It's been a good week!

Our days and weeks seem to fly by here.  I always have something to be doing and before I know it, it is 10:00 p.m. and I can hardly keep my eyes open.  I never find myself bored or searching for something to keep me busy!  That is a good thing.  Only problem is, I have so many things I want to do and just not enough time to do it all!  

So, the kids are back in school now.  That is a good thing and a bad thing.  Our mornings are crazy here.  We do try out best to have as much done as possible the night before.  Backpacks are lined up, cereal bowls are set out, clothes are laid out the night before.  Somehow, we still have a mad rush in the morning!  

Before they headed back to school, we took our annual trip to the Country Christmas at the Country Springs Hotel.  It is a big light village that you drive through in your car (or party bus).  We do it every year.  We didn't think we were going to go this year because I had read online that for a large Van it was going to cost more.  We hesitated on going, but finally we decided to take the chance.  They ended up charging us the regular car load price so that was awesome.  After you drive through the lights, you can go inside and look at a train display.  They also have this nice picture taking area set up!  We had to squeeze to make it on the bench, but they did!  They also have another building with a huge Nativity set up.  The kids really enjoy looking at it.  

Okay, quick, funny, bad parent story.....First you must understand, it costs us A LOT of money if we go through a drive thru to feed all the kids.  I am talking at least $30...on a good day.  We don't do it a lot and when we do we do it in a savvy way.  No happy meals, nothing extra.  The kids usually share a drink or two as well.  So, the night we went to the Country Christmas we headed in to meat Dan after work.  We had to run a few errands and the kids started complaining on how hungry they were.  We stopped at build a bear to stuff some bears Molly had gotten as Christmas presents and use a gift card Sadie had received.  So the kids were complaining so I stopped at Auntie Annie's pretzel place and got the kids 2 orders of pretzel sticks.  They each got 3 pretzel sticks and a drink to share.  I had some coupons in my wallet for free hamburgers from McDonald's and told them we would stop there in a little bit.  Well, time got a way from us.  Griffin needed to nurse so we had to pull in a parking lot so I could nurse him.  Then we stopped at Sam's club to get some milk and other necessities and then we headed to the Country Christmas.  We did let the kids have a yogurt that we had stocked up on from Sam's.  By the time we were done at the lights it was 9:00 p.m.  We did what any good parents would do....we headed home.  No, we did not stop to pick up the hamburgers :(  The kids were devastated.  "We didn't have dinner, we are so hungry.  When are we going to have dinner?  We HAVE to have dinner.  How can you not give us dinner?"  Ok, if you know my kids at all, they will eat and eat and eat if you offer them food.  They eat like we never feed them...honestly.  So, we came home and most of the kids fell asleep....except Molly.  Now, Molly is usually our "stable" one, but she lost it.  (I am sure being overtired had a bit to do with it as well)  She sobbed and sobbed and sobbed.  Dan made it clear to her that she needed to go to bed.  Then she made her way back down the stairs and wanted to say "goodnight" to me.  Still sobbing of course.  I couldn't let my child go to bed "starving" so I broke in and let her have a banana!  Isn't it funny how kids focus on having to have 3 meals a day.  Well at least my kids do.  If we skip a meal it is the end of the world for them.  It wasn't like we didn't feed them at all that day, or even let them have a few snacks.  Yikes...I am sure Molly will never forget the night we didn't give her dinner!


So, anyways,  below is a picture of Chubs holding Griffin.  She is 100% in love with her little brother.  She is so "helpful" with him as well.  She loves to rock his car seat or bounce him in his bouncer.  Sometimes ever so gently and sometimes not!  She also likes to suck on Griffin's nuk for him.  I think she thinks she is helping him break it in!  It's funny cause now she hides when she sucks on it because she knows she is not supposed to do it!

 When Lanie is not walking around crying, she is such a character.  She is starting to say a few words now and is "talking" in her own language too!  She is warming up to more people and becoming such a big girl now!

 If you have been in our house in the winter, you know it is cold in here.  I do this for a few reasons.  First of all, our electric bill is OUTRAGEOUS.  I mean it is out of control.  I don't know why...but it is horrible.  We, or I should say I, keep our heat at 62 during the day and 60 at night.  Sometimes I will break in and turn it up to 64 degrees.  The kids get used to it and put a bathrobe on over their clothes or put a sweatshirt on.  Also, when it is colder, the germs can't live as long!  Therefore I think by keeping it colder, perhaps we are killing all the germs that the kids bring home from school!  Okay, so when the heat kicks on here...it is a run for the heating vents.  The kids lay on top of them and take in the warm air.  

 I am sure the kids will be fine if we don't have the heat on super high so don't hate on me for keeping our house cold.  A fireplace or wood or pellet stove would be nice, but it isn't in the plan for us right now.  So for right now, we will lay on the heating vents or put on an extra pair of clothes!

 And here is Griffin being "startled"  One of those baby reflexes that you can forget about.  Have I mentioned how sweet he is and how much I love him?!?!

Ok, off to Kenadie and Gavin's Nativity Play at Preschool.  I suppose I should shower....Have a great day! Hopefully I can post later on the Preschool play!  It is always interesting!