Christmas traditions......

Every year we try to take the kids to see Santa. Our kids know that Santa is "not real" but they really like to go see him just for fun......it is part of their tradition and it is kind of cute for Mommy to watch her kids with Santa........Not to mention it is great for the scrapbook! Now, this year we got to see Santa but it was a little "nontraditional." The kids thought it was the coolest thing anyway because, after all, why would Santa want to deliver gifts to kids here in Florida and have to wear that heavy, hot suit???

Feels Like June......

It is almost the first day of winter and Christmas is getting closer and the kids are loving it. The Christmas lights are up in town, our neighborhood is decked out and our house is decorated and looks very festive (if I do say so myself). Everything seems to make you want to sing "Tis' the Season......"..........................and then you step outside! Now, I'm not at all upset when the weather is nice. The kids can spend much more time outside and I don't have to spend any time preparing them to go out. All the socks, shoes, coats, hats, gloves etc. can take a lot of work and cause frustration when you have 4 kids, but I don't even need to worry about it. I love that! But, it just doesn't seem like home when the words "Christmas Day" and " 85 degrees" are in the same sentence. Needless to say, the weather is beautiful but I miss North Carolina and the visits we made to see family in the North Country at Christmas time. I think the kids agree but are just glad that it is finally "COOL" enough for them to play outside for long periods of time.............

Her are some pics of us at the park the other day. It was so nice but we still got a little sweaty if we stayed in the sun too long.

Soccer Days

Eve watching very carefully...........
Eve on defense clearing the ball..
Jack waiting for the ball..........
It is soooooooo HOT................

The kids have really been enjoying themselves even though it was so hot in the beginning of the season. Here are just a few pics................

It's "Unofficial"

We have finally been able to have an ultrasound done for this pregnancy.................
I went to my appointment expecting it to be like the other 4 ultrasounds I've had and was fairly disappointed...............At the radiology imaging place I went to (or maybe just in Florida) the Radiologists are apparently not supposed to tell you anything while you are having the ultrasound...........including, what the gender of the baby is (even if you are well past the 5 month mark and it is pretty much not going to change). They also were not allowed to give pictures of the baby's "parts" and they were only willing to print ONE picture for me to take home. But, after much conversation with the tech I asked her if she would give me her "opinion" about the gender and she told me that her "opinion" was that it was a girl. She was also nice enough to show me on the screen what she saw to make her say that. So......we are "unofficially" having a girl!!! Overall, compared to my other four pregnancies, I would say that expecting anything to be the same in Florida was MY mistake..........................

Happy Birthday "BIG" girl

Children grow up so fast...................but some days it seems like they are not growing fast enough. Eve and Jack are sprouting and becoming their own persons and it feels like it is happening so quickly. Every time I blink they are different. Sammy is still small but he is smart as a whip. He can do anything he puts his mind to ( including, but not limited to, learning how to unlock all of the child locks even if it means he has to break them ). He is just out growing the environment we have put him in. But, then there is Abigail........... the cutest, most precious, the smartest and most unbelievably stubborn child out of the bunch.

Abigail turned 3 on Friday. She had been waiting for her birthday ever since Eve had hers and she saw what it entailed. Every morning for a month she would wake up and say it was her birthday today and mommy needed to get her cake and presents and that we needed to go to Chuck-E-Cheese. She was so excited! So, I thought I would use this as an opportunity to show her what it meant to be a "BIG" girl and really start to push the whole "using the potty thing" (something she has absolutely refused to do before). I told her that Eve was a big girl and since Eve used the potty then Abby should try to also. Eve had a birthday and Abby was having a birthday and that meant she was growing up like Eve and that if she used the potty then she would be able to wear "big girl" panties like Eve (you know, all the things one might try to say to make the stubborn child comply and make them feel like it was their decision). Unfortunately, it seems to have backfired on me, at least for now..................Abby was doing a great job potty training. She was telling me every time and had not had any accidents but for some reason, after her birthday she decided she was done with the potty and I could not convince her otherwise. She would not tell me when she had to go but instead, when mommy was otherwise distracted, she would go and get a pull-up (which we still have for night time anyway) and put it on herself and go in the pull-up. She has decided that she won't go even if mommy makes her sit there and watches and she doesn't want Eve to help her either. So rather than pulling out my hair I am giving it a rest for awhile (about a week) and then we will resume. I think that she thought that if she was a big girl, she would be able to have a birthday and now that it is over, she has nothing to prove to anyone..............Especially not mommy.................

Anyway, here are some pics of the big day...........Mommy loves you very much Abigail!!! Happy Birthday my "BIG" 3 year old.............

More "Fall" Pics

The kids picking out pumpkins.........

No signs of Fall...............

Down here in South Florida it is hard to find any signs of Fall. There are NO real trees, NO leaves to rake, NO "Fall Festivals", and NO pumpkin patches. We searched high and low for something to take the kids to that was a little like home and wouldn't cost us much. Finally, I was hooked up with a local homeschool group that Invited us to go with them to a corn maze last week. We had to drive almost 2 hours to the farm (because there isn't anything closer) but we made a day out of it. We had a picnic lunch and then did the maze. Then we got to go on a hay ride and the kids got to pick out pumpkins. We had a blast and the kids loved it. The only negatives about the whole thing were that (because it is South Florida) it was way too HOT and Mommy got sun poisoning................But getting pictures for the scrapbook makes it worth it!!