The Christmas tree farm

During the first week of December we took the kids to a Christmas tree farm to find our family Christmas tree. When we arrived Caden was a hyper giggle monster (he had gotten a cookie at school that day), Téa was full of the usual attitude and Asher was his typical content and happy self. After about 15 minutes of running like little wild animals through the trees we finally stumbled upon the perfect tree. Daddy cut it down and we took it home and decorated it the next morning. This was the first year the kids really got into it which made it so much more fun.

Caden and Téa pondering which tree to pick.
Giggle monster Caden
Téa insisted on wearing her sunglasses.
An exact replica of how they were acting that day, giggles and attitude.
Daddy and the kids in front of our tree.
Ashy and Daddy.

Timber
Caden in front of a tree just like him, tall and skinny.
Téa in front of a tree just like her, short and skinny.
Asher in front of his tree, short and fat.
Asher and I

Daddy's little helpers


Decorating the tree the following morning.

Caden putting an ornament on the tree.

Christmas Goodies

I love to bake, especially around the holiday season. This year was the first year I was not alone in the process. I had 3 faithful sidekicks who helped make this year in the kitchen quite a memorable one. We started off by all putting on our aprons. The red and white striped one that Téa is wearing was worn by my mother when she was a little girl, by me when I was a little girl and now it is Téa's to wear. Caden got to wear a Trader Joes one, and since we didn't really have one for Asher we put a home depot one on him so he didn't feel left out. The kids had fun dumping the ingredients into the bowl and mixing everything together. After awhile Caden got bored and Asher went down for a nap but little Téa stuck right by my side. I gave her her own little bowl of flour to pretend to mix; bad mistake. I was busy putting cookies in the oven when the next thing I know Téa was laughing saying, " Look Mommy, snow". My little helper had managed to cover the entire counter, chair, floor and herself with flour. Note to self: little helpers should not be left unsupervised with baking ingredients. Oh well, she had a lot of fun and I had a little bit more of a mess than I had anticipated. All in all it was a success. The week before Christmas we also managed to decorate a gingerbread house. The kids had a blast putting candy on it, although I'm not sure if more candy went in their mouths or on the house. They were really proud of their work of art and had even more fun picking a piece or two off every night.

My cookie making assistant Caden
Asher, our Supervisor.

My faithful sidekick Téa
The mess is already beginning and we're just getting started.
Yes, we all put flour on our faces and they thought it was hilarious.
Caden helping

I caught her sneaking.

There's her little apron.
Mommy's little helper.


"Mommy look, snow"
Lovely
Cookie Monster

The little gingerbread houses we made together at Caden's school.


Now for the big one
Yay, we did it!

December 2010

December has been a very fun filled month for our family. With the holiday season finally here we've gotten to spend more time with friends and family and most importantly each other. The kids are as silly and crazy as usual. They are always finding new was to torture each other and make me laugh. If you want non-stop entertainment and noise, our house is the place to be. Over the Christmas break I tackled the task of potty training the older two. This is our 4th attempt with Caden and our 2nd with Téa. Caden has had issues in the past due to his sensory integration problem. Over the summer, the first time we tried with Téa, she was just a little too young. Anyways, I hit it hard and it paid off. We camped in the bathroom for 3 days. I brought puzzles, books, markers, flash cards, and even the TV in there. If they went on the potty they got a treat and a sticker for their sticker chart. To make matters more interesting, little Asher was cutting his 2nd tooth. Talk about a recipe for disaster. After being locked in the bathroom for over 8 hrs, at the end of Day 1 we had 12 success's and 4 accidents; not bad for a first day. Day 2 of potty training-17 success's and 5 accidents. In fact 4 of the 5 accidents happened before 9:00 in the morning. The kids managed to stay dry for almost the entire day. Yay!!!! On the 3rd day of potty training we had major success. After more than 11 hrs and 28 attempts we only had one accident. And we were able to venture out of the bathroom a little bit. Day 4 we had 1 accident and by day 5 both kids managed to make it to the potty on their own, and they had full roam of the house. No accidents!!!!!! Talk about a huge moment in our house, I feel like celebrating.

Precious baby boy




Téa riding the bike


Running down their favorite toy in the yard, the dirt pile.
To push or not to push that is the question.
King of the mountain
Daddy and Ashy at Uncle Cody's b-day
The cousins practicing their piano skills.
This picture speaks for itself
Ninja Princess
CHEESE!
What you looking at?

Happy baby!
Téa reading to Keelah
Caden sporting cousin Aleah's jacket.
Don't bother me, I'm reading.
Hair dresser in training.

Asher loves his food.Yummy!


Téa loves her accessories- headband, bunny clips, and bracelet.
Bad to the bone, na na na na na, ba ba ba ba bad


70's rock star?
Ashy loves his big brother

Mr. Blue eyes
Silly Caden
He loves teasing his sister