December Fun

December included lots of fun activities...even for grownups! Doug and I had a lovely weekend away (thank you Grandma and Grandpa!!!) to attend Doug's cousin's wedding. We were so happy to be with all the family and celebrate such a fun couple. We had the best time!

Then there were concerts at the kids' schools. Gianna is in this picture, I promise. Every class in her school performed some holiday songs with voices or instruments. 

Mark's concert was really a performance for the kids by a musical duo. Mark hated it. Joe loved it. Joe loves music so much. He only says a couple of words, but he tries to "sing" everything and his dance moves have no equal. :) By the end of the performance, some of Joe's enthusiasm rubbed off on Mark and his friends.

The picture below makes me laugh every time I see it or even think about it. The whole preschool is on their feet rockin' out to the fun music. But not Mark and his crew. They just sat there like sullen teenagers!

Luckily, they eventually saw at least a little fun in it and got on their feet too...with Joe's help of course. 

Gianna had crazy hair day at school. Seeing the other girls, I know recognize my lack of creativity. So I'll be more prepared next year!

These next two photos are to document Joey's crazy hair. It is something else. Especially after a bath!

We did A LOT of baking to get ready for Christmas this year. Luckily I had two helpers. 

The Christmas Season Begins

After Thanksgiving it was back home to start getting ready for Christmas. This even included trips on the roof for the kids. They thought it was SO COOL! And Doug loves that our ranch is so easy and not dangerous to be on...makes Christmas lights a lot easier! These pictures make it look like Joe doesn't exist. I think we did 99% of our decorating while he was napping. I can only assume he would have been no help!

I love my new Etsy banner...may even inspire me to try making these myself. This space could definitely use banners on a regular basis! I also love that for the first time since we've been married (almost 10 years) we've had a home big enough to put out all our Christmas decorations. I love this time of year!

The festivities continued at a church children's Christmas party. It was a lovely time. Crafts, games, and a visit from Santa.

Followed by the church tree lighting. Apparently the company who does the Rockefellar Center tree did this one too...pretty cool!

Thanksgiving: Home and Away

Thanksgiving started at home when Mark's school had a celebration. The kids were all dressed up and his teachers served us a homemade-by-the-kids Thanksgiving lunch of turkey meatballs, macaroni and cheese, and other snacks. It was so cute and fun!

Then, due to impending bad weather, we opted to leave for Virginia on Tuesday night instead of waiting till Thanksgiving morning. Joe helped us pack, as you can see.

Leaving early was a great decision if for no other reason than it gave the kids time to play in the Virginia snow with Daddy and Grandpa

Thanksgiving was a great day for snuggling and looking handsome. We were so happy the Johnsons and my in-laws could join us!

Mark's 5th Birthday!

Mark turned 5 on November 20! He is a smart, funny, sweet boy. He loves to play with swords and action figures. He's constantly doing karate-type moves. He's so fun at 5!

This was the cake I made for him. It turned out pretty well, I think. And there he is opening his turtle figures and their van. I don't think he's stopped playing with them since then. He is quite obsessed with Ninja Turtles. (I'm too lazy to figure out how to turn the cake picture the right way.)  

On his birthday, he didn't have school so I took him and his cousin Jack and friend Caleb to a bounce place. They had a ball! Then we came back for lunch, cake, and presents. No big party, I couldn't bring myself to do it, but I think the day was special enough for Mark.

Mark had school the day after his birthday. He loved getting his crown and sharing a treat with his school friends!

Around the house

Not many exciting things go on around here, but there IS always something to laugh at. As stated in a previous post, Joe really enjoys wearing things on his head/face. This Rudolph nose courtesy of his cousin Jack is no exception. He wears it for way longer than I ever could and is more than happy to indulge in a photo shoot so he can say "cheeeeeeese" for minutes on end.

One night the big kids decided to sleep in Gianna's bed together. This is how I found them around 11 pm. Cozy. I believe Mark went back to his bed about an hour after this. They thought this photo was hilarious the next morning.

Joe has inherited the Coughlin curls. Right after a bath, it looks like this...very Mr. Kotter. But usually it looks more like Gene Wilder. 

Have I mentioned how much I love our new house? Well, I do, I really do, but I do miss our old postage-stamp yard with it's zero trees and zero raking. This is just a fraction of our yard and these 4 piles are each about 6 ft by 6ft and this is not the only time we've raked this area! Oh well, spring and summer will return eventually and the kids will be outside constantly and the yard and I will be on speaking terms again.

Here's our all-around happy guy. He loves doing everything the big kids do, even if only a little bit :)

Mark and Joe are becoming great playmates. Mark is always making up super fun games for Joe to play with him. Our house is a constant race track, which drives me a little bonkers sometimes, but they sure do have fun!

Pumpkin sail

The day after Halloween the nearby body of water (sad, I don't know what it is!) has a pumpkin sail. I've never heard of such a thing, but apparently it's a thing...Central Park has one, among many places I'm sure. Anyway, you bring your carved pumpkin and they light 'em up and sail 'em down the water. I think it would be awesome to see a bunch of lit-up pumpkins all over the water. And we would have had the current not been sending the pumpkins in the wrong direction and away from us. Alas, we had to just bear the cold and try to enjoy our hot chocolate and roasted marshmallows.  It was a fun time in spite of the cold. Maybe next year the pumpkins will sail the right way. :)