Winter in our World

The New Year found us on a fabulous sled hill with some great friends. We went to the same hill last year, but it was tons better this year. It was warmer, the wind was calm, and both boys could walk back up the hill by themselves this time. It was a great outing.But when Henry's done, he's done.A recent playdate graced us with the fun of an inside "snow storm". It's amazing the amount of little clingy bead things are in about half of a large bean bag. It's even more amazing the mess two four year olds and an almost three year old can do in about 30 minutes of un-visually observed playtime. (My friend and I were upstairs chatting while the boys played in the basement.) A perfect example of why we need to visually check on our kids, not just always trust their verbal answer of "We're just playing".

Oh well, nothing an extra four hours with a borrowed shop vac and a batch of blueberry muffins (for the shopvac owners- our apartment maintance crew) didn't fix. Gotta love the winter time!

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,
We're calling your bluff. Mama and Dad have been making us be good for weeks now, saying you won't come if we're not. Well, we're done! We woke up looking for a fight today and we know you're too busy loading the sleigh to back out now, so we're done being good. We're fighting, yelling, being sassy and whiny, throwing toys, and causing mass havoc. What are you gonna do about it? Mama said she was about to be done with us by 8:30 this morning, and she's still here, so we know you won't bail out either. It sure does feel good to get all this pent up naughtiness out!
Love Much-
Hunter and Henry

Merry Christmas Grandma and Grandpa!

This year we've decided to send Christmas to the Grandparents via our blog. The boys have been practicing for weeks. We miss you, love you, and wish you a Merry Christmas!

The Big 4!

Hunter turned four last week; an event he has been waiting for and planning since December of last year. I promise he hadn't been three for a day when he started talking about when he would turn 4. This year he got to have his first friends party, and that too he has been planning for over a year. Since Disney's Cars is still his favorite movie (and the only movie he's not scared of), Hunter had a Cars Party. It was a great day- Hunter says it was a "Super-Dee-Duper Fun Party". No, those are not eggs on the cupcakes, they're tires. Or at least they were supposed to be tires. Hunter didn't blow out the candles, he blew off the cupcake! Luckily, Jordan picked it up really quick and nothing caught on fire.Hunter after eating his whole cupcake. None of the other kids managed to eat a whole one. (I made them from scratch, and those cupcakes were solid! Even though is was a seriously yummy little cake, it was just that- a mini cake.) Hunter is in love with his remote control dump truck. Every morning he sneaks into our room and tells me we just have to go downstairs because he's hungry. But then as soon as we get downstairs, all he wants to do is drive his truck. Hunter knows I'll jump and run if I think he needs food; he's a crafty little 4 year old!

Hunter and I made him a real cake on his actual birthday. Daddy also took Hunter out to breakfast and Hunter got to see Santa at Pre-school on his big day too. It was a busy day, but worth it, because Hunter loves being 4!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

I've never been this ahead of the game before. Usually I don't start acknowledging the Christmas season until mid-December. This year I got my stuff together early, and now our tree is cut and decorated, our gingerbread is baked and decorated, and our shopping is done. It's nice to not be hurried up until the night before.

I find that trees are always better at night with the lights on, but my camera seems to only like it in the daylight hours.This year's house turned out to be a little more than I expected, but it was fun. It was harder and at the same time easier to assemble than last years graham crackers. Again, the boys loved every step; baking the gingerbread, picking out the candy, and of course decorating/eating.

We weren't on top of everything this year. Again we missed the boat on Christmas cards. I have an utmost respect for those families who can get everyone to look decent at the same moment for the camera. I know I could send out a card without a picture, but who wants that? So Merry Christmas to all.

An Update

She's home! Baby Kesa is two weeks old today, home, and doing great. My sister says she loves to eat and is a very good little girl. Her brothers (especially the 20 month old) love her and always check to make sure she's still there. My sister is healing- she's tired and sore, but she's healing. I love having such a great sister and niece to be thankful for at this time of year. I've posted some "edited" details of the scary birth story at the end, so if you don't want to know- stop reading after the second picture.Seriously- how cute is this little girl's grinner!

My sister, Jen, went into labor what they thought was 2-3 weeks early. She labors quick, so she's never used an epidural and didn't this time either. With her first push, the cord prolapsed (shot out before baby). At the same time, baby flipped into a transverse position (on her side) and pinched off the cord. The doctor held 8-10 inches of non-pulsating cord in his hands as he tried to push baby off the cord to relieve some pressure. Blood and oxygen were still flowing out of baby, but the pathway back was what was shut off. Baby was too stuck to move either way- she wasn't coming out and wasn't going back in- still no pulsations in cord. They flipped my sister onto her head and tried to vacuum baby out. After three unsuccessful attempts, doctor used his hands to open my sister up and go in after baby. (Yes, his hands- not surgical tools) Baby rushed to NIC-U and given lots of NIC-U attention for just over a week. Due to size and developmental stages, Baby determined to be closer to 5 weeks early. Sister received two units of blood and a little extra time in hospital. Now both are home and doing well. Thank heavens for happy endings!

Things I Am Thankful For...

1- Cell Phones to keep me connected to my sister

2- Hospitals with trained doctors and medical technology

3- Said doctors who know how to act quickly and trust gut instincts

4- Tender mercies from our Heavenly Father

5- The lives of my sister and her first little girl!

My sister, whom I adore, just gave birth to her first little girl- Keasa Keara Jo. It was a very scary and unusual delivery. My sister said I could share her story, but I know at least a couple of our friends that are pregnant or just about to deliver, and the story is not something those people should be reading. Instead, I will focus on the good. Keasa is almost a week old and still in the NIC-U, but her brain activity is fine, she's breathing on her own, and they have now removed all IV lines. Now the doctors are just watching her temperature and jaundice levels. Her awesome black eye will heal, as will the bruises on her head.

Keasa has 5 big brothers who are very excited to welcome her and a daddy that is already so in love with her that it's adorable. My sister is a wonder to all who know her and even though she's in untold amounts of physical pain, she's at home and slowly returning to the duties of a mom of 6. I'm very sad to not be there helping, but thankful for unlimited cell phone minutes and e-mails to receive pictures.