Christmas Train

Even though I tried checking in AUGUST for tickets to the real Polar Express train in the city, we somehow were still too late and couldn't get our large-ish family all together - so we opted for this cheaper and closer to home version instead this year.

We tried the Santa Train in Union (just a few short miles from our house) last Christmas season and while I am sure the one downtown is nicer, this version worked for us too.  The kids seemed to like it, and really, isn't that all that matters?

The pictures didn't come out great, but I did get this great one of Mom and I.  It was dark-ish inside the train, but you can see the look of excitement on Abby's face as Santa got closer to her seat.  She asked him for a "giant stuffed animal tiger" which, I'm happy to report, Grandma picked up for her.  And, I can tell you it's one of her favorite gifts from this year. 

1 Family x 12 (Dec)

I don't know about you, but it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!

Christmas Tree Cutting

Tree cutting became a family tradition when Ryan and I first started dating, and while location, and weather and group of people has changed over the years, one thing is always certain - we always cut a live tree the weekend of Thanksgiving.

I think that this may be the first year in over 6 years of tree cutting that I haven't been carrying a kid in a pack for this adventure!  I've said it so many times, these days the days feel like years and the years feel like days.  In just the blink of an eye, I've got two big kids!!  Kids old enough to carry themselves and to really actually HELP!

A trip to the tree farm would not be the same without a visit to Mrs. Claus.  Santa is FAR too busy this time of the year to give up full weekends to stay at the tree farm, so he sends Mrs. Claus on his behalf.  Abby asked for a giant stuffed tiger and Hazel asked for a baby doll that talks.  I sure hope the message makes it's way to the North Pole!

We're ready for Santa!!  I hope the girls made it on the "nice list"!

Gingerbread Houses

Gingerbread houses are a family favorite activity over the Thanksgiving weekend.  We've been doing them since the girls were tiny...and now that the kids are getting older, they are getting even more fun and creative!  That being said, we still need a full fleet of adults to help with the decorating!  Especially when SOMEONE (read: me)  buys kits that need to be assembled before decorating.  I was not happy when I opened the first box and found a million gingerbread pieces that still need to be glued together.

Four kids and four gingerbread houses are a lot!  It's our first time doing it with all four kids, but overall, we had a great time. 

The kids, as always, wanted to put more candy in their mouth than on the houses...but, they are such sweet kids and listen really well to directions.  The adults ran the frosting, the kids ran the candy, and in short order, we had four houses ready for the holidays.

This will certainly be a tradition we continue for many years to come! 

1 Family x 12 (November)

Today was a good day!  The kids played outside for a few hours, we made a snowman as a family, went sledding and just enjoyed the right now. 

Hand Quilted Baby Blanket - Quilt

Over the weekend I attended a baby shower for Meg and Greg's little peanut.  He was due to arrive mid December, but surprised everyone when he came six weeks early, and just a few short days before the baby shower.  Asher Finn, I hope you love this quilt as much as I do!!

I usually try very hard to have the quilts done before the baby showers and therefore before the babies arrive meaning that when I post these quilts we don't know the baby's name and sometimes I don't even know if it's a boy or a girl!  Greg and Meg chose to find out, so I knew I was sewing for a baby boy and I just loved this fabric so much the first time around I searched high and low to buy the panel again.

I love so much about how this one came out.  I love the colors, I love the pattern and I love the size.  It's perfect for a baby quilt and I hope that Asher spends lots of time playing with and loving this quilt.

If I'd have waited just a few more days to label the quilt I could have used his name and all!

Trick or Treating

Can you just imagine all these girls in 10 years....and the group of boys walking past trying to see what they are all about?!?  Oh lord...help us now!

Another great year of Trick or Treating and Halloween fun is in the books.  For the last few years we've been able to do two rounds of trick or treating - one in Apple Canyon the weekend or two before (annual beer tasting weekend for us adults!!) and also in Crystal Lake for "real Halloween" as Abby calls it now.  We trick or treated in Crystal Lake last year with Bethany/Patrick/Jamie/Zach and we had so much fun we knew it would be our location this year as well.  It's already booked for 2019 (along with a potential "Epcot in our backyards" event...more to come!).

The girls love the opportunity to dress up more than once, and who doesn't love the opportunity to run around and collect candy?  I  know Ryan really appreciates the newly refreshed candy selection at our house these days.

We had a great time this year and I think we've finally hit that magical age range where the kids know what's going on, are big enough to keep up, want to participate and generally enjoy the process.  Honestly, it was great.  We hauled the power-wheel out, let the drive straight up the driveways, pop out, grab candy and onto the next. 

Next year, family costumes are back on the docket and I've already tarted thinking of ideas. 

1 Family x 12 (October)

Happy Halloween from our family to yours!

Carving Pumpkins

With much anticipation, Halloween is finally here - the magical day of candy, candy and MORE candy!!  We'll be dressing up (yes, somehow I'm dressing up too this year) and going Trick or Treating later today, but for now, I thought I'd share a post with pumpkin carving to get everyone into the mood.

Grandpa came over to help out, which was great because Abby decided she really wanted nothing to do with the process outside of giving directions, pointing and drawing her face one.  Grandpa did basically all the other steps.  Next year girl, you're up!

Fran didn't quite understand the concept of drawing her face on the pumpkin so after she scribbled on it for a few minutes I pulled up some cute ideas on my phone, and we settled on this cute kitty pumpkin.

Ryan opted for the "spooky" pumpkin face and Abby did draw her own, though, as I said, she conned Grandpa into doing all the work.

Ryan has already made me promise that next year I'll carve one too so we have a family of pumpkins.

Pumpkin pictures in the dark were hard!  The shutter speed did NOT like the dark lighting, but I did get one decent one.  Not bad!!  They actually look pretty good.  We'll light them up tonight and hope they are still glowing when we get home from Trick or Treating! 

Lost Tooth - An Abby First

October 6th - Abby lost her very first tooth!!  It had been a few weeks in the making.  My girl is a little bit of a "frady cat" but after much debate she let Daddy give it the final yank and we had our very first lost tooth at the McGrath house!

Abby, born on August 14th is one of the youngest kids in her class.  She was just a few weeks over the cut off for Kindergarten and we decided to put her in knowing she'd likely be one of the youngest.  Many of her friends started losing teeth in Kindergarten so when she started first grade this year and STILL hadn't lost one she was pretty disappointed.  She reminded me quite often that Parker had already lost SEVEN teeth and she didn't have a single one out yet.

But, here we are, one baby tooth in and she already has two more "wiggly" teeth - I bet we'll have a few more visits from the tooth fairy before the end of the year.

The tooth fairy remembered to come and visit (thank goodness) and Abby even used my tooth fairy pillow from when I was a kid.  It has a tiny pocket in the back to store your tooth in.  Can you believe that tooth fairy left THREE gold coins?  (Golden dollar coins).  I mean, I was sure she'd leave just one...but no....she's no cheap-skate! 

Abby promptly wanted to spend her money on a toy from the store - so, she's now the proud owner of a small stuffed deer thanks to the tooth fairy and a few extra bucks from Mom when we got to the cash register.