Chester Greenwood Day and Other Christmas Preparations

This has been a fun-filled week of Christmas preparations!  Our first celebration was in Farmington for Chester Greenwood Day.  Our kids don't have earmuffs, but Noah borrowed a pair (before deciding that he didn't like ear muffs) and James was very happy to wear his protective ear wear to the parade which doubled as ear muffs.  It was cold, but we got to see a parade, take a horse drawn wagon ride, check out the cloggers and gingerbread houses, and see all of the Christmas trees ready for auction.  This will definitely be added to our calendar for next year.

The next picture was one Noah insisted on taking after he instructed Gabe to build the tower on him when he was laying "really still"... he was so proud of himself;)  Audrey seems to like Grandpa's chex mix just as much as everyone else in the family... she some how got the cover off the container and pulled out the bag (not to worry, she didn't actually eat any)... her older brothers were pretty upset when they thought that she was going to "eat it all".  James and Ben have been able to have some fun play while Noah is at school.  This day we made floam... it was a huge mess... glad Gabe wasn't home... lesson learned for the next time we make it;) Per usual, they had to get their cars out to drive in this new medium.  I am super thankful that match box cars go through the dishwasher so well!

The Christmas train is still together and everyone shares it pretty well. This picture Gabe snapped after the boys had been playing with the train for maybe 2 days... Yes, that is a police man tied down to the train tracks with elastics... done all on their own.  After we both had a good laugh about it we were really perplexed at where they got this idea.  If it were us we would certainly contribute it to the cartoons we watched growing up where it was a common occurrence to see this happen, but as far as we knew the kids haven't been exposed to any of those shows (not that we are opposed to them, it just hasn't happened).  So, after hours of speculating as to how cartooners came up with such ideas and it being "a normal" part of boy play (like turning anything into a gun or sword) I asked James about it. As it turns out, he was putting the police man on the track to keep the train safe and held down by elastics to keep the policeman safe from the train... well played kids;)

The bottom three pictures are from the hospital Christmas party.  Santa was there and we were able to convince 3 out of 4 of them to sit on his lap.  He was a bit surprised to hear James's request for a green umbrella and nothing else. Ben wanted nothing to do with Santa, but he really wanted a candy cane like everyone else.  He was having an obvious internal struggle, so we kept telling him no candy cane unless he stood next to Santa. But when Santa's helper walked up to him and handed him a candy cane anyway he took it and ran;) The other notable story from this night was when James vomited.  We have a general rule at meal time that the kids have to take a "no thank you" bite of whatever is being offered, if they don't like it after trying it then they don't have to eat it.  If we are not at home or it is something they are unlikely to like we often let it slide, but in this case everyone wanted cake and they were serving mac and cheese, so yes, I made James take a bite.... he really didn't want to, but really wanted cake... there was a lot of gagging which prompted me to grab a napkin and get it up to his mouth just in time for that gag to turn into something more... we will have to be a bit more careful about where we are the next time we make James try something...    

Our Christmas Tree Adventures 2013

We have been talking about cutting down our own Christmas tree for years, but it has never worked out... until this year.  It was really fun for the kids and took much less time than I thought.  It was just someone's house and instead of grass in their front yard they have rows and rows of Christmas trees of various sizes and shapes... ok.  They give you a saw and will even pick up the tree with a 4 wheeler right at the spot where you cut it, wrap it and tie it to your car for you... it was far from a National Lampoon's Christmas experience, but perfect for having 4 small kids;)  I omitted the picture where Ben only had one boot on... in his wanderings one boot fell off and it took a minute to find it, but during that time Gabe and I were secretly glad because it was slowing him down preventing him from running in and out of the rows like a crazy man trying to hide as we searched for a tree and trying not to lose him. Once we did find the tree, the boys were very entertained and watchful "helpers" as Gabe cut down the tree (this picture is one of my favorites and speaks volumes to our life at this stage;)).

We put the tree up in our front room largely because we wanted to be able to close the door if anyone started to act too crazy or went into a fit of rage around the tree.  The downside is that it isn't really a centerpiece in our daily lives, but for the next few years the front room is a perfect spot.  Next the ornaments... I opted for none and only lights, but I was over ruled, so the compromise was only nonbreakable ornaments... we had to amend this rule to no ornaments within Ben's reach because there is an important distinction between nonbreakable and "Ben proof"... I am pretty sure there are no Ben proof ornaments... maybe one day he won't be a bull in a china shop. 

The last tree saga this year was the train.  Nannie and Grandpa thought that the kids should have a train around the tree.  Since we don't put presents under the tree before Christmas Eve (again because of the Ben factor- in Ben's defense just a few years ago we were saying the same things about James who has gown out of this, so it is all in good fun;)) we agreed. The first train was a huge disappointment as it only played music and didn't go anywhere (thank you Christmas Tree Shop)... apparently Trey's didn't even play music, so it could have been worse.  In their grandparental guilt, Nannie and Grandpa drove down for a literal 30 minute visit (yes, that's right a 3 hour drive each way with a 30 minute stop) to deliver and set up a working train set.  The kids were obviously beyond excited to have the train and *so far* the fighting has been to a minimum... we'll see how long that lasts;)

Christmas Pictures 2013!

With a great deal of effort (and mostly bribery... yes, they are eating chocolate chip cookies in the last one) we were pleasantly surprised with the great shots we got this year in our backyard! It is a miracle and if we don't get another group shot until Audrey is 10 I think that we will be doing ok:)

Thanksgiving 2014

We finally have a pickle lover amongst the kids.  For all of the things they like, we have been very surprised that no one likes pickles... until Audrey;)  I gave this to her thinking that she would make a terrible face, but instead, I couldn't get it back from her... she just kept sucking on it, then cried when it was just the peel.

Part of our Thanksgiving preparation this year has been making a thankful tree in our dining room.  All of the kids have really gotten into it and love to talk about the leaves we have added and brainstorm new ideas.  A cool part, that I was not counting on, was the kids taking pride in showing everyone who walks through the door the tree, this is followed by them asking *whoever it may be* to put their own leaf on the tree... so cool! I am guessing that they aren't going to let me take it down and it may be up until Christmas.  This will definitely be a yearly tradition in our house:) The bottom picture here is the result of me asking James to "hand Audrey a toy"...:)

Thanksgiving this year was really a wonderful day.  We bought a turkey from a local turkey farmer, which Gabe will never do again I am sure, but had to get it in here so he can laugh about it years from now... it was a bit more pricey than we were lead to believe it would be, but I keep telling him that it was money that farmer will be able to use to buy food for his kids;)  So for the record it was the most delicious turkey anyone had ever tasted. Grandpa, Nannie, Aunt Amy, Trey and Lily joined us for dinner.  Noah was super focused on making name tags for everyone and pictured above are the results- L to R back row: Trey, Audrey, Lily, Ben, Daddy, Soldier; front row: James, Nannie, Noah, Amy, Grandpa, Mommy.  There was even a seat left over for a deployed soldier. This being our first holiday meal in our new home was way easier than previous years simply because we had plenty of room to fit everyone without rearranging the furniture.

The kids enjoyed playing together and having a sleepover with Trey.  Noah continued to bask in his role of big cousin when he got to feed and burp Lily. The grownups didn't make it until midnight for black Friday shopping, but opted to get up early and return home before the kids got up at 7am... good choice given that the line at the Farmington Walmart took 45 minutes to get everyone in the door;)  The only disappointment of the long weekend was missing out on the Hunger Games movie thanks to my sister... Gabe, mom and I all were so excited and waited especially for Amy to arrive so we could see movie #2... guess who hasn't read the books and had no interest in the movies..... Seriously Amy, here is your warning... get reading now because next Thanksgiving night we are going to the 3rd movie with or without you;)  In all seriousness we had a really fun few days and can't wait to do it all over again around Christmas!

PreThanksgiving Visit

This year Grampy and Grammy Civiello were not able to join us for Thanksgiving, so we made a quick trip north to visit them the weekend before. All of the kids were really happy to just be able to play and spend time visiting with everyone.  The boys enjoyed making salt dough ornaments with Grammy, playing with the cash register and visiting with Great Grammy Civiello, Uncle Dennis, Aunt Lisa and Uncle Lou:)

Thanksgiving Preparations

These top two pictures are of how we have recently found the kids sleeping.  Noah and James have been asking to have a "sleepover" recently where one of them gets to sleep in Trey's bed (a trundel bed under the bunk beds).  Despite our best negotiating efforts they decided to both sleep in Trey's bed with the understanding that either of them could get back in their beds at any time.  Well this is how we found them and how they stayed all night... I think that it is safe to assume that they will not mind sharing a room for some time to come:)  Ben has been getting out of bed a lot at night and turning on his light to play or "read".  This is how we found him the other night and at several nap times with the light burning bright:)  

One of the biggest perks to moving to the area, for us, has been the UMF gym.  They offer free child care M-F from 9-10! The kids all LOVE to play and I am in better shape than I have been in a long time.  It is also a nice mental break for all of us to be able to get out of the house. As a result I signed Gabe and I up to run in their Turkey Trot 5K back in September, mainly because I was afraid if I didn't pay at the beginning then I *may not* follow through with the training.  The weather was certainly cold and windy, but bright and sunny!  So, back to why we love the gym (besides the obvious health benefits), they offered free childcare during the race AND before the race they held a kids one mile fun run.  I signed both Noah and James up thinking that James probably wouldn't do it, especially since Gabe and I were drawing straws as to who would run the extra mile before our race because we weren't sure he could do it alone.  To our surprise, the UMF men's basketball team ran with the kids.  It was so cool for Noah and James to have a "big kid" run with them encouraging them the whole way! Noah finished 2nd in his age group in just under 10 minutes and both boys were SO proud of themselves:)  Seriously, kudos to the UMF Fitness Center- providing the environment to foster the love and importance of fitness at all ages is fantastic, and as a parent the peace of mind to know that the kids are having fun while we are "having fun" running in the race is a huge bonus for us!

The Snow is Here!

Life has been pretty busy lately, but I am so happy to finally have the blog up to date!  I will try very hard to not let it get so far behind next time, but there is always something fun to do around here;)  We continue to really love this area and are finding it easy to become active in the community.  Noah and James are taking swimming lessons at the college and doing really well.  Gabe has volunteered himself to be part of the board for the potential new children's museum in the area so that is keeping him pretty busy (besides work that is).  The kids are all having a fun time learning and doing activities around Thanksgiving both at home and school.  We have put up a "thankful tree" in our dining room (a picture to come at some point;)) to which they add things each day.  Their first entries were: birds, corn and helping people (N); cake, bike and Justin's bus (J); pie and shows (B).

Last weekend we all got outside with Gabe to finally explore our property borders.  It was almost impossible to do during summer because of the overgrowth of vines and ferns, but now that everything has died it is a bit easier, once you get through the bog that is;)  The kids were excited to wear their "safety hunting caps" (thanks Grandpa).  We have a ridge of trees all the way back to a rock wall which should be a great area to check out on snow shoes when the real snow comes. The pond is also covered with a skim of ice, so skating is in our future...

Speaking of snow and ice, we had our first "snow" last Sunday.  It had melted by the next day, but it was enough to cause lots of excitement at our house!  These pictures are of the kids right out of bed, still in their jammies.  They all had such a fun time eating the snow, making snow angels and sliding down their slide.  Noah was initially upset because he didn't think they should be able to play outside with their pajamas on before breakfast... Gabe and I had a really enjoyable time making breakfast in the peace and quiet while they were outside... this may not be the last time we convince them to play outside first thing in the morning;)  Later that morning we enjoyed hot chocolate and making carmel apple slices in our fondue pot (way better than whole apples!).  What a great start to winter!

Craft Fairs and Mattress Shopping

Tis the season for crafts fairs!  Last weekend the kids and I took a quick trip to Bangor for some craft fair fun.  James was the big winner with this super cute owl hat and winning a raffle at the Shriner's craft fair.  The boys got to meet Paul Bunyan at the beautiful new Cross Center. We finished the day out the a visit to the Maine Jump which definitely tired everyone out (adults included)!

The bottom left picture is James showing off his Woody costume courtesy of Target's after Halloween clearance sales;)  He wears this on a regular basis and won't answer if we call him James... he will only answer with, "don't you mean Woody?".  He is so excited that he has planned to be Shrek for next Halloween, Woody for the one after that and a cheese spider for the one after that.... we will see how that works out.

The bottom right picture is the result of mattress shopping with Ben.  We had to let him run a bit in order to shop, so he amused himself with running in-between and around the recliners.  Somehow, he got this tag stuck on his coat.... really stuck... we had to rip the plastic to get if off.

Not pictured here was a really fun 40th birthday celebration we attended. Great food, great company and the kids had a blast playing with their friends. The day was completed with a pumpkin/fireworks/trebuchet display that was super safe and child friendly;). Thanks for having us guys!!