Christmas Card Checklist...

Make Christmas cards - check

Make Christmas crossword - check

Take family Christmas pictures - check

Stick it all in envelopes - check

Address said envelopes - check

Mail Christmas cards -oops....

Don't worry folks, they'll get there by next Christmas for sure...

Christmas

The good... The bad... & The ugly...

The Good-
It was a white Christmas
I got a Cricut Expression!!
Tom was surprised by his gifts (for once...)
We read the story of Christ's birth by candle light
Many yummy goodies
The Bad-
Many yummy goodies- I ate them all...
Cancelled Christmas party due to snow
Cancelled Christmas program at church - due, of course ,to snow
Brooke noticed Santa's wrapping paper and mommy's were the same
The Ugly-
Who's children are those greedy little whiners?
Oh. Mine. Right.
And for good measure - I gained 5 pounds.
So proud. So proud.

At least they are cuties. Here they are looking so nice and sweet and inocent in their Christmas Eve pajamas. (I should probably know better than to post on my blog when I am severly frustrated by my children. I mean, Tom's children...)

Biggest Snoman in the World!

This is easily one of the funnest nights we have ever had as a family. We have all this fabulous snow and Tom and the girls started making a snowman. It got pretty big. I joined in and of course, things got carried away. Pretty soon our friends the Rosenlunds and the Clines came over (we needed A LOT more muscle power...) to help. It was wonderful. We used 2x2's to make a ramp and roll the middle section on. Surprisingly enough, no one was crushed or broken in the process. It took two guys on ladders to get the head on. It was so wonderful to be playing as a family and share it with some good friends as well. I sent pictures in to the local news stations, so I'm sure we'll be famous by morning...

The pictures are a little blurry because we didn't finish until late and it was really dark and the camera didn't focus too well.

Stuck...

What do Christmas cookies, icy roads, grandma, grandpa, Wes, movies, midnight, brides, grooms, fairies, hot chocolate, popcorn, diarrhea, and peace all have in common?

Why the Bishop family's day yesterday, of course! We started out making a snow bride, a snow groom and a snow fairy. Then Grandma Beth and Grandpa Albie came and got the girls a couple of hours of cookie making fun. Only it really started snowing. And snowing. And the girls never made it home. I hate to admit how my heart thrilled with secret joy. A whole night... No children... A quiet house... I almost cried with joy! The girls had a great time staying up until midnight, eating popcorn and hot chocolate and watching movies. Diarrhea, you ask? Well, that is the end result when Erin has too much cookie dough... Glad she was at Grandma's house...

Snow Day!!!

It snowed here in Puyallup! It does happen about once or twice a year. The whole 2 inches that fell canceled church, firesides and meetings alike. It was kind of nice... The girls love the snow and pray for it all winter. Here is some of the fun we've had...

Tom and Sam watching the girls play in the snow
Tom, Erin (purple coat) and Alix (snowsuit) jumping on the slippery trampoline. Snow is even better than shaving cream for slipping around...

Brooke throwing snow around.

The slide was also super speedy covered in snow...

"Mom, it's a perfect snow angel."

Erin

Erin, Alix, Mom and Brooke. In front of Tom's beautiful waterfall...

Alix collecting snow for the snow ice cream we make every time it snows. It's actually good and tastes just like real vanilla ice cream...

Snow in Erin's hair. ( I just like this picture, so you get to see it too...)

Brooke all rosy-cheeked and ready for hot cocoa!

(another) Quote of the day:
"Hey Tom, I got my hair trimmed today. Does it look different?"
Tom- "Sure."
"Really? How?"
Tom- "Washed..."

Note to self: Next time, DON'T ASK!

Quote of the Day:
"Girls, time to eat!"
Erin - "What's for dinner?"
"Hawaiian BBQ chicken."
Erin - "My choose to not be hungry!"

Huh. And it's not even mac-n-cheese...

Tom says I put the wrong picture up. He thinks this one is cuter. I love the funny look on her face in the other one. The choice is yours... Which one do you like best?

This picture was so darn cute, I just couldn't wait for a cute story to go with it! Isn't she the sweetest? This is our Sam-o.

In honor of Tom's birthday, this post is for him.
10 things we love about Tom...
1. He's the best daddy ever! - Brooke
2. He makes great waffles every Saturday morning
3. He always makes time for his girls
4. Yet to find something the man can't do. And do it well.
5. Daddy throws me in the air - Erin
6. He's willing to work. Hard.
7. Daddy is a good tickler. - Alix
8. Tom sings to Sam when he gives her a bottle.
9. He lets me go on girl's weekends and stays home with the kids.
10. He has princess tea parties with the girls. In a crown.
We love you Tom.

Wasn't he the cutest little guy you've ever seen?

This is one of his modeling shots. Apparently, he was very popular as a model in Japan!

Best Mom Ever...

Now that I have a daughter that can (sort-of) tell time, I have to resort to much sneakier methods of trickery. You'll note that it is just after six o'clock in the evening. You should also note that all of my girls are down to bed for the night. And have been for 45 minutes. Yup. Early, I know. I'd just had it tonight. I couldn't take one more minute of the people. Just one of those afternoons. So I tell them it's almost bedtime. "Look guys, it's dark outside!" (The only time that's it's a benefit that it gets dark by 4:30...) Smarty pants Brooke looks at the clock and notices that it's not eight. So I changed the clocks. All of them. By two and a half hours. What can I say... I was desperate! I can also say that it worked. Off they all trooped to bed and here I am, finally in peace. Just better not forget to change the clocks before it's time for Tom to go work in the morning. He might be mad to get to work at 3:45am...

Quote of the Day:
Alyssa (a five-year-old daughter of one of our really good friends): "You and Shelby look the same. " (we have similar hair cuts these days...)
April: "Oh yeah?"
Alyssa: "Yeah. You both look like witches."

Elder Russell M. Nielson will be at our Stake Conference today. Good thing I'm in the choir. At least I'll get a good seat...

3 am...

It's three in the morning. And I'm feeding Sam. We haven't done this since she was 7 weeks old. Hmmmm... I wonder which of my standard excuses apply? Teething? Growth spurt? Cold, since her daddy put her to bed with no pants? (No complaints here, he did bedtime. I was at the gym...) Perhaps she's just a baby? Good thing she's getting cuter every day!

Almost 4 months old!

6 years of wonder

From six pounds... to fifty

A lot of hair... to a really lot of hair

A diaper... to panties

Laying in one place... to never sitting still

No teeth... to tooth fairy heaven

Crying and cooing... to non-stop singing and chattering

Only child... to the best sister ever

Joy of her mother's heart - from birth to eternity

Love you Brooke!

Blow out the candles!

I am insanely proud of this cake!

Daddy made it home in time for some of the party

New shirt from Gram Samoa

You know you love your child when you are willing to invent a "Kiss the Bibble" game and then finger paint it because all of your paint brushes are lost in the packing and storing horror that happens when your house is for sale...

My Nemesis...

Let's begin this tale of woe and deceit with the understanding that in all reality, I am an excellent cook. Really. I recently made lasagna, bread sticks, and apple pie (all from scratch) for Tom's grandma. Not a ruined dish in the bunch. Delicious meal, all around. But... if you ask me to make macaroni and cheese I will quake in fear. My face will break out in a sweat and Tom will run for the nearest McDonald's. Really. This is a direct quote from one of Tom's answers in the newly-dead game. "I don't know where she gets her macaroni and cheese, but it looks like it comes from the morgue." Really. The morgue. Tonight, there was another battle in the kitchen. I'm not sure who won. The battle or the war. It all began when I dumped the sauce packet in the boiling water... An ominous sign to be sure. Then I accidentally dumped ALL of the noodles into the sink while trying to drain them. Did I mention the sink wasn't totally clean? So I start another batch. I scrape all the noodles that look cleanish into a bowl. Really. (My children have amazing immune systems...) Noodles are cooked and mixed up. Maybe 2/3 of the first batch survived. Add the butter. After I drop it on the floor. After it hit the cupboard on the way down. Pick it up. Drop it on the hot burner. Decide it doesn't actually need butter. Add the milk. And the cheese packets. Oddly enough, it tastes a little... odd. Luckily enough, the girls don't care. Enjoy your meal ladies!

Quote of the day -

"Our new president's name is Broccoli Bama? -Brooke

Better than rutabaga, I suppose...

Did you know that it is possible to stand in line from 7:10pm until 9:45pm, just to vote? And to make it more fun, you should always take four tired children with you... Then have Alix and Sam both fall asleep on your shoulder... For an hour and a half. (my arms are finally un-numb enough to type...) Tom had Erin asleep on his shoulder and Brooke was a sweetie and scooted along in a chair that a nice lady found for her. The bonus was, when you are the last voters in the state to cast your ballot, you get to be on the news! It's true. We're rockstars! Thank goodness I wasn't wearing sweats and spit-upy shirt! But we did our civic duty. Even though McCain had conceded two hours before we voted. (Nice to know my vote counted there!)

Quote of the Day:
Alix, to the skater teenage boy down the street.
"Why are you wearing girl's pants?"
Luckily, he only laughed. (His pants were a very skinny pair of checkered jeans in a lovely teal color...)

You know your pumpkin is too big when...

Your baby fits inside!

I LOVE HALLOWEEN!!!!

Halloween is the portal to all the holiday fun that is coming in the next two months. And as I am really a 7 year-old girl, trapped in this 29 year-old stay at home mother's body, I throw myself into the joy of this most frivolous of all non-holidays. (You know it's a non-holiday when my government employed husband doesn't get the day off... Really? Columbus Day is a holiday and Halloween is a non-holiday? What is the world coming to?!!?) Anyhow... I love carving pumpkins. I love candy. I love making all sorts of crafty, spooky things with the girls. I love candy. I love dressing up. I love candy. I love... What am I missing? Oh yeah. I love candy. (I told you I was 7...) Anyway, Tom and I throw a really great Halloween party every year. It's a blast. Adults only. Costumes mandatory. It's the greatest to see 20 adults in costume and not a kid around. This year we played "The Newly-Dead Game". Sadly, some marriages will never be the same! We almost had a couple of the guys banned to our couch for the night... Questions such as "What animal does your mother in law most remind you of?" kept us laughing all night... But not Farrah. Corwin might be out of the dog house now that it's been a few days...

Here we all are. (Missed you guys this year, Brenda and Rob...)

Now that is a drunken pirate! The annual "Mummy Game" competition left Tom too dizzy to stand. (Think of spinning and spinning around while I hold a roll of toilet paper until it's all gone and he's all mummified...)

Tom and Sam-o. My captain and our little matey.

Arrrrrgh, me hartey's!

Now for the kid's Halloween party... Also super fun to my 7 year-old soul...

Here is Brooke and her good friend Alyssa after bobbing for apples. Brooke cheated. I swear. She found one with a long old stem and delicately picked it out with her teeth. Leaving me to...

Plunge my whole face and head into a bucket full of water and children's spit. But it was worth it when I saw the kids' faces in this picture. There always needs to be a mom willing to let loose and let her mascara run down her face. It was fun. And I'll wear waterproof makeup next year!

This picture should be first, but you get the idea...

Here is a picture of the girls. Erin is a red (her favorite color) flower fairy. Alix is a yellow (the ONLY color that she likes) princess and Brooke is a rainbow (too undecided to pick just one color...) flower fairy. We decided to make their costumes this year and had a great time. Alix changed her mind about being a yellow (of course) flower fairy at the last minute, but loved what we came up with for her princess "suit". The tutus turned out so great (I think...) Just frothy clouds of tulle.

Siiiigh. What a great non-holiday!