Another little monkey jumps on the couch

Her cheesy little grin in this first picture is my favorite.  Also all of her and everything about her.  Love. 

Making cookies with Grandma

We make cookies twice while Grandma was here.  The first time she made them and the kids helped roll the cookies balls in cinnamon and sugar.  And then I made sugar cookies the night before Christmas Eve and we decorated them and were secret Santa's to six different families.  Plus also Paka made some of his famous chocolate chip cookies and we added those to the plates as well. I didn't take any pictures of the sugar cookie decorating because I was too busy trying to decorate cookies and also to make sure that the kids didn't destroy all the cookies and get frosting everywhere or wipe their boogers with a knife that they were using to decorate cookies or something.  They didn't.  Thankfully.  

And also the kids got to be secret Santa's with Granny and Poppy a couple of times this year too, and they really loved that.  They are getting pretty good at knocking on the door and running away as fast as they can.  I remember doing that a lot with my family growing up, and it was always so fun.  So I'm glad the kids were able to do it a lot this year.  A fun tradition that we will definitely keep doing.  Plus then maybe in a few years we can even use some of the cookies that the kids decorate.  This year we didn't.  They lacked a certain kind of element.  Which was the element of not looking disgusting. 

Clean room playing

Before my parents and brother arrived for Christmas, we cleaned out the boys room really well.  Went through their toys (again) and got rid of stuff that they don't really play with.  I cleaned out clothes and organized shelves and made space for my parents to stay comfortably in there while they were staying with us.  As comfortable as they could be on bunk beds, anyway.  Seve actually ended up taking the top bunk and my dad slept on the bottom and my mom preferred her air mattress on the floor.  But anyway.  We cleaned.  And then the kids (minus Cameron, who was off running errands with Dad) took advantage of the clean room and space and danced around and played ring around the rosy.

And now it's like almost two weeks later.  Christmas has come and gone and my parents have come and gone as well.  It's always kind of bitter sweet when Christmas finally and arrives and then is over.  So much build up an anticipation and excitement and fun and then the day is over and you wish you could do it all again.  

Except for that you're pretty exhausted and you have a mess of new Christmas stuff to find a place for and you're really exhausted and even more exhausted and you don't have the energy to even look at the house that needs to be put back in order.  But it was glorious.  And you kind of wish you could it it again.  But then again, maybe a year break is okay, too.

Cupcake

We went to a birthday party last weekend and I handed Annalise a cupcake without thinking too much about it.  I don't know why I didn't think to supervise her a little better.  She thoroughly enjoyed it.  And she thoroughly covered her sweatshirt in cupcake frosting.  Thoroughly.  As well as her mouth and her little chubby fingers.   She was not thrilled when I finally took it away after she had licked off most of the frosting.  

Writing letters to Santa

We wrote letters to Santa.  Cameron also wanted to draw a picture for Santa, and he did a very good job.  Even Jace made and effort to make his letter look nice and pretty, rather than rushed and sloppy. Good for Jace.  His handwriting is not the best.  Olivia dictated to me what she wanted and then signed her named.  And Annalise scribbled with markers and tried to eat them.  And then when I wouldn't let her eat them, she cried.  Hence the little tears on her cheeks in some of the pictures.  Then I just gave up and she thought she was sneakily getting way with licking the markers.  But she wasn't.  Mom sees all.