Christmas 2010

We had such a wonderful Christmas!  It was such a joy to take our time and allow the girls to be kids.  There were a few trips to the mall to ride the Christmas train, singing at church, many viewings of Frosty the Snowman, Christmas crafts and baking and Ava was so excited to wrap all of the presents with me.  We spent the weekend before Christmas at the Jacksons in Baton Rouge, which was a great way to start out the Christmas week.  Kevin had to work most days but we made sure to do fun Christmas things together as soon as he got home.  I was so excited to be able to meet Val, my college roommate, one day so that the kids could play, we could visit and I could meet 5 week old, Marin.  Ohio is way too far away and I miss her so much.  That same evening, we met Kevin at Bellingrath Gardens after work to take in the gorgeous Christmas lights.  Ava and Nora were in awe.  Thankfully, it was a warm evening so they weren't miserable.  Christmas Eve, Ava went to Aunt Paige's house to bake cookies.  Then we all headed to my parents for dinner and gifts.  When you pack 7 kids and 8 adults into one room, it is bound to be loud, crazy and so much fun. We stuffed ourselves on seafood and then opened presents.  Every gift was a hit and thoughtful.  As soon as we got home, Kevin took the kids outside to sprinkle the magic reindeer dust in the yard.  Ava is very serious about Santa this year and has asked many questions to try to figure it all out.  Needless to say, she was eager to go to bed after putting out cookies, carrots and milk.  Christmas morning, she woke us up early by turning all of the lights on and yelling, "Santa came!"  She was tortured waiting for Nora to wake up.  Absolutely tortured.  Once Nora woke, the ripping and tearing began.  We took all morning opening.  We would open a gift, play with it, open another, play with it, etc...  Santa needs to work on his quality control a little because some of his gifts didn't work.  Not fun when dealing with a 1 and 4 year old.  The biggest hit....the pillow pets that Ava and Nora gave each other.  Ava picked out her gifts for me and Kevin so it was really sweet when she watched us open them.  We spent the rest of the day and weekend doing nothing but play with the toys and stay in our pj's.  Just what Christmas should be for kids...just play.  Uncle Dean came Sunday for the afternoon and the girls had the best time with him.  Now it is back to reality with Kevin at work, dinner to cook, house to clean and still lots of play time.

There were way too many pictures to post so a few will have to do.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Ava was very proud of one of her gifts to Daddy.

Capturing the Christmas Card Photo

Each year, I consider not sending out Christmas cards for several reasons such as cost of postage, cost of ordering the cards, knowing that probably 8 out of 10 times they immediately go in the trash and most of all...getting a picture of the girls is such a daunting task.  This year was no exception.  It takes both Kevin and I doing some crazy and silly things and resorting to kid language that most of the time has to end up a little crude in order to get a genuine smile.  There are always knock knock jokes involved and endless "look at the camera," "please don't move," and "stop pulling your sister's hair" comments.  Of course, once again, we took on this task.  I haven't even bothered to look at the pictures to see if we got something usable.  Hopefully we did and you will be getting a card.  If we didn't, then it just may not be worth the headache of giving it another shot.  Conquering the Christmas card picture warrants some much needed down time (hot bath, wine, etc...).  Just know that when we get Christmas pictures, we definitely know the struggle that goes into it, and we salute you.

So, here's to Mom and Dad's everywhere who have or will be battling with their kiddos to get that perfect Christmas card picture.

Disney Pictures

It has taken me forever to try to narrow down pictures (which I gave up on) and then find a way to send them.  I have tried for a week to make a slideshow using various programs but all either left me pulling my hair out, not loading onto the blog or the quality was poor.  So, I will have to just post some favorites and keep trying to find something that will work well.  If anyone has suggestions, please let me know.  I've tried iphoto (poor quality), slideshow pro (great program but won't load onto the blog) and am about to try picasa.  We'll see.  Sorry that I can't post them all.

Disney was amazing and worth every penny.  There is nothing better to us than just escaping with just the five of us to spend undivided time and attention together.  We had a wonderful resort, courtesy of our Sunday School teachers, where we could watch the fireworks and Epcot light show from our balcony in pj's.  That may have been one of our favorite things.  Ava's favorite was getting her face painted, seeing Snow White and riding rides.  Nora loved Small World, Peter Pan and was quickly escorted out any time we sat down to watch a show.  Not her thing.  Kevin and I just enjoyed the smiles, giggles and were thankful for nap time.  We can't wait to go again but I'm afraid #5 may have to sit the trip out.  Going with a 1 1/2 year old is a lot of work.

Ava was chosen to come dance in the parade. 

We're the Jackson FIVE!

I've been MIA...but for good reason.  We have definitely had a lot going on at our house and in May 2011, there will be a new kind of crazy as we welcome a brand new blessing!   We recently found out that we have a Baby Jackson on the way.  We have had the ultrasound and heard the heartbeat.  I think we kept our emotions about having another baby calm at first almost as a defense mechanism because we know so much can happen.  But...now that we have heard his/her heartbeat, the thought of becoming the Jackson Five is becoming much more real.  There are days when I am thrilled and then there are days when I'm overwhelmed and anxious.  I sometimes feel like I have no control over the two that I have so adding a third is a wonderful & scary thought all at the same time.  Ava doesn't know yet because 9 months will be an eternity of "Mommy, when is the baby coming?" if we tell her right now.  She will be so excited.  Of course we do not care at all whether this baby is a boy or a girl.  We will take what God gives us and welcome him or her with lots of hugs and kisses.  Thankfully, I have an amazing husband who doesn't feel like we have to have a boy to complete our family.  Here is a small warning....we find it very offensive when people say, "We are praying for a boy this time."  Last time I checked, we don't get to special order our children.  Let's all pray for a healthy baby instead.

I would post a picture of the ultrasound if I had a clue how to use our ancient scanner but that's not going to happen.

Here are a few fun photos of the girls.

Ava getting a high five from her Daddy after she scored.

The kids have so much fun with Kevin.  He is great with all of them.

The girls have become very attached.  And, this is what happens  to Ava's hair when we don't fix it.  Hello frizz!!

Quick & Easy Craft

Are you needing a quick craft idea?  This one is perfect.  If you want it to take up more time, make sure to have more paper handy.  Ava loves to do this and see how the colors mix.  I apologize for the quality of the pictures.  I've changed settings on my camera and now I can't remember what I changed.

1.  Supplies needed...

2.  Drop some paint around wherever you would like and then put your marbles in the pan.

3.  Shake it all around.

4.  And wa-la!  Instant art and a happy, proud child.

5.  Meanwhile, this is what Nora thought she was supposed to do with a paintbrush. Love her.

Busy Week

Last week was definitely a busy one.  We have realized that the kids have taken over our lives.  Thankfully, we have Monday and Friday free but of course something always seems to get scheduled for those days like doctor visits, meeting with someone about something, etc...  Dance started last week so the Tuesday morning routine started.  In between the dance, soccer, church activities and kindermusik for both girls, we always manage to squeeze in quality fun time with the four of us.  That is when we are all at our best and having the most fun.  All of the other stuff is great but nothing beats just being our little family of four.
Here are a few pictures from the week.

I can't get over how big she is getting.  19 mo!

Nora making a break for the ball during halftime.

Some one on one playing time with Daddy.

First Soccer Game

Kevin was a proud coach and Daddy.
Ava did very well.
I forget how tall she is until I see her next to other kids her age.
One girl decided she'd rather chase a dragonfly.
One boy decided he'd rather pull his shirt over his head.
Nora poured an entire bottle of water over her head.

Beach Day

Ava has been asking for a long time to go to the beach.  She normally adds, "...to spend the night."  Going for the day will have to do.  It was BEAUTIFUL!  The water was clear, no jelly fish and there was a breeze that kept us from burning up.  There was a wonderful sand bar that wasn't too far from the shore that we would walk out to.  It also created a "pool" that Ava was able to swim in.  She loved every minute of it.  Nora was content to play in the sand for most of the time.

Kevin, Ava and Nora spent a while digging in the wet sand....until...

...he discovered this.  

The beach is still gorgeous and doesn't smell like oil so for a little bit, we forgot about the tragedy that occurred.  In the powder sand or in the water, there wasn't evidence of oil.  We did see a few tarballs but they were few and far between.  It was in the wet sand that it was all hiding.  It was sticky on Kevin's hands and all over Nora's legs.  We were able to clean it off without a problem.  It will not keep us from going again and the beach was filled with families enjoying themselves.  It just made us sad and reminded us of the horrible spill that will effect us for years.  

Now this....is our favorite past time.  We have a crab apple tree that has become the best free entertainment.  Ava will ask to go throw crab apples and Nora will just point to her chair or the tree and get excited.  They sit and throw them down the driveway and see who can get them to go across the street.  This will be one of our favorite memories.  Who knew a crab apple could be so much fun!

Pictures of Ava's first soccer game will come soon!