Christmas Day 2013

After opening our family presents at home (they are still on Brian's camera), we headed over to the Alderson Grandparents' house for a fun day of presents, food and visiting.

Grandma Jill made Ella a Vet kit customized with ID tags, hospital bracelets, casts, xrays and more!  She loves it!

Erik got Mario Cart for his DS from Grandma and Grandpa.  Aunt Jennifer got him this really cool remote car that had many adventures including denting a kitchen chair leg!

Brian was surprised to open his new office chair.  Camden and I built it for him on Sunday afternoon and he spent the evening in it!  It tilts back and rocks, a definite need for him.

Camden loved his Lego Airplane that I didn't get a picture of?  We all had a great time even though the kids stayed up way too late the night before!  I loved my Kitchen Aid mixer I got and it has found a home on my counter already!

Christmas Eve 2013

Every year we travel to the Bowlsby Grandparents house for Christmas Eve.  We were only a little late arriving due to Ella's head lice.  The kids had fun hanging out with their cousins and eating in the family room!

The boys got some Legos!

Ella was happy with her new friend, Mary!

We gave Uncle John the photo album with 8 years of photos including him, he liked it.

Camden settled in to read some new books.

We stayed way too late, past 10pm this year!  The kids were grumpy, tired, and mopey Christmas Day because of it.  Next year, I want to be in bed by 10pm!  It was a fun time and it was fun to see how much all the kids have grown.

Busy with Bugs!

We have been super busy over the holidays which is abnormal for our family.  Camden asked us for his own room for Christmas.  After discussing it, we smooshed the office furniture into the master bedroom with our bed giving Camden his own room!

This move took about 3 days to move the furniture, change out all the closets, and get everything settled.  The twins now share the blue room and have the main computer in their room!

Brian and I moved back into the master bedroom with the bed on the interior wall, all the office furniture is to the right of the loveseat pictured.

Then we found red flour beetles in the kitchen.  John and I scrubbed the kitchen and dumped out contaminated food out, wiped down the walls, counters and cupboards for 2 days!

After the bugs returned, yes returned after a day, the men set to seal the cracks in the cupboards and paint the selves to see if that would solve the problem.  We are down to 1/10 of the population at the moment.  We had to stop for another bug had found it's way in...

Oh yeah baby, Head Lice!  This was our first encounter with it, and I think we did well.  Ella brought it home from church (we think) and we found it one hour before leaving for Grandma's on Christmas Eve!  5 days later I am just finishing drying the stuffed animals and putting bedding back together!

The kids love to hang out on our bed, so that was the first thing to go in the wash after Ella's sheets.  Brian and I got to sleep with our "own" comforters on Christmas Eve as we don't have a spare queen size one and we got home late!  As you can see, it has been busy and I apologize for not posting as often!  Also, the kids came down with a bad cold/virus the day after Christmas and we are still weathering that as well.  Christmas pictures to come...

One Proud Mama!

Camden had his last day before winter break today and received some awards!  There were only 2 kids in his entire class that earned straight As and he was one of them!  This picture shows his 4 teachers and the school principal in the middle.

Just look at that smile!  So proud!

Camden also earned Perfect Attendance for this quarter!  He is standing in front of the teacher in red.

He was awarded a fancy ribbon as well for the Honor Roll!

I could not be happier with his school, Camden's educational performance and Camden himself!

Bowling Party

All 3 kids were invited to a bowing birthday party, so much fun!  Camden got the highest score on his lane too!

This was our first invite all year from KNOVA and it was fun to meet and talk with some of the other Moms.  Camden's teacher and the School Sect. were there too!

Ella was too cute watching her bowling ball g dooowwwnnnn the lane ever so slowly!

Crafting a Room for CJ

Camden asked for his own room for Christmas.  We had all 3 kids in the master bedroom for about 6 months and they loved it.  Brian really needed his office space to find some solace.  Brian and I agreed to move the office into the master with our bedroom furniture.  3 days of moving furniture later...CJ's Minecraft Room complete with cat on the bed!

We gave him a desk and the long white table to build on.  He has many different sets he needs a flat surface to build on including an architect set Santa is bringing him!  Yes, the book says "Minecraft for Dummies"!
 

He loves to read and has more books than toys now!  We put his board games and his legos in the closet and everything else fit in his 3 little cubes. 

Here is a close up of kitty I could not resist, so cute!  She naps in there all the time since the twins are not allowed in his room.  (The twins now share the blue room, pictures upcoming...)

Here is another time I walked in the family room and found him all settled by himself!  Daddy is letting him use his laptop anytime now, so he grabbed it, the pillow and the desk board and got his game on while I prepared dinner!

Sarah Update

Sarah kitty is growing really big!  She is 10 months old now and weighs over 10 pounds!  Cats typically bond with one person in the household and we figured it out to be....Camden!  I was jealous at first, but it makes sense, Erik & Ella have each other and share a room, same with Brian and I.  Camden is all alone, but has Sarah kitty now.

Sarah likes our Christmas Tree!

She likes to stretch out on the bed to snooze!

She can sleep pretty heavy for a cat.

She still plays a lot and gets pretty W-I-L-D every night at 9pm!

She is a good kitty, not scratching the couches, just biting the kids when they are pushing her limits and jumping on the counters to get a drink from the sink.

Erik's First Week

Erik finished his first week in his first grade groups! (He is the one under the orange O.)   At conferences the teachers mentioned that Erik was getting bored in his Kindergarten groups and they wanted to let him attend first grade reading and math groups.  He now goes to school from 7:30am-2pm and LOVES it!  He has AM Kindergarten circle time and Language, then 1st grade reading and recess.  1st grade Math goes until lunch when Erik returns to PM Kindergarten for Social Studies, and one more 1st grade group before going home.  He has made a lot of friends, mostly girls googling over him. He had his first reading and math test and scored a 100% on the math test!  I am one proud Mommy.  Ella is in all the highest groups in her Kindergarten class!

Gingerbread Houses!

We headed to the Alderson Grandparents last Sunday to make our annual Gingerbread Houses!  The kids LOVE making these and this time we talked Brian into joining us.

He actually enjoyed himself and Mom's food!  He made a really neat chimney on his side of the family's house.

Erik and his side of the family house!  This is his "really proud" face.

The kids took turns decorating and also played with Grandma's new toys!  Ella liked the electric train.

Camden enjoyed Tenzy, a new game for us.

Here is a good shot of his two front teeth coming in before Christmas.  <Pout>

The whole Bowlsby family and their house!