Piano!

So we have been telling the kids that men were coming in a big truck to move something into our house. The kids have been excited guessing what it could be. Caleb thought it must be a rocking chair. Kendall figured it was her real pony...a late Christmas present. So, the kids waited and waited all morning.

Caleb figured it out right when the movers got there. Kendall on the other hand, was holding out for her pony. When the chair, and wood tops were moved in, she got even more excited squealing that it must be a pony and a sleigh. When the piano was finally brought it, she loved it, and was not at all disappointed. We were very fortunate and found someone giving a piano away for free less than a mile from our house. We just had to pay movers to move it. Caleb has been wanting piano lessons. His cousin Rachael has been playing for about 10 years, and said she would give him weekly lessons. It will be nice for them to have extra time to spend with each other, and it should be a fun activity for him as well. I think Kendall is also going to want lessons too!

Sick Kendall

So, we did a few errands today. One of our main goals was to get new containers for Caleb's room. We are trying drawers, in hopes he won't be able to dump his toys, thus having a cleaner room. Kendall was not acting like herself while we were out and about. She kept falling asleep during the car rides, and had a glassy eyed look. I figured she was tired after so many busy, no nap days. So, when we got home she went to sleep. She slept for 3 hours, but that is fairly typical of her. She then woke up and laid on top of me and fell back asleep. I immediately noticed how warm she was. Her temp was 102. She also then started complaining of a headache. Well,. the bright side is, this is Kendall, and should probably be a 24 hour ordeal unlike Caleb. We also made it 6 days with no fevers in our house. These germs need to get out and stay out! We have had more than our fair share!

On the Eight Night of Hanukkah

 Well, I had a huge headache on Christmas, and didn't take any pictures at all. :( Oh well, the kids had a blast opening their presents. Kendall's favorite toy was a stuffed pony. Caleb's favorite toy was an ax, helmet, and shield dress up set. Caleb thought that he must have been on Santa's naughty list because his magic wand was pretend, not real like he asked.

 I have to laugh at this picture. Caleb is trying to be a sweet brother, and Kendall wants NOTHING to do with it. Too funny!

 On the last night of Hanukkah, Caleb got another trio batman set. This time it was the Penguin. It shoots a penguin dart thing, so it was a big hit.

 Kendall got a Little Mermaid puzzle. She really wanted to do it by herself. I ended up doing it with her the first time, then she did the puzzle over and over by herself.

She was so proud of herself each time she completed the puzzle. I might need to buy her a few more. Caleb was never a puzzle kid. it is amazing how different the two of the are!

On the Fifth Night of Hanukkah

My Uncle Andy and family came to town for a few days. They were not able to make it to our Thanksgiving like normal, so it was great to see them. It was also nice to get all of the cousins together two weeks in a row. Caleb had fun playing with the Thomas Train with Isaac. Isaac LOVES trains! The second he gets to Grandma's house he screams choo choo and runs to the train table.

  Kendall was so excited to see Amy. They were all smiles. For kids who only see each other once a year, they love each other and are so excited to play together!

 My mom pulled out the IPAD and all of the grandkids (minus Tessa and Ira) gathered around it to listen to a book. I have to say, that the IPAD is such an engaging toy for the kids.

We got home VERY late. I had assumed we would just do Hanukkah in the morning because the kids fell asleep in the car. Nope, neither wanted any part of that! The second we got home, they woke up and excitedly shouted let's get the Menorah.We bought new candles from Crate and Barrel. Kendall chose a pattern of purple and blue candles, her favorite colors! 

 Tonight Kendall got Hello Kitty jammies. She stripped down in the kitchen and immediately put them on. I bought her a size 4/5, and it barely fits. I really should have gotten her a 6/6x. Too late now though!

Caleb got the action figure Thor to add to his guys. One of his favorite movies is Percy Jackson, so this sort of went along with it. He seemed to really like it as well. Somehow, we made it through the day without painting the volcano. We will need to paint it in the morning! I cannot believe I didn't have a riot on my hands.

On the Fourth Night of Hanukkah

 It was Kendall's turn to light the candles. Taking pictures each day ended up being very helpful. The kids were arguing whose turn it was to light the candles. I was able to show them last night's picture. Disagreement solved!

 Today Kendall got a princess activity book and Caleb received a build your own volcano. The princess activity book was quickly set aside because both kids wanted to jump in and build the volcano.

After we put the base together, Caleb and Kendall had to sit and watch as I threaded the volcano frame. Caleb of course had already tried to help with the thread, so it was a tangled mess. After a bit of frustration the frame came together nicely.

Then the messy fun began. We paper machied  the volcano. Both kids had so much fun dipping the fabric pieces into water and sticking them onto the frame. It took a bunch of modeling on my part, so that there pieces didn't become a ball that I had to unwad. But, we did it! I am pretty proud of the three of us! Now we have to wait for it to dry, so we can paint the volcano. This is a fun project!

On the Third Night of Hanukkah

 We had a blast all day. The kids had a play date in the morning at jump zone. Kendall met her buddy Wylder there and Caleb met Aria there. They were all smiles. Wylder was adorable and followed Kendall around while trying to propose to her. Caleb and Aria ran and ran!

 My kids do crack me up though, because they still love the baby area at jump zone. We were there for about 2.5 hours and at least 1 hour of it was spent in that little house in the background or on the plane. They are so goofy!

 Caleb did have fun flying down the big slides as well. He was not happy that I said no to head first.

Later we celebrated Hanukkah. It was Caleb's turn to light the menorah. He loves this part of the evening. 

 Today Caleb got a trio batman toy. He had fun building the car then playing with it. Caleb's room is officially bursting with toys. We are very fortunate!

Kendall loved her toy as well. She got a puppy spa. It was VERY cute. She got to decorate the spa by coloring stickers and applying them. She also go to put rhinestones on the bed. The puppy came with quite a few accessories as well. I think my favorite part of Hanukkah is having time to enjoy the presents each night.