Merry Christmas!!!!

Merry Christmas!!!!

This year we decided to spend Christmas Eve and Christmas morning at our own house in Indiana(Tradition #1), so I wanted to start some traditions for the 6 of us. We will head to Iowa and MN on the 25th to visit with family...........Hopefully, the girls will be so worn out from the excitement of Christmas they will all take an 8 hour nap to Boone!!!!

Yesterday, we hung out and played----wish there was snow we could have played in!!!!

Then, we went to the 5:30 church service, so we were home about 6:45.

As soon as we got home, the girls needed to check in on Santa's progress on the iPad.

Notice Hannah doesn't even have her coat off yet!!!!!

Then, each girl got to open one gift-----jammies.(Tradition #2)

Next, they helped make dinner.

The perfect meal in your new jammies is "Brinner"----breakfast for dinner!!!!!(Tradition #3)

Whitney slept through dinner.

After dinner, while the dishes were being cleaned up they decided to have a dance party!!!!

The girls were very excited about opening gifts...

.....This year each girl got a game and a puzzle---(Tradition #4)

actually Hannah got new gloves for playing in the snow instead of a puzzle, but she didn't seem to mind!!!!

Everything got played with and no one was overwhelmed. I think Trouble may be a new family favorite!!!!

Whitney slept through gift opening too!!!!

We woke her up for a picture, and so she wouldn't be up for ever in the middle of the night!!!!

Whitney's First Christmas!!!!

After checking in on Santa's progress one more time-----we read The Night Before Christmas by the tree before heading up to bed.(Tradition #5)

Life is Good with traditions!!!!

Food for Fun!!!!

Before you read any further..............Please remember that all cooking we do at our house is for fun and not to win any fancy food awards!!!!

With that being said, here is what we did yesterday after school............

I had seen a picture of Melted Snowmen cookies in People's Holiday issue while I was getting my haircut a few weeks ago and thought they would be fun to make. The girls got jelly beans from a friend--Thanks Kerryann-- and I thought they would be great for the eyes and nose of these cookies.

Here's what you need:

Sugar cookie dough--I just bought a bag mix

Frosting--bought it already made!!!

Large Marshmallows--for the face

Something for the eyes and nose---We used jellybeans

Something for the scarf--We used pull apart Twizzlers

Something for the arms--We used Hershey's bars since we had them on hand

Diet Coke---Not on the real list, but I needed one!!!!

Mix up your sugar cookies just as your recipe says.

The girls got a little bored while the cookies were baking............

This chair is usually right next to the lamp!!!! Not really sure why they thought moving "The Matt Kocher" chair around was so funny.............And not sure why Macy needed to take her shirt off!!!

Hannah decided to do a much calmer activity while she waited----the iPad!!

Before we started decorating, I gave each girl a bowl of frosting, a plate and the extras for one cookie.

This was about as far as Macy got the whole time!!!!!

The girls enjoyed decorating and eating---see the frosting by her mouth?!?!?!

The Coon decided to come back when she saw the girls were having fun, but she just got into the licorice!!!!

Monkey See, Monkey Do!!!!!

Since we don't have any real snow to make snowmen, we will have to make do with our counter full of melted ones!!!!

Life is Good when you have frosting!!!!

Nicknames

Hang out with our crew long enough and you will notice we don't ever really call our kids by their real names.................

Hannah Christine

Hannie

Hannah Banana

Hannie Bell

Beans

Kaylee Jean

Kay Kay

Kays

Smokes

Kaylee Baylee

Kayers

Macy Preston

Coon

CeCe

CeCe Monkey

Monks

Mace

Macers

Whitney Grace

Whit Whit

Nugget

Whitsy Woo

Woo Woo

We also group them...........

"The Girls" Justin and I say it when talking about all 4

Macy uses it when she wants to know where Hannah and Kaylee are or to tell on them for doing something not so nice to her

"The Bigs" ---Hannah, Kaylee and Macy

"The Littles"--Macy and Whitney

"The Middles" Kaylee and Macy

"The Middles" got a surprise in the mail today from Justin's cousin, Jessica..............

Life is Good!!!!

Whit Whit is 4 Months!!!!

Whitney turned 4 months yesterday!!!!!

She is smiling A LOT!!!!!

Her nap schedule revolves around when I need to drop off and pick up "the Middles" for preschool!!!

She likes to spend time under her arches!!!

She sits in her Bumbo, but before too long is usually sideways!!!!

We haven't had her official 4 month appt. yet----it is Wed., but she went to the doctor last week for her second double ear infection and she was 13 pounds.

Macy at 4 months

14 pounds, 8 ounces

Kaylee at 4 months

15 pounds, 4 ounces weight at 4 and a half months

Hannah at 4 months

13 pounds, 6 ounces

Life is Good, but goes by so quickly!!!!

Everyone Loves a Fort!!!!

Life is Good when everyone plays together!!!!