Christmas Party 2013...

This past weekend we went to a friend's house for our "annual" Christmas party. Wouldn't luck have it that that day a foot of snow was on it's way & had to make a few stops along the way to the party. We just took our time & eventually made it to our destination.

Two of the boys walked in & started playing with the other kids (they were the youngest ones there) but J decided he was going to be a suck & cry every time daddy went out to the car to grab more stuff. We brought PJ's (& their monkeys) just in case we got snowed in so we had a duffle bag along with the gifts & food bags. After about 10 minutes, he warmed up (slightly) to the kids & started wandering around the house & getting acclimated.

After dinner, we played a round of "The Game of Things" with the adults. The older kids were bribed (by their parents) with a dollar to keep our boys entertained while we played. They did a great job & I figured that would be the cheapest baby sitting job we'd ever have.

The kids were anxious to get the present unwrapping underway so we stopped our game & gathered everyone for the gifts. The boys were really excited to be included & had no trouble tearing into their gifts.

We stayed until about 4 in the morning then drove home. The snow had stopped by that time & most of the roads were clear. We arrived home at about 5:30 to find that the plows had been through our area too & had dumped a two foot pile of snow in front of our driveway. In the 12 hours we were gone, the driveway had about another foot or so. Mike got out & started shoveling quickly to get the boys in (who had slept most of the way home but started stirring as soon as we turned onto our street). He was lucky that it wasn't packing snow & was pretty light. He worked fast & we got the boys in & into bed. Unfortunately, they decided they were going to start the wake up process at 8:40 (which is partly why we didn't stay the night. I figured they'd be up first & I didn't want to wake the whole house). I got out of bed & thought I'd be able to get them to sleep longer if I slept in their room. That turned out to be true, but they still woke up every 40-60 minutes until I coaxed them back to sleep. At noon, a phone call came & that woke up Mike & I but the kids were still sleeping. I figured if we were going to get them back in bed that night at their normal bed time, we had to wake them. We got up & started our lazy Sunday. It was nice to be lazy. The boys went out later & helped daddy shovel the snow.

J giving inflatable Santa a high-five

G's got a lot of snow on his shovel!

E making sure Santa gets cleaned

G proud of his red shovel

Elf updates...

Mr Twinkle has definitely been flying all over our house. E & J now get excited to look for him in the morning. They start asking, "Where's Twinkle?" When they can't find him, I help a little. The days that he was upstairs, I left him alone for the most part so they could find him, or I went with them to make sure they looked everywhere.

Day 8 -- better hope that cork stays in the bottle, otherwise he's off on a different ride!

Day 9

Day 10

Day 11

Day 12

Day 13

Day 14

Day 15

Day 16

Stoney Creek Santa Parade...

Took the boys to their first parade. Technically, it was Mike & I's first parade too. I've been in SEVERAL parades thanks to being in marching band but this was the first time I got to be a spectator.

It was a little cold but we got through it. Met some friends & it was a great first parade for all!

The highlight of the parade for most children would be Santa but for my kids it was the big dump truck.

Elf to date...

So far the Elf hasn't really done much mischief (why would I want to create more work for myself? - I mean.. have to clean up after someone else) but he has been up high watching every move.

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

E has been the one to find him most days. J found him a couple of times. When I started this I was thinking this might be a good way to get the boys to "behave"...threaten no gifts if they fight or aren't listening, etc. But then I wondered if that was the right message. I thought about it & also read other blogs. Christmas isn't about the gifts. For the last couple of days I have stopped with this "threat"  & just say that Twinkle is watching & he wants everyone to be nice to each other.

We have set up our Christmas tree, with the boys help, of course. They behaved pretty well & shared & took turns. We were able to even get their special ornaments (baby's first Christmas ball from Uncle Andrew, first ornament picture & their wish bear ornaments) on the tree with pictures. I was worried to put out our "good" nativity scene due to the fact it's highly breakable. A day or so after putting out the tree I realized I could try putting the small nativity set out & see how they do with that. I am happy to report that they have barely touched it! E has moved 2 of the wisemen into the manger a few times but other than that they haven't taken them around the house. We have also added a train around the bottom but we might be switching it out for another train that isn't so "plasticky".

Twinkle...

Twinkle the Elf showed up on our mantel this morning. I think I was more excited about this than the boys. We read the story the night before but true to form they weren't "too" into it & kept moving and talking (listening sometimes when I make them).

Elias was the first one to find him this morning. "Mom it is him!" while pointing to the mantel. I was trying to get them excited & telling them we have to give him a name but they didn't really give out many. E wanted to call him Elf. J wanted to call him Santa. Heck, I had a hard time thinking of names. I even Googled common elf names (even creating my own elf name: Nessa Elanesse from an elvish name generator). FINALLY settled on Twinkle.

I am hoping they'll get more into him as the years go by. I am really excited to start this tradition with them.

The Weight of it All...

You get so excited to find out you're pregnant (especially when you've gone through infertility like we did). You have to gain weight. It's (usually) a sign that the baby is growing. After I found out I had 3 in my belly, it was a bit stressful. Not just thinking about after they were born but growing them too. I found out from the doctors that my calorie intake should be between 3000-4000 calories a day!! As soon as my co-workers found out we got some Coldstone that day & kept saying it was "for the babies".

I couldn't eat much though...I would eat half my meal & than the other half an hour or so later. It was too uncomfortable & too much in my stomach at once. As I got bigger I ate less and less at each meal; but more frequently through the day. I don't know if I ever hit the calorie mark but I didn't gain too much with my pregnancy & my boys were a decent size for being 6 weeks early & multiples. The doctor always made a comment in regards to their size. "They're growing as if they're they only one in there!" I guess with multiples usually one is a bit bigger than the other but luckily we didn't have that issue.

While breastfeeding I lost all my baby weight within a month of delivery & after pumping for 7 months, an additional 20 pounds. I hadn't been that weight since middle school. I even had to buy some new pants! I was thrilled & I tried to keep it off...unfortunately, that didn't stick. While at some point I probably was too thin for my size so it was a good thing to gain some of it back. I tried to do the Wii Fit while the boys napped but at some point that routine kind of stopped.

Now I'm over 30. Thirty-three to be exact. I've been up and down in my weight all my life but usually between the same amounts. Now, I'm the heaviest I'm ever been (about 15 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight). Clothes are bugging me. My body is uncomfortable. I've tried moving around a lot more but it's hard when you keep getting sick or you have little ones that are sick. It's hard work just scheduling one work out a week! I went to the doctor this week because something just doesn't feel right. The number just keeps going up. I've been moving more & keeping a food journal.  My doctor is having me do a blood test to check hormone & other levels. So we'll find out if it's really just me & metabolism or if it's other issues within my self.

This food journal has been good & my nemesis at the same time. I try writing everything down. There are times I think I want just one pepperette, but then I remember I'd have to write it down & that has stopped me. That's probably a very good thing. It is making me second guess my choices before I eat it...do I really need that?? I have also realized that I don't drink as much water as I should.

Hoping I have some answers shortly. In the meantime, I'll keep moving & keep drinking (water) & perhaps having a little less on my plates...

Sleep...

Everyone knows that once you have children the idea of sleep (or even a bigger shocker, sleeping in!) has to go out the window. Since the boys were old enough, Mike & I have taken turns on the weekend & one of us gets up with them at night (this person gets to sleep in) & the one that got to stay sleeping at night goes downstairs with them; waiting for the day when they would be willing to go down & just be quiet for a bit until we got up.

Today was the start of those dreams...Even though I needed to get up at a decent time to take the boys to the Early Learning Center at the church, I got to wake up in a relaxing way. J was already sleeping in my bed but the other 2 didn't come pouncing in & demanding I wake up. As I got up to go to the bathroom, I heard the sound of the TV on softly downstairs. I crept down & found E & G sitting on the sofa side by side, blankets on & in a discussion about one of the library books they were reading. They didn't see me so I backed up & prayed for my phone to finish starting up so I could take some video as it was too cute not to capture. J started coming down the stairs & I begged him to stay quiet. Luckily I got a few seconds of them being cute together before they noticed me.

I hope them going downstairs & entertaining themselves for a while is a trend they'll continue!

Productivity...

We've had a terrific long weekend! Mike was able to take his last days off & come with us to the library on Thursday. The boys were definitely excited to show dad what they do & what they know. We then proceeded to do a few errands with a stop at McD’s for lunch. Rest of the day consisted of errands & grocery shopping until it was time to go home for dinner.

Friday the boys played outside for a bit & also helped me clean some of the glass & windows. Loads of fun I know, but they seem to enjoy spraying & wiping so who am I judge? 

The weather was beautiful on Saturday & since we don’t have too many more days like this, the outdoor equipment needed to be put away. While we worked we encouraged the boys to take advantage of their trampoline since it was going to be put away. We talked to them about it beforehand so it wouldn't come as such a shock when it came down. Surprisingly, they took it well & didn't a fuss. They helped me rake leaves & then jumped in it. I grabbed the camera & got some great shots for the family calendars. I also got my Christmas cards ordered. I usually use Shutterfly but I got a flyer for Vistaprint which gave me free shipping off $30 or more & it saved me about $15 (before shipping charges were ever figured); I never get free shipping from Shutterfly :-( I am still getting my calendars printed from them though & just sucking up the shipping charges. 

Today was supposed to be rain, but we lucked out & the weather was beautiful!! The wind was even warm. It was an errand day for me & the boys got to play outside. 

I love productive weekends!

Our First Trip to the Dentist...

In some ways was worse than I expected & better than I expected. When we first arrived the receptionist (Phyllis) stood up to see them. They were a sight walking in with matching coats & umbrellas. As I started to fill out the new patient forms & G was called back. Dad went with him & the other 2 started getting upset that dad left. I told them they could follow & I finished up the forms fast. Much to both our surprise, G went into the chair all by himself. I figured he'd scream once the chair started moving back but nope! He opened his mouth very well for the hygienist & even let her scrape & polish his teeth!

The other 2 saw him being good but when I tried to get another one in the chair (in the room next door) they didn't want anything to do with it. I tried laying in the chair & J lay on me, nope. I tried letting the hygienist put the tools in my mouth first but that didn't work either. I even tried giving him the mirror so he can see inside my mouth, nope. E saw all this going on & when she asked if he wanted to get up instead, his reply was simply, "No fanks" ("no thanks" for those of you who don't speak "Elias") - at least he was polite about it.

After G was done he started picking out his toothbrush. This was exciting for all of them. The other 2 started asking for toothbrushes but we said they had to get their teeth cleaned first. Daddy took Elias to the other room & the dentist popped in & checked out G. Everything was good for the most part but he has a little bit of an overbite. Luckily, once daddy sat in the chair E sat on him & let the hygienist do her work. When G was finished we walked over to give E support. He was laying happily on his daddy while the hygienist was brushing & squirting water in his mouth (he loved the water squirting part actually). He finished up without any more hiccups & got to pick out his toothbrush. Finally, we got J in the seat. He laid on daddy & I held his hand while the hygienist cleaned his teeth. He did really well & soon got the hang of it. The doctor came to check out E so I went with him to the next room. His teeth are really good & there were no problems.

J got done & as soon as we said, "done" he asked for his toothbrush. Everyone got something different which is important so they don't get mixed up. Then the doctor came in & had to check his teeth but he didn't protest too much (he had just gotten his toothbrush so he had calmed down). Ah, the things we will do for the love of a new toothbrush!! Makes my life a little easier though...I can bribe them with simple things.

Happy Halloween!!

Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you had a great one filled with lots of yummy treats. We had a rainy day (for the most part) with some clearing in the middle.

We had 2 eager beavers (G & J) to wear their firemen costumes & one not so much (E). We pretty much had to beg him to put on his costume. He was ok with going out & getting candy (still timid about it but said ok) but we told him he wouldn't get any if he didn't put on his costume. Grandma & Grandpa luckily stayed at the house so they could hand out candy to the trick-or-treaters while we took the boys around. I tried to grab shots of them in their costumes but I only had 2 posers...

E getting ready to run

J getting dressed

E on the run

G trying to bring me my butterfly wings

We headed out & went to our neighbor's house (who the boys know). They really enjoyed seeing their lit up pumpkins along the way & once they started getting candy, they were eager to go to the next house! Our neighbor across the street had a blow up ghost with a graveyard in front of it. I didn't think they'd want to go to that house, but since they'd watched "Casper's Scare School" they just thought it looked like Casper & said it was "spooky" with a giggling voice. After every house it was "Ok mommy, let's go to the next house". With the wind picking up & some drops becoming bigger (not heavier just  thicker than before), we had to limit some of the "next houses" we went to. We got to meet a few more of our neighbors although I can only remember a few names & I'm not sure I can match a name with a house just yet.

Unfortunately, we didn't get as many treaters as we thought (it was quoted to me by a neighbor as 60-70 kids). Not sure if it was the weather or the fact that we don't have a sidewalk on our side.

E couldn't get out of his costume fast enough no matter how much I pleaded for him to keep it on. I was hoping to at least get a shot of each kid in their costume if not one of all 3 together but I was turned down. I got one of G & J separately:

J pose

G pose

They broke out the goodies pretty soon after we got home. After they each had some candy/chocolate/lollipops we had to put an end or else they were going to be on a huge sugar high.

One final attempt (i.e. guilt trip) with E (telling him auntie was going to be very sad if she didn't see him in his costume) & he allowed me to take a picture with just the top.

G saw E in his costume & wanted to give it a try himself (of course E wanted to be in the picture):

J saw the 2 of them & decided he wanted to be in the picture too (hey, we always need the third one around here!)

Maybe I can convince them to each wear their costumes tomorrow so I can get one with all 3 (i.e. more guilt trips)???

All in all, I'd say this was a successful Halloween for us this year & I got a few pics that will work for the family calendar's I make for everyone.