Saddles, T-squares, and Sippy Cups

 We continued the family tradition of acting out the story of Jesus' birth. We are still a little sparse on parts but we make it work:)
 The boys wanted to leave a treat for Santa this year.  They decided that Sprecher's was better than milk and left this note.  If they were gone in the morning it was proof that Santa was real!

 Santa came, left some presents, ate some cookies and drank some soda.
 Apparently this was the year of LEGO...and everyone was happy!




 And Sage loved her Christmas pjs from Grandma Mar and Grandpa Jim:)
It was a fun and happy Christmas!

So, we have lived in the Milwaukee area for just over three years and never been to Discovery World. To be honest it is a little pricey and I wasn't sure how the kids would like it.  I don't like wasting money.
 To our delight, however, Grandma and Grandpa Abbott gave us a year-long family pass for Christmas-and it arrived in the mail before Christmas!
 This worked out well since we had some days with the kids off of school and daddy off of work!
 There were lots of things to see and do.  Sometimes it was difficult to get enough time to take it in since the kids would run and look quick, not quite taking it all in before moving to the next thing.
 I loved this replica ship. I really don't think I would be brave enough to take to the seas in it though.

 They had an aquatic section as well.


 And a touching pool.


Going that one time paid for the price of the pass!  Still, we are looking forward to more trips in the year to come-gotta eek out all the value we can:)

 A new baby makes everything busier and the month of December was no exception! 

Thea started to really smile. This was pretty important because, just like with all my other children (though perhaps worse with her) I had a day where I broke down, sure that she was missing important milestones and that the missing of those milestones indicated a future that included autism, a developmental delay or some similar thing. 
 Ian lost a tooth and had three more follow soon after.
 Thea was still a cutie:) She also wore blue on occasion.  It was a warm sleeper, a necessity in the winter in WI.
 Because I had a real baby, Chris and I were asked to play Mary and Joseph in the live Nativity that was part of the Creche that is put on each year.  We did it two nights in a row and the first night Noah opted to participate as a shepherd. The second night (sorry no picture) Ian joined in and was a shepherd too.
 And Thea was still cute.
 It snowed but here in WI we don't let a little snow get in the way of school.  (Eventually, we would miss 4 days of school due to the -45 windchill.)
 There was the school's Winter Concert.
 At the ward Christmas Party Noah had a part in the program, putting ornaments on the tree.
 I opted out of making a slew of Christmas goodies this year. I'm totally blaming it on the baby. But we still wanted to do something for the neighbors and decided to go with a local favorite, Sprecher's Soda and cute little Pinterest labels about being "Soda-lighted" to have great neighbors.
 We had to bundle up because it was COLD!
 There came a time when I wondered if I would get a second thumb sucker.  Thea had adamantly opposed the pacifier since birth.  By this point I wondered if thumb sucking wouldn't solve some of our self-soothing woes!  It didn't stick.
 The kids like to play in the snow. This is good since we live in WI.
 I'm not quite sure the genesis of this project but I thought they did a pretty sweet job with some business cards, a cereal box, and some masking tape.

 Thea sat on the sidelines and supervised.

 I tried to lose the blue theme this year with some different colored ornaments.
 But in the end, this year was the tree's ugliest version yet.
But the kids aren't as picky as I am so it's all good!

 Thea slept in the much loved (by me!) moses basket. I love it's portability that brings the baby some consistency wherever she sleeps-home, hotel, grandma's house, etc.
 Sage never really had bed head.  Her hair got longer and longer and still nary a rat's nest. But, it did start to tangle and she would scream bloody murder before commencing weeping and wailing if you hit a snag when combing it. I didn't want to cut it and neither did she (because she didn't want to look like a boy!). We tried braiding at night to limit the tangling.
While this picture has already been featured in Chris' birthday post, I am taking this opportunity to recognize the amazing artistic skills of my three year old. Never have the likes been seen in this house at that age. (Not that I am making comparisons because that would be bad parenting. But she draws....like at all!  And she holds the crayon just like you are supposed to with no coaching or instruction!  And she draws pictures rather than scribbles!)

So, while I was in the depths of sleep deprivation life went on and it was different and good and bad and sweet, just like usual.

The whole experience was surprisingly peaceful.

And totally worth it!

We have been able to have Thanksgiving in Huntley with Ian and his family for a couple of years now. This is has been a special treat since Chris and I have never really lived close to family.
 This year we got to enjoy more than just delicious food! A few more family members than usual showed up! Mom and Dad and Elise and her family came up from TX!
 We had a great time visiting and eating.

And cooing at the baby, of course!
 Thea was almost two months old.





 Elise was there so we had to try and get a few family pictures too.
 But it was super fun to see the cousins spend time together!


 Mostly we saw the backs of them-they were always on the move and it was always fast!

 Some things brought back memories of days gone by...
 And some set us firmly in our wonderful present, where we are blessed beyond measure with our beautiful families and the opportunity to be together and help us look to our future, when we hope we will be a forever family!