The Rice Christmas - part 1

There is nothing like Christmas with your kids.

Christmas Eve we made our monkey bread for Christmas morning breakfast, decided to drive around and look at Christmas lights, and go to the candlelight Christmas eve service at church (which was most unproductive for 3/5 of our family ;)

Jaedon decided he wanted write a note and leave some cookies for Santa. He also wanted to make reindeer food again this year and leave it in a bowl for them so that they wouldn't make a mess. Our reindeer food recipe was: oatmeal, mixed nuts and marshmallow. Jaedon was concerned the Rudolf wouldn't like the marshmallows but I told him if he didn't that he would just politely push them to the side of his bowl. (which is what we tell him to do when he doesn't like something on his plate ;) Much to his delight the next morning he discovered Santa cookies and the reindeer food was gone. Santa even left him a return note saying that the marshmallows were a hit with the deer ;) We camped out under the tree (until Jaedon spiked a fever in the middle of the night)- and Christmas morning was so enjoyable. The boys got some Star Wars shirts which they had to model right away (and have wanted to wear every day since ;) My favorite was that every day we were at my folks (5 days before Christmas) Jaedon would take me aside, ask me to bend low so he could whisper in my ear and ask "Mama, can I please oh please oh please open a present today?!!?" ;) He was ELATED when I said "yes" on Christmas!

Rice Christmas part 2

What do you call 7 young children, 6 adults, 3 pack n plays, 2 airmattresses, several Wii hours and about a gazillion germs?

Christmas with the Rices.

As fun as Christmas is with my 3- it was multiplied (literally) with the the added niece and 3 nephews. What fun we had.

The Howells Christmas

Fun with the Francis'

O Christmas Tree

I have so enjoyed December this year. It sometimes seems like all month you run around to do things to be enjoyed on Dec. 25 only. I've tried to be very intentional this year about enjoying each day instead of expecting Christmas day itself to be "IT". We have had so much fun playing together as a family lately- just dancing to Bing while unloading the dishwasher, singing songs around the piano (it's fun that they actually KNOW some carols this year!), reading LOTS of Christmas stories (Jaedon was NOT a fan of the ghost of Christmas-yet-to-come! ;), sipping some coffee with my hubby and chatting about our day, wrapping gifts with Jaedon (and being okay when they don't look "just right")- I have found lots of joy in my family lately. They are my most precious gift - I am so very blessed and thankful. I hope you, too, are finding daily joy that will continue long after December 25!

10, 9, 8...

Houston...we have a problem...

Owen thinks belly time is SOooo 2 weeks ago. He's discovered that if he grunts enough, arches just right, shoves his feet and wiggles his arms- ignition!

He launched himself for the first time last week and is having great fun getting into everything he shouldn't be. He gives a whole new meaning to 'Readers Digest' when he actually trys digesting the newspaper (or his brothers playing cards, or Daddy's wallet, or Christmas cards that I loving (didn't) tend to, or...)

He's just so yummy....

Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum

Okay- so maybe I'm pushing legality on this but hey- I paid for the pics...I'm just scanning them!;)

PS- Owen is the one with the tongue and Seth is the bottom pic.

Jaedon's note:

Translation and commentary: Dear Santa I want a lightsaber("one that glows") but not a real one and a gun but not a real one! ("can I put an exclaimation mark?")To ("I just meant From but I think he'll know that") Jaedon.

Christmas outfits part 1

Sh...

So we've had a first at our house yesterday.

Jaedon swore.

Not intentionally- but still surprised the hey out of me! It's nice to have Brad work at the same school because today I learned "the rest of the story" as it were.

We were in the bathroom finishing up bathtime and Jaedon was quietly making "sh" "shh" sound then blurts out "Is 'sh*t a bad word?"

WHA?

Surprisingly enough I replyed very nonchalantly and said

"yeah- we don't use that word. Where did you hear it?"

"I made it up. What's it mean?"

"Well, it's just another word for poop- just potty talk that we don't need to use k?"

"Ok."

"Did someone at school say that word?"

"No. I made it up. "

"Hmm. ok."

I totally didn't believe him and thought he was just not wanting to get a friend in trouble.

Today Brad calls and says that his K-teacher told him THE STORY.

Apparently, they were working with sounds and blended letters. The blended sound she gave Jaedon to work on was "sh". He put the "it" with it and ...voila!

He made it up.

Of course, the kids at his table who KNEW the word were VERY quick to make a HUGE deal of it which is what tipped Jaedon off to it's magically powers. ;)

And I need to apologize for not believing him!