VACATION IS OVER.....

So here we are in the end of our vacation and back to reality tomorrow. The last few days have got me very very spoiled and completely caught up, house is spotless and everything is done I actually can say today I was completely lazy!  These days are far and few between and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The kids have been awesome! We've gotten some time together and lots and lots of playtime with Legos.  Cooper is been cracking me up with the things that he says. Tonight as I tucked him into bed he said "can we just snuggle do we have to talk?"  I asked him if he gets tired of me telling him that I love him and he says "A little yes but a lot no."  He then says we need to make sure we say our prayers and that he wants to thank God for his great family and for giving us a great Christmas. I couldn't have thought of anything better!  

That is Cooper hiding under there playing his new DS game!

Raelynn's equally sweet. I asked the kids to se their New Year's goals and gave them some guidelines. As I asked them what they thought about the last couple days Raelynn's says that her resolution is to volunteer. I asked her where she would like to volunteer and she said that she would like to volunteer at the Humane Society or retirement community and she wondered if I can help her make those calls to get it arranged.  Who knows if either will be willing to let an eight-year-old volunteer but if I can help her reach her goals, then I've already reached one of mine. 

Tomorrow starts a fresh day. A day  I have goals set and resolutions made. 2014 is going to be a fabulous year!

CHRISTMAS AND EVERYTHING THAT LEADS UP TO IT.....

It is hard to imagine that Christmas is over and we are looking ahead to a new year!  I feel like time goes by faster and faster every year.  I love starting a new year and setting new goals and feel like I am getting a fresh start but before we do all of that we need to recap the past month.....

We do so much leading up to Christmas I always wonder if Christmas itself will be as wonderful as we want it to be but I am never disappointed.  I think it is all the magic and the family that makes it perfect.  We have developed some pretty strong traditions and I am so thankful I have a husband that just smiles and shakes his head at all my craziness.  December 5th was the Eve of St. Nicholas Day and this is a tradition we started a few years ago.  The old story says if you set your shoes out on the Eve of St. Nicholas Day, they will be filled with good fortune.  The crazy thing was, this year, before I even reminded the kids that it was the Eve of St. Nicholas Day, Raelynn and Cooper set out their shoes.  I asked them how they knew and Raelynn said she googled it and put the date in her iPod.  Another way technology has made me be on top of my game.  The other wonderful part of it was listening to Raelynn tell Coop about the legend of the Eve of St. Nicholas Day.  Raelynn is very sentimental and holds all of our traditions so close to her heart.  I think it is her passion for the magic of the holidays that make it so much fun for me.  Of course I did not disappoint them and their shoes were filled with gold coins and chocolates when they woke.  Brownie, our Elf, also participated in the legend and left a letter for them along with a letter from Santa.

Last year, for the first time, Raelynn saw The Nutcracker with one of her friends.  She loved it and had been asking me if they were going to invite her again.  This year they invited us both and we both got to attend with Andrea and Jackie.   I had never even read The Nutcracker so I was a little lost in the beginning but luckily Andrea actually performed in the Nutcracker for many years (Impressive!) so she could kept me well informed.  Raelynn also knew everything about it and was constantly telling me what was going on.  I loved how much she knew and understood and loved the ballet.  It was a great evening.  Raelynn informed me that this was one of our new traditions and I informed her that was great with me but I couldn't keep up with too many more traditions :).

Our last tradition leading up to Christmas was the 12 Days of Christmas.  The 12 Days of Christmas actual follow Christmas but this fun tradition starts 12 days before Christmas.  The kids find a little something every morning in a stocking that hangs from their bedroom doors.  I have fun with this one and you never know what they might get.  One morning I made a scavenger hunt where the first clue started in Raelynn's stocking and then lead to Coop's stocking and then took them through getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing their hair and teeth before finding Despicable Me 2 hiding with Brownie our Elf.  It is always so much fun and one of the things the kids look forward to the most!  It is not all about the gifts either because it is not always a gift but more just of the excitement of surprises!

Brownie continued to be ornery as well….

There was so much chaos leading up to our week off that I barely had time to think.  We had several nights of baking for various cookie exchanges and events, a few Christmas gatherings and a couple sleep overs.  I really thought at times I would never catch up on sleep but the kids enjoyed every second of it.  Raelynn often thanked me and told me how much she liked some of the things I was doing which made any lack of sleep completely worth it!!!!

We also had Raelynn's awards banquet from her horse circuit and would could not have been prouder.  She reached 100 points in 2 of her classes which is awesome!  She had several placings and just seeing her happiness in her accomplishments was wonderful.  Without a doubt she will be back at it in the spring!

So finally the week of Christmas arrived and we had all day Monday to deliver our gifts before we left town.  We always make special deliveries to some of those that take special care of our family throughout the year such as our pediatrician and Coop's cardiac doctor and such.  This year we had 5 special deliveries and this was the first year that Raelynn and Cooper got to be a part of that.  As we made the last delivery Raelynn said, "that was a lot of fun, I love giving gifts even more than getting my own, well almost."  It made me laugh because without a doubt I enjoy giving more than receiving!!!  It was a fun day for us. We also had Coop's annual checkup which was awesome!  Since April Coop has gained 3.5lbs and has grown 2.5".  He looked great to Dr. Kelley and we were super happy.  His next cardiac appointment is in January and we hope for good news then too.  Finally it was time to head out to Western Kansas for our Christmas Celebration.

Every year as our family grows and expands our Christmas may adjust a little but all in all it is the same and by that I mean perfect.  Christmas Eve is always our big night and when we exchange most of our gifts.  We also eat way too much on Christmas Eve with so many snacks and delicious soup.  It is a lot of fun and this year was no exception.  We were also lucky enough to have my Grandma with us this year.  We had not celebrated with her in years so it was a very special treat.  As usual my kids as well as our selves were spoiled!  We are so grateful so many wonderful gifts and for having the ability to give gifts as well.  We did fail to get our Christmas pictures with the family which I was super disappointed in but will just have to remember next year that the pictures mean so much to me and not let time slip by without them.

Christmas Day we always celebrate with my Aunt and have a traditional Christmas dinner which is also sooooooo  good.  Unfortunately, this year our Aunt chose not to celebrate with us which was heartbreaking to me.  I did not know she did not plan to be there nor did anyone else so it made for some sadness on a special day.  Thank goodness for my wonderful family who reminded me what we were there to celebrate and to be thankful for having so many of us together.  I know our family dynamics will change, but when it comes to getting the family together it is always hard to accept change or even understand it at times.  Anyway,  I would say it definitely made for a difficult day for me but as we cleaned up and ended our day I was just so thankful for those who love me and let me love them back!

Thank you so much to my whole family for making Christmas so special to us each year!

We are headed home now and I cannot believe the week is already coming to an end.  I love my time with Terry and the kids.  I am so grateful for the family we have made and am so fortunate to be surrounded by happiness.  I wish all the happiness in the world to all in 2014!  Isn't it exciting to see what awaits us all....................

THANKSGIVING AND SO MUCH TO BE THANKFUL FOR (AND A FEW CHALLENGES ALONG THE WAY)….

What an amazing Thanksgiving break!  This year was even a little more special because not only were we celebrating Thanksgiving but we were also celebrating one of the things I am most thankful for….Cooper!  Coop's birthday fell on Thanksgiving this year and because of that not only did we get to spend Thanksgiving with Terry's side of the family but mine joined us as well.  This was also the first year I have taken off the day before Thanksgiving to help prepare the meal.  So the kids and I started our vacation on Wednesday.  We headed out to Bonnie's after a radio interview I had for CCF.  It was a great day and we got a lot of food prepared.  We finished up in time for me to get home in time for the arrival of my Mom and Chandler.  Then we started bright and early on Thursday celebrating Cooper and all the things we are Thankful for.  I thought it would be difficult to make sure Coop still felt like the day was his but as I watched him play football with his cousins and run and play I realized it was the perfect birthday celebration for him.  Cody and Steph joined us as well which always makes things fun!  Having both our families there was so awesome.  Terry and I have both been blessed with wonderful families so the more of them we have around the better!

We finished up Thanksgiving and headed home.  We got things cleaned up and the kids settled just in time to head out for Black Friday shopping.  I do this every year but it had been quite a few years since Steph had been able to go with me.  Now if you know Steph, you know there is never a dull moment.  She is either being silly, ridiculous, grouchy or just on the outspoken side.  Whatever her demeanor, she makes me laugh!!!  We had so much fun.  We headed out about 8:30pm Thursday night and returned around 3am Friday.  Then headed back out about 4 hours later!  But let me tell you we got some amazing deals!!!!  Between the deals and the laughter it was a very successful Black Friday. Once we returned from Black Friday shopping it was time to decorate.  With the help of my Mom, Chandler and the kids we managed to get the house decorated and then headed downtown to see the arrival of Santa! We join the festivities downtown every year and this year with Chandler, Karli and Mom it was even more fun.  By the time we were done downtown and dinner I was ready for some sleep!

Saturday it was off to Topeka to celebrate Karli's Birthday.  We spent the day hanging out with her.  We left Topeka with just enough time to make it back to Lawrence for the movie Frozen.  The kids and I have been waiting to see this movie and it was worth the wait.  It is so funny and we loved it.

Sunday I met up with 2 other heart mom's and we decorated the CCF Tree for the Festival of Trees.  These 2 ladies are wonderful and it was fun to have lunch and spend some time with them.  They are both very crafty so our tree was awesome again this year.  Our theme was "Owl Love You Forever".  The auction was Tuesday night and out tree sold for $650!!!  It is a great thing to do to get our name out there, to give back to the community in another way and meet more fun and wonderful people!!!

So after all that fun it was time to start another work week but this week is already flying by.  With basketball practice and Brownies on Monday, the Festival of Trees auction on Tuesday, homework  and catch up on Wednesday, we are looking forward to another weekend although it doesn't look any slower.  We love this time of you and ALL the festivities that go along with it.

Oh and did I mention that this week my sweet Cooper got in trouble?  Oh yes, my sweet boy who is so good got in trouble at school.  He was talking during class, egging on another boy to write on a little girl with a marker and then buddied up with another boy who just might not be the best influence.  Coop is ornery but generally pretty well behaved.  So when I heard about all of this from his amazingly wonderful teacher, I was very disappointed.  I have expressed before that I have a very hard time getting upset with Cooper but I knew he needed to know this was not acceptable.  I picked him up from Boys and Girls Club and he said right away, "I know I am in trouble and I have a note for you."  Sure enough, he had a note that he had written telling me what he did.  We came home and had a very long heart to heart.  Now let me just say that Coop is absolutely the most difficult child to discipline because he is so receptive, sincere and seems to take in and understand everything you say.  I stayed strong and firm though.  I let him know that he would take a bath, eat dinner and go straight to bed.  I warned him that if this were to happen again he would no longer be allowed to play basketball and I let him know he disappointed me, his Dad and his teacher.  He was so sad.  I wanted to swoop him up and hug him and tell him it was ok but I didn't.  Thank goodness I had to leave and Terry had to carry out the punishment.  When I got home Terry said he ate and went straight to bed without even being told or reminded and he was asleep before Terry even went in to check on him.  Fortunately I think he got the picture and so far the rest of the week has been good and he is back to his sweet self.  That boy is going to tear my heart apart I have a feeling.  It is hard to explain the difference between my relationship with Raelynn and my relationship with Cooper.  They are both amazing and unique and I  am so lucky to have them both.  I had always thought I would learn from my experiences with Raelynn so I could better deal with Coop but my experiences with Coop are so different that with Raelynn and visa versa that neither do me any good in dealing with the other.  This could be why no one seems to have a thorough manual to parenting!!!

Oh and how can I forget the Elf!  The Elf on the Shelf joins us every year right after Thanksgiving.  This year his name is Brownie!  For those of you who are not familiar with the Elf, he is magical.  He hangs around your house being mischievous and at night flies back to Santa to report on the children's behavior.  The thing is the Elf is very creative as to what he is doing during the night while the kids are sleeping.  Each year he gets a little more ornery!  This year he arrived and found himself face planted in a miniature evergreen on our deck.  Since then we have found him swinging from greenery above our cabinets and head first in a candy dish, but nothing topped his underwear adventure.  He removed all of our stockings on the mantel and replaced them with a pair of each of our undies.  Then he used Coop's like a hammock!!!  The kids found this pretty funny.  This morning he was stuck in Raelynn's lunch box so he had to go to school with her.  I knew that was probably a bad idea but it didn't take long for me to realize how bad.  One of Raelynn's friends saw the Elf and grabbed him out of her lunch box.  This was horrible because you see if you touch the Elf he loses his magic and disappears.  I quickly jumped in as tears ran down Raelynn's face and she looked as though her friend had just killed her Elf.  I explained I was sure he was fine because it's only the owner of the Elf that can't touch him.  I got Raelynn convinced that I would research today and make sure he was ok just in time to look over at her friend who was also crying because she was so sorry she had made the Elf lose his magic.  Do remember these are 3rd Graders but they love the magic and traditions of the season apparently.  Of course I had quite an elaborate story about my day with her Elf making sure he had not lost his magic and had a few tricks up my sleeve tonight to reinforce that he was just fine.  When I picked Raelynn up she had a letter to her Elf from the little girl who had grabbed him this morning.  The letter made me cry!  I told Raelynn she was lucky to have a friend who cared so much about her happiness and she agreed!  So I think the whole Elf adventure is back up and going strong.  Tonight however is the Eve of St. Nicholas.  For those of you who do not know this tradition, if you set your shoes out by the door, St. Nicholas will fill them with treats, coins and good fortune.  The kids already have their shoes there waiting!!!  I thank Apple for giving me a great phone to keep track of all of these crazy traditions I started and I thank God for 2 kids that LOVE the traditions and make it so fun to carry out.  Just a few more days and we will start the 12 Days of Christmas too.  It is no wander I am exhausted by the time Christmas gets here hahahaha!!!

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT'S GOING ON BUT IT WAS FUNNY TO SEE WHEN I DOWNLOADED PICS!~

(On a side note….the kids just came running into the kitchen asking if Ice Cream is a dairy because their bedtime snacks have to "healthy".  Unfortunately Dad answered before me and apparently in his book IC is a dairy product!  Oh boy!!!