Tuesday, December 26, 2006

The Exploration Continues

This is an update to a previous post where I told you about the interesting places the kids have been getting themselves into. Well, Christmas has presented them with even more spaces to explore. Banana climbed into a cardboard box big enough that we could have shipped her somewhere in it (though we would NEVER do that in a million years!) And look at C.B. wearing the box that one of the kids' new toys came in:


I love it when children can have just as much fun with the box the toy came in as they can with the toy itself. Christmas rocks!

Monday, December 25, 2006

Christmas Day is here!


We ate.
We drank.
We opened.
We played.
We napped.
We played some more.
Check us out!

Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night!!

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Christmas is coming together

I have been having trouble getting into the Christmas spirit so far this year. Not because I am a scrooge (bah humbug!), but because of all the things I feel like I have to get done before the big day arrives. Things like sending cards, baking cookies, cleaning the house; not to mention wrapping gifts. My husband says I shouldn't stress out about this stuff so much, but I can't seem to help it. It's what I do.

Yesterday I finally sent out the Christmas cards. I dropped them off to be mailed with a little prayer that they will actually be received before Christmas. Then last night I got some wrapping done. There's still more to do, but it felt pretty good to get a start on it. Then today we baked cookies...a LOT of cookies.


We chose four different kinds to make, and the kids each had a special kind they wanted to help with. Miss M helped with cranberry white chocolate chip, Big D helped with peanut butter chip, C.B. helped with good ole chocolate chip cookies, and the Banana banged on a pot with a plastic spoon. I made the oatmeal raisin by myself. We have a big pile of cookies and a really big mess. Now more than ever we have to get to that last item on my list - CLEANING THE HOUSE. Cleaning always seems a little easier with music. Maybe if I turn the Christmas music up really loud it will help to make the season (and the kitchen) bright.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Cousin-ly love

Everybody at the Reddy Zoo seems to be recovering from last week's germ infestation. There are a few sniffles and coughs still hanging around, but nothing like what we experienced last week. Everyone is back at school this week. Today we are spending the day with our cousins.

Cousins are an extremely big part of our lives. Not just because there are so many, but also because of how close they all are. Everyone has a cousin (or two or three) who is pretty close to their same age which creates instant playmates. Since there are plenty of people and things to celebrate in the Reddy family, the cousins are together quite a bit, especially around the holidays. Everyone lives relatively close to one another, which makes this togetherness more convenient. The close proximity also makes it easier to get together for no reason at all. Or for the moms to trade days of babysitting in order get errands done.

In addition to all of that, Miss M, Big D and C.B. each have at least one cousin in their classes at school. Banana will also be in the same class as one of her cousins when the time comes. One of my sisters-in-law and I were just discussing how our kids know their cousins as their friends in addition to being cousins. Her son is at an age where things need to be clearly defined and he was referring to Big D as his "cousin-friend". It's really the perfect definition.

Looking back at my childhood and my lack of cousins nearby, I envy the relationship my children have with their cousins. However, it is because of them that I have wonderful relationships with my sisters-in-law. I enjoy being with them as much as our kids enjoy being together. Although we'd rather chat over coffee than have lightsaber battles during our "playtime".

The cousin-friend relationship is a very special bond that I plan to help nurture in any way that I can. I pray that my kids and their cousins are able to maintain their closeness into their adult lives.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

That time of year

Well, it's that time again. The time of year when moms everywhere begin their conversations with, "So, are your kids well?" Unfortunately, quite a few of the moms I have asked have answered NO. That's the answer at our house as well. Banana and Miss M started with fever and congestion over the weekend. Banana's fever was fairly low and she was much better by Monday. Miss M, however, is on her third day absent from school. And Big D started with symptoms this morning. I am guessing it's the flu because Banana recently had a flu shot and she isn't nearly as sick as the other two. The upside to this situation is that since it's less than two weeks before Christmas, the sickness should have already swept through our household and be gone before the big day arrives. I HOPE! The flu’s proximity to Christmas also means that I can pick up my Christmas cards and another round of cold & fever medicine from Walgreens all at the same time. Could it be that there is a such thing as a convenient time to get sick?

Friday, December 08, 2006

He wants YOU...



...to read this blog. I don't blame you for not checking us out lately; for thinking it hadn't been updated. I admit I have given you every reason to believe that I only write a new post once every couple of months. But I've been better lately. You'd be proud of me. In fact, if you haven't checked lately you've missed out on a lot of posts. And I've added lots of pictures to Flickr as well. Now, I can't make any promises that I will keep on posting like this, but I am trying. Thank you for your support!

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

Space Exploration

No...I'm not talking about "a galaxy far, far away". I'm talking about the interesting spaces my kids have been exploring lately. It all started when Big D put C.B. into a box I was using for Christmas gifts. It was pretty funny because C.B. completely disappeared into that box. The boys thought it was funny too. In fact, that box became their favorite toy for a while, and I had to find a new place for my gifts to go.

It seems to have escalated from there. C.B. has since squished himself into a cooler that doesn't hold much more than a 12-pack, and Banana has been crawling into cabinets here and there. I just hope I don't lose anyone!!

Click here for pictures...and may the Force be with you.

Friday, December 01, 2006

Snow Day

We had a snow day today, like much of the St. Louis area. The kids were dying to go out and play in the white stuff. I think they spent as much time getting in and out of their snow clothes as they did playing outside. But they were thrilled to be out there, and even got all dressed up to go back out again later in the day. It was beautiful out there. See for yourself!

Click on the picture for more snowy photos.