully and they had a slide show running with pictures and videos of the kids.  There were quite a few pictures of Keith’s class and Keith in particular.  This mommy LOVED that.  And during the show, Keith was one of the main 4 kids that had videos made of him talking and sharing.

The show was super cute!  Keith totally participated and you could even hear him singing.  He did all the hand motions, etc.  I was so proud!

The Garcia Family (Rachael, Mike, Luke, Bella & Jillian) were present since Bella had a solo in the program.  So after the show, the boys enjoyed running amok in the halls of the preschool.

 

 

 

 

After that, we had Rachael and the kids back to our house for a little cookie reception of our own.  They have one at the preschool, but with ALL the kids, parents, grandparents, etc., it is packed, crowded and chaotic.  So we did our own at home.

Keith had a great time and that is what mattered.  My heart just flutters to see him to lively and happy.

Family Surprise!

Back in August, my parents sent all of us kids an email saying, “Save the Date of Dec 5th in the evening.”  That is all we knew.  The day before the 5th, we got an email telling us the address and time of where we were to meet downtown.  So we did.

Barolo was the spot.  It was a great Italian restaurant.  We had a private corner behind some wispy curtains.  Here is a picture of partial attendance.  After this was taken, my sister Jennie and Mike showed up.  I wish I had a picture of the entire group!  I did, however, get this funny shot of my brother!!

We started out with wine, and moved into dinner.   We visited, caught up, and enjoyed our time together.  In the middle of dinner, my parents handed out the next part of the evening…tickets to the 5th Avenue Theatre.

During dinner, my parents handed out the next part of the evening…tickets to the 5th Avenue Theatre.

My parents only got tickets for us kids, and not for themselves.  We couldn’t quite understand that, but went forward with the plan. 

After dinner, we hopped in a cab and headed to the 5th Ave.

Many of the workers in the foyer were dressed as characters, and they had “the lamp” in all forms, all over the lobby.  Pretty cute!

 

The show was cute.   There was more singing in the theatre than there was in the movie.  My favorite character in the play was the Dad.  He was hilarious!  All of us kids got to sit together and enjoy the show as a group.  After the show, we walked back to the restaurant and enjoyed the festive lights and atmosphere of downtown Seattle.

It was a great evening, and very memorable.  What a wonderful treat and surprise from my folks.  Love them!!

Season’s First Snow

The 2 days before Thanksgiving, we got our first snow shower of the season.  Typically, November is colder than November in the NW, so snow is not totally out of the question.  But it was a good one, and enough fell for the kids to get out their sleds and play in our backyard!

Chloe and Keith both have all that they need for snow this year.  They have predicted that we will get quite a bit, as opposed to last year when we didn’t have ONE day of snow.

I found some snow bibs, and jackets on sale and as hand-me-downs, including snow boots and gloves.  We are good to go!

At the first sign of sledding, Kate came over for a play date.  All three of them took turns on the small slope in the back.

Kate gave Keith a turn at the HELLO KITTY ear muffs while we came in and warmed up.

Sick Chloe

The week prior to Thanksgiving, we got hit with 2 big things…. SNOW (more on that later) and also the stomach flu.  Chloe stayed home from school 2 days.  One day, so lethargic, she asked to go lay in bed.  That blew this Mommy away!

I set her up with a little side table, drink, bowl to catch it, and last, but not least, Little Bear.

Things that Chloe is thankful for…

I found these little papers in her room (scattered about!), and decided to collect them for myself.  I just thought they were so precious - the fact that she would think of what she is thankful for, that she would practice her writing & spelling, and that she would make such an effort to put them on paper all on her own.  Clearly, this was a project she did in her room AFTER bedtime!  Regardless, they are precious.

Progress Report on Keith’s School

Keith LOVES his preschool and seems to be adapting quite well.  I get constant rave reviews from his teacher and he is always happy when I pick him up.

Here is a picture of Keith and Teacher Nicky on his birthday in October.  He got to have show and tell, and wear a fancy birthday crown!

Some of his favorite kids in class are Drake, Kingston and Seandre.