All I want for Christmas is my ONE front tooth!

Lydia's front tooth had been barely loose for a very long time and just wasn't getting anywhere. It was taking so long that her permanent tooth was growing in behind it, and I was NOT going to pay dentist to take out a loose baby tooth. So, I thought, we've got to get this thing out, she can tough it out. We tried and tried, and finally with a quick hard tug, and a scream, it came out, with the WHOLE root still there! I felt so bad, but Lydia was so brave, and she got over it in a minute because she was so excited to show off her new space. And, I bribed her saying that the tooth fairy would bring extra if she was really brave! This is one of my favorite stages when they're missing their front teeth. Soooo cute!

Picture with Santa

Oh, what a wonderful time of the year, making memories and traditions, but sometimes making those memories is quite challenging. We were having just a wonderful time waiting in line to see Santa for only about 45 minutes. During that time I was just enjoying watching my children wildly running about, fighting, tripping, harassing an old lady, putting their hands all over everything they can think of, almost breaking the decorations, taking off shoes, hair in dissaray, and crawling/laying on the floor in the middle of the mall.  We were up next to see Santa after such a joyous wait and his helper was talking to me about getting their pictures taken when Lydia bumped into Adam (possibly on purpose, we don't know who to believe), and Adam decides to let loose and shove her as hard as he dare, almost knocking over a statue and Lydia! Well, Santa's helper handled it with grace and said very nicely, "Oh, we don't treat our sister like that", and I, well, it took every ounce of control not to slap him on the back of the head and drag his sorry butt out to the car. But, I did not stand in line for that long to miss out on getting our traditional Santa picture. Adam's pouting, Lydia's  crying and somehow I gathered every ounce of patience I could, dried their tears and amazingly came home with this wonderful picture.

 

Hazel loves putting on makeup, lipgloss especially. She's not happy unless she has at least three in hand and gobbs them on, sometimes dripping from her chin. Needless to say, all of Joy and Mary's lip glosses are infected with Hazel slobber!

Halloween!!

Hazel went as a fairy, thanks to Mom's amazing talent. I got sooo many complements on her costume! People even gave her extra candy because of her cuteness!

Mom also made Adam's Link costume, the shirt and the hat. He looks pretty awesome!

Lydia, the Cupcake fairy!

Joy, a Japanese girl, and Mary, Red Riding Hood

We met up with Seth and Jim's families to go trick or treating. Mary and her cousins Jennifer and Melanie all dressed up as Red Riding Hood and they didn't even know they were the same until a few days before!

Adam with his cousins Paul and Joseph

I had to share these wonderful dresses Mom made for the girls. They are just so cute and she made the hair bows too.

 

As for other news, Joy was chosen as student of the month in Science for October, and she was just chosen to be the Miamade  secratary, so she's very excited about that. Mary and Joy are also both on the Honor Roll.

Hogle Zoo - October 28th, 2011

The kids had the 28th off of school, so we went to the zoo with my brother Josh and sister Jenna. Unfortunately David had to work. You can't see it in the picture very well, but Adam thought this was the coolest monkey ever. He was very entertaining eating his food and Adam didn't want to leave him.

Hazel loved seeing all the animals, especially the tiger and monkeys.

This tiger was pacing back and forth and roaring over and over. It was really cool!

Mary and Josh goofing off.

I think Joy's favorite was the giraffe. It was so funny watching that giraffe get in that position in the second picture.

Mary, Joy, Josh, and Jenna

 

As I have mentioned before Adam LOVES wolves and he is reverently letting the wolf in the background sleep. We were hoping he would get up and walk around.

And of course he chose the wolf to ride on at the carousel.

Lydia's 6th Birthday - Oct. 19th, 2011

Lydia had about the worst birthday ever! She came home from kindergarten not feeling like eating lunch. Hazel had been throwing up on and off for three days at that point and I thought, Oh please don't let this happen on her birthday. But, it did! She started a few hours before dinner, it was suppose to be Fettuccine, her favorite, but we had to post pone that and her cake for about a week because then David and I were sick with it for about five days after that. She still wanted to open her presents and I couldn't deny her that at least, so in between throwing up, she opened presents and amazingly showed some enthusiasm for what she got. It was so pitiful I had to take a picture.

So finally a week later, I was well enough to make her cake and her favorite dinner. She was so patient in the meantime and so happy when the day finally came. Sadly those were the only pictures I got since I wasn't exactly feeling myself either. But, she got a Nintendo DS, some games to go with it, a Barbie guitar, some books, and a Ladybug Land, where she gets to watch ladybugs grow from pupae to adults. She's just loving that!

A few weeks ago Hazel came to me saying "Look, Mommy, pitty" I was surprised to see she had painted her own fingernails, and face! She had gotten a hold of some of Lydia's play fingernail polish and luckily that stuff is pretty washable. But, amazingly she didn't get it on anything else!

 

Lydia had a Halloween program at school and sang some really cute songs. This is her standing next to the pumpkin her table carved the day before. They all were dressed in their costumes for the program too. Lydia is wearing the fairy costume Mom made for her. Sooo cute!

And Hazel just too cute to pass up!