Merry Christmas 2009!

Christmas Eve we took all the kids skiing. This would be the first for Tessa. After one run she was doing okay until she saw me, then she needed hot chocolate and a rice krispie treat in the lodge. That was okay, though, because Santa came in and visited the kids in the lodge. She did manage to take two more runs, though. It is pretty fun having all of us up there together (if only we could make the getting ready part a little more enjoyable!)

We were all tired, so the kids had vowed not to come and wake us up on Christmas morning until 7:30. We heard them stirring at 5:00. Then we heard them telling Tessa to come get us. When all was said and done, we were up and ready to head downstairs by 7:15.

Here is a rundown by the numbers:

18 new batteries used

7 times playing games on the Wii

6 stockings stuffed with candy and goodies

5 BYU shirts

4 fights over not sharing

4 new ornaments

4 new Star Wars items

3 meltdowns from one tired 2-year-old

3 board games

3 times chasing Jack so he didn't choke down various items

2 presents opened by Tessa when they weren't hers

2 robots

2 new scooters

1 bike

1 unicycle

AND

0 naps

It was a terrific Christmas! We hope yours was equally amazing! Merry Christmas!

Holy cow, where did the time go?!

Is it already the day after Christmas? I swear Halloween was last week. At least it feels that way. I know that everyone always says that, but seriously. Anyway, here is an update of what we have been up to for the last two months!!!

1. Ted's birthday. I surprised him by taking in several dozen cookies to his office where he happily informed me that they had brought in treats so now he didn't have to share any

cookies. :) (I know - life really isn't fair how he seems to look younger each year and eats candy and cookies like they are going out of style and has NO fat to show from it.....but I digress. That's another post. ) We had a great dinner at home, a rich chocolate cake filled with peanut butter cups, and he got the new bike rollers he had been wanting. Emma also saved up and got him a sweatshirt from "The Killers" concert. She had a friend who was going, and she knew that Ted really liked that group, so she arranged the whole thing by herself. She really is a sweet girl.

(Ted drinking prune juice that the kids gave him!)

2. Lincoln's birthday. Because of the different school schedules Emma leaves for school before the boys are even awake. She had made a simple sign for Lincoln to wish him a happy birthday without any reminding or prompting from us. He woke up, saw it, and he was thrilled that she had remembered. Man, those moments take my breath away. Linc got his favorite dinner of salmon, pasta, and peas, and of course a cake. This year he wanted a cake that looked like a bus riding on a road. I think he just comes up with the most abstract thing he can to see if we can pull it off. It was a visual stretch this year, but he knew we had tried. :) I can't believe he is 10 years old. Man he is a great kid!

3. We crossed to the dark side. If there was ever one thing we were sure of, it was that we were not getting a dog. For years the kids have been asking. Each time we had a great reason why we weren't even considering a dog. We always suspected that there might come a point in time where we did get a dog, but that time always seemed so far away. Our arguments were something like this:

• We just can't have a dog when we have little babies in the house. (Repeat this argument three times to coincide with each child being born).


• We can't have a dog until our youngest is at least a year old.


• We can't have a dog until our youngest is at least two years old.


• Why would we get a dog when I am already cleaning up food and poop from one of my children?


• We can't consider getting a dog until our youngest is potty trained.

Man these time lines seemed so far away when we were saying them.

At any rate, we knew the time was getting close. So, we decided to start searching for a dog. We were determined to get a little dog, and we wanted a grown up dog so as to avoid the puppy stages. Well, we filled half of the requirements. It is small.

Santa delivered him to our doorstep early along with this note. It is a bitter sweet present. Ted and I love him, and think he is a pain. The kids just love him. It was priceless watching the kids see him for the first time. It was also funny because one of Sam's friends was over, saw that Santa had delivered a dog to our house, so he ran home yelling, "I'm gonna see if Santa took a dog to my house too!"

So far all is well. However, just this morning after many nights of not enough sleep and waking up to take the dog out and get Tessa some milk he told me, "You know, it was your idea to get a dog and it was also your idea to have kids." I'm not sure which one he was thinking of getting rid of! :)

Happy Halloween 2009!

Well, it's over. And what do we have to show for it? A couple of empty makeup tubes, some chocolate covered costumes, sparkles all over the floor, and 16.7 POUNDS of candy. No, that is not a typo. The kids are thrilled. Ted is ecstatic. Me...not so happy about the sugar induced frenzy that I anticipate. I've already been coming up with clever ways to at least ration out the candy. So far they have been good about not overdoing it, but man it is so tempting to just throw it all out....but that is for another day.

Right now I'm still over the moon with how fun it is to have young kids on Halloween. It was a great night, and luckily the weather held out for the most part. The older kids had a great time in the haunted house the next block over. Tessa got pooped on our block and then had a blast opening the door for the trick-or-treaters. She thought it was great the way some kids would scream as the ghost by our front door would turn on and "oooooh" with the noise of their "trick-or-treat!" Totally fun.

This year I learned several things.

1. Taking an almost 3-year-old to school parties is a TON easier than taking an almost 2-year-old.

2. Tessa will wear any costume so long as you add the label "princess" to the end. For example, she was not "Supergirl." She was "Supergirl princess." She was sold.

3. Sam will be anything Star Wars. No fighting. No fuss. If it is Star Wars he is all over it.

4. Emma is growing up so quickly, but she is truly Ted's daughter. He has taught them well that you are never too old to love candy. (Hence the stash in his nightstand!)

5. Linc loves to put his own costume together.

This year was also fun for me because I dressed up as a witch for the school parties. (I know - totally predictable and creates an open invitation for Ted to make some obvious jokes!) Sam thought it was great because he thought I would be trick-or-treating for candy which meant even more candy at the Wagner household. He was quite disappointed when he learned the truth. Tessa was observant and when I accidentally pulled too hard on her hair as I was braiding it she turned to me and said, "You are NOT a GOOD witch!" And Lincoln just cracks me up. He was reading a book and when I asked him if he would be embarassed if I dressed up like a witch when I came to his classroom party he didn't miss a beat and said, "No.....so long as you say you are someone else's mom."

Holy cow, I love Halloween.

Got anything good to read???

On Sunday we woke up and decided enough was enough. Tessa was telling us when she had to go, she just didn't want to go in the potty. We decided to really push it this time. We've been talking about it for a long time. We even put some books in there for her to read. She's doing great - no accidents so far. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

However, I guess I need to get some NEW books for her. When I came to check on her once, this is what I found.

One minute they are reading The "Belly Button Book" and the next, they are reading "Bicycling".

Man they grow up fast!

Pumpkin Patch 2009!

Every year I see the signs at Walmart for the pumpkins. $3.98 for a giant pumpkin. The cheapskate in me cringes every time because I know it is a better deal to buy the pumpkins at Walmart. Yet every year I pass by the pile knowing that we will be headed somewhere else for pumpkins.

The pumpkin patch may not be what I look forward to most each year, but it always surprises me how much fun it is watching the kids pick out pumpkins. They have only one rule: They have to be able to carry the pumpkin by themselves. Gone are the years where the kids run around the patch while Ted and I try to juggle four gigantic pumpkins in our arms all while making sure the kids don't get lost, hurt, or run over by a tractor.

This year was great. The weather was perfect. Still a ton of pumpkins to choose from. Tessa understood what the mission was, and she loved it. For the kids the highlights are always the train ride, the swings, the hay bale maze, the home made donut holes, and of course the tractor ride to choose a pumpkin. Some of the highlights for Ted and I? Sam diligently carrying a pumpkin that might just weigh as much as him; Emma dutifully helping Tessa choose a pumpkin only to have Tessa decide she was bored and drop it on the ground (Emma then carried her own pumpkin and Tessa's - what a great sister!); and my personal favorite: Lincoln asking if he could ride the swings again. His exact words were, "Can we ride the swings again? I'm sure they are free!" Ted just started laughing. Yeah. Sure they are. Ahhh.....the innocence of children!

I love watching the kids help each other examine each and every pumpkin to ensure that they get the best "canvas" for their carving creation. I love watching them run around and laugh together. I love seeing them dutifully help each other as they navigate the field with their pumpkins to the tractor. I love watching them hide in the hay bale maze, find each other, and then do it all again. I love listening to them make plans for next year's trip as we are driving away from the pumpkin patch. Priceless.

Maybe those Walmart pumpkins aren't such a great deal after all.

Playing while the kids are away....

Who needs a dog?

You know, you can never have too many light sabers. Everyone loves them.

The kids love using our dog run for all things Star Wars. One more reason we shouldn't get a dog. If we actually owned a dog for the dog run, where would the Jedi prison be??