Christmas re-cap

We had a wonderful Christmas this year! We had several wonderful family celebrations, ate too much yummy food, and got some really fabulous, thoughtful gifts. The grandparents went a little over-the-top this year, but I will admit, their gifts were the biggest hits! The kids have been obsessed with the Harry Potter books on CD that they received, and have alternated playing inside on the Wii and playing outside on the trampoline. I don't think in their wildest dreams they could have imagined such a Christmas!

I also have to admit, Bill and I are enjoying all of these gifts just as much as the kids! All of them have made for some great family activities. And Bill and I have been known to jump on the trampoline after the kids go to bed, and we have also burned the midnight oil many a time playing the Wii! (I have the tennis elbow to prove it!) Oh, and I've never enjoyed washing dishes as much as the day that Rhys brought his cd player and left Harry Potter playing while I cleaned the kitchen!

Horseback Riding

Since Avery and her best friend Maya have birthdays one day apart, we decided to have the girls celebrate together. They wanted to go horseback riding, so we set up a two-hour lesson for them to learn about horsemanship and ride. They loved it!! Avery is ready to abandon all of her other activities to take horseback riding lessons.

We all enjoyed being at the stables. They had a treehouse for the boys to play on, and a sweet, oversized Lab puppy to cuddle. The boys were even allowed to ride for a couple of minutes at the end of Avery's lesson! It all went wonderfully -- except the brief moment when Avery's horse spooked when I took a picture of Griffin on his back. But all was well, and Griffin thought it was fun!

We're back!

After a month-long hiatus spent recuperating from Christmas, I guess I should share what we've been up to! We had a wonderful Christmas, but it always takes me a while to regroup after the excitement of the holidays. We're finally feeling like we're comfortable again in our usual routine, and the kids are glad to be back in all their normal activities and co-ops.

Avery is still heavily involved with swimming and loving it, and Rhys is taking a bit of an extra-curricular break before spring sports start up again. He has decided to try soccer again this spring and wait until the fall to play another season of T-ball. I think soccer will be good for him, since he spends hours at a time at home running in circles around the living room (with a Star Wars ship in hand, making shooting sounds). The boy has endurance that won't quit! The kids are also beginning practice for a production of Midsummer Night's Dream, and I've been amazed at how committed they are to learning their lines.

I spent the weeks around the holiday very busy with work (ok, maybe it was only 15 hours a week, but it was more than I was used to!), and now I'm glad to be back to my usual 8-10 hours a week of working. I usually work one weekend afternoon a week, and since Bill works from home, Avery has taken on a lot of responsibility while I'm gone. She supervises her brothers and makes dinner every week. It's so nice for Bill and I both to finish working and not have to make dinner! She's become quite the cook, and she really likes to do it!