From Our House To Yours...

We wish you all a very Merry Christmas, filled with peace and joy.

Cabin Fever

After yet another frigid, icy day, I have only one thing to say...

God bless the YMCA, and its wonderful, trampoline-filled kids' gym.

Getting Ready For Christmas

Today was a frigid day, with bitterly cold temperatures and icy winds. It was a bit too cold for playing out in the snow, so after we braved the chilly air to do a few errands, we decided to stay home for the rest of the day. Amy and Brian are fighting colds, so we baked Christmas cookies and tried to rest a bit. The girls have been feeling a little stir-crazy, so I set them up with some arts and crafts supplies this afternoon, and told them to use their imaginations to create some masterpieces.

The house was blessedly quiet for awhile, as they colored, cut and glued. After about a half hour of activity, Erin called out, "Mommy, do we know Jesus' address?"

Not exactly sure what she was really asking, I walked over to their craft table to see what she was doing.

"I made a birthday card for Jesus, Mama", she told me. "We have to get it in the mail soon, or it won't get there in time".

Amy had also made a birthday card for Jesus, so I tried to explain that, while there was no mailing address for their cards, Jesus would look down from Heaven, and He would love seeing their cards.

But Beth's creation was exceptional. As you can see below, she made a wreath of hearts, decorated with Winnie-The-Pooh stickers.

"It's a crown of hearts, Mommy", she told me. "It's for Jesus to wear instead of the crown of thorns. I think this crown is much better for Him, don't you?"



I certainly do, Beth. I think it's beautiful.

Walking (and playing) in a winter wonderland

Yeah!! It's snowing!!! And snowing...and snowing...and snowing.

We've had so much fun with this snowstorm. The hot chocolate is flowing, the fireplace is crackling, and there are puddles of melted snow all over my kitchen floor. Dan took the girls sledding at a local hill today, and they can't stop talking about the fun they had. It was a very steep hill, but after flying down a couple of times with Daddy, Beth and Amy got the hang of it, and they spent a long afternoon speeding down the mountain by themselves. Erin and Dan shared a sled, and she seemed to have a great time also. They arrived home hours later, with bright red cheeks, begging for hot chocolate. By bedtime they were exhausted from dragging their sleds up the hill so many times, so after warm baths and a cozy read-aloud from "The Chronicles of Narnia", they tumbled into bed.

Brian was not amused by the cold winds and the icy snow hitting his cheeks. He was particularly annoyed by the huge, puffy snowsuit that I dressed him in for his venture outside. He lasted only a few short minutes before we had to head back inside, where he was content to bang on the windows and laugh at his foolish sisters, shivering outside in the storm.

And now, we're readying ourselves for yet another storm. Hopefully we don't get too much ice with this one. I'm off to have some more hot chocolate! Hope you are all enjoying the winter weather, too!!

A Brief Message From Brian

Sometimes, it's nice to be baby number four.

You might have to get dragged along to every school pick-up, every gymnastics class, and every ballet lesson with your big sisters. But I'm learning quickly that Mom and Dad have definitely become a bit more lenient over time. I can get away with a lot.

Take tonight, for example. Mom had to work, and Dad couldn't get home in time to take care of us, so Mom drove us all the way up to her work with her. Dad met us there and drove us back home. Anyway, it's a long drive, and I got a bit bored in the car. So, I took off my shoes. This is a trick that I really like to do. It drives the grown-ups crazy.

I played with my shoes for a bit, but even that got boring after a while. I like to put things in my mouth, so I decided to taste my shoe. First I chewed on the shoelaces, but then I tried licking the bottom of the shoe. You know, the part that hits the floor when I walk around with my walker, or when people help me walk. I know it's probably full of germs, but I don't much care.

Mom turned around and saw me licking the bottom of my shoe. She wasn't happy.

Now here's where my birth order plays in my favor. If Beth had done this when she was a baby, Mom would have instantly pulled the car over somewhere and taken the shoe away. But, lucky for me, she's realized that it's just not a battle worth fighting. She made a few half-hearted attempts..."Brian, NO!" and "YUCKY, Brian!!" (I heard that one a lot). But since my car seat is well out of her reach, I just flashed her a few smiles, and kept right on licking the shoes. Finally, she gave up. I licked those shoes for the entire 30-minute ride.


I wonder what I can get away with next...

Beauty...And The Return Of The Beast

Tonight, as the snow drifted lightly down, and the winds howled, we sat in our warm family room and decorated our Christmas tree. The reflections from the lights sparkled in Brian's eyes, while his big sisters hung their favorite ornaments on the tree. Each ornament holds memories for someone in the family, and we had such an enjoyable time as we created some new memories of Christmas 2008. After some delicious hot chocolate and warm baths, we tucked the girls into bed.

10 minutes later, as Dan and I collapsed in front of the tree and enjoyed the festive atmosphere in our home, we were jolted out of our chairs by bloodcurdling screams from upstairs. After taking the stairs two at a time, we discovered a sobbing Erin, sitting up in her bed.

Erin, who rarely cries. Erin, who loves her bed and loves to sleep. It was Erin, hysterically screaming and begging for one of us to "make her tummy stop hurting".

My poor baby girl. She put up a good fight, but I think the stomach bug has found her at last.

Illness Update

Well, now it's only one kid left to go. Brian got the bug yesterday and is still recovering today.

I watch little Erin happily munching on chicken, slurping a popsicle, guzzling her milk, and I can't help thinking...

Enjoy it while you can, Erin. It won't be long, now...