Smouldering away

Nolan's been perfecting his "smoulder" around here.  From time-to-time while he and Abe are playing I hear him say, "Abram, you broke my smoulder!!" - followed by giggles from both of them.  I inquired about this smoulder thing, and he did the cutest thing. Caden caught it on video for me this morning before Nolan headed out to catch the bus so his smoulder was a little rushed, but you can get the idea:

He's been showing off his new trick to anyone that he can think of -his teacher was laughing about it one day when I picked him up from Kindergarten -and he can pop that eyebrow up and down faster than anyone I know when he isn't too busy "smouldering".

And meanwhile, the rest of the family has been taking turns smouldering away with a fever that comes along with Type A influenza.  So far, Shawn is the only one to avoid catching the bug, but probably just because he is gone so much. I have loved the days when he has been able to be at home babying us sick people along! I am pretty sick and tired of everyone being sick and tired!

masks and earplugs

A week before Christmas Isabelle came home from school with the 24- hr -flu.  After Christmas, I realized that no one else had ever gotten it! I was so grateful!! However,  I think it may be our turn now...

Friday, after having a group of friends over to ice skate, Kami told me she wasn't feeling too great.  By morning, she couldn't even talk her throat was so sore, she was burning up with a fever and she looked miserable.  Last night Caden and Madeline came home sick. Abe had it a week before everyone else got it - the perfect person to start a family epidemic:)  The one that everyone is trying to snuggle with and hug and kiss and play with all day long!  Scripture time was pretty sparse this morning with only Shawn, me, Isabelle and Nolan as the other kids tried to sleep off their illnesses. Shawn set up a TV in Kami's room and all the sickies are in there watching movie after movie and enduring their misery together, while hopefully containing their germs...yes I am a freak about germs.

One of those pictures he will find unendurable when he's older, but that is irresistible to his mother:)

In other news, Abram has been doing super with potty training!:)  One day last week I decided to get serious and got on line and bought some potty training underwear for him.  Shawn and I were on the same page, because a couple of days later, as he was heading home from Boise, he called to say that he had just bought a bunch of potty training underwear at a Walmart there. I told him I had gotten some and he said, "Oh well!  We will do this right!!" We've both teamed up on Abram and he's doing great (and has never gotten stubborn about it like my other kids did!!) I guess it pays to wait until a kid is three to start this process:)

Isabelle comes home from school everyday and unwinds by opening up i-tunes and singing every Taylor Swift song that she knows, at her highest volume and also the computer's highest volume.  When she buys a new song (Santa got her an i-tunes card for Christmas) she listens to each part of it over and over again, and writes down ALL of the words.  She has a blue binder full of all the words to her Taylor Swift songs. We can't get Belle interested in any other singer - Kami and Caden hate Taylor Swift's music, I think Maddie likes it, and the rest of us tolerate it, but it's getting harder to bear with each passing hour of hearing the songs over....and over....and over....Finally when my head starts throbbing and I think I can't stand it any longer  I remind her that she needs to practice piano and do her homework!!

Now that I've purchased the underwear, I think my next purchases will be earplugs and masks (to keep from getting sick:)

duet

This year Kami and Caden played a duet at our annual Gee family talent show that  I thought was pretty cool- sounding.  I'm usually not much of a fan of duets.  I took videos of the whole talent show  - uncles Terry and Evan playing the trombone and saxophone, a niece (Nicky) singing "I want a hippopotamus for Christmas", my mother-in-law and Suzette playing another great piano duet, and then lots of kids playing the piano, one playing the guitar (Abby) and one playing the violin (Ellie).  It was such a great talent show!! I can't wait to watch it again years down the road now that it's all captured on video:) I also can't wait for next years big show!

change time

I had a huge urge to cut my hair off on Monday, so I texted my beautician and asked her if she had any openings.  She said she had something next Thursday.  I texted back and told her that I may need to go somewhere else (just this once) because I needed to get my hair cut off while I was feeling brave!!  She texted right back and said, "how about tomorrow night at 7:30?"  Perfect!  Poor girl - always having to go with my last-minute whims:)

The little boys were begging me not to cut off my hair, but this morning when they got up, I didn't say anything and they didn't notice anything different.  Finally, right before Nolan headed out the door for school he said, "mom, did you ever go get your hair cut?" When I told him I did, he said, "oh I wondered if it was shorter in back!!" Lol

friends

One day, during the break, the kids invited some of their friends - who were still in town- over to ice skate:
Sharly and Isabelle:

Madeline and Madelyn McNair:

Dylan and Nolan:

Carly, Annie and Kami:

Caden, Spencer and Nathan:

Abram didn't need to invite anyone over because he LOVES to hang out with Caden and his friends.  He calls them his "buddies" and they'e all super nice to him:)

Shawn snowblowed the ENTIRE pond, even the ice-paths around the island. To get our bearings: the area to the right of where the kids are skating is the island - you can vaguely see our house through the trees, and way down to the right opens up to the larger pond.

When they got cold they came in for hot chocolate and warm cinnamon rolls and played games for quite awhile.  I love friend parties!!!

Snippets of Christmas

 We had such a fantastic Christmas season - I am so sad that I had to take the decorations down today, when it seems that  I just put them up! I am sorry to see the kids going back to school tomorrow and Shawn to work.  Shawn took all the days off work that the kids had out of school and it was so wonderful having him home so much! I'm afraid I have been spoiled.

The best part about Christmas was that my parents and Eli came to celebrate it with us! I feel so lucky and loved when people come to see us - especially my parents, who don't care to leave their place very often!!

While they were here:
Nolan was terrified of the ghosts on the "Christmas Carol" movie - dad had to keep covering his eyes:)

At the Ritchie's live nativity that they do every year - afterwards we went caroling - boy we sound good with those three additions!  I was proud to let everyone hear our little choir!

Everyone doing their part on our annual Christmas breakfast that we make together and eat BEFORE opening presents to make it all last longer!

mom and I cooking up the sausage

Our own dear Santa Claus:)  This outfit was donned several times:

All of the adults were surprised to wake up Christmas morning and find that Santa had left us a stocking as well - completely different from the kids stockings!  Kami, Caden and Madeline had bought candy and stocking stuffers and put them out sometime after we went to bed (or woke up).  So cute and thoughtful!  Below I am wearing a "nose warmer" made for me by Maddie (that was in my stocking).  Mom got one, too.  We got a good laugh.  Even funnier was later when I said that I couldn't wait to wear it while I ice skated!  Maddie said, "no, don't wear it, mom!!  That would be SO embarrassing!! I need to tell you that I didn't have time to make a good nose warmer by the time I thought of it, so I gave you a finger to a pair of gloves that I was crocheting!  No wonder it was so long!!:

Nolan's favorite gift, given to him by Maddie:

Before Christmas Abe told everyone he was getting a "batman castle". He really got it!  And he has played with it for at least three hours every day since.  Guess he really knew what he would like!!

We spent a lot of time this Christmas break ice skating! This was the first time that I had been able to do it in YEARS (like 16) because the other years that our ice has worked out I have either been pregnant or had a little one to watch.  It was so much fun!! By the way, Kami is the awesome skater in the pink coat, who can skate forward and backward and look all graceful...and  I am the one in black:)

Below:  Playing Balderdash.  Dad loves to play games, and games are fun to play when he is around!!

more game players

Shawn was sure good to take pictures, and  I am so glad because otherwise this whole vacation would have gone completely undocumented! (Although there is a slight over-abundance of pictures of myself) I wish I had some pictures of him!!