Please hold....

Due to a broken laptop, no pics will be posted until I take it to get fixed.  I promise I'll finish Christmas as soon as I have a chance!!!!

Christmas Eve 2013

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas this year!!!  We knew it would be crazy with our running from house to house and all the kids...but it was actually fairly calm and wonderful!!!! 

Christmas Eve was at my parents' house as always.  Vern wasn't there this year (Boo...We missed you Verno) and the Blandfords were not in town to stop over...we missed their annual stopping in for champagne and gifts.  But it was Leigh's 1st Christmas and Libby's 1st Christmas when she was "involved"...so it was a really special Christmas for us!  This year, we opened up gifts all day.  It was great...open a gift, play, eat, and drink...open a gift, play eat drink...repeat!  And since every gift we give in my family has a story, it left plenty of time for stories!  And of course, there is our amazing crab leg dinner!  Yumm-o!  Here are some highlights of the year.  The theme of this year was definitely "Everton"...as you will see.

 

The girls with their daddy...melt. my. heart.

 

 

Leigh's 1st Christmas!

Nothing says Christmas like Uncle Joe taking a breathalizer.  It was Rob's man gift this year...and just like a kid, they couldn't wait to open up their gifts and play with them!

Abigail went from her Hello Kitty robe to skulls (Monster High)! 

All Caitlin wanted was a boy twin doll to match her girl doll..and a double stroller.  Grandma and Grandpa came through with her boy twin...this was one happy girl!!!!  His name is...Daddy.

Libby's Klip Klop stable.  She loves it..as do all people ages 1-81 who visit our house.  Big hit!!!

Grandpa with his gifts from Santa's Workshop.  This year, Abigail and Caitlin shopped at Santa's Workshop at school.  Abigail did it all by herself so I had no clue what she bought.  She stuck with an ornament theme...it was so sweet!!!  And Caitlin got grandpa socks with "toes" which were bought in the ladies section!  It was great!!!  Grandpa even wore them when we went to the zoo later!  ;)  Uncle Vern got BOD body spray which he MUST wear on his wedding day!!!!  I LOVE Santa Workshop gifts!!!!  Best $40 ever spent!

Have yourself a very Everton Christmas.  The boys decided they are die-hard Everton (soccer team out of Liverpool) fans...so there were Everton jerseys, scarves, and koozies!

 

And as I say every year, so sorry for those who didn't make pictures!!!  Apparently the boys and kids get lots of pictures...and the girls who, let's face it, do 98% of the work for Christmas don't make any pictures.  They were probably busy working!!!!

Abigail is 6!!!

This post should be called "Worst Mom EVER"...because some how I have NO pictures of Abigail's birthday.  I can not believe it!  Epic Mom Fail which will never happen again...next year it's gonna be an overload of pictures!  Guess what...I'm not the worst mom ever!  I did take pictures!  I thought it did.  I just can't find them anywhere on my computer.  But thankfully I posted a few on facebook so I have those.  That being said, by December 22nd, I was a disaster.  Too much going on at the same time!  But I am happy to say that we did a lot of cleaning, organizing, and resting over our Christmas break and I'm going back a new, normal person!!!!  Sorry Abigail!!!!

Poor Miss Abigail had a really rough birthday.  It started off pretty good!  She celebrated at school before the break.  It was a super busy day in her classroom, so I feel bad we squeezed it in..but I think she was happy!  We made rice krispie treats with sprinkles for her all her friends...and a gift bag for the kids to take home.  Rob was hoping to surprise her at school and show up, but he got stuck at work.  I was able to sneak out of my classroom and go down for the celebration.  In her class, they do a parade around the classroom to a birthday song!  Here was Abigail leading the parade!

 

The next day of school was a short day where the kids played Bingo all day (do you remember that as a kid?  Playing Bingo over the intercom and going to the office to pick a prize if you win...it's the BEST!!!!!).  After school, the fun began!  We met Aunt Julie and she took Abigail and Caitlin to her house to have a birthday party with Lucy and Leigh.  Abigail has a GREAT time!  They made a cake, they opened presents, they played with their cousins...what else could you ask for????

 

The next morning, Rob, Libby, and I headed down and we headed to the Aquarium with Jules, Joe, and the girls.  Going to the aquarium was all Abigail wanted for her birthday!  She talked and talked and talked about it!  The first hour was GREAT there, it wasn't crowded and the kids were having so much fun.  We stopped for a snack before the dolphin show, and Abigial didn't want to eat anything, which is odd.  The next thing you know, she's crying because she doesn't feel good.  We pretty much rushed home because she was burning up. The poor thing cried or slept the whole ride home.  By the time we got home, she had 104 fever..and it stayed that way for the next 2 days.  So she never go to really enjoy the aquarium.  Don't worry...we will be going back to make up for the short day.

 

The next day was her actual birthday, but the poor thing was still really sick.  The grandparents came over for cake and presents, but you could tell she wasn't feeling good and was trying to put on a brave face for us.  After presents, we had cupcakes (Frozen, she was so excited) and she started crying that she didn't want  a cupcake and just wanted to go to bed.  That's when you know a kid is really sick.

 

Long story short...well, actually Long story LONG....she was sick the following day, but was healthy by Christmas Eve, which she was really happy about!

 

She got some great gifts..including her Rainbow Loom which she wanted to make bracelets, and her Lego house which to this day she claims was the best present she ever got! 

 

She loved her Lego House

Frozen cupcakes for a sweet girl!

 

Happy Birthday, Abigail!!!!

 

Dear Abigail,

 

How is our little girl already 6???  That's the real deal...that's the "2 hand" birthday!!!!  This year has been a GREAT year for you.  You have become very independent...sometimes a little too independent, but sorry to burst your bubble, I'm still gonna stop in your classroom to say hi or sit by you in the cafeteria to eat lunch with you no matter how many times you roll your eyes!  :)  My birthday wish for you is that you will always be the kind, sensitive soul you are.  You will always worry about other people the way you do now.  You will always have that sparkle in your eye and that love in your heart.  That you will always enjoy life as much as you have this last year.  I am so proud of the little girl you have become.  You make us so proud.  You have a love for music...and a HATE for all things "sports"...we are gonna have to work on that a little.  You have real friends that you made all by yourself and have found your little place in the world at your school!  You are the sweetest big sister and very patient with your little sisters.  You are brave and adventurous...but also reserve and smart!  We love you so so much!!!   Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Happy Birthday, Abigail Grace!

 

Love, Mommy and Daddy

 

Christmas Concert

This year was our 1st year to be part of the St. John Christmas concert...and it did not disappoint.  The kids spent WEEKS preparing for the concert.  Caitlin's class was opening the show as elves.  Her AMAZING teacher helped make costumes for all the kids in the class!  She's a saint...or crazy!  And since I happen to know her well, I know she's crazy!!!

 

Caitlin did an AWESOME job!  She was front and center and not shy at all.  She was such a ham up there, dancing and singing her heart out!  Her teacher was really proud of Caitlin and all her classmates. Those 15 3 year olds rocked it like they were professionals.  I think they were just happy they were done...that morning in school, a little boy in my class started crying, "I'm just so sick of this song...I don't want to sing it any more!"

 

After the preschoolers performed, it was time for the show, "On the Road to Bethelehem."  The students did an amazing job!  Different grades sang different songs throughout the concert.  Abigail's class sang "Away in the Manger."  I knew there was a girl in Abigail's class who is a great singer who would have the solo.  One day the music teacher came up to me and told me that she picked Abigail to sing the solo with the other girl.  I was a little surprised.  I actually didn't know she could sing.  The teacher was really impressed..and I was so impressed that Abigail was excited! 

 

I never heard her sing before the concert.  Even though we had many dress rehearsals, my class left after our performance, so the actual night of the concert was her first time.  I wasn't sure how she'd do in front of 800 adults, but she rocked it!!!  She did great! 

 

She really loves singing and is begging us to let her take piano lessons, so it looks like this little concert may have inspired our little musician!!!

 

And a special thanks to my principal for getting enough tickets so all the grandparents could come to the show in addition to Rob.  It really helps to know people!  :) 

 

And now, for what you've read through all that for...pictures!

The girls with Libby before we left.  We left Libby at home with a sitter..which was a GREAT idea!  The poor mom sitting next to Rob missed the whole show with a crying baby!

The cutest little elves on stage!!!!!  I love these guys!!!

Ou little elf!!!  She really did such a great job, you almost forget she's only 4 years old!

The angels on stage.  Abigail is 2nd from the right...that's wher the microphone is.

Abigail's kindergarten class.  They are the sweetest kids!

Abigail rocking her solo.  Although, I don't remember it..and got laughed at for crying during her singing..but she was awesome!  And a side note, to Abigail's right is a little boy who you can't see...but he was in a full tux.  It was AWESOME!  I was talking to the mom a few days later and telling her how much I loved the tux...she said he wore it to a wedding and really really wanted to look good for the show so he insisted on it!  It.  Was.  Awesome!

 

I'm so proud of my little angel and my little elf!

Cutting Down our Christmas Tree

 Thanksgiving weekend, we decided to cut down our Christmas tree.  It happened to be a really warm weekend so it seemed like a good day to try it.  We had so much fun.  We found this great little farm near our house.  Basically, you take 5 Wennerstroms, add a saw, and bam...a Christmas tree!

Here are a few pics from our family outing:

 

 

I guess we could have found someone to take our picture...but you can imagine I'm in the picture!

Heading out to the tree farm.

Caitlin REALLY REALLY wanted this tree!!!!!

Imagine lights shining on the tree and angels singing...we found our tree!

Daddy hard at work.  But let's face it, Mommy did a better job with the saw!

Success!!!!  We have our tree!  Now, who's gonna carry it back????  Hmmm..should have thought of that.

 

It was a fun family outing...although Rob said it was his first and last time cutting down his own tree.  We'll see...maybe cutting down a tree is like childbirth and you forget about the "pain" and want to do it all over again next year!  :)

Kramie

I have been needing to blog about Kramer...but it's been hard to think of what to say.

 

We unexpectantly had to put Kramer to sleep a few weeks ago.  He was young, only 8 1/2 years old.  He was really healthy...but the day after Thanksgiving we got a call from Bob (Kramer was staying with Nana and Papa) that he had a stroke.  It ended up not being a stroke (or so they thought) and he spent the whole weekend at the vet having tests done.  Basically, they thought it was a liver issue so we put him on special food and medicine for his liver.

 

Long story short, the following Friday night, Rob woke up and he was having another stroke.  However, this time, apparently he had a blood clot in his brain.  So he couldn't pick his head up.  It was honestly one of the hardest mornings of our lives.  So in the end, the vet said he would need to be put down because of the clot in his brain.  He would never have been able to stand up again.

 

We didn't let the kids seem him at the end or say goodbye because it was really hard to see him at the end and we didn't want the girls to see him.  Rob took Kramer and was with him at the end.  He had his favorite red bed and his favorite skunk with him...we knew those made him happy.

 

I had no clue how hard it was to lose a pet.  I had lost our dog, but by the time my parents lost Schatzee, I was living on my own.  So this is my first experience losing a pet.  I thought I'd be sad, but no clue how sad I'd be.  It really has been one of the hardest things I've experienced. I thought, "It's a dog...I'll be sad, but I'll be fine."  But weeks later, I still haven't gotten through a day without tears.  It's crazy how much a part of our life Kramer was.

 

Rob and I got him about a year after we got married.  His bday was 1 year and 10 days after our anniversary.  I saw him in a pet store and fell in love.  Rob didn't tell me, but he went to the pet store and talked to the owner...and then came home and said we could get him.  We went to pick him up and were going to name him Mizuno (the running shoe we both wore)...but when we got there, he had crazy hair and we both said "Kramer!"  The pet store told us we didn't want him because he had an overbite...it was one of our favorite parts of him!!!

 

For the first few years we had Kramer, he was our baby.  He was the most spoiled dog that lived.  He went to doggy day care 2 days a week where I literally could watch him playing with his "friends' while I was at work.  And the days he wasn't there, he had a pet walker.

 

He was the center of our Xmas card. He had a better wardrobe than me (life jacket, letterman jacket, Christmas sweater that lights up, Halloween costumes, boots, etc).  We went a little crazy!  We would take him to doggy classes (which he failed out of twice :) ) and as soon as we'd get home, he'd get his bath.

 

Obviously, when kids came along, he became our "dog".  Less walks, less clothes, less attention.  However, he was still the BEST dog for our family.  He was so gentle with the kids.  They would pull at him, grab him, hit him...and he never got mad.  He loved going to the cabin with Nana and Papa...and was definitely Papa's buddy, especially after they lost Pasta.

 

There are so many things I miss about Kramer.  I miss him sleeping in the nook of my legs.  I miss coming home and him running to the top of the stairs to see me.  I miss taking him for walks.  And my floors miss him...because there is food all over our floors now..I never realized how much he ate off the floor!  :)  I miss how he made his way into EVERY picture we took..he is the original photo bomber!

 

Of course, Kramer was a pain in the butt!  He ate food off our tables.  He peed in our carpet.  He ate out of the garbage can..and baby diapers.  He barked at the neighbors dogs every day for the 6 years he lived here.  But, he was our pain in the butt and we sure miss him.

 

The girls have a LOT of questions and we've done our best to answer them.  They know he's in heaven with great grandma and he's happy there because he's not in pain.  The saddest question was when Caitlin asked me who was going to clip his nails in heaven...those are the times I get sad.  And he has Christmas presents under the tree already (we actually bought him gifts early this year...and Abigail bought him gifts at Secret Santa too) which will be really sad.  Abigail wants to send them to heaven...not sure how that's going to happen but we'll figure out a way.

 

Kramie....we sure miss you!  You were not a GREAT dog...but you were a GREAT dog for us!  :)  We hope you are chasing skunks up in heaven...that don't spray you back!  We hope you are running in circles to get your treats (when he wanted a treat, he would run in circles).  We hope you are going for long walks.  Thank you for being there for us for 9 years.  Thank you for watching over the girls, especially when we would bring a baby home from the hospital and you would sit at the foot of their crib and protect them.  Thank you for being a constant companion, especially when Rob was gone for the night and I never felt scared to be home alone because you were there with me..even though I knew if someone broke in, you'd probably just lick them!  You are irreplacable!  We love you...you will always be our family pet!!!!  We hope you hear the girls prayers, they pray for you every night!  We love you, Kramie!

 

 

 

The original photo bomber!

Such a good sport when the girls would play with you!

 

Kramie...our dog forever!!!!!!

 

Loudest Roar

 

At the girls' school, they get "roar" tickets for acts of kindness.  Then, each month they get to go "shopping" with their roar bucks.  The student in each class with the most roar bucks gets their name announced over the intercom and gets a special treat from the office!  Abigail had "the loudest" roar for her class this month!!! She was very excited...and we are very proud!!!  I have a feeling this won't be her last time with this honor!

 

 

 

And Caitlin wanted to share her letter from Santa.  Santa came to the girls' school and Caitlin sat in his lap for the first time ever!  Every child brought Santa a letter.  And then, the AMAZING Santa wrote a personal letter back to each kid in the class.  She was excited that Santa knew her sister's name was Libby and he knows just what she wants!  I will have to post their letters from Santa and pictures with Santa soon!!!!