During November, I tried to really get some things in order that I had neglected during our moving craziness in October. Our move went so much differently than I expected, so I wasn't nearly as organized as I like to be. Anyway, on the first day of November I tried to get some of the food storage food down to the garage. Most of it was unpacked into the kitchen, which made for full cupboards, and I was unable to find anything that I needed. As I boxed up baking supplies and extra condiments, Makenzie worked right next to me, packaging her most important item :), Actually, she said she was going on a trip to Amber's house, and this is all she needed. I love this girl and her cute personality.
We also had a plumber out to do some needed work in the laundry area and bathrooms. I was SO happy to have some updated fixtures in the bathtubs, especially because they were able to turn off completely! Alex and I think we will do most of the updates in this house slowly and by ourselves, but plumbing is one of the things I'm not sure we, as inexperienced DIYers, should touch.
The kids are still adjusting to all the nuances of this house (they often complain that their toys are SO far away from me in the kitchen (SO far being one wall and two steps, the rooms are right next door) and they are constantly finding new hiding places and fun surprises. I loved when I saw their intuitive solution to the big windows to the backyard that only have blinds covering the bottom half...no problem, just play with shades on :)
November begins the dreaded season of football games and basketball games at the same time. This lasts through the holiday season, and during this time, every minute with Alex is special. This year we tried our best to just play and have fun, which I'm sure wore Alex out even more, but he's a great sport. Here are the kids all getting a horsey ride, and then they teamed up to give Daddy one as well.
The kids have really been enjoying window markers, but the rule is that they have to clean the window after. I'm not sure why I made that rule, but it has made for some amazing front window cleanliness :). From left to right is the part I did with Makenzie, Olivia's Section, and then Carter's on the smaller pane. Perhaps some practice is in order, but I will let them practice on the back windows.
That moment when you think your brother adores you, then you realize he just wants to eat your hair :). Actually, Hunter loves all of his siblings, and is likely to give a big open-mouthed kiss to anyone who gets close enough.
Dance parties always bring out the crazy in these kids...and the crazy faces in Makenzie. I'm not sure why, but she cannot sing with her eyes open, or dance without a crazy face. I hope she never grows up, because she is the best entertainment ever!
Washington has absentee ballots, so one evening the older kids and I talked about voting, and they helped me vote. They were both really interested in the way the election process works, and we all enjoyed reading about the local bills that were on the ballot. Olivia especially liked that she could help change the laws, and decided for a while that she wanted to be a judge so she could be in charge of all the laws :).
I will never cease to be amazed at the different positions that kids can fall asleep in. Kenzie's head was a good 6" lower than her body, but she was dead asleep :)
The kids LOVE Les Schwab! Popcorn for days...it is now just a couple weeks from us getting our snow tires off, and Olivia is already trying to negotiate going before or after school ('if I get up extra early and get every kid's clothes out can we go before breakfast? I just need one of those alarm clocks like you have') so she doesn't have to miss out. Sadly, all of our errands get done during school hours, just so I have one less pair of legs to keep track of as they all take off running through the aisles of tires.
Sometimes, when you get the kids set up for lunch, with the 5 month old baby watching from his high chair, and run to the bathroom, you come back to this. He was shoving that PBJ as far into his mouth as he could, and he screamed for about ten minutes after I pried the last piece from his hand. Such a mean mom!
Looking back, I'm not sure why I thought this would be a good idea, but i took the kids to one of the Men's Basketball games that was in the afternoon. It was at the perfect time, but Alex works during the game, so it was just me. We sat at the top of the stadium, as close to an exit as we could get, and I came prepared with snacks and coloring stuff to entertain the kids. I'm not sure a single one of them saw even one minute of basketball, but they all enjoyed the popcorn! Three bathroom trips, 2 candies, 1 tub of popcorn, and 40 LONG minutes of basketball later, we went home and called it a fun family adventure :).
Just a picture of Nutella Rice Krispy treats that I don't want to forget. For when Rice Krispies (my favorite cookie-type dessert) aren't enough :).
Alex's parents surprised us when they decided to come up for Makenzie's birthday. We were so glad to see them; we always enjoy having company and the kids count down the days until they come every time. Between Hunter's birth, summer vacations, and two different moves, we were able to see them most every month since April, and I hope that we can continue to see them often while we live in Pullman. We haven't made the drive yet, but it's closer than Concord by a couple hours, so I imagine it will be nice :).
Makenzie requested one thing for her birthday: a dog cake. She was very specific, and I desperately went to every bakery in town looking for one. You can see in the first picture why I might do that...
I'm not a baker by any means, but I love to make birthdays special, and this cake turned out good enough that she still talks about it 3 months later, so I consider it a win :). The next post will cover her actual birthday, it was so fun to celebrate this sweet girl turning two.
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