First Tooth

This little lady was super excited to lose her very first tooth!

Merry Christmas!

Santa left the stockings by the fireplace at Nana and Papa's again this year. So we went up there and opened the stockings and had breakfast. They were so sweet and made everything. (This pregnancy stuff is tough!)
After we ate and opened the stockings, we went an opened the gifts under the tree. The kids again filled the tree with gifts they had made for each other and for us. They each got one present from Santa and one present from us---the rest was all stuff from them that they had made. It was amazing! These kids have hearts of gold!

Christmas Eve

Oh how I love this holiday. It is hard being pregnant during it though and so some of our traditions went by the wayside, but in the end it was still enjoyable. I love my kids!
We had a special request this year for homemade pizza and we watched "Elf" for the first time. And unlike most Americans, it was probably the last time we will watch it too. We worked on a puzzle, and just had a very quiet and laid-back evening. (To the point that we almost forgot to put the cookies out for Santa.) Lucky for us, Grant and I didn't even have any presents to wrap after the kids went to bed. It was awesome!

Winter Wonderland

We got a bit of snow today, and so the kids had to go and enjoy it before it melted. Merry Christmas Eve!

Potty Training in One Day

With homeschooling the kids, potty training has never gone well for Piper. I have tried on several different occasions and it has obviously never taken. Finally I decided that I needed to wait until Christmas break and just go for it. I found an article online about how to potty train in one day. And really, that is all the time I have to devote to it--so we set off today to do it in one day--and it had to work. Basically it entails drinking tons of liquids so the child has to go to the bathroom every few minutes (so they have tons of practice) and rewarding with treats. We drink water and occasionally the kids will drink milk on a normal basis. We only have pop and juice on Birthdays and other special occasions. So when the kids all got Hi-C and other myriads of drinks--they thought it was pretty cool and helped to be Piper's cheerleaders. We did nothing all day except go to the bathroom. And so far it seems that it has worked. It has to work. She will be out of nursery in less than 2 weeks. There is no other option. Wish us luck!

Elys Christmas with Santa

For the last few years, Grant's parents have had their annual Christmas night. We all get together and do a very simple gift exchange (White Elephant-style) and Papa dresses up as Santa. It is so much fun every year.

Favorite Pastime

This is one of our kids' favorite pastimes. It is not necessarily our favorite pastime. But one we should remember. They take all the toys that have wheels---the big red car, a dump truck, and a walker--and race them down the hall. It is loud. Usually people don't get hurt, but the walls are a different story. It is not confined to age as Ben still does it, and Piper has already been racing for a long time. Did I mention it was loud?

Christmas Party

Grant's work has a party every year for Christmas. And I need to remember that we should take pictures before we leave to go. It is the one night of the year that we actually dress up to go out (although Grant is often already dressed up from being at work for our dates). And then we think to take pictures when we get home, but I am so tired by that point that...well let's just say they would look better if we took them earlier in the  night :) I was pretty excited about this dress. I didn't want to spend really any money on a dress this year since I knew I would only wear it once, but I found this one at a thrift store for $12. This year's Christmas party was fun. Grant is a pretty good date!