Park Day in December??

Every morning I watch the news so I can have the most up to date weather info. I do watch the news before bed, but as all of us who live in Colorado know, the weather can be a completely different story by morning. We used to have Alexys go out on the back deck each morning and check the weather, now she doesn't seem as interested. Today was exciting to hear that we were going to be having temperatures in the sixties! When the weather is nice I like to take the kiddos to the park, and in December we get very few days that are nice enough to enjoy the park. Even when the temperature is above 50, the wind around here is brutal. Not that warm breeze that comes around for spring, but that biting coolness that makes your eyes water and little noses run! It is just windy enough to make everyone not want to get out of the car. But, today is a different story! I especially enjoy park days because it allows the boys to run around acting crazy and not get into trouble! The park is also a great way for them to burn off some energy, and believe me, they have a ton of energy. We like to go to the park right after picking up Apryl and Lexy from school. The older two always have some sort of game they like to play, tag mostly. I pretty much suck at tag! I have never been that great of a runner, and now my knees hurt so much that climbing all over the park equipment is not easy! Why can't we just lie in the grass and find cool shapes in the clouds? Honestly, I would more than likely fall asleep!

As Good As It Gets

Saturday was our big outing to see Mr. Claus himself. We waited until the little guys were up from their naps, thinking this would be the optimal time to force them to have their pictures taken with a complete stranger. I had all the kiddos dress in Christmas colors hoping to get an awesome picture of them together. I knew there were going to be specific spots just for that unique family picture! We found the lighted Christmas trees right away, and thought this might be great for a background. I also thought it might be a good thing to get some pictures out of the way in case Santa scared them to tears. Our boys, acting as if they had been locked up in cages for weeks, would not sit still long enough for me to snap a decent photo for the life of me. I still do not know why I get my hopes up hoping for a picture with all our children. Or at least a picture with all of our children sitting and looking at the camera. Is that too much to ask?? People keep asking us when our next family picture is coming out. I honestly don't know! I suppose I could staple the boys to the floor and pull their faces back with tape in order to get a smile from them, then fill in with the girls...there, a Morrison family photo! Anyway, I took three or four quick pictures by trees, and a few more in a sleigh before calling it quits. I knew Santa was waiting for us and we needed to hurry over! I was surprised how little the boys payed him any attention. They blew right by him and hustled over to a couple of chairs to climb on, so Addy went first. She was very nervous. Addysen was rubbing her hands back and forth, speaking very quietly, and looked as pale as a ghost. She did not cry though and she did manage to eek out a few things on her list. Apryl and Lexy did just fine like I knew they would. Apryl had a list fit for the child of a CEO! Then came time for the boys to visit Santa. They were not too cooperative...go figure! Santa was very patient and even tried to help settle them. All I really wanted was a picture of their first time with Santa, and I did get that, albeit they were wrestling to get away. Maybe next year they will be a little more willing to pose with their siblings and let mommy get some pictures?!? I should ask Santa for that!

The Older Ones!

These past few days along with the next few have been crammed full of activities. Alexys has had two choir concerts in the last week, which also required two extra rehearsals. Lexy had a field trip to Denver, and another to the Arvada Center. Yesterday, Matt and I went to the school for the selling session is Alexys' classroom they hold for their mini-society projects they do. This was a treat to be able to go during the middle of the day thanks to my hubby taking the day off. We were crazy enough however to bring all the little people along. Addy was great! The young men however, hit the ground running the moment we entered the school. They pretty much familiarized themselves with the entire layout of the school, which is good for future reference. I am certain there were a few people that were glad to see them leave the building. Today was the spelling bee, which Apryl was a part of. I think about all the studying we did, and of course she wasn't asked to spell any of those words! She did just fine anyway. Her first word was 'ace', pretty simple. When I told Matt what her first word was he asks me, "you mean like the regular ACE?" I said, "well, yes. What other ace do you know??" Thank goodness he wasn't helping her with the spelling words! I could tell she was bummed however when she did misspell her word. Next week brings us to Lexy's holiday play in which she is Kid #2! I love the parts they hand out to the students. Better than kid #3 I suppose! We will finish our week off with the classroom holiday parties. I always volunteer to bring the paper goods! It is just easier that way for me.

A is for Alexys

As most of you know Alexys is our second oldest daughter. She is a free spirit with a lot of fire. She is as some say, a person that marches to the beat of her own drum. I admire that about her. There are many great qualities about Lexy, like her genuine care and concern for EVERYTHING around her. She is very in tune with people's feelings and she is really focused on trying to save the planet in one way or another. As bubbly and outgoing a kid that she is, she also tends to have this dark little cloud hanging over her head. Although, her cloud is bedazzled and has I heart Justin Bieber written on it! Lexy is always the kiddo that can fall trying to sit on the couch. She does her homework and then forgets to put it in her folder. She has lost two library books already this year...wait we did find those! She has the uncanny knack of doing things at the worst time. Her brain will tell her it is okay to turn on a movie for the little people even though Daddy is watching a football game. This lead to an all out brawl over the t.v. this weekend. She is our child who leaves paint out, which her brothers have radar for. Every night I ask her to get her clothes out for school and she does almost every night. She did get her clothes out last night except her socks. This had her running all over the house searching for a pair of socks, then she's looking all over for her shoes! It may not have a big deal if we were not heading out the door early in order to take her to choir practice! I just said goodbye when she was getting into the car, "bye mommy, I love you!", she says. She is completely oblivious of the fact that she still has no socks on!

Family Nights

We always try and reserve at least one night a week just for our family. We like to have movie nights or special dinner nights, this week we had Parade of Lights night. For us this means watching the parade on t.v.! We are not yet brave enough to venture downtown with our crew. There has been talk that perhaps in the next couple of years we might be willing to give it a go. It would also be wonderful if Denver could move the parade to June or July! As is stands for now, we like our comfy couch and warm living room just fine. Before the parade started Matt stopped at Red Lobster and ordered a few appetizers to bring home. Apryl and Matt are the only ones who like seafood, so this was a real treat for them. I did try the lobster nachos, but had the same outcome...I still do not like seafood. We gave each of the boys a piece of shrimp which was promptly spit out on to the ground. They were happy with a bagel and an orange for dinner. Before the parade started we all played hide-n-seek. The rules state that we are only allowed to hide upstairs, which immediately limits ones hiding options. Also I am handicapped by the fact that I have to hide with both the boys. If I don't take them with me they show everyone where I am because they think I am playing a game with them. So, there I am with the guys trying to hide in the bathtub. Garhett is throwing all of the tub toys out of the tub, while Brenden is shouting, "shower, shower!!". He almost got the water started. Needless to say we were found pretty quickly. When the parade did start, Addy said she could not watch it because Santa is scary, and our boys were upset because they didn't have laundry baskets to sit in. The baskets were doing their jobs, holding laundry!! All in all, we did have a great time. The hours worth of dancing we did wore the boys out so much that there was no fight at bedtime! I am going to keep that in mind. :)

Curiosity

Lately I have been noticing how curious our three little people are becoming. Addy has been inquiring about her world for a while now, but with her ever growing vocabulary the things she asks about crack me up! Yesterday she was sitting on the couch making the funniest faces. I watched her for a little while, enjoying how funny she looked. When I asked her what she was doing she told me that she was trying to look at her eyeballs! I laughed, and she continued to try and look at her eyeballs. After another ten minutes or so, she said, "it's not easy to see my eyes." I giggled, and suggested she look in a mirror if she really wanted to see her eyes. She kinda looked at me weird and asked, "I need to look in a mirror??" I guess she was just not ready for that! Recently, I was reading a book with her and I pointed out a brain. I said, "you have a brain in your head." This did not go over well at all, she ran away from me screaming about having a brain in her head. Matt heard her yelling and thought she was hurt. He asks her what is wrong, and she tells him through tears, "mommy says I have a brain in my head!" Now, almost two weeks later, she is still asking me if I can take her brain out! Just this morning I was brushing my teeth and I could see Garhett looking at himself in the mirror. He was being so cute. I could see him blink his eyes and open them real fast as if he was trying to see his eyes blinking. He was smiling and having a great time, but I highly doubt if he ever saw himself blink!! Now how do you explain that to a two year old?

Start the Countdown!

Now that we have hit December 1st, the countdown to Christmas is officially on! Each day the girls leave for school they can mark off another day closer to Christmas. The excitement generated by the holidays is magnified 100 times when you get to share them with children! They each have their Christmas lists ready for when they get to see Santa, and surprisingly, they are not too long! Apryl's list though is full of things that cost a bundle! She is our extravagant kiddo. Alexys on the other hand wants TOYS! Easy enough, so do the rest of the kids. The boys need clothes also, so I have a feeling Santa will be filling their stockings with t-shirts and socks, and maybe a little candy! This time of year is also a great time to clean out the toys and clothes that are no longer being used and give them away. We were able to give some of the boys clothing to their cousin, Landen, and everything else will go to Goodwill. It is nice to give and also nice to have some room again! We have already decorated the house, and will be visiting with Santa next weekend. Last year, only Apryl and Lexy sat on Santa's lap, I'm not sure if it will be any different this year. Addy has already told me that Santa is scary! And, for Santa's sake, the boys will not be ready to sit on his lap either! I would love to have a picture of all the kids with Santa! After all the visits with Santa are finished, we will grab a tree and set it up in the...kitchen?!? That is the only place the tree can go and not be disturbed! I hope everyone has fun getting ready for their holidays, as soon as they are over, we have birthdays two days later!!