Off again!

I surprised Chad yesterday with a family trip to Florida - which is why I have been so busy lately. I have been secretly getting ready for it. We will be home Christmas Eve, so if I am not back on before then, Merry Christmas!

Keepin' It Real Wednesday

I get really dry skin in the winter when it is cold and we are running the heater all day. Last week was especially bad, and I was slathering my Dove lotion on every day to try and alleviate the flaky skin on my legs. I was about to do a post asking for lotion recommendations, because this stuff just wasn't working! My legs were unbearably itchy, and every time I showered, I could just feel the lotion washing right off.

I won't be needing those recommendations.

I finally read the lotion bottle a little more closely...........

...and realized that I had been rubbing body wash into my dry skin for the past week.

Itchy legs? Yep, that'll do it.

Spaghetti-eggs

On Saturday, I mixed some eggs with leftover spaghetti , scrambled them in a frying pan, and begged Colin and Gabe to try the concoction that I grew up with. They both sampled it and both agreed that it was a tasty meal.

Chad, who turns his nose up at spaghetti-eggs, shook his head in dismay when he heard the news. That's what happens when you sleep in, bub.

Obsessed

Found while cleaning the downstairs the other day:

15 paper airplanes, all made within 24 hours by the same little boy.

This is where he learned how.

This is the video that he likes to watch over and over again.

Colin now says wants to be a pilot when he grows up. I say he should aim for the skies - I would love some ticket hook-ups.

Back again, both Chad and I

I can't remember the last time I went a week without posting! It has made me more than a little anxious.

Chad was out of town again. He traveled 3 out of the last 4 weeks, but thankfully he was home for the weekends. It wasn't as bad as I expected it to be, but I was just plum busy and tired.

No more traveling this month, and boy is it good to have him home - just have someone to wash their hair at night while I get their pajamas ready, someone else in the house who washes dishes and does laundry, someone to cuddle who isn't fighting me about bedtime!

The boys are just so much happier too. They don't really know how to express it, but they just aren't as happy with dad gone. I've said it before, he is the joy in this home!

Dear Santa,

For Christmas, Colin would like some Wii games. He says you can choose which ones - "maybe a Legos one or something like that." He also wants a remote control airplane, but we have explained to him how quickly those things break, so I think don't you are going to bring one, right?

Gabe wants a Master Yoda light saber. Not the fancy ones that light up-he prefers the cheap ones that hook onto his pants pockets so well. Fine by me. He also wants a "Optimus Prime that transforms into a remote control truck", which is a toy I am pretty sure doesn't exist. If you are feeling frisky, try and whip one of those babies up in your workshop will ya?

Oliver only has one request - that we keep you far far away from him. I will make a few requests on his behalf - a baby doll stroller, a shape sorter, and the desire to sit still for any amount of time. Okay, that last one is for me. If he could make a gift request, I think it would be his own personal stepladder.

It was fun to see you at the Manor House (thank you for being so jolly) and to see your "helper Santa" later on at the ward Christmas Party. Colin figured out that he was just your helper because his beard was fake, and Gabe recognized Mrs. Claus as his Sunbeams teacher. I'm glad you have such nice people helping you. I know we are all spread a little thin around the holidays. Speaking of which, please don't space it and forget to include some batteries in their stockings - we always need them.

Merry Christmas,
The Colemans

*2008 Santa visit, and 2007 Santa visit

*This year's pictures provided for free by our community and taken by Phil Morris Jr, who was by far my favorite Santa photog they have had.

Arrrgh, Matey!

Attempting to get a good picture of Gabe in the pirate doo-rag he wore to the YMCA one day......

"The flash is making my eyes hurt"

Okay buddy, I will put the camera down.

(for now)

(Not) Famous

Awhile back over at Bloom they were having a little photo contest. They were asking for photos that captured the essence of your everyday life, so I submitted this picture. You might recognize it from my Thanksgiving post. I didn't win - not even a runner-up thank-you-very-much-my-life-is-ruined :o) However, today I happened to visit the blog and saw that they displayed some of the loser photos last Friday, and there was my little Oliver. It made me smile.

I do love that boy of mine.

(and now I need to do some Gabe and Colin posts soon because this is the third Oliver post this week)

Keepin' It Real Wednesday

What I did tonight after the kids went down:
Finished watching last night's SYTYCD
Discussed it with Audra
Watched tonight's episode
All while getting my Christmas cards together

What I did not do tonight:


Priorities, right?

If you have leftover whipping cream.....

.....do yourself a favor. Make some whipped cream, make these cookies, and combine the two.

Or just eat the whipped cream out of the bowl, Ollie-style.

Gross

No.......

.......it's not another one of those pictures.

Just had potato soup for dinner.

Chill out already.

I ate a lot

We had Thanksgiving at Bobby and Sabina's. Sabina's turkey was her best yet. Simply scrumptious. All the food was divine, and I kept eating way past everyone else, saying, "Wow, I am really not that full." And then it was pie time and felt like I was going to hurl. I don't think any of the kids stuffed themselves because they were too busy playing with each other. I will never get over how lovely it is that my boys have so many cousins so close to them to love and be friends with (not to mention grandparents five minutes away). When we moved to Charlotte almost five years ago, we never imagined this!

After dinner we all answered some questions about gratefulness and had a little grateful tree to go along with it - leave it up to Sabina to help us all remember and visualize our blessings.

Yes, Oliver is sitting on Liam, who is sitting on Chica (my parents' dog). And yes, my dad is laughing at the scene.

Brother and sister, awwww.

Happy Thanksgiving

For the beauty of each hour

Of the day

And of the night

Hill

And vale,

And tree

and flow'r,

Sun and moon,

and stars of light,

Lord of all,

to thee we raise

This,

Our hymn of grateful praise

A sure way to get Oliver to smile for the camera?

Hand him to daddy.

Thank you's

Three people made my day make more pleasant yesterday.

First, my parents did the school pick-up for me!!

Then my mom came over and helped Colin with a school project. He had to turn a
plain paper cut-out into a Native American. She brought over some materials and an hour later.....

Colin had this awesome-looking Native American to take to school with him. Those are real beads, people.

Then Sabina sent over some delicious homemade rolls, which went perfectly with the soup I already had planned for dinner. Thanks Sabina!

I really love my family.