Christmas 2010

JMJ

I am sorry I can't type more. 



Craig said his favorite part of Christmas was when the kids came downstair and were transfixed by the new Christmas train.  They just stood there for about ten minutes and watched.  Truly childlike wonder. 


This is the table St. Nicholas brought for them.  He also brought a children's snow shovel, which Joseph actually got to use that day. 












Henry and Anastasia were enthralled, not with their presents, but with the packing peanuts! 




Aine become quite the "material girl" in her new clothes and sunglasses. 




The reason for it all!  We love this nativity set.  It is beautiful and durable.  Craig and Joseph built the stable. 

Anastasia's Birthday

JMJ

I am sorry I a so late in posting these, and the kids are going nuts behind me, so I can't take the time to give a lot of info. about them. 

This is Anastasia with her birthday present from us.  I didn't know how to wrap it, so I used a big piece of pink fabric because I knew she would like it if it were pink.  First thing Joseph said that morning after he saw it was, "Aine has a big birthday present wrapped in a curtain!"  The kids curtains are made of the same material. 





Anastasia is so sweet.  This is the first thing she said once she knew what it was: "It's a doll house for US!"  she never thought that she wouldn't share it with her brothers. 


The whole family pitched in and made noodles.  It was a lot of work, but they were REALLY GOOD!


The kids playing with her gift from Grandpa and Grammy Dresch.  Aunt Jessi put the bow in her hair.


Anastasia blowing out her candles.  Uncle Shane did the crushing of the pomegranate to dye the frosting pink.  It tasted great, too.  

A Quiet Morning and Cecily 3 Mo.

JMJ

I spoke to a friend today, also a mother of four-under-four, on the phone and told her it had been a quiet morning.  After I told her all the events of the morning, we both laughed, because in a house with four young children, "quiet morning" is a relative term. 

For breakfast, Anastasia ate most of a banana and three small bowls of cereal completely on her own.  This made breakfast and the whole morning in general more peaceful. 

Just after breakfast, we heard a big truck of some sort, and all ran to the window ( not me, but sometime I feel like it!).  Much to this mother's delight, the city crew was working right in front of our house with a cherry-picker and wood chipper.  This kept the mobile children transfixed while I switched loads of laundry.  Then Joseph was yelling something about Henry getting blood everywhere.  Sure enough, Henry had a cut on his thumb which was bleeding profusely.  Henry didn't seem very upset about the cut, only that the blood was getting all over his other hand and he couldn't just wipe it off on the widow sill.  I cleaned him and the window and got a band-aid on him, but I could not figure out how he cut himself.  I did a thorough inspection of the window and frame and found nothing that could cut a little finger.  I finally concluded that he had bitten his own thumb--he's teething and has his fingers in his mouth most of the time.

Around snack time, Henry climbed up in the Anastasia's seat and asked for food. 
He looked around and then said, "Y-eye boke Ya-ya's Boe." (translation: I broke Aine's bowl.) 
I said, "No you didn't . . . where is Aine's bowl?" 
To which he replied, "Y-eye ut-it in-ya tash!"  (translation: I put it in the trash.)  
"No.  Really?  Let me see."  Sure enough, there was a broken bowl in the trash.  So THAT is how Henry cut his finger.  It made sense now, but I don't know how this child has ingenuity to reek havoc and get in exactly the same place I left him in such a short period of time.  At least it was a small cut! 

So, all in all, it was a quiet morning.  To be more precise, it was a successful morning.  Not uneventful, but all ended well.  What will the afternoon hold? 

And now for something completely different:  Pictures of Cecily!  She is three months old in these pictures.