December Life

We have some breaking news...Ellis bought an Instapot.

 We had fun Christmas gifts this year. Ellis got a working model engine to put together with the kids.

Abigail got a makeup set. She's been doing our makeup pretty much everyday since.

She also got plenty of Barbie items.

Hopper loved the Christmas tree. We are not sure how many lights she actually ate.

Here is Mac opening a really cool stormtrooper night light. 

Corrie's dream came true when she got not one, but TWO bottles of silly string.

David turned SEVEN. He got a stomp rocket kit, and all of the kids had a blast. They figured out how to angle it just the right way to play "dodge rocket" in the basement. David nearly lost an eye.

 

Corrie turned FOUR! Wait, I think that was Abby. Yep. Ellis lit the candles with a blowtorch.

Our neighbors gave the kids "how to draw" books, and they were finally quiet for a few minutes.

It didn't take long for them to go back to their usual antics.

One of Corrie's Christmas presents was a gift card to Barnes and Nobles and a special date to pick out a book. We happened to get there right at lunch time and decided to try a hibachi buffet next door. I am not sure what the incubation period is for Hepatitis A, but I hope we are past it. I wanted to document that of all of things there, Corrie was most excited about the crawfish.

Ranco Nuevo, Part Deux

It was Tuesday again. How could we turn down .99 cent tacos?

We came prepared for the bouncy ball vending machines and the kids had so much fun playing with them in the driveway until it got dark.

Grandma Abigail

Abigail put on my robe and sat at the breakfast island yesterday. The kids were laughing so much at how funny the robe looked on the stool!

Rancho Nuevo

Today on the way home from school the kids and I saw a sign. A life changing sign:

"Taco Tuesday. .99 tacos. 3-10pm."

The rest was history.

Sharknado Bike Race

I found an old draft post from a year ago. It was the weekend of the annual Boys' and Girls' club bike race. We happened to also have some live entertainment that night. Corrie used a shark on a keychain and connected it to a rope made of rubber bands.  We made up a fun game called Sharknado.

Abigail Charmer

Last week Mac received his very first musical instrument: a recorder.

Lego Technic

A couple of weeks ago, Mac told me he wanted learn how to make motorized lego technic creations. My first thought was to buy him a few sets so that he could learn how these new pieces fit together.

He insisted on looking on Amazon and Ebay for various bags of parts so that he could totally "make his own inventions."

For the past few days, he has been trying to build a car that would move forward. There has been lots excitement matched with frustration and disappointment over countless failures.

FINALLY, this morning, when I woke up, Mac could not wait to show me that he made a car that "actually worked!"

I was absolutely shocked and so happy for him! I wish I would have taken pictures/videos of all of the other attempts to document just how incredibly far he came in just a couple of days!

Great job Mac!

P.S. Here is photo that came across my Facebook feed a few days ago...one of Mac's very first inventions: A "spelunger machine."