A Very Merry Christmas

We had a very nice Christmas in our house this year. On Christmas Eve we went to the candlelight service at this beautiful, HUGE church in Charlotte. It's not our regular church, but we've decided that it's the nicest candlelight, so we go there every year. Anyway, it was especially beautiful this year. This church has an organ with gigantic pipes, a full orchestra and a choir. Then, to top it off, they had a man leading the singing who sounded like Josh Groban and another man playing the bag pipes (I love love love the bag pipes. I keep begging Keith to learn to play the bag pipes but he refuses. He thinks you must wear a kilt at all times if you play the bag pipes and he won't do it...boo). The candlelight part of the service was really terrific too. There were a ton of people there, which translated into a lot of candles. After everyone lit their candle, they turned off the church lights and we sang Silent Night. It was wonderful, spectacular, beautiful, and glorious!

It was a lot of fun watching Nicholas enjoy the whole Christmas experience. He doesn't really understand about Santa but he did get that he would be getting presents under the Christmas tree. If you asked him what kinds of presents he wanted, he would always answer the same--trucks and trains. It was very cute! Of course, that was the majority of what he got from Santa. Lots of matchbox cars, a matchbox semi truck that hauls the cars (his favorite present) and Thomas trains and track.

Avery had a nice first Christmas. She didn't get much since she doesn't understand what is going on at all and there really isn't anything she needs. Santa did bring Avery a little baby doll, a pink glo worm, a few smocked outfits, an activity ball, The Velveteen Rabbit book, and her "My First Christmas" ornament for the tree. I think she was pleased!

Of course, most everything that Amanda and Alaina wanted was super expensive so it's always a challenge to find a good mix of presents for them that won't break the bank. I think their favorite presents were the Wii from Grandma Pat and the Wii Fit from Grandma B and Grandpa Ron. They have been playing with it almost non-stop since they opened it on Christmas Eve! They also each got an ihome, which they really like.

So, it was a very nice Christmas. I am glad that all of the stress and work involved in preparing for the holiday is over and that things will start to settle down a bit. I think we'll take our tree down tomorrow (trash day is Monday) and get our house put back together. We're cramped for space as it is, so throwing a large tree into the mix is a challenge! On Wednesday evening my mom is flying in for the long weekend. A visit from mom and grandma will be the perfect topper to our holidays and a great way to kick off the new year!

We have been so blessed this year and have so much to be thankful to the Lord for providing for us. My life is covered in the fingerprints of God! I pray that the coming year will be filled with as much or more love, joy, peace and happiness in our family and in yours!

No Fair Weather Fans Here!

Michigan's football season ended in a blaze of glory a few weeks ago with their much expected loss to Ohio State. This year's team set all sorts of records--most losses in a season ever, an end to the school's bowl appearance streak, most consecutive losses to Ohio State, and I know there are others... It was such a bad season that I was actually glad to see it end. That's something I didn't ever think I would ever say!

In spite of the debacle that was this season, we still love Michigan football in my house. Of course, like any true Michigan fan and parent, I'm trying my best to pass along my love for Michigan to my children. Amanda and Alaina have been able to sing "Hail to the Victors" for a long time. The girls even taught all of the neighbor kids the Michigan fight song and then, for Keith's football Saturday enjoyment, they all made up a "Boo to Ohio State" song that followed the beat of Michigan's fight song. It was very funny! When I drove through Ann Arbor in October, I taught Nicholas to say "go blue." All of my children are also well equiped with Michigan paraphernalia (they have to have something to wear on game day!). Here are some pictures of my little ones proudly supporting Michigan as they play Ohio State.

Oh, Christmas Tree

On Saturday we made our annual family trek into the mountains of North Carolina to pick out our christmas tree. We make this trip every year, yet, somehow, every year we end up getting lost on our way to the tree place. And, every year, we end up going to a different tree place because we can't find the one we went to the year before! As I think back on it now, I can laugh about the whole experience. However, at the time, I wasn't laughing at all. When you're traveling with 4 kids+1 friend and two of those kids are babies, there is a finite amount of time that everyone can be confined in a vehicle and maintain their sanity. Needless to say, by the time we arrived at Grandfather's Christmas Tree Farm, I was already mostly over the experience.

Grandfather's tree farm made up for the drive by being a really neat place! They had an inside barn-type place with a few horses and a little hot cider/cocoa stand. We got to take a hayride up the side of the mountain to where we could choose a tree. It was cold and overcast but the upside of that was that it was snowing (a tiny bit) and the kids all thought that was so cool! We chose our tree and some guys with a chainsaw came and cut it down for us (we're not the Griswalds!), and then Santa drove it down to the where our car was parked. Instead of taking the hayride back down the mountain, the kids decided to run. We ended up having a really fun time! I made Keith save the location of this tree place in our navigation system, so hopefully next year our christmas tree search will start off on a better foot!

What A Difference 4 Months Makes!

It's hard to believe, but last Friday Avery turned 4 months old. I commemorated the occassion by taking some pictures in the morning after her bath. I dressed her up in this adorable smocked outfit I bought on Thursday at a dress sale I went to with a friend from church (we had so much fun--she has a little girl 15 days younger than Avery). I love smocked outfits/dresses and hair bows!!!

Later that day, we went for Avery's four month well-baby visit. I am happy to report that she is doing great! She weighed in at 12 lbs. 14 oz. (25th percentile)--she's almost doubled her birth weight. Since she was born, Avery has gained 6 lbs. 2 oz. and grown 5 1/4 inches taller. I went through some of her newborn pictures when I got home. She already looks so different! It just amazes me what a difference four months can make. Four months is no time at all! Avery now smiles, laughs, coos, blows bubbles, rolls from her belly to her back, reaches and grabs objects and follows people/things with her eyes. Of course, her favorite activities are still eating and sleeping. I know I always go on and on (and on) about how fast the time is flying by and how much the kids are growing, so I won't go into it again...but know that I'm still thinking it...each and every day! Here are some then and now pictures of my precious 4 month old baby girl.

August 4, 2008

August 5, 2008

December 5, 2008

Taggie Blanket

For those who aren't up on all of the current baby trends, a taggie blanket is a small blanket with ribbons around the edge. The idea is to create several different textures for the baby to grab and feel (it comes from the love that many children have of rubbing the silky tag on a typical blanket). So, of course, I decided that Avery needed to have her own special taggie blanket. I also decided that I was going to make her this special blanket. You know...made with love, from mom. I figured it couldn't possibly be that hard. Even though I'm not nearly as crafty as I'd like to be (or as I sometimes think I am), I felt like I could definitely handle sewing a square.

A few months ago, Amanda and I headed to the fabric store and spent a long time choosing the perfect fabrics and ribbons. We had fun (and Amanda got all excited looking at all of the different fabrics and thinking about some things she could make...it was really cute!). I got home, cut the fabric and ribbons, pinned it all together and started up the sewing machine. That is where my troubles began. Apparently, the minky fabric we chose is strechy. By the time I got to the end of one side of the blanket, the minky fabric was way longer than the silky fabric. It was a mess! I tried to figure out a way to keep it from stretching but nothing worked. I finally got so frustrated (and Nicholas and Avery woke up from naps) that I had to just set it aside and take a break. Several weeks later, I was finally able to finish her blanket after approaching it with a fresh attitude (and some helpful suggestions from my crafty neighbor and mom). I still want to embroider her name on it, but that will have to wait for another day.

So, Avery has a taggie blanket now. It is far from perfect, but I think it turned out pretty well! And it was made with love by mom...

Family Pictures

I love pictures. I take pictures of the kids almost everyday so that I can capture as many moments as possible and have them to look back on. They are all growing so fast! I also try to get everyone together at least once a year for professional pictures of the family and the kids. This has obviously become increasingly difficult since the arrival of Nicholas and now Avery. Yet, each time I arrange to have our pictures taken, before we go, I imagine how it will play out. I think about the poses I want and I think about all of my darling children peacefully sitting in their assigned position and smiling when the photographer says "say cheese." I think about all of the fabulous pictures I'll have to share with family and friends. Yeah... much like my plan for the cider mill, our trip to the portrait studio didn't work out like I'd envisioned.

A few weeks ago I decided I wanted to get pictures of the four kids and a few baby pictures of Avery. I planned our appointment so that everyone should have been rested and happy and ready to cooperate. Of course, things didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped. Nicholas only wanted to run around the studio and play with all of the props and Avery only wanted to cry. The poor photographer would position the girls, and then Nicholas, but by the time we'd get Avery situated, Nicholas would move. While we were repositioning Nicholas, Avery would start crying again. It was a disaster! By the time we left, I was so dissappointed and about ready to be committed! However, despite our issues we got a few decent pictures. Nothing super great like I'd hoped for, but good enough for now, I suppose. Here they are (the color in these pictures is a little off because I had to scan them in--the color in the actual pictures is much better).

Since I didn't get the individual pictures of Avery that I wanted for her baby book, I decided that I'd try again, but this time, just with Avery. I left Nicholas home with Daddy and Avery and I ventured off to a different portrait studio (I won't go back to the place where I had the first pictures taken) this past Wednesday. This experience was much better and we got some really good pictures (despite Avery's best efforts--she tried her best to be fussy and give me a hard time). Our photographer was great. The down side of this studio is that they only sell their pictures in packages and if you don't want one of their packages, you have to buy individual sheets and they are crazy expensive!!! The cost factor is definitely an issue for us because we have so much family that we always need to order a ton of pictures. Oh well. I'm done with professional pictures for now and will worry about where to have them taken again in another 6 months or so. Until then, I'm not thinking about it! This studio does post their pictures online at http://www.holdmymemories.com/ The username is allencly and the password is avery. If you double click on the picture after you login, it will bring up the gallery for viewing.

Our family trip to Michigan

Keith's employeer, Guardian Industries, is headquartered in Auburn Hills, MI. Conveniently enough, Auburn Hills is about 10 minutes from where my mom lives, so I was super excited when Keith announced that Guardian was sending him to the corporate office in October for a conference. Family roadtrip! So, just before Halloween, we loaded up the minivan and headed to Michigan for a long weekend to visit with family and friends. It was really special because, in addition to seeing our Michigan family, my closest cousin Andrew, who lives in Colorado, arranged for his family to be in Michigan that same weekend. I haven't seen Andrew since Nicholas' baby shower in April 2006 and I haven't seen Andrew's family since October 2005--just a few weeks after his first son was born. Now, Andrew's first son John is 3 and they have a new addition to the family, Matthew, who arrived on August 7, 2008--just 2 days after Avery! It was so fun to get the kids together. John and Nicholas played with (and fought over) their trains and ran around the house being wild and crazy little boys. Grandma took them outside to feed the neighbor's bunny and to play at the playground. They had a lot of fun!

We also went to the cider mill. The cider mill is one of my very favorite fall traditions and I was so excited to take Nicholas. I had the whole trip planned out perfectly in my mind. It would be a beautiful, crisp fall day in Michigan. I would let the kids nap for a few hours and then we'd head out sometime in the early afternoon. Everyone would be happy! We'd get there and take Nicholas to see some of the animals, and then we'd take the hayride to the pumpkin patch where I'd take some pictures of the kids among all of the pumpkins. After choosing the perfect pumpkin, we'd head back for some cider and warm donuts. Sounds great, right!?! Well, Michigan had other plans. It was freezing cold and rained all. day. long. No joke. All day. Even though the weather only called for showers in the evening. So, our trip to the cider mill was spent inside the cider mill store. We did have cider and warm donuts, and Keith picked out a big bag of honey crisp apples (he's really been on a apple kick lately) to bring home. It was nice...just not what I had envisioned. Oh well. Next time, I suppose. We did get some good cider mill pictures.

I also had the opportunity to visit with two of my closest friends while we were there. My friend Ann is currently pregnant (and due any day now!) with her first child. I finally got to see Ann's house, which is absolutely beautiful. I want to live in Ann's house (or she could come and decorate my house...either way)! Ann is truly gifted when it comes to decorating and being crafty. I'm jealous :) Then, there is my friend Amy. Amy just had her first baby 9 days after Avery's birthday. Sean was born on August 14, 2008. It was fun to be pregnancy buddies with Amy and it was even more fun to visit with her and meet Sean. He is so super cute with the best cheeks ever! Sean was kind enough to pose with Avery for a few quick pics. Here is one of my favorites. I just love the look on his face! It's like he's looking at his mom saying "ugh, mom...do you know this crazy lady is in our house taking my picture. It might end up on the web or something...don't say I didn't warn you."

While we were there, we also had a family tailgate and watched U of M lose another football game, Amanda and Alaina went shopping with grandma, and we had a bonfire in the backyard. It was a busy few days. We all had a really nice time and are looking forward to our next trip to grandma's house! Here are a few more random pictures from our visit.

A new favorite recipe

While I was pregnant I spent a lot of time on The Nest. The Nest is a website with all sorts of information about families and pregnancy, and it has some message boards that became all to addictive for me! Well, my group of "nesties" (as in the people who moved through each trimester and are now on the 0-6 months board with me) created a nestie potlock, and it has some really great recipes. I'm always looking for new recipes, so you can imagine my excitement over this find! One of my favorites (and a family favorite) is the Sour Cream Chicken Casserole because it is quick, easy and delicious. I did make some modifications to the recipe as originally posted to make it a bit more healthy. Incorporating veggies is a must for me, especially with kids! So here it is. Enjoy!

Sour Cream Chicken Casserole

4-5 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cooked and cut into bit size pieces)
1 8oz. container of light sour cream
1 can of cream of chicken soup
4-5 cups cooked, cut broccoli
1.5 tubes of reduced fat ritz crackers
1-1.5 stickes butter

Mix chicken, sour cream, and cream of chicken soup in mixing bowl. Stir until chicken is coated. Spread broccoli on the bottom of an 11x7 (or 9x13) baking dish and then spread chicken mixture over the broccoli. In a separate mixing bowl, crush the crackers (I just squeeze them to crush) and then stir in melted butter (I use 1 stick of butter to cut down on fat/calories and it works just fine but, obviously, 1.5 sticks makes the crackers brown better and ultimately tastes better...your call!). Spread the cracker mixture over the chicken. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until crackers are golden brown (but they won't get as golden if you opt for less butter).

****A special message for anyone in communication with my darling Amanda****
Please do not discuss or share any of the ingredients of this recipe (or any other recipe I share) with Amanda. She is so super picky and, as a result, Alaina and I have to conveniently omit some ingredients when she asks what is in things. It really is better for everyone that she remain blissfully unaware! Thanks in advance :)

Avery is 3 months old!

This past week, Avery celebrated her 3 month birthday. I just can't believe she is 3 months old already! She has grown so much and is already starting to do things. On Nov. 1, she rolled over (front to back) for the first time. She smiles and even laughs all the time. She has great neck control and can hold her head up really well, and she can put some weight on her feet. That means she is ready for the jump-a-roo and exersaucer! Though, we haven't gotten them out just yet...mommy isn't completely ready to admit that she is old enough, but we are going to do it very soon (like maybe within the next week).

While I'm excited to watch her grow and reach these milestones, I'm kind of sad that it is happening so fast. She is my last baby and I feel like she'll be all grown up before I know it. I really love this age. They are so cuddly and innocent. They don't want anything other than a clean diaper, milk and love. It doesn't get more simple than that! I love to just hold her and look at her and think about how I ever deserved to be blessed with such an amazing miracle. The Lord has been so good to me! As they get older, the snuggle time is so much more rare and I miss it so much. Amanda was never really a snuggler. She was too old for it by the time they moved here with us. Alaina, on the other hand, used to lay on the couch with me every night. Not so much anymore, though! Now she likes to hang out in her room and watch tv while she talks (or texts) with her friends. For the most part, Nicholas is already over snuggling. He's far to busy to sit still for any period of time. So, I have Avery...for now. Maybe I'll get lucky and she'll think snuggling with her mom is cool for a long time to come!