MERRY CHRISTMAS !

Today we are going to eat at the hospital with Chris, We will decorate tomorrow after I buy a fake tree (now that they are on sale), Sam is allergic so no more real ones for us. We will celebrate Saturday morning, but we are all ready even the gifts are wrapped. We headed out yesterday to the dollar store to get stocking stuffers and such, the kids will probably like those things the best, and I won't feel bed when I throw it away in a purging mood. So I am off to finish the fudge and cookies we are making today!

Can you tell who the babies are??

you know when you (well I) are pregnant and at the end the days drag and seem to take forever, but after the baby comes time goes by way too fast and the baby gets so big. It kind of makes me sad, maybe because she is my last little baby and I want to remember every little thing she does. we all seem to be so in love with her, especially her brothers...this morning Sam and Jake were fussing over her and getting mad at the other for holding her too long and not being able to give her enough kisses. I cannot believe Anna is just about 11, I am so trying to enjoy these moments because I know I will miss them one day before I know it too. All the arguing about silly stuff, the crumbs on the floor, folding clothes, I know I am very blessed. and before I get too corny I will end this and remember these thoughts as I take the little monsters to the doctor!!

Back from the doctor, we were ther for 1 1/2 hours, they were pretty good and only escaped form the room once or twice. maggie is up to 8 1/2 pounds (three of my kids were that or more as newborns) and 22 3/4 inches long so she has grown taller than chubbier.

christmas

Jakob asked, "Is Nollie part way elf??", I think he might be because his ears kind of poke out."

we are thinking of pushing Christmas back a few days, our reasoning to the kids why Santa may be a few days late is that Chris is working those days, but truly it is beacause they have lame parents this year who procrastinated shopping or catching the holiday spirit, we don't even have a tree yet!!

it is really about that baby Jesus and according to the kids Christmas isn't his real birthday anyhow so why not celebrate it whenever you'd like.

bunches of stuff

This post is full of pictures, so many I know and most are of Maggie because she is my favorite right now and the only one who will sit still for any amount of time, since I did not have one of Emma in the last little while I started it off of a cute three year old Emma sleeping, sweet!!

Sam had such a hard day at the office he did not even take off his coat and tie, what you did not see is that he is not wearing any pants!

The boys having a "sleepover" on the couch

Who is that masked man?? I asked J if he made that at school, he said "no, I found it in the trash". Oh, alright then

the only picture I got at hershey Park last wknd before the camera battery died, it was COLD

Little Monster!!

Anna's Holiday orchestra and choir concert

the next pictures are a few of the MANY I took of a home in Arkansas, great price totally restored, 6 bedrooms 3 floors of fun, but I did not care for the town

great kitchen, does that sexy guy come with the house???

great tile on the front wrap around porch

looking down the stairs

the foyer

E and M in their matching pjs

Here baby have your "pinky"

M's first cold :(

M with GMA T in Tupelo

the boys and baby M

E and baby M

M's first plane ride, she was very good the first few days, but pretty much was a colicky baby in AR, me too!!

Mags and the bestest Aunt in the whole wide world Penelope!

I don't know why this is sideways but not changing it now

baby m and her daddy, we had a great trip and the kids loved being with Penny, she is way more fun than me apparently!! We loved Tupelo and HOPE that they decide to expand their group, we won't know until January so start your prayers pretty please!!!

oh another picture Chris at Elvis Presleys first little house

and Chris eating Memphis BBQ

in the airport

I thought it was kind of special that when Chris and I left from Harrisburg Airport last week we shared a flight with the Harrisburg mayor, though people say he is a crook I don't know much about him...but as we were anxiously waiting in the Little Rock airport for our flight to even begin boarding Chris and I noticed this guy with a huge pottery barn bag that said "gourd Wreath" on it. We of course commented that he may be a little you know, don't make me say it I am not judging. Anyway, thought nothing more of it until Saturday morning when my kids were flipping through the four channels we get looking for cartoons and this guy was on the Today Show, apparently he may be a bit famous P.Allen Smith is his name. I knew there was something "special" about him. wish I would have known so I could've acted like a fool and gotten a picture with him.

and another thing...

yesterday on the drive to church I saw a shoe on the road and wondered how did it get there? Perhaps it was like what happened today as I went to Giant to get some stuff and laundry detergent, well when I got to that aisle I was wrestling Sam back into the cart and noticed that Nolan only had one CROC on (this is a reason I hate crocs), I searched the store but no luck...so now when I am driving down the road and see that single croc missing it's mate I may just throw it out the window. Oh I and I did not get the laundry detergent!!

speaking of shoes, I am happy to have Maggie to dress up...her feet are too skinny for any of her shoes really yet. Anna had this cute metallic sweater dress on yesterday & I got her cute black footless tights and ballet flats to go with it, what does she come up the stairs with white tights (after labor day too!) and these plastic see through silver clippity clop shoes. (I bought them this summer after hours of hunting for shoes for a wedding and gave in because I do not like clippity clop shoes on little girls, she wears a size SIX so we are kind of running out of options on little girl shoes though) I said nothing and even to Emma in her white dress shoes they went along with the trashy tennis shoes Jakob had on because for weeks I have been talking about getting him acceptable shoes but NEVER do!! also we went to hershey Park Saturday and we thought Nolan's crocs would be too cold so he wore his church shoes. I will be getting them shoes right after the Christmas shopping done, that is right I have not bought one gift for any of my SIX children, so if you are a distant relative don't count on anything this year.

well I would go into detail about our trip, but will wait until I upload the pictures off the camera, that will have to wait until I change Maggie's pants.

big

that new Picture (old from last year) is huge!!

If you have ever seen my family out and about, there is a good chance one or more of my kids are wearing crocs. Our garage is FULL of them, all different sizes and colors. I first saw these shoes about 2++ years ago when my niece and nephew came for a family reunion up here. I immediately thought they were hidious and odd...however I have now come to love them in their bright odd colors, it makes them hard to lose. My children LOVE them, and I gave up fighting a long time ago and let them wear them wherever! They are easy for kids to put on, can get wet and dry very quickly, they can be washed in the machine (don't dry winter crocs or the child can never wear them again). Jakob needs a new pair of church shoes, really I mean a pair of dark winter crocs. He will not wear fake crocs though, he is ever so picky about his footwear. A few weeks ago at church Carol and Paul were holding the baby...they wanted to peek at her sweet feet, Paul asked "Is she wearing those crocs?"

Sam was playing with a pair of Maggie's shoes and called them crocs. He even has regular church shoes, but he wears his bright green ones every chance he can. Even Nolan has a pair, a loud turquoise.

I on the other hand will not wear them, perhaps only appropriate for children and those in the medical profession. I may be missing out?

I should be cleaning and packing for our trip, I have a million things to do, including buying some new crocs.