Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!! We were thrilled with "Santa's" final arrival and to spend a quiet day doing what I call "just being." The night before we let the kid's open their Christmas "nammies" and a few gifts from family and friends. Since we were in quarantine, this is our family picture via timer. This will be one of a few times you will get to see me without makeup, since we had all just been thoroughly sanitized ourselves.















































This is proof that "Santa" did indeed arrive. "He" fills the our stockings, which were to full to remain safely hung by the chimney with care.

One of the best parts of the morning is Evie angrily charging out of her bedroom, yelling at the babies for waking her and coming face-to-face with this sight. She stopped dead in her tracks and was like a deer caught in the headlights, swiveling from the stockings to me and back again. Her only word was, "huh?" Then when I mentioned Santa she had a light bulb moment.

She loved opening her stocking, the babies were...well not unhappy to pull things out. Her favorite part of "Santa's" gifts were the Squinkies she'd asked for which were at the very bottom. The babies favorite are the play necklaces and microphones (which, of course only cost $4 for 3 microphones and 1 pkg of beads...).



"Santa's" note to the kids, and evidence that he enjoyed the treats Evie picked out for "him." One of the disappointments from the illness was not having the energy to make Christmas cookies with Evie this year. She and I will be making peanut butter blossoms this week, while I am home on "break."


































































































Highlights of the day:

*This really started a day earlier: Mr. Grant started using his mouth to open presents. Once again earning his reputation for silliness. He did this for most of his early presents until he realized that this was not an efficient way to open them.
*Evie played with her new squinkie toys all day and the next and the next. She even prefers them over her mommy-daddy-Evie time. I could be mad about this but it is nice to see her appreciate the gifts. This year was the first year she really told us what she REALLY wanted.
*Ella's new cheesy smile. It's photographed in several of these photos...we loVe it.
*In Henry fashion, it took awhile to get him to let go of his sippy to open presents. Even then he still clutched his snack trap...the hungry monkey!is
*Finishing watching "The Nativity Story" during the kids naptime. I am moving this film to the #1 spot and am overwhelmed at how well the film is done. Despite a few inaccuracies,
it still leaves me feeling breathless and in awe. Thanks be to God!!
*Hooking up the Wii for the first time since getting it from Shawn's parents. It was a nice thing to do and "Santa" had gifted us with 2 new games, including a country dance one that I am excited to get back to. If my arms hadn't tired out, I would've danced for hours. Shawn and I also ended the night with this (not the dance game...could you even imagine??) and it's nice to have something new to do during our couple time besides tv/movie/reading.
*Nobody threw up!! Woot-woot!!!!
*The kids all really seemed to enjoy their new gifts.
*Shawn and I received nightstands from my parents, which my dad made and my mom helped with. Shawn's exact statement as we climbed into bed with them in their new spots was "our room looks so grown up!" Very true, considering they replaced cheap Target storage bins. They are really pretty and we loVe them! Soon we'll have to replace our college dressers, get a nice television and grown up bedding. We will actually have a bedroom for 3o somethings that have 4 kids. A nice sanctuary of our own!
*I (finally) recieved the charm bracelet from Shawn that I had asked (begged, nagged, coerced) Shawn into getting for me. It came with 4 special charms: "super" mom (one of the many comments I get with having triplets), i love my daughters, i love my sons, and a "diamond" cross. I loVe it!!!

Our goal for Christmas as mentioned in this post, is to spend the day worshiping the greatest gift of all, Jesus. We do this by making the day as relaxing as possible. No stressful meals or cleanup. No hurried showers and rushing from relatives to relatives. Just fun, family and Jesus. After presents and a light lunch (not all of our appetites had returned) I set the kids up for some art time. The babies enjoyed eating coloring with their new crayons and Evie drew and finger painted. The word on her sheet is her recent interpretation of her name. She was doing it preciously, but as new letters are added to her repertoire they are also added to her name, for Evelyn (Evie) is now spelt with a P and D.

Not-so-Merry Chirstmas

It's typical that when one goes out and about after Christmas that you are asked how your Christmas was. Let me tell you about "Christmas Flu of 2011." Now for those that are from MN or even IA, you well remember the infamous "Halloween Blizzard of 1991." Even this year, its 20th anniversary, people were sharing their stories. That is how I will remember this Christmas.

It started on Friday, with a text from Shawn: "Grant puked all over so come right home."
Half an hour later: "Evie just puked. Get home now."

I was at the movie with Jessie and had to leave 45 minutes early to come home to two VERY ill kids. Let's just say they were staring at a basin every 10 minutes. I joined them sometime later that evening. By 1 am, round one was done. The kids and I were exhausted. Grant woke at 2:30 refusing to sleep because he was so thirsty. He and I slept in 30-45 minute sections, interspersed with refills to his sippy. Evie joined him at 5:30, also thirsty.

Ella was hit the next day, in 3 random vomits which lead to complete confusion on our parts. Was she sick or not? That was the end of round 2.

Shawn went down at 9:30p Christmas eve and like the 2 kids was completely knocked out. Round 3 ended at 4:30a. We spent Christmas day recovering and without a visit from Santa. Needless to say it was not how we expecting the Lord's birthday to be celebrated!!

With everything, I try to think of some positives that came from our Not-So-Merry Christmas:

1. Thanks to the sickness and following days of no appetite, I am a little closer to my first 33 before 33 goal: lose 33 lbs.

2. Henry didn't get sick.

3. The kids won't remember it.

4. Once again I proved to Shawn that my GI tract is made of steel. His level of sickness vs. my level...

5. I was able to clean/sanitize/disinfect both bathrooms and all bedding was changed and washed. Something that NEEDED to be done.

FINISHED-A Week in the Life 2011

I love how the finished product turned out. I am done will the digital portion. There are a few pictures I loved that I want to include and important memories, observations and things I overheard that I don't want to leave out, therefore I am printing out individual pictures and then trimming them to fit in divided protection sheet. I will thus finish this project easily and quickly. I am proud to have gotten it down in the same year as the project, unlike the last 3 years. Next maybe I will conquer 2010's photos/words.

Check back Monday for Ella, 1 Year.

Dear Uncle Chris

We're anxious for your arrival, so we've been practicing. Come soon!!

For Keesha (and our family)

All together now

While I love taking pictures of the babies and Evie individually I thought a few recent pictures of everyone would also be nice so...

Mommy and babies in our 8 month picture.

Unlike Evie, these guys love being on their tummies and rarely stay on their backs. I have two (Henry & Ella) which have been up on knees to (Ella was even rocking) so I know that crawling will be happening before I know it. They rock the tummy time.

My sweet darlings! Evie LOVES them!

My typical photo ops. Evie kissing someone. Someone trying to turn over and reaching for things. I have a limited time to get a good photo.

The grandkids and great grandkids on my mother's side.

This is my favorite picture. There were other ones where Evie was looking at the camera but those smiles on my parents just capture how much they LOVE being anma and ampa to the kids. They are AWESOME!!! The kids are so lucky to be loved so much. Kudos to my dad for "putting up" with the commotion of the kids while we visited for a week. Silence was probably bliss after we left!

Evie and Xander being silly with Auntie Jess and Uncle "Doober"

This was yesterday. They all received the same type of "nammies" and I thought I would dress them "the same" for a photo opp. Lots of cute pictures but a lot of Henry blinking or Ella crying (she was hungry-it WAS right before their last bottle and night-night).