Early Christmas & Fun at the Mall

Aunt Pam sent her Christmas gifts again this year to arrive the day after Thanksgiving. I am sooooo appreciative of this more and more. By Friday, we are all stir crazy and in need of something exciting.....these gifts do just the trick! The kids were so excited and screamed with joy each time they pulled out another item from their boxes. All the kids were very pleased with what they got.

On Saturday, we took the kids to the mall to visit Santa.....which was their reward for being "good" during the week (as posted on their charts). I thought for sure at least one of them would be weary of Jolly Old Saint Nick, but to my surprise, they were each excited (with the exception of Nicholas). Nolan got right up on Santa's lap and told him he wanted a Nintendo DS. Natalie stood in front of Santa and told him she wanted "all the girl stuff," and Nathan told Santa something about Thomas the Train (he spoke in an unusually quiet tone). They all hopped up on Santa's lap and had their picture taken. Check your mail for the result of the picture, as we ordered greeting cards of this!

Here are a few pics :)


Natalie and Nathan being "good" kids and sharing the computer.










Nicholas grasping the Curious George toy......he's getting over his pink eye in this picture :)









Natalie squeezing her pink stuffed animal :) It now follows her to and from bed as do about 6 other stuffed toys.











Nathan was shouting "ready, set, go!" as he ran across the foam pond at the mall play area!







Nolan, Natalie, and Nathan "hangin' out" on the benches around the play area. Nolan was busy reading something about the rent-a-strollers, and the other two came to join him.

Thanksgiving 2009

So we spent Thanksgiving at home this year.....just me, Matt, and the 4N's. Matt had to go to the grocery store this morning, and Natalie & Nathan tagged along, of course. Nolan and I stayed home (with Nicholas napping) and made some desserts. I just used some of the box desserts I had at the house. We made chocolate chip cookies and a pound cake. I let Nolan do most of the steps by himself....pour in the mix, crack the eggs, add the butter, etc.....we had a really good time, just Mommy and Nolan.

We ate our dinner around 4:00pm. It was earlier than we usually eat, so the kids really didn't eat as much as they should have....but they certainly saved room for dessert! I fixed my mom's broccoli casserole and Teresa's sweet potato casserole. Matt fixed the turkey and some dinner roles. All in all, the dinner turned out quite well, considering it was our first Thanksgiving dinner.

I tried to get the kids to say some things they were thankful for, but it ended up as a typical silly fest. They were thankful for juice, bears, blankets, and what not. But, oh well, I can't expect too much. After Matt and I said that we were thankful for our whole family, the kids followed suit. It was a long day for sure, but enjoyable nonetheless to do it on our own :)

All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth!

I was right! Nolan will be wishing for his two front teeth for Christmas! He got off the bus this afternoon, and he ran smiling toward me, I said, "OH! You lost your other tooth today!" Nolan then got a look of shock on his face, flicked his tongue into the empty spot, and started crying. I was totally confused. I asked Nolan if he knew he had lost it, and he didn't even know. He said he fell at recess today and maybe it fell out then or he may have swalled it! Either way, it's out and the Tooth Fairy will be understanding about the missing tooth from under his pillow.





Say, "Sister Susie sittin' on a thistle..."




After Natalie saw me taking Nolan's picture, she wanted a little photo session of her own; practicing her silly faces!




You talkin' to me?
















Super silly!











I detect a little bit of "priss" in this one :)

The kids got extra points for dressing as either a Pilgrim or an Indian at Awana tonight. I did the best I could do with limited resources!

Nicholas is 1!!!

The day before his birthday, Nicholas started taking several steps.

His shirt is a mess from juice!

Digging into the cake.

Halloween 2009

Here's some pictures of Trick-or-Treat. Nathan and Nicholas were at Mom-o's, so Matt and I had it pretty easy with only Nolan and Natalie to walk around the neighborhood.

Natalie the unicorn. Nolan the bat.

Ready to go!

A New Look for Nolan

On October 29, Nolan lost one his top teeth. This is my favorite look so far. His other tooth is loose as well, so he may be singing, "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth."

Arts, Crafts, & Games

A few weeks ago, I bought a sheet of magnetic paper that can be cut and then decorated. The kids really enjoyed making their own magnets. Nolan made a rectangle and wrote our family's names on it. Natalie decorated a pretty heart.
















Nathan wasn't so much into decorating his magnets....I guess he needed a bigger canvas, like himself and....


his brother!













I tried soooo hard to be mad at Nathan over this, but I couldn't keep a straight face. Nathan is just that type of kid that has an awesome personality....it's hard to get upset with him even when he draws a mustache on Nicholas. I couldn't be mad, cause Nicholas is too young to get upset about it. So we all ended up having a good laugh...and thankfully, Nathan has refrained from drawing on Nicholas since then.


This evening, Nolan wanted to play a game of Candy Land, which is usually required for Matt or me to play with him. However, this evening, Nolan had a new volunteer to play....Natalie! So far they've really behaved, but the game's not over yet. I'm so proud of them for getting along :)

Starting Fresh!

Matt and I have been trying our best to change up our home decor. We've painted and painted and still have more painting to do. I've purchased a bookshelf and a bench that has storage under the seats. The kids love the bench....though it's become a seat that they fight over. I've been able to organize and makes things look better as far as the toy situation goes. The bench now acts as a toy box. This picture is a rare one.....all together in harmony.

School is going quite well for my bunch. Nolan, of course, is taking to it like a fish in water. His reading improves daily, and as I am now working with 2nd graders, I would make the assumption that Nolan is reading at a second grade level or higher. He also reminds me soooo much as me as a student. I NEVER wanted to get into trouble and did my best to do what the teacher asked. Nolan comes home each day with a "proud note" from his teacher for behaving. He's just a wonderful boy.

Natalie also is making impressive gains. I've struggled with her in trying to instill a love of learning, but I had made little progress. However, at school, she's quite the little student. She's showing interest now in counting, trying to write, learning the alphabet, and so forth. Her teachers have commented on how much she likes art, which I have known for a long time. Not too many things hold her undivided attention, but any sort of crafty or artsy thing seems to really capture her.

Nathan and Nicholas are going to a neighbor's for babysitting while I do my observations. I'm only going twice a week, so I hope they do well for her. I've been assigned to a second grade class and I LOVE it! I have always thought that not majoring in education was a huge mistake for me. But, I've come to realize that I can't have any regrets about it. I've had the opportunity to work in the business world, have four wonderful children, and let my heart guide me as to where I belong in the workforce when the time goes. I don't think I would've appreciated what I'm learning about education at an earlier stage in my life. This was the right time to start fresh.

School Days

This Fall, half of my family is starting school. I am attending WVU, Nolan is starting Kindergarten, and Natalie is starting Preschool. All of us have successfully attended our first days, and each of us made it through our nervousness.

Nolan ready to head out the door.

Nolan at his seat....time for Mommy to go.

Natalie was anxious to start her first day of school. She did wonderfully according to her teachers. I'm so proud of my bunch.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub, 3 Kids in the Tub

All the kids like it when they can take a bath with Nicholas. So one day, I had three of four kids in the tub together. It was a tight squeeze, but they had a good time.

Moments after this picture, Nicholas leaned over a little too far and fell out of the tub head-first. He was okay :)

Just a sweet picture of my awnry little boy!

Fun in Mom-o and Pops' Pool

We stayed with Matt's mom and dad's following the Baptism. The kids really had a blast in the pool. Nolan was really excited to show us all the things he could do since having his swimming lessons this summer.

Nathan enjoyed floating around the pool in the big duck.

Natalie was pretty secure with all of her floatation devices. She'll pick up swimming in no time....she really knows how to kick her feet well.

Nolan & Abby in mid-jump.

Kids' Baptism

I've obviously fallen quite behind in my blog, so I'm going to try to do some catching up.


On August 15th, we got all the kids baptized. The kids acted very good, considering their ages. Nathan had a little bit of trouble standing still, but what can one expect out of a 2 year old. Here are some pictures from the big day. I'm so proud of my kids.









Making the sign of the cross on the kids.

























Nicholas being baptized.




















The kids were excited to hold their Baptismal candles.

Pittsburgh Pirates Game

Yesterday, we decided to head to Pittsburgh to see a Pirates game. We assumed that since the Pirates' record isn't exactly great, that it would be no problem to just go and buy tickets when we got there. We had to park on the opposite side of the river and then walk across a bridge to get to the stadium.....must have been at least half a mile. I had Nicholas in my front pack, then Matt and I held hands with the kids as we made our way over to the stadium. It was so sad to see, but there were lots of homeless people shaking their cups at us along the way. I actually saw more homeless people in that one walk than I have in my entire life. Along with the homeless, there were ticket scalpers about every 20 yards or so. We had several try to sell us tickets, but we decided to go to the ticket booth instead.

(the bridge)

When we finally made it to the ticket booth, we found out that the game was sold out. It was something like the 700th game at the stadium, and there were going to be fireworks after the game....so obviously this drew a large crowd. So our next step was to head back over toward the bridge to find an alternate means of getting tickets. We were able to get someone to help us (of course) and bought 4 tickets for $100. Matt didn't have enough cash on him, so he and the guy headed to the ATM so Matt could get out some money. Matt got the money, handed it to the guy, and the guy gave him the tickets. As soon as Matt looked at them, he started walking after the guy to tell him that the tickets weren't all in the same section. The guy told him "not to worry about it" and that we would be able to find seats. As Matt had this little conversation, I looked over at the ATM to see that his card was still in the machine. As I was reaching for it, the ATM ate it. Wow! What a way to start the trip.

Fortunately, when we got to our seats, we were able to all sit together....for a while anyways. The kids did great. We ate hot dogs, drank some drinks, and enjoyed the game. Matt and I had discussed whether or not we should stay for the fireworks and thought that we might. But, in the 6th inning, some young guy came up and sat right in the middle of our family and announced that he had these seats and that he had about 8 friends on their way up. There were probably 6 or 7 empty seats above us that we could have moved to, but decided to just go. I was so appalled that this guy didn't offer to sit in the row above us. I understand that those were probably some of his seats, but seriously.....how ungentlemanlike to ask a family of 6 to move a row considering how much stuff we had to move with us.

We left the seats and decided to just hit up the little play area for kids. We let the kids run around for about 20 minutes or so and then headed back to the parking garage.

We ended up getting home around 11:30 pm and then put the kids to bed right away. Even though the night was a bit hectic, it was still a great outing for us.

First Word!

I had been trying to teach Nicholas to say "ma-ma" or "da-da" but he wasn't real interested. Last night while he was taking his bath, I noticed how much he was making the "s" sound. So I decided to see if he could say "yes." After repeating "yes" to him several times, he finally began saying it. It's a big change from the other kids that had always learned to say "no" before saying "yes" since they hear "no" much more often. Here's a couple pictures of the "yes" man.







He's always this happy :)...
even with a big knot on his head!











The biggest and littlest.

Celebrations!

We've been pretty busy with birthday parties, a family reunion, and a t-ball party over the past few weeks. Our first birthday celebration was for our neighbor Morghan. She had her party at the Gymnastics Center (which is where Natalie, Nathan, and Nolan all want their next birthday parties). The kids had a great time jumping on the trampolines, jumping into the foam pits, and running around on the spring floor. The kids and I had been to parties here before, but this was Matt's first time, and he had as much fun as the kids!

Nicholas hanging out on the tumbling floor.

Nolan swinging on the rope.

Nathan's face is definitely saying, "Get me down from here!"

Tuesday was Morghan's actual birthday, so we decided to go to Family Night at Chick-Fil-A and meet up with the Weavers. The kids had so much fun and all got their faces painted again. This time Nathan was Cookie Monster, Nolan was Elmo, and Natalie requested Sleeping Beauty. They all looked too cute!

Nathan getting Cookie Monster on his cheek.

Miss Tea Cup did a wonderful interpretation of Sleeping Beauty for Natalie.

Nolan wanted to coordinate with Nathan, so he got Elmo on his cheek.

Our next celebration was the 4th of July, which is also Poppy's birthday. We drove to Poca and spent the day with my grandparents. Granny set up a slip n' slide and Matt set up the "bounce house" that his sister had just given him. All the kids had an absolute blast. Though I would never move back to the country, it sure is fun to visit. Natalie was stripped down to her panties since I forgot her bathing suit....but it wasn't a big deal at all! Nathan was "country-livin'" as well.....I have him potty-trained now, and sometimes let him pee outside. Well, at Granny's house, he just dropped his pants and peed all over the driveway....this kid cracks me up!

The kids in the bounce house.

Abby and Natalie in an upside-down picture.....look at Abby's pose....LOL

All of Granny and Poppy's great-grand kids.

Joe, Judson, Nicholas, Natalie, Nolan, and Nathan.

After our day at my grandparents, we drove to Spencer to spend the night at my dad's house. We were so lucky to be able to go sit on top of his cellar building and enjoy the town's fireworks. The kids all really enjoyed this. Sleeping arrangements that night were a little less desirable since none of the kids wanted to leave me. Nicholas, though, was in the playpen in Shirley's room....otherwise, I was on an air mattress between Nathan and Natalie and Nolan laid sideways in the bed so he could be even with us. Needless to say I didn't get much sleep, but that's okay.....I'm pretty used to it at this point!

The next day was the Mace family reunion at the park across the street from Dad's house. The weather wasn't that great....in the 60's and damp. I could not believe that I was actually feeling chilly on the Fourth of July! We stayed only until 2:30 and then headed home. The kids were so exhausted from our travelling and are finally rebounding back on schedule.

After we got home from Spencer, we had another cookout to attend for our neighbor's little boy's first birthday. Again, we got out the "bounce house" and wore the kids out. This thing does wonders for night time sleep!

Finally, this past Tuesday, Nolan had his T-ball party at the park here in our subdivision since all but two of the players live in this subdivision. They served pizza, cupcakes, and awarded all the kids with an engraved trophy. Going to the park is always lots of fun, but having food and watching Nolan get his trophy made it so much sweeter!

Is this a proud little boy, or what!

Beach Trip 2009

We had a fabulous time at the beach again this year. The kids were super on the way to and from WV to SC....only a few little outbreaks which is always to be expected. We spent our days at the beach or in the pool depending on what the kids wanted, which was usually the pool. The weather was great....hot and it only rained a few times in the evening. I'll go ahead and cut to the chase and show off some of our pictures.

Nolan on the beach.
















Nathan looking extremely COOL in his shades.













These two loved playing in the sand.

Nathan saying, "Oh Mom-my,"

Nicholas sitting on Matt's shoulders....he had been trying to sink his teeth into Matt's head.

Enjoying some pink ice cream.

Nolan's bright ice cream turned his lips blue.

Nathan is really into the Build-A-Bear scene.

Natalie anxiously awaiting her turn to stuff her Hello Kitty.

Natalie and Nathan taking a ride.

Matt and me at the amusement park.

The kids loved this ride as it whipped them around the corners. Nolan and Nathan rode in a car together, and Natalie and Abby in another car (you can see them in the back).

Riding the little Ferris wheel.

Pops and Nicholas.

My blue-eyed boys.

Makayla and Natalie in the pool.

Nicholas fell asleep while Hannah floated him around the pool.

Mom-o and Nolan.

Matt and Natalie.

All of Mom-o and Pops' grand kids.

Cousins.

Mommy and daughter...the sun was really in our eyes.

Our happy family.

Matt and me.

Just our babies.
.

The entire crew.