Coloring with Grammy

 One day my mom had an idea to keep everyone entertained and fight free!  She taped large coloring pages all over the coffee table and got out the crayons and colored pencils.  All the "big" kids were excited and they each spent time coloring many different pictures.  Rhylan however spent the most time at the table.  Gracin and Jude don't have the attention span of this blooming "artist"--as she calls herself.

Hazel dancing video

Hazel started dancing to her new toy!! You can't really hear the music, but she is rock'n:)

Watch "Hazel starts to dance" on YouTube

Sledding

During Christmas break I decided to take my kids up to my parent's house for some fun. It had snowed recently and I thought they would love playing in the snow.  We started pushing each other down the driveway, they were having a blast.  They also walked around and enjoied making foot prints.  Poor kids don't have snow boots or snow gloves!  I think they were a little cold but they didn't seem to mind.

 

Then papa came home and saw us sledding down the little drive way.  He decided to take us to BIG snow hill about a mile away.  I didn't bring my camera there but I did have my phone.  Gracin --the dare devil-would ride this little red sled.  It went so fast, I would be afraid to ride it!  And then, at the bottom of the hill, it would crash every time and he would fall out.  I ran to him the first time worried he was hurt, but all he said was "I do it again!!!" He crashed every time, not one tear. After that I asked Rhylan if she wanted to ride that sled, she quickly said "NO WAY!" She had a much slower board/sled that she would take half way up the hill and ride all by herself.  That was more her pace.  

Hazel has personality

 One day Hazel started pulling this face.  She is also breathing really hard and fast through her nose while making this expression!  I thought it was hilarious. All day she continued to do this and make us laugh.  We could even do this with our face and she would copy us too.  She doesn't do it very often since, then but that day, she had us all laughing.

Rhylan lost a tooth!

Dec 6, 2012
While Rhylan was getting ready for school one morning, she ran into my room crying!!  She said "mom my tooth fell out!!!"  She was so sad--I guess we haven't really had the conversation where I explain that soon her teeth will start falling out.  I imagine that would be pretty scary under the circumstances:) And honestly I forgot all about that part of childhood for a while.  I mean my kids would never be old enough for that!!!!

I quickly explained how it all works.  Then I asked how it happened.  She hadn't mentioned her tooth being loose before.  She said the was trying to unbutton her jeans with her teeth and it just came out!  So honestly I don't know if it was loose or not before that but at least she is the right age to loose teeth.  AND it is the right tooth to loose first.  We all felt a little better after realizing some of these things.

She didn't even want to go to school that day.  But on our way in--we were way late-- we saw the principle.  Rhylan explained what happened that morning, not so happy about it either.  But when the principle saw her missing tooth, she was so excited.  She said congratulations and made Rhylan feel special.  After that Rhylan had a little more confidence and told all the ladies in the office and each time they were more and more excited for her.  After that, she couldn't wait to get to class and tell her teacher and friends.

For several days after that, she told almost everyone we saw about her tooth story.  She got money from the tooth fairy and got to go shopping at Claire's for the first time.  It turned out to be a great experience after all.

Trimming the tree

If Hazel stands on her very tippy toes, she can almost see outside!!! (Rhylan and I made some pretty snowflakes for our front window display--Gracin didn't want to)

 

I let the kids decorate the tree mostly all by them selves this year.  It was a lot of fun for them.  Last year we didn't even have a Christmas tree because we actually moved Dec 23-24.  So it was really nice to have a Christmas at home this year.  We had a family night and went to Lowes to get our Christmas tree.  I love real trees!!  I do however thing ours was cut long before we bought it.  Poor thing didn't last long at all (yes I watered it faithfully) Here they are having a blast.

Then I wanted to get each of their pictures in front of the tree, they cooperated so nicely!

I could not believe Gracin was sitting there letting my take his picture... and he was smiling!! Yeah I took as many as I could while he let me!

Christmas Morning

We woke up about 7:00 am Christmas morning.  Gracin and Rhylan were so excited to see that Santa had come!!! Rhylan couldn't believe he brought her Princes Candice and Shining Armor (My Little Pony) just like she asked for!!!! She was thrilled.

Hazel really wanted to try all the candy Santa brought.

I made this for Riley.  I personally took all those pictures of his frogs.  I also glued the frames together to make the collage.  He loves it!!  I love it when I get it right:)

Gracin got a Superman!! He has been flying him around saving all sorts of Little Pet Shops and cars.

When I was younger, my sisters and I got these pet/stuffed animals that had little babies in their bellies. Mine was a "Kitty Surprise"  After you bought it, you then found out how many babies were actually in their tummies it was a surprise- from 3 to 7 babies!  I remember my sisters both had 7 babies mine only had 3!!!  So I saved my money to buy another one and again I only got 3 babies!  I took amazing care of my Kitty and she looks brand new.  I forgot all about it until this summer when my mom found a bag of my stuffed animals in the attic.  I decided to give Rhylan the cat for Christmas.  She has told me it was her favorite Christmas present.  She really thought it was special that it used to be mine! (I'm saving the other one for Hazel)

Hazel got this dancing erupting table.  She learned to dance that day!!-- I've posted a video of this already.