Christmastime is Here

I cannot believe how quickly the Christmas season is upon us! Thanksgiving was really late this year, so it's almost like we lost a week of planning and preparing! I'm getting a time line and lots of to-do lists ready so that I can accomplish all of my tasks. An excuse to make a list...right up my alley!

I love how much Lorne loves Christmas! He is so great about helping with all the decorating and puts so many pretty lights on the house. We even took a trip to Toys 'R Us and did some marathon shopping while Jeremy and Denise kept the kids. We had lots of fun! He has definite opinions on the kids' toys and it's really cute!

Santa sent two of his elves Edwin and Ella to watch Sawyer and Chloe until he comes on Christmas Eve. They brought Advent calendars with them.

Sawyer wasn't quite sure what to make of Edwin and Ella.

I think that was because Lorne had brought all the Christmas Rubbermaids downstairs so he was kind of overwhelmed by the change in the living room. It does take some getting used to I'll have to admit. Our living room is pretty bare the other eleven months of the year.

The Little People Christmas toys are a hit each year (at least for a few hours!)

My attempts at keeping the KidKraft Advent Calendar from the kids were obviously futile.

Denise bought me this calendar last year and I couldn't have been more excited. There's a new magnet for each day. I started out with it by the Little People in the living room, but Sawyer dropped them and a camel lost its head. I super glued the camel and moved the display to the game room, but the storage bins were obviously no match for Chloe! It's now at the base of the storage bins, but the poor camel was decapitated again, so he's currently residing on the refrigerator until he makes his debut. I think that's best and I'm thinking the camel would agree!

The Advent Wreath is a great way to teach our kids the true reason for the season.

Lorne gave me these bears years ago, but they're getting more love now than they've ever gotten.

I make "binoculars" with my hands and tell the kids to "look with their eyes" at fragile items. This is Chloe's version.

The Trains at NorthPark

We went and saw The Trains at NorthPark while Larry and Velma visited at Thanksgiving. I thought Larry would like it since it was a model railroad, and I knew that Sawyer would think it was pretty neat. The display is a Dallas tradition that benefits The Ronald McDonald House. I'm really glad that we went.

This was a cool replica of Lombard Street.

The kids were too distracted by the action to focus on a picture. Who could blame them?

Daddy gave Sawyer a lift for a better view.

Sawyer was intrigued by the bulldozer and construction equipment.

I'd like to sponsor one of the cars next year, but I may wait until the kids can read because then they could watch for their names. It would probably mean more then. It's for a great cause.

I think that the carnival was my favorite part.

The display ended with a winter wonderland.

Hill Country Hideaway

We met Mom, Matthew, and Kayla at Mark's house the weekend before Thanksgiving and stayed until Tuesday. Matthew was at the deer lease most of the time hunting his trophy buck, and he got him on Monday. Dad flew in to Austin on Monday afternoon. Jackie came later in the week because she had class. I hated that we didn't get to see her. I'm looking forward to spending some time with her over our Christmas visit.

Sawyer, Kayla, and Chloe fought over everything pretty much the entire time. We heard lots of "mine" and "no!" I think it's because Sawyer is used to getting what he wants with Chloe and Kayla is used to being an only child and having her own space. As someone who loves to study the dynamics of birth order it was an intriguing time! Kayla went from being an only child to being the middle child. Sawyer felt like he'd added another little sister, and Chloe, well, Chloe held her own as usual.

Matthew was so incredibly excited that he got his deer. It's a beauty! The stats on his e-mail read "139-7/8" 10pt." I'm not quite sure what that all means. I keep meaning to ask him.

Taking an M&M break. Sawyer loves to have a "picnic lunch."

Sawyer awoke at the crack of dawn each morning because he wanted to throw deer corn.

Kayla had fun throwing out the corn, too.

Looks like the corn tossing paid off.

I think Sawyer sampled more Rice Krispies than he pressed.

Chloe is Twenty Months Old!

Chloe is full steam ahead this month. She is speaking a blue streak and running around and around, chasing her brother. I listened when everyone told me that the time goes by quickly, but I just never realized it would be quite this quickly. Chloe is almost the age Sawyer was when she was born.

She is saying some words in a really cute way. She likes to add an "ish" to her words. She says, "Bubbish," for example. She's also addicted to Boots on Dora the Explorer. She calls him "Boosh." I really need to do a better job of documenting all of her words. I always think that I will remember everything, but it just won't happen, no matter how hard I try.

I thought we'd try out one ponytail this month. I think it looks pretty cute!

Chloe, up close and personal.

We have such happy kids!

My children are such posers!

Sawyer wanted to take another picture, but Chloe was ready to play.

Dharma Comes to Visit

Sawyer's little friend Dharma came to our house for a play date. Sawyer absolutely loves this girl. It is so cute! He talks about her all the time and Dharma is the same way according to her mom Lynn.

They came to the house and the kids played and made pine cone turkeys. I gathered the pine cones while we were in East Texas to ride Thomas. I think that the kids had a good time. I just had to laugh while I watched them, though. I really wanted to take over and make them like I wanted to, but I knew that I needed to let them create one all their own.

I made a lasagna for lunch and all three kids loved it! I was really glad. I knew that my kids liked pasta, but I wasn't quite sure about lasagna.

Chloe was such a big girl to make her turkey along with Dharma and Sawyer.

Sawyer is hard at work!

Here's Dharma!

My little turkeys made some pretty cute turkeys!

Fall is in the Air

The winds are definitely changing, but it still feels like Texas. It's chilly in the morning and then we're in T-shirts by naptime! Oh well, it will be cold soon enough.

I don't have quite as many fall/Thanksgiving decorations as I would like, but I do have the window clings that the kids always enjoy putting on the patio door. They really are easily pleased!

I can always be sure that the patio door gets cleaned when it's time to change the window clings! I always get more help than I need!

I always tell Chloe to "look with her eyes," so she was demonstrating. The clings always get higher and higher on the patio door.

We got the kids the Little People Thanksgiving Celebration and Mayflower Play Sets this year.

Denise got me this gorgeous fall arrangement for my birthday.

I had to stop to take a picture of the kids on our way to a MOPS meeting. They looked so cute in their long-sleeved light-up shirts and their backpacks and lunch kits.

Sawyer prides himself for looking out for his little sister while at MOPPETS.

Chloe loves to wear the backpack Laura gave her.

Chloe's Surgery

Chloe breezed through her surgery. We had to be there at 6:30 so we got up pretty early. Denise got to our house at 5:45 so that she could sit with Sawyer. We kept Chloe in her jammies and just loaded her in her car seat. It seemed to take longer to check-in than for the entire surgery. The weirdest part was when they gave her something to make her loopy and she turned into an instant rag doll. Lorne and I sat on a hospital bed in the recovery area for a while until a nurse suggested we wait in the waiting room. We weren't even really settled before they were calling for Chloe's parents. I heard her crying as they led us down the hall, but she stopped as soon as she was in my arms. Talk about the best feeling in the world. I can calm another person just with my touch. It felt so great to hold her again even though it had only been twenty minutes since I'd seen her last!

We got her home and she napped for three hours. I went to get lunch and laid her down again and she slept for another few hours. She seemed totally fine once she woke up from her second nap. It would seem like nothing had happened were it not for the fact that we have to use earplugs each time she's in water now.

We go back on December 1st for a follow-up. It's supposed to be in three weeks, but that falls on Thanksgiving week and they said that's one of his busiest weeks of the year. I'm just anxious to see the results of her next hearing test.

Chloe a few days before her procedure.

They kids spend more time "rinsing" their paintbrushes and paint cups than actually painting.

Sawyer loved that Chloe had surgery because it meant that he got to play with Daddy all day long.

"Ahoy, matey!"

Daddy makes everything more fun!

Halloween 2008

We took the kids Trick or Treating last night for the first time. It was pretty warm outside, so we had a sweaty lion and ladybug when we got home. I think that we may have started a tad too early because there weren't too many porch lights on when we first headed out. The crazy thing is that there was still tons of candy for two little kids!

We got home in time for Sawyer to help me distribute candy. One group of kids came to the door and one of them said, "I want the little kid to give me my candy." He was giving out lots!

We did the old switch-a-roo and gave the kids the candy that we bought and handed out the candy that they received in the neighborhood. We did let them eat the candy from the people we knew. Lollipops were a huge hit. I'm guessing that's because I don't buy them.

Denise went to Wal-Mart and found these matching flashlights. I remembered too late that Sawyer got a ghost one from Aunt Jamie last year. They were already sold out at Kohl's. I'm slowly learning that with two kids comes a need for two of everything, preferably matching everything.

Our family pictures really crack me up! I don't think that we've ever had all four of us looking at the camera!

This was Sawyer's and Chloe's first-ever Trick or Treating house!

This girl came to our house later in the evening so she probably received some of her own candy since I just recycled what the kids gathered.

There were a few houses where the porch light was on a timer because there was no answer. It kind of threw our little trick or treaters for a loop!

I had to get a picture of how Sawyer held up his pumpkin in patient anticipation of his treat.