Easter Movie Sleepover

It's been awhile since we had a true movie sleepover night so I decided it was time and with Easter just around the corner, that was the theme.  We watched Hop and hunted eggs outside.  I also had the kids do an art project.  The eggs we hid outside were confetti eggs and the kids had fun cracking them on each other.  Instead of popcorn we had Cotton Tails aka white cheddar cheese balls.

Happy New Year!

(Random photos from 2013)

We had a very low-key New Year's Eve.  Paul had to work and got home just in time for spaghetti dinner with my parents.  They have been visiting for the holidays.  I love having them here especially since my step-dad put a bunch of shelves in my closets for me.  We played video games and watched a movie.  We let the kids stay up later than usual (but not midnight).  Once they went to bed they both fell asleep quickly.

DEAR Night at Logan George's school (Drop Everything And Read)

I put together a French toast casserole for the morning while the others watched some football. Paul fell asleep at about 11:30pm but I woke him up in time to get a kiss at midnight.

Sophie Rose's Christmas Party

I have lot's of grand plans of how I want this new year to go...eat healthy, exercise, date nights, read more, complete my scrapbooks, more kids activities, organize & declutter, and on and on and on.  I got a bike for Christmas so that's the goal I'm going to focus on the most (exercise more).  I asked everyone else what their goals were and if I help them with theirs, I'll be helping myself too. Paul's was to lose some weight (eat healthier), Logan's was working on sight words (kids activities), Sophie's involved gymnastics (read more while she's in class).

Ready for school

Today has been a great start for all those things:

• ate some veggies and fruit
• rode my bike with the family
• did some scrapbooking
• took our vitamins
• did some reading
• regular housekeeping routine
• and now some blogging

Of course, I don't expect to maintain this.  Things are always easier when the schedule can be completely flexible and their are 2 parents around to help.  But Paul goes back to work tomorrow and next week we start back to school and gymnastics and basketball and everything else.  But for one day I had it all under control!

Jellyfish Races from our Kiwi Box

Merry Christmas!

Some of the highlights from our Christmas celebrations:

Putting out the Reindeer Food

Playing with his new RC Mario Cart

Cruising in Kalyn's new Jeep

 The Spread on Christmas Eve

Soup and Sandwich Station

Beverage Station

Desserts!!

 The Cousins!

 Christmas Morning

Because my brother-in-law and family wasn't coming until the day after Christmas, we were able to spend Christmas Eve at our own home.  Paul's mom joined us as we hosted a celebration for my parents, sister, step-sisters, dad, uncle and cousins (almost 20 people in all).  We had a late lunch, opened presents then had time to go to Christmas Eve services.  It was the first time I'd been to church on Christmas Eve in over a decade.  And I so very much enjoyed it.  It's hard not to be emotional sitting in church at the same time and on the same day that our family first "met".  As we were singing songs and listening to scriptures, I realized that exactly 3 years before my children were meeting each other for the first time in person.

For me Christmas really is all about a little boy from a far off land.

Icemageddon 2013

We have had some crazy weather here lately.  We had a high of 80 degrees one day and then a low of 30 degrees the next, with sleet and freezing rain.  The kids were out of school for 2 days (plus the weekend) and we just stayed in with Maw Susan, Aunt Kelly and the cousins.  The neighbors had sleds and were kind enough to let the kids try them out.

We let a kitty out to explore the ice.

It may look like snow, but it is a sheet of ice.

Aunt Kelly had to work so Paul shuttled her back and forth.  After several days, we were all ready to get out.  Unfortunately, the cousins got sick so they missed one additional day.  Although, school was back in session and the roads were mostly clear, parking lots were still an icy mess.  It's now been over a week and there is still sleet/ice on the rooftops and some yards.

The funniest part of the whole experience was the kids reactions.  Because it has snowed at Christmas half their lives (yes, that's correct...HALF), they both think that snow=Santa.  As soon as it started accumulating, Logan George said, "I told you it was Christmas.  Is Santa coming tonight?"

Halloween Movie Sleepover

Kalyn got to pick the movie for this week's sleepover.  She actually chose to watch a bunch of Halloween-themed shows from Disney Jr. and Nick Jr. We had a spooky-themed dinner, played Halloween charades, did face painting and dressed in costumes.

Spider-girl drinking from her special skeleton hand goblet.

This was the best I could do for face painting.

Cards for charades.  They were made as a matching game that I found on TeachersPayTeachers.com.

Graveyard desserts.

Playing games in their costumes.

Charades: owl, jack-o-lantern, tree, and frog.

Mummy dogs.

Candy corn fruit parfaits.