Christmas!

Christmas was SOOOOO much fun this year! All 4 big kids were so excited about Santa, and the whole celebration. We did the "Elf on the Shelf" this year and a it was interesting to say the least. Annabelle was the biggest skeptic, but caught on to the whole idea as the days went by.

On Christmas Eve we had Aunt Ginger, Cara, Aaron, and "baby" Christian (who really isn't a baby, but an adorable 18 month old!) We had so much fun eating, hanging out and getting ready for Santa. It really was the MOST fun we've had in a while. Good friends, a few cocktails, and great conversation!

Santa came and the kids hit the gifts in a FURY! Jason, Ginger and I were not even fully awake by the time the unwrapping was complete. The kids got all they wished for and more, and we got one GIGANTIC mess! It was well worth it though, to see their smiling faces.

Here are a few pics, and of course, if you notice, the blurry ones are the one that came from Carter's new camera!!! :)

More Holiday Fun!

The kids are still very excited about the holidays! The end of school last Friday marked the beginning of our 2 week vacation! We've been having sooooooo much fun NOT rushing out the door each morning. We've had brunch with Santa at our country club, and have had a couple of playdates with friends. Carter was able to visit is buddy yesterday, and today I took the 4 big kids to the Jump Zone (had the sitter for Finley, hummmmm, who is getting the better end of that one?) We then went out to lunch to celebrate our friend Lauren's 6th birthday! The kids were amazing, as always. In the club and the restaurant, even when I am just by myself, they are so stinking good! I swear, Finley literally did not make as much as a peep at brunch, she's such a good sport!

So, now onto the Christmas fun! We are having Aunt Ginger, and our friends Cara, Aaron and little Christian over for Christmas Eve. We are looking forward to a great dinner and fun.

We have had just enough snow to make it fun, so the kids have played outside and enjoyed a little more freedom this year in the backyard! Luckily it hasn't been too cold either, so no one is wanting to come in 10 minutes after going out. It's a lot of work with snow gear, but they love it!

Montessori Sing-a-long!

Our little girl is growing up...

Can I just bottle up Finley at this age??? I truly wish I could! She now officially has 2 teeth, a personality, and still the greatest disposition ever.

Cooper on the other hand....GEEZ does she have a mind of her own! She is opinionated, if that's possible for a 2 1/2 year old. Her cuteness however saves her many times. Today, she said, "Mommy remember when you hit the garage with your car? You yelled UGGGHHHHHHH!" Which, is EXACTLY what I said...glad nothing else slipped out of my mouth, or she would be repeating that too!

The girls and Carter are gearing up for their big performances, one at Barnes & Noble, and one at the high school! I am lucky enough (I think...) to be going along to the B & N field trip. I guess they figure if it's 1 adult for every 3 kids, why not have me take my own 3!

We are really looking forward to some time off from the grind though during the holidays, it's will be sooooo nice not to have to get 4 out the door at 7:30 each day!!!

Here's a picture of Finely and I working on the computer! She's my little lap buddy, well, until 2 seconds after this picture was taken and she spit up all over me...:)

Hootie sans the "Blowfish!"

We went last night to the Darius Rucker show. It was an AWESOME show! We had really great seats right on the stage and the whole performance was fantastic! Afterwards, we were taken back stage by a friend and were able to have a beer and chat with Darius...he's very cool!

Finley update!

Here's some recent pictures of Finley. She's growing like a weed and is becoming sweeter and sweeter each day. She is getting 2 teeth (but you wouldn't really know it) and she's charming us all with her smiles and "talk."

The big kids are still very interested in her care, and offer to do things to help all the time. In fact, Carter wanted to burp her this morning and was very impressed with himself when she let out a giant burp! She will be 6 months on the 16th and time sure is flying by. We are getting geared up for our trip to Disney next month, and are already for the big plane ride (we figure it will be the first of many, or the LAST time we fly!)

Thanksgiving 2009

We had a very nice, very low-key Thanksgiving this year! We spent most of our day at home, and then had a nice dinner with friends. The plan for next year? Thanksgiving at home, we will be starting our own stay-at-home tradition, with hopefully a visit from Emme and Papa (hint, hint!)

Today while Jay was working, I took the kids for a ride (aka a nap in the car) to drop off payroll, then out for lunch at Culvers! The kid love having the days off from school! Tomorrow it's down with the fall decor and up with the tree. Carter and the girls totally "get" the whole Christmas thing now, so they are very excited to put up the tree.

I worked at the school on Tuesday with another mom to prepare the kindergarten "feast." I was able to "dine" with Carter and it was so cute. All the kids using their table manners, was adorable!

Big City Fun!

Emme came to visit this week, and we've been on the move! On Friday, when Jay was working, we took the 4 big kids to the Shedd Aquarium! So much fun! We saw the "Fantasea" show, looked, touched and loved all the exhibits we could! Cooper kept up with the big kids, and we actually went sans diaper bag and stroller (who would have thought that was possible?)

Then, on Saturday, we headed back downtown to the Lincoln Park Zoo! This time with Finley and Dad with us! It was BEAUTIFUL and warm and not crowded at all! We checked out all the animals, and then headed to the Rainforest Cafe for lunch. It's a bit of a tourist destination, but the kids loved it!

Halloween Night!

We had a great time on Halloween! We had some friends over, I made a nice dinner, and then off to trick or treat in the cold! The kids rode in a trailer that was all decked out with hay and blankets. The guys took the bigger kids, and the ladies stayed back with the babies (we each had one under 1, so it worked out!) Jason of course had his hands full because managing 4 kids under 5, and having to carry some was a bit nutty!

They made it to our friends the Wagner's house first, where the decor is really cool and spooky. Our kids love the giant mummy and all the spooky stuff, they aren't the scared babies that they used to be (although don't get me started on Carter and watching Marley & Me, that's the kind of stuff that's upsetting to him, poor guy!)

We capped off the evening diving into the goody bags (thankfully our friend Becky had some non-candy related items) and each had 3 pieces of candy before everyone practically put themselves to bed.

It was a long, cold, but very fun night!!! It's so nice that they really get the whole "Halloween" thing now, it's so much fun to see them having such a great time, it's almost (minus all the work and clean up) like being a kid again!!