We have been buuuuusy! Parties, programs, repeat until Wednesday! I'm not even sure where to begin with recapping all of it, so for now, as I sit under my warm blanket listening to the snow/sleet pelt against the window, I thought I'd share some photos of us enjoying last week's beautiful weather.

Reese was inside pouting, so Cru and I enjoyed some one-on-one time!









She eventually got over it.










I was really tempted to leave him hanging there.

It was about 20 degrees cooler the following day, but they still enjoyed the sunshine!




Absolutely LOVE ♥



I think Everlee was a little upset she didn't get to go outside and join in on the fun!


I am not afraid to let me kids cry it out, but this day, Everlee had been crying hard for a while....that is how I found her when I went to check on her....poor baby. I think her chunky thighs were stuck.

On a happier note, Everlee loves bath time! Really, what baby doesn't? One night last week, Chet was at a three hour church council meeting, and I had lost all patience with the kids, so I turned on a movie for Reese and Cru, then I let Everlee play and play and play in the tub.






Sorry, Ev, had to post it!

2011 Santa in the hood

On Monday, our neighborhood friends came over for our annual Santa in the hood! This is always so much fun and it certainly NEVER gets old seeing the kids' reaction to Santa standing in their living room!



Reese was bursting at the seems with excitement that all of her friends were coming over to her house!



We started with making Rudolph cupcakes, which of course, were a yummy hit!







After treats, most of the kids ventured downstairs to play, but a few stayed upstairs, and their reaction when the jolly ol' fella entered our house was priceless.....




Hunter grabbed Asher and hid as fast as he could!

He brought each child a new book!





And was kind enough to listen to what each child wanted for Christmas and pose for pictures......


Reese must have been star struck because she suddenly forgot what she wanted!


Everlee was not impressed and Cru wouldn't 't take his eyes of him.

I absolutely love this tradition we share with our friends! And I love that Everlee is now here to share it with us!



Later that evening, after our friends left, as I was giving Reese and Cru a bath, we were talking about how much fun the evening was, and I said something about how Santa must think they are all very special kids because he made a special stop at our house just to see them! After a long pause, Reese replied, "But that wasn't the real Santa, was it?"

Now for my long pause......

I had no idea what to say, so I told her would we talk about it later. Luckily, she never brought it up again.


Back row: Reanna, Carter, Cru, Hunter, Mallorie. Front row: Reese, Evee, Karlie, Lynzee, Cole, and Asher.

Thanks, friends for another memorable Santa in the hood!

Celebrate

Last Friday, Chet's accounting firm had a function for all of its clients to celebrate 75 years in business! Isn't that awesome that they've been in business for 75 years?!



Thank you so much to my parents for spending the evening with our coughing, snotty-nosed kids (despite feeling crappy yourselves). It was a fun evening mingling with clients, snacking on yummy food, and listening to some great entertainment!

Today (Tuesday) is my brother's 27th birthday! I feel old when I say I'm 30, but saying my brother is 27 makes me feel even older! Sounds strange.



Last Saturday, Cru and I went to Wichita with my parents and met Ty, Audrey, and Charlee for some birthday shopping and dinner. Reese and Everlee weren't feeling very well, and the last thing we wanted to do was spread icky germs around, so Chet stayed home with them. Reese was so upset she missed Ty's "party".



Cru is usually the odd man out that no one wants to take anywhere, so I think he really enjoyed getting to go all by himself! Him and Charlee did lots of giggling, and he loved chasing her through the store! But I think he loved playing with Ty the most :)



My brother has an amazing wife and together they have the most precious little girl you could ask for! I'm so thankful we got to spend the evening with them. It got me even more excited for Christmas!

This and that

Lets just get down to business, I don't know about you, but I am soooo ready for this week to be over!

As I upload photos, our week doesn't seem all that bad, so maybe I just want today to be over.

It's cooled off quite a bit this week, but I'm trying not to complain too much because we sure have been blessed with some unseasonably warm weather until now.



Yes, still riding our bikes outside in December!



Cru went to his very first movie last weekend - The Muppets. Grandma's treat, and he was all sorts of excited!



He did really well, for the most part. He seemed to have the most fun folding himself up in the chair, refilling his popcorn, and sneaking drinks of my pop!



Speaking of Cru, that kid! Bedtime is a struggle pretty much every night, along with nap time. We've put a baby lock on the inside of his door so he can't come out of his room. Well, since he can't come out, he just plays in his room. For hours. Some nights we'll put him to bed at 8:30, and he's still playing at 11:00! And since he's in there playing before he falls asleep, he falls asleep with the light on, so every night when I finally make my way to bed, I have to quietly open his door and shut off his light. Last night, I found him sound asleep in his stocking cap.



Reese had a friend over to play the other afternoon. They had so much fun! And they included Cru! All three of them played with no fighting for three hours! One time, when I went to check on them, Cru was sitting perfectly still at Reese's vanity and both girls were giggling covering him in make-up. They said they were "decorating" him! Ha! I think he loved every minute of it!



We'd like to introduce you to a new member of the Buchman family - Pauly!



He is a very special elf who will be living with us until Christmas Eve. He watches and listens to the kids all day, then leaves each night while they are sleeping and reports back to Santa if they have been naughty or nice. When he returns the next morning, we never know where we will find him.....



Reese is totally into it! She understand she needs to be good or else Santa will get a bad report from Pauly. One strict instruction from Pauly is that you cannot touch him or else he will lose his magical powers. Well, yesterday, Reese touched him. I really think it was somewhat of an accident because she knew the consequences. Well, this morning when she woke up and found Pauly, he had written her a note telling her that he had to tell Santa she touched him and it made them both very sad. Santa agreed to give her one more chance to keep her hands off. Maybe Pauly should watch where he lands and stay out of arm's reach from now on ;)

There really is never a dull moment around this house.....



We're all just trying to keep it real.....



That's why I'm going to put this plug out there! If you're still looking for Christmas gifts or great little stocking stuffers, don't forget to check out my Bows & Bands! I've got lots of new, colorful, beautiful, unique items for sale!



Buy them on Etsy or Facebook!

I just found these pictures from Thanksgiving and thought they were too cute not to share.



Hello, when did you decide to grow up? I took this after her Thanksgiving feast at school. She was waiting to go play with a friend.

And since Reese was gone playing with a friend, Cru became "Pedaling Giraffe" (Reese's Indian name).



Wow, all over the place with this one.....sorry. Just getting caught up a bit.

Now, lets fist pump because tomorrow is FRIDAY!!!!



No doubt this dancing baby is a member of our family!

10 months

Say it ain't so! Everlee cannot be 10 months old!!!



She's still wearing 9-12 month clothes and size 3 diapers.




We don't feed her baby food all that often any more; I think she's over it and would rather have the real stuff. Right now, she seems to like everything, but some of her favorites are Cheerios and yogurt melts. LOVES yogurt melts!




Still wakes up at least once a night for a bottle. If she wakes up around 2:00am or before, she's usually up again around 6:00am, then sleeps until 9:30am. If she doesn't wake up until 4:00am, she'll eat then sleep until 8:30am. I just never know how my night is going to go.




She babbles and talks quite a bit, especially if her siblings aren't around! Her only words are still mama, dada, and bye-bye.




She has eight teeth (four on top four on bottom).




She's standing alone everywhere now! I think first steps are somewhere in the near future.....NOOOO! Reese and Cru didn't walk until 15 months (Cru was maybe a little sooner), so I am definitely not ready for her to start walking! She's on the go all the time as it is.....I can't imagine!!!




She into everything! And when she isn't, her favorite place to be is at the back door talking to Coy.




And the little stinker LOVES to rip her headbands off! Reese never did that!!!




She so silly and smiles all the time! I love her personality; I think she's such a perfect combination of both Reese and Cru.



Happy 10 months, Evee! I wish I could freeze time right now....I want to freeze time with your brother and sister as well; time just goes too fast. Thank you for all the joy you have brought to our lives! We love you so much!