Her first time.

This was Chloe's first time unwrapping a present. She has gotten presents before just I never wrapped them or she was too little to unwrap them. We are those people that if the kid is too small they don't get many presents, but also we have 2 other girls there is not many things to buy. Anyway this was Chloe's first present unwrapping at 18 months and she did great!!!

Jesus had a party and we got presents.

So Cindy always does Jesus birthday this year we did it on Christmas Eve. We had a hay ride, I forgot my camera. It was cold look very much like the Thanksgiving one except for the birth of Jesus reenactments in the new part of the chicken coop. Can you picture it? Ashley was a Shepard, Isreal was a star, Emily was Mary, Chloe was baby Jesus. For the record she would not lay in the Hay. Since there are now so many kids Jesus birthday has gone a little off course. The kids still have fun and get to see that it is about more then presents. But let me clarify there still is presents. Lots of fun, lots of food, candy.

Ohh, Nana.

Well lets say the kids gave up on cleaning and Nana took one for the "team." She let the kids give her a "make over" while I finished up cleaning. Also during this time Michael was building the girls trampoline from Nana and the kids were dying to know what Michael was "working" on. So this is Nana's make over Emily even tried to put make up on Nana's teeth, yum. The day after Nana left Grandma came over and asked Emily what was the best part on Nana being here Emily replied "all of it, Grandma."

I left with child labor

Here is my sweet Chloe "helping" sweep. Penny the cleaning lady that I have come randomly when I can afford it got a JOB. No I know a real job. She could clean the house but it would not be tell after 4pm. Umm 3 small kids so not going to work. I was so sad that I had to clean my own house, yuck. I would rather do anything besides clean and mop. So I put everyone to work helping clean up the house for Christmas day. Michael was a dear and swept and mopped the wood floors. We hate them they are very pretty when they are clean but hard to look good. I won't talk much about cleaning but "team work." Thank you, mom, Emily, Ashley, Chloe and Michael for helping. Really it is all about cute pictures.

The holly land of Zappos Outlet.

Okay so we got so many deals. It was great check out my Facebook page when you have time to see the prices. We (well my mom) our Christmas gifts spent about $250 and saved about $790. It was amazing. The girls did pretty good on the trip up. Chloe fell asleep. When we got there it was crazy busy. It was a 70% off everything day. The week of Christmas I know did not think it out well. Any way, the way home was not so great. Chloe was not happy and Emily was well Emily. Ashley got a GOLD star and $1 when we got home for being so good. Lets just say she used up all her goodness in that one day...

We will go again and make a overnight trip about it. There is a cheesey looking Dino world there and Kentucky down under a Zoo. About 40 mins before, there is also Abraham's birth place. As well as mammoth caves, witch if it had not been so cold, 32 degrees all day I would have stopped some place. Also Louisville is about 30 mins north of Zappos too. We will go again. In the spring. When it is warmer.

My mom and I love a good adventure. Can't wait to go again.

And a few more of SNOW!

All I can say is Cotton candy solves all problems when you are freezing cold!!! Lots of fun the cotton candy that is.

SNOW!! and ICE!!

SNOW and ICE were big let downs I was not impressed with it. It was fun to hang out with the family. My mom, my aunt Tricia, my cousin Jamie, her husband Jeremy, their daughter Hailey, Michael, Me, Emily, Ashley and Chloe. Michael and Jeremy are both always working so it was all of together which was nice. Ice was super cold, 9 degrees. Lots of clothes Chloe was not into it Hailey seemed to really like it. We were all Popsicles when we were done but then it was time to go to the snow!! The snow was hard packed ice! There were some live reindeer but it had snowed that morning so it was really cold. The reindeer did not move or stand up. We went and had lunch or dinner or lunner at Cracker Barrel that was the best part. Chloe likes fried Okra!! She is a country girl I guess. Thank you to Nana and Aunt Tricia for making the day possible. We were together and that is all the matters.

But in case you were thinking of going DON'T in my opinion!!

Double checking my self

Two things to double check on the fact of recapping Nana got in twice sorry. I still have mommy brain and have not been prego for a while and no I am not again.
Second thing I forgot to mention Emily's Christmas party!!! I am sharing room mom responsibilities with another mommy. I did the Christmas party because it was the other mommy's birthday that day!! The kids had lots of fun. Mrs. Pantall the teacher had the idea of decorating gingerbread houses. I thought ohh my she is crazy but worked out nicely "controlled chaos." We played Bingo and had snacks besides candy.

Can I say this week of school was non-existent. Monday no school, Tuesday late start, Wednesday early dismissal, Thursday was the only whole day and Friday I took Emily home with me because wait for it ... we picked up Nana. I am really receptive I know.

Any way here our a few pictures from the party. It was lots of fun.

It's been so long...

It has been so long, my blogger account is asking for my password. It has been a busy visit with Nana and Christmas and about to get busy again with birthdays and New Years. Then hallelujah school starts again!!! Ashley told me she was ready to go to preschool again I said I was ready for her to go to preschool again too. Yikes.

So Nana came in Friday afternoon I am not going to remember it all or write about it all but I will do some highlight reels.

Saturday we did Santa's breakfast at Ashley's preschool, which is also a church. She loves it there it is small and nice and I enjoy the teachers and the school time as much as she does.

Chloe did not sit on Santa's lap this time torturing the screaming baby and Santa only one time a season. Can I say this Santa was awesome!!!

Christmas Eve

Its Christmas Eve I have a few more presents to wrap. Michael has lots of things to put together tonight. A book shelf, drums ( I know I am crazy), table and Chairs and will see what else develops. Michael put the trampoline together yesterday it was 30 degrees. I helped a bit.

Merry Christmas.

A few days in...

My mom came Friday afternoon. We have been having a great time, this is why I have not blogged. I have not had much to say and much motivation to post the pictures of events we have done. I will get a little out of order here but oh well.
Today we had a jammie party with some of the girls friends at our house. It was lots of fun minus the screaming Chloe through a lot of it. Then we went and had lunch. In regular daytime clothes as Emily would call them.

Chloe had a doctors appointment in Cool Springs, so I dropped Nana and the girls off at the Movie theater to see Yogi Bear. My kids don't even know who Yogi Bear is... Well they do now. They loved it my mom said it was stupid. Who would have thought???

Any way so my main reason for blogging tonight is food dinner. You know my favorite topic. Why is it when you have three kids they all can't like the same food for dinner? Tonight we made pizza Emily thinks pizza is "okay" she is not a fan of a lot of cheese. Ashley not so much, and Chloe loved it. Chloe does not like burritos and let me say that is a main stay in our meal plan. I have to make her different. What am I a short order cook? Really I guess it is all in presentation. For Chloe at least. I can not present pizza another way!! So it is always some sort of a battle. Some one always goes to bed hungry. Even tonight they loved making the pizza, creating it just not eating it.

Okay so tomorrow we are off to the Zappos outlet, in KY. It is almost 3 hours away but I hear it is worth it and everything is 70% off!!

A quick word from our sponsor (the parents.)

I love Santa. But what I don't love is the push for Santa. Be good for Santa! Um yeah what about be good for dad and mom all year long. I hate hanging Santa over my kids heads. For one thing we are not big on Santa around here. Stockings a filled to the brim and that is what Santa brings. Everything else comes from us!! I am greedy and I want the credit for the good gifts is that wrong I don't think so. Why do I want to make a big push for something that ultimately my kids will find out we were lying to them. I answer questions about Santa. But I do not go out of my way to talk about Santa. When one of the girls starts talking a lot about Santa I change the subject and say "lets talk about Jesus. That is the real reason for Christmas." I love the presents my kids get to many but I don't like the big push for Santa. The Elf on the shelf is a cute idea but sounds like a lot of work to me.

So this weekend we will go see Santa again!! I am not against it in fact I am for it. Scaring Chloe with a man in a big red suit and a white beard sounds good to me. I don't want the kids to "miss out," ever. I just don't want to make a big deal, threaten my kids with Santa for 6 months out of the year. I am not judging anyone who does I am pretty sure I was raised that way too. A couple of years ago my dad got on the roof on Christmas eve to stomp around to play into the Santa thing for my 12 year old step brother and my 6 year old half brother. Give it a rest.

Enjoy this season I know we will. Will do all the fun stuff too. But tell kids you see to be good to for their parents not for some fat guy!!

Christmas Party

Tis' the season for parties. Here are a few pictures I snapped of Ashley Christmas party. Emily has hers on Friday. Ashley's class did a little book exchange and she got some goodies from her teachers. Ashley also got her teachers a gift she was so excited to give them there gifts.