New Year (plus 4 days)

Sorry. I'm still recovering from ringing in the new year. In fact, these last few weeks have been such a blur, that I have to remind myself often that it is a new year.  We partied 'kiddie style' with lots of good food, fireworks, sparklers, sparkling juice (oh, yes), and staying up way past midnight.  And that goes for all of the kids.  Yes, every single one of them...including the one who is merely 17 months old. See, I told you, I'm pretty sure they don't contain a sleep gene.

 Since we knew we'd be at Aunt Cathy's late, we all just spent the night.  Isabella wore her appropriate shirt and was extremely proud of it.

 Hello crazy excited kids at 11pm.

We also exchanged gifts from Christmas with their family.  Quinn was and still is a huge fan of this aqua doodle penguin.  She is crazy about crayons now and I personally think that everything should be made of aquadoodle material with a water pen to go with it!

All ready for the fireworks!  With babies properly attached...

Declan coveted this pan at TJMaxx that looks like a cookie. He got it for Christmas and was beyond ecstatic to make the cookie for New Years Eve. Come to find out, Quinn has now decided that she is Queen of the Learning Tower and now loves to cook as well.

And while we're on the subject of "Queen of the Learning Tower," she also helped me make a quinoa salad and was beyond excited about placing each individual cucumber into the bowl.  It may have take ten times longer than it should have, but she was pretty thrilled so it was definitly worth it.

We began the new year toasting with some bubbly juice and kisses all around.  Just for the record, when our kids go to bed well past midnight, they still like to wake up at their regular 7:30am time. It was awesome.

Now for some little things.  It's a New Year and things are already new around here.

For example, Quinn loves to give people the stink eye. I remember when Isabella would give people "the look"(as we called it back then). But times have changed, and in twenty twelve, Quinn gives people the stink eye. On command.

She is also pretty much obsessed with two things right now. Climbing on chairs (I can't wait for this to be over...) and doing every.single.thing that her sister and brother do.  If there is any writing or drawing tool within eye sight, she gets very excited, finds something to draw on (which can include walls and floors) and excitedly shows you everything she does. 

She's also a big fan of practicing her cutting skills.

It's rare that bath time include less than three kids. So when it was just the two girls the other day, Isabella was able to teach Quinn some swimming skills and there was lots of sisterly love going on, and that, I love.

If our three kids each got one gift for Christmas, a FurReal animal would be more than enough.  These tiny cats and dogs have entertained them completely for the past two weeks, they treat them like babies, make beds for them and fall asleep on their bodies as they clickclickclick away in their ears. Who knew?

And finally, I could take or leave Toms for adults.  I think it takes a certain 'look' to be able to pull it off.  But Toms on kids, ugh! they are pretty darn adorable. Isabella and Quinn both got a pair for Christmas but Isabella won't wear hers yet because they're not two sizes too small and squeezing the life from her foot. Quinn on the other hand, could care less, so a little sock and she was walking just fine.  Pretty cute, if I do say so myself.

She's in on the hide and seek now.  Seventeen  months come and gone. I seriously can not believe it.  Baby, where did you go???