Christmas Eve and we all felt the desire for a fresh pedicure....can you say, new Christmas tradition in our home?!  The story goes like this....earlier in the week we had dinner with our good friends who announced that pedicures were AWESOME for boys too.  Then they mentioned the massage chair and the boys were all about giving it a try....

 and so we went....and we left feeling relaxed and new!  The boys immediately claimed that this may need to be a birthday AND Christmas event fearing that waiting an entire year may be too long! 

 The traditions continued....we ventured out in our sandals and flip flops, into the pouring down rain in the less than chilly temperatures and took on Panera for lunch followed by a dash through Target.

 We got home just in the nick of time to change quickly, take a fast photo and then onto our Christmas Eve service....

 and then we were home awaiting our guests to join us for dinner which is always such fun.....the children played, the adults chatted and before we knew it, the night was coming to an end....with our friends, we bid one another a Merry Christmas and the children and I curled up to read Twas The Night Before Christmas.....

 followed by displaying carrots and reindeer food for the reindeer....then with all four children nestled in bed, the wait began.  And before long, we had one who was just to excited to sleep.  Always the same one, every single year. Eventually, all eight eyes were closed.  

 Four hours later, this was the scene on the stairs....four children, all so excited yet their eyes were not adjusted....we took several pictures and they all look just.like.this. 

 And this was pretty much Pryce's reaction to any and everything that he faced on Christmas Day - pure joy, excitement, lots of "Yes! Thank you!"

 And our sweet little girl Maddox....this year she was so in awe of Christmas....she loved Santa, could not wait to open her gifts, sang Christmas songs until her little voice could sing no more and she just glowed with joy!  

 MK was all into performing with her new equipment....I told Ryan she reminded me of Phoebe from Friends - she just made up songs and sang them all.day.long.  They did not make a bit of sense but that seemed to be just a minor detail in her book.  On a Christmas Eve note, her pedicure was the first one she has had since her toe incident almost five months ago.  She did seem a bit hesitant but was so pleased when I told her that she DOES indeed have a nail, albeit a funky little nail, but a nail nonetheless and it looked so pretty once it was painted an shaped up a bit.

 P reading comfortably in his new chair, in new pjs with a new necklace....this was just a small snapshot of what his day looked like....he bounced from one present to another assembling and playing and occasionally a window of book time entered in but not for too long before he was up and bouncing around again....I hope he always has this zest for life!

 And for the most part, this was C on Christmas.  He was loving his new headphones, and often did not hear a word said to him until we had to say it a second time after waving him down to get his attention....

 our day was spent much like above - in our pjs, opening gifts, just enjoying our time together.  

And then it ended just like this....lights were out early!

Merry Christmas!

Twas The Weekend Before Christmas.....

Twas the weekend before Christmas, when all through the house, there were children a stirring and mischievous acts about.....these two are the best of friends and when they are together, you just never know what they will come up with next.  With school near an end, we decided it was high time they spend some quality time together and this is how they spent it.....

 With MK out of school for the holidays, it was off to G-Mom and G-Dad's house to begin the weekend of Christmas festivities with extended family.  Every Saturday before Christmas, the Hook family gathering occurs....G-Mom is one of eight children and seven were in attendance on Saturday, along with their families....needless to say, it is a large day, good food is always involved, lots of smiles and laughter about.....

 Following the Hook gathering, it was off to G-Mom and G-Dad's for our Christmas time with Ryan's siblings, nieces and nephews....

 lots of unwrapping was done and surprises were aplenty.

 Cousin Lauren found herself immersed in dressing up with the littles....Pryce is always game for whatever is making others laugh at the moment, so he was quick to join in too, only this is as far as it went for him - then he realized that incriminating photos were being taken and he was fast to exit the scene:)

 The girls were still game though....and what you see pictured is exactly what they slept in, matching dress-up clothes....

 Sunday was all about Gran and Pop and cousin time.....the fab nine.  

 Our girls and their candy.....no hands needed.

 Our annual trip to the zoo for Christmas lights....

 a little carousel ride....

 and climbing on this gigantic rock....the picture does not do it justice - it is one high rock and surprisingly we all got up and down without breaking any bones....

at the end of the weekend, this is how we all felt....tired and content!

Maddox drew her family this week.  My favorite part is that the fourth face from the left is Ryan - the little line down is his goatee.  

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The girls have finally begun to really play together....I have prayed for this moment since we brought Maddox home.  It is so fun to hear them pretend!  

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MK is officially half-way through her Kindergarten year of school.  She absolutely LOVES every minute of school and her teacher is the best!  Many have asked if we plan to homeschool MK.  The answer is yes.  The boys both went to Kindergarten at our local school and had fabulous experiences so we decided long ago that we would do the same for MK.  It has been a perfect fit for her.  We also went into homeschooling the boys by telling them that we would continue to homeschool as long as it worked for all involved.....and that will be our approach with MK.  

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The boys are enjoying some downtime over the holidays.....with no IEW to contend with and no co-op every week, their school days have been a bit shorter and they have been able to just enjoy being boys.  

Christmas Ballet

Pre-Ballet stretching....she makes it look soooo easy!

 I love this face....part of it says she is excited, while part of it says she is a bit embarrassed.

 Her mannerisms are so delicate and all girl....

 and though MK is on the other side of this photo, I had to take the shot - even dancers join in a mid-show huddle every now and then;)

 Prima ballerinas....

 and our sweet girl, who at the age of almost 3, insisted she wanted to take dance lessons....  

So glad we listened to her request!

Christmas Ballet

What a delight it is to watch Maddox enjoying her moment on the dance floor!  

 Adorned with reindeer antlers and a special tutu, Maddox was feeling the music.....

 and enjoying the attention:)

 Of course, she has her own moves at times with a little backstep here and an unexpected twirl there....

 and we just giggle knowing she has her own little zest in life

 Her sweet little class....

Merry Christmas, ballet style!

Ryan and I began the weekend with a night out and a little Christmas gift exchange.....only the gifts were gag gifts that the boys immediately took a liking to.  

 And then it was time for family.  My grandmother, aka my Nannie, is 92 years old.  All five of her children gathered together on Sunday to celebrate the season with their mother.  

 She is a beautiful lady, one that took such time with me when I was growing up.  It wasn't the gifts she gave, it was the time she spent reading to me - my dad often reminds me of her when he reads; it was the meals she cooked - forget the meals, the biscuits rocked and still do!; the advice she has given me over the years, the notes she still writes....

 On Monday, Pryce finished up his art project - a canvas of Bethlehem.  It could not be more perfect!

 With a rainy night about us, Monday proved to be our gingerbread house evening.....the boys worked together - my little engineers pondering their decor.  

 While the boys had a plan, the girls did too.....

 CANDY!  Their plan was to see just how much candy they could get on their one little house.....no rhyme or reason, just slap it on the house and move on.....

 I cherish these times when all four are happily at work together, laughing, sharing and creating memories....

 On Tuesday we had some of the boys' friends over for an afternoon of basketball, albeit one hand basketball for C, and decorating cookies.....the boys were very mindful of their decor, each taking their icing and placing it precisely how they wished it to be, each taking their candies and creating an edible masterpiece.....

 Meanwhile, our little angel was hard at work too:)  Please note her left hand....almost looks like she is wearing a white glove.  Nope.  All ICING.  

 The end result....and please understand, I was in the same room, busy at work myself, and yet she quietly created her own masterpiece on our kitchen table.  

Her handprints are done so well, don't you think?  Very defined.  This little one never ceases to amaze me.  She is full of spice and love and sweetness and I just relish in the fact that I get to be her mother!

Painting pottery is a fav of MK's.  She adores this task.  We were thrilled to spend an afternoon surrounded by friends celebrating adoption and raising funds needed to bring home little Chloe from China!

While MK and I were away, the boys were at play.  Unfortunately, their day came to a halt after one play - I have gotten the play-by-play and it pretty much goes like this:  the ball went one way, he went this way and C went down with his feet flying high behind his head.....in other words, it wasn't pretty.  And the result?  A very bruised growth plate????  Honestly, I am not even sure that I clearly understand what his diagnosis was but they casted him for three weeks in a nice Clemson orange cast.  He was all smiles and soaking up the attention until reality hit and he realized school still had to be done:/

MK is officially a Daisy.  

She earned her first Daisy badge and petal on Monday.  

I was thrilled that I still remembered my own Girl Scout promise and could help her learn hers.  Some things you just never forget!

And our little guy Matthew.....he has been up to quite a lot of playful antics.  TeePeeing the tree was just one dose of his "fun."  This week he was found swimming in our Barbie pool with some friends, bungee jumping, drinking syrup (one of the four main food groups!)....the children are all so excited to find out what he will do next!