Christmas Continued

Christmas Day at Mama and Papa's house is always a lot of fun. I don't think anyone loves Christmas more than my mom. The kids always have a great time at her house because she goes all out. Trey received more trains and loved wrapping himself in wrapping paper. Delaney received her American Girl doll Samantha and Taylor finally has real Uggs. My sisters and brothers always spoil our kids as well with great gifts and a lot of attention. It is so nice that all of us live close enough that we can be together on the holidays. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Day

Christmas Day was filled with excitement, family and LOTS of FOOD! I have so much fun watching the kids open their presents. I have always said that I do not need anything at all, as long as I can watch the kids open their presents. This year we had the kids make something for each other. They could not not purchase anything from the store. Taylor gave Trey a car she made at school in Industrial Tech and gave Delaney a coupon book filled with activities they could do together. Delaney made a paper train track and train for Trey and a used a craft kit we had at home to make a stained glass puppy for Tay. I didn't have Trey do anything since he is so little, but I should have known he would know what was going on. He announced that he didn't make anything because no one helped him. Poor guy, next year we'll make sure he makes things as well.
We opened presents and then had enough time to fit in a little Guitar Hero with drums and mic, which was a family present. We then headed over to Mama and Papa's and then Memaw's house to continue the festivities.

Christmas Eve Continued

After we celebrated Christmas Eve with my Dad's family we returned home to read Twas the Night Before Christmas. Darnel reads this book to the kids every Christmas Eve. With everyone in their new PJ's (thanks Mama) we took a pic in front of the Christmas tree before we headed off to bed. After we went to bed Santa made his Christmas delivery.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve is always exciting! We spend the day visiting family, we attend the Family Christmas Eve Service at church and of course Santa comes. This year all of the kids were part of the service. Many family members attended the service to see the kids perform. Trey and Delaney both sang in front of the church and Taylor was Mary! What an honor for us to have our daughter playing the role of Mary. I remember the day the youth director asked me if Taylor would be Mary. I immediatly said, "yes"! When I told Darnel he asked if I had asked Taylor. I told him she didn't have a choice, you're not asked to be Mary every year. Besides the other two were in the service, so it just made sense for her to be a part of it as well. They kids did a great job. They looked so angelic!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Radio City Rockettes

Tonight the girls (Mom, Katie, Kara, Delaney, Taylor and I) headed to the Fox to see the Radio City Rockettes. Taylor and I have seen them before, but this was Delaney's first time seeing the Rockettes and going to the Fox. All of us met at Katie's apartment for dinner and then due to the freezing temps our Super Fantastic Dad drove us right up to the front door of the Fox and dropped us off, knowing he would be back in 2 hours to pick us up in the very same spot. When we walked in Delaney's mouth dropped open. She couldn't believe everything she saw. We didn't even have to see a show, seeing the Fox itself was enough for her. The show was Fantastic! The live Nativity at the end was amazing. Delaney couldn't believe there were real camels and sheep on the stage. Hopefully they'll return to St. Louis again soon!

Gingerbread Houses

While Daddy was away at the Blues game with a friend we went to Mama and Papa's house to make Gingerbread Houses and watch Christmas Movies. Trey and Laney were so excited to decorate the houses. They knew exactly what to do using patterns and all. Trey was a little disappointed that Mama didn't have little gingerbread men to go into the gingerbread house. He thinks of all the details. After we finished the houses we watched ELF which Trey thought was hilarious. Trey didn't allow much time to pass before he was licking the gingerbread house. Hopefully we can get those pics from Aunt Katie and post them later.

Dickens Christmas Festival

What a great night! A local church held a Dickens Christmas Festival complete with characters, crafts, plays, games and snacks. We listened to carolers as we solved the clues on the store front windows. We enjoyed hot chocolate, hot apple cider, delicious cookies and hot kettle corn. After we strolled through the village and made candles we headed inside to make paper ornaments, a nativity scene and dress the parts of Mary, a wise man, a shepherd and angels. We then went to play games, have our silhouettes made, make a family wreath, watch a play and Trey's favorite take a picture in a sled (Many of you have read on the blog and witnessed his sled obsession). We were so impressed by the many church members who made the event possible. They had to spend many hours preparing the event and the roles they played during the event were fabulous. Even my mother believed their English accents. We are definitely adding this to our holiday plans next year.

Addition to the Previous Post

Dad,

Here's your request for the rest of the Kwanza story.


When Delaney asked Darnel if we could celebrate Kwanza he told her that he would have to see. He said he didn't know much about Kwanza so he'd have to research about it.

That means "NO"

Delaney

Today on our way home from Girl Scouts Delaney was quite talkative

Delaney: "Mom is Dad African American?"
Me: Yes
Delaney: Can we celebrate Kwanza? African Americans celebrate Kwanza.
Me: Ask Daddy when we get home.

Always Looking for a Reason to Celebrate!

At school Delaney has been learning about different traditions. One day she came home from school and said, "Joey celebrates Gotcha Day, when is my Gotcha Day?"


We explained to her that Joey is adopted, so they celebrate Gotcha Day. We celebrate her Birthday. She seemed content with that.

Slip of the tongue!

I always try to set a good example for my kids. I take care of myself, work hard, volunteer at church, their schools and treat others the way I would want to be treated. I don't make a habit of using inappropriate language but it does slip occasionally when I'm frustrated.

Yesterday Trey was playing with the sled and Santa. When the sled fell over Trey said, "Damn it" Darnel instantly looked at me, because he knows that is what I say when I break something or am frustrated. I told Trey that we don't say bad words and that nice little boys don't talk like that. I always ask him to tell me what I said, so I know he heard me and understood what I said. He said, "Don't say Damn it"

Does he understand? I'm not sure since he did say it again without a second thought.

Recruiting Reindeer

Trey has recruited another reindeer for Santa's sled!

Santa and his Reindeer!

It is a tradition of ours to decorate our house for Christmas the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Darnel put up the lights outside and the kids and I hung the stockings, the Christmas countdown, put up their trees in their rooms and started putting up one of the two trees we decorate. One decoration I have is a silver sled which I use to put Christmas cards in. As I was decorating I heard Trey crying. When I asked him what was wrong he said he couldn't get his antlers on and he wanted to be Santa's reindeer. He had taken the silver sled, put a Santa puppet in the sled and he was Santa's reindeer, pulling the sled behind him. What an imagination. I can say he is never bored he can turn anything into a toy.

Thanksgiving

We are extremely Thankful that we live very close to our families. On Thanksgiving we were able to see Darnel's mom and family, Darnel's Dad, step-mom and sister and then end the holiday visiting my family. It is a tradition at my parents house to go around the table after dinner and say something you are Thankful for.

Trey: Trains (does that surprise you)
Delaney: sister and brother
Taylor: friends and family
Darnel: healthy family
Me: Healthy family and being with family on the holidays

We spent the rest of the night spending time with family and planning our strategy for the biggest shopping day of the year.

We hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

Holiday Open House

Today was the Holiday Open House for all the stores in Kirkwood. Due to the cold temps we were only there long enough to write a letter to Santa, eat hot dogs and drink hot chocolate thanks to the Lions Club, check out a few stores and watch Taylor dance. Luckily the rest of the holiday shows the girls dance at are in doors. They had to be freezing. They have short sleeve costumes on, and everyone watching is bundled up in coats, hats and gloves!

Cotillion

Taylor and her BFF Cara


Every year the 7th graders have the opportunity to sign up for cotillion. I'm sure the kids don't see it as an opportunity but as parents it is money well spent. Cotillion meets for six weeks. The instructors teach them how to dance, not hip hop dance and etiquette. According to Taylor they danced to boring music and were taught the proper way to socialize at a party as a guest and a hostess. At the end of the six weeks they have a final dance. We spent many nights at the mall looking for the perfect dress. Taylor and I had different visions of the perfect dress. I wanted her to get something she could wear for the dance and Christmas Eve. Taylor wanted more of a cocktail dress. We kind of agreed upon a black sweater dress. Maybe agreed isn't the right word, she was against it until I bribed her with another shirt if she got the sweater dress. The sweater dresses look so good on her, but she'll never admit that. The final dance was an ice cream social at an area country club. They practiced a lot of the dances they were taught during the six weeks. They also did a lot of the line dances that the kids love. Taylor won second place for her dance moves during Cupid Shuffle. After the dance she did admit that it wasn't as bad as she thought it would be.

Who's in the Bag?

Do you know?


We decided to get take out from Helen Fitzgerald's. If you haven't had their Feed the Family meal you need to try it. The Frost Family LOVES food, so this is great for us. You get pizza, wings, toasted ravioli, salad and bread for about $22. Darnel brought the food home in a brown bag and then left the empty brown bag on the floor. Trey loves to create his own fun with items other than toys. This is how he entertained us the other night after we finished dinner.

Another Playdate

Thought I'd share a comment from Trey about his playdate with his new buddy Cameron. When Darnel got home from work he started telling him about the train place and eating lunch at Steak and Shake with Cameron. Then he said, "Cameron looks like me!" I love the fact that Trey has friends of all nationalities, but I'm sure it is also nice for him to have a friend that he can relate to.

If you haven't guessed, Cameron is biracial.

The Holiday Season has Begun!

On Sunday we kicked off the holiday season with a holiday open house! Trey couldn't wait to see Santa and ride the Trolley! We walked around and looked at a few stores, talked to Santa and rode the trolley for a long time! Thanks Aunt Kara for holding Laney's hot chocolate the entire ride!

Quote from Trey

Taylor - "Trey can I have a kiss?"

Trey - "No, I'm not in the mood right now!"

I wonder where he got that line from?

Halloween

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We had a blast on Halloween this year. With it falling on a Friday night we had plenty of time to eat our Halloween dinner of Sloppy Joes and still have the whole evening ahead of us. We started Trick or Treating at 6 pm. My mom, Stephanie, Darnel and I took Trey and Laney. Taylor and 3 of her friends went ahead of us. We started off with Laney telling a joke and Trey saying, "Happy Halloween". When we were on the last street Trey decided to steal Laney's joke. This made Laney irate. She started yelling at Trey infront of the people. I calmly said, Laney let him finish and then you can say it your way. As my children were screaming at each other I calmly said Happy Halloween to the couple and headed towards the driveway which Trey and Laney were already running down in an attempt to get to the 1 seater wagon, which my mom had stopped to get at her house. She said it was a two seater, which it wasn't unless you are talking baby dolls.
This was how the evening went on for the remainder of our trick or treating. They ran to the door said Happy Halloween or a joke and then raced to the wagon with one always left crying on the side. Next year we will have our real 2 seater wagon. After the eventful trick or treating we went back home for a fire in the outdoor fireplace and to roast marshmallows. Then we headed home and left Taylor and 3 other 13 year old girls to spend the night at Mama and Papas. Thanks Mom and Dad for hosting the sleepover. The girls had a blast and loved staying up until 3 am.

By the way here are the jokes they said:

Laney: Why did the skeleton cross the road? Because he had no guts. (Yes, she said why did , not didn't)

Trey: Why did the skeleton cross the road? Because he hated bones.

The last photo is the Mountain of candy we now have thanks to a fun evening of Trick or Treating!

Happy Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving

The kids love carving pumpkins, but to be honest some years we just don't get it in. This year we made sure we would put it on the calendar. The kids helped dig all the pulp out, which by the look on Trey's face, you can tell he was disgusted. He kept saying it was icky. The girls loved it. They scraped it clean and then helped Darnel decide what to carve. They agreed on a ghost, so Darnel started planning and carving. The girls helped wash the seeds, so we could roast them which is a favorite of theirs as well. The pumpkin turned out great! They say that next year it will be even better. Check back in Oct '09.

Taylor's Conferences

You don't always see Taylor in our pics because well she's at the age (13) where it isn't cool to hang out with the family. Especially when you have a 6 year old sister and 3 year old brother. We tend to do a lot of things for their age group. We did the same things when she was their age. I always feel bad when she doesn't make a post because she wasn't there. This post is an opportunity to brag about her newest interest and accomplishment. This post is all about Taylor.

Taylor has taken up a love of running. She has gone to Track camp for 2 years now. This seems to be the only sport where she will ask if she can go practice. She always wants to go for a run. We are happy she has found something she loves in addition to dance.

Last week Darnel and I went to her Fall conference. She is doing very well, A's and B's. When we went up to her PE teacher I introduced myself and said I was Taylor's mom. He said, "She's fast!" Darnel and I smiled and he said, "No, I mean SHE IS FAST!" He continued to say that she has beaten most of the boys and has broken many of the school records. We were very pleased. He then said, "I think she is State fast!" Well that always makes a parent feel good because with that could come scholarships. We are so happy for her that she has found something she loves and obviously something she is good at. Hopefully this continues to be a strong sport for her that she can pursue in High School. Way to go Tay! We are so proud of you.

Day out with Thomas

All I can say is What a Day!

Thomas came to town and anyone who knows Trey knows that this was something we couldn't miss. Trey eats, sleeps and talks Thomas. He wants to wear his Thomas shirt everyday. He would sleep in it and wear it everyday if we let him. Most of the time I just hide it and tell him its dirty to avoid the tears. He takes Thomas trains, books and movies to the sitters with him, and usually has a train in his hand when you see him.
As soon as the girls finished soccer on Saturday we headed to see Thomas. When we turned the corner and could see the train Trey yelled, "THOMAS!" We started off our Day Out with Thomas by meeting Sir Topham Hat. Then we played at the imagination Station with Thomas Legos, train tables and made noodle necklaces. we took a picture with Thomas, rode a miniature train, listened to Thomas stories and of course went to the gift shop. The kids were definitely excited Trey could not wait for the biggest event of the day which was riding on the coaches pulled by Thomas. As we rode the train Trey kept saying, "I can see the whole city." Trey and Delaney both loved it, but Trey can't stop talking about it.

Halloween at Grant's Farm

My Aunt is always looking for fun things for us to do. Last year she found out that Grant's Farm has a Halloween display. Luckily the rain stopped in time for us to enjoy the night at Grant's Farm this past weekend. We went to Mama's house first for Sloppy Joes and chips (my kids love this). Then we loaded up the van and headed to Grant's Farm. The kids fed the goats, Trey loved this, check out the smile on his face. All was good until the goats swarmed him and were starting to eat his costume. We also watched a Halloween Show, looked at the horses and danced the night away on the courtyard.

Conversation between Delaney and Taylor

In the previous post we went pumpkin picking. If you look at the second picture you would think they were getting along so well, but the conversation between Taylor and Delaney said all but sisterly love.

Before the picture was taken Delaney was eating an apple and then started licking the apple juice from her fingers. I asked the three of them to get around the pumpkin they picked to take home.

Taylor: Delaney, don't touch me you've been licking your fingers.

Delaney: Well they're clean

Taylor: Delaney, stop breathing on me!

Delaney: If I stop breathing, I will die!

Forest Park Forever

Thanks Dad for being a member of Forest Park Friends Forever!

Since he is a member we were invited to their member appreciation day. We had a great time enjoying all the activities. The kids rode ponies, played with a parachute, got their faces painted, ate lunch, made picture frames, took a carriage ride and ended the day playing on a very nice playground. Trey and Delaney loved the ponies so much they rode them twice. Thanks Dad for inviting us!

Pumpkins!

It's pumpkin time! The kids could not wait to go pick a pumpkin to carve. We headed to Eckerts with Mama and Memaw to enjoy the Fun Farm and find the perfect pumpkin. We watched pig races, rode the John Deere Express (wooden wagons pulled by a tractor), rode rides, went down the HUGE slide and rode the wagon to the pumpkin patch. We realized today that we usually go to the pumpkin patch and select a pumpkin from a huge pile they created. Today we actually went by wagon to the pumpkin patch and selected our own pumpkins right from the vine. Trey loved this, he just kept rolling the pumpkins around the patch. Delaney loved finding the broken pumpkins and Taylor was determined to find the perfect pumpkin to carve. We had a great time and the kids were exhausted.