Christmas Report and Photos

Rather then post a bunch of Christmas photos here, I put them on Flickr. If you click on the link to the right you can see them.

We had a great Christmas. A few highlights:
- Santa brought us a Wii
- Jason was able to join us for the gift giving before heading to work
- Sarah cried (see photo on flickr)
- Isaac was very sick. Poor kid. He enjoyed his presents a day late
- Joshie became a master Bionical builder
- Emma received so many Pollys that we all looked like giants in a small town

Christmas morning with young children is magical and wonderful. Now on to the New Year.

Snow Snow Snow

Brothers

Building

Keeping Busy

School Sing-Along

Last Friday we were pleased and honored to watch the Brookside Elem. Christmas Sing-Along.

Each grade sings 2 Christmas songs and this year there was a story teller.

She was very enthusiastic and I think the kids enjoyed it.

My favorite part of the whole program is when the whole school sings the 12 Days of Christmas. Each grade stands and sings their verses. The kids bob up and down. It is loud and frantic and I LOVE IT!!

And, of coarse you have to have Santa stop by. Fun Fun Fun

6th Grade Math: Fractions

I have always thought and believed I was a wiz when it came to math. I enjoyed the problems and the problem solving and I even got good grades.

Then I get married, have a bunch of kids, you know, live life.

Then my oldest needs help with 6th grade math fractions.

I think I can handle them. I loved fractions when I was in school.

I understood fractions.

Well, apparently while I was living my life,

my brain was trading all things fractions

(multiplying, dividing, adding, and subtracting)

with the best way to calm a crying baby, how to get throw up out of the carpet,

how to do laundry for 6 people in 1 day,

(it sounds like a fraction, but it is impossible. Fractions have answers)

etc.

After swallowing my pride or whatever,

I get online to look up the classroom book website.

After Sarah finds it for me (I am utterly humiliated now) I start studying.

There was a cracking somewhere deep in my brain and

I no longer know how to calm a crying baby,

but I do know how to divide and multiply fractions.

4 hours later I was able to help Sarah with questions she had

and all 7 pages of not-yet-turned-in homework are done.

Setting Up Christmas

I'm a bit late writing about it, but we put up our Christmas tree last Wed. night.

I made a huge batch of chili in the crockpot.

The kids warm and snuggly in their jammies. We settled in to set up, decorate and enjoy.

Well, I guess it's not a family gathering with out a little fighting. Jason and Isaac got into it a bit while putting the tree up.

Emma put the star on top for the first time. She was so proud of herself.

Grandma has given each of the kids a new ornament each year. She tries to pick out ones that show what the kids are into at the time. The kids have great fun rediscovering "their" ornaments and finding just the right spot for them on the tree. Hang them on the tree, stand back and admire.

(One thing I learned this year was when the kids leave and it's just Jason and I, we will have maybe 10 ornaments left. I guess that will be a good reason to shop.)

As many of you know, it takes some time to get the tree up, decorate it, admire it, maybe move a few ornaments around, make sure it is right in the middle of the window, etc....some little people get very tired and kranky.

She held up as long as she could.