Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year from Carlin, Aubrey, Samuel, Lillian and Baby #3

I would like to say I had every intention of writing and sending out Christmas cards out this year, but that would be a lie.  Truth is ever since late August or early September our lives have been turned upside down once again and besides sleeping and eating I haven't felt like doing much.

Most of you already know, but Baby #3 is on its way and it has already been one hectic ride.  I have been sick, had a threatened miscarriage, been tired beyond words, and haven't felt like doing much.  I'm 21 weeks along and still feeling all around crappy.  The good news is that with lots of anti-nausea meds and even more sleep, I'm keeping it under control. 

Overall though, I'm excited and can't wait for May 13 so that this baby can get here.  And what are we having you may ask?  We don't know!  We're waiting to find out when the baby gets here.  What can I say, I like surprises. 

As we welcome in the New Year, I found for the first time my goal is to sit back and do nothing.  Yep, that's right.  I have resigned myself (mostly) to accepting the fact that minimal cleaning will be done on the house, projects will probably be put on hold for most of the year, and I will need to simplify schedules so I can rest during this pregnancy and then do nothing but hold and enjoy the baby when it gets here. 

I hope everyone had a great 2012 year, we sure did and if you want to know about it please feel free to look back at last year's posts.  Happy 2013!

Non-Gingerbread Houses

My Mother pointed out I hadn't updated my blog recently.  This is her way of saying "I want to see pictures of the kids."  And I can no longer claim to have a broken camera since we bought a brand-spankin' new one for Christmas (and of course, have to use it to record all of the holiday happenings) plus, I discovered THREE SD cards and one USB stick stuck in the nether reaches of our PC.  Don't ask. 

I pointed out to my Mom not much has been happening unless you want pictures of me changing poopy diapers...  I figured not. Lucky for you, we actually did something last night and remembered to take pictures of it!

Thanks to my best friend Whitney, I remembered there are these things called graham crackers that you can use to make gingerbread houses and the whole process is so much easier.  So, last night we made graham cracker houses and had a crazy dance party and saw a dancing light show. 

Here are the kids showing us their silly poses:

Pretty sure the kids had already had too much sugar and we hadn't even started yet. 

The final products:

  Lillian was too busy eating the candy to concentrate on building anything more complex than a lean-to. 

 My masterpiece.  As you can see I took it very seriously, (not really - I just made a triangle and stuck a graham cracker and candy on top).

 Carlin's castle with a lake and walkway.  Samuel took way too much glee in toppling the turrets.

 Samuel's ancient ruins - as you can see this was pretty serious stuff.

Of course, as soon as they had enough toppings (meaning, Mommy had said no more candy), they delved into eating them.  This is one of many goofy faces Samuel keeps showing the camera.  I suppose it's better than his deer-in-the-headlights look...

This Thanksgiving

While driving to Stillwater to spend Thanksgiving with my family, we overheard the following conversation from our kids:

Samuel: "Look horses!"
Lillian: "Yah Samuel, we can be cowboys!"
Samuel: "But we don't have cowboy clothes."
Lillian: "Oh."
Samuel: "But I have a blue dinosaur costume."
Lillian: "Yah, and I have a butterfly costume, Samuel." 

And this epitomizes what I'm grateful for this year most of all: my children.  I love taking time and listening to their conversations which only make sense to them.  I've learned to take a step back and appreciate their logic, humor, and curiosity.  Like last night when I found them playing under Lillian's bed with all of their blankets and when I asked what they were doing I was told by Samuel "To just walk away Mommy." 

Samuel loves to make me laugh and not just in a "oh Mommy found that funny I'll do it again" way, but I'm rather convinced he comes up with things he thinks will make me laugh.  And when I do respond with real laughter his little face lights up and he gives me a hug.  I believe he takes after his Dad, both make it a goal to make me laugh once a day and it works.  I mean who wouldn't laugh between Carlin's "old man pants dance" and Samuel's "bum-bum dance."  (In which he holds one hand in the air while the other one holds his bum and he bounces it up and down.... don't ask, cuz I have no idea).

Lillian literally sings and dances her way through life and I love sharing in her enthusiasm and imagination as she scares monsters and ghosts away for me.  She is truly a ray of sunshine with her curly blonde hair and big blue eyes.  She loves being included especially when cooking and I'm happy to share it with her. 

Yes, this season I'm grateful for my children.  And while we have our ornery moments and our bad days, most of the time if I just take a step back and listen I find two children who are completely amazed by the world around them. 

Thank you Samuel for squishing spiders for me.  Thank you Lillian for always knowing when I need a good cuddle.  And thank you to both of you for fighting over my lap and begging for one more book at night.  It might be a stalling tactic, but it also might be that you just love to read.  

Happy Happy Halloween

As Samuel says. 

We had so much fun celebrating Halloween and we didn't wait till October 31 to start. 

We made Spooky Trail Mix (complete with ghost droppings and witches broomsticks), Mummy Hot Dogs, Creepy Rice Krispie Treats, Jack-o-Lantern Quesadillas and Mouths the days leading up to Halloween.

We also decorated the house and made pictures and played pumpkin games.

We couldn't go without making some Jack-o-Lanterns.  I carved the kids pumpkins via their instructions and cheering and was done after that, hence only three pumpkins this year.  I'll let you guess which one was Carlin's... 

And then it was the much anticipated day of Halloween! 

We had chili, cornbread, junk food, and oatmeal pumpkin cookies that I tried to make into oatmeal cream pies using marshmallow fluff...

Trust me - they are oh so delicious and moist!

Then we were invaded by a blue dinosaur.

And it was very important he was a BLUE dinosaur.

And the cutest butterfly I've ever beheld!

As with most butterflies, they are constantly in motion and it is hard to capture them on camera, especially your phone camera.

It was everything Halloween is supposed to be and I woke up suffering a sugar-hang-over.  The kids however wasted no time getting into their candy and have been bouncing off the walls since...

Lilly-girl

Pretty sure Lillian is going to be one of those girls who wears skirts, does her hair and wears commando boots. 

Yes, she's that awesome.

Oh and crafts...

Identity Crisis

Sometimes being a Mom makes one lose their identity. At least it makes one feel like that sometimes. 

Especially when Dora is in the background shouting something that sounds eerily like my name with a Spanish accent: "Aubray!  Aubray!" 

Halloween

I have a love-hate relationship with Halloween.

See, I LOVE it.  I love the candy, the costumes, the decorations (cute ones, not creepy ones, but I can appreciate the creepy ones), the good food and did I mention the costumes?

But I have to be original and creative in my costuming and never under any circumstances may I BUY a costume.  Kind of snobby that way.  Doesn't help I married someone whose favorite holiday is Halloween.

Every year I try to come up with something creative for not only myself and husband but also kids.  They are getting to the age where they just want to be a princess and dinosaur, but I still have to find something for Carlin and I.  (It's a lot of pressure people, hence the love-hate relationship).

While I try to think of something creative, I looked back on Halloweens past.  Here is one of my favorites, I believe we were engaged at this point... or maybe first year married.  May I introduce the scooby gang:

Yep, that's KeLei at age 12 or whatever.  Hahaha!

And I thought I would enter this contest at the Dating Divas.

So, my dear friends, family and readers (assuming I have readers who have no relation to me except through my blog... and that's a pretty big assumption), I ask that you vote for me starting October 16.

Until then, I might be stealing some ideas from other contestants, because some of those costumes are pretty good...