Back to Reality

Some people take down their Christmas tree full of sorrow...so unhappy that Christmas is over. 

But Mommy is always a little relieved to see it all go. It means our routine is coming back and the hectic days of December are past. They're joyful days, of course, but by January 2nd we've become sugar addicts and sleep deprived zombies. Our only regret with welcoming January is welcoming Miriam's return to school. We just love having her home with us!

We jumped right back into our weekly activities with "M Monsters" for M Week. 

M is for...marker on my face.

M is also for...glue dripping from my hair.

Miriam had a day of cancelled school and a couple two hour delays already so while she's home with us we sneak in some activity time with her.

And some outdoor snow time, too! Our new big back yard is so fun to explore and tumble in!

January, you really are more wonderful than people give you credit for.

2015 Wrap Up

Last two parties of 2015...Barbie Party and New Year's Eve.

Aunt Maria and four of Sarah's cousins came over with ALL of their Barbie paraphernalia. It was a lot. Enough to furnish four or five separate Barbie "homes" and supply a whole Barbie wedding.

Let Vivian's face be a testament to how much they loved this morning with their older cousins/aunt.

Older cousins/aunt - if you're reading this, know that they are already planning every minute of their next Barbie party with you. Hope you're ready!

For New Year's Eve, we ate a whole bunch of delicious food and then played Minute to Win it games with our friends. It was a lot of fun and people got pretty competitive!

Mommy planned this because she cannot stay awake past ten if she sits down. By 12:10 AM, she passed out on the chair. But at least she made it to the New Year!

Christmas 2015 - Year of Giant Toys

Let the Christmas recap commence.

Christmas Eve with Tim's family

Piles of presents under the tree and the majority were for three (spoiled) little girls!

Tim's 92 year old grandmother, Mema, made tins fudge for each family. This has been a tradition for years, and as you can see from Felicity's clean plate, we're thrilled she keeps it up.

 After all the presents were opened, the girls played and played and played...

...Daddy and his cousin Caleb also played with the girls' new fort building set. They really got into engineering the largest possible fort.

Considering we fit seven people inside, they succeeded.  The fort has been reconfigured a couple of times at home since Christmas and is the best hangout. We've let them sleep in it at night. Felicity never makes it - she just wants to sleep in her own bed after rolling around with the other two for an hour. Can't really blame her for wanting a soft mattress and the peace and quiet of her own room!

Christmas Day at Home

After Christmas morning Mass, we opened our gifts from Santa! We so enjoyed this time together celebrating Christmas! The girls are so excited and make the entire season magical.

 They (again) got piles of toys, Mommy got a BIG food processor,

and Daddy's gifts were mostly Purdue themed.

Out of all the toys they got from Santa this year, a favorite has been the Play-Doh Crazy Cuts. It's a touch messier than regular play dough, but keeps them busy for a good stretch. We've learned to keep it far away from the upholstered chairs around the kitchen table...

Later in the afternoon, Tim's family joined us for food and a few more gifts.

Christmas with Sarah's family

Sarah's family got together the Sunday after Christmas so that everyone could make it.

While we were waiting for the Canadian members of the family to arrive, we made gingerbread houses. Which, it turns out, is a lot harder than it looks.

The girls had fun with it, and despite Tim's efforts to add extra support to their creations, they just didn't seem to want to stand for very long. It was probably the sheer weight of all the candy decorations that caused the houses to cave in.

It was a nice day to relax, play games, eat too much, and...

 ...open more of the biggest presents.

Grandpa made the girls a new Barbie house. 

 It was big enough to fit a little girls inside!

And Uncle John gave them a power wheels car. They're not pros with it yet, but Daddy works with them in the basement on "driving lessons" in the evenings. Hopefully by the spring we'll be able to let the loose with it outdoors and feel confident they won't run over any of the neighbors kids or dogs.

Christmas Break Fun-tivities

Miriam had a great two week break from school for Christmas and New Years. We were very busy with holiday celebrations, but every free morning she was asking for activities. Felicity and Vivian regularly get to do preschool-at-home play with their Mommy and Miriam clearly misses those times. Often Miriam will check out the projects the younger girls worked when she gets home from school and ask to make one for herself.

A favorite over Christmas break was homemade play dough. And these Christmas themed play dough mats made it even more fun!

Miriam's Santa

Felicity's "cookie" creations

Vivian makes Santa some pajamas.

We really enjoyed having Miriam home during Christmas break and truly look forward to every day off she has to be home with us. Starting the count down until Spring Break...

You're a mean one... {AND What's on our Plates: Who Pudding}

We have LOTS and LOTS of pictures to share with you from the Christmas season. But let's ease you in gently with a few from our Grinch Party the day after Christmas. If you're interested in a little gathering of your own, all our inspiration can be found here.

So...it's the day after Christmas, Sarah's Grandma's birthday. We went to Mass and lunch with her. She and Grandpa used to take us all to McDonald's when we were little - a birthday meal at McDonald's seemed fitting. They were out of ice cream, so we made do with a blueberry muffin.

She's suffering from dementia and doesn't remember who we all are anymore, but she knows we love her and that's what every person really needs.

In the evening, Sarah's family and Fr. Ben came over for The Grinch Party. We had Grinch appetizers, assembled by the girls.

Later there was a meal of Roast Beast (ham), Who Hash (hash brown casserole), Grinchy Greens (salad), homemade breads, Cindy Lou Who Fruit Salad, and Who Pudding. The Who Pudding is another tribute to Sarah's Grandma who made Oreo Dessert for just about every family get together. It's a simple recipe, but always a favorite.

Who Pudding/Grandma Wellman's Oreo Dessert
20 oz pkg Oreos
1 stick softened butter
2 small or 1 large packet of instant vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
8 oz cream cheese
8 oz Cool Whip
Roll the Oreos in a freezer bag or process in a blender or food processor to create crumbs. Mix the Oreo crumbs with the softened butter. Pat the mixture into a 9x13 dish - but save some to sprinkle over the top! Mix pudding with milk, add softened cream cheese. Gently fold Cool Whip into the mixture. Spread the pudding mixture over the Oreo crust in the 9x13 pan. Top with remaining crumbs.

{We had the Grinch Drink for the adults, too. Recommended for anyone who likes their alcohol yummy.)

But beyond the food, we had Grinch dot-to-dot and coloring pages, Grinch bingo, and pin-the-heart-on-the-Grinch. Sarah's sister Bridget drew our Grinch and he was pretty impressive. Another reason we love a big family - so many skills!

Before bedtime we watched the Grinch and showed Fr. Ben all our awesome Christmas toys. 

Soon, we'll show them to you, too!