Christmas Tree 2012

When I named this post, I immediately loaded pictures of the kids decorating the tree this year.  Then I thought, "No, that's not what I want."  Then I started what you're about to see.  I wanted a picture of the kids with a Christmas tree every year.  Unfortunately, it appears that I wasn't very good at taking a picture every year, so there's a portrait studio tree one year, my mom's tree a few years, a barely indistinguishable tree at my Dad's in the far background another year and well...since Lucy was born on Christmas Day, finding a tree for a photo-op just wasn't one of my priorities.  Fortunately my mother-in-law suggested this shot....

2001- Lucy's first Christmas was her birthday.  No tree shot, but we got her with a stocking!

2002- photo studio tree :)

2003- Lucy helping prop Baby Clydie Monster (he growled) up as he grips the couch for his first Christmas.  My Dad's tree IS in the background...that'll just have to do.

 

    

 2004- No together shots, but at least we got separate ones here in front of my Mom's tree.

 2005- Our first real tree!  And Baby Iris's first Christmas!

2006- This might be my favorite....and we've yet to decorate the tree, but those are some stinkin cute kids!

2008- Tree at Dollywood with cold babies.

2009-First Christmas at our present house....kids starting to look too big!

2010- ha!

2011- Sweet faces.

2012- Three blessings!

New Pets

Waaaay back in October when we went to the beach, we returned home with three new pets....

It took painful agonizing for the kids to each pick one out, but here they are...

The big one with the dinosaur and scenery on his shell is Hermie, Clyde's crab.  The tiny yellow one with a butterfly is Daffodil, Lucy's crab.  Daffodil is VERY shy!  I'm shocked I got a picture of her.  Iris's crab was originally in a small pink shell with a giraffe on it, but the first night they spent in their new terrarium, all decked out with a fresh selection of shells, he made a grab at the pretty pearly shell.  Iris was pretty devastated that her crab didn't have a pink shell anymore, but after Lucy and I played up how he picked the prettiest shell, she chilled some.

Clyde REALLY wanted to know how you tell the girls from the boys.  So I looked it up.  It's not how you think.  But he figured out his was a girl, Iris's was a boy and Lucy's was unable to be determined due to being diminutive.  Once again, Iris was devastated.  She now forced herself to give the crab a boy name.

Meet Tarzan....

I wanted to make sure they were going to survive before blogging about them.  So far so good.  They are QUITE easy to take care of and DON'T stink :)  Here's one eating.  It's recommended to put their food into a shell so that they get extra calcium.

Also, Iris has had a pet grasshopper for about a month.  She determined he was a he.  And then she named him June.  There you go.  This was the best shot I could get of June.  My camera doesn't like taking pictures of tiny things through clear plastic.

We are now the proud owners of 3 hermit crabs, 2 ferrets and 1 lone grasshopper.

Sherry's Birthday

I'm finally getting back into the swing of blogging after a spell of being cameraless.  But I found it so...

We SO didn't get to do Sherry's b-day over the top like we would have liked.  We were out of town for it, we always are. :(  And then when we were able to giver her her cards and gift, she wasn't feeling so swell.  We may need to celebrate her half-birthday too! ;)

Sherry with Iris and her card...

Sherry with Clyde and his card...

Sherry with Lucy and her card...

Then we hung out and helped her de-stress (yeah right) for a few hours!!  Ha ha...but we LOVE her!!

Thanksgiving 2012 in NC

As we annually do, we went to NC for Thanksgiving to be with Stephen's family.  And as always, everyone was so warm and wonderful and reminding us why we love them :)

We arrived Thanksgiving Day.  We got to see Nana and Papa.  Nana had dinner ready for us when we got there!!

BUT I did not do my typically fabulous job of documenting it all with pics!!!  (no pictures of Nana???  What??!!)

Here's 3 generations of men playing angry birds.  (about the only way I could get them in a picture at all!)

 Stephen and Clyde showing a tickled Soulea how to play angry birds...

The kids' 1st cousin, Mason...

Lucy and her 1st cousin, Mirzanna...

She taught Mirzanna the Virginia Reel...

Clyde and his 1st cousins, Soulea & Devonne (clyde was the LEAST cooperative for this picture :/  ).....

Iris and her 1st cousin, Mekayla...

yep, I know...they're STINKIN cute...

had to throw in the one where you can see Devonne's freckles :)...new development since last year!  You have to look closely, though.

The next day we went to the reunion where we saw all the aunts and uncles....well...not ALL.  some were missed :(

Here's Stephen with his Uncle Milton...

Iris with her cousin, Chloe...

Lucy with her cousin, Rebekah...

Then we did our annual hop over to Stephen's cousin, Joey's house :)
This is always fun and Joey & Tammy are always gracious enough to let us bring our brood over and stay for HOURS.

Stephen and Joey like building fires :)

Lucy and cousin, Courtney..

Lucy and Clyde being introduced to Clue by their twin cousins, Devon & Dawson.  Ha!  Apparently, Tammy's Dad calls them the arson boys :)  cracks me up.

Love their kids!!!  They're just the sweetest!!!

The Little Bird

So this little boy of mine....

Has an enormous soft spot for this little girl....

When her Mama called me to tell me what he had made for her, I was surprised.  Writing and trying to spell are difficult and not fun for him, and he does not think he draws well, BUT he made her a book....

 And, apparently, she really liked it :)

A Galaxy Over the Mountain

Stephen had an overnight trip to Baltimore, so I drove my crazy self over to my Dad's lest I panic.  I took the three sweet munchkins with me....with their Star Wars costumes.  And they made sure that I remembered that Grandad and Grandmom had not seen them in their costumes yet, and remember, Mom, how we do that trick-or-treating thing where we knock on the doors in Grandad and Grandmom's house?

Yes, I remember.

But first other activities ensued....like scrabble with Grandmom.

Trying to "get" Grandad...

Getting "got" by Grandad....

Grandmom had the younger two "rake" her leaves and much merriment occurred.

Grandmom distracted Clyde from his shiny new goose-egg as he applied ice.

Eating out for Grandad's (late) birthday.  These two did a staring contest, but my camera just isn't quick enough!

Once Daddy was back in town and Sherry showed up, it was time for the residents of Tatooine and Naboo came to join us.

The way this works is this.  Grandad and Grandmom's house is laid out in a sort of circle.  The kids knock on a door, Grandmom lets them in gives them a treat, they knock on the next door, Sherry lets them in, gives them a treat, they knock on the next door....etc.  You get the picture.

Because you're always hopping, it's hard to get good pictures.  We always give Grandad the living room.  Whenever they knock on his door he always says, "We don't want any!"  Here they are trick or treating with Grandad....

and Sherry...

Grandmom was very innovative and dressed up like a mattress once by wearing a fitted sheet.  I know she dressed up as other things, but I didn't get to see her.  And she wouldn't let me take  a picture :(

Sherry and I had excellent access to the dress up bin, so we were constantly changing things up....

Stephen is from Jamaica, mon.  He did other creative things as well between each visit from the kids.  (Oh yeah, they make multiple circuits around the house. 

The kids going through their goodies and figuring out how to use some from their tutor....

The kids don't plan on outgrowing this anytime soon.