Christmas was great!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. It was great to see it this year through the eyes of a 4, 2 & 1 year old. Eleanor was so excited for every single thing.  Here are the kids on Christmas morning. They were in our room waiting to go and see what Santa brought!

Here are Eleanor & Elisabeth, her American Girl doll, on Jimmy's trampoline from Santa. This is a HUGE hit and they get exhausted! 
Here is Miss Lucy with Kit.  They have on their matching pajamas.  The girls each got American Girl dolls from Grandma Patti & Grandpa Doug.  I love her dimples!!!!
What a big boy!!! Jimmy is finally walking.  He still enjoys crawling, but is about 50/50 on walking/crawling these days.  
I will post more later, but need to go and get things ready for New Years Eve!  The kids are all napping in their rooms and the house is quiet!!!

OUCH!!!

First off, this is Eleanor on the potty, not me.  But, this story is about me!  For those of you directing yourself to our blog for the first time, via our Christmas Card - Welcome.  Let me first apologize for the tacky photocopied letter this year. I had BIG plans for that card!!! But, sometimes things to do not go as planned.  Just as the party was ending and I was getting the card ready...I started to get some pain. Turns out I was more stressed about the party than I had originally thought.  

This past Tuesday I had my regular annual physical with my Physician.  Everything was great, but I was in some pain and wanted him to take a look.  An old monster had come back...hemorrhoids. I had them really bad with all my pregnancies and was even induced at 38 weeks with Lucy & Jimmy because of 'them'. When he took one look at 'them' he said, "You need surgery and need to see a Colo-Rectal Surgeon today."  Now, I knew I would probably eventually need surgery.  But, many people had told me it was the WORST pain I would ever experience in my entire life.  And I could imagine...surgery down there would not be my first choice.  So, I was scared when he said surgery.  But, I was also in tears and could barely sit down.  

I went home and then David and I went to the Surgeon that night in Omaha for our appointment.   We finally got into see him around 7pm on Tuesday night. He took a look at 'them' and quickly told me that surgery would be TOMORROW!  He wanted to take a closer look, but I was in so much pain that he would have to wait until I was under anesthesia and we were in the OR.  

Wednesday night, I had surgery around 8pm.  It was supposed to be about one hour from when I went under, to when I woke up in the recovery room.  Well....I was in the OR for NINETY minutes.  Things were bad, really bad.  Turns out I had a thrombosed hemorrhoid, another hemorrhoid, 3 fissures and a skin tag.  I was able to come home the next day, but with a catheter!  YUCK!  I was able to have the catheter removed on Friday and my doctor told me he had received the surgery notes and it was the worst case he had ever seen and one of the worst my Colo-Rectal Surgeon had ever seen.  

Anyway...I am on Oxycotton & Percocet for the time being. Needless to say...those cute cards were put on the back burner. And rather then stress about them, David volunteered to finish them. And I let him! 

He has been so wonderful during all of this. As have my parents and my sister.  I am unable to lift anything...so basically someone has to be with me at all times to help Jimmy.  I am also unable to drive.  

Everyday I am feeling a little better. I have to say the surgery was not at all fun.  But, not nearly as bad as I thought it would be.  

So please, scroll through this Blog to see the CUTE pictures of our kids that would have been included in this years card. 

(I am sure there are typos and grammar issues with this blog...I blame it on the Oxycotton!)

Oh what a night - Cookies & Cocoa with Santa!

We had our cookies & cocoa party with Santa last night.  It was such a magical night to see the excitement through the kids' eyes.  Here are the kids before the guests started arriving.  The kids all wore their pajamas to the party. 

Here are some of the kids decorating their cookies. 

Santa & Mrs. Claus were so great to the kids. Everyone had their picture taken with Santa and got a present!

Eleanor had the biggest smile on her face when it was her turn.  I think we are done sitting on Santa laps for the year. Every time...she asks for something different?!@*#&@$

The kids were so patient in opening their gifts. They waited until everyone had theirs to start opening. 

This was the reason I had the party...to get this picture! Isn't he a happy baby? And Lucy would not get her hand out of her nose!!!

Here are some of the party animal's children, playing in Eleanor's room.  The kids got their second wind around 11:00 and did some songs for us!

Myself, Becky, Laurie & Jami

David and myself.  We had one goal, make sure everyone had fun. He was in charge of the adults & I was in charge of the kids.  I think we did our job!!

Time flies....

Sorry I have been so MIA. We have had a busy few weeks.  I will update with some pictures, when I get more time. We were with David's family for Thanksgiving. The kids have so much fun together. Then my mom, dad, sister and myself went to Chicago to visit Mark and do some Christmas shopping.  It was a fun, fun, fun three days.  

We are hosting a big party tonight...cookies & cocoa with Santa.  I will take lots of pics and blog about the party later. 

Here is a picture of the kids before we left to visit Santa at the mall. 

Jack is back...

Jack, the elf has returned for another year. Eleanor SCREAMED this morning when she saw him on the mantel. You see, last year Santa sent Jack to us before Christmas. He came with a book, explaining his story and the kids got to name him. Jack comes to our house around the holidays and watches the kids all throughout the day and then every night he flies to see Santa and report on the kids' day. The most exciting thing every morning at our house is not the candy in the advent calendar, not turning on the Christmas light, it is finding where Jack is at for that day.
Welcome back, Jack!
(and yes...i still need to iron the stockings!)

Breakfast with Santa

Santa season has begun! We had Breakfast with Santa today and the girls were in Heaven. Jimmy....well, he wasn't as much. I love this picture because right after this picture, Jimmy threw the candy cane that Mrs. Claus is handing him on the floor in anger. Oh...what a sweet little boy!


Jimmy enjoyed being close to Santa, if only in Daddy's arms. Look at Jimmy's new hair cut. Does he look like a Mini David, or what?
This picture is precious. She loves Santa so much!
After breakfast the girls were busy! They got their faces painted, made necklaces & decorated cookies.
After all the fun crafts we headed to look at the trees. The girls loved this tree that was made out of balloons. I was a nervous wreck they were going to pop one.
Ok...off to write my Christmas card. I have been putting this off for a week. And I pride myself on getting it in the mail the day before Thanksgiving. This is the first time in FIVE years we are not announcing a pregnancy nor a birth!!!

The impossible...

I remember when I was younger and it was Christmas Picture Day. Ugh, how I hated that day. My mom trying to get her perfect picture. And chances are, one of us was in a ugly stage, odd phase, zit face or just in a plain bad mood. I am not sure if she ever got that PERFECT PICTURE. But, when I look back at all those years of Christmas pictures, they make me laugh. You can see the red eyes because one of us was just crying, the coordinating outfits that my mom stressed about for days, and the way we are leaning away from each other because we were fighting. With digital cameras, Photoshop and bribing you would think I could have gotten that PERFECT PICTURE. But, of course I did not.

This is the way our photo session began...
The poor kids were freezing & it was windy.

David trying to have the girls hold onto Jimmy's hands. Jimmy did not like this idea.

Can you tell Jimmy was crying? You will see more of this below. And Lucy was about to hit Ella for Ella putting her arm around her.

Not sure what was going on here. Lucy seems happy as a camper and not at all bothered by the screaming brother next to her.

Ella is so used to posing for me that she does a really good job.

Lucy is chomping away on the tootsie roll that we bribed her with.

Jimmy is still mad mad mad!

And this is the best of the bunch.

It cracks me up and just might make it onto the Christmas card this year.

I love basketball!

Last year, Eleanor played basketball on a Mighty Hoopsters team. It was a train wreck. At three years old they were all over the place. Climbing on the equipment, crying or picking their nose.
This year...I am surprised at how well she is doing. She loves basketball nights. Now part of that is the fact that David is the coach. And another part is that the kids get a snack and drink after the game. But, during those 60 minutes she is practicing/playing she is really into the game. She is MUCH more aggressive than I ever thought she would be and can actually make a basket. Granted the hoops are about 6 feet high, but still!
I took the camera tonight, in hopes of getting some great action shots. Instead, I was chasing around a toddler and a tired baby. And...chatting with some of the moms.
Instead, David grabbed the camera when he got home. Ella walked in, sat down on the bench in our hallway and fell asleep leaning on the wall.
And that is why this mom LOVES basketball. It makes for a tired little girl, who won't fuss about going to bed, cry over which type of toothpaste she wants that night, and manipulate her way into reading JUST ONE MORE book.

Fun Contest for you fabric ladies...

Check out
http://fabricbliss.blogspot.com/
Tell her Sara S. sent you!

Mr. Jimmy

Look at that precious little face. He is quickly becoming a toddler and growing up way too fast. Jimmy had his fifteen month appointment this week and he is doing great. He is still not walking, but has begun walking behind push toys. They are not too worried, as of now. She did say that as soon as he does walk, WATCH OUT! Because he will go from 0 - 60 in a matter of days.
I was sewing today and this Children's Place tee kept screaming my name. It has been sitting there for a few months. I decided he need another tie shirt and this one out of Boden corduroy.

The orange sequins...

Shortly after baths tonight Lucy crawled on David's lap and told him that her eye hurt. We got her a towel and a few minutes later she was sneezing and saying her nose hurt. We laid her down, looked in her nose with a flashlight and saw something. We tried to get it out with tweezers, but it moved further up her nose. Off to the hospital...

I was going to just take Lucy, but Eleanor really wanted to go. So, we made it a family trip.

Once at the hospital they started asking us questions.
How long has it been in there? Not sure - a few hours
What is is? Not sure - she says it is a sparkly????
I felt like a horrible mother. I wanted to scream. I have a clean home and small objects are not just lying around. I have no clue what it is or where she got it from. Even now, seeing what it is, I still have no clue.

Here is Miss Lucy on the hospital bed waiting for the doctor.
At first they tried to get it out by closing her other nostril and having me blow in her mouth. That did not work, so they had to wrap her in the sheets and use some tool to get it out. She did not scream, cry, kick or even move. She was amazingly calm and only when it was pulled out said, "All done?" They all fell in love with her and took her to go pick out stickers and a sucker.

Here is the large orange sequins that Miss Lucy put in her nose tonight. They were all surprised at the size and that she was not crying and in more pain. It is a large object for a 2 year old nose!
Our Lucy is one tough girl!

Hannah, Hannah & a Pirate

What a night!!! The girls were SOOO excited to go Trick-or-Treating! And the weather, it was PERFECT. Ella & Lucy were both Hannah Montana. They were adorable, but their wigs and headsets did not make it to too many houses. Luckily, they are both blonde anyway.
Here is Jimmy, the pirate. He was a great sport and did not mess with his costume. The hat, on the other hand, did not make it past this picture! Jimmy and Lucy had a hard time grasping the concept that they could not eat the candy as soon as it entered their bags.

Here are Ella, Lucy & Jimmy with Norah and Kyle. We went with Norah, Kyle and their parents down our street. We then joined Mickey, Laurie, Jack & Mandy on our golf carts and hit some of the other streets around here. The weather was perfect and it was really a great Halloween. When we got home, Ella actually ASKED if she could go to bed!

Arizona

We just got back from Arizona and had a great trip. The kids love Grandma & Grandpa's house in Arizona because it has a POOL. Eleanor was a fish and could not get enough pool time! Judd and Becky, our friends who joined us, were great sports. The girls love both of them and always wanted to sit/swim/play with Judd & Becky!

Here is Jimmy on the plane on the flight out to Phoenix. We flew out on our sixth wedding anniversary. Happy Anniversary honey!
Lucy, Ella, Grandma Patti and I got pedicures. I could not believe that Lucy was able to sit still for her BLUE polish to dry.

Here is the fish....I mean Ella. She was very brave by the end of the week.

Here is a picture of Jimmy & David in the hot tub talking to Judd in the pool. I think they are discussing what great wives they have. David got in four rounds of golf and a two-hour club fitting session, while on the trip!

I love this picture of Jimmy & Grandpa Doug. Jimmy had just sneezed and thought it was pretty funny.

The day Judd & Becky came, we went out for a night out. Thank you mom and dad for watching the kids. It was a great night.

Here we are with our wheels for the night.

Lastly, Becky (a.k.a. mom-to-be) turned TWENTY-NINE in Phoenix. Ella was in charge of the candles!

It was a great trip. Thanks mom & dad!!!

Fall Festival & Friends

Today was Eleanor's Fall Festival at her preschool. She has been SOOO excited all week! She made pumpkin bread at preschool yesterday, for the festival. She told us numerous times in the past twenty-four hours that we 'are not going to believe how nummy it is and it tastes just like Grandma Alices' bread.'
Here she is showing us around her preschool. Yes...the girls needed new outfits for the Fall Festival!
Jimmy was LOVING the preschool room. I think he is ready. You think they will take him even if he is not walking?

Eleanor and Lucy painting the pumpkin. Ohhh...it was such a pretty pumpkin when they were finished!?#$!

My craft lover hard at work...

After pumpkin painting, it was time for a family picture. I was quite pleased that we are all looking at the camera!

Then it was time to head inside and frost and decorate that Oh-so-yummy pumpkin bread.

These two are the BEST of friends. This was after they had just gone 'trunk-or-treating' in the parking lot. This is Norah, Ella's best friend and she lives NEXT DOOR!

Here is another one of them at one of the trunk-or-treats.

A close up of the girls.

Lucy & Kyle. Kyle is Norah's little brother and Lucy's best buddy. These two go RUNNING for each other when they see one another.

Lucy was so proud of her candy and goodies that she got today. Next year, we will be going to her Fall Festival at the preschool.