14 December 2014

gingerbread houses!

getting directions from grammie...

she made homemade, gluten-free gingerbread for everyone!

playing some wii...

a mommy-daughter coffee date with another mommy-daughter duo!

building gingerbread houses!

eating, i mean building...

we have had so much fun with the gingerbread houses this week.  james was adamant about his whole house being gluten free and edible (some of the houses were put together with glue guns... he wanted only icing!).  interestingly, his is the only house that didn't cave in!  my little engineer in the making!!


13 December 2014

life in december!

watching the browns with daddy...

our elf appeared.  

decorating!

they had so much fun!!!

it was cute to watch!

a random pic... trying to get the lipstick.  new and so fun!

my sweet boy, learning to climb the stairs!

a beautiful sunrise!

over the bridge!

nora found out about santa this week.  she cried.  and i felt so bad.  i thought she had it all figured out.  but, she didn't.  so now she knows.  

and chris is done potty training.  we just have to convince him to not help clean up when he goes!  it makes so much more work!!!

only one in diapers!!!  whoo hoo.  i am half tempted to potty train him now!  just kidding.  but it will be nice to be out of diapers!  oh, and the baby food... he's gotten so picky!  and will only eat out of squeezy packs.

poor chris, he is ocd now about ticks.  his brother hit him and it made a bump on the back of his head.  a few hours later, he tells me he thinks he has a tick... but thankfully it was just where his brother hit him!!  we have to do another blood draw soon to see how he is doing.  

on the up side, james' tick bite was negative for lyme (or any of the other super fun diseases that ticks spread...).  have i mentioned how grossed out i am by ticks???

11 December 2014

new ventures...



the dog with her little "cast"...

my first avaHOUR...  displaying all the ava anderson non toxic products

i recently became a consultant and LOVE the products!  


thanksgiving tablescape...

with plates!

so much fun!!!

and clay (ava) face masks while my girl was home sick with scarlet fever the day before thanksgiving.  

09 December 2014

snow day!

seeing snow for the first time.  he was so fascinated...

waiting to go outside!  just stood there. 

i made him turn for a pic!

sledding!


my russian man!


hanging out with aunt lu and some other friends!!!

meanwhile, currently i am potty training a boy.  it started last week when he asked to wear underwear, cause his friend was.  and the next morning, he handed me a dirty diaper that he had taken off himself.  i decided i was done!  (also, we were down to about 5 diapers, so it was either start potty training or get more...)

the bribe that is currently working is iPad time.  he gets five minutes for each time he goes potty.  yesterday, that was every few hours.  now, when his time runs out, he runs to the potty.  and then, whatever minuscule amount has accumulated goes, and then he asks for more iPad time!  i may need to rethink this...  but, he's going on his own and going in the big potty!!  (i am watching!)

last week, on our first day, he had one success.  then, an hour or so later, i was upstairs putting b to bed.  and i hear:  "i went pee pee in the potty".  and yup, he did.  by himself!

on that note...  last night after dinner, he went in to the bathroom.  and a few minutes later, james went in to check on him.  he told us chris had gone poopy in the cars potty.  which would have been the first successful time.  and he had, sort of.  but then he tried to clean it up.  which made a bigger mess...

learning from this mistake, after we had put the boys in bed, we saw chris at the top of the stairs.  and asked him what was going on.  and he told us that james needed a bucket.  we went upstairs to find the bed covered and james in the middle of it.  thankfully, he hadn't moved and dragged the puke everywhere.  

i laid on the couch and just laughed.  to note, my husband did the heavy cleaning while i bathed the dirty boys.  so thankful!


08 December 2014

thanksgiving day, part deux...

this face.  

snugs with uncle andrew.

and auntie rene

she made a connect four tournament for everyone!

hanging out.

playing great-grandpa!

very serious about his turkey carving!


such a good man!

serious about her tournament!

thanksgiving dinner...

loving his auntie sarah.  and his ("ah-pad") iPad.

playing games with daddy!

snuggling with auntie rebecca

with more... uncle andrew and uncle david!

caught playing... they took advantage of their conversing parents!

snugs before bed!

the kiddie crew!

snuggles with grandpa!

07 December 2014

thanksgiving day!

nothing like starting the day with a 5 mile road race!

our crew...

my sweet running buddy!  (rumor has it, my husband contracted me out... he wanted to run for time- and did amazing!!!- so he begged someone else to run with me!)

mr. crawly...

i won at poker!  super fun...

how i found the kids the morning after.  playing so sweetly!

it was so fun to have 16 of our closest family members here for thanksgiving!  
chilling in their plaid!

thanksgiving football game!

loved the kids playing!

j calling it out!

all three kids!

he decided he was done!

my sweet girl!  always has time for a pose!

my handsome boy...  waiting for his play!

walking home.  he was sad he didn't get a shoulder ride during the game!


the players!

that's one way to play!!!