Child Labor Laws?

Forgot to post this - my little elves addressing cards...

Super Star

The kid is a character!

Winter is here

Winter is officially here. As much as I like the snow, I haven't left the house for two days! Oh boy...this could be a long winter!

Seriously. The hair!?

Millie action

Early Cristmas...then again isn't every day Christmas around here?

See what happens when Murphy gets cool toys...

Oh Christmas Tree...

Murph(Funn)y

We were all sitting around the dining room table last night, chit-chatting. Murphy pipes up to Trevor, "What number are you?" It took a second, but we realized he was asking how hold Trevor was. Then I remembered Georgia at probably the same age asking a lady at the Chandler YMCA, "What number is your boy?" Too cute!!

We got on the subject of age and birthday and I quizzed him, "When is your birthday, Murph?" to which he replied, "July and a half."

And if you know Brynn, "Oh, Rick" comes out of her mouth quite often. In the tubbies last night Murphy poured water on his head and said, "Oh, Rick! That's what Beezie says."

And note the rollerskates. Georgia wanted to try her skates out (from when she was two) but she couldn't fit her big toe in them. So, Murphy popped on those Barbie bad boys and rocked them. Santa WILL be bringing Georgia some bigger ones. As Trevor says, now we have the perfect house to rollerskate in with all the hard wood floors! Helmets anyone?!?

Cousins

My mom, Molly, and the kids were in town for Thanksgiving, Millie's baptism, Mimi's birthday and just to play while Chris is making his way back from Iraq (next week!!). It has always been fun times when the kids get together. This time it was exceptional. Malia and Georgia were best buddies. They played and played, did projects, went to swimming, ballet, and loved every minute of it. They are too cute. They've outgrown the stage of having any rivalry and really turned in to good friends. Murphy and Jett are amazing. Jett, aka Map or Rat, has to be the cutest (big) little guy around. He and Murphy went non-stop. I remember back to our trip to Poland when Murphy literally cried every time Jett came around, probably afraid of his size (since Jettie is a good 1.5-2 inches taller...and 10 months younger)! This go-around they were good little playmates. A few instances of Murphy not wanting Jett to have a certain toy (for no other reason than him being a two year old), or a few "Mapping" incidents, but they were too fun to watch! It will only be more fun, too, as they get older (and get in to more trouble).
Seeing the kids together makes me really appreciate family. How neat that after a few months of not seeing each other, the kids pick up where they left off. They are always excited to see each other and are rarely bored together. This is the first Christmas we won't all be together in one place. Molly, Chris and the kids will be in Florida reuniting after five months apart. Trevor, the kids and I will be in Spokane, and my parents and Brynn will be in the islands celebrating Christmas in the condo. It feels a bit strange not all congregating in Manhattan Beach. However, I am really looking forward to the kids waking up Christmas morning, coming down the stairs (although GA says she's sleeping on the couch), and watching them enjoy the holiday. We are starting our own tradition. Plus, I don't think I'm all too bothered by having the first Kettrick Christmas because a few days later we are going to CA to play. I do wish Malia and Georgia could open presents together, and Murphy and Jett could fight over boxes on Christmas morning, but I am thankful they were able to do so on their recent trip to Spoklahoma!!

The kid can grind

Update: Millie is quite tall and lean...59th percentile for weight and 89th for length. She barely cried for her one oral vaccine and two leg pokes. Boy is she a crank now though!
Millie was acting ravenous, so I thought - hey - maybe she would like a little baby food. Well, the kid may be obese by 2. She really likes food! And she likes to make it hard for me to feed her, grabbing the spoon and blowing bubbles mid-bite. It has made her a totally happy baby...she sleeps a lot better and hasn't had to take her reflux medicine. Now I can leave her for longer than 45 minutes. Her 4 month appointment (for shots) is this morning. They'll probably refer me to Jenny Craiglet. Nah - the rolls on the thighs are cute!

Happy Birthday to Mimi

Murphy Cousteau

Bonjour. Murphy likes birthday cake!