Decorating for Christmas

I LOVE decorating for Christmas. It is one of my favorite activities of the year.

Christmas shopping begins on Black Friday but the trees do not go up until December the 1st.

While the kids are at school and Rob is at work (depending on the day of the week December 1st falls) I clean the house and get all of the decorations down from the attic (much easier in our new house) and set up the trees.
By the time we are together as a family, the trees are ready to be decorated.

This year December 1st was on a Saturday and while the kids were happily planning at Nana and Pas Rob and I prepared the house for Christmas.
(I could not resist this first picture... Oscar the Grouch does not normally help decorate but this year he helped with the biggest of the 5 trees).

 Our family tree is in the living room between our living room and dining room next to our entertainment stand.
The 3 Sparkle Trees (one for each of the kids- biggest to smallest) is in the fireplace room.

Tucked under the kids trees are the 24 books of Christmas. We read a different Christmas story each night to count down the days until Christmas.

 Decorated with love by the Sparkle Sisters

 And this is what happens when you have a little brother.
Yes that that is the 3 sparkle trees on the ground knocked over by Cooper. Who was tearing the M&M garland from the branches.
This was the first of the three times he knocked down the trees that day.

 Our stockings are hung on the mantel with care

 It definitely feels like Christmas around here

 5 People in our family means 5 trees.
1 Family Tree
3 Sparkle Trees
and
1 S'more tree

 Plus my s'more nativity.

 Its beginning to feel a lot  like Christmas!

Hope you and your families are having a blessed holiday season.

Daddy's Little Elf

Look who's all tuckered out from helping decorate for Christmas....

Pictures of the 5 Christmas trees coming soon.

Swim Lessons

Lillian has finished another session of swim lessons.

Her skills have grown in Leaps and Bounds.

Here she is before swimming her 25m free style. She also can swim the 25m backstroke.
(She prefers to swim from the deep end to the shallow end although neither end can she touch).

Her instructor Miss Amy said that this summer Lillian can join the swim team.
It is the same swim team that Madison currently swims for.
5 years olds are asked to join the the team by invitation only- so this is a HUGE honor.
Lillian is quite excited.

For now we are taking a break from lessons for the holidays and will return to lessons in January.

Happy 30th Birthday

to ME!!!!!!!!

My wonderful husband (who would still be wonderful even if he hadn't done this) planned a surprised trip to celebrate our anniversary and our birthdays at an all inclusive resort in Cancun.

We had 5 days and 4 nights at our resort and enjoyed the time to relax, sleep in, and read.

This is the view from our walk up patio.
Our own lounge chairs and a Tiki bar just across the pool.
(They upgraded our room at check in. We were excellence club members and had our own pools and private beaches and bars to take advantage of :)

 This is standing on our back patio looking in. The curtain on the right is the jacuzzi bathtub.

Rob was able to capture a few of the morning sunrises on the beach (I was a sleepy head).

When you arrived at the beach the cabana attendants would ask your preference... covered or uncovered lounge chairs, direct sun or shade. It was awesome.

 One afternoon we took a bike tour (all the way to the resort golf course and back) and as a result found an awesome tour to climb and capture the sunset.

 Us on top of the tower

 This is 1 of the 7 pools (all pools had attached hot tubs). It was a little chilly to swim, but perfect weather to soak in the sunshine.

Behind us is one of the 2 restaurants on the water. We ate there the first night- we actually ate at both restaurants on our first night, back to back. First the Lobster House and then the Steak House. (Both were yummy)

 Walking on the beach in the evening was our favorite part of the day (or at least mine)
(I realize this is a sunrise picture not a sunset but I still liked walking on the beach)

It was a wonderful trip.
The anticipation of the surprise, trying to piece together the clues and guess our destination were all part of the fun.

We are so thankful for our family and their willingness to watch our 3 Sparkles so we could have a get away.

My 30's are off to a great start!

Hospital stay

What an exciting last couple of days.

It all started Sunday with a low grade fever that kept creeping up. It reached its peak of 104 that night. Non stop crying Monday afternoon brought us to the pediatrician where we ruled out strep, ear infections ( so we thought) and his chest was clear.

Home we went to continue to try to get him to eat or drink (anything)

Tuesday morning we were sent for blood work and strictly monitoring cooper's fluid in take and out take. 

Wednesday morning, after another phone call to the doctors office with his diaper and sippy update, we were admitted to the local hospital for high fever and dehydration, where we have spent the last 48 hours.

 This was iv number 1 our second and third ivs were in his feet. This chair is where we spent our 48 hours- rocking a lot and snuggling 

Eating a graham cracker while he waited for his breakfast (he ate 2/3 of a banana and a 1/4 of a pancake and then Mama's McDonald's hash brown before we left. Plus a cereal bar when he got home. He is finally getting back to normal)

3 IV's and lots of fluid bags and we were discharged this morning. Discharge criteria was that he had to eat breakfast :)

There were lots of exciting  moments in our stay (exploding IV's, sleeping in a rocking chair, rocking 24/7) and even a Few Ah ha's (finally disagnoised his infection after he broke out in a full body in a rash, plus an ear infection, tummy medicine,)

We are home from the hospital, in clean Jammie's and have enjoyed a nap in our own beds.

God is good and we are so thankful for all the prayers and support of our friends and loved ones.

It's good to be home!