Let's hear from Liam!

I was on Pinterest one day and found a list of questions to ask the kids every year on their birthday.  It would be a fun way to track how their answers changed as they got older.   It would also give insight to some of their favorite things.  I did great with Marcus.  Got the paper printer, filled out and posted it on the blog.  Then Ewan's birthday, Cale's birthday nothing.  Finally, I got around to 1. remembering about the questions and 2. printing out the papers.  Well, Liam must have thought being asked lots of questions was fun, because he wanted a turn, too.  Since he is the youngest, his answers get to go first.  So, here are some of Liam's favorite things as a 4 year old.....

color-blue and red
toy-robot toy
stuffed animal-dog
favorite thing to sleep with-blankie (he has had this blankie from birth)
fruit-blueberries and pineapple
cereal-lucky charms (Ewan helped him answer that question)
breakfast food-bacon and eggs ("the same as Ewan" Liam said)
lunch food-banana
dessert food-brownies
drink-lemonade
animal-dog
book-"the book that I read" (Liam likes to carry around big chapter books like his big brothers
favorite song-songs on the Wiggles show
game-Sequence Jr.
tv show-Kids Next Door
movie-Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs
favorite thing to do outside-exercise
best friends-Kayleigh (a teen from church), Abby (neighbor)
what to you want to be when you grow up-"change my name", "I will be just like Ewan"

Kinley is 7 months old!

Kinley turned 7 months old on New Year's Eve.  Crazy to think that she is 7 months already.  Slowly, she is becoming an easier baby to take care of.  She still pretty much hates everyone but her immediate family and she likes to be held a fair amount, but I cherish these days since I know they are short.  

What's new with Kinley?

She likes to chew on anything she can get in her mouth.  She has some favorite teethers and toys that much taste better or feel better on her gums because she picks those most of the time.  She also has been sucking her thumbs.  The base of her little thumbs are chapped from usage.  Thomas and Friends is her favorite show on television.  I wouldn't say Kinley watches it like a bigger kid watches tv, but her face lights up and she gets pretty excited when she see the engines with their smiling faces.

The sibs like talking to her and getting her to smile.  However, if Kinley is fussy, they are quick to call for me to take care of her.  Kinley likes watching all the activity in the house.  Live action is always better than scripted performance.

She is sitting up great!  She eats three meals a day of stage 2 baby foods.  She sleeps for about 12-13 hours at night from 7ish pm to 8ish am.  Naps are at 10ish and 2ish and last for 1 1/2 to 2 hours.  We have gotten to that happy point where we can lay Kinley down if she is sleepy and she will fall asleep on her own.  So nice for all of us.  We usually offer her a pacifyer at sleep times, but she doesn't always want it.  She does have her thumbs.

She loves her mama!

our Christmas Day

Be prepared.  I'm posting a fair amount of pictures.....

I got home from work about 8:45am.  Per Andy, the kids had all been up since about 7am, including Kella, which is surprising since she usually likes to sleep until around 830-9.  Of course, they could not wait and stare at everything, so Andy let them open their stockings.  All the kids got a new movie, candy and then a little present.  These things kept them busy until I got home.  And, one of the boys took the initiative to sort the presents under the tree before I got there.  I'm pretty sure he just wanted to survey what his gifts looked like (Ewan).  I walked in the door and they were ready to go.  I managed to get my coat off, take the baby and sit down on the couch before the fun really started.

first round of present opening

Kella already has her princess dress and and is holding her new stuffed kitty

Cale sporting a new jacket.

Marcus got a stomp rocket thing from his cousins.

the princess and her new potato head

a couple shots of the living room, post presents

 

 

Ewan got his big Zurg toy to go with his Buzz toy from last year.  He was so excited! And, he knew he was getting one since as Ewan was rearranging gifts, Zurg started talking inside his pakage.

 

That's one big spatuala.

Aww.  Snuggled together, watching a movie.

Ewan's in heaven with all his new action figure people of all sizes.

Watching one of Cale's movies-Prince Caspian.

 

 

Tried to get a picture of me and the girlies.  

And, who can forget that this is Kinley's first Christmas!  I think she liked the fun, but I also think it was a little much for her.  Her naps that day were awful and then she finally took a good one late in the afternoon.  After that, she was much more plesant.  And, up late.

Kinley enjoying one of her toys by herself after the other kids went to bed.  It's hard when your siblings want to play with your things.

I have to say, this was a great Christmas.  The kids all liked their presents.  Santa prepared early this year and didn't feel so rushed as in years past.  Hopefully, we created some nice memories for the kids to remember.

our Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve got here too quickly, I have to say.  Luckily, Santa was prepared and had all the gifts wrapped and ready to go a day or two before hand.  That left us to enjoy time a little more. 

Some cheese and sausage snacks from my Aunt Claud on my new cutting board from my mom.  The kids tore into these like we hadn't fed them in several days.

Andy made dinner with Kella's helpg.

We rented a Wii game and movie for the kids to entertain them with for the evening.

love my Christmas lights and snowmen

I tried to get a nice picture of the tree with her lights on.  And, then I went to work-gotta do my share of the holidays.  I don't mind, though, because I know that I will get to be home in the morning to see my kids open gifts.

Santa Andy got the presents out and filled the stockings.  And, he was nice enough to get a picture of the presents under the tree.

...and then he took some pictures playing with the camera settings :-)

the days before Christmas...

Some pictures from the days leading up to Christmas....

Liam and Kella playing with some indoor sand. Kella has on her dress she wore to church.  She didn't want to take it off. (And she didn't until dinner time)

On Monday, we made some cookies and candy.  Kella likes to help in the kitchen.  She hauls her stool in so she can see better.

I enlisted the help of the boys to make the candy cane bark.

Our tree was the best one yet.  It was a nice big tree than held its needles great this year.  Deocrated with lots of ornaments from present and past school projects.

From another day, we brought some the bikes inside to cruise around the house in.

And, we found some "lost"toys in the seat of one of the bikes.

Kinley, taking in the action from her seat on the floor.

Liam and Kella's preschool christmas program

Last week was the kiddos preschool program.  We have enough kids go through the program that I'm pretty sure I have seen this program theme before.  It's cute though, especially when your kids are performing.  Cale and Marcus missed the program due to basketball practice and Andy missed also since he had to pick the boys up.  No worries, the school is burning a recording of it for me.


Liam's class was the penguins.  He is third from the left.  Liam did a fantastic job singing.

Kella's class was Christmas trees.  Pretty sure you can tell she is the third from the left as well.  I don't think much of her class did their singing.  I always feel that the 2's class teachers are the ones we hear the best.

After all the classes performed, they sang together as a group.  Kella is 2nd from the left and Liam is in the orange striped shirt.

a Kella close-up in her Christmas dress.  She looked so cute in it (and she knew she looked cute in it.  I caught her twirling around like a ballerina at home).

A Liam close-up.

The kids got to meet Santa.  I don't know what they asked him for.  Liam talked to him for a little while, explaining something to him.

cookies and snacks and lots of preschool projects to pick up.  that completes our first semester of preschool this year!

my bday pics, part 2

My birthday was on Tuesday this year.  The weekdays are busy for us.  This day, Andy had basketball games in the evening and Cale had basketball practice.  I also got Kinley's 6 month photos taken that morning.  We squeezed in time to celebrate, no worries.

Andy got me a couple scarves and some gloves that I can wear and text with.  Magic, I know!

Those gloves work!

I made my own birthday cake.  Cale and I agreed on a recipe I found in one of my cookbooks called chocolate covered cherries cake.  It's a "dump cake" that was so easy to make.  4 ingredients: cake mix, 2 eggs, can of cherry pie filling and almond extract.  The cake was so moist and I covered it with a chocolate glaze.  I put some candles on top, enough to make the cake look pretty but in no way representing my age.

 

I would say the kids enjoyed the cake.

 

Even mother nature gave me a lovely full moon for a gift.  And, I got an awesome photo with my camera!  Happy birthday to me!