Ice fishing adventures

G went to the store and sent donuts with the fishermen this morning. Too bad they weren't lucky donuts, they only came home with one fish. All were happy, even with one fish. More adventures to come!

Wrapping it up

We are down to the last few days of our MN vacation. Our latest interest, ice fishing. Well, when say our, I mean their. Even the fisher lady loves to go sit out on the ice! She usually only lasts an hour. The boys however have spent more and more time on the river with their dad. Just the other night, they came home with 6 walleye! Two were pretty big and everyone was very pleased. We've enjoyed movie nights with G & G. Cars 2 has been the number one choice more than once. We made a trip to GF to exchange Lego's from Christmas that were duplicates. They also spent some gift cards and yes, purchased more Lego's. We checked out the fish tanks at Cabela's, but were surprised to see them so empty. Two painted turtles swimming laps made up for the lack of fish. We drove by the house where N used to live and showed the kids some of the places we went to when we first met. They got a kick out of those stories. Seven said "first you date, then you fall in love." Surprised by this, I asked where he got his information but never found out. We stopped at the Red Pepper East, a local sandwich place I haven't been to since I was in college. They were one of the only places to deliver to campus during a snow storm. It was fun.
We haven't seen quite as many friends and we usually do. Winter makes it more difficult. I'm not quite up to speed these days. I'm usually in bed before 10 or shortly after. Hopefully tomorrow we will get to visit some houses and New Years eve morning we have a date with Daffodil! The favorite fishing spot is close to her mom's house. Should be a good time.
Last night we had pizza and relaxed. Tonight I get to go out for Chinese with my friends. I always look forward to nights like that. I will probably miss out on a walleye dinner, but don't get to see these girls very much, especially without kids around.
Just a few more days and we will head back to MI.

A sense of normal

We are still on vacation, but I think the honeymoon is over. Poor G's house is a mess. I tried to contain our things tonight, hopefully that will help. At least there aren't signs of us around every corner, just half.
The fun and treats are getting to us. It's too much and we need some structure. Late bedtimes, early mornings are not great combinations. Tonight was late. I hope fix that tomorrow night. I will fix it by Thursday night since that is when I want to go with my friends. It's been great visiting with so many. Tonight Rose came over. Poor Rosebud wasn't feeling well and couldn't come. Her big brother came and hung out with the boys for awhile. It's always fun to get our kids together.
Uncle Dv has Seinfeld on upstairs. Off to have a few laughs!

5,555

Just happened to notice that is the number of page views as of this morning.
Great week ahead! China King with some girls! More visits to friends and family. A movie in GF!
We will see where it all takes us.

Christmas Pictures

It's a Minnesota Christmas, or is it?

First time in my life there was not snow in MN for Christmas. I believe that was my children's only disappointment. Well, maybe also the fact that they have to wait to play Lego's until their father wakes up.
We spent a lovely afternoon with cousins on Christmas eve. Lasagna and cheese manicotti were on the menu. Not really the traditional Christmas meal, but delicious all the same. In the past we have attended mass on Christmas day. Never have we been to mass with my kids on Christmas eve. It was a nice change I was thrilled we could make.
The mass was beautiful. Fr. R invited the kids to the altar for a story. Baby Orchid was such a good baby during mass. She is the sweetest little thing. We returned home to enjoy appetizers and open some presents. Six was a little out of control with the gifts. Or perhaps we have too many rules, I am not sure. He jumped the gun and opened some ahead of everyone else. We received many wonderful things and all were very happy.
My children had argued over how to honor Jesus on Christmas. Seven wanted to sing happy birthday with the cha cha cha's like they do at school. Four wanted to say a prayer. Six said he would just smile, as instructed by Fr. B. Six wore his pj top and swim trucks while we opened gifts. He was concerned about sweaty legs and the only shorts he could find were trunks.
Christmas day too was wonderful. We opened Santa's gifts and headed to Greenbush to see Great Grandma M. She told me I looked great. Made my day! She doesn't always know who we are when we have visited in the past. I think she knew this time, at least to start with. She commented on how great it was to see all of us. Baby Orchid made her smile so much! She held Baby Orchid and seemed to be very happy.
Orchid and Uncle T headed to see his family.
We spent the rest of the day enjoying time together. Boys built Lego's all afternoon. We had to talk them into taking breaks for meals. G & G took them to drive and look at lights last night. Coach Pete always has his lawn completely decorated. You can walk through his yard and rumor has it they had 30 lumiaries set up. Two out of three fell asleep on the ride home. Seven informed G & G "my mom and dad don't let them fall asleep." He knows. Four was up too late after her cat nap.
Today we are going ice fishing on the river! I hope to hear from some friends. Tomorrow we need to make arrangements with friends too. Wednesday or Thursday we may head out of town to the movies. I really want to make my coupons for New Years day work. I have a significant discount on shoes, but only good on NYD. We decided to stay two more days! I will get to see some friends who we were going to miss. Still thrilled to be here and want to cherish every day, making great memories.

A relaxing day at Grandma's

Today was very easy at Grandma's house. We wrapped presents and enjoyed time together. Poor Grandpa had to work. It was his last day though, we will enjoy having him home for the next week.
Baby Orchid has been lots of fun! We got to rock her, play with her and some of us have had quite the opinions on her wardrobe. Grandma says Baby Orchid is "as sweet as sugar!" She is a sweetie pie.
We all had a laugh when Grandma tried to get us to take stuff home with us. Orchid and I had a few chuckles. Four was thrilled with some of the things we got.
N has been on the river the past two days. He caught two northern pike today, but no walleye. He will keep trying.
The boys have spent quality time with Uncle Dv. They watched a baseball movie about the Twins today. Not sure what else they are doing, but everyone's happy.
I think we are ready for tomorrow! Relatives come at noon. I better figure out what I am going to wear.

Blessed with another journey

We have arrived! Tuesday was slightly questionable, but over after 6 hrs in the truck. Wednesday was much better. The journey was slightly different with two readers in the back seat. Six read many billboards to us along the way.
Our hotel stop was nice, but I was exhausted. I still made myself go swim for a short time that night. The kids stayed up too late, but slept in compared to their normal time.
The road trip was uneventful, thankfully. In Superior, WI, we were stopped at for a train. Instead of waiting, we decided to make it our last potty break. N took the boys inside and I waited for the girl. Getting out of the car was a slow process for her. A Salvation Army bell ringer was watching our scene unfold. After a long preparation period, we got out and headed into the grocery store. The guy said "I remember those days." He had more sympathy when I told him how much further we had to go.
After that, everyone was anxious for Plummer (the town right before Grandma's.)
We arrived shortly after 7. Baby Orchid was awake and everyone was eager to see her. She had a reindeer hat and shirt on. We had to guess what color she would be wearing. Everyone was right with their guess.
We had a nice meal of ham and cheesy potatoes. Poor Uncle Dv had a movie ready for us, but I was too tired to watch. I am told tonight is game night. I better get a nap in today if I will make it. I am still on MI time and woke up at 5am!
Boys are up now, but with stuffy noses. Hope a little Claritin will help and that be the end of it. Ready for a great Christmas vacation!

Dinner in Freeland

Last night I went to a dinner at Fr. B's place. He invited all the catechists. What a treat! We've never been invited to something such as this. Daisy was there, poor Zinnia was home sick. We missed her.
Fr. B made a tomato bisque soup. It was amazing! There were tons of treats from various people, lasagna from the local restaurant and a fabulous salad with mandarin oranges and craisns. Some of the other catechists I knew, but never really had a conversation with before. It was fun for everyone to relax and swap stories. I got to know some of the other moms in the church community. There was even one dad there.
It was during these conversations I realized how small this community is. Three of the people there were related or very close for many years. I discovered one of the teachers from Sunday morning, her mom is the secretary at the school. It's all connected. People I've run into in the community, but did not realize the multiple locations or things we had in common. Overall, it was a lovely evening. I think I would have enjoyed it more, had I not so many things to accomplish when I got home.
We did not get the truck loaded as planned. I still have one more suitcase to pack and two loads of laundry to run full circle. All my teacher gifts are ready to be delivered, Four and I will take them to the school when we pick up our boys.
Azalea is coming over to get bricks, I'm sure I can twist her arm into helping me carry out my suitcases. She's such a great friend.
I feel 75% ready to go. With a later departure time, I am confident to feel 100% by the time we get the boys. If only I hadn't woke up at 4am! Poor N and his silly early shift. It will be a long day, especially since Four is up already. She is not the early riser of the family. I plan to get her back in bed now, we may have another hour before the boys are awake.

Back in business

After being on the couch Sunday afternoon due to a mysterious pain, we are back to our list and crossing many things off. Four and I were on a role! We got almost all clothing packed. Snacks and kid entertainment are next to the front door. We delivered Christmas gifts today and will finish tonight and tomorrow afternoon. We even managed to squeeze in lunch with both boys. $2 subs were a big hit with all. We picked up our last minute items at the store, which could have been a nightmare, but wasn't. The place was packed, but somehow we found a scan yourself check out without anyone there. We were out of there in no time! I hope to get Four in for a haircut. If not, she can go in MN. She was sort of excited about that possibility. Gifts are organized and packed. All I need left is to do two loads of laundry, pack N's things, bathroom things, toss together snow-pants, gloves, etc. and certain gifts no one can see. N has quite a list of his own sitting next to me.
It will all get done, I feel confident of it. Had a great day and hope the good feeling continues. Spirits are high and people are happy. Can only get better.

Pink is my favorite color

Not really, but I have that song stuck in my head. It's the middle of the night, AGAIN. It's sort of getting old now. I've been up at night too many nights this week. Not sure what my problem is. First it is the bladder, then hunger. If I ignore the hunger part, I am ill in the AM. Earlier this week I was up for 2 hrs in the night. Last night was really bad. stayed up until after 1:30. Finally fell asleep. Woke up by a child at 4:30. Then up at 6:50 to put a turkey breast in the crock pot, which turned out brilliantly by the way.
We had a nice visit with N's parents. The kids were excited for them to come. They had thought about things they wanted to do and discuss with them. You can tell the children are getting older, establishing relationships with those they do not know as well. Before, they would not have hung around the room while guests were here. Yesterday, they made connections with his parents. It was nice and they all enjoyed themselves.
Now the real work begins. Need to finish my projects and pack. Laundry is in need, but I want to hold off until tomorrow or so. The closer to our departure time the better. I plan to just pack the laundry. This is something I've come to practice. Why do the laundry, fold it and put it away, only to pull it out and into a suitcase? The items in the laundry are their favorites anyway.
Hate to say it, but we still have some baking to do. We're going to try peppermint hershey kisses on sugar cookies. They look really cool on the website picture. We also may have more pretzels to dip, this I am uncertain of. I wouldn't mind dipping more Ritz as well. The first ones didn't turn out so great. I hope to bring a nice assortment to my Mum's.
After the final count, we need 15-16 containers for treat gifts. We may be short only one or two. Looking forward to sharing our baked goods. Sent three plates home with the in-laws. I am sure the cousins will be excited for their plate to arrive.
Ok, I've had my snack, got a drink. Best try to get back to sleep.

Someone needs to take these cookies!

Yup, I think I'm done with baking. I love doing it, but this year seemed more of a challenge. I think it's because I've been having trouble with my back and hip. Without those issues, I would have enjoyed it more. I also didn't get to bake with friends. It was just Four and myself. Granted, she is great, but I had a hard time negotiating everything with her. She caught on eventually and was a success in the end. I know Grandpa will enjoy her frosted cut out trees. She loved every minute of it. Just reminded me of how fast she is growing up.
We delivered our teacher gifts to preschool today. Big smiles on the delivery girl. She was proud and happy to give the gifts. I am anxious to give the baked goods away for the joy of giving, but also to get my counter space back in my kitchen.
Picked up our boys today from school. They were happy for the weekend. N's parents are coming to town tomorrow. I have a turkey breast for the crock pot. Should be easy and yummy. Sunday I have to get serious about my list and getting organized. We will deliver the teacher gifts on Monday and hopefully load the truck that night. Tuesday will be here before I know it!

The fun with Baby names and Four

She's got all kinds of ideas! Today she was going with sounds and suggested names like Ping, Ahha, and Sta. With learning letters, how to write them and sound them out, she is all about new things. N read some popular names online out loud, boy was that a mistake. Now she is suggesting all the names I would never want.
Had a great doc apt. today. All is well and we got a green flag for our trip to MN. Just a few more days and we will make the great journey. Kids are excited. We should be all ready by next week.

We made advent chains on Monday night at RE. I am so happy we did them. Six was a little upset, we forgot to get them out the first two days. When we did, it was bedtime and I was too tired to "make something with mom." I promised to dip pretzels tonight after school. He was ok with that plan, reluctant, but ok.

Zinnia's watching the group tonight so we can go out. What a girl! I'd be lost without her. Kids are excited and want to bring pj's and tooth brushes to their house. N made fresh fajita's for lunch and oh were they yummy. The green pepper tasted the best. Boys will be home soon and our evening begins!

Appointments with Six

We have a healthy six year old boy. His visit was fine. Grandpa J calls him I-spy. Today, he showed his skills to Dr. M. Who else finds a screw on the floor at the doctors office? Then the doc says "the youngest one in the room always finds the most dangerous thing." Wouldn't you know, Six then finds a pill on the floor. Oh boy.

It was kind of nice, just Six and me going to his appointment. I really enjoy being with them individually, too bad we don't do it more. I told Six I love you. His response "I LOVE ME Too." Then he giggles and says he meant to say "YOU". What a guy.

Making my list, checking it twice

I've got a count down list started. I hope it is accurate, but I am sure there are things I've forgotten. Today we purchased groceries for our trip. Nothing can be more frustrating than coming home with a food item, only to discover it is open! UGH. This has happened to me three times in the past week. Last week it was a box of spaghetti. There was a lice on the top of the box, didn't even see it. From that same trip, but not discovered until later, I found a tub of yogurt open and some missing. Today we get home and a package of chex mix was open. The seal was completely different than the other package we purchased. Why did it wait until we got home to spill?

Moving on with my day, we will try to make those returns tomorrow. I have been in search of some camo pants for my boys. They carry them at Walmart, but each store I have been to recently did not have the right size. I finally found them, got them home and discovered both pairs were too big for each boy. I really don't want to return them, they will fit eventually. This does not help the fact that they want to wear them now. I hope to find them again tomorrow when we travel to my doctor appointment.

Today I take Six to see how healthy he is. Seven did great, the dentist trip was success, I'm not too worried about this next one.

I think I have all my Christmas presents done. There is room for one more, but just not sure what the gift should be. Now to get organized with the teacher gifts. I am really looking forward to giving those out. Not just because I can't wait to see what they think, but I want my counter space back in my kitchen. I was able to fit all treats on to one counter finally. It was like playing tetris.

N's parents will visit on Saturday. I hope to have almost everything done by then. All the gifts for our trip are together in two boxes, ready to go! Snacks are purchased and hopefully I will just need to load the truck and the cooler.

Bedtime prayers

There isn't much of anything better than listening to my children pray at the end of the day. I am in love with the things they are praying for. Their little minds have great ideas of what is important. Amazing the things they think of.

Tonight at RE we made paper chains. The children wrote on each chain something they were to do for someone else each day until Christmas. There were many sweet comments like hug mom and dad, walk dog, say a prayer to Jesus, etc. One boy really got my heart to break. He kept asking me how to spell different words, they were not like any of the words the other kids were asking about. His words were about no hitting, punching, etc. It was surprising to see his thoughts out on paper. He tried to hide what he was writing, but I knew from the words he was asking me to spell.

In the end, we had happy, thankful kids thinking of others. We shared treats and played games. It was a fun night, but my back was killing me in the end.

Other traumatic news, we prayed for the people that tipped their car sideways near our house. We didn't see it, but Zinnia called 911 when she got to our house. It must have just happened and no one had called the police yet. Many sirens and praying for those in the accident.

Seven has a case of the Mondays

For some reason, Seven had issues when going to school today. He was fine all morning, then didn't want to ride the bus. I gave them a ride and he stood in front of the school in tears. He said he couldn't stop worrying and he had a bad dream last night. Then his belly hurt. I wasn't sure what to make of it. I told him to go use the restroom and see if that helped his belly. Then I said if he didn't feel well, just tell his teacher and I will come to get him. We agreed this was the plan and I would come to lunch to be sure he was ok. Poor guy.

In the end, he had a wonderful day. I am not sure what all these fears and worries are, we need to get to the bottom of it. One week left of school, then we are off to MN. It will be good for all of us to get a break. I pray the weather is cooperative for our drive. We will be breaking it up into two days. The hotel we plan to stop at has water slides! I told this to Seven today in an effort to brighten his spirits for next week. He's not very good at keeping secrets. He told Four right then and there. She has since forgotten. Poor Six is the only one who doesn't know yet. He will soon enough.

RE tonight, last class for the year. Fr. B has invited the catechists to his house next week for dinner! What a treat that will be. Poor N will stay home with our three, plus Zinnia's. We better sneak him some dessert.

I wasn't as productive with the baking today as I should have been. Tic toc the days are numbered. Tomorrow, Four and I will get busy. We need to have the preschool stuff done by Friday morning. Wednesday would maybe be better, but not sure I can increase the deadline to then. Four drew a girls name to buy an ornament for at preschool. Turns out I was pronouncing the name wrong and she didn't know who I was talking about. We have the ornament purchased, but it needs to be wrapped, as do all my gifts. My children used all my tape last week. I had put away one role, they got to it. UGH. Have to buy some tape before Saturday for sure, N's parents will visit. Need to have all my ducks in a row by then. I hope to just need laundry done and pack clothing on Sunday and Monday. The gifts are almost all ready and packed in the basement. Couple more to add and one or two purchases and we are done. No worries this holiday season, this was the message Fr. B has been trying to get across during advent. My only worry is the weather. I can't help it. I hope it is cooperative. I've been stuck in snow storms, they are not fun.
The other things, I know I will get done. There may be quite a few things hanging over my head, but I feel at ease and am not worried. We planned ahead and it will work out.
RE tonight and we're going to play games! Should be a nice night!

Exhausted, but fun

The St. Niklaus party was a very big success today. So much great food at the pot luck. Kids had good times with the games we came up with. Almost all the candy was gone at the end of the day! Necklaces, candy canes made from beads, pin the carrot on Frosty, and many others were enjoyed by all.
Seven made his first reconciliation. It was a good experience for both of us. Could have been better if the siblings hadn't started a fight in the church over candy canes. It was a long morning and afternoon.

Now for homework and kitchen duty. Just a few pans to wash. Low maintenance supper is a must tonight.

From the mouths of babes

Four cracked me up today. I started a holiday baking project, my kitchen was a disaster. After her assistance for the first two dozen, she was out of there. I heard knocking on the bedroom door. She was upstairs, trying to talk her brothers into letting her in. When everything she says doesn't work, she drops her voice down and says she is N. Of course this doesn't work either. She tells them in the same deep voice "If you open the door, Dad will give you a special penny today." Needless to say, that did not work either and eventually they just let her in.

Yesterday she was playing computer games. Sometimes she gets confused and somehow, there are ten windows open on the screen. They all have different voices and it can be rather annoying. N asked her to close some of the windows. Irritated, she gets up and goes to the actual window and tries to open it, but can't because it's locked. Then she complains to him that she can't do it. Hilarious living with this four year old that is just trying to figure it all out.

I also tried to explain to her that we wrote a letter to mail to family and friends for Christmas. She asked me "what letter?" It wasn't until minutes into our conversation that I realized she wanted to know what specific letter it was.

Baby names have been a subject in our household. Seven said he likes Isabella and Riley. Six hasn't had an opinion, yet. Four wants Elizabeth Claire. Wonder where she got that idea? It is still in discussion.

So many projects are in the works, baking, brick painting, card making, etc. At least the Christmas cards are done and ready to be mailed. We will drop them off this afternoon on our way out. Today we will set up for the party at the church. My friends are taking my kids so I can just get the job done without too much distraction. Amen to that!

My frozen potatoes are out, will be thawed by morning. I plan to bake the dish, then put them in the crock pot so they stay warm during mass. Should be a great Sunday! I hope I planned enough and didn't buy too much candy. Guess I better get moving. We leave here in an hour and I still have to wrap my board/present.

Staying satisfied

A few weeks ago, Fr. B talked about being content with what you have this holiday season. I wrote about it, but feel I failed to make the right emphasis on his message. Tonight, I feel as if I am on a friendship high. How lucky and blessed have I become in this community? Just two conversations with supportive friends helped ease my mind on the weekend ahead. I can do it. I can get the job done with a little help from my friends. A lot of help actually, but that's not how the song goes.

Back to Fr. B. In the past I have struggled with wanting more from this life. It has been a daily challenge, but I feel now I am in a place to be content. We still own our house in TX. This fact is preventing us from moving on in MI. As anxious as I am to have our own house and be as those around us, I rewind my thoughts to just being grateful. I am so thankful we found the house we live in now. It's newer, clean and spacious. Sure, it will seem slightly smaller once we add another member and all the baby equipment to our living space, but we work with what we've got.

I am reminded of this with our Christmas tree purchase. We got a small tree. It's not big and that's ok. We don't need the perfectly decorated tree. The kids did all the ornaments themselves. Some are cluttered in certain areas, others are spaced out nicely. Whatever the case, it was filled with love and enthusiasm. My conversations tonight with Daisy and Azalea brought back ideas and feelings from Fr. B's sermon. With supportive friends, I can do anything! Even have a fourth baby. Delphinium and I have had this discussion in the past and agreed, it takes a village to raise a family. I have my village and the right people in it. I am excited to share this chapter in my life with these people. New friends can become our family. Life was like this in TX and boy were those people hard to leave behind. Again, repeated the same thing in MN, but with my actual family closer that time. It was hard to leave there, both difficult, but in the same way. Here we are in MI, it will be three years in April. I never would have guessed we'd add to the family while here. It has become our home. We are satisfied and grateful. What will be, will be. The house, van, yard, space, etc. will come when it is supposed to. For now, we will live on Nuthatch Dr together and happy.

Project days are coming

Wasn't sure what my plans were for yesterday. With many possibilities, all riding on if the in-laws would be able to make it to town. They will come next week. Now to get my ducks in a row. Started painting bricks today with Azalea. Looking forward to passing more bricks out to teachers in the building. We started 12 bricks and we'll see how they turn out. Tomorrow is set up day for the St. Niklaus party. Hope to figure out a time and get it straightened out. Sunday is the party and Seven's first reconciliation. What a big day that will be! Aside from getting any baking project done, I do not have high hopes for being productive the rest of the weekend. Monday however, it's go time. My Christmas cards will be in the mail tomorrow morning, promise! Another thing to cross off my list.

For now, I think I should lay down before the boys get home. It's been a long day.

Sugar and spice, everything nice

That's what little girls are made of! Looks like we are going to be blessed with another little girl this April. If the doc is wrong, he will buy us, our neighbors and friends a pizza party. My SIL said he should buy us a baby shower with his friends instead. LOL

We have been given a peace of mind, she is growing as a baby should. All her measurements were accurate. She waved to us and made kissing lips. At first, we couldn't see her face. She kept her hands in front and to one side. N said she was practicing her boxing moves. When the nurse checked, the cord was in the way and she was not able to tell boy or girl. By the time to doc came, he said probably a girl. He couldn't get a good view of the heart from the front and had me lay on my left side for 5 minutes, then checked to confirm she is a girl. It was exciting to find out. I am still in shock she is there and now surprised to know our baby will be a girl. Some times throughout the day, I forget I am pregnant. Then I feel that little kick and am reminded she is there.

Four predicted a girl all this time. She had the same correct prediction with Baby Orchid, too. We picked Four up first from her play date with her classmate from preschool, then went to get the boys. She didn't want to wait to find out the same time as the boys. As soon as I said she was getting a little sister, she had the biggest smile on her face! She is proud and happy to be getting a little sister. Seven was also thrilled. Six, I am not sure about his reaction. He was disappointed we picked him up, he wanted to ride the bus. That negative feeling lasted a few minutes into our news. Slight disappointment from him, but happiness by the time we hit the parking lot changed his attitude fast. They all have name ideas, guess we won't be having a Pedro in the family after all.

Now to just wait for her arrival, try to take the best care of her I can and prepare. I am quite certain this will seal the deal for us and our family. The doc suggested we give her a little sibling to play with in a year or two and come back to see him. He has 12 kids himself and doesn't want to die a rich man. His children are making sure that is the way it goes. He was nice and fun, thrilled to label us a "big family." He doesn't see many of those. Overall, a very positive day. Lets see what Friday will bring.

Feelin pretty good for a Wednesday

Earlier this week I was a little worried of all we had on the schedule. Today, I feel pretty good about most of it. Dentist for kids was today. He had all praises for their report. A slight concern with Seven. Poor child to inherit my weird mouth issues. He may be developing toward a cross bite. Still not sure what it means, but the Dentist said he still has a lot of teeth to get and growing to do. We get to just watch it and see for now. Sounds slightly familiar. I believe my first trip to the orthodontist was around second grade.

Four was amazing! This was her first time. She wasn't so sure in the beginning. Once she got in the chair, she soaked up all the attention. The lady was awesome and Four left there saying she couldn't wait to go back. Six didn't want to go in first, he and Four saw the same lady. Seven went to the lady who only does grown ups. He of course was great, a model patient. Eventually, Six was impatient and wished he had gone first. Funny thing about this dentist office, he had all the characters from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer movie under his tree. He also had the movie for the kids to see. They really got a kick out of those characters. I never realized/remembered the elf wanted to be a dentist. It was a great distraction while waiting.

While Four was at preschool, I got all my St. Niklaus stuff together for church this weekend. Now to just coordinate a time to set up and we are golden! Last night, Zinnia and I finished some Christmas cards and bean bags for the bean bag toss game. They turned out really great and now I can't wait to paint the board, then turn it into a giant present! I think I have all my ducks in a row and will be ready come Sunday morning. I purchased all the ingredients for cheesy potatoes again. They are easy and oh so good. They will go great with chicken from Pats.

Tomorrow is baby day! Yup, the day has finally come where we get to find out if we will have a boy or girl in April. Still so excited about this and shocked we are going to find out. From what I have heard, we aren' the first to not know with the first three, then find out with number four. Had a great conversation with a new friend this morning. After our chat, she helped me to feel more positive for the rest of the day. Gotta love friends like that!

Now that I've taken five, I better get some food going. N agreed to grill hamburgers for us tonight! Smiley face fries were on sale today. Happy kids, happy mom and happy dad, can only lead to a nice night at home Happy Wednesday everyone!

The Frosty Shoppe

Four and I spent the morning and part of the afternoon at the Frosty Shoppe at school today. The local grocery store brings in many items. PTO parents organize these items in the library. The children come down class by class and make purchases for the people on their list. Oh man, do some of them have quite the lists! Everything costs $1.50. I was shocked to see kids come in with $30-40-50. Trying to keep track of what they pick out for each person was a challenge. We wrote the items down next to the names, but even then there was some confusion. The kids are so proud and happy to pick out these items for their family and friends. We divided family members among the two boys. Grinning from ear to ear, they carefully chose their items. Watching them pick things out is great, but the best part is seeing the reactions from people they purchased for.

We will retrieve a Christmas present today we ordered online. I am almost prepared for the St. Niklaus party at church on Sunday. I have a growing list of things to get for that event. Wednesday we will pick up those items. All three kids have dentist apt. on Wednesday afternoon. What was I thinking? I will never schedule appointments again in December. Thursday we find out if we are getting a boy or girl in April. Four and Zinnia are sure it's a girl. Seven just wants it to be a boy. Six is somewhere in between.

Friday we will mail our Christmas letter. Had to wait for the big announcement to be official. Friday afternoon Azalea is coming over to paint bricks and the board for St. Niklaus party.

The weekend should bring more baking and Niklaus preparation. Saturday Azalea is meeting me at church to set up for the party. What a girl. It's great to be able to count on friends to come and help out when needed. I still need to finish the first reconciliation info with Seven too. Lots to keep us very busy this week!

The decorations are up!

I really wasn't in the mood to decorate. It's dragging so much stuff out, putting it up and away after our big trip that left me without motivation. We did not have a tree, yet another obstacle and purchase. Well, happy to report we bought a tree yesterday. Before N went to work, we got it all out and up. I shouldn't complain, we don't have as much decorative items as others I know.

The kids were thrilled. The tree is small and artificial, but will do just fine for us. Like I said, the kids are happy, that is where it's at.

The things we do for our children

Tonight I have taken on 4 extra kids to humor mine. Energy is high on a Friday afternoon. I promised pizza and snow cones. We have a new snow cone maker, hope it works. I enjoy having extra kids at our house, as crazy as that sounds. It makes our Friday night so much better to have company. Granted, I enjoy a night at home with just my group, but new friends change it up a bit and please everyone. They are outside getting out the energy right now. Luckily we have plenty of winter gear to go around. Two guests tried to take off their hats outside. I told them they needed to keep their hats on. One said he took it off because the flap on top was getting in his eyes. I brought him a red hat to wear. The other boy, younger, said he needed a new hat too and his favorite color was red. Good thing I had another red hat.
We are also lucky to have such a big snow pile right outside our back window. I can sit inside and watch them play, enjoying themselves and each other. We went over the rules, they need to stay where I can see them. Anything they bring out to the snow pile, they need to bring back to our porch. Happy kids = happy parents. I hope their parents are happy with their night at our house.

They are sweet kids. My children were so happy to have them over tonight. The oven is preheated and ready for a big Sams club cheese pizza. We got a new snow cone maker. Not really the right season for snow cones, but again, everyone was pleased with the idea. It will be dark soon, they will have to come in. We still have Lego's and an entire basement of entertainment. Should be a great Friday night!