g is for greta

The kids were so excited for Christmas to come. They were too cute getting everything ready for Santa.

(Dear Santa, We hope you are safe and… we wish you a Merry Christmas. Love, Corinne Mason and Ethan)

We were so busy opening presents on Christmas morning, that we didn’t get a single picture! It wasn’t until after the chaos was over that we realized our mistake. We did get some video, though. Thank goodness! There weren’t any blood relatives in town, so we had the closest thing to it–THE MORANS–over for dinner with Misti’s parents. It was a delicious meal. The kids had fun playing with their new toys.

Papa Tom and Abuelita came to town later in the weekend with the Woolfs so we were sure to get some pictures then.

Mason was feeling the love!

Isn’t that what Christmas is all about?

-g.

One of my favorite times of year to decorate is Christmas. The whole house just feels cozier. I tried something new for the fireplace this year and thought it turned out nicely! Wish it had been real pine. I love the way it looks and smells, but the needles dry out and get stuck in the kids’ socks.

I put white lights in it and plugged them in after dark. I loved the way it made the room glow. It was really pretty even though this picture doesn’t do it justice.

The kids helped decorate the Christmas tree. I don’t think they noticed that I moved ornaments around after they went to bed. I blame my OCD tendencies for not being able to leave well enough alone!

Finished product:

My little buddies also helped me make treats for our friends. These are some of my favorites. You soften a rolo on top of a pretzel then push it down with a pecan. Yum! I was making cornflake wreaths in the front. Tony loves those!

It was a fun time of year. The kids could barely wait for Christmas to come around!

-g.

I am so very behind on updating. Prepare yourselves over the next few weeks for an onslaught of posting. First things first, Thanksgiving.

If you remember, Mason was in a full cast. A few weeks before Thanksgiving, he was downgraded to a walking cast.

I love Mason’s “I’m really happy but acting scared but don’t know what to do with my face” face. Tony came along for moral support–not sure if it was for Mason, me, or both.

THAT’S the face I know and love!

The day after Thanksgiving he was allowed to remove it. Boy, was he ever terrified. The first few steps involved major limping and lots of tears. However, by the end of the week, he was doing things like this with his cousins visiting from Utah:

Don’t worry, the other kids were in on the fun, too!

For some reason, I have no pictures of Ethan. Probably because this boy never stands still long enough to get a picture taken!

It was fun to see the Paynes and both sides of our families. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays!

-g.

Especially a KitchenAid Mixer. However, luck is not a lady tonight…yet! I have entered multiple times on Pioneer Woman’s website with no luck. Today I find a friend from back in the day started a new website www.gourmetmomonthego.com. It’s fun! An added bonus is that she is having a giveaway. Score! I sure could use that mixer.

I did win an ice cream party online, though, so I shouldn’t be whining. I’m just so good at it!

-g.

We always travel north to visit our families over the Thanksgiving holiday which means we don’t get the chance to prepare turkey very often. Tony has been itching to fry one for a LONG time. His parents came to town a few weekends ago and brought a friend’s fryer with them. Tony had stars in his eyes. He got a Thanksgiving-esque dinner all prepared.

He seasoned the bird first and posed with his prize bird. (He was proud of the arm protectors he created.)

Here goes nothin’!

We were so excited to eat the darn thing that we forgot an after picture. These will have to do:

It was the best turkey I’ve ever had. No offense, Mom! Got us in the mood for some more turkey. Good thing Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

-g.

One month ago today, Mason broke his leg. He has been a trooper through the whole thing. It has made me be a better mom. Lots more one-on-one time and patience. We have a new routine to our day. He spent alot of time at the beginning on his bum doing various things.

Then he got more mobile in his chair that Dr. Shelley gave us to use. We go for lots of walks. Sometimes he asks me to run so that he can feel like he is running, too. I’ve teared up more than once at that request. I’ll need to scrub the wheels before giving it back due to all the cherries stuck in the grooves.

Once he got more comfortable, there was no stopping him. He goes to preschool almost every day and participates in anything we are doing.

Just today he scooted all the way from the toy room in the back of the house, through the main hallway, and up the stairs to the loft where I was working on this post. I am so proud of him! This is the first time he has moved indepently!

Tomorrow morning he will get a new cast. His current cast is bent 90 degrees. The next one will be either straight or almost straight and will allow him to walk. I’ll need to find him a walker and retire the wheelchair. He is terrified. Keep your fingers crossed and send up a prayer tomorrow morning for my brave little boy!

-g.

I love fall and everything that comes with it! Even as a dental hygienist, I love trick or treat. I think it’s because the kids get to throw caution to the wind and just have fun.

The church always has a party for the family to enjoy. Corinne stayed true to being a cat this year for every party. She ran around the whole night with her friends so I didn’t get many pictures of her.

Ethan refused to change out of his Buckeye jersey into his costume so we just rolled with it.

Mason really wanted to be a ghost. However, as soon as the sheet moved and his eyes didn’t match up perfectly with the holes, he freaked out. His costume didn’t last very long.

Ethan loved the bowling game.

Mason’s favorite was eating a donut from a string without using your hands. He played more than once.

We carved pumpkins together for Family Home Evening. The kids didn’t want to do faces this year. They each picked out a design they liked and helped with the carving.

And the final unveiling…

For our neighborhood trick or treat night, we had good weather. The boys changed their costumes. Here we are before heading out…

…and Corinne afterwards:

Hope you had a Happy Halloween, too!

-g.

I love a good festival. My hometown has one every year, and I love to head back just to go. It’s different since the school building was torn down, but I still like to support it.

The kids played on the 4-wheelers all morning with the Sharpes. They drove from Pittsburg to meet us for a day of fun. I love this picture of Corinne in her farm boots working like a man!

Here’s Corinne waiting her turn for another ride. Ha!

Mom was working in the garden with a little help from her friends.

When the rides opened, we headed down to the festival. Mason went through this fun house so many times that I lost count. Kids are funny.

Corinne, Reagan, and Eli won a fish. They are still swimming around in my parents’ pond.

After hours of riding, we headed home for dinner and the parade.

Corinne and I were lucky enough to be in the parade. The sun was in an awkward spot so the pictures aren’t the best. Plus, we were in candy throwing mode.

It was a good time had by all! My favorite part…

-g.

It has made us nervous for quite some time watching the kids jump from higher and higher stairs. Yesterday, just as we were finishing up dinner, Mason jumped from the 4th stair up. I happened to look up and watch him land. You know those videos on YouTube that people post and say things like, “DON’T WATCH THIS MOVIE!” because it is so sickening? Yeah…it was like that. Made worse by the popping sound I heard. There was a small delay before the realization of pain set in but then the screams came on full force. I thought he had really messed up his ankle. Tony and I scooped him up and headed to Urgent Care while Steph and James stayed behind to feed/care for the other rugrats.

The parking lot at Urgent Care was PACKED! When I commented to Tony, he said the two words that quicken the pulse of any parent: swine flu. He was right. There were kids in mini surgical masks everywhere. Seats were a premium so I had him scope out the most secluded spot he could find to prevent cross contamination. I don’t think a single kid actually got their vomit into the container they were given but did see it hit the floor, chairs, clothes, etc. It will be a miracle if we don’t get it. Once we got to a room, I scoped out the antibacterial hand stuff and tried to bathe Mason in it. We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed. Anywho…

After waiting for about an hour, it was our turn. The mean x-ray tech lady made Mason scream in a way that I can only describe as primal. Poor boy. It was literally torture. Here’s what we found out:

Not his ankle at all. He broke his left tibia. He was lucky that it didn’t need to be reset. Now our boy is the lucky owner of a camo cast from his hip to his toes. They escorted us out a backdoor since Mason was only wearing his Wolverine undies and t-shirt. He’s still in alot of pain, but everyone says that is only for the first few days until the bone starts to heal. I sure hope so.

Tuesday is his first appointment with a pediatric orthopedic surgeon. He’ll be monitoring his healing. I feel lucky that the doctor is actually a friend from church. I’m hoping that will help Mason relax some.

Pray for my boy. He’s sad.

-g.

I am a cookie snob. I want them thick with a crunchy exterior and soft interior. We are foodies in this household. During one of our countless times watching Food Network, we watched a Bobby Flay throwdown centering on chocolate chip cookies. While Bobby’s didn’t do it for me, his competitors’ cookies made my mouth water! I’ve searched the internet and found a new favorite recipe. I’m only going to give the link because it explains how to make them perfectly on the website. Here’s some incentive to check it out:

I piled the dough high like haystacks. I figured that might help with the thickness. I also refrigerated the dough for about 20 minutes before baking just to harden it up some.

I could barely wait for them to bake. I did eat some dough to help hold me over until they were finished.

Sweet darling…

It makes me happy just LOOKING at the picture of that delicious morsel. Make some when you need to feel loved. (Which should be NOW!) Yum.

-g.