Advent

The advent calender started on December 1st.

Blake and I were really excited. We had planned out a bunch of things to do with our kids and we felt like we were really on top of it this year.

 Well, there is nothing like a bunch of kids to spoil everything....or at least make it really hard to have fun.

This year we thought it would be fun to start out with the festival of trees. 

Truthfully it was one of the few activities that we had planned that was going to cost money. Our friends the Wheeler's go every year and they say that their kids enjoy it so we thought "What the heck! Let's go together."

The gist of the whole thing is that they have people that make gingerbread houses, wreaths, quilts, and trees and they auction them off to raise money for Primary Children's Hospital.

A lot of the trees are dedicated to someone that has died, so they are all individual and unique.

This tree was made out of Mountain Dew cans.

Fun right?

I mean look at this gingerbread house that is shaped like Rapunzel's castle.

Let's just say that about 5 minutes into it our kids began to ask when we were leaving. 

Then Gavin started to complain that his legs were tired...and he didn't stop complaining...for an hour or more.

With Canon and Penny we improvised with some fancy stroller usage, but in the end we ended up leaving and going home to have PB&J sandwiches in lieu of having dinner with the Wheelers. 

It was a major bust.

Not only did the kids not appreciate the trees but they also didn't even find the humor in a statue that was creepy but supposed to be beautiful.

Blake and I contemplated calling off the advent altogether.

But what can I say? We are hard core.

Some other things we did:

We had Santa pictures taken and afterwards we had a little chocolate treat. 

That seemed like it was well received...up until Penny had to sit on Santa's lap. 

She was appeased with a giant ice cube afterwards though.

The kids painted their own ornaments.

Surprisingly no complaints. 

Except for when we took Penny's paint away.

Sometimes life does imitate art.

The kids also cut out snowflakes with Blake one night.

You figure that nothing could go wrong with snowflakes.

You would be wrong.

So so wrong.

Laney was upset about how her snowflake had turned out.

That is until the next day when she realized that the "L", that she was so upset about the night before, made a "heart"...then all the sudden her snowflake was great.

Last night we played a Gingerbread boy game.

No complaints.

It truly was like a holiday miracle. 

Plus, I won.

Blake came in last...so I have bragging rights.

Penny was in it more for the coloring and popcorn.

Now all of our gingerbread boys hang on the fridge.

To the kids they symbolize our time together...

but to me they are mostly like a tongue sticking out at Blake.

Winner winner chicken dinner.

Am I A Man? Or Am I A Muppet?

Halloween was fun, as always.

I know for some Halloween is not their favorite holiday, and I get it...kinda. But...I think it is fun to dress up. It is the one time out of the year that you can dress up and be someone else and no one is going to try to commit you to the psych ward...although if they did you must really have a rocking costume.

Plus, for kids, I think this is probably the top holiday next to Christmas. A bunch of strangers give them candy, and they get to play dress up...AT SCHOOL. 

On Halloween everyone seems to be pretty laid back. 

I like it.   

So...I like to spread my Halloween Holiday Cheer.

The kids loved their costumes this year, especially Canon. I am not sure if it was the the round belly and material wedgie he had...or the little skinny legs...or the fact that everyone thought he made the cutest Kermit? Whatever it was he loved his costume the most, and wore it for the most amount of time.

For him it must be easy being green.

Since I am sure someone will ask...All of the costumes were made by me with the exception of Blake's clothes, my clothes, and Gavin's shirt. 

A Little Bit Country

Canon shares a birthday with our good friends the Wheeler's daughter.

Say that five times fast. Or try to understand it.

Well, since they share a birthday, for the last two years we have done something together. 

Never mind the fact that their daughter is 11 and Canon is 4. They don't seem to mind.

Last year we went bowling. This year...although Canon was insistent on bowling at first...we went to April's sister's husband's parent's farm. 

See what I did there? Confused, huh?!

It was in Fillmore.

I could make a slightly inappropriate joke about Fillmore...I will refrain.

April's sister's husband is named Jordan. I will now refer to the farm as Jordan's. Capeesh?

Jordan's parents evidently own this farm and do something called Apple fest every year. We didn't go to apple fest but, it is a big deal in Fillmore.

Hence the big wagon that all our kids were climbing all over like little monkeys.

No big farm is complete with out a zip line.

Laney was the first one from our family to say she wanted to go.

First, you have to climb the tower. The little kids are in harnesses and are roped into someone at the top.

That someone just happened to be Bryan.

Blake went with Laney to take pictures.

But..when Laney got to the top...let's just say she wasn't so confident...

So Blake strapped on a harness to go down with her.

Meanwhile we waited...

looking like a Gap Jean ad.

Penny was happy to wait...

"That's better."

I wish I had a picture of them coming down.

I don't. 

Picture this...

Laney white as a ghost...shaking...looking like she was either going to vomit or pass out....Blake smiling.

I asked Laney if she liked it when she was done and she started to bawl.

How I talked Gavin into going...I am not quite sure.

Granted, when we got to the top he had a minor meltdown.

Not that I blame him. When you are up there, it feels very high. 

Then I simply lied, and told him the only way down was on the zip line. 

Solid parenting skills.

But he did it. Or should I say...we did it.

Me? Smiling. Him? Looking like he is trying to smile.

Now I bring you a public service announcement:

Harnesses are NOT flattering.

Consider yourself warned.

You're welcome.

Blake decided to try the zip line on his own. He did some fancy stunts. And by fancy I mean the spread eagle 

and the cannon ball. 

In a shocking turn of events Laney said that she wanted to go on the zip line again.

I think it was due to the fact that Blake looked like he was having such a good time.

Not only did she say she wanted to go again but she also said she wanted to go by herself.

I told her I would go with her just in case...

Down she came....

solo.

Some people may mistake this face as a look of pure fright.

Until you add the word "Weeeee" then it makes perfect sense.

You can add the word "weee" to this one too.

We repeatedly heard "my turn" from Penny.

So we took her on a shirtless stationary zip line ride.

At some point during the day we had decided to go all sorts of white trash and removed Penny's and Canon's shirts....

Riddle me this... 

You don't eat cotton candy shirtless?

If you haven't you aint living.

Or at least you aren't living in Fillmore.

Fillmore...the land of all things farm related. 

Like tractor rides.

Where you can ride a tractor shirtless.

It is accepted.

Dare I say encouraged.

Wanna know what else you can do shirtless? 

Sit on gigantic tires drinking generic Gatorade.

Ride horses....while crying...

The sky's the limit.

While our other kids weren't getting their country on by being shirtless, they did embrace the country life.

Laney loved it.

All the kids did. 

They probably liked the zip line...or the cotton candy...or tandem horse riding...or the swings...the most.

Or maybe it was being shirtless. 

You know what they say...When in Rome..er..Fillmore.