Holly Jolly?!?

flight delays,
children throwing up
and a ton of rain...
hmmm....
it is not beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

yet...

White board PAINT?!?
I had no idea.
(Thank you Wendy!)Jared is getting a room makeover,
not for Christmas...
just because.
Unless I find out the first of the year we're moving.
Then he's getting a new room...and we'll just go from there.
I'm excited. I need a project.

The chalkboard paint suggestion was also fabulous,
and I've been saving this link for forever...
because the littles are SO getting an orange chalkboard wall...
love it.
(buyers might not love it though, so next house)

ok.
I am off to clean.
Colin's mom and sister (and baby in her belly) are set to arrive this evening.
Let the pAr-tAy begin!
xoxoxox

Oh tiny tree forest....I think I love you...

...even if you're still displaced with no mantle to call your own.

"Jared! What are you doing with the presents? I thought I said nooooo touching?!?"
"Oh, I'm not looking at the present really...I just thought you wrapped it in fabric... and I had to feel it"
...
Ah. Gotcha. I kind of like that wrapping paper too ♥

Colten snuck a present under the tree for Jack.
He made him something special at school.
He thought he would like it.
"Don't worry Jack...it's just something I made...you don't have to make me anything"

Jared and Jack had off today...
Colten finished tests yesterday like his brothers,
but his teachers planned a breakfast party, and a day of bowling today...
so Coley went to school.

At home.
"What should I make for Colten?"
"I'm not sure son...just draw him a picture, he'll like that"
"No. That is not good enough. He made me something"

"What should I make for Colten"
(was on repeat all morning long)
Jared rolled out of bed around 11am.
"What should I make for Colten?"
he asked me for the umpteeth-thousandth time.
"Why don't you make him a bookmark...he reads all the time?"
Jared replied.

aww...Thank you Jared.Very serious bookmark making took place the rest of the day.

Is it really the 17th?!?

in the truck on the way to soccer -
Coley "I am FREEZING!"
Me "Why? It's a balmy 36 degrees out"
"What does balmy mean?"
"Warm"
"Ah...your attempt at sarcasm"

Buddy: Wow, you're fast. I'm glad I caught up to you. I waited 5 hours for you. Why is your coat so big? So, good news - I saw a dog today. Have you seen a dog? You probably have. How was school? Was it fun? Did you get a lot of homework? Huh? Do you have any friends? Do you have a best friend? Does he have a big coat, too?...

So I've been a tiny bit absent.
I apologize for that.
Colin's Mom and sister come on Tuesday,
and my house is a ginormous disaster...
GINORMOUS.

This is the boys last week before break.
Jared is actually done today after the last of his finals...
then it's a 24/7 boy zone again.
I had wanted to finish shopping/wrapping/cleaning/planning before break.
not so much did that work out.

I finished shopping,
and spent the good part of yesterday wrapping.

Wrapping.
not rapping.
Although after being far to lazy to get up and change the channel
on the radio J had been listening to previously
I could possibly rap.
Rapping whilst wrapping...
It seems you can "sing" about almost anything now...
lipgloss (which is poppin'),
chicken noodle soup (with a soda on the side I believe),
laffy taffy,
and texting...(LOL smiley face)
Unfortunately I ended up getting 50 cents song stuck in my head,
quite horribly the worst song ever...
"have a baby by me baby be a millionaire..."
(someone please tell me that song is a joke)

Christmas music today.
whew.

So presents are now wrapped,
but
the house is still a mess,
I have no menu planned,
and Christmas cards are not even close to being started completed.
(New Years cards perhaps...)

I've also been working on a Christmas present New Years present that ended up being
just a bit more time consuming than I anticipated...
but *might* be fabulous when done.
(I hope I hope I hope)

Buddy: I thought maybe we could make ginger bread houses, and eat cookie dough, and go ice skating, and maybe even hold hands.

ahhh...
I'm ready for Christmas,
and some vacation time with my guys...
some jammie wearing,
cookie eating,
hot cider drinking,
gingerbread house making,
movie watching,
time with my favorite boys.

Buddy: First we'll make snow angels for a two hours, then we'll go ice skating, then we'll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse Cookiedough as fast as we can, and then we'll snuggle.

Have I mentioned lately how much I love them?
Even when they forget to give me notes from teachers,
and clog my toilet,
and scream at each other,
and scream at me...
Love them.

(and I may, or may not have quoted Christmas Vacation when calling Colin last night to tell him the toilet was clogged)

Eddie: Shitter was full.
Clark: Ah, yeah. You checked our shitters, honey?
Ellen: Clark, please. He doesn't know any better.

Also,
I understand it's Santa time...
however we have been keeping the tooth fairy in business lately.
Most kids wiggle loose teeth,
play with them,
make it known for weeks that they have a loose tooth.
Not Colten.
In fact we never know that his tooth is remotely loose...
until he's handing you his tooth
that "just came out"...
FOUR teeth in less than two weeks.
I told him just because we live in Arkansas
he doesn't have to look like he lives in Arkansas.
Teeth.
They are a good thing.
xoxox

the note that came home from school yesterday read:

Wednesday-
Ugly Christmas Sweater Day -
Wear the ugliest sweater you can find!!!

Colten this morning:
"Is today ugly sweater day?"
Me:
"No, it's tomorrow...but you don't really have a sweater much less one that's ugly"
"Wait...What is a sweater again?!?"
"Umm....here...This is a sweater" (holding up one of my sweaters)
"OH. You're right that is an ugly sweater. Really ugly....maybe I'll wear it tomorrow"
"What?"
"I'm kidding mom. I'm not actually going to wear it"

***ETA: oh...and For the record, I held up a plain gray Gap sweater....not a Christmasy one.

My true love should give to me...

(Yes. A little too much ESPN for Colten...but he's funny) Colten: "I can NOT believe we are at the same house we were at LAST Christmas! I want to move for Christmas...that's what I'm asking for. This is just wrong."

This really is the first time in four years
we've celebrated consecutive Christmases in the same house.
Crazy huh?

2008 = here
2007 = Ohio
2006 = Greenville, NC
2005 = Fayetteville, NC

I guess that would be my boys normal.
it's just really unfair that we've managed to stay in Arkansas for more than one year...
What is up with that?!?

ok.
it's decided...
I'm asking to move for Christmas too.

Preferably to somewhere warmer...

I love this child

waiting in the truck for Jared to get done with school.

on the radio
"Tiger Woods dolls are now on clearance at ToysRUs ..."

Colten
"Tiger Woods dolls? There are Tiger Woods dolls?!?
What...do they come with little golf clubs so you can hit him?
Or a little truck so you can drive him into a tree?
Or a wife doll?
Or 2...
or 3?
Maybe one that's from Vegas?"

despite this...we had a most excellent time.

some thoughts...
all of my shots of LeBron doing amazing things are blurry...
it was just too exciting! he's lovely to watch...
even warming up.
even giving everyone "secret handshakes" before the game.
even throwing powder up in the air.
very lovely.
and amazing...did I mention amazing?Shaq's feet are really really big.
even from really really far away. LeBron has nice arms.
really nice arms. Jack desperately wanted to catch a t-shirt.

I think his Cavs attire might have hindered his chances... he was ready though.

When everyone around us was yelling "Defense! Defense!"

my boys were screaming "Offense! Offense!"

NBA games are a lot of fun.Jared had so much fun he didn't text once.(but he kept his phone close...just in case) he also decided "when he grows up" he'd like to be a mascot.
(it does look like a fun job)

they even made it to school today before lunch.
(barely)

the end.

Soooo excited we are going to see my boyfriend LeBron play tonight in Memphis.

An early Christmas present from Colin's mom.
We are so lucky.

Colten "I don't think we should have to go to school today. You should let us stay home"
Me "Well, You have to go to school today, but I'm going to let you sleep in tomorrow. It will be a late night"
"But...I don't really sleep in very late. Do we have to go to school right when we get up"
"Yes. You might want to try hard to sleep in"
"I'm going to sleep in until 2:55"
Jack "1:00, let's sleep until one, I think I have P.E. tomorrow"

this weekend was...
football watching eggnog drinking Christmasing the house, the tiny tree forest my new advent calendar I'd forgotten about nachos movies cold weather a kind of sick Jack cookies Christmas card photo attempts a bit of shopping and blueberry pancakes

With a bow...

"Ummmm...things I want... robot dog, night vision goggles, bug vacuum, GPS watch, speakers that look like rocks. I love my wife, but she sucks at giving gifts. I'm sorry for the pay channel language but.... Oh...Yogurt maker...I can't not think of things I want"
(Oh Modern Family you make me laugh)

I have asked for a Harley now for quite sometime...
I'm pretty sure I asked for one last Christmas,
I know I did for our anniversary,
and again for my birthday.
Colin keeps mumbling something about "not having an extra $15,000 laying around blahblahblah...Jax Teller not coming with the bike...blahblahblah...."
I'm not really sure.

We all have frivolous wants right?
I have a few lately...
and I'm not even a shopper.

Spending money this time of year makes me a nervous nelly.
Awhile back we finally paid off those darn credit cards...
and just to make it less stressful...
we intentionally saved money this year for Christmas,
(I know...huge for us! we were on a roll)

so of course...
our stupid roof needs to be replaced.
Just one side actually.
I had no idea roofs are so expensive...
$2200...what the?!?
It sort of really really sucks.
(Sorry for the pay channel language)
and I sort of want to cry.
but I'm not.
because it's Christmas time.
I have a house.
I will have a new roof.
and it will be fine...
Those darn credit cards just make me nervous...
but I'm not going to stress.
and I'm not going to stay up one more night discussing it with my husband...
that just is not productive.
(or fun)

Some of you might remember last year this time, our truck died.
so I'm not sure why any of this comes as a surprise to me anymore...
It's really kind of funny...
right?
right?

Yeah, so instead of stressing,
I'm going to spend more money...
because clearly that will help.
(I'm kidding Colin...I'm kidding....well, sort of)

My boys don't get things "just because"...
I'm not the mom that buys them toys, or games, or movies just because.
So Christmas,
while I try hard to keep the meaning true and bright...
does mean they get things...
things they've wanted all year.
and I admit I do love spoiling them a little.
I also love hearing what they've been dreaming of.
Right now,
it's laser pointers.
Laser pointers.
(should I get them a cat to go with that?)

Colten has also requested a pair of binoculars, some games and a hat.
JackBanana along with the red beam of light would like, a crayon maker, and a baseball "that shows the speed you throw it".

Every year there is always one boy
that can't think of anything they'd like.
It's lovely...
and extremely frustrating at the same time.
This year that child would be Jared.
"I just don't really need anything Mom. I mean, except money for the movies, and you give me that."
It's not completely innocent,
I know he'd love a laptop,
but that's not in the budget...so he won't ask for it.

The one thing I know he'd really like is actually pretty cool.
Awhile back the boys were watching one of those horrible Mtv shows,
I think it was entitled children show off their parents really ridiculously huge homes....
or something like that.
Anyway, it was an inventor's home,
and he had a room that was an entire white board room....
the whole room.
Because Jared wants to be Charlie Eppes from Numb3rs when he grows up,
he thought it was just the best idea ever,
and would really like a white board wall in his room...
soooo....
maybe a room-redo?
I'm toying with it...
and researching how to make huge white board wall out of melamine,
because real white boards are super spendy...
who knew?!?...

Except you can't really wrap that up with a bow ...
it's kind of like my new roof...
it might have to go un-wrapped.
Unless the roofer has a sense of humor...
and frankly for that much money,
he should.

perpetual motion 
–noun Mechanics.
the motion of a theoretical mechanism that, without any losses due to friction or other forms of dissipation of energy, would continue to operate indefinitely at the same rate without any external energy being applied to it.

I checked the dictionary,
just to see if Ev had been added to the list of definitions.
not yet it seems.

Evansen is super cute.
super happy.
and
super fast.

So for the record,
I said there were a few photos I like...
not a few that were good.
they are all painfully bad.
thankfully the cute that is Ev makes the bad waaay better...
see...here would be the part where I'm running backwards.
and Gab is yelling things like...
"E! lookout! Poop! Right! OH, I mean Left! My right! Your left!"

Zeus was here.

10 random facts from our break.

1. I forgot to take a photo of all of us sitting at the table.
or of the food.
or of us and the food. at. the. table.

Jared managed to snap this gem though.
(I have no idea...it's best not to ask) I was actually really bad about taking photos.
so trust me when I say Mike was here.
and my folks.
I was enjoying them all too much to take photos, clearly.

2. I made 2 pumpkin pies.
then I dropped one on my foot.
(no, I'm not kidding)
so. I ended up actually making 3 delicious pies creatively named "pumpkin"...
well.
two named pumpkin, one named "darn" pie that fell on my foot...

3. The littles really loved playing with Ev.
They have mentioned a million times since he left that I need to provide them with a baby brother or sister.
(they are not getting THAT for Christmas)
4. we crafted with pinecones and glitter.
pinecones
and
glitter.
come on. does it get anymore crafty?!?


5. video games were played.
Uncle Merry Mike came bearing a gift of wii Scene It...
for the boys of course....
yep, for the boys.
not at all for me....nope.
(oooh my gosh I LOVE wii Scene It...thank you Mike)
6. Evan can say all our names now.
Extremely adorable...although he's still very partial to "Dack".
I am officially "Eeeeeeeee"
and then laughter follows.
which leads to believe I'm either hysterically funny,
or veeeery funny looking.

7. We attempted a photo shoot with the Ev.
It didn't go well.
He's fast like ninja.
Most photos look like this...

but there are a few that I like...
I'll post them tomorrow...8.the next day we tried to take some photos of all four boys before the Feks left.
ha.
that
was
also
unsuccessful.
horribly unsuccessful.
9. the littles were very anxious to break the wishbone.
Col got them in position and explained the rules...