Dress-Up, Holiday Decorating and a Couple Cute Videos

Ireland and Sofia love to dress up at Mrs. Allie's house.  I guess she needs to put dress up clothes on her Christmas list.  We get pictures and Alison tells us how much they LOVE it!

Cohan also has a new obsession.  Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  I guess other boys as school must have talked about them.  As we were Christmas shopping for a couple kids we "adopted" for the holidays, he did want to try out a couple things he wants for Christmas.  And, "Only the purple guy, Mom!"   

This weekend I decided with Thanksgiving so late, I was going to do something I've never done before: put up Christmas decorations BEFORE Thanksgiving was over.  The kids each have a tree in their bedrooms they decorate.  On each tree hang ornaments they have been given.  They BOTH loved decorating them this year.  Ireland's tree skirt is actually a tutu my sister, Abby, made her last year.  She would not take it off even though it was a little too small.  Guess we need to ask Aunt Abby for a larger one.  

Please excuse the messy house as we unpacked Christmas boxes, the children destroyed each room we weren't in.  

Some of my favorite things about Christmas are little decorations we do each year...

But don't worry, we still have Thanksgiving up too! :)

The outside decorations are up too!  Thank goodness we did it before it got as cold as it is now!

Two videos for you....

First one, Baby Girl loves to sing.  Here is her new favorite.  Obviously with the help of Cohan.  

(No wonder she doesn't talk as much as he did at this age...  

It's hard for her to get a word in with as much as he has to say!) 

Second is at the Hickey's house last weekend.  We were watching the Mizzou football game.  

Ila and Cohan were loving it and doing LOTS of cheering!

Who Got the Better End of This Deal?

The kids and I packed up Thursday night after a long couple days of parent teacher conferences and headed to Illinois.  I had off on Friday, so I decided to drive after conferences.  I left with the kids around 8:00.  My thought was that they would sleep...they were too excited!  They both wanted to play with GramMo, snuggle and get lots of extra love when we arrived.

With a three day weekend, we left Scott to continue to paint trim at our house.  He painted the long hall that leads to the bedrooms and the entire living room.  This was quite a feat.  I think the kids and I got the better end of the deal!!

Friday morning, after breakfast, we headed out for coffee and a play date with cousins.  As I pulled up to the coffee shop we always frequent, I ordered and then heard Cohan order a "hot chocolate, not too hot, please."  I looked back and he had rolled his window down to order.  Wow.  

We headed with my mom to meet my cousin, Tara, and her three youngest.  There is a new place, ergAdoozy,  that is AWESOME in Springfield.  I LOVED my mom's idea of trying this place.  She knows my kids so well.  This cool place is nothing but Melissa and Doug toys for kids to play with.  It is amazing.  My kids loved playing with GramMo, trying out all the toys and I loved getting lots of ideas for Christmas.  

After a full morning, we headed out for lunch...

My mom offered to watch my kids so I could have a night out.  I took her up on the offer immediately.  Friday night, I met my dad and step-mom for happy hour and planned a night out, with no kids, with a few of my cousins.  I haven't stayed out that late/early in the morning in a LONG time!

Needless to say, my mom was a saint the next day.  I was tired.  Very tired.  But, there were sword fights, playing, cousins time, lots of laughing and snuggles.  My mom and I LOVE craft shows.  We headed out that afternoon to a couple.  It was awesome.  

That night, we ordered pizzas, celebrated my sister-in-law, Sarah's birthday and had a great time.  

The next morning, my mom and dad were pretty adamant that we leave early because there was a bad storm coming.  We left quite a bit earlier than I wanted, but I'm so happy we left when we did.  But, not before we had to fight Ireland to take her green shamrock beads necklace she wore all weekend off. 

The drive home was so scary.  There were horrible storms and looking back, we are thankful we left when we did.  We drove through two really bad storms where I think my knuckles were white from gripping the wheel.  Cohan kept saying, "Why are you praying so loud, Mommy?"  This is a picture before I drove into the worse of the storms.  Out one window was beautiful; the other...dark as night.  

Scary, but thankful we are safe.

Of course we get home and it's beautiful outside...

 

But outside wasn't as amazing as the job Scott did on the inside.  I am in love.  

Thanks, Mom for such a fun weekend.  Last night when Cohan and I realized we forgot our Sam's purchases, he said, "Let's just go back, you know GramMo will love that... PLEASEEEE???"