December 31

Happy New Year's Eve!

We celebrated the new year with what has become our tradition: paper crowns, fancy clothes, and a fancy dinner of filet mignon, crab legs, and twice-baked potatoes.

I was scrambling to get dinner ready, so Chris helped the kids pick out their "fancy" clothes. At the last minute, I swooped in and applied some bright red lipstick so that the girls felt extra-fancy.

Aren't they adorable? I love Eli's rain boots, Caleb's jeans, Daisy's dress from the basement costume stash that belonged to one of my sisters from a trip to Arizona/Mexico when we were children, and Lily's leggings/socks combo. These kids are just too funny!

Oh, and Daisy's high heels. Gotta love those!

They had way too much fun with those noisemakers. In fact, they were all ruined by the end of the night - guess I'll have to buy more next year!

Chris and I wore our fancy best, too. My silver heels were sinking into the soft ground.

And then we weer done. Caleb kept blowing his noisemaker in Daisy's face, and she was totally annoyed.

I just drank more champagne.

This grainy cell phone selfie is the best picture of Chris and me that I have from the night.

But didn't he look handsome?

After dinner, we found a New Year's Eve party playlist on Spotify, and we had a dance party. It was so much fun!

Dance parties with costumes are always better.

And then it was bedtime! This marks the fifth anniversary of us living in our house; the first night we spent here was the eve of 2012. Back then, we had a 2-year-old and a 7-month old. It's crazy how time flies!

December 30

I convinced Chris to take today off work and, just like his last day off, we went to another local institution that I have been meaning to take the children to for a long time. It's just that it feels like a lot of work to explore new places with four kids and one grown-up. By myself, it feels like work. With Chris, it feels like an adventure. I love that about him.

So today was the Missouri History Museum. It is one of the amazing free museums here, and I have heard many great things about their Kids' Clubhouse. We were not disappointed.

They had a an area devoted to the 1904 World's Fair, complete with period costumes and pretend ice cream cones.

The girls were thrilled!

(Later, my mom told me that she remembers her grandma - my great-grandma, the girls' great-great-grandma - telling the story of how she and her family traveled by horse and cart from central Iowa to the World's Fair in St. Louis. She was just a small child, but she remembered the journey. How cool is that?)

There was also an area where the kids could learn about Kahokia Mounds and the area's native people. They loved this fishing area!

But we spent the most time in the actual clubhouse, which was full of books and games and puzzles and cozy places to read. Don't you love my flower girls in the flower cushion?

And Chris is such a good sport for reading endless books to them.

Caleb was content to read on his own.

Then we moved on to the rest of the museum. It was really interesting for us, but we had to breeze through it quickly for the kids' sake. Eli was fascinated by this motorcycle, though. I think he takes after his grandpa.

We finished our visit with a stop at the complimentary photo booth. There were costumes galore, and the kids had so much fun planning their outfits. 

Isn't Eli the cutest little Yoda? He was adamant that he needed a light saber, but the two they had were both being used. Thankfully, a bigger kid was kind to our little guy and handed one over. Eli was so happy! He took his Yoda outfit very seriously.

The end result! Caleb wore a Gumby costume, which disappeared into the green screen and made him look like a floating head.

The one of just the kids is probably my favorite, though. Look at sweet Yoda Eli! Isn't he hilarious? Caleb was invisible Gumby, Lily was Jessie from Toy Story, and Daisy was a Sith Lord. They are never this cooperative when I take their pictures!

We stayed much longer than we should have, and then had a special lunch at Bread Company thanks to some gift cards that were a Christmas gift. By the time we made it home, it was way past nap time and the little two were exhausted. We got them down for naps, and then Chris and I grabbed the older two for some snuggles in our big bed. 

Aren't they funny?

My sweet girl.

We love snuggles!

After dinner, it was bath time. I snapped a few shots of sweet Lily. I love when she is all fresh and clean and wrapped up in her hooded towel!

This towel was a first-birthday gift to her from my friend Jessica. She chose it because it was a rainbow towel for our "Baby Rainbow". Lily loves it.

She's so funny!

December 29

Chris had to work today.

Boo.

But it pays the bills, so I should be thankful instead of complaining.

Eli is a month shy of his second birthday and has been really interested/helpful when everyone else goes potty lately, so I figured it was time to get the froggy potty out.

He was delighted! 

He didn't use it successfully, but he sure enjoys sitting on it. I don't expect much more than that for now; I'll probably wait another 6 months at least before we even think about attempting potty training. For now, it's just fun to imagine that someday soon (-ish) we may have a diaper-free home.

My sister Emily texted me that her boys had cabin fever, so we decided to take the cousins on a visit to the Butterfly House. Emily's boys were thrilled with all of the butterflies.

My children were terrified.

They are so weird.

Group shot, take one.

Eli kept telling me that the butterflies were scary. I love the way the humidity and heat make his hair go all curly.

Group shot, take two. 

My kids were finally willing to smile because we were ten feet from the exit. Max and Jace were hot and done.

The actual butterfly area is only good for 20-30 minutes because it's so darn hot. Thankfully, they have a really great play area with lots of puzzles and books and matching games. We spent a fair amount of time there. I love this picture of Lily and Jace (who are 3 days apart in age) trying to figure out the matching cards. They are so cute!

December 28

Are you realizing why I haven't been blogging? It's because I've only been taking crummy cell phone pictures. Still, we've been having fun.

Chris spent the whole day at work today. Meanwhile, I discovered that I am now a grandmother.

This is Lily's new water baby, Ludia.

Yes, she named her baby "Ludia". I think it's a mix of Lydia and Lulu/Lucy. (Thanks, Jill.)

Lily told me her baby was hungry and asked me to feed her.

(Pay no attention to that belly below the baby. I am not pregnant; I have just let myself go during the past stressful months and now I have a gut that I need to get rid of. So kindly pretend you didn't see that.)

Daisy was excited to get to babysit her niece.

Apparently today's pictures are highlighting all of my flaws, but I'm sharing them anyway. Here you see some of my prominent grays that I have opted not to color. Whatevs. Focus your attention instead on that sweet baby who has gotten probably eight teeth over the past month. I'm not even kidding - the child is teething like crazy. Molars, canines, and everything else. Poor kid.

At least he's still a snuggle bug, even when he's crabby from getting teeth.

December 27

Apparently bankers don't get Christmas breaks.

Or at least, the banker I married doesn't. After much begging, pleading, and foot-stomping on my part, I convinced Chris to take a few days between Christmas and New Year's off so that we could have some fun. Yesterday was a bank holiday, so it doesn't count. Today I convinced him to take a half day, and we spent the morning at the Science Center with the kids. 

We got there before it opened so that we could see the big dinosaurs out front. Daisy didn't want to be in this picture, so she volunteered to be the photographer.

There's a sunny Daisy sitting on a triceratops foot with the shadow of a T. Rex hand looming ominously above her.

Time to go in! Eli was fascinated by the Blue Angels airplane that is outside the Science Center. Fascinated.

It was adorable.

I remember building an arch when I was a child, and it was fun to share that with our kids.

These boys had so much fun!

We even built the big one!

Almost a family selfie. Eli wandered off.

The kids liked the big combine harvester, too.

After much reassurance that it wouldn't actually go, Caleb pressed the gas pedal. He was pretty nervous.

Also, check out Lily's purple corduroys with embroidered flowers, striped socks, and pink shoes (likely on the wrong feet), paired with the fuzzy bear sweater Grace gave her for Christmas. That sweater is her new favorite thing, and I bet she felt fabulous in that hilarious outfit. 

On the way out, all four kids sat in the four vibrating chairs that were synced with a video to mimic taking off in a space shuttle. It was here that we realized that Eli can now say "astronaut".

Where did my baby go?

December 26

I've fallen behind again, but I promise I'm not dropping this blog! It's just that I don't always want to lug my big camera around, and I've started getting up at 5:30 am (ok, really it's 5:45. Maybe 5:50.) to go to the gym, and by the time the kids are in bed, I am zonked so blogging doesn't happen. But I will try!

I only have 2 cell phone pictures today.

I have no idea what Eli was doing, but it was hilarious. The wet disposable diaper tells me that this is first thing in the morning, and perhaps he was trying to remove his own pants?

This kid is just too sweet.

In the afternoon, I had my last photo session of the year. It was an extended family shoot with 17 people, and I was feeling really apprehensive about scheduling such a large session outdoors IN DECEMBER.

And then it was sunny and nearly 60 degrees. 

I was pretty happy about that.

December 25

Merry Christmas! 

Our family celebrated Christ's birth the way we always do: with a quite, low-key celebration at home. It was perfect.

I love that our kids somehow don't explode with anticipation about opening gifts, and so we are able to have a slow morning with breakfast and coffee before we open gifts. This was our tree:

Do you notice that there are not one, but two Cozy Coupes? We had planned for my parents to give the kids one, but I worried that sharing one might be really challenging for Eli and Lily. Then yesterday I randomly found one for $13 on a Buy/Sell/Trade Facebook page, and the seller was super close to me. Score! So in a 12 hour period, our family went from no Cozy Coupes to two. The kids are thrilled!

This dollhouse/bookshelf/toy storage unit was another Facebook find. Another babywearing mama was giving it away, and I knew our girls would love to have it. It's solid wood and in beautiful shape, and it was free! I love how God provides just what we need, even when we don't know we need it.

Four little duckies!

One happy family.

They were about done at this point!

My favorite part of Christmas this year was definitely Daisy. A few days ago, Chris took each of the kids on a solo trip to Target so that they could pick out gifts for their siblings. They were so sweet and thoughtful, and had so much fun choosing just the right thing for each person. But the best part was that on Christmas morning, they were so excited to watch their siblings open the gifts they chose! Daisy was especially adorable. 

For nearly a year, maybe longer, I have had a Post-it note on my oven that says, "It is better to give than to receive - Acts 20:35". We talk about it occasionally, but I think this Christmas really helped the kids to understand that verse better.

Except for one thing. 

Daisy has been asking for an American Girl doll for months now. The problem is that those dolls cost $100, and we don't feel like our 5-year-old needs a $100 doll. A few months ago I showed Daisy that Target has a similar doll, and we spent a long while scrolling through the website, deciding which one she liked best.

She chose Anya, and she didn't forget her.

So when she opened up her one big gift from us and saw Anya... 

That is the face of sheer delight.

A girl and her doll. After watching how tenderly Daisy has loved and cared for Anya, I realize she was probably ready for an American Girl doll. But Anya makes her just as happy.

Emily and I teamed up for another gift for Daisy. Last night, Emily gave her a silver, sparkly dress. Cute, but no big deal.

Until today, when I gave her a matching dress for Anya. This girl feels so fancy!

Eli loved the monster trucks Caleb chose for him.

And then we all ate more breakfast, played with toys, took naps, and then got ready for another Christmas with Chris' parents.

Grace and Adam left just as we arrived, so it was just his parents and us, but we had so much fun!

Eli refused to wear a Christmas outfit, and chose this one instead. He also insisted on sandals and socks. I blame his father.

I really wanted a picture of the kids in front of the tree, but this was the best I got.

Not the best picture, but I think you can see how very happy everyone (except Eli) is!

After all the presents, after the kids changed into jammies, we had birthday cakes for Jesus. 

There were even candles! Eli was focused, because "Happy Birthday" is his current favorite game.

Happy birthday, Jesus!