Another "beautiful" tree

As is Jason's tradition the last couple of years he took the kids looking for a Christmas tree.  

 The trees are always hideous, and this years is not exception.  No matter how "beautiful" Jason says it is.  Jason was just really excited this year to get a really tall tree.  It is at least 9 feet tall.

 Dillon helped chop the tree down. 

 If you look close Truman is in the background laying on the ground "taking a nap".

 Here are the great tree hunters.

 The tree was so big that even with with our ladder it was difficult getting all the lights and the star on the top.

 This is Jason's awesome way of making sure the tree doesn't fall over this year.  He put a shower rod up behind the tree for tension, and then tied the tree on either side to the wall.  Yeah we are not white trash at all, don't worry.

 Decorating the tree is always stressful for me.  The kids just want to pull out all the ornaments and throw them on, and my OCD doesn't allow me to let them.  So they have to wait while I dig them all out and give them to them.

 Beckett was just interested in chewing on all of them, and making messes, and just being my little monster.

I always love how the ornaments only end up on the bottom 1/3 of the tree.

 This is the best picture with all four of them.  Beckett would not sit still, and don't ask what Elleree is doing, because I don't even think she knows.

This is the finished product after we put the kids to bed and distributed the ornaments evenly, and cleaned up the mess.  Every year our tree looks different, I do love that!

Thanksgiving 2011

 Ah yes Thanksgiving.  What else can I say besides my family is crazy! We were all together this year.  Everyone, Ivan had Paisley and Heath had Pierce. We had family pictures taken, but I haven't seen them yet.  Knowing our family they wont turn out very well.

 The kids played together really well.  They played games, watched movies and ran around.  Paisley dressed up Abby and Elleree.  Apparently she thinks Abby is an old homeless lady and Elleree is a fashionesta.

 My mom worked really hard and made a wonderful meal for all of us.  

She has had a really hard month.  Her horse died, Her dad died, their dog died, and one of her best friends son's died.  So making Thanksgiving dinner for us was not what she really wanted to be doing, but she did it anyway.

I didn't get very many pictures, and the ones I did get were actually taken by Jason.  Thanks honey!

There was pie, and this is a picture of my not very appetizing huckleberry pie.  It doesn't look very good, but it tasted good.  We had a lot to be thankful for!

Nothing Much

Not much has been happening around here.  Last weekend we got to go visit Jason's parents, and it was a good time.  We have not seen them in quite awhile.

 We watched some football, the kids played a tone of games.  Grandma Kay's house is the place for games of any kind.

I got to go and see my friend Katie and hang out with  her.  Seeing her was really nice.  I miss hanging out, going shopping and shooting the breeze with friends.

There was a few minutes of napping as well. Kristy came hung out too.  It's nice to visit family.

Since nothing has been going on, I have been  making things........

I made this scarf.  I know it's a great picture, I am a professional.

I am actually really proud of myself for this one, because I came up with the idea all by myself!  My boys have a ton of those medals that you get for participating in sports.  Football, basketball, soccer, wrestling you name it they have one for it.  They were driving me nuts.  They boys wanted to keep them, but there are too many to just have hanging around.  So...I took them off of their neck things, and made a mobile/wind chime.  It sounds really cool in the wind, and the boys think it rocks.  Bonus, I can just keep adding them when they get more, because they will.

I have made other things, but they are not yet finished. When they are I will show you.  Don't bite your nails too much in anticipation!

So, Beckett was born with this cyst thing right above his left eye. They are weird because they are actually formed in the womb as the cells are dividing.  Truman had one on his chest.  I asked his pediatrician about it at one of his check ups, and he said not to worry about it.  

Now, fast forward a few months.  I took Elleree to an ENT to have her ears looked at and the ENT was amazing!  She looked at Elleree and after telling me about her, she was watching Beckett crawl on the floor, and said "is that a blah, blah, blah cyst (I can never remember what kind it is) above his eye?". I told her it was, and she asked if I had had it looked at.  By this time she had Beckett in her arms and was examining him.  Now I never, never ask a doctor to look at another one of my kids that doesn't have an appointment.  I have gotten in trouble for that. Shoot I've gotten in trouble for having them look at more that one thing on the same person, and not makeing a separate appointment.  So I was very surprised she even noticed Beckett, little alone was willing to check him out.  Anyway... I told her that the pediatrition said not to worry about it.  She said, "I disagree, these have a tendency to grow bigger, and get infected,  (Which is what happened to Truman), and where this one is located if it did, it could block his vision."  She also informed me that if you don't get them taken out early, the bone starts to form around them.  Then if it does need to be taken out later, it would leave a big indentation (this also happened with Truman). Not as big of a deal on his chest, as it would be on your eyebrow. She said, that if we had met our deductable, there was no reason, at all, not to have it taken out.  Have we met our deductable? ahahahahhaahha. Silly doctor. 

So today the poor baby had it taken out.  The doc said it was the size of a marble.  There should be minimal scaring, if not nonexistent, and there was only a slight indent on the bone, which would probably fix its self as he grows.  He was so good after the operation, other kids were screaming and crying and he just hung out.  The nurses all thought he was an angel which he is!

Halloween 2011

I love Halloween.  I try to have as much fun as possible.  Last year was not so great, so I was determined to make up for it this year.  The day was a whirlwind of craziness. I had Truman's party at school to do with treats and games and crafts. 

 Between getting ready for my party I was able to get the kids ready, but as is my M.O.  I didn't get very good pictures of them.  

Dillon is a werewolf ( or as Elleree prefers, the big bad wolf), Truman was a Bajugon warrior thing (don't ask, he picked it out), Elleree was Little Red Riding Hood, and Beckett was Superman. 

 Jason was a red M&M, this costume blew up, it was fabulous.  Once again not an awesome picture. 

 I didn't get too many pictures of the party, because it was kind of hard to orchestrate the festivities and get pictures at the same time.  I missed my family a ton this year.  My mom and dad weren't able to make it, and none of my siblings could come either.  They are always a lot of help, and make it fun, but what do you do.

 Dillon didn't have as much fun this year.  None of the kids he invited were able to make it, so he was really bummed.  We didn't have a bad turn out though.

 We had food, pinata, fishing pond, scavenger hunt, decorated cookies.

 Here is Truman with his friend Logan (who was Heman, crack me up) with their completed craft project.

 I think despite everything the kids had fun.

 This is my friend Shawnee with her girls doing a little craft project.

All I know is that it was such a hectic day, that the day after I completely lost my voice.  I wasn't able to speak at all.  

I couldn't leave out my new skirt.  I finished this last week.  I think it turned out okay.  I have no idea what I am going to wear with it, but I liked the material so I made it.  What else are you supposed to do when you have no voice, I mean really?

To Vegas We Go.....Again

So, I came back from our trip to Vegas on October 23, and on the 24th (which was my mom's birthday) I got a text from my aunt telling me that my grandpa was in the hospital.  The tumors in his brain were causing bleeding.  The next day they took him off Dialysis.  On Friday October 28th he passed away, he was 86 years old.  

So this last weekend my dad, Heath and I drove down to Vegas for the funeral.  You can never get too much of Vegas...right?  It was nice to see all my family.  It has been a long time since I have seen some of my cousins.  My mom got to see her cousins as well.

This is a picture of my grandma with her only brother.  They are only 18 months apart and very close.  They were really cute.  

I was glad that I was able to make it to the funeral.  Jason took time off and stayed home with the kids.  It was so cute when I got home, Jason really missed me.  He was so funny.  He realized how crazy it was having to stay home with the kids and all the things that I do.  It is nice to be appreciated!

Busy Weekend

We had one busy weekend. That seems to be the case lately when we stay home.

 Friday was the annual "decorate Halloween cookies" night.  A.K.A  eat frosting off the knife night.

Truman on the other hand loves the decorating.  Too much in fact, in his opinion you can never have too many sprinkles.

Thankfully they have to eat all of the ones they decorate.

Early Saturday morning Dillon and Truman had flag football games.  I don't really know how to play football, and am not a real big fan.

Truman is the little one in shorts, the only one in shorts. Yes we own pants, but the boy doesn't listen to his mother.  He spent the whole game playing on the playground equipment and wandering around the field.  He has absolutely no idea what is going on.  I am with him on that one.

Dillon on the other hand takes the game very seriously.  He got on a team, we still don't know how, with a bunch of kids that have been playing together for like 3 years.  They are really good, and this is poor Dillon's first year.

Dillon has tried really hard, and I am really proud of him.  He has improved a ton.  They played him almost the whole game.  This was not always the case, at the beginning he sat out most of the game.

It has been really good for him, and her really likes it.  Next year he says, "they have pads".

It was cold, and Beckett was not a happy boy.

Elleree was whinny too.  I know, I know not my kids right (wink, wink).  Yeah my kids!  This is my conversation with her.  If you are cold sit with the blanket=me.  I don't want to sit in the stroller=Elleree.  Fine then be cold I don't care=me.  Don't argue with me mom=Elleree.  Someone likes to parrot everything I say.

Later that afternoon the sun came out and it was a really nice day. The kids decided rake up the leaves.  Why?  I don't know if you will look at the tree, it is not even close to being done.

They would play in them.

Then rake them back up.

Then play in them again. 

Sunday we carved the pumpkins.  As usual I cleaned them out.

Jason helped carve.

He is the master. 

Truman was trying to do some cutting on his own this year.

Dillon still has not worked out all the kinks.

There was this really cute picture on Pintrest with a baby in a pumpkin like this.  Apparently that baby liked it way better than Beckett did.

He calmed down a bit when we tried to bribe him with a sucker, but he still would not smile.  Ahh I love torturing my kids.

Here is the Truman with his "angry birds" pumpkin.

Here is Elleree with her ghost pumpkin.

Dillon with his Devil pumpkin.  He is at that age where Halloween is all about the blood, guts, and evil things.  Niiicccee.

The ghost lit up.  Not bad.

Sorry this picture didn't rotate, and I don't know how to make it.  Where is my sister when I need her.  You might ask if Dillon did this.  No would be the answer.  He actually only did the horns and eyes.  His m.o. is to find the most detailed (hardest) picture. Try doing it, complain about how hard it is, then get Jason and I to finish it.  You would think we would have caught on by now, but noooo. 

The angry bird lit up.

 

This is my front porch all festive looking.  All these pumpkins came from Jason's garden, except Truman's.  He picked his out on a field trip.  I love Halloween!  Tomorrow is my Halloween party, wish me luck.