Birthday/Christmas Eve

This year, we went down to Ashland for Christmas.  All of my siblings and their spouses were able to be there.  It was the first time we had all been together in two years, so we were all pretty excited to be there.  Our family had grown a bit since the last time we were all together – we had twelve adults and twelve kids.  Next time we’re together, the kids will outnumber the adults!

For my birthday, Shane let me sleep in once I fed Asher, and when I woke up, I got to eat a yummy breakfast of crepes with strawberries and whipped cream.  After we were all ready, we headed over to the church to play some games, eat take-out Chinese food, and break a piñata.  It was a great birthday party!

               

That evening, we had a delicious dinner followed by a program that included each family doing something: Bryce and Camille drew pictures to share with the family, Dave and Liz had everyone sing Jingle Bells while the kiddos rang bells, Jake and Stacey read a Christmas poem that they had written, Becky and Nate’s family sang a song, and we played “name that Christmas tune,” My mom led the grandkids in “C is for the Christ Child.”  They also had fun playing the chimes. 

     

We concluded the program by acting out the nativity:

   

(Thanks Stacey, for catching the great picture of James and Maggie!)

 

After the nativity, the kids got ready for bed while my dad hid their wrapped Christmas Eve book for them to find.  They were all a little excited for Santa to come, but all managed to go to sleep eventually.

Asher–9 months old

Asher is changing and seeming older and older each day.  He turned nine months old, and we seem to see more and more of his cute personality emerging all the time.  Here are a few things about him at nine months:

• He has learned to crawl, but still prefers his army crawl as he is much faster that way.
• He can pull himself up to things, and thinks he is pretty cool when he does.  The first thing he pulled himself up to was our little trampoline.  Whenever I can’t find him, I know to check by the trampoline in the living room, and there he is, walking along it. 
• He can pull himself into a sitting position, and likes to be sitting up to watch his three crazy brothers.
• He has four teeth – two on the top and two on the bottom.
• He is usually very happy and easy to get to laugh.  He’s also quite ticklish!
• He loves to look at books, especially with a flap, but he usually needs to turn the pages himself or hold something in his lap to be involved with the reading.
• He has his own doggy and blanket like his brothers, and he is liking his dog more and more.
• He likes to play peek-a-boo, putting his hands in front of his face to hide and then peek out.
• He just learned how to clap, and grins from ear to ear and claps when we all say, “Yay!”
• He is still pretty receptive to other people, and will smile and usually be fine when other people hold him.  He is starting to cry sometimes when I put him down and leave the room, so I’m sure his separation anxiety will kick in more soon.
• HLHS Update:  His heart is strong and working like it should at his age.  His oxygen saturation levels are usually in the low 80’s (which is normal for his stage).  He seems to be on a normal developmental track, although he is a bit slower than my other boys have been at reaching certain large-motor-skill milestones.  We do notice as he’s army crawling around the house, he’ll pause and put his head down to rest sometimes, but then he’s right back at it.  He is getting monthly shots to help him fight off any RSV infections, and he still takes 1/2 an aspirin every day.  He has his next checkup with the cardiologist in February.

   

   

O Christmas Tree

We waited a little later to set up our Christmas tree this year, thinking we would get our carpet in by the second week in December, but as soon as we got the call that the carpet wouldn’t come until much later, we went to get our tree that day.  We tried a new Christmas tree farm this year, and we really liked it!  The boys found this tree right away, and after walking around a little more to make sure there wasn’t anything they liked better, we cut it down, had a little hot cocoa, and took our tree home.

 

   

That night, after Shane got off work, we decorated the tree.  The boys were really excited to put on the ornaments, and the tree turned out just perfect.

       

It was Davis’s turn to put on the star this year.  The star was a little higher with our taller tree, but we still managed to get it up there!

(Someone kept photo bombing my picture of the boys looking at the tree)

   

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving, we went up to Seattle to celebrate with Becky and Nate.  My parents went up there too.  It was a nice break to leave our disorganized house and relax for a little at their house.  We had a delicious meal (thanks mostly to my Mom!), and had some successful shopping purchases on Friday. 

The feast:  (Not sure why Davis was making this funny face)

 

The boys tried to burn off some energy Thanksgiving day by running in circles around the cul-de-sac and wrestling Grandpa.

   

More wrestling with Grandpa, Asher getting a ride while Black Friday shopping, and James and Ryan with their superhero capes.

   

On Saturday morning, we drove over to the Seattle temple and walked through some trails and over to a fun park.  The kids had fun playing on the playground before we headed home. 

   

It was a fun trip, and we were glad Becky and Nate were close enough we could easily go there for Thanksgiving.