Whatta White Christmas!

We had such a lovely Christmas this year. All of the kids were very sweet and happy about their gifts. The girls were somewhat chagrined to receive IOUs instead of pajamas, but I've promised to make good on those this week. (And they will be so dang cute that they will totally forget that they were late! I was saving the funnest sewing project for last, hoping that it would motivate me. It didn't.) Only James was a little grinch (at least for the first hour after being woken up much earlier than usual). Of course, he changed his tune once he saw Jonny's Hess Truck.

I was amazed at how thoughtful all of the children's gifts were. Nobody bought me their favorite DVD or anything. Jonny did get me all kinds of candy, knowing that I generally share, but...ooooh...hot tamales! Annika got me a new set of coasters (with a fern pattern on them). I know she was thinking, "Mom likes plants...and us not to put our drinks on the furniture...coasters!" Sofia, my fellow Twilight fan, bought me the Twilight soundtrack, and Anthony got me a some headphones that block out background noise (aka kids). The combination of those two things may lead to some bad parenting, but it was very sweet.

We took the kids to see the Tale of Despereaux, which was actually quite a gift from us, since Tony had to drive on yucky, snowy roads and I'm going through an "anti-kid-movies phase". Then we sat around reading our Christmas books, eating, and playing games for the rest of the day. Lovely and lazy.

Now the magical snow has all been rained away (Woo-hoo! I can leave my house!), Tony is back at work, and I'm gearing up for a new year and a fresh semester with the children. See ya next year, Christmas!

This Means War!

Tony and I had a very peaceful, non-present-buying truce going until today. He hadn't bought me anything. I hadn't bought him anything. It was like the year that we both forgot our anniversary...but this time it was laziness, not forgetfulness. I was very happy not having any presents under the tree - it took the pressure off. (I never know what to get my husband, so I always end up buying him something lame and he pretends to like it.)

I shouldn't have underestimated a man's ability to go shopping at the last minute. And what was his excuse? "I didn't buy you anything, but the kids wanted to get you presents." (A likely story - I heard Anthony complaining the whole way to the car!)

Of course, I am glad that he loves me enough to put down Breaking Dawn to take four kids shopping. I know I have trouble shaking off the Twilight stupor. And he may have thought that the present truce was just another woman trap, like, "Do I look fat in this?" or "Do you like my new haircut?" Tony has always been wary of those, so his spider senses may have been tingling?

So, what should I do to retaliate? Any very last-minute gift ideas?

Our Mini Vay-Cay

Since Tony is actually taking some leave, I thought we would sneak off for a couple of days (just away from the Navy, not away from the kids this time). We drove down to Grand Mound, WA to stay at the Great Wolf Lodge. A perfect get away for two reasons: 1)something fun to do inside (it is December) and 2)rooms that are actually made to sleep 7 (rare indeed). We drove down in the snow Sunday afternoon and came back today. Short and sweet.
The review: I loved all of the decorated Christmas trees in the huge lobby. Tony cringed at the horribly cheesy animatronic clock tower show. The little kids thought it was great. I just loved the fact that there was a huge lobby full of families with little kids! Family friendly wins an inordinate amount of points from me. The buffet was expensive..shocker. But the water park made up for any other short-comings. My dream water park - totally free from my arch-enemy, the sun! They had a great toddler area with little slides, a beach-front entrance, and plenty of buttons and levers that made water squirt/dump/spray from various things. James' favorite parts were the fountains spraying water out of the ground (which were all over the place) and ski-doos that didn't go anywhere, but squirted a steady stream of water in whatever direction you pointed them. (Although I was shocked at the idiotic adults and older kids that though it was hilarious to squirt a 2-year-old in the face. Very nice and mature. I guess I should just be glad that wasn't my husband or kids!)
Everyone loved the waved pool, although the older kids tried very hard to drown in it by not using the inner tubes. I was a good preggy and didn't go down any of the forbidden water slides. Everyone else raved about them. Scaredy-cat Sofia even went down the scariest one (encourage by 2 new friends she made at the park)...the tornado. Anthony loved the tornado! Jonny and Annika were up for anything and went on the waterslides over and over. It was a blast to watch everyone. Sorry I don't have any pictures of everyone actually splashing and having fun, but I was the wet Mom, chasing kids through the pool (trying to avoid drownings!), not the dry Mom with the camera sitting in a beach chair (boring). The upside...you also don't have to see pictures of me in a maternity swimsuit - Sexy! So, just count your blessings.

Caroling for Food...and Freezing

The kids participated in a very worthwhile (but extremely cold) event today. Every year in Poulsbo, Fishline (the local food bank) has an event on Front Street where various singing/other groups carol for donations to the food bank. It's such a great idea, but today happened to be the coldest day we've had this year. (Snow is blanketing the ground outside as I type.)
Their lovely violin teacher had a nice group of violin and guitar students, but they only lasted a little under an hour. Singers can stick their hands in their pockets, but you kind of need those frozen fingers to be exposed if you're playing an instrument. Even Annika, who isn't quite up to playing Christmas songs in a big group yet, was a dedicated little page turner. (Actually, it was more of a page-holding duty, so that the wind wouldn't blow the music every which way and on down the street.) Next year we'll be smart and bring hand warmers and fingerless gloves.
I thought they all did a wonderful job and were real troopers!

So Much Candy, So Little Time

Thank you everyone for being excited with me about the new (still in utero) baby. I really appreciate it. And you have all been very generous with your comments on my baby belly. Sweet, considering that I've been supplementing my normal diet with large doses of irresistible Christmas candy and gingerbread cookies. I blame those people at the Hersheys factory.

We went to a local performance of the Nutcracker today, featuring one of Sofia's friends as a toy soldier. It received mixed reviews. When asked what their favorite dances were, the children said....
James-"More candy!" (the real secret to quiet toddlers)
Jonathan-"None of them." (Don't believe him; he paid rapt attention the entire time.)
Annika-"All of them!"
Sofia-"The one with Savannah in it."
Anthony-"I didn't like any of them." (We suspect this was a lie, because he was so embarassed during the Arabian Coffee dance that he hid his face in his coat. Pretty ballerinas!)
Afterwards we got huge rootbeer floats at A&W. It was a bittersweet occasion. Sweet because of the yummy treat, but we were all sad to know that this A&W is closing it's doors forever on Sunday, due to expenses from a lawsuit. Sad. We'll miss your rootbeer and cheesecurds, Buck's A&W!

Boys vs. Girls? It's a tie again!

I had my ultrasound today, and the whole family was able to come and get a peek at our newest little one. They were all so good and interested in determining whether it looked like a baby kitten, an alien or a pirate (some of our first impressions from other children's' ultrasounds). All I could see was a sweet little girl! All of our girls will have April birthdays - how fun! The only mystery now is whether she will be ginger, chocolate, or vanilla. We have all three flavors in our family, so you never know. And now Tony and I get to have the long "discussion" over names. Fun, fun, fun. I have several picked out, but he doesn't seem to be going for any of them. Should I be fair or use my womanly wiles? You can vote for your favorite name in my poll, but (sadly) Tony is the electoral college.

Free Popcorn and Twilight! What more could you want?

At our house, Tuesday night is movie night. Not every week (who can afford that?), but on some random Tuesday during nearly every month, we decide (at the last minute) to race to the theater and try to get to the movie on time. Tony and I love movies, and the free popcorn they offer on Tuesdays just seals the deal! (This week we had a free soda coupon too...as if that offsets the $50 it costs us to get in!)
So...prepare for the shock...we took all of our kids to see Twilight. Honestly, my biggest concern in letting them watch it was that they would all be bored off of their gourds (and thus very naughty).
Sofia and Anthony both read the book this week. I had decided not to let them read it, but it was clearly getting to the point where they were just going to sneak-read it if they didn't get permission. Definitely better to be able to discuss it with them! We had some nice talks about why it's a bad idea to have boys in your room (especially if they sneak in through the window!), hiding things from your parents (who just love and want to help you!), and about not kissing vampires (although that last one was probably not strictly necessary).
Jonny thought Edward was a lot like spiderman. James threw popcorn and drank soda. Annika sat sighing about boys and kissing (but sadly, that is nothing new! She's my one to watch!)
I even think Tony fell for the romantic love story part. I noticed a few soft looks and extra kisses coming my way. (Well, you don't get six kids by being unromantic!) So, now he keeps asking me questions about Stephanie Meyer vampires that aren't really answered in the movie. How did so-and-so become a vampire? Why doesn't Edward want Bella to be a vampire? Is a half-vampire born when a pregnant woman is bit? (I think that last one is more of a reference to Blade than Twilight.) And I'm being extremely hypocritical (since I demand to know the ending of every movie...even ones he hasn't seen) and not answering him. I want him to read the books! Men are allowed to , right?! He says REAL men aren't, but we'll see how long it is until he gives in.

Soon, soon! Just a few more days!

Hoorah, my hubby is back, and this time for longer than a week! For anyone who is in suspense about it, I did manage to scrape the house back together before he arrived. My bedroom has been cleaned, destroyed, and cleaned again since the last picture I posted of it. One of these days I'll post proof, and you can all see it at it's lovely full potential. So stop imagining me wading through the mess! Even more amazing than my room being presentable is that I finished the painting the top edge of the girls' room. You know, the part you have to carefully paint, trying not to get any on the ceiling? Yes, six months later, I can finish a project. Now I can finally hang curtains!...as soon as I find some that I like. I've already exhausted the Target option, so now I'm shopping around online. (I can't go anywhere that doesn't have carts to help contain the hooligans.)
My next project involves Sofia's sewing desk. I'm going to try to make her sewing area cute enough to keep her and her creative mess in her own room. (I know, selfish. But one can only handle so many little scraps of felt all over one's floor. I'd like her to be more of a guest sewer in my room and less of a resident.) So, I have ambitious plans for a desk rehab, a nice thread rack (or drawer...I can't decide), and some lovely, inspiring decorations that I have stashed in my closet. I'm trying to wait until after Christmas for this one...or at least until the flannel pajamas are complete. (Christmas jammies sound like a great idea until you're making 5 pair.)
Tune in Thursday evening, when I hope to be revealing the gender of our newest little hooligan! So soon!

The Worst, Best Day Ever

Productive, horrific, and then finally fun. Those were the many phases of today.

To begin with, I actually got to cross a few things off of the never-ending list!
-change the air filter by balancing on my toes atop a step-ladder (I don't know why they put our filter in the ceiling - just a few more inches and I could get it in flat-footer, so much less dangerous!) CHECK!
-take pile of flattened cardboard boxes and used batteries to the recycling center CHECK!
-clean and rearrange living room to make way for the impending tree CHECK!
All of that made me feel quite cheerful and proud of myself.

Then I took the kids to a display of gazillion nativity scenes (plus one live one and lots of lovely musical numbers) at the stake center.
They had a wonderful scavenger hunt, where the children hunted for various nativities, all for one little piece of candy. So very bribable. The older kids all loved it, but James mainly loved running around, trying to touch things he wasn't supposed to and throwing himself on the floor, in tears, for no apparent reason.
SO...he cried while we looked at nativity scenes. He cried while the kids dressed up as shepherds, angels and Mary. He cried as Sofi painted a nice little craft. I finally gave up and left, hoping that he would fall asleep on our way to Target.

He did, and it was definitely a very good thing that he is a sound sleeper, because I think one more thing would have caused me to break down and make a horrible scene in public. (I can throw an even better fit than my children...but it isn't nearly as cute.) As it was, I was only a bit cranky as we made our way through evil holiday shopping, crowds, broken snow globes, long overdue new shoes for Anthony (I threatened to make them his Christmas present, if he wouldn't help me pick a pair) and trying to decide on the best potty-training seat for James.
As it was, I only broke down when the kids scattered in the parking lot, endangering various lives or simply hiding where I couldn't tell whether or not they were about to be run over. "HOW CAN I TAKE YOU TO A FESTIVAL IN TOWN, FULL OF HUGE CROWDS, WHEN I CAN'T EVEN GET YOU TO THE CAR SAFELY. WE ARE NEVER GOING ANYWHERE AGAIN! BUCKLE YOURSELVES IN BEFORE I REALLY GET MAD!"
I know yelling at your kids is bad, but four very repentant children quickly entered the car, buckled up and apologized for being suicidal little morons. (They didn't phrase it quite like that.) They were so contrite and swore so faithfully to stay at my side, if I would only take them to the Festival of Chimes and Bells in our lovely town of Port Orchard, that I decided to chance it. Everyone knew they were on probation. Maybe that would be enough incentive for good behavior?

Sometimes I'm glad that I'm a sucker and get talked into things that seem like horrible ideas on the surface, because, from this point on, it was the most wonderful evening ever.
We parked right up the (yes quite steep, but I need the exercise) hill from town hall, where the tree lighting and chimes from the clock tower where scheduled to happen at 6pm. We sipped free hot cocoa and watched the parade of costumed pets (our favorite was the bunny Santa) and listening to an Oom-pah band play our favorite Christmas carols. When there was a lull in the program, Sofia went up and offered to sing "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful" in Latin. They actually let her, and she sang a perfect unaccompanied "Adeste Fideles". I nearly cried. Huge tree lit, chimes played, and we made our way through the traffic-less street to the harbor.
Even our potty-stop at the library (where I stood with three other preggies in a huge line to use the MEN'S! room - ladie's was out of order) was awesome! While we waited to pee, they had a fiddle, guitar, and stand-up bass playing bluegrass Christmas songs. When we emerged from the yucky men's room, there were two librarians on harp and dulcimer, playing old English favorites. We checked out all of the pet books my littles had found during the wait (the kids are shopping for a new pet) and were off to see Santa!
We watched the huge fireworks display over the water while we waited in line to see Santa. We all oohed and aahed. James actually sat on Santas lap for the picture - amazing considering that he has no concept whatsoever of who Santa is!
Even waiting forever for the tractor-drawn hayride was pretty fun. We sipped more free cocoa (I'm amazed that they actually gave Sofia and Anthony 6 cups of cocoa!) We shared the candy stash from my purse with the teenagers behind us in line (who had been unjustly kicked off a hayride and sent to the end of the line for line-cutting!) Eventually, James began to lose hope of ever getting on the hayride. Every time a tractor came and went, he would cry and struggle to race to the front of the line until it drove out of sight. Luckily, we made it onto their very last trip (thrill of James' life and savior of mine!), which ended right down the hill from our car!
I couldn't have planned any of it better myself. What a wonderful evening. I love my town for giving it to us and my kids being their best selves the entire time. (Yes, sometimes a 2-year-old's best self still cries about tractors. By the end of the evening, I even thought that was adorable.)

My Second Chance at Cleaning

Before Tony got home, I had a long list of projects I wanted to complete and neglected housework that I wanted to address before he got back. My extremely messy bedroom and closet pictured above, for example. (I'm not even sure if Tony can get to his clothes right now, without wading through various school papers and incomplete scrapbooking projects.) While I was able to get the bedroom clean enough to vacume (how sad is that?), the closet remains unchanged. Neither did I manage to change the filter in the heater, change the filter in the fridge, clean the garage, finish the touch-up painting in the girls' room, finish the little section of flagstone path that I had begun, or hang the curtains in our room. I could blame the kids or the busy lifestyle I've created by having all of them, but the true culprit is my short attention span!
Now that he's left again, for a little jaunt in the submarine, I have a second chance to impress him by getting anything (other than school and feeding the children) accomplished while he's gone. Maybe I should write out a timeline to keep me on track?
On the upside, if I fail miserably once again, at least Tony can feel sure that he's a needed, vital component of our family, and that everything would fall apart if he never came back!