December!

Sometimes I check my own blog to see if there is a new post. Hahahaha! For real, though. I noticed I have pictures from stuff that I should post about so that I can report on the boys' birthday and do a shameful November book report (one book - but lots of TV). So! The December Birthday Party with Brian's side of the family. It's 75% our little family, so the boys and I got to bring a dessert (Magleby's chocolate cake).

All of Grandma and Grandpa's noise-making toys are out for the grandkids to enjoy. I found a volume button on this little train and saved a bunch of lives. My boys (and Nate and Brighton) insist on doing laps around the front room turning all of the stuff on. They LOVE it! 

Clearly Brighton didn't know the camera was on her, otherwise she'd be giving me the Death Stare.

Nicolette is the other December birthday. For some reason Emil couldn't blow out that one candle at close range. I think Colin tried to help, which is always a bad idea. Never help Emil.

The boys got hooked up with lots of presents. Nate picked out some monster trucks for them and made sure to get different colors. Smart man.

Remote control monster truck! (See all the musical toys on the hearth? Silenced for a moment.)

Mo is a careful driver.

Later that week Bridget had her choir concert at school. She was still on crutches at the time and when she hobbled onto the stage someone behind us said, "Awww, there's a little girl on crutches." We know how to add just the right touch to a Christmas concert. Sigh.

At 4:00pm the day before the concert Bridget handed me a note that said she needed to wear a button-down white shirt and black bottoms for the concert. Who?! What?! WHAT?!!! We don't have any black pants or black skirts for Bridget, so this is what she wore. I need more than 24 hours notice, people. 

The button-down shirt was for the purple bow tie. (We used a shirt someone handed down to us for the boys. It's a size 5-6. Good thing Bridget is small.)

This is the only photo of the concert that was in focus. Poor Clara is melting down in front of Bridget and I think this is the moment Bridget was struck with strep. Because that's what she had for the next three days after this concert.

A little crazy-eyed, but still cute. I see Sami uses rubber bands for bracelets too. :) Funny girls. Later that night Bridget got so sick with strep that she was crazy with the fever (an actual fever, not Christmas Fever, although she's had that all month). Crutches AND puking?!! Too much. She even had to miss my Christmas piano recital. It was a sad few days. But! That's over and we're never thinking about it again!

A little over a week later, Colin was deathly ill (we thought with strep, but it was croup - one trip to InstaCare on a Saturday and one trip to our real doctor on a Monday when Colin was still sick), it was the day of the Ward Christmas Party that Brian was in charge of, and Makenzie was here with her family for the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. We'd been getting ready for the ward party for a few months, so that was just a matter of execution and everything going according to plan (hahahahahahaha - I make myself laugh). By the day of the party, Colin had had a fever for almost 24 hours and it was obvious his throat was sore. He even lost his voice for a while. I was holding him (that's all he wanted) and he was trying to sing the ABC Song. "G. G. g. g. what happening me?" There were times when I was frantically busy and he would walk over to me and just stand in front of me. I'd never seen anything so pitiful in my life. 

But the cousins were there! Claire got sick, too, and she just wanted to sleep instead of go to a crazy awesome concert. But guess what? Bridget wanted to go and they had enough tickets so ta-done! Bridget ended up having the Best Night Ever laughing with Gabriel and watching the Sesame Street Muppets do their thing. I'm so happy that worked out!

I stole this photo from Facebook. Thieves! Robbers!

I stayed home from the party and ate some dinner with Ruby. We're BFF now. Colin and Claire were both taking naps during dinner time. When they woke up around 7:00pm, the four of us played games and watched fun shows. After about an hour of that, Claire asked, "Where's my family?" :) She sounded more curious than worried. At 9:00 I was putting sheets on the couch and getting blankets out and Claire asked what I was doing. "It's almost time for bed," I replied. "Oh. I thought we already had that." It was fun to have little ladies in the house again. Before Bridget left for the concert, she was in her room with Claire and Ruby and all the dolls were out. (Emil would come up to me with one of the Barbie-sized Disney princess dolls and a dress. He handed me Mulan with Belle's yellow ball gown to put on her. When I handed it back to him he tried to get the sleeves over her shoulder. Show some class, Mulan!)

The kids in my bed Sunday morning.

Too cold for a photo on the porch. My favorite things are; Ruby's nose and eyes above her coat and Emil's too-tight/too-short pants. He dressed himself! Makenzie and David had planned to leave in the morning, but then we talked and talked and talked. That's more fun anyway. :)

Sisters! I took off my tall shoes before standing next to Makenzie so that she would look taller than me. You're welcome! Aren't we festive? And, of course, my Christmas quilt. (That's my holiday sweater. Someone at church told me I looked like a Christmas tree. That person wasn't a kid.)

There! That's what we've been up to.