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!