Another Santa Sighting

We also sawa Santa a a friend's house. She has a party every year where Santa comes and reads to the children and then gives them each a book. It is a great time to take your Santa pictures. Brookelyn LOVED that Santa. Sasha did not. Brayden was somewhere in the middle.

Santa Claus

We saw Santa Claus twice this season. Once we went on a train at night at a park that was all decorated with Christmas lights. It has been very cold the last two years we went. but this year was great. It was nice out, which is always easier when you have kids. All three kids were fine about getting their pictures taken with Santa (all at once). We used the picture of the three on the sleigh for our cards this year. I would like to have my older kids in the pictures too, but they really wouldn't be happy about it and I'd have to be way more organized to get it done.

Sisters

The girls change into dress up clothes every free moment they have at home. We always have dresses, shoes and jewelry scattered around all the rooms of our house. They love it.

Thanksgiving Presents

My mother-in-law sent the kids a package right before Thanksgiving. As soon as they started opening it, they all shreiked, "Bubble wrap!" Even Sasha. They tore out the sheets of bubble wrap and each started furiously popping them. The bubbles were pretty big, so they put on their shoes and jumped on them to pop some of them. They had such a great time! After about five minutes or so, they ran out of bubble wrap. I asked them if they wanted to see what their grandma had sent them, since they seemed to have forgotten about the package itself. They liked the books and stuffed animals, but not as much as the bubble wrap. The writing all over Sasha's face is from Brookelyn helping her put "make-up" on. (with a sharpie-it was also all over her back and legs). She looked at me when I asked her what was on her face and said, "I big, Mommy. Like you. I wear make-up." How am I going to get upset over a little sharpie that only lasts a couple of days.

Seriously, it's January?

I'm not really sure how so much time has passed so quickly. I do think it may have something to do with working a ton of hours and having three young and fairly wild children. I love going to work and working on projects. At home, I rarely get anything accomplished besides keeping the kids fed and safe. The girls go from one room to the next taking everything out of it's organized place and "re-organizing." I have to say that I am more tired at the end of the weekend taking care of the kids than I am at the end of the week from working. It hasn't helped that Sasha has continued to wake up several times a night since we moved her to Brookelyn's room. Every time I think I am going to move her back to her old room, I remember that it does save me time putting two kids to bed at once. And I doubt she would even stay in a room by herself after sharing with Brookelyn.
So, a lot has happened since I last wrote. Brookelyn turned four on November 26th!D We celebrated up at my sister's house where we go every Thanksgving. We also celebrated Dakota's 19th birthday (Dec 5th) and my niece Jacquie's 8th birthday. Ray drove home a few hours after dinner, but the kids and I stayed the night. It was very, very fun and very tiring. We stayed up late and got up early. It is always a lot of fun being with my mom, two sisters and their families. It is a loud and very fun time when we all get together. My sister and her husband always make a great Thanksgiving meal and this year the older girls( three 12 yr olds, one 11 yr old and one 9 yr old) served us dinner. It was wonderful! All five of my kids enjoy being around all of their cousins, but Brayden, Brookelyn and Sasha are in heaven. The older girls had a fashion show where they dressed the girls up in one outfit after another and had them walk downstairs and show the adults. Then they performed a play for all of us adults. We played a few games before we went to bed and then went to a park for a while the next day.