G is for Groggy

I kind of like it when kids wake up from long naps all groggy

and need extra cuddle time.

N is for Nailed It

Look at Evan's impersonation of an old man sitting on a log.

 

Actually, he was still recovering from throwing a fit.

 

La la la, just a fun family outing to the beach.

We get out of the car and it's cold of course, so Jim puts a coat on Evan.

Evan doesn't want the coat on and throws a fit.

Jimi removes the coat, and we all start walking for the water.

Evan is standing by the car crying because he dropped his toys.

Jim goes to pick them up and urges him on.

Evan is mad and won't move, shivering the whole time.

There was some other fit throwing, whining, getting dragged/carried toward the water.

Jimi takes Evan back to the car for a little time out.

Evan cries in the car.

Jimi retrieves him, puts his coat on, and carries him to this log where he sits with red eyes and sullen face.

 

Me and Avery are looking for sea shells, and we see grumpy old man Evan, and he looks SO much like and old man we just are giggling at the poor kid.

Avery exclaims, "Evan looks like an old man!"

 

She's wearing leggings on her head because it's her "long hair".

I is for Instead

Instead of having a turkey feast on Thanksgiving, we decorated for Christmas.

Evan bats at the ornaments like a cat.

meow

I think this is going to be a long holiday season - Avery is so so excited.

Which I am ok with. It's such a fun month, so why not extend it an extra week.

 

She says, Grandma Arsen and Granpa Glenn and Joe and Susan are coming,

then it's Christmas,

then we have a baby,

and you're not sick anymore!

 

And she is already playing pretend like it's Christmas.

She "goes to sleep",

then wakes up to see what is under the tree.

 

So, yeah, I think she's got the hang of it.

 

V is for Very Last

We didn't know that this would be our very last batch of hostess crumb donuts, did we Jamie?

Glad I could share it with you.

 

I is for Imagination

"I" was for "Imagination" last year too.

 

I love it when I go see what Avery is up to, and find this kind of thing...

 

 

 

She was being Cinderella, and all her friends were having a party for her.

 

Then another time, I was upstairs doing something, and I found Evan's toys arranged thusly...

He was nowhere around, but seeing what he was up to made me smile.

 

I wish I could know what is going on in their heads. Lots of fun things, that's for sure.

 

G is for Good Food

I am getting really good at making an entire Thanksgiving meal all by myself.

Thank you thank you.

I do all the baking the day before - rolls, pies.

The day of is for cooking. Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green beans, veggie platter.

 

Sprinkle in some poinsettias and sparkling apple cider, and there you go.

 

Me and Avery made indian hats (crowns! if she asks, they're princess crowns!) while we waited for the turkey to fill the house with smell good.

 

I love Thanksgiving no matter if we are alone or with family.

We're all in the best mood and festive and thankful and cozy and full.

 

I was so so full this year. I don't know if it was the baby taking up real estate or what, but I was pretty much miserable all night.

Pie!

Chocolate and banana.

 

We ate dinner on Tuesday this year because Jimi works on the real Holiday.

 

S is for School

Evan has gone to a few speech classes. They mostly just play and talk, but it's giving me good ideas for Christmas presents.

 

Lately he loves letters. Some of his favorites are

E, I, S, and O.

Oh yeah, and W. But he calls it "doubledee".

He has way more words and sentences, but still talks lots of nonsense.

 

At joyschool, Avery is the only girl surrounded by five other boys. Lots of boys. Crazy and young boys.

It's interesting to see what keeps their interest. This day, painting was a hit. Last time the math activity was a hit - gluing knickknacks to numbered popsicle sticks.

 

 

I let Evan participate this year, and I think that's what has got him interested in letters. That and Super Why!.

He just sucked on the paintbrush during this activity though.

 

K is for Kelli

 

Hey, that's me!

 

Sometimes my belly looks like a sack full of kittens. All the moving around and poking and prodding.

Avery came to my last doctor's appointment and I told her she could hear the the baby's heart beat. When the doctor put the wand over my belly, she put her hands over her ears.

 

Also, you're not going to believe me, but sometimes when he's moving around, my belly makes a *snap* noise. Like my muscles are ripping, but not that violent. It's weird!

 

January 3rd is the date.

 

 

N is for Nesting

My friend gave me a bunch of hand me down baby clothes yesterday, so I got them all washed and folded and sorted.

This kind of thing is extremely fun for the eight months pregnant lady.

 

These tiny onsies are my favorite.

So little and not stretched out or soiled. Ready for the skinny little legs and arms of a newborn. 

A is for Alicia Keys

So, I don't even know how this evolved, but Evan loves our "birth song", No One by Alicia Keys.
It's not like I tried to get him to like it. Maybe last year I lip synced to it for the kids a few times. They giggled at my theatrics.

But about a week ago, he was singing it. I wasn't positive that's what he was singing. I mean, how could it be?

So I turned it on and he got a huge smile on his face and sang along.

The other night when the Kelvingtons were here, he was in his bed - trying to go to sleep - and singing
"no one! no one! no one!"
in his dark room.

And now he requests it from my iphone. And it plays over and over and over. He sings along and gets antsy for it to restart when the song ends.

You may or may not recall, this is the song that was on the radio while he was being extracted from my womb. I was on the verge of being really scared and it came on, and I sang along. And out popped my Evan.

 

(i tried to upload a video of him singing and dancing to it, but blogger is the worst.)

 

 

H is for Hair

Avery loves to be Rapunzel.

She got this long bubble wrap out of the garage and played for hours like she was Rapunzel.

 

She got sick of holding it to the the top of her head, so we put it around a necklace.

Then I got sick of taping it up every time Evan ripped it, so I made her some hair out of fabric.

It stayed on her head with a beanie.

Then she went up to her tower and "let down her hair".

It's one of our best pieces of dress up clothes.

T is for Thought

 

I bet you thought I forgot about this fun little blog tradition.

Well I did.

 

I can't believe how fast November has flown by! What is going on? Has the cosmos sped up or what?

Jimi has to work on the real Thanksgiving, so we are having our big meal on Tuesday.

Mmmmm I can't wait.

But that means Thanksgiving is in less than a week.

 

There's so much to look forward to, but time really needs to slow down if we are going to enjoy it all properly.

Kelvington's Come and Play!

I love when people come visit us.

Especially if they bring their cute little girls.

These two's fight-to-play ratio is 50:50.

They were fighting within the first hour. Right where they left off.

I want a Reese.

 She brings her soft blanket and two fingers, and comes to cuddle with you.

It's my favorite.

We went on a little hike, and these two were super darn cute.

They kept discussing their adventure and consulting that brown "spy book".

They weren't as enthusiastic on the hike back though. Chilly.

Their boat.

 

 

Playing

Rapunzel, let down your hair!

 

This is where they ate their dinners-

pic nic on the living room floor.

 

Jamie came down the stairs and found Avery leading Sammy in a blessing on the food. From start to finish she told Sammy what to say - and Sammy fit in "help daddy be safe" on her own. 

With no encouragement from the adults.

Sweet little girls.

Sammy's little voice cracks me up. Both of these girls are chatterboxes, so you can imagine...

 

 

Reese was mad that she had to get out of the tub.

 

We got a babysitter and beat it out of there.

We've never eaten here but heard that the fish n chips were good.

Which, they were pretty good, but there was some kind of rule that all things served here must be deep fried first. So we had to take turns giving cpr to each other by the time the meal was over.

That sounds more romantic than it is. ha ha. joke.

 

 

But the view was cool.

 

After dinner, we went downtown Bellingham to where all the hipsters hang out.

We found a hip little ice cream store that was quintessential Pacific North West...organic, composting, recycling, beards, beanies.

 

The really weird part is that while we sat their eating our coconut, chocolate, almond chunk ice cream, we started talking politics. We didn't even do it on purpose, it just happened.

However, since our views differ from most of the other opinions around us (I'm assuming), we found ourselves talking in hushed voices and looking around before using words like "Romney" and "gun control". (we didn't really talk gun control, but I'll just go with that to give you an idea).

 

And before you know it, our time was up and we had to go fetch the babysitters.

Why do three hours fly by when you are out sans kids?

Three hours of church doesn't go that fast.

 

On the way home we stopped at a store (packed with Canadians on a Saturday night) while Andy ran in to get some cash for the babysitter.

20 minutes later (long lines...Canadians on a Saturday night) he came out with chocolate covered raisins and no cash.

For some reason the choice of chocolate covered raisins cracked us up.

Annnddd some more cuddling with Reese.

I just want to keep her! Please?

Evan agrees. These two had so much fun cracking each other up.

They would repeat an antic and laugh and laugh.

Evan loves "beebies". Which is a relief because we have one on the way.

 7 Weeks.

He always points to babies and says "beebee!"

Sunday evening activity: smashing pumpkins, throwing pumpkins off the balcony.

 

Remember one of our pumpkins had a skeleton face? It looked really creepy laying out there among the ruins.

 

Monday we went on another adventure, and once again these two were so adorable.

At the car before we started, they had a group hug and yelled,

"Adventurers!"

And they both brought a "spy book".

 

 

dead crab

Half of them wanted to sit on the bench,

half of them were forced by their moms so that we could get a picture.

 

 

 

Then we went and ate some Boston's

Remember how good that was?

Once we got our brood of four, four and under, settled...mmmm good food.

 

Finally, we talked a few days about making an

epic dessert

so Monday night, me and Jamie slipped away for an hour to "go get groceries" for the

epic dessert.

This is what we made. Not exactly "epic", and actually Jamie whipped it up all by herself while I was putting my kids to bed.

It was as good as it looks.

 

I'll say it again, we love having people come visit.