Pittard-Shields Christmas 2014

While we had plans to go to my parents' house for several days over Christmas, guess why we didn't ... Anyway, Mom and Berk came to us instead! I made a big pot of chili and we ALL got to sit around the table to share lunch. It was absolutely wonderful to have a table and chairs where we could be together. After lunch - presents!

Lauryn loves this book! She "reads" it all the time.

 We gave Bobba a Sponge Bob toy (inside joke ...) and a certificate for the Cookie-of-the-Month Club. We sent Banana-Chocolate Chip in January.

Kaity racked up with the Doctor Who merchandise. 

We've played this a few times and those questions are hard!

Tom Baker scarf! Jeff is always plotting to steal it.

Magnet dolls! Selah loves these.

Joe is really good at shooting this bow and suction cup arrow set. He likes to set up targets outside.

It's Anna from Frozen!

Christmas 2014

It seems like I'm always posting about Christmas in January! We kept our celebrations fairly subdued because of the plague. On Christmas Eve we opened the traditional gift of pajamas, plus the gifts we'd received from Uncle Joe and Aunt Jenn.

Aunt Jennifer sent us a Spiced Tea mix, which we all enjoyed while we opened gifts.

Such a charming little princess!

Christmas Morning!

Kaity made Joe a mini Foosball game in a shoebox using wooden skewers and clothes pins.

Poor Joe was really feeling bad, and slept pretty much the entire day.

Lauryn doing her best Luke Skywalker impression while opening presents.

I think the girls' favorite present was their toy kitchen! It was a gift to Kaity from Grammie and Bobba many years ago, and it's been at Jeff's parents' house because we haven't had the space for it. Jeff got it all cleaned up and set it up in the kitchen after the girls went to bed on Christmas Eve.

Jeff was washing dishes one day with Lauryn watching him. All of a sudden, she ran over to her own kitchen and started pretending to wash dishes, just like Daddy! She was SO proud of herself.

Christmas Lights

A few of the bright spots in our Christmas season:

Whilst suffering from the flu, we stayed quarantined in the house. Our friend Kim braved the plague and brought us this adorable personalized ornament!

Lauryn and Daisy snuggled with Daddy. Daisy was the only one unaffected by the scourge of the flu.

We made soft sugar cookies, but nobody really wanted to. They didn't feel good, and within a few hours Kaity and Joe were both down with the flu.

So I decorated cookies all by myself! I had fun making a special cookie to represent each child.

We didn't end up putting the tree up this year until December 15th, which is late, even for me! I was talking with Jeff last week about taking it down, and it felt funny because it had only been up 2 weeks. I'll do it tomorrow ...

Another Shelf in the Wall

Jeff and I are experimenting with the awkward space in our entryway:

A scientific Facebook poll has assured me this is called a "pony wall" or simply, as we will probably call it, a ledge.

Since we moved in it has housed our two plants and they have really thrived there - they get tons of natural light! But we do want to spice it up some. In the meantime, we decided to fill the space with our "dalek shelf".
 

Making Memories

November and December were rough months, health-wise, for us. For a family that is rarely sick, we've certainly had our share lately. Jeff's dad spent some time in the hospital on two different occasions. Poor Lauryn has had several ear infections, plus bronchitis. Selah had an ear infection. Flu season has hit us hard, considering we've never had it before, and all six of us took a turn with it, which resulted in our Christmas plans with family get all out of whack! In spite of all that, though, we've had some pretty sweet memories.

Selah took this picture of Lauryn and Mommy browsing Pinterest for recipes.

Daddy and Kaity watching a movie together after the other kids are in bed.

Lauryn and a remarkably tolerant Daisy.

Daddy!

Daddy's hat.

 

This picture makes us laugh every time ...

SOON.

All-In Challenge

After Lauryn was born, I knew I wanted to focus on getting the best nutrition possible while reclaiming my pre-pregnancy self, not to mention having enough energy to keep up with 3 big kids plus a newborn! Thankfully, I had AdvoCare to help me meet those challenges. I focused on clean eating while doing a modified version of AdvoCare's 24-Day Challenge. After 24 days, I was amazed to see I had lost 5 pounds and 14 inches! I was completely out of maternity clothes, and best of all, I felt great!

Because this time of year is when many people start making new goals or recommitting to old ones to focus on eating well or losing weight, AdvoCare is offering special pricing on their 24-Day Challenge through Noon on December 31st!

For Distributors who place a challenge order, you receive:

* Free Expedited Shipping

* A free limited edition blender bottle and wrist band

* Free shipping on your next order of $250 or more in January 2015

If you're not a distributor, you can still join in the challenge by contacting me for your order to receive the same benefits! I'd love to help you reach your goals for a healthier lifestyle and more energy.

Give me a call, email me, or take a look at my AdvoCare website to learn more.

The Apple of My Eye

Sometimes I take pictures of my children because I think they're so adorable. Sometimes it's because they're hysterical. Today, you get both!

This picture cracks me up! It's just ... the apple, the hat ... It's too much.

The lip! She's reaching for the apple, which I had taken away from her.

Another apple-hat cuteness combination.

Working Hard or Hardly Working?

While it's my job to load the dishwasher, it's Selah and Joe's job to UNload it. During the Christmas season, though, the children often do extra chores or a sibling's chore in order to earn money to buy presents. The other day, Joe took care of Selah's dishes in addition to his own. He had a little helper, though!

Lauryn LOVES to help put away the dishes.

Normally she just puts the silverware randomly in the drawer and Selah (or Joe, in this case) moves it to the space where it belongs.

Joe's expression when Lauryn got the spoon in the right spot!

I was busy cleaning counter tops and cooking lunch, plus I had Kaity helping me rearrange a couple of cabinets. Lauryn came in and decided to help. She picked up the cloth Kaity had been using and started cleaning the fridge.

I guess it looked like Lauryn was having so much fun that Selah grabbed a cloth and got to work, too! 

"Mommy, I want to help, too!"