Twas Two Days Before Christmas

Merry Christmas 2010

Twas two days before Christmas and things were finally settling down.

We're just finishing up the truffles to deliver around.



So that is the end of the rhyme time but really we are just settling in after a whirlwind of a December. It's been good. It is hard to believe that Christmas is just about here. After thinking, talking and preparing for months Saturday morning will come and the day will be gone before we know it. This year we are looking forward to waking up in our own beds on Christmas morning and enjoying the day together as a family. The next week we are headed to Georgia to spend time with the Griffeth's (minus Wes, Lindsay, Nate and Ryan). We are all very excited!

The girls have been out of school this week, so we have tried to do a couple of fun things with them during their down time. We've gone ice skating, spent some time at the library, and Jeff took the 3 oldest to the movies last night. Most of all I think they have enjoyed not having a schedule and have enjoyed lounging around for a couple of days.

Adison is in full walk mode. It is so fun watching this little person walking around. Jeff and I can't believe how big she is getting. She is growing up WAY too fast. She loves being able to carry things around as she toddles around. She is also figuring out what she wants and does a pretty good job of communicating what it is via fits and tantrums.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Holiday Season

I love the holiday season. My kiddos love the holiday season. We love spending time with family and friends. We love all the excitement and extra activities that happen during this time of year.


We started out this year's holiday season by spending Thanksgiving in Indiana with Jeff's family. We had a great time and as usual were spoiled by the attention that everyone gave us. We always come home exhausted, but it is well worth it!

Bayley is always happy when someone will play her favorite game Monopoly with her...lucky Sydney.

Adison and Grandma Sara bonding

The kiddos with Grandma Nancy and Papa Rick

Adison decided to take off while we were in Indiana...she still prefers crawling to walking, but she can put together a nice little stroll when she wants to.

The kids posing in the new Christmas pajamas

Bayley's idea of bowling

Kendal and Trey loved bowling...Kendal proudly came in third behind Grandma Nancy and Jeff. In fact she will rattle off the scores if you ask her...she is one competitive girl.
Christmas came early and Grandpa Thornton's house

We visited Grandma Thornton at the nursing home and the kids loved the dog that is also a resident at the nursing home.

Eating with the Thornton clan.

I have spent the majority of this week in catch up mode. I'm getting there though and looking forward to the next couple of weeks of Christmas activities.

Blogercial

So my previous post was a total "blogercial". A blogercial is a commercial in a blog. So you may ask, what was in it for me??? 50 free shutterfly cards...now I just have to get a decent family picture to use. That will be the hard part.

In other news:

We had an enjoyable Veteran's day. The girls had the day off of school so we did some fun activities to make the most of the time off. My recent new interest has become "secret shopping". I have always wanted to do something like that, but until recently had not been linked up with the right companies. A friend finally gave me some good referrals and I have been doing a couple a jobs a week. Most of them are easy and are catered around my schedule. Sometimes it backfires though and I am stressed trying to get a last minute job done. Some of the fun shops I've gotten to do include Quiznos, Five Guys and Fries, abercrombie, Gymboree, Sonic, Aldis, just to name a few. For Veteran's Day I was offered a shop to stay at a local Hampton Inn. I decided it would make for a fun evening for me and the kids, so I decided to give it a try. Since it is something we would never usually do, I didn't tell the kids and wanted to surprise them completely. So that evening I told them we were going to go out for dessert at the Cheesecake Factory, which was an extra special treat in and of itself. They were excited, but when they got there I told them it looked pretty crowded so maybe we could order our cheesecake to go and find somewhere a little more quiet and less crazy to eat it. I totally floored them when I said well why don't we go to a hotel close by. You should have seen their faces....it was definitely a is she serious look...I hope she is because that would be awesome. In the end it was a great surprise and we had a great time.

The following day we attended the largest Veteran's Day parade in the U.S. It was a perfect weather day and the kids had a lot of fun watching.

Today I was able to accompany Kendal on her field trip to the American Village. The field trip was a lot of fun as they got to re-enact the Pilgrims who came here on the Mayflower. She is such a funny girl. She so wants we to come and then she practically ignores me. If I didn't see her stealing glances to make sure I was there, I might feel offended.

Adison is growing up way too fast. In the last couple of weeks her personality has definitely evolved. She went from being completely attached to me and pretty much only me, to just about going to anyone at anytime except when she is tired. I think she figured out that she could see and do new things by hanging out with other people besides me. She recently took her first couple of steps, but definitely isn't a walker yet. I AM NOT in any hurry to have her running around here.

Finally, we made a quick trip to Georgia a couple of weeks ago. We had a fun-filled weekend with Grandma and Grandpa "G". As usual they had lots for us to do and we had a great time.

We are all excited about going to Indiana for Thanksgiving. It will be fun to hang out with Jeff's side of the family and spend time with them. The drive doesn't sound so fun, but fortunately we have pretty good travellers.

Holiday Cards

Christmas is just around the corner and in order to try to make my December a bit less chaotic, I have begun thinking about what type of Christmas Card I am going to send this year. I love getting other people's cards with recent pictures of their family! It is always fun to see how their families have grown over the year. I don't know about you, but I am always looking for a simple solution to getting my Christmas cards done. The last couple of years I have used Shutterfly to order my cards. I can personalize the picture and greeting and be done in no time flat. Here is where I will be looking this year for my cards:
Christmas Cards

Holiday Cards

My in-laws love the picture calendars. Here is one of my favorite sites to be able to customize great photo calendars.
Photo Calendars

Boo Day!

So this picture wasn't taken on Halloween, but it pretty much shows what they looked like on the actual day except for Kendal who was a witch not a bee.
Jeff even got into the festivities this year! He had a work event that was a Halloween bash so he was kind of forced into the action. The kids LOVED it!

Halloween festivities seem to span the entire month of October. My kiddos love Halloween. They love dressing up, they LOVE candy and they love all the parties and fun stuff. We had another enjoyable Halloween season. The kids had a great time carving pumpkins this year...each of them got their own pumpkin and were able to pick the design. Bayley carved her pumpkin pretty much on her own this year, which was a little scary at times since she was holding a sharp instrument.

Bayley with her cat pumpkin carving.

Trey showing off his mouse!

Kendal with her skull flag carving!

They loved taking out the guts!

This could be Halloween, but it was just her sister's make-up job!

It is not unusual to see Adison sticking out her tongue in pictures. Last week I attempted to have Adison's one year picture taken...yeah right! She cried the entire time. The above picture is the result of 35 minutes of torture and the closest thing we got to a smile. What a funny girl! Her personality continues to show itself more and more everyday. She loves animals and is absolutely thrilled whenever she sees one. She is getting more and more friendly with people, however, I believe she is friendly for selfish reasons and usually is using people to get what she wants.

Trey-4 years old

Kendal-6 years old

In other news, soccer season ended this last Saturday. Both Kendal and Trey had an enjoyable season and learned a lot. It was fun watching them play, but it will be nice to have our Saturday mornings back for a little while.

Mexico!

Enjoying dinner for 2!

The first week in October Jeff and I took a vacation to Cancun, Mexico, alone, to celebrate our 10 year anniversary. Our actual anniversary was back in April, but because I was still nursing Adison we needed to wait until this fall to leave for an extended period of time. Jeff's sweet mom, Nancy, was kind enough to agree to take care of the 4 kiddos for 5 days while Jeff and I enjoyed some alone time! We had a great time and we're so glad that the kids were left in good hands. Nancy not only took care of them but spoiled them too. In fact when we got back on Thursday, Adison wasn't so sure about her Mom and Dad being home and seemed pretty comfortable with Grandma. It took her a little while to warm back up, but we are friends again.

Jeff and I stayed at an all-inclusive resort for the first time and I personally loved it. I loved not having to worry about the money portion of our trip. Because we went during the off-season the resort was pretty much empty. There were times when we were the only people laying at the pool or eating at a restaurant. That meants lots of great service and lots of quiet. Not only did we relax by the pool but we were also able to do some pretty fun things. The hotel we stayed at was also running a promotion where they gave us $750 to spend while we were there at the resort. With the money we both got massages and pedicures at the spa, we both went zip lining, we both went to a water park and then swam with dolphins and we both played a round of golf at the resort. We sure missed the kids and remarked many times how much they would have loved certain things we saw or did, but we also were reminded how much we do enjoy spending time with each other.

View from our room...not ocean view, but really we could see the ocean!

Jeff golfing on a picture perfect day!

Score!

Trey scored his first soccer goal yesterday. I don't write enough about how funny this kid is. He says the funniest things...just about everyday he says something that totally cracks me up. He talks all of the time about how he will only get better at soccer if he practices. Now, so far he is a lot more talk than action, but I do think playing every week is helping him improve. On Saturday, he definitely was much more into the game and around the ball. When he scored his goal, him and another girl on his team were on a break away with her being a little bit in front of him, when she slowed just a little and that is when Trey stormed in a kicked the ball in. He was grinning ear to ear the rest of the game. He was so proud of himself! So much so that after the game on the way to the car he said "see what happens when you practice, you get better!"

Kendal is a scoring machine in soccer. She loves to play and is definitely one of the better players out there. However her score this week didn't come on the soccer field, but she scored her first lost tooth! Kendal is a lot like me in many ways, not just looks. I remember when I was young that I was one of the last people in my class to start losing teeth. Kendal as well has been very slow to lose teeth. She has been asking just about everyday for the last year if we will feel her teeth to see if one of her teeth is loose. About 2 months ago a permanent tooth showed up behind her baby teeth, yet she still hadn't lost any teeth. But last month her tooth finally started to get loose and after a month of talking and working at loosening this tooth, it finally came out on Friday. She was stoked! She has told everyone she sees that she lost a tooth and that the Tooth Fairy left her $1.

Kendal had a big week. On Thursday, I went with her on a field trip to an apple orchard. Jeff and I ended up jumping through hoops at the last minute to make sure that I was able to go after Trey and Adison started running fevers. Jeff took a vacation day and stayed home with the sick kids, while I accompanied Kendal on her trip. We had a good time and learned a lot about apples. Then on Friday her class had Granny Apple Days at school. Trey, Adison and I went and watched a little program and then ate apple treats with Kendal. She is such a fun girl who is growing up way too fast.

Our Baby is 1!

She loves playing on the stairs

Adison turned 1 year old today. It is hard to believe that it has already been a year. She is my baby and I kind of want her to stay a baby for a long time. She definitely isn't listening to me and is ready to be big NOW. In the last couple of weeks especially she has been reaching new milestones it seems like everyday. Last week her first top tooth broke through and since then the other top tooth has as well. She is losing her toothless grin, which definitely makes her look more grown up. Last week she discovered that she could climb the stairs and they are her favorite new toy right now. She loves hanging out on the first couple of stairs and looking through the rails, making funny faces. She pulls up on everything and I've caught her a couple of times standing independently. I am in no hurry for her to walk, but I'm sure she will be walking around her within the next month or two. The other kids are excited that she is getting older and love interacting with their funny little sister.
Kendal and Spence in the jeep
Jaidyn was brave enough to ride with crazy driver Trey

Spencer, Leigh, Spence and Jaidyn came to Alabama to help us celebrate Adison's big day. We had a good time hanging out with them and we sure are glad that they live close enough that they can pull off a weekend trip to see the cousins. Bayley, Kendal, Trey and Adison LOVE seeing their cousins and enjoyed playing, playing and more playing! This morning Kendal and Trey had soccer games so we spent the morning at the ball fields. Its hard to believe that is fall in Alabama when its in the high 80's and blazing hot outside. This afternoon we grilled out, then finished off the party with cupcakes, ice cream and presents. Adison was ready to climb the presents...forget opening them!

She dug right in to her cupcake

Here are a few things that Adison is up to at 1 year old:

• Adison is a great sleeper. She goes to bed around 7 pm and sleeps until 6 am. She takes a short nap in the morning and then a 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. I'm so glad that she is a good sleeper...it's makes her and her mom HAPPY!


• Adison's brother Trey loves her. He loves to bug her and most of the time she is a pretty good sport. She will let us know when she has had enough.


• Adison loves to stick our her tongue. I think a lot of it has to do with her teeth coming it, but it is funny to watch her play with her tongue sticking out.


• Adison is a great eater when it is food that she likes. Her favorites include pasta, waffles, yogurt, rice cereal and fruit, mixed vegetables and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. She isn't that great of a drinker and until recently did not like milk. She will tolerate it now, but still does not drink a ton.


• Adison loves giving kisses and telling her brother and sisters good night. Every night she accompanies Jeff and I as we put each child to bed. She loves tailing along and has picked up on the routine...including bippity, boppety, boop for Trey.


• Adison's favorite words are more and Mom.


• Adison likes music and will dance along when others are dancing.


• Adison LOVES watching animals, especially dogs. She gets so excited when she sees a dog and loves watching them. She can make "doggy" sounds.

We love our Adison and we are so glad she is a part of our family!

September Summary

An attempt at a family picture using the camera's self-timer feature

September has been a fun and busy month. Just about every weekend we have had some fun activity that we have gotten to participate in. I will try to cover the highlights in chronological order so that I don't forget anything.

Jaidyn's Birthday Party
The last weekend in August the kids and I travelled over to Georgia for the weekend to celebrate my adorable niece's first birthday. As usual Jaidyn's parents Leigh and Spencer threw a great party. Her cake was amazing, the food was great, the kids got balloon animals made (Trey has requested that we hire the crazy balloon lady to come to his party), the kids got to swim in the pool and we finished off the day by taking a quick trip to the Lake near their home. You really couldn't pack much more into a day, but we had a great time!

The beautiful birthday girl...she and Kendal could be sisters!

Bayley turning the kneeboard
Kendal was pumped she got up by herself on the kneeboard

We usually don't let Bayley leave the house with her hair this way

Trey was pumped he was brave enough to do the tube by himself
Adison loves dogs, so Grandma "G" is making friends with Buddy!
Adison loved the swing
The amazing birthday cake...we taxied the cake in the van...it was very nerve-racking!

Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend we spent the 3 days at Lake Wedowee. Most of the wekend it was just our family, which was fun and relaxing. Saturday we did have an adventure on the lake. We decided to take out just one jet-ski and let the kids all ride on the back of the tube. We were having a great time until about 20 minutes into the fun our jet-ski died...it wouldn't start. We were stranded...all 6 of us a good distance away from the dock. Fortunately we were able to flag down another jet-skier who took Jeff back to the dock to retrieve our other jet-ski so that he could tow us back. While I was there stranded with the four kids, the girls took it upon themselves to see if they could pull the jet-ski through the water. They made decent progress but it probably would have taken at least a day to get back at the speed they were going. It didn't take long for Jeff to come to our rescue and we made it back safe and sound. We think the broken jet ski just had a low battery because when we took it out on Monday we didn't have any further problems. We did talk our good friend's the Dewsnups into joining us on Monday afternoon for some lake fun. It was fun hanging out with them and watching the kids jump back on the tubes over and over again for another beating. Hopefully it isn't the last weekend on the lake, but the way things are going it just might be(sadly).

The kids on the tube

Corrie was brave enough to ride with Brian

Grandma Nancy and Pawpaw Rick Visit

Last weekend Rick and Nancy (Jeff's step-dad and Mom) made the trip from Indiana to spend the weekend with us. My kiddos love having them here, even without Dixie their dog. We kept them busy and sent them home ready for a vacation from their vacation. Last Saturday was Kendal and Trey's first soccer games. It was an extremely hot and long morning, but despite the heat we had a good time. Kendal started out the soccer season by scoring 2 goals and leading her team to a victory. She is definitely one of the more skilled players in the league despite being one of the younger girls (she is the only 1st grader on her team, the rest are 2nd graders) She loves soccer and loves competition. It is fun watching her play. Jeff and I are helping to coach Trey's little soccer team. This is his first experience in organized sports, so our focus is to hopefully create a fun atmosphere that will keep him coming back for more. He is funny to watch. Most of the time he as well as 90% of the other kids in his league, have no idea what is going on. There are always one or two kids on the field that "get it" and seem to dominate. Last week there were 2 brothers who were all-stars. I didn't think Trey really was paying to close of attention, but after the game he commented that he heard one of the good players say that he practiced everyday at home. At that point, he said that he needed to practice everyday to get better. His highlight of the first game had to come when he totally pushed a kid over, bringing oohs and aahs from the parents in the stands. He was ready to cry but after a quick talk from his dad he got right back into the game.

After the games, we ate a quick lunch at home and then took Rick and Nancy to our summer hang out, Alabama Adventures. The park was not crowded at all and we enjoyed a couple of hours there. It was a long hot day, but we had a great time. We really are blessed to have such a great family and we are so glad when they come to visit!

Adison and Rick hanging out at the game

The girls hanging in the shade in between games

Trey and Daddy on the soccer field

Kendal waiting for the next big play

Bayley's way of enjoying the games
Adison and I at Alabama Adventures...still smiling after a long day!
Trey's broken butterfly....he loves bugs right now!
Kendal and Jeff skying high on the tube
> Adison and Bayley enjoying the cool water

This Weekend

We had plenty that went on the last couple of days as well. On Friday, Trey, Adison and I went and ate lunch with Bayley at school. She had her first big project of the year due on Friday so her teacher allowed us up to the room to take a peek at all of the completed projects. Bayley was of course my favorite. The assignment was to make a 3d replication of the animal she had been assigned to research, in this case a blood star. After talking about several different alternatives, I suggested that she decorate a cake to look like the blood star. She immediately fell in love with the idea and in the end did a great job decorating the cake. The class not 0nly loved looking at the unique project, but also they enjoyed eating the project as well.

Saturday was another morning filled with soccer games. Kendal again scored and continues to love everything about soccer. Trey continues to learn and vowed to practice more this week at home. After soccer, we met Grandma and Grandpa "G" at the Oxford Olive Garden for a early dinner to celebrate Grandpa's upcoming birthday. We had a great time eating with them and were glad that we got to see them even if it was only for a couple of hours. Jeff and I had stake conference on Saturday night, so we left the tired kids home with a sitter and enjoyed a nice evening together.
The beginning of the blood star decorating