Three Little Sugar Plums

We’ve got the Christmas Spirit going strong at our house!  We went to Jason’s house last weekend and made some gingerbread cookies, decorated them, ate some, and then saved (froze) some for Santa.  We used icing in these "easy cheese" like canisters and that is highly recommended...very little mess!  Brian, Jason, and I then each took one of the kids to Target and they each had $7 to pick out gifts for their two siblings.  I helped them wrap the presents yesterday, and Jacob commented on just about everything that  he thought Gwyn or Annie would share what he picked out with him, ha!  We then watched Home Alone, which Jacob thought was just great.  It was a great Christmasy Day!! Here is Annie diligently working on her masterpiece:

 Jacob with his candy cane:

 Jason and Gwyn with their cookies:

 The kids snuggled up for the movie:

I took the kids up to Westside while Brian was playing volleyball after dinner one night.  It was super fun watching the kids get so excited about all the lights, and then run around the empty tennis courts…this also exhausted them and they went home and went right to bed (yes, it was part of my plan!). 

 Just loved Annie's face in this one...she's actually yelling CHEEEESSSSEE!

 Contemplating life:

Who let the crazies out??

They are all getting to be quite tough Christmas light critics…saying things like “those are too small,” and “he just hardly did anything (disgusted),” as we drive around neighborhoods looking at lights.  We are planning on taking them over to River Oaks this weekend to check out the mansions and see how they do it on the other side of the tracks (as in having their lights professionally hung and one last year even hired a Santa to sit outside their house!). 

One thing we learned this weekend is that Annie and candy canes don't mix.  She does like them, went and snuck one off the tree and ate half of it with the wrapping and everything...10 minutes later puked it all up, wrapper and all.  

 I usually let the kids do some kind of craft while I cook dinner.  I had a couple of canvas', so I let Jacob and Gwyn paint on them and Annie used some paper.  Jacob was very careful to get his just right.  Annie, not so much...she had her third change of clothes of the day after that.

 Gwyn was doing so great, I had traced out a Christmas tree for her, but then she decided to use her hands and smear it all around???

 Jacob loves gum (thanks for that Papa).  He found some in my purse and I told him he could have a piece.  Then Gwyn and Annie wanted a piece.  I said okay, we'll see how the girls do without swallowing it.  Here is Annie and Jacob showing me their gum after about 5 minutes:

 Here is Gwyn getting comforted by Brian after swallowing her gum after about 2 minutes.  She is calm here, this was DEVASTATING to her.  Oh, and by the way, don't ever give Brian gum.  He swallows it.  Every time, he still does.  It's gross.

 Crazy kid:

 Gwyn was quite happy about her little gingerbread hat (yes, that is what it is supposed to be):

Jacob had his first basketball practice on Saturday, he’s playing in a little church league with some other boys from his school.  I think he was a little nervous and thought he couldn’t do it, but he did awesome and can even make baskets (I think they use a 6 ft goal).  Today after school he was dribbling and showing me what a chest pass and a bounce pass was.  I took the ball and starting dribbling between my legs and showing off my ‘skilz,’ he looked at me so shocked and said, “Mommy, you are awesome at basketball!!”  Not sure how much longer I’ll be awesome to him,, but hey, my 9 years of playing impressed him today!!

Still loving all this Christmas themed art…Jacob’s is technically “Holiday” themed since apparently you can’t celebrate Christmas in public school, but Gwyn’s learning all about Jesus, Hallelujah!!

Funny things the kids said this week:

Me to Jacob:  Did you play soccer at recess?

Jacob: No, Wes forgot his ball, so we played “get the girls.” (and so it begins…)

Gwyn:  I think Kong Kong went in your stocking Mommy because he thought there was candy in it!

Annie:  I want to watch Dora.  Turn it on.  No, I don’t want that one, I want Halloween Dora.  (I kid you not…talking in full sentences and demanding specific episodes of Dora…we’ve created a monster!!)

Annie:  I not Annie, I’m peppa pig!

Jacob to Gwyn:  I've got two jerseys, an OSU one and a Notre Dame one.  I would have three jerseys if Mommy hadn't  of dried my blue one and messed it up.