Resolutions

I'm jumping ahead of finishing up my Christmas post, but I started thinking about these things and wanted to get them down before I forgot what I promised myself I would (try to) do this coming year. OK, here goes....

1. I know, everyone is rolling their eyes at this one, but #1 is to lose those last 10 lbs of baby weight- seeing as my baby is 5 ½ (pathetic, I know)
2. Keep a cleaner house- I'm thinking of setting up a schedule for myself like Sunday: clean bathrooms, Monday: vacuum the upstairs rooms, Tuesday: change sheets, etc. etc. Does anyone else do this? Does it work for you? Is cleaning your bathroom only once a week gross? Currently, I do wipe down the sink and toilet surfaces everyday, but I don't scrub the tub or scour the toilet everyday....I just don't want you to think we are drowning in toothpaste spit over here.
3. Be a better mom/wife/friend... I need to be a better listener.
4. Read more.
5. Spend less time just farting around.
6. Eat better and make my kids eat better- even if they aren't aware that is what I am up to :) I'd like to branch out and try new dinners. I feel like we are in a rut of foods they find acceptable.
7. This one goes along with #6- Plant more veggies and actually eat those veggies! Possibly make and store more foods, like tomato and apple sauce. (I did 2 big pots of tomato sauce this year and froze it in quart sized bags... but we are already all out!)
8. Make a quilt for Alex. She wants to re-do her room colors and I have some ideas brewing. I should update the boys room too... it is too babyish for an 8 year old.
9. Finally finish up those nagging little home projects I've started- like finishing the trim paint in the computer/craft room (formally the dining room) and replace my much needed shelf above the washer and dryer that came crashing off the wall one day.
10. Get outside more- get more exercise.

Well...that's a good start I think.

Happy New Year!

It is 2008... can you believe it? But before I wish everyone a Happy New Year, I should really re-cap our Christmas (mostly so that someday I'll remember it). Our Christmas was great!! Lots of family togetherness, "tousins", silliness, good food and reminiscing... just what I wanted for Christmas.

Part 1:
We started the Sunday before Christmas with the kids' church pageant.... good thing they are all cute, because it was pretty bad. Hudson did a great job remembering his many, many lines, but besides that there was not much I could say about it. (I could barely even understand it.)
Later that day my good friend Sue came over and gave me the best gift... the Bend the Rules Sewing book! She's so awesome! I got busy that day and started making cute little purses and clutches, that I stuffed everyone's stocking with. The next day, Monday, was Christmas Eve. We went down to Cheap Charlies for the Sullivan's annual joint birthday party, then on to Grandma and Papa's house for the Norman family gathering. It is always so nice to see most of my cousins and aunts and uncles. The evening started off with a bang though- when I ended up with a spider in my mouth when I took a sip of my wine. Ick. After that it was home to wrap gifts with It's a Wonderful Life playing on TV in the background.

We must have the only kids around that don't wake up at the crack of dawn on Christmas day. Alex and Hudson were up around 7:30.... we ate cinnamon rolls while we waited for Grandma Chickie to show up... and Ethan to wake up! At about 8am, Grandma arrived so we decided to wake Ethan up (unbelievable). The kids went right to work on their stockings... and were surprised to find an onion in each (Santa must have run out of coal or rotten potatoes).

Hudson discovers his onion.

Ethan was very pleased with his knuffle bunny, a stuffed version of the toy in one of his favorite books. Alex got mostly "practical things" (her words) like clothes, dance stuff, new sheets, a magazine subscription and books. She also got a pretty necklace from her Daddy. Hudson was thrilled with his Lego castle and Ethan's Lego dwarf mine. He also liked the squid shirt I made him, although his Papa said it looked like a p__is.

I was really proud of my kids this year. I told them that they had to either make or buy their siblings gifts this year. I wanted them to learn how to be gracious givers and how selecting a gift for someone else can be almost as fun as receiving presents. They paid attention to what their siblings might want, and made nice thoughtful choices. I helped Ethan out, but Hudson and Alex were pretty independent doing this. They also made some gifts for their grandma's this year- ice candles, where you layer melted wax and crushed ice. We had a lot of fun making them, although Ethan spilled the beans to Grandma Chickie when she babysat a few weeks ago.

Opening gifts at Grandma Chickie's house.

We had a wonderful Christmas dinner at Grandma Chickie's house- her squash recipe was amazing. I'll have to get it from her. Mom and Dad joined us and we all had a nice time chatting and watching the kids be goofy. Then the "boys" packed up and headed home while Alex, Grandma Patty, Papa and I went to see the Smiths. Megan and the family joined us and we all had a very good time... playing guitar, singing, drinking wine, hanging out...figuring out how to make money off of our kids (he, he). It was a perfect ending to a very nice day.

It's A Wonderful Life!

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Silent Night

Merry Christmas from Reilly, Dawn and Alex.

Look what I discovered today!!

I'm am so excited.... I just discovered that you can hear Alex flute performance online!!!! (She is the "trilly" one.)

Also Caroline's drumming.... Here are all the selections.

Celia update

Gabby, Mom and I went up to see Celia and Peach today. Celia looked good- very alert and looking around at us. I got to hold her for a long time- even while 2 different nurses came in to examine her. She's so sweet and snuggly! Elizabeth said that they are 99% sure that her "episodes" (not breathing) are caused by reflux and they have put her on 2 different medicines to help with that. If she doesn't have another episode they may send her home tomorrow. Her due date was this coming Thursday, so it would be fitting for her to come home then!

Say goodbye to the dancer....

Well, I'm glad you all got a chance to see Ethan dance at least once, because today he quit. It has been getting difficult the last few classes to get him there, but I made him promise to stick with it until the winter recital was over with....

He got a little teary when he was telling Mrs. Sciarratta that he was all done, but she said, "I'll still be your friend, and maybe you can try again next year." We'll see. Now he wants to try karate... yeah.

Run Run Rudolph

Watch Gabby RUN!!

Candy Cane Dance

snow angel

Ethan's first recital!!

Frosty the Snowman Tap Dance Finger Lakes Ballet Academy

Feeling Crafty...

Look what I whipped up while Cate was napping yesterday.... No, they are not little gnome hats, although Dawn would like that (she likes gnomes)...

they are candy cones. I saw the idea here and thought they were really cute. Of course mine did not turn out as cute, but o-well. I am the Class Mom for Ethan's class, so I am going to fill them with candy and little treats and pass them out to his classmates.All I have to buy is more candy, everything else I had on had. The green sparkly felt was left over from Hudson's elf costume.

Warning: I have been feeling quite crafty lately, so you all should beware this gift giving season!

And on a more serious note.... say a prayer for baby Celia. She is up at Strong Hospital after she stopped breathing yesterday. Thankfully she was at the doctor's office for an appointment when the incident occurred, so she has been under professional supervision the entire time. She is having all sorts of tests done to see what caused this. I can only imagine what Elizabeth and Marc are going through to see their sweet tiny baby being poked and prodded.

Here is Celia with her great Aunt Karen and next to her Great Grandma at Mum's 95th birthday party.

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Happy Birthday Mum!

Mum is 95 today! Happy Birthday!

And happy birthday to you too Grandpa Donald... we all miss you very much. You would have been very proud of your granddaughter and great granddaughter last night.

5th Grade Concert

Alex had her 5th grade chorus and band concert this evening. They had a "trial run" this morning, and bussed all the kids from the elementary school up to the high school "performing arts center" to see it. Mom and Justin (and Gabby!) went to the morning show because they couldn't make the evening event. When I picked Gabby up from Mom's house afterward (I had a dance meeting to go to) she told me how good it was, and that Alex's duet was great. Her what??? She had a duet? OK, so now I ma feeling like the crappiest Mom on the planet. I knew that Mr. G had given her and another flutist some "special music", but I thought it was just for lessons or for fun.. I had no idea she was doing a duet. Then I thought- gosh- maybe she told me and I was like, "Uh huh" without really listening. I felt really bad. SO I go tonight and watch her and be awed and amazed and blown over. It was really good. We get home and I asked her about the duet and she says, "Mom, I wanted to keep it a secret so you'd be so surprised!" Well, I was....

(It was actually a trio because Mr. G played guitar)

Playing in the band...

Here is Alex in the chorus...

Caroline was part of a special group- five kids played a holiday song. It reminded me of a jazz gig... sorry Caroline, I couldn't avoid the microphone across your face! What talented kids we have!

Happy Hanukkah

Ethan expressed an interest in celebrating Hanukkah (Alex did the same thing when she was little too). So, due to the fact that Hanukkah starts tonight and we were short a menorah, we improvised with birthday candles and an egg carton. We lit one candle, Alex and Hudson said a little prayer about thankfullness, we shared some chocolate cake and enjoyed being together.

Welcome Baby Celia!

Peachy and Marc welcomed Celia Louise last night around 8:30pm. We were able to sneak in today for a really quick peek at her. She's all warm and fuzzy and sweet. We were ushered out because it time to nurse.

Happy birthday to Dominick! Ethan didn't want to get out of bed this morning because it is Dom's birthday so he didn't think he had to go to school...like Dom's a dead president or something! Actually he thought he was going to Dominick's party today.

Even More Elfin' Fun!!

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We Got Elfed!!

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Halloween In Pictures...

Hudson's cute pumpkin.

Alex carved hers all by herself.

Justin was pretty proud of his.

Ann Marie will probably kill me.... she was dressed as an ice cream cone for the school parade.

Ethan in his classroom.

The Headless Groom, his Dead Bride and the rest of the wedding party.

Check out Jonathan's cool drum kit!

You can barely even see Dom.... he's so dark, and William is a blur.

Gabby told me she was "ready to be pretty" this Halloween.

William let Grandma Patty take him trick-or-treating.

Cate was a "Bunny Wabbit"!

Hudson got a little carried away this Halloween!