Navy woke up at 4:00 am to the sounds of a HUGE storm outside. She ran into where I was, and was a bit scared, but I told her to look outside to see how awesome it was. Then I told her to get a rain coat and rain boots, because we were going out for donuts in the storm! She was so excited, and we headed out.
Her pick was naturally…
…a chocolate bar.
On our way back, because it was such a big storm with major winds, we decided to go down to the harbor to see if we could find any trees that had been knocked over.
As we drove, there was chaos all over the road.
Basically anything that wasn’t bolted down, was somewhere other than where it was supposed to be.
And the harbor was the messiest of them all!
So Navy was determined to do something about it.
This five year old girl went out in the crazy storm, and just started helping where she could.
See the trash can tops in the above picture….they used to be in the road, but she didn’t want anyone to crash into them.
She picked up the ladder signs that had been blown over and down the road.
She (with help) managed to get all of the knocked trash cans upright.
She was amazing!
And she had so much fun doing it, that we drove home to run in and wake up Scout to join in on the fun.
At first he was WAY too tired to be with us, but when he saw her enthusiasm, he perked up.
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Nothing in life brings me more joy than when I see my kids being selfless.
And I don’t think much brings them more joy than when they can run and tell me that they have a HERO STORY.
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Navy….you are my hero!
Just a little puppet to go with 1/4 Japanese, Scout’s heritage project.
(In retrospect, he should have probably been carrying an English and Scottish flag over the U.S. one….but oh well.)
The makings of a Christmas card….
Four kids.
One who is naughty.
One who needs primping.
One who was a natural at all sorts of poses.
And one who was beyond…I mean BEYOND tired!
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The end result…
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Warm Wishes This Christmas!
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Love,
The Denisons
Yet another year, Home Depot did us proudly.
We found the perfect tree in a matter of minutes, and had it tied up and on the car in under 30 minutes total.
But all of our traditions still fit within that 30 minutes.
Hide and Seek.
Photo Shoots.
Collecting — (this year it was “lucky” tree bottoms).
And all other things unruly….
….all while the Pips took notes on “how to be obnoxious” so she can fit in next year.
Scout has been taking piano for around two months, and is really talented. But the best part, is that he likes it. When Seth and Cade were leaving our house to go home, he said, “Wait! I will play some Christmas music, and you guys can sing!” And then I hear the sweetest version of “We Need A Little Christmas” from Seth, while Scout played the notes as he bobbed his head to his internal metronome.
I like to feed the missionaries once a month.
But sometimes, as I am running around like crazy, and can’t get a meal for 10+ ready in time, I ring-a-ding-ding them, and tell them to meet us at Five Guys.
And they happily oblige!
When I was away in NYC, I made a chart where the kids could earn chocolate coins.
We passed them out tonight, and Navy then went in and made herself her own chart.
It reads:
“For Navy….1 a day, 1 a night. [heart] Navy.”
Nice way to implement a little self control.
And if I could suggest one thing: Keep this chart far away from the boy with NO self control. Because the second Dash gets his hands on those chocolates, they will be in his tummy.
Navy is excellent with the Pips. And as we go to pick up Scout, they are usually laughing and playing the whole way there. But today, I noticed that the two of them were rather quiet. When I turned around, I saw Navy’s eyes glued to the TV. (I hate kids glued to the TV!) When I told Navy that she was missing quality time with Pippi, as her brain was getting dumber by the moment, she said, “Nuh Uh. Pippi is playing with my foot, and I am telling my brain not to get dumb!”
All of my kids have been movers and shakers.
Pippi is no exception.
This girl is always trying to be on the move, and is known for never sitting still.
Notice our time in Trader Joes.
The entire 35 minutes I was there, she was trying to wiggle her way out of the tight seat belt I had around her. Unfortunately, she is so tiny, that even the tightest setting doesn’t keep her in her spot. That being said, I always have to get creative. In Toys R Us, she gets to play with toys until check out. In Costco, I find her a baby book to read through while stopping frequently at the taste testers. And in Trader Joes, I just open any decently mess-free food and stuff her full.
At checkout, there were two apple sauce packets, one banana peel, and a bag of pretzels that were open.
Whatever works.
Skilly reported to me that she got an unusually high amount of “likes” with this SnapChat.
I’d like to report that I am embarrassed that she knows how many she got in the first place.
But that she should add one to the list, because I definitely “like” it.
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