Visit from Grandpa Ben and Grandma Barb

All three kids are napping right now, all over the house since we are having work done in our room today. The kids' rooms are painted and put back together, and our room is dismantled (literally) they took the mantle off the wall yesterday and are replacing it with a bookshelf. More pictures later. I am playing catch up with my blog since our plan is to get it printed into a book after the New Year. Which is in 2 days. Oh well. 

Earlier this month we were so happy to host Andrew's parents for the week of the 10-17th. The kids always love the company and we can't complain either. Visits are so special when you live this far away. Andrew's dad changed around the grapevine so we can now see more of the yard and directed it to eventually grow down the fence. More vine..more grapes!! Barb spent hours baking in the kitchen with the kids, which they absolutely loved. Even John got a chance to help frost Christmas cookies. We made 3 batches of grape jelly from our very own backyard juice (so yummy!). We also did a few Christmas things early so the kids could share the time with their Grandparents. They got their train table and their presents from Ben and Barb, which were all a hit. We did our family pictures for the church directory while they were here, which went 100% better than a few years ago. Home cooked spreads, a break from doing the dishes after every meal, a few outings by myself, and just time around other adults is always a welcomed treat when the Grandparents come. Good memories with the kids is a great plus as well. 

Opening their Little People Nativity Set.

We took a fast trip to State College to get ice cream at Berkey Creamery. Since it was so cold and windy, that's about all we did there, but it sure was tasty!!

A quick visit from the Mildrens during that week of interviews. It's always so nice to see familiar faces.

We got to celebrate Grandma's birthday while she was here. 

Ella's face tells it all when it comes to her "Princerella" shirt.

John is still learning about reactions to presents and even how to open them :).

And this little man was ecstatic about his Thomas jams.

All dressed up for family pictures so we just had to get some more!

Thank you Ben and Barb for coming to see us! 

All Christmassy...

 My kids can absolutely not wait until tomorrow night when Daddy has the much anticipated sleep over in the living room with their new sleeping bags, which they have so adequately named "sleepovers." "Is it Thursday yet?" Is all I keep hearing from the anxious little ones. Well it's finally here my pretties. And do you want to know where I want to be nestled? All snug in my own bed I tell you! But you know where I will probably be? On the floor in my very own much to flannely "sleepover" next to 2 snoring boys, 1 excited girl and a baby in a pack n' play. Our first Christmas camp out. I will let you know how it goes. 

The kids are getting new Christmas jams each year and you bet there will be an annual pictures until I can no longer force them without payment of some sort. Gymboree happened to be having an amazing black Friday sale and with an extra coupon (Thanks Aunt Renee), we scored big for little that day. 

The Resident's Auxillary has a brunch with Santa each year. This year Andrew mistakenly told Ella where we were going and she cried all the way there saying, "I don't want to see Santa, you can't make me see him, I won't sit on his lap." Finally I'd had enough and I yelled back to her, "He doesn't want to see you either so knock it off!!" Well, it helped a little, but John, the lone sucker with no say had to have his picture on the lap of a poser who did eventually scare him once their eyes met. Ah well. We don't make a big deal about Santa around our house anyway. But, since the kids have encountered their share of them this Christmas season, Ella so kindly pointed to a man bearing a white beard and stocking cap in TJ Maxx the other day and said, "Look Peter, Santa is in this store too!" He wasn't trying to be Santa, just a late Christmas shopper and his wife thought it was quite humorous. As did I, I'm not going to lie, I laughed out loud. For a long time.

Alaskan Whirlwind

I will preface this entry with: Beware, the story is told in pictures. Just keep scrolling, just keep scrolling...

Boarding the plane to Alaska this last time felt different. 1. It was a last minute trip. 2. Andrew was not meeting us at any time during the stay. 3. I had no idea what I was about to get myself into. 

It was so nice to see my family, have the cousins play together, spend Thanksgiving with relatives I hadn't seen in years, and just get away for a little while. Little did I know Peter would spend the ENTIRE time sick with something, the kids would barely sleep more than a 2 hour stretch without waking, I would get the flu and have to extend our stay, and Ella would start her extreme 4 year old attitude and opinion throwing the day before we left. I did get to do the 5am shopping Black Friday which I haven't done in years, visit my favorite little coffee stand (Kindred Spirits Coffee), knit a few hats, have a night out sans children with my parents, brother and sister in law, and gain a new favorite Anchorage store (Ozarks). It was cold, snowy, and very memory-filled.

Renee reading to the kids. Ella, Emerson, Levi and Peter.

This is what happens when your tupperware cupboard is accessible to toddlers.

Regan playing in a box.

The kids making a train with all the cans from the shelf.

Holy snow! This is the view from my parents back window.

My dad playing with Ella & Peter outside. He threw this snowball at me, missed and it landed in the house. 

This was the front yard tree at 5am when we went shopping Black Friday. 

We went to the Museum art show and they had a Christmas tree decorated with dolls from around the world.

Starting the gingerbread house.

The finished product, the kids were pretty proud of themselves.

This is what happens with Gramma decided to play "fix the roof." 

Uncle Dan & Aunt Arlitia came for a visit. It was great to see them.

Regan wearing the hat I knit her. It matched her jacket!

Regan liked to look out those binoculars at everyone and say, "I see you!" 

My cousins with John. They called him "squashy."

The rolls! Butter the rolls!

Great Aunt Millie made the turkey. Yum-O.

My brother with John and Emerson. 

Cousin Michael is becoming a favorite with the kids. They call him Uncle Michael.

I think the kids watched the movie Cars 100 times when we were there.

The totally botched effort to get the kids to all take a picture in the Christmas clothes.

But we could get them to all look at the tree pretty effortlessly.

Grandpa Jim.

Round 2 of the gingerbread house creation.

This one stayed standing and the kids were so proud of that.

We ended our trip on a good note and we were mostly all healthy by the flight home (3 days late). Ella was sick on the flights (good thing she knows how to use a sick bag), and Andrew drove with a friend to pick us up since the weather was bad and I was exhausted. I'm thankful for our time there, but you can bet that I won't be making any more last minute trips to the iceland any time soon. Thank you mom for flying us up to spend time with you all.