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Wednesday, December 28, 2011

The calm after the storm

There is an eerie quietness in my house today. The kids are happily occupying themselves with their new toys. It's a miracle. The last few days have been non-stop action.

The kids got an obscene amount of gifts. Each of them only wished for one item from Santa. A Lego Ninjago DS game and a ladybug pillow pet. Both items were amongst the sea of gifts under the tree this year. Dylan has 7 new lego sets to assemble, Camryn's new doll has a bigger wardrobe then I do and we gave them a zipline for the backyard which dad needs a day off to build.

We've played all the new games (John and I are addicted to Qwirkle) , read the new books and installed batteries into everything! I should own stock in Duracell! I've been pulled into every direction: making bracelets on the new loom, finding the challenging piece in a puzzle and dodging discs being shot at me from a Nerf gun. (Thanks Dad!)

Yesterday, we picked some old toys to donate in order to make room for the new ones. This is probably my favorite part, purging out the toys that are just not played with and organizing the new ones. For one short hour, the playroom actually looks in tact.

Today, while the kids are content, I'll take down the tree and pack up the decorations. Our house will return to some level of normalcy....and tomorrow the kids will be bored!

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Santa meets the Tooth Fairy

Nothing rivals the excitement of a child awaiting the arrival of Santa. That is except if you lose your first tooth on Christmas Eve!
Dylan has been wanting to lose a tooth ever since his classmates names got put up on the tooth wall in kindergarten. And it finally happened for him amongst the chaos of Christmas Eve. I'm still not convinced it was loose but he was elated!
So with sugar plums dancing in his head and his first tooth securely under his pillow, Dylan fell asleep. And shortly after, Santa met the tooth fairy!

Friday, December 23, 2011

End of the Year Catch up

I find it pathetic that it has been over almost two months since my last post. And it's not like I haven't had things to post about. So I'll cram it all into one just to catch up:

Bromley is getting bigger and into everything. Having a puppy with kids is much harder than when Callie was a pup.

In anticipation for the new Tinkerbelle Pixie Hollow Games movie, Camryn and I made a fairy house!



I'm happy to report not only does she still play with it but its still in one piece!


Fall clean up of the yard was actually enjoyable this year. Dylan was a big help and the leaf piles were fun for the kids and the dogs!

I got a job!!! I'm working as a paraprofessional at the middle school in town and I love it! Never have to worry about missing out on anything with the kids because I only work they are in school. It's the perfect balance for me.


Thanksgiving came and went because we jetted off to the Bahamas the following morning!




















We had a fabulous vacation and much needed family time. It was great to be together and the resort was amazing. Lots of laughs were had and lasting memories were made!

Came home and immediately had to get into the holiday spirit. We got our tree and decorated our house the day we got back. I scrambled to fill their stocking advent calendar (Dylan already pointed out we had missed a few days while away.) I threw together a Christmas card and began the hunt for the perfect gifts at the lowest prices!


We entered the local gingerbread contest with kits we decorated in less than 30 minutes and Camryn came in second for her age group. The entries were pretty impressive and next year I plan to bring my A game.

John and I hosted our friends' annual ornament swap. Good times had by all!

My nephew was in his first live production of "It's a wonderful life." We are enjoyed seeing him in the spotlight.


We baked breads for all our teachers, made cookies for Santa and pretzelies to bring to school.


The countdown has come to an end and we are all anxiously awaiting Santa's arrival. Tonight will be spent in a wrapping marathon and tomorrow we will be tracking Santa's flight around the world.


Regardless of the chaos and exorbitant amount of money spent, I'm looking forward to some QT with the family during the holidays.


Well that about sums it up....


P.S. My New Year's resolution is to blog regularly, so stayed tuned for a detailed account of my week off with the kids!!