A (really) Bad Hair Day...

Some mornings, this is what if feels like to get all 4 girls' hair combed and done for school or church...

(But in reality, it's just the aftermath of the Halloween party... All the toilet paper from the mummy game went to good use the next day...)

Brooke

 Erin

 Alix

Nine...

Years old today.  Crazy.  How did my baby grow up so fast?

Instead of a party this year Brooke wanted to do a "girl's night out" with her best friend (since she's all grown up now...) 

We started out by watching Puss in Boots 3D.  The girls loved it.  This is them right at the beginning when the 3d was still new and crazy looking.

 We were going to go get pedicures next, but I gave them the choice of taking their pedicure money and  going shopping at the mall instead.  It took about half a second for both of them to choose shopping.

Posing with the mannequins at Old Navy...

 So thankful for good friends!  They got matching shirts at Aeropostale and had to change into them in the dressing room.  Then used the rest of their money and got matching pajamas at Justice... It took us two and a half hours to spend their $20.  But it was so fun to watch them.  It's a fun stage of little girl but with glimpses of what's coming...

 And we finished up the girl's night out with dinner at Old Country Buffet.  

It was a super fun afternoon with the girls and Brooke loved it.  And it was the easiest "party" I've ever planned...

I'm so thankful that this special girl is a part of our family.  She's the best biggest sister we could have asked for!  I love you, Brooke!!

Quote of the Day...

After Brooke's bus hit another car on the way home from school (everyone was fine...), Tom was wondering how all the mom's knew before the police.  I explained a few of the kids had cell phones and word spread from there...
Tom - "Cell phones?  Ridiculous!"
me - "I know.  Our kids will get cell phones when they can pay for them..."
Alix - " I want a cell phone!"
Tom - "Good luck getting a job to pay for it..."
Alix - "Mom doesn't have a job and she gets a cell phone!!!"

A gauntlet thrown...

Let the trash talking commence!  For several years now there have been some (unfounded) claims by Tom as to his superiority when it comes to making Christmas cookies.  The girls have loved telling me how his (nonexistent) cookies are better than mine.  Well.  Tonight the line was drawn in the sand.  This year we will be having our first annual Christmas Cookie Battle.  The girls all chose sides.... (cue Brooke making scary Dunt dunt duuuuunnnnn..... sounds)  Brooke and Sam chose to go with Team Tom.  Alix and Erin chose Team Winner.  Oops.  I mean Team Mom.  We're lining up some friends to do some anonymous judging and Sam has already come up to me, waved her arms in front of me, pinched my fat and said, "I just took all your power!"  And ran away.  If nothing else, this will be a fun couple of weeks gearing up for the big show down...

Family Pictures...

Spoiler alert - if you want to be surprised on your Christmas card, don't look at these adorable pictures... (If you want a Christmas card and think I don't have your address, leave it in the comments... I promise, if you leave it - a card will come...)

 Any guesses on who's who?  It's trickier when Alix's bangs are covered up... 

 I think the girls are delicious in their hats...  Could they be any cuter? (asks the slightly biased mom)

 A truly rare photo of Tom and I... And I'm not even wearing black...

I'm super happy with how they turned out...

Halloween Party 2011

As always, we had a great time at this years Halloween party.  It was a lot bigger than years past and I learned that my house will hold 23 adults and not too many more...

I was the Queen Bee and Tom was the Beekeeper... 

 My super cool drink display.  The "blood tubes" were my favorite...

 And Tom after he crashed to the floor during the "mummy game".  

 Here is the whole group of us.  Tons of couples came up with really great costumes this year, which makes it even more fun...

Can't wait for next year.  I'm thinking I might have to start booking the church... or something.... =)

The Oatmeal Diaries...

In an effort to eat more healthily I introduced oatmeal to my girls today.... Here's how the morning went -

Brooke - Oatmeal's not so bad.  I like the peaches.

Tom - Sorry, this is real oatmeal, it has no peaches.  Or cream.

Brooke - What!??!  She looks in the pan... Gross!!!

And thus the tone for the morning was set...

Erin was a champ and ate her whole (tiny) bowl without complaint.  The only sign of how much she didn't love it were her flared nostrils with every bite. 

Alix ate half her bowl and then had a melt down.  Brooke just melted down from the get go.  We'd told them they had to eat their whole (really, really tiny) bowl or they wouldn't get a homemade cinnamon roll afterwords. (I know, not healthy, but baby steps...)  Brooke then pulled the "I'm full and you've told me to quit eating when I'm full" tirade.  Fine.  If you're full, quit.  Then you can have your leftover oatmeal for lunch. (gag)  "What if I'm not hungry for lunch?"  Then, please enjoy your rubber for supper...  

Sam cried, but we were able to feed her (like a six month old...) her entire bowl.  

Alix FINALLY finished an hour later, but at least she can have a sandwich for lunch now.  Brooke has a bowl of delicious, rubbery, cold oatmeal to eat for her lunch.  Super fun.  Now I do understand how they feel.  My mother force fed me oatmeal my entire growing up.  Which is why my children have never, until today, had real oatmeal.  But I ate some too.  And I'll be they didn't even notice my nostrils flaring... (oatmeal really is disgusting... some things never change.)   Won't the girls be excited when I tell them we're having oatmeal at least twice a week?  

I had no picture of the girls where they were all suitably miserable and whining.  So you get another pumpkin patch picture...  Maybe on Tuesday (our next scheduled oatmeal experience) I'll take a picture...

Siiiigh....

That's a siiiiigh of pure bliss.... Isn't this time of year the best?

Pumpkin Patch

I love taking the same pictures, at the same place, year after year and watching my girls grow.  The Pumpkin Palace is one of those places... 

Saw dust pile...

 Bowling...

 A little rodeo action...

 Pumpkin Tea Party anyone?

 Can you tell Brooke is being Grumpy Dwarf? 

 I really love these guys...

 The winners through the corn maze.  Not being poor sports at all... The twins and I raced against Tom, Brooke and Sam.  We killed them...

 One of Brooke's favorite activities...

 Finding just the perfect pumpkin...

 Posers...

 We don't even have to carve one of the pumpkins this year. It came with a face...

 And just to prove that I was there too...

Footprints...

Some people make footprints in the sand.  We choose to make them in road dust...