run run reindeer

we had our first elementary program...

 sob.

but maybe, i am sobbing because it was so cute!

i was skeptical.com about sending jude to our neighborhood elementary. i mean we don't live in the "best" neighborhood, the school is really old and outdated,  the playground was 100% asphalt (its since been remodeled) , i had heard nightmares about the kindergarten program, and freak, it's a public school and in these days of charter schools and yuppie private schools, i was a little nervous.

turns out, i was wrong... on all fronts. its a GREAT school and jude loves it. i love that its old, it has so much character. his teacher this year, mrs. cornia, is the best and has been a teacher for over 20 years. she runs their class like a well oiled machine, and the kids are all thriving. i volunteer there on thursday's, and its such a good time, the kids are all so sweet and they are all my little friends. i love the public school elementary we have...

and i especially love the chirstmas sing-a-long they put on.

 

jude!

mrs. cornia & her kindergarten class

 everyone got to decorate their own antlers and there were some very impressive designs. however, jude malcolm is a purest and knows that reindeer are brown and are so amazing they need no additional decor. 

he's so damn cute.

 oh and ez? well, he's mine.

some side notes: trevan took the day off for this momentous occasion, yaya joined us at the sing-a-long too, and greta is still pissed they didn't ask her to sing-a-long, it's her school too!

mr. & mrs.

  trevan's baby sister morgan is engaged!

i could not be happier for this angel girl, she's really is the sweetest girl ever and ted is the LUCKIEST to get her. duh, we love ted too and are so ecastic that he is joining our family (even if it feels like he has always been apart of it...)! if anyone knew how great the gregory family was to be married in to, there would be a waiting line across state lines to get in.

relaying their sweetest engagement story to us all. even i got a bit teary eyed, we have been waiting for this day for almost 2 years!

 i'm pretty sure landon is equally excited as morgan for their engagement.

landon is in love with ted.

congratulations morgan and ted-anthony!

i CANNOT wait!

happy beginnings and joyful endings.

 while most people are busy christmasing this time of year, we have been busy with life changes here on carnation drive.

FIRST OFF...

the beginning of the tooth fairy business

jude lost his first tooth!

yes, that tooth... the same one he popped through 6 years ago. SOB

( was he the cutest? yes. )

 the little nubbin of a tooth had been loose for a few months and on sunday he told us it was ready to come out. i felt it, and it didn't seem like it was ready to me but we tugged and pulled anyway.  jude was surprisingly tough about trying to pull it out but i was right, it was not ready. in true jude form he was bound and determined to get that tooth out, he told me he saw on arthur that if he ate an apple it would come out and 5 minutes later...

...his tooth was in his hand. 

* his creeper nails were promptly cut upon further viewing of this picture.

 and now we get to spend the next 10 (at least) years or so watching our kids teeth fall out only to be replaced by giant, and in all likelihood crooked, man teeth. i am not so sure i am as excited about it as jude, but its hard to get as excited about anything with the same fervor that jude does.

SECONDLY...

after 3 1/2 years, our miracle girl graduated from physical therapy.

you know the one they say said my never walk?

the one they told me would die an very painful and early death...

the same girl that didn't crawl until 15 months or walk until 27 months...

the angel baby that melted in my arms because she had no muscle strength...

the baby who had to be taught how to eat...

 the girl who couldn't hold her own head up until she was 5 months old...

the one who shook all the time...

the princess that has stolen everyone's heart...

yes, her.... this miracle girl.

she jumps, she dances and dances and dances, she scuttles, she runs, she climbs... she does it all. 

 i know that greta would not be as far along as she is right now if it wasn't for her physical therapists hard work and knowledge the passed on to me. it was work on all of our parts... but mostly on sweet greta. she did this, with the help of her wonderful p.t's.

you've come a long way baby.

2 therapists down and 1 to go.

i told you, life changing news... for us.

skanksgiving.

trevan and i are on the every other year family thanksgiving plan and this year, our thanksgiving was spent at nannie's. usually, thanksgiving at my mom's is spent with a lot of our extended family... like 40 people, a lot. this year we changed it up a bit and just did our immediate family and as it turns out, that number topped out at 25 (plus 2 babies in bellies). nannie's house was full and the food was delectable.

i love thanksgiving.

 i have so much to be grateful for.

nannie knows how to do kids and the kids table was full of crafts to do and food to eat.

holiday boy and his pilgrim collar.

he is insane and all mine.

the babes of thanksgiving and an insanely cute baby.

the responsible party

my first kids... abeybaby and tuck

and no thanksgiving is complete without some family photos....

our jackson's

our lamoreaux's

and us.

 

celebrating 6

 sometimes you have a child that turns 6....

its monumental, just like every age.

so you celebrate BIG.

 we started the day off with balloons, singing, presents, and of course... 

mcdonalds for breakfast with the jackson's and yaya.

answer to an earlier post : decided to do it, and it's been 3 weeks and we have no regrets.(a big thank you to all the responses, i really really really thought long and hard about this.) we set up rules and limits and threats and so far we have not had to implement any of them, jude gets bored of it before too long and is playing something else. also, i myself have already mastered super mario bros and trevan has spent some QT with lego star wars. lol... we may need the monitoring.

 little cubbie ADORES jude, especially on his birthday.

 jude's leapster for 2 christmas's ago is officially greta's now and to ward off any birthday fighting we got her her very own game and she LOVES. she on the other hand has had her leapster taken away 2x already. who woulda thunk? oh yeah, i remember now.

p.s. her morning hair is amazing grace.

 this year we broke tradition of a mcdonalds birthday party with friends and hosted a pirate themed party at my house. it was a lot of work... but thanks to yaya it all came together.

i had 15 kids at my house, 15 kids under 6. 

yowza.

i've learned with the 6 and under crowd that activities keep the craziness at bay so we had lots of activities in our short 90 minutes together.

 

when our guest first arrived they decorated their "booty" bags because at every activity they received a treasure.

 

cutest little wench anyone's ever seen.

and yes, those pirate costumes came in real handy this year... reduce, reuse, recycle.

we played pin the sword on the pirate, followed by musical island hop (not pictured).

boys vs. girls in my toy world.

the party goers:

cohen, kayson, tage, max, JUDE, roen, milo (william where are you?)

lucy, poppy, gabi, greta, minie, grace, bella

 walking the plank over shark infested waters

 max & jude  

(can i tell you how much i love that jude finally has school friends?!?!?)

 pirate earring toss.

 pirate conecakes

 pirate reading of 'the jolly pirate, roger'

and did you notice yaya in full pirate garb? she is the best and totally in her element. she is an elementary school librarian after all.

we are a family of routine, and the only place we know to have a fantastic birthday party dinner is rock creek pizza (it was jude's request).  have you been yet? get.in.my.belly.

 dem guys.

 a really awful picture of the grandparents, but they were there and they are loved. 

p.s. dad, get a new look. xo

 pirate presents!!!

 EZ!

(note the pirate shirt... again, as per jude's request)

 my kids are the luckiest to have my mom and trevan's mom as their grandma's.

told you so.

my boy and me,

6 years together and forever to go.