Christmas 2011

Wow! Another Christmas here and gone. With little kids who take naps and go to bed early, the day goes by too fast. If I'm honest, I probably packed a little too much into today. I was not expecting the crazy over stimulation of my three-year-old. Tristan hardly ever has a melt down and he had a couple today...oops, my bad. You live and you learn.

Last night as we put our nativity set back together after a hard day of play, I snuck baby Jesus into my pocket and Tristan was not happy when he could not find him. Our Christmas morning started out with the first gift of Christmas. "To the Conway Family, Love God" Inside was baby Jesus from our manger. Tristan got very excited and said, "There he is! He was in here waiting for me!"

The morning was full of presents, laughing, a little fighting, and lots of fun. There were books, a Bible, Batman, the hit of Pop the Pig, and of course what would a Christmas with three boys be without capes!!! My little superheros were adorable. Tristan kept coming up to us asking, "So what seems to be the problem here?"

I was thrilled that four out of the five of us would eat the Christmas morning casserole... guess I will be making a bigger one next year. Finn spent the whole morning with

various snacks in his mouth and Ian scribbled away on his Doodle pad. The last few years Neil and I have drastically scaled back on gifts for each other, first cutting out presents and eventually stockings. This year we were down to nothing and it felt GREAT!!! Turns out I wished for nothing and in return got a beautifully written letter from my husband filled with gratitude and thanksgiving. Truly wonderful. Turns out people were right that being grateful for what you have really is a choice. I have NEVER had a Christmas where I didn't wish for more, have secret desires, or wasn't disappointed by what I did receive... until 2011! What a year, what a journey!

I had a great time making gifts for the boys this year. A bucket for their new band instruments, band shirt for Brothers Thomas, and Angry Birds game, puzzles, and a fun ice cube activity for the bath. Can't wait to do more and more homemade gifts as the years go on. Maybe start earlier than I did this year though. I look back at the gifts my dad made me over the years as some of the most special gifts I received. Maybe I couldn't appreciate that at 16, but now... priceless. I think I should do the same for my boys.

We ended the day singing happy birthday to Jesus and having a party for him. All in all a good holiday. Yes the day was fun, even though it was a bit overwhelming. I think next year we will go a little smaller. While it was all great, I think a little less stuff will make it more enjoyable. All that stuff didn't leave a whole lot of time in our short day to remember

what it was really about. Glad we did a lot of teaching before the holiday so it was not totally lost in the stuff laying around our living room. No sweat though, no holiday will ever be perfect, but I do have some great ideas of how to make it fit our family a little better next year.

This Mom's Christmas Gift

Christmas as a mom can be a bit overwhelming. The budgeting, preparing, shopping, trips to the post office, Christmas cards, cooking, and of course making it perfect...haha. At times I thought it would be nice to be the dad for one Christmas, but in the end I think I get more joy out of the actual day than anyone else.

This Christmas I received the most precious gift in the whole family. Through my preparation, intentional teaching of the real Christmas story, and not buying one gift as a "filler" but all because of the joy I knew it would bring to my boys, I was able to realize some truths about God. As I watched my children open their gifts and squeal with delight, Tristan exclaiming after each one that it was just what he wanted, and seeing how my husband could not have enjoyed any other meal more than the one I prepared, all gave me a peek at how God watches as he gives us gifts. My children were so happy because I know them and I know just what they want... and that is just what they received today. How much more does God know us and want this joy for our lives? It must break His heart to prepare special gifts just for us and watch us say no or walk on past. I long to have the eyes and ears that accept MY gifts from God no matter what the wrapping looks like!

I Will Miss These Days

Every now and then, I am hit with a moment and am positive I will miss these days terribly soon enough. One such moment hit me tonight. As I was giving the twins a bath, Tristan was playing so well all by himself. I wasn't paying too much attention because he was quiet, but not too quiet... not getting into trouble kind of quiet.

When I finally took notice of just what he was up to, this is what I found.

- My bathrobe belt tied like a lasso

-Cowboy shirt on

-Pants put on backwards

-Pockets full of ninja guys

-Using lasso to try and open a treasure chest

Do I LOVE being a mom of boys... YES YES YES!!!!

Zoo Lights 2011

Zoo lights was a hit again! Hands down my favorite holiday activity to do with the family. We always stay warmer than I think we will, kids are happier than I could imagine they would be, and we last longer than we would anywhere else.

Tristan pulled out his light stick from the last two zoo lights and tried to turn it in for a new one. Too bad for him the zoo staff noticed the duct tape holding it together. The twins were old enough this year to get their own light sticks and we hope they hold up as well as Tristan's.

The boys were absolutely PERFECT! I can honestly say there was not one kid there who was having a better time or more amazed by the lights than Tristan. The pure joy on all of their faces was magical.

The boys did great with Santa and I even got a cute picture

of the twins and I riding the carousel. The night would not be complete if the boys didn't all gang up on dad though!

The Conway Drive-In

This summer I started to brainstorm Christmas ideas for my kids so I could start to pick them up at the consignment sales I go to. Neil and I had already talked about doing a Christmas with less presents to make it a fun part of the day, but not the main focus of the day. However, when you start thinking of all the things that would make your little one's face light up, the list could go on and on. All three boys LOVE the Toy Story movies and the few toys we have from those movies. At each sale I would pick up a few toys and put them in a box in the closet waiting for Christmas maybe? As time went on and other ideas came up for Christmas and family members started buys presents for the boys, I decided to change my idea for the box I had tucked away.
From an idea I found on a blog, I started to put together a drive-in movie night. I figured instead of the kids having one big pile of presents on Christmas morning, we would split the presents and get a fun family night out of this as well!
I wasn't sure when it would happen, but I was sure a night in December would present itself where we would need some good old fashion family time. This weekend was it! After the five of us getting REALLY bad stomach bugs and having the most miserable two days ever, we needed some fun. We were supposed to head to Zoo Lights tonight, but none of us were 100% yet... this seemed like the next best thing.
While the kids were napping, I took the boxes I had stowed away for this occasion and made them into cars for them to color before the movie.

Since no one was eating real food still, we had movie time instead of dinner. We colored the cars, played for a bit, brought out the new toys, and started the movie. The movie and playing with our new characters brought us right to everyone's bedtime. This was so fast, fun, easy, and just plain different. In my house, different is all you need to make a night exciting!

Rocket Ship

On black Friday, I went to Michale's and found this great cardboard rocket ship. Any other mom would have seen it, thought it was cool, and kept walking. However, my sisters and I had a great cardboard rocket ship when I was little. I know there is at least one picture out there and some fun home movies at my dad's house, but none I could get a hold of for this blog.


There were hours of fun building it, coloring it, and playing inside.


Well, almost all the play was fun except when all three tried to get in at one time. All the boys loved it, but then it become just another thing in the living room as most toys do. Time to throw it out... not quite!




To stretch the last bit of play out of the ship, I took a sting of Christmas lights and poked them through the top. It brightened up the dark play area and made a beautiful ceiling of stars. This gave the rocket another week of exciting play until total demolition occurred as always happens with three little boys.
Great memories with my sisters and my boys. It was a very fun few weeks!

Funny Funny Boy

This evening, Tristan said the funniest thing he has ever said, and that's saying something because he is one funny kid. After bath, he put on his underwear and was running around burning off the last of the day's energy. He flopped himself onto the couch face down and laid there still as could be.

Suddenly, he popped up and yelled so excitedly:

"I can feel my heart beating in my chest! I UNDERSTAND MYSELF!!!"

I don't know who taught him this, but I want to thank them because I really needed that laugh tonight. I can not remember when I have laughed so hard. I am SO glad that kid is around!

Tristan 3 1/2 years old

Tristan has grown up so much even in the last six months that I thought I should do a midyear review on him. He has learned all of his letters and likes to try to figure out the first letter in words we are saying. Tristan loves school, is learning so much there, and even has a little girlfriend named Sophia. His imagination is through the roof! Listening to him play makes my heart happy. His toys are genuine friends now and they have the greatest adventures together.

He has also become quite the fashion expert. At his three year check up, the doctor asked if he dressed himself. At that time I just laughed and said he had never even tried to dress himself. Well, that has changed dramatically! He changes all day long into the cutest outfits. I'm always impressed when he gets the clothes facing the right direction.

His smile is still as bright and beautiful as ever. He is still the friendliest and brightest little boy I have ever met, and when he puts his mind to it he can run as fast as lightening ;)

Thanksgiving 2011

Thanksgiving this year starting with Tristan helping me make baked corn to take to dinner. At school this week they learned about the sense touch, so he decided to turn it into a "touch and feel" project. I don't think anyone at dinner noticed... it still tasted great.

We were all thankful, but Tristan was thrilled to be invited to the Lund's for Thanksgiving dinner. Taylor is one of his "best friends" and I knew between Taylor and Craig we were not going to see Tristan the whole time we were there. I was right.

I was nervous about having the only little kids there, but it turned out to be great. So many people who are not around kids all the time and all of them wanting a turn chasing the kids, holding them, feeding them, and playing.

Dinner was fantastic and Tristan got to sit at the big kids table. Aside from the part where Tristan yelled over to me that Ciera had stolen his belly button, I didn't see him all through dinner. The young adults at that table said it was the most entertaining dinner they had in a long time.

After dinner, "Uncle Mango" broke out the guitar and sang the most beautiful songs. All the boys loved it, but none more than Finn. Craig and Finn sat in the chair right by Mango and as Finn was slowly rocked to sleep, Mango sang a beautiful Hawaiian song about a sleeping baby. Total sweetness!!

Good food, good friends, good fun, good memories. Happy Thanksgiving 2011

Ian 17 Months

My sweet little Ian is seventeen months old! Ian chats up a storm around this house and cautiously observes situations and people before jumping in and starting some trouble. He loves to wear hats and has a beat for music like I have never seen in a young child. Looking into his eyes, he seems to have a much older soul than the other two kids.

Ian takes all of Tristan's timeouts and turns them into brother bonding times which just makes us all laugh.

I love that Ian can be my happiest and most dramatic child in the span of two minutes. His dramatic crumple to the floor tantrums are so impressive that we watch in surprise each time when he adds another dimension to them. He is always practicing them and adding more flare.

Although he has not said any real words yet, he speaks volumes with his eyes! The is a flirt through and through. I can't wait to hear the magical words that will come from his mouth!

Brothers

These days I find the boys playing together more and more. I have to say, it makes this mom's heart very happy to see this! There are still plenty of times where they are tackling, hitting, and grabbing toys away, but that's all just normal sibling stuff. The times when they play nicely together... that's not a give in. I hope as the years go on I find them playing together more and more. Love my boys!!

Finn 17 Months

Mr Finn is almost seventeen months old! He is getting to be such a big boy. He is generally a happy little boy, especially since his molars broke through a few weeks ago. He has started to say a few words. Mama, more, hi, and bye bye. My favorite thing to do with Finn right now is to have little chats with him. You can ask him any question and he will answer you with the cutest babble ever! Poor kid, I do this to him all day long.

He has learned to climb the ottoman to turn on and off the kitchen light, dances like a maniac, and loves to play chase with big brother Tristan. The kid has an arm on him, too. The food that comes flying at dinner has some nice speed and would go a lot farther if it didn't hit the wall first. The paci that hits me in my bed with the greatest of aim is quite impressive, too. Finn's latest and greatest achievement is waking me up with a, "Mama? Mom? Mama? MOM?" It's so cute that I can't get mad at him.