So much muchiness....

  I have been thinking several times lately of stuff I needed to post/blog about, or a project I want to share or some other tidbit that maybe only I would find interesting....but we've been so busy living life I haven't had time to write about it.
  Asher just had his second birthday (sigh..my baby), and it was a simple little family affair. Also Lyssa's was the week before that (complete with hot dog roast outside in freezing weather) and she is now 9. (sigh again) My babies just keep growing up!
  Anyhoo...besides keeping us in stitches and on our toes, Asher loves to play with our kitty, Smidge. In case I haven't mentioned her, we found her in a box beside our truck one Sunday morning after church. She was so tiny and newborn she barely had her eyes open, and we had to dropper feed her for a couple of weeks until she could eat on her own. (Oh yeah, just what we needed. lol.) She is quite healthy now and lurks about attacking unsuspecting persons. I'm going to try to upload a video clip of her and Asher right after this if my computer will let me. =)
  So, I do happen to have a couple of projects I've done that I can share with everyone... they are Christmas Countdown Calendars. I made one for the kids and then a different one for Ed. It was alot of fun. Basically you have a card for each day from Dec 1 - 24th and each one says something different. For the kids it is an activity, for Ed a compliment or something fun we can do together. (And on days Ed has to work, I will text him his card.)
 Besides all the Christmas projects, we have also been getting ready for the kids Joseph play at church. As in, Joseph-who-was-sold-into-Egypt. It's a cute little play and we have been working on it for some time now. Well, I got the "privilege" of doing all the costumes...I had volunteered to help, and wound up with the whole job. It wasn't as bad as it could have been since they are pretty minimal. Mostly just headpieces to represent different characters, but figuring them all out took some time. Still, I was pretty pleased that I had 90% of the materials I needed on hand. The play is coming off Sunday night so I will try to take pics of those too. =)
  Add in Gingerbread house attempts ( we have made it to the dough stage) and all the other goodies of the season...and yep... it's been crazy..I mean fun!

 OK...so in the middle of me trying to post the above, I got a surprise visit from my niece Abby (a baby sitter was needed for a few hours). I settled her and Asher with toys and attempted to get back on my laptop but then proceeded to spend the next little while chasing them and bringing them back where I could see them. It's just too dangerous letting Asher out of sight.
 In just a bit I realize I need to start supper, and forgetting that all the older kids are outside, I head for the kitchen. I've not been gone 5 min. (literally 5 minutes, no more) and Asher comes in the kitchen to get in the fridge and I see bright blue Sharpie marks ALL over his arm and shirt and lips. I have the only markers left in the house up on a shelf, well out of reach (or so I thought). Nope. He had climbed up (don't ask me how) to the bookcase and got the pencil holder down and proceeded to decorate the table, himself, a book, the floor, Abby....and anything else he saw. Oh and Abby meanwhile had emptied the contents of the wipe package. I suppose it was her attempt to clean up the mess? Anyway, I confiscated the Sharpies again, placed them both in separate chairs, IN VIEW, and went back to fixing supper. The clean-up would have to wait. Then I go to call the big kids in and to my utter dismay I find that Isaac and Alyssa thought it would be brilliant to start a mudfight. On Lela. Joy. And I thought the babies were bad.
 Dire threats being issued and mud dis-allowed inside, I head for the washer. I know there is no way we will escape with out washing all the coats. (And, yes, the weather is freezing right now). While I'm dealing with the mud mess, the babies have gotten down from their chairs and are trying to escape to join the fun outside. Oh yeah...and so the evening went.
 I finally managed to get the babies fed, Aaron pitched in and helped pull things back together, Lela took a bath. And Alyssa and Isaac are still cleaning the bathroom, as the mud fight was their idea.
  Whew!
 As a result I have no idea what I was saying or what I was planning to tell you about next, but I'm pretty sure this wasn't it... but hey, that's my life. =) And once the chaos calms, I can smile and say it's a pretty good one!

 Well, I'm out of time, but thanks for stopping by. Until next time....