Getting Ready for Christmas

We made 2 batches of gingerbread cookies for family and friends. P3 loved helping and especially loved eating them.

P3 wanted a chocolate chip on his nose.

On Saturday, Dad took P1 to get presents for his siblings. Then he came back to take P2. She hadn't been feeling well in the morning, but she seemed to be doing better. So I let her go. Big mistake! They went to Target and found the things she wanted to get. While standing in the self checkout line, she puked over everything! Dad said it was a disaster and even the store manager seemed at a lost for what to do. Poor little girl! We got her home and gave her a bath. For dinner we had chicken noodle soup. She took one bite and threw up again. We put her to bed, and I went out to the store to get gatorade, saltine crackers, etc. I also had to go find the same toys she wanted to get her siblings.

The next day was Christmas Sunday. We decided to quarantine ourselves as not to get anyone else sick for Christmas. We were supposed to go to my family's for dinner, but we moved it to Monday. P2 did better on Sunday. She was able to keep some drink and food down. She said her tummy hurt, but never threw up.

Monday afternoon we went over to my family. P2 seemed to be feeling better. My brother and his wife were leaving on a cruise, so we exchanged presents with them. They gave us the illustrated Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. P3 wanted to help open all the presents, and he claimed them all as his own.

Initially, we had plans for the kids to sleep over because PE and I were going to see the new Star Wars movie. We decided to not let them sleep over, and I was planning on not even going to the movie. But the kids seemed to being doing okay, so we went to the movie. Another big mistake. We came to pick up the kids a little after 9 pm, and poor P2 wasn't feeling well. I picked her up to carry her to the car, and she threw up. Then we rushed her to the bathroom because she said she needed to going potty. Basically she exploded out of both ends in the bathroom. Poor girl. She was crying and said that she was too sick to live. Which is super sad coming from a little 5 year old. Dad ran the other kids home and picked up new clothes and medicine. My sister stayed with the other two and put them to bed. My mom and I gave P2 a bath and cleaned and sanitized EVERYTHING. I felt really bad and didn't want anyone else to get sick because of us. P2 was feeling better after we got her all cleaned up. We brought her home and put her to bed. And promised her we wouldn't go anywhere tomorrow.

 We stayed home on Christmas Eve. P2 was feeling better, but we were still cautious and didn't let her eat anything too heavy. We pulled out our Blu-track and hot-wheel cars. The kids had fun racing them all day.

Dad's Birthday

The kids wanted Dad to open his presents before he left for work. He got Joy-con controllers for the Switch, Fire Emblem: 3 Houses, an "I woke up today" t-shirt, and the book What If? by Randall Munroe.

Dad is changing jobs at the new year and was supposed to already be done with his current job. But they convinced him to keep working this week, so he put in another long day today. When he came home, we ate Mediterranean chicken and had gingerbread cake for dessert.

"All I want for Christmas is my 2 front teeth"

Our little P2 is growing up! She lost her first tooth, and her second tooth in a matter of days! Her first one was super loose for a long time, and she touched it during lunch and it fell out. She wanted to call everyone and tell them all about her lost tooth. The second one wasn't as loose, so I was surprised when it came out a few days later during lunch.

Family Party

PE's parents were in town and wanted to have a family party to celebrate birthdays/Christmas. We ate lunch then had ice cream cake served with a side of ice cream. The kids did a pinata and each got a bag full of candy. Then they decorated gingerbread men and houses. Then we had hot chocolate. Oh, and they also had cherry chocolates. Can you say sugar rush? They also had an Operations Escape board game that P1 and his cousin did. It had several puzzles that you had to solve to get keys. The kids had a fun time.

 

November

Playing at grandma's house. P3 found the weights and it was hilarious watching him try to lift them, especially the heavier ones. He would grunt and groan, and then give a big sigh of relief when he set them down.

 

 

One day, P1 was trying to figure out a Rubiks cube, and my older brother started showing him how to do it. It was a sweet moment to watch.

P1 hiding in a box, and P3 running around with weapons in his jammies. Typical day.

 

These pictures make me laugh! I'm not even sure what they were trying to do.

 

A Spider-man/Jasmine mix:

P3 trying to play a game on a simple calculator:

P3 came down with a fever. He was extra snuggly and took lots of naps. 

A sweet note from P1 that made my day: 

P2 came home from Kindergarten with a mustache. It was for Red Ribbon Week with the saying "I 'mustache' you to not do drugs."

P3 swinging on the big kid swing:

The school called me 45 minutes before school got out because P1 wasn't feeling well and needed to go home. By the time I checked him out, there was only 30 minutes left of school. And he didn't really have a fever. But he came home and took a nap.

Finding fun toys at the store:

I had to laugh at P1's paper from school on "If I had a Pet Turkey". I especially loved the picture he drew.

For Thanksgiving, P3 ended up getting sick again. P1 and P2 had both had yucky coughs over the last couple weeks, and P3 finally got it. He was very croupy, and had a high fever. I ended up sleeping with him on the couch or hammock for a few nights in order to keep him more upright while he slept. So I didn't get much sleep for a few days. I stayed home with him on Thanksgiving while PE took the big kids over to his family. P3 and I watched shows, and I ate leftover Indian food. That night we almost took him to the ER because his fever was 103 F, and he wouldn't take his medicine. We finally forced it down his throat, and he perked up after an hour or so. He was on medicine for 5-6 days. It was not a fun sickness. But I'm grateful for modern medicine, and for the good health we normally enjoy.