New Year's Eve

We have never been a crazy,going out on the town NYE couple. One reason being, we hate to drive. So as in years past, we decided to have a low key evening. We invited the Williamson's over for a sleepover. We had these plans for a while, so as the day was getting near a few more people were added... Eric's parents, Jamie, Dave and Lexie, Eric and Tiffany and Tom and Gail. All people that I was happy to share the new year with.
I made a "little of this a little of that" kind of dinner. It was a lot of different things that we could pick at throughout the night. Everyone arrived around 5:30~ perfect time for dinner and enough time for the kids to play.
The kids played in the playroom, made New Year's crowns and then settled in to watch a movie. All of the babes were tired so we did a "Happy New Year" at 9:30. They all drink their kiddie Champagne, we did a toast, blew some noise makers and then off to bed they went. Camden and Jack slept in his room and Nolan, Aubrin slept in her room and Easton slept in the playroom in a pack and play. We had blow up beds on the floor in the kids room. Although Nolan and Aubrin really wanted to sleep together in her bed- They're 3,what's the harm? So everyone was all tucked in and sleeping and the adults had the rest of the evening to play.
We played Apples to Apples and as always laughed so hard. As the night went on, people left. At midnight it was the Williamson's, Eric's parents and Todd and I.
The next day, the Williamson's stayed into the early afternoon. The kids played and we enjoyed coffee and conversation. Looking forward to 2012 and all of the adventures that it brings.

Christmas #2

As we do every year, we headed over to my parents house the morning after Christmas. My parents like to have Erin and I with just our families to open up all of our gifts. We got up, played a bit and then went to my parents for a yummy breakfast. Erin and her family were staying at my parents, so Will and Emerson were eagerly waiting for Jackson and Aubrin to get there.

I remember when it was just my parents, Todd and I and Erin and Jayson. We would all sit one evening quietly opening gifts one at a time, drinking wine and nibbling on yummy appetizer's. Well...things play out a bit different these days...
The kids were all so excited to open gifts. They all sat on the floor and opened their stockings. It's always amazing to be how a tube of toothpaste can be so exciting to a child because it's being pulled out of a stocking. I for sure do not get the same reaction from the kids when I bring it home from Meijer. All of the kids were curious to see what each other got. As the kids opened their gifts they played a bit and then continued to open more. Jackson was a good helper to my mom passing out all of the presents. Aubrin loved her Leap Pad. Once we explained to her what it was she was more than excited to get it open. Jackson saw a big gift behind that tree. He kept looking at it but we could tell he didn't want to ask if it was for him. My mom and dad told him to sit down and they gave it to him. He was thrilled to see that he got a Foosball table.
As the kids played with all of their new treasures together, the adults finished opening gifts.

Each year Erin and I make a Shutterfly book for my parents from the year. I always love watching them open it and go through the pages laughing and crying as they look.

As we were cleaning up, Erin and I were talking about how much Christmas has changed over the years- going from quiet to crazy. My mom said, " I love it and wouldn't want it any other way." To be honest I wouldn't change it either.

Christmas Day

Right on top of the list with loving the way my kids hair smells after a bath, belly laughs and watching them sleep is the excitement of Christmas morning. Jackson and Aubrin were both up early to make sure Santa remembered to stop at our house. Of course their eyes got big and they filled with giggles as soon as they saw their stockings and the tree filled with gifts.
This is the first year that the kids do not have matching jammies. I felt like I had a full plate this year, so I had to let something go...sad to say it was searching for matching jammies. It irritated me so much, that I'm sure it will not happen again! Sounds silly, but it's one tradition that I love.
We started with stockings. They were very patient with each other as they took turns. Aubrin could have been done with Christmas morning as soon as she pulled her lip gloss out. Christmas could have been that easy! Aubrin was very excited to get her tea cart and remote control dog. Everything she opened she said, "Oh my goodness." Jackson was more than thrilled to one his baseball glove and pirate ship. It was great to watch them dive right in and start playing. This year Jackson had the chance to shop at the Holiday Shop at school. He was so proud to buy all of us gifts and put them under the tree. He was so excited to pass them out and watch us open them. As we opened them he told us the reason why he picked it out for us. Todd got a flashlight that was also a pen, just in case the power went out and he needed to write something down. I got a pen that said "Mom" so that if one of my students borrowed my pen, they would know it was my special pen that Jackson got me and he got Aubrin a necklace because she loves to wear jewelry. I love the thought he put into it.
For the rest of the morning the kids played and enjoyed all of their new things. We also had to head downstairs and play a game of Super Mario. Jackson got his first game for the Wii. He was so excited to play and that it's his very own.
Later in the afternoon we went to Uncle Chris and Aunt Marlys' house. It was nice to have everyone together, although I think we all cariied a heavy heart with us. Not having my grandma there was hard. Since I can rememer we have always taken a family picture on Christmas day and grandma is always in teh center. Both of the kids had talked about her not being there earlier in the day. It made me happy that they had thought about her.

They kids had a great time playing air hockey and foosball. It's always a treat for Aubrin to go and see Peyton. Peyton takes her downstairs and opens the special closet. Inside is 15 American Girl dolls and all of their accessories. It's a little piece of heave for Aubrin.
We opened gifts and had a wonderful dinner. Jackson loved his new Lego sets and Aubrin got a baby carrier and a new charm for her charm bracelet. She was excited to go home and add her new treasure to her bracelet. The kids played a bit more and the adults had a chance to chat. As the evening was coming to an end we packed up the car and headed home. The kids were in the back of the car talking about what they were going to play with when they got home. Once we got home we played a bit and then headed off to bed. We still had one more day of Christmas the next morning.

Christmas Eve

Today was our day to spend with Todd's side of the family. We were starting our day early since we had church at 6:00PM and then wanted to get home and get the babes in bed at a decent hour before big jolly man arrived at our house. We spent most of the morning in our jammies playing games before we started to get ready. It was a nice relaxing way to start what was going to be a very busy day.

When we got to the Miller's house, all of the cousins were there and all eager to get started with their stockings. Kaye had all of the kids sit in a circle and they each got to take one thing at a time out of their stocking to open. They were all excited to open all of the little surprises and to see what each other got. They were all busy playing with stocking gifts so the adults all opened a few gifts. I was so excited to open my Cake Pop maker! I'm hoping to make many deliciously cute treats with it!

After a bit of play time the kids joined us back in the living room and opened their gifts. Jackson was excited to open his new Play-Doh set and a scooter. He was outside rather quickly trying it out. Aubrin loved her new pillow pet, watch and scooter.

After gifts we had dinner and dessert. The kids played a bit more and then we rounded the kids up and got ready to go to church. We headed back to our church so we could get home earlier. Sorrows always had such a beautiful Christmas mass, but it is always so crowded and we have to get there an hour before it starts. We had a feeling that our church won't be as packed for the 6:00 mass. When we pulled in the parking lot 30 minutes before mass it was still pretty empty. We drove around for a few minutes looking at Christmas lights. Once we finally made it into church we were happy to see the Campau's and that there were seats right behind them.

Once we got home, we put our reindeer food out, snacks for Santa and got into our jammies.

We also had to say good bye to our elf Harry. Becasue it was Harry's last night with us, the kids were able to touch him and he wouldn't lose his powers. They both hugged Harry and said their good byes until next year.

Jackson and Aubrin were so excited to go to bed so Christmas morning would get here sooner. Todd and Jackson checked for Santa on the computer on the Santa tracker. He was scheduled to arrive at our house soon, so the kids ran upstairs, brushed teeth, jumped in bed and we didn't hear a peep.

Keeping busy over break

It has been wonderful to be home with the family for the holiday. We have had plenty of things to do to keep ourselves busy and have fun.

We have had unusually great weather for December. Although it's been a bit chilly we have not had much snow. This week we headed to Central Park in Milford to get out and play. We were sad to see that the park was closed when we got there. I'm sure it's for safety reasons when there is ice, but we were still not happy. So instead we decided to go on a nature walk and see what we could find. We found tons of animal tracks and as always beautiful colored rocks. After being outside we decided to head to the Burger Joint for lunch. Yummy as always!

When thinking about gifts this year the kids decided that they wanted to make special gifts for family. I found a great idea that was not difficult and fun. They made bird feeders using cookie cutters. It did take a bit of time and it was super messy, but Jackson and Aubrin had fun and took pride in the gifts they made. We packaged them up and they were ready for Christmas.

We were finally lucky to get a little snow. Jackson and Aubrin were both excited to go out and play. When getting ready Jackson realized that he left his snow boots at school, so he had to wear his rain boots out. Aubrin was outside for about 10 minutes and decided that it was too cold for her and wanted to come inside and play games with he dad.

Jackson and I made a small snowman and I pulled him around the yard on the sled about 100 times.

Being home has been wonderful!

Santa Happenings

As Christmas is quickly approaching Jackson and Aubrin have been very eager to see Santa.
Every year Shawn and Joe have a holiday party at their house for the kids and Santa comes for a quick visit. This year the Santa party was on a Wednesday, so it was a rush for Todd to get Jackson off the bus, make a quick dinner, meet me at work and then drive to Plymouth by 6:00. It's always easier for Shawn to do it during the week because everyone is always so busy on the weekends. All of the kids were so excited for Santa to arrive. They were all sitting on the floor in the living room when they head Santa's bells walking through the front door. All of the kids waited patiently until it was their turn. Jackson and Aubrin couldn't take their eyes off of him. Finally it was Jackson's turn and he was quick to go up. He told Santa that he really wanted a pirate ship. Santa said he would see what he could do and then gave Jackson a candy cane. It was Aubrin's turn next. She went up, not as quick as Jackson, but she went. She told Santa that she really wanted lip gloss and a hard game. The kids had a great time and Shawn always throws a festive gathering. I was equally excited as the kids. Many of my ladies that I lived with at MSU were their with their kids. It was a quick reunion for us.

Our neighborhood always has a breakfast with Santa every year at the club house. For some reason it didn't happen this year. We were really bummed. It is always a fun morning for the kids to see their friends from the neighborhood, have a nice breakfast and to see Santa. So Tami and Jason, our good friends in the neighborhood, decided to have a Santa party at their house for all of the kids. The kids were so excited when Santa came. Again, they all sat on the floor waiting their turn. Aubrin was called up first, but asked if she could wait. She was feeling a bit nervous. Jackson went up next. Again he told Santa that he wanted a pirate ship. Jackson was also excited that Santa brought him an early Christmas present. All of the kids sat on his lap and lastly he called Aubrin up again. She went and warmed up quickly. All of the kids had a great time enjoying their gift from Santa, and playing together. It was a great time for the adults to catch up as well.
A few weeks ago Jackson and Aubrin got an invitation to a North Pole party. One of Jackson's buddies from school was having the party. Jackson and Aubrin were excited and talked about what might be at the party. The party was adorable. The kids decorated cookies, made reindeer food, went on a scavenger hunt outside and met one of Santa's elves along the way. Jackson and Aubrin thought the scavenger hut was great. Santa left a note for the kids telling them all of the things he lost last year during his travels- black boot, eye glasses, jingle bells... the kids had a ball walking around with flashlights trying the find everything. Then we put it all in a box and gave it to Santa's elf that we met. It was a great time had by all.

Soccer

A couple of months ago we put Jackson in a fundamentals soccer class to learn soccer skills and the rules of the game. The man running the program was Coach Dave. We had heard great things about Coach Dave and had tried to get the kids into his classes before but they have always been filled. Jackson warmed up to him quickly and had a ball working with him. Jackson's friend Molly was also in the class. The class was on Friday evenings for 8 weeks. Jackson learned a lot from the class and was eager to join a team and play on a big soccer field. The class was held in a gym at one of the local elementary schools. A couple weeks ago Jackson joined a team. He loves to play on the bigger field and has even scored a couple of goals. The team he is playing on is just a fun team for little kids. It's not a competitive team, but again, a group of kids learning skills or as Jackson would say, "It's just passing the time until baseball season gets here." I don't think Jackson has a passion for the game, but the skills he is learning is teaching great coordination and he is having fun!

Last month Aubrin joined a soccer team and it didn't go so well. It was okay until the male coach touched her head and told her she was doing a good job. She crumbled to the ground and had to be carried off the field. She said, " That man was in my space." GOODNESS! Aubrin is not a fan of most men unless they are family of she knows them well. We tried it a few times but it wasn't getting better. As long that that "boy" was there she was not going to play. Oh well, lets try gymnastics with a "girl" coach!

Happy Thanksgiving

I love Thanksgiving. I love getting together with family and friends, eating together, watching the kids play and having it be the beginning of the holiday season. I never feel that I have to really think about what I am thankful for on Thanksgiving. I start every day reflecting on what I am thankful for and all of the beautiful things in my life. It starts each day when I hear Jackson coming down the stairs in the morning, Aubrin calling for me to come and get her, Todd and I talking about our day as we get ready for work, talking to my mom on the way to work... the list goes on. Thankful is what I feel every day.

This year we spent our day at Todd's parents. It was nice to have most of the family together. Kaye made a great dinner and we all ate way too much. We didn't see my side of the family on Thansgiving, but we spent time with my parents the day after.

When we got home we read Elf on a Shelf and prepared for the arrival of our elf Harry. Aubrin could hardly contain herself that Harry would be at our house when she woke up. Jackson was excited as well, but knew another set of eyes would be watching him:)

Happy Halloween...all month long.

Jackson and Aubrin were both sure about their costume choices in early September. Aubrin knew that she wanted to be Belle and Jackson wanted to be Superman- the one with muscles. He said maybe the costume with muscles would finally make him weigh enough to sit in a booster rather than a car seat. (He really wants to join the 40lb club)
It seems that we spend much of October celebrating Halloween and going to many festive events. There are too many events to write about but a few were Boo Bash in Milford, classroom parties and of course Halloween night.
Boo Bash this year was CRAZY! We got there early to get a spot in line. This was the first year that Todd was in town to join us. It seems that each year it gets busier and busier. At one point we didn't move for 11 minutes. The kids were both over waiting in line, so we decided just to walk down the street and look at all of the costumes. We ended up running into many of our friends and their kids. Then we headed to the Burger Joint for dinner. We thought it would be crowded, but most people were still walking in line for candy.
Both of the kids had Halloween celebrations in their classrooms. I was able to go to Aubrin's the Thursday morning before Halloween. She was so excited to go in her costume. We spent our morning making crafts and eating snacks.
Todd was able to go to Jackson's Halloween celebration and parade on Halloween. Jackson was excited to be in the school parade and especially having his dad there to watch. He also spent his afternoon doing crafts and eating snacks.
I rushed home from work to get the kids dinner and dressed in time to go out trick or treating. Jackson and Aubrin had a great time with their neighborhood buddies running around and getting candy. I thought Aubrin would only last a few houses, but she lasted over an hour.
The kids came home picked out the candy they wanted to keep and put the rest on the counter for the Halloween Fairy to take.
When the kids woke up the next morning they found their treasures from the fairy. I wasn't sure we would have the fairly come this year, but a few days leading up to Halloween I heard Jackson and Aubrin talking about what they were hoping the fairy would bring them. It made me smile that it was something they were looking forward to.