My Favorite Pictures of the Week

Those eyes.


Mouth full of goodies.



Carter is the only one willing to sit and pose for me for an hour for the low price of a bag (or 2) of fruit snacks. I guess Maddy is willing, but she's SUCH a poser right now! Garrett only wants to do it if he can include all of his stuffed animals, it is just so hard to get them to behave.

The other night when Joel and I went upstairs to bed, we found this:

We hadn't made our bed that day. (As if we usually do.) The Bigs had surprised us by making it, leaving artwork, and this sweet, sweet, note.

New Toy

My sweet husband spoils me rotten. He gave me my Christmas present early- a new camera! For a while I've wanted a camera that I could maybe learn a little bit more about photography than my Canon Elph could give me. (Don't get me wrong- I LOVE that little Elph!) I've had a lot of fun playing with my new Canon 40D...and have already learned a lot. The main thing I've found out is that I have SO much more to learn!

Um, oops! This was literally the first picture I took with my camera. It made Joel really nervous.


Sweet Molly.


Carter decided to 'paint' the pantry door with the pastry brush. Thank goodness it was clean and dry!


Carter fell asleep in the car. I carried him in and set him on the couch, and just couldn't resist getting a pic of these sweet little piggies.


Another thing I've learned is that it is a lot easier to take pictures of kids asleep than kids running around!


Garrett's piggies are pretty sweet too. These don't look like a 4 year old's feet, do they? More like a big kid!


Fun!

Ciao!

We're Really Doing It!

The Gibson Five are heading to Europe! Well, not until Spring '08...but we are finally doing it! Joel has always wanted to go, and when his buddies were there in May of 2000, we were having Madeline. He's put in his 7 years at Intel which means he now can take a 2 month paid sabbatical. We wanted to do something that we couldn't do in a normal year with his normal vacation....so we are going....for....FIVE WEEKS!

Yes, we know our kids (especially our boys) may not remember it.

Yes, we know we will need to adjust our expectations since we'll be traveling with 3 kids.

And YES, we know we are a tiny bit crazy.

But we've been saving and hoping for the past 7 years that we could do it, and it is so exciting to finally see our 'dream' come to fruition. We believe that traveling and exploring different cultures help form our kids' world view, even if they don't 'remember' exact events.

Hooray!

Mom's Letter to Santa

I've received this in an email the past 2 years and thought it was too good not to share. The last line always makes me tear up.

Dear Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor, and sold sixty-two cases of candy bars (or a billion wreaths) to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows when I'll find any more free time in the next 18 years.

Here are my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket items this year, I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. And it would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry off so you don't catch cold.

Help yourself to cookies on the table, but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,

MOM

P.S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my children young enough to believe in Santa.

Turkey Day in Kelso

As I mentioned, we headed up to Kelso this weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving and visit with Joel's parents. Before dinner on Thanksgiving day, I made my crew tramp out in the woods by Bill and Vanita's in hopes of taking a picture that could be used for our Christmas cards this year. I figured we were all somewhat dressed nice with hair fixed, our clothes didn't completely clash, and we had a few minutes. Jenell was a great sport and did everything I instructed her to do. (I can be a bit bossy, if I need to be!) Growing up an only child, I am still learning things about 'big' families now that I have a family of 5. The newest thing I learned is that it is nearly impossible to get a fabulous picture of all family members at one time. My little boys are determined to not be caught in any pose that I would like to share with the rest of the free world.

Case in point...

Carter spotted something.... maybe a plane?


You may think this one is cute, from a distance. (Who doesn't look good from a distance?)

BUT, when you look closer at the copy I cropped...
I guess that does tell you a little about Garrett's personality!


Maybe we should just go for the silly look since that's what we seem to be getting?


There were a few I could live with, so we'll see. Stay tuned.

We had a fun time up in Kelso. It is always so good to get together with that group and just visit and relax! It was a small gathering this year, but we had fun, ate a TON, (there was literally 1 pie per adult), played games, and just got caught up with one another.

Baby Dakota and I were snuggling on the couch. He completely fell asleep, and I almost did. He was so warm and cuddly!


Sissy and Garrett loved Aunt Jenell's old Lite Brite! Carter actually loved it too. I think Grandma will be finding little Lite Brite pegs all over her house for months to come.



Joel was thrilled to get a little snooze in. Haha!


The kids are staying at the Gibson's until tomorrow because Joel and I are working on a project here at home. More about that (and pics) soon!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Gibson Five have been busy this week. Here's what we have been up to:

-selling wreaths like crazy for Garrett's preschool. We are all done now, and SO relieved! (Most of you who bought one read this blog, so thank you, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!)

- Joel and Carter were sick, over the weekend, but getting better now. This is the 2nd time that Carter has come out of a cold WITHOUT getting an ear infection, and that is definitely something to be thankful for.

-cooking for Thursday. Yum!

- We had the Mortimore Family over for dinner. They live in Eastern Washington, so visits are few and far between these days, but we had a great time chatting and watching our 'babies' play. Sarah and I used to play together when we were about Maddy's age! It has been fun to read her blog lately to get caught up on their life.


Sarah read the kids Knuffle Bunny on the couch. (We LOVE Knuffle Bunny around here!)


Eliot and Garrett did a good job sharing!


Gracie and Carter- too cute!



Tim gave Carter an airplane ride, and Carter returned the favor by drooling on Tim. Sorry about that, Tim!


We are heading to Kelso tomorrow to celebrate Thanksgiving. It will be a nice relaxing weekend with family.

We have so much to be thankful for- our sweet healthy family, our extended family, and our friends are at the top of the list.

Hope you enjoy your Thanksgiving Weekend!

A Day in the Life of....

This morning I (again) caught Carter coloring on the walls. He does this ALL the time. Maddy and Garrett never did this, but they didn't have a big brother and a big sister who were constantly doing projects either. Anyhow, I dug out this old notebook I brought home from when I taught kinder, and let him go to town! He was pretty serious about the whole thing, like, "Let's get down to business, Mom!"








Molly thought she'd get in on the action too. Whenever I whip out the camera Molly says, "CHEEESE!"


At breakfast, (Snoqualmie Oatmeal- yum!) Molly showed me her new trick of drinking milk out of the bowl! She was pretty good at it too. Isn't she just a cutie?






I can't believe how fast these babies grow.

Meme? ME!

My friend Visty tagged me for a 'meme.' So here goes....five random facts about ME.

1. I was so relieved that I got a C-Section with Carter. I wanted one my entire pregnancy. It was the best birth of all three. The worst was when I went 'natural' with Garrett.

2. I love to read. It is like food or water for me. But in recent history life is so hectic that I don't have time...and if I start a book I am so STARVING for it that I literally can not stop until it is done. So now I rarely read unless we are on vacation or something.

3. I only started liking Christmas the past few years. I love it now.

4. I didn't feel grown up until I was 28. Now I definitely do. You'd think that becoming a wife at 21, mom at 22, buying a house at 23, first car payment at 24, second child at 25, minivan at 25, second house at 26 would do it, but nope. 28 was the 'magic' year for me. And by magic I mean the year my husband had cancer, I thought I lost my baby, and I did lose my best friend and my grandma. That isn't meant to get pity-I guess it just took all that to finally make me consider myself not a child.

5. When I was 16 I soloed an antique airplane on my birthday. It was a great experience, but I never flew alone again. (I have been up with my dad since then.)

That was harder than I thought. I think I am officially one of those people whose identity is all wrapped up in their babies. How did that happen? How could it NOT?

Ok, so apparently now I am to 'tag' some folks....

Annie
Sarah
Hannah
Diedre
Auntie Beck

Have fun!

November Weekend at the Beach

We are spending a few nights at the coast with my dad before he goes on a big adventure to SE Asia. We were lucky to get some goregous PacNW fall weather!


We stayed in the purple house in the middle. This is our second time here.


Carter is a big fan of seagulls, but not so much of waves.




Blue sky in November!


BIG waves!


Maddy thought she could outrun the ocean. I love how hard her arms are pumping here. This is one of those times I get a glimpse of a grown up Maddy instead of my little baby.


Thanks, Papa Ed for a fun weekend. Can't wait to read about your adventures!

And There Went the Week.

Another week just flew by! November is here and the Holiday season is closing in quickly. (Eggnog Lattes, anyone?) My kids are already talking about Santa and making gifts for family...be prepared for some pretty kid-fabulous stuff, Family!

Anyway, here is what we've been up to the past week...

Suckers...Carter crawled on the table the day after Halloween, and found not one, but TWO yummy suckers. He was quite proud. (And very sticky.) He is SO busted in this picture though!



Saturday was Maddy's last soccer game of the season. She also announced it was the last soccer game of her life. We'll see. A year from now Garrett will be playing too, so don't worry Joel fans- the Gibson Five still has a LOT of soccer in our future. The first picture is of the view of the soccer fields here in town. I love coming over the hill on a crisp fall morning and seeing this- it just reminds me of how much I love where we live. This morning was a little foggy, but you get the idea.





Maddy's favorite thing about soccer- socializing!


Maddy did have a great season. We were so lucky that she had an awesome coach, and she grew so much as a player. She always had a great attitude and we are so proud of her.

Carter and Garrett love being down at the soccer fields too.


He figured out how fun it is to roll on a ball.

Almost every game, Garrett would 'suit up' in Maddy's older soccer stuff. He's so ready!



Also on Saturday....Joel's car ran out of gas. With me driving. After I called him to make sure there was enough gas for the errand I had to run. We are laughing about it now though. (Right, Honey? xoxo)


Saturday Night, Joel and I headed to a Post Halloween Costume party. We had a blast!


On Sunday we finally got together with Joel parents, sister, and our nephew to celebrate Jenell's birthday. It was fun getting to visit and eat yummy Chinese food too.




Such big boys.


Yesterday, I put Carter in my bed because I was washing his bedding. He usually gets really mad when I leave him alone in my bed, but I gave him a few books and left to get Garrett down for a nap. I came back 5 minutes later to find this...




I was faced with a dilemma- get downstairs, clean up from lunch, do the dishes, work on the laundry, pick up the playroom and put away the shoes, OR crawl in those soft flannel sheets with that warm little baby? Life is short and dishes keep. (They really do, trust me.) I moved Goodnight Moon, and snuggled in, just for a bit before getting back to Life.