Pictures for the Week (12/20 ending)

Ok...blogging on the computer this evening instead of the phone app.  Hopefully the post will actually publish!  Sorry about the confusion with two picture wrap-ups in a row.

This is for the current week (12/14-12/20).  Let's get started, shall we?

Sunday, December 14

No pictures.

Monday, December 15

Jeffrey made a catapult from some scrap wood on the porch.  I actually managed to catch a shot with the rock in the air!  Never a dull moment around here...

Tuesday, December 16

Sometimes when something crazy happens, you have to stop to take a picture first.  Those few seconds allow you to breath and calm down.  Yup...one of THOSE moments happened on Tuesday.  Simon grabbed the bottom of the roll of toilet paper off the wall and started running.  He made it through the gate into the living room before I caught up to him.

Wednesday, December 17

Shopping Day.  Five of the kids had dental appointments, so we hung out in the waiting room for a while.  Jeffrey gave Simon a ride on a toy they have there, and both boys were really enjoying themselves!

Thursday, December 18

We made Christmas tree Rice Krispie treats as our first Christmas goodies of the season.  Everyone got to sample one, and the rest went into the freezer to share with family and friends later on in the Christmas season.  Two pictures for your viewing pleasure--one of the process, one of the product!

Friday, December 19

Addressing Christmas cards.  The kids decorated most of the envelopes for me.  Sydney had to be reminded a few times to stick to the back so I had room to write!  We made it to the Post Office with just a few minutes to spare, and thankfully--they are mailed!  Then we came home, and built gingerbread houses with Daddy!

Saturday, December 20

Decoration Day for our houses! Sydney, Ellie, Jeff and Jayme were all able to use the frosting "guns" independently this year, so I just helped open candies and refill things when needed.  (I thought Sydney would need help, but she is a very independent girl and determined not to need help when Ellie and Jeffrey didn't!)

Since he's not usually in my weekly picture wrap-up, here's one of Bryan decorating the house he built for Owen and Simon to share.  Owen enjoyed sampling all of the goodies, and Simon was down for a nap during this project. I think they'll both love eating the house Daddy decorated!

Christmas excitement is brewing here at Grouse Creek.  How about where you are?

End of Week Pics

Sunday

This was our driving day, and I didn't get a picture. As wonderful as our trip was, it was nice to make it home! 

Monday

My sister and brother-in-law gave Sydney some cute foam blocks for her birthday. The kids collaborated and this is what they came up with.

Tuesday

We made potato stamps to decorate some butcher paper for wrapping paper. Jayme worked hard on her TMNT stamps. Getting the mirror effect right was a challenge for her, but she kept at it until she got it right. Fluconazole

Wednesday

The Christmas decoration tub made it up from the basement, and everyone really enjoyed going through it. We put some lights up in the kitchen, and hung a few things around. We will do more decorating later in the month, making sure that everything is Owen (and Pica) safe.

Thursday

The kids have so much fun with Bryan in the evenings! He's the one in the yellow shirt, buried under kids. A dogpile in the making! 

Friday

Know what happens if you mix lime Jello and orange Jello? You get Sewer Gewer! 

The kids loved it!

Saturday

A game changer for our family. I'll explain more another time, but my Dad will be moving in sometime over the next two weeks. (This is his house we are living in and he's struggling.)

That means we had to get a room empty for him, and so we spent a lot of time today cleaning and decluttering. It definitely needed done. 

We are rearranging rooms and moving everything around. With this change coming, my blogging time might be cut short while we adjust. 

But, my picture for the day shows the back of our Explorer loaded up with items for Goodwill. It's amazing how much we've been hanging onto!

The house is looking much better, and drawers  are no longer crammed full of stuff we don't like or need. We are also downsizing our book collection, and I'm finally tossing the ones that Owen ripped up. No point in hanging onto books with pages missing. Sad for me, but freeing at the same time. 

It'll be a busy few days for us as we continue preparing for another family member to join us. (And then another once baby is born!) Crazy days ahead! 

Anything new on your agenda?