Hotwheels!!!!!!!!

Well, the reason the blog has been on the back burner lately is because we hit the ground running this New Year...well, as fast as you can run with three small children!  We had an awesome Christmas (and once I get my head back on straight, ya might just here about it...a Christmas in July sorta thing).

We celebrated James 'real' 4th birthday, like I said, with chocolate cake and ice cream.  But then, we celebrated the following Saturday with his twin cousin Hotwheels style!!!

I really hope James and Malachi take advantage of a "built in best friend" their whole lives.  So far, so good.  They get along great and get to see eachother at least once a week at Sunday School. :)

Back to Hotwheels...Rick and Prisilla were generous to host all the kiddos, and of course grandparents, at their house for the big event.  We just invited mutual friend boys their age this time.  It's funny how as they get older, the party crowds change a bit.  We asked them to bring a Hotwheel instead of a gift, mostly because they just had Christmas.

Then, we got the Hotwheel themed cake from...wait for it...wait for it....Walmart!  A bunch of 4 year old boys don't exactly have a sophisticated enough palate to know a cheap cake, and since they eat just enough bites for a sugar high and the rest goes in the trash, 15 bucks sounded pretty good to us.  And ya know what?  It was a really decent cake.  

I made the spair tires with cake pop sticks, ding dongs and a white circle sticker.  Prisilla picked up the shades at a party store.  

Rick drew the "Pin the tire on the Hotwheel".

We had pizza, fruit, salad, juice boxes and water and with a few homemade signs, some streamers and Hotwheel table clothes, we were set.

 

We ate, pinned the tire on the Hotwheel, sang Happy Birthday, at cake and opened gifts. The boys loved it!

(a little stroll down memory lane)

 

Our 4 Year Old

Wow, does time fly!  And I'm not even referring to the fact that I haven't blogged in a month, but that I have a 4 year old son!  (And this certain 4 year olds birthday was 2 weeks ago already!)

As I sit here blogging about him, he is currently watching Cars for the 15 billionth time.  I just looked over at him and he gave me this massive grin because he thinks he's getting away with something BIG (he should be napping, but the plumber is here and needs access to the room he normally naps in). 

He loves Cars, Hotwheels, puzzles, books, letters and their sounds, singing, sunday school, preschool, his boy cousins(!) and his mamma.

Ah, I love this kid.  He has so many funny little things he says all the time.  I know, I really should write them down.  

He's very into being "silly" in pictures.

He has certainly taught me about really being selfless.  Not the marriage kind, where you have this conflict and you chose to love.  No, the kind where you HAVE to feed them, change their diapers etc even if you've just been puking your guts out.  Ya know what I mean? My only choice is to do it with joy or not.  And, with this kid, it's hard to not have joy.  

He's our "gineau pig" child and, praise God, he seems to be turning out juuuust fine.

The only thing I would've like to have a heads up on is the whole booger-collection-on-the-wall-by-his-bed thing.  That's just gross.

I still like to sniff him when we cuddle in the morning.  He still likes to cuddle. :)

We made him this chocolate cake and sang to him for his actual birthday with our Wednesday night dinner crew.  He thought it was pretty awesome. 

"Mom.  I'm 4 because I'm not 3 anymore."

Gingerbread Houses Are Gross

Today I went with James to his preschool Christmas party.  It was really fun and his teachers are sooo great.  I don't think they'll ever know how much I appreciate them.

But gingerbread houses are gross.  I'm glad we made one on the school premise and not the Perkins premise.  Messy, messy and lots and lots of candy everywhere.  

(a very proud boy, mouth LOADED with candy) 

It is currently on display on top of the coffee pot because a certain little boy wants to eat the candy off of it.  Which is also why it's gross.  He's going to be begging me to eat candy off of it until I throw it away.  And I will let him.  Gross, huh?

Merry Christmas!

I don't do Christmas letters, mostly because I feel silly writing something. I'd probably spend 20 minutes just trying to think of an opening line.  That was funny...or clever or something.   And, once I came up with that line, I'd be so sick of writing that I wouldn't finish the letter.  But, we DO send out a picture card.  Because those are so darn fun getting in the mail!  Here's ours this year:

 

Merry Christmas!  We love this time of year to celebrate Jesus' birth and thank Him for coming to save the world in the form of a humble, helpless baby...and to participate in all the other silly, nonsensical things about Christmas that secular man has made up.  It's fun too!

OK, OK!

Some of you (ehem Jess and Emily) texted me yesterday informing me I needed to update the blog.  Why?  The hair in the drain was grossing them out.  OK little divas.  Here's an update...

Two kids 20 months apart is a blessing and a curse.  They love each other 50% of the time and the other 50% is just not worth going into.  It does, however, slowly but surely (and with much, much guidance) get better as they mature.  Anyway, yesterday I put on some Christmas carols and was working in the kitchen, anticipating being interrupted.  Things were quiet, and as you know, it's usually not a good thing.  

When I peaked around the corner, I had a good ole Christmas miracle on my hands.  They brought their blankies out and were reading and singing along to the Christmas carols quietly and happily.  So, I grabbed Nathan and cuddled him and sang songs with them for a good 30 minutes.  It was such a great reminder to slow down and appreciate the season and the kids.  My heart is full and thankful to our humble Savior for those precious little things!  

Then I returned to the kitchen and they continued to read.  For an hour.  I told you it was a good ole Christmas miracle!!!

A 1.5 Hour Wait

The whole Huisman fam damily (minus Uncle Pete and Uncle Aaron) ventured out to the train park this past Monday.  It's something we try to do every year.  Of course, the kids love it and the dad's  are less than thrilled.  

(the less than thrilled dads drinking cocoa afterwards)

The line to ride the train was well over an hour and a half which seemed daunting at first.  But, once everyone was there and the kids were playing together, time went by seemingly fast.  We only lost James once, but apparently the whole time he was with his Manga (my mom) so that doesn't count.  Tell that to my stomach...which was in serious knots.

I didn't tell the kids we were going to the train park with their cousins until right before and to say they were excited was an understatement.
 

 

(We even got him to smile with his mamma)

here there and everywhere

Hair meet drain.  Drain meet hair.  You two will need to get along for the next month or two.  That's just the way it is.

Sad day.  My hair is falling out as a biproduct of post-pregnancy hormones.  This was hair from one shower.  One.  My husband doesn't understand why I tell him I'm going to need to cut off a few inches.

And now that most of you all of you are grossed out,  here are a few tidbits to try to redeem this post:

A.  Thanksgiving was great.  We had a lovely time at Nate's Dad and Step mom's.  We all sit around the table at the same time together and eat from china.  Like you see on TV.  Then, on Friday, we got to eat again but with Nate's mom.  There we had some food buffet style and ate wherever looked comfiest.  Both totally different. Both great. So thankful for family.

B.  Rewind a week before Thanksgiving.  We had our kitchen floor replaced and we stayed at Nate's moms.  It was kinda like being on vacation except with our normal routine and extra driving.  Good times.

C.  I'm back people.  In the kitchen I mean.  I really like to cook and bake.  And let me tell you, I've been doing it.  Just in time to pack on those holiday pounds!

D. Fireplaces.  They get me in the mood.  Oh stop it!  The holiday mood.  I soooooo wish I had one.