Something else you should know...

Isaac loves to play in the kitchen. Spatulas, collanders, bowls, spoons, and pitchers - it's all fun to him. He'll entertain himself with anything that isn't considered a toy. He'll try to wear it, sit on it, put all kinds of things in it. This morning he modeled the collander for me. I got to wear it too.

Here he's pouring imaginary liquid on his head, wearing his favorite sock monkey robe and spongebob slippers. He got the slippers for his birthday from Auntie Marcy and Uncle Nathan and Santa brought him the robe. Santa knew that Brian loves sock monkeys, so I'm glad that Isaac likes his robe, because it makes Brian smile everytime Isaac wears it.

Family Fun!

First, you must know that my kids always will pass up an expensive toy to play in boxes and laundry baskets. Frequently, when I am done folding laundry (which I usually do while watching TV in the family room), my kids will steal the laundry basket. Recently, Isaac did this and he grabbed a pair of toe socks I received as a belated Christmas gift this year. After watching him struggle for a few minutes, I helped Isaac get them on.

Last weekend, we all huddled in the play room around Isaac's train set. We pulled the trains over the bridge, through the tunnel, around the bends together. Occasionally, trains fell off the track, crashed into each other and were grabbed from us. Sharing isn't a concept that Isaac has mastered entirely. Here he shows me the train he was playing with... for the moment. Three minutes earlier, it was the red one. A minute after this picture was taken, it was the blue one.

Happy 7th, Emma!

Yesterday, we celebrated Emma's 7th birthday with six of her friends from school (and Abby). We had the party at our house and gave the party a Jungle Expedition theme, complete with a leafy invitation. We enjoyed jungle-inspired snacks like dried ants (raisins), gummy worms (worms), snake eggs (grapes), crocodile teeth (apple wedges), and beetle wings (potato chips). Not surprisingly, the worms and beetle wings were the first to disappear. We played Bingo, had cake, opened presents and finished the party with a jungle obstacle course. The kids had to wear a jungle hat, a sleeping bag backpack, a treasure map, and a pillow. With all that gear, they had to go through Jungle Alley and avoid jungle (stuffed) animals, leap over a pond, crawl under poisonous vines and go through a cave full of bats. I think all the kids had fun... and Isaac napped through the whole thing.

Sledding Fun!

A few days before Christmas, our area got almost a foot of snow. With the threat of rain tomorrow, Abigail and Emma enjoyed one of their Christmas gifts before the snow melted. Santa brought them inflatable tubes for sledding. Where is there a sledding hill near our new house? Closer than you think. A benefit of having a walk-out basement is the slope from the front of the house to the backyard. Emma and Abigail zoomed down the hill and loved every minute of it.

The Best Christmas Gift!

On Christmas day, Abigail and Emma went outside to try out their new sleds. We bought Isaac a new Go, Diego, Go hat and gloves for Christmas (always good to have a second set). Isaac thought that if he donned his hat and gloves, he could go outside too. He was a little disappointed that he couldn't join in the fun. Nothing that a couple oatmeal raisin cookies couldn't fix.

He's wearing his giraffe pajamas. I got them on clearance when Isaac was a few months old. I know, it's an obsession - Brian would say it's a sickness. I love these pajamas. I was so excited when they finally fit him (they hung in Isaac's closet for 2 1/2 years). I will be sad when it's time to hand them down to Luke.

Princess Abigail

Christmas Eve: waiting for Grandma and Grandpa to pick us up. Twisty pigtails, flowy dress, and Christmas socks - very stylish.

This year for Christmas, Abigail wanted to be 16. It seems like kids want to grow up so fast - and then as adults, we want to stay young.

So when Abigail realized that she wasn't getting make-up and high heels for Christmas, she asked for a kitten. She was disappointed when she found out she couldn't have that either. We spent many years not being able to have Marcy, Nathan and the kids over for longer than 5 minutes. Their allergies are severe, so anywhere that cats live, they can't be. So unless there is some miracle breakthrough with medical technology, it'll be awhile before we can get a cat.

She's Got Style!

We've always known that Em's sense of style was different than Abigail's. This school year, Abigail and Emma choose the clothes they wear to school. I used to be a control freak about matching and not clashing, but I am trying to embrace the fact the girls are taking responsibility on their own. If I go back and undermine their choices, then they'll think, "why should I bother?", right? So, I have been taking pictures of some of her choices. I will save them and show them to her when she's getting married. Although if you ask her, she doesn't want to get married. Or have kids. She wants to be like Yeeha. She's special.