Making Memories

See this motley crew? This is my kids and ALL their cousins. Nine kids under nine. My four, Kim + Brian's three, and Chris + Kristine's two. How wonderful that we got to spend the Christmas season with them all together?! Kim and Brian live in Maine, so for them to be here was pretty darn special. It was a week our kids will never forget.

 We made cookies with Ma.

 Will and Zoe were in charge of the flour station. They took their flour measuring job very seriously ... well as serious as four year olds take things anyway.

I had the brilliant idea of making pretzel log cabins instead of gingerbread houses this year. Isn't that beyond creative? In the past the adults have done all the
'building' and the kids just got to decorate. Why not let the kids build? My kids LOVE to build. Log cabins made of pretzel sticks and frosting. Brilliant. 

Except it wasn't. Guess who did all the building? The adults. Pretzel log cabins are not as easy as one (by one I mean me) would think. Especially when you run out of royal icing mix. And get this: round pretzels roll. I know. It was news to me too. And quite frustrating to us all as we tried to build log cabins.

Yup, I'm full of great ideas.

 But we made the most of it. And the kids still enjoyed decorating the houses.

 And the adults had fun testing their building skills. And patience. I always say that a day you aren't challenged is a wasted day.

Ok, so I've never said that. But it's not a bad thought. I would also say that a day without challenges sure would be relaxing and enjoyable. But that's not life in our neck of the woods so let's just go with the first.

Ok.

Moving on.

(Maybe I should have titled this post: Random Ramblings)

 I won't mention any names but BRIAN cheated and used cardboard to reinforce the house he, Kate and Zoe worked on. Leave it to Brian to erase our most valuable lesson we try to impress upon our kids ... 'there is no shame in failure as long as you learn from your mistakes'. Trust me, I live this everyday. For example, next year we will be decorating gingerbread houses. (Thanks for keeping it real Bri.)

Then they all snuggled up on Christmas Eve to listen to Kim read The Polar Express. It was a tear jerker.

Well maybe it was just Kim and I that got a little emotional seeing all our babies up there on the most exciting night of the year. It was so sweet. And loving.

And quiet.

 And then, the day after Christmas we got snow! Lots of snow!! For us at least. It hasn't snowed in Charlotte on Christmas (or the day after) since 1947. Way cool.

 It was a week full of laughter, love, sharing and fun. There were also some tears and arguments and not so great moments, but overall it was wonderful.

Ben summed it up when he said "This is the best Christmas ever! But not because of the presents we got. I think it's because Nolan and Zoe (and Maya) are here."

You nailed it buddy. After all, isn't that what it's all about? Love and family.

We miss them all already.  

Let's Get the Party Started!

It pretended to snow today. We saw white flakes falling from the sky for about 3 minutes. Then it turned to sleet, then to rain. Bummer. We were very excited there at first.

 The kids ran to the front door to watch. I wish we would have gotten buried in the cold white stuff ... it would have been a perfect start to Christmas vacation. But we spent the day in our PJ's, and that's a close second to building a snowman.

 Yesterday was the last day of school for two weeks. YAHOO! I love when my kids don't have school, our days are so much more relaxed and enjoyable. Ben went to his buddy Harrison's house to play after school but the rest of us, Ma included, headed over to the Ballantyne Resort to check out the gingerbread house contest.

 It was quite impressive! And we got all sort of great ideas for our gingerbread houses. Can't wait to start building!

 Yum!

 Camryn loved all the candy houses. She was the perfect height to look in the windows and see all the hidden treasures inside.

 Thursday was spent partying with Katie's and Will's classes. Above the kids in Katie's class are watching their teacher open her Christmas present from them. Mrs. Cook is pregnant with her first child (a boy due in January) so the kids made an Advice Book for her. It was adorable. And yes, Katie is licking icing off her fork. She's a little sugar crazy. I have no idea where that trait might have come from.

 Before celebrating with first graders I got to party down with Will's preschool class. Will is always telling me that Ms. Cecily's lap is big enough for everyone in the class to sit on. Here they are. The size of her lap has nothing to do with her ability to hold all those kids at once ~ it's her heart that makes it possible. She is fantastic. And look at all those smiles, the kids simply love her and she loves them right back. Will is having such a great year in preschool. Not only is he having an absolute blast, he is also learning so much. I am blown away by his knowledge of numbers and  his understanding of addition and subtraction. He is also on the verge of reading. It's amazing! He's WAY ahead of Ben and Katie at four.

Cecily calls Will "The Architect" ... can't imagine where that trait came from either, but he certainly loves to build. This is his ski jump he built at home. At school he tends to build with more creative things, like plastic cups. He's got his work cut out for him over the next couple of days though. We're having a gingerbread house building contest ourselves and Will is on my team. Let the games begin!

Cook's Cooks Cook

I spent the morning with Mrs. Cook's class last week. Cooking with my favorite first grader was loads of fun. The fact they were preparing food for the needy made it even better. Of all things I love about Latin, their commitment to public service is tops. "Everyone has something to give" is their motto. I love that. It doesn't say "we" have something to give because "we" have and "they" don't. It says EVERYONE, no matter what it is, EVERYONE has something to give. Time, talent, advice, a hug, a smile. It doesn't have to be a 'thing' per se. Just share what you have even if you don't have excess. I love that.

And I also love this: a picture of my girl with her friends. She is happiest when she's surrounded by her peeps. There are lots of ways to describe Katie, I have my own list, but the word I here most from other people is 'fun'. Katie is fun, that is true. She loves to laugh and to make others laugh. She is friends with everybody and if you ask the kids who their best friend is, most kids say Katie. Boys and girls alike. She loves everybody and everybody loves her.

As much as she loves to be with her friends. She was the only child who returned to the kitchen after we were done cooking to give me a kiss before heading out for recess. All the other moms were amazed ~ and jealous ~ that she came back just for that. But that's my girl, most would say fun to describe her, but I think she's just the sweetest, loving six year old ever.

This is just a picture I love. Little hands making meatballs for the needy. They had a blast and were so proud of themselves. They made enough baked ziti to feed 38 families! That's something to brag about. Way to go first graders!

Ben's Big Confession

Ben had a big night last Friday night. He got to go to church and confess all his sins. Woo-Hoo, it was a wild and crazy fun. All kidding aside it was a pretty big deal. As a second grader at St.Matthew Catholic Church, Ben received the sacrament of reconciliation for the first time. (For all us lay people that's just a fancy way of saying he went to confession for the first time.)

Side Note: Can you guess what book we read all this time in this house from the statement above? If you have little girls you know it by heart.

I haven't always been impressed with the Faith Formation classes at St. Matthew but they really did a great job with First Reconciliation for the second graders. They made it fun and easy and light. The kids, 300 of them on Friday night... the other half was there on Thursday. Yes, you read that right. 600 Second Graders. Alone. It's a BIG parish. It's the only thing I don't like about going to church there. But that's neither here nor there.) Anyway, the kids got up on the alter and sang a very nice song that they had to sign along with as they sang. It was totally cute.

After the song they waited in the pews with us as ushers came and escorted them to one of the 13 priests waiting around the sanctuary. We could see Ben the entire time. He wasn't nervous at all. In fact he might have been a little too comfortable with the whole thing. He told me he could only think of two things he needed to be forgiven for.

TWO?? In your entire 8 years of life there are only TWO things you need to be forgiven for or need to work on?

Next time I will send him with a list.

The kids have been preparing for this night since September. They were told to talk to the Priests about things they want to improve on in their lives (eg. listening mom, sharing with siblings, helping others, thinking of others before themselves ...) and anything they feel truly sorry for doing and would like forgiveness for.

Ben came up with two. He only shared one of them with me ~ hitting Will so hard he cried.

I wonder what the other one was.

After the ceremony was over we went out for a cupcake at Dean & Deluca to celebrate. It really was a fun night. And we are very proud of Ben. He's a pretty fantastic kid.

Deck The Halls

I am a Christmas decorating junkie. There I've said it. I feel much better. Raise your hand if you are too. I know I'm not alone in this. I can't be the only one with more than 25 Rubbermaid bins full of snowmen, oranments, lights and garland. The collection gets bigger every year. It's starting to become a problem, especially since this house is half the size as our last one. But not to worry, there is still some spots that have not been Christmased. I can continue to add to my collection for a few more years. After that I will need to purchase a seperate residence for all my holiday cheer, which is the ultimate goal: a Christmas house. A house just for Christmas. Ah, to dream.

This year, however, I have been challenged. After seeing my impressive yet tasteful outdoor lighting our neighbors went and purchsed some lights of their own. For the first time. Our adorable moving reindeer has been put to shame by their TWO new moving reindeer. We put wreaths and bows on every window. They answered with candles in all of theirs. The battle has begun. And now the bow is missing from my mailbox. Good move neighbors. Let's see what else you got ....

My plan to win this: sneak over to their house with the most hideous decorations I can find and redecorate for them. I will make their house the ugliest in the neighboorhood .... hee hee.

Jon's plan to win this: get a snow making machine and invite their kids to sled down Palmer hill. Ooh, I bet they can't top that one. (Gosh I love that man!)

Either way, we got this one in the bag!

Gimp

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: Gimp
From: K Palmer <kpalmer@kabenbuilders.com>
To: kirstinjpalmer.blogpost@blogger.com
CC:

Cam is without a cast. Or a boot. Or any other tibia protective device. After a much less dramatic ortho visit last Tuesday the boot came off for good! Yipee!
Camryn crawled at first but by Tuesday afternoon was standing and hobbling along. She still has quite a limp and complains of pain every now and then but for the most part is doing very well. Her ankle, which hasn't moved in 6 weeks, is still very weak. Our goal is to strengthen her muscles and increase range of motion of her foot. She improves every day.

But I still call her Gimp. I'm such a sensitive mom.

Turkey to Tree

Phew! We've had a busy week around here! Thanksgiving is my second favorite holiday. If I didn't have kids it would be my number one, but the look on my kids' faces on Christmas morning tops all others. Spending a few days with my entire family, cooking, eating, drinking, playing and just being together is a close second. I have four brothers who I adore and they have all managed to convince some pretty fantastic women to become part of our crazy family. It's loads of fun when we are all together. Add my crazy dad, wonderful step-mom and my lovely mom into the mix and it's just perfect!
We ate too much. Drank too much. Laughed loud enough the cops paid us a visit. Yelled a little. Stayed up too late. And of course played our family flag football game. (In case you miss Sports Center this week, I had some amazing catches, one touchdown and a mean tackle!)
I miss them all so much already. 'Til next year boys!

Because it's been such a crazy week we thought we'd add to the madness and drive two hours (each way) today to cut our own tree in Boone. It was cold, but fun. Now that the tree has been secured, tomorrow can be spent decorating for my favorite holiday!

I LOVE this time of year!!

Spelling and Typos

Whomever points out the most spelling and grammer mistakes wins!!

Ready.
Set.
Go!

I have no prizes. BUT the email post worked and that's all that matters to me.

Here, hear!

Can you here me now??

This is a test. A test of the emergency blogger system. This is only a test.

Okay. So here's the deal. I am emailing a blog post from my phone. I feel so ... so... so young, so hip, so now! Wait, kids don't say 'hip' anymore do they?

Anyway, I am testing this out to see if it works. My laptop is without internet access at the moment. Long story. A possible future blog. But for now I need to test drive this baby to see if it's gonna work.

I think I may even try to attach a photo. Don't fall out of your seats okay.

I'm not sure if any of this is going to work, but if it does you can be sure of one thing: I'm going to have some might defined thumb muscles. Phew!

Traumatized

This is Camryn after her bath tonight. Yes, BATH! Camryn can bathe again. Woo-hoo!! Notice her new 'boot'? Guess what? It comes off. So she can take a bath. The girl is complete once again. And no longer has an odor about her.

Just look at that happy fish in the water. Notice that skinny little cast-less leg of hers. Doesn't she look content?! Thanks to PopPop for leaving his shaving cream, she had a blast playing with it in Ben's tub. (Aren't two year old supposed to be chubby? My word she's a scrawny little thing!! Doesn't her mother feed her?)

This was my content little angel yesterday morning. She was anything but content. Just look at her face!

Cam broke her leg on October 13th. She has been in a full leg cast ever since. Her knee has been stationary for three weeks. Yesterday we went to have her leg x-rayed again. Before they did that they removed her cast (see it there on the left). As soon as that cast was peeled off she started screaming. It was horrible. She screamed for the remainder of the hour we were there.
The sudden movement of her knee was painful. Combine that with her fear that it was going to hurt like it did 3 weeks ago and you have one pitiful baby girl. It was heartbreaking.

She screamed "Mommy, me go home! ME GO HOME!!" over and over again. And when she wasn't screaming that she was screaming "Me want Dr. Dave, Me want Dr. Dave!" Dave is our chiropractor ... and apparently Camryn's choice health care provider. Only once everything was over and she was fitted into her new boot did she calm down. This new boot allows her to use her knee while still protecting her tibia. She was hesitant to walk on it yesterday but was up and running today.

This is my baby girl the day she got her full cast 3 weeks ago. That was another traumatic day. Makes me sad to even look at her. But she has been such a great sport through all of this. And like the saying goes "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" ... she's bound to be one tough little cookie.

Halloween 2010

What a strange holiday Halloween is. Getting dressed up in weird costumes and going door to door asking for candy from strangers. Kinda odd. But it is so much fun how could you not love it? People handing out chocolate just makes this world a better place.

My sweet Kitty Cat with a broken leg.

Spiderella. Perfect for my lover of all living things, including those that creep, crawl, slither, jump and fly. She is my most difficult child, but she is also the one who melts my heart with her sweet comments. After returning home from gathering candy from the neighbors she said to me: "Mom, thanks for doing my make-up. I know you were really busy, thank you." She's the only one that ever says Thank You to me and it means a heck of a lot.

Here are the crazies at a neighbors house. Man, they are getting big. So big in fact that I have given up any hopes of cute Halloween themes with them. I had good ones this year too! The Beatles (how is that NOT cool?), the seasons (winter, spring, summer and fall ... all you got to do is call and I'll ... sorry, James Taylor moment). What was I saying ... oh yeah, cute themes. Anyway, I gave up on them. My kids have opinions. And likes and dislikes. And their own ideas. I don't know why I allow them to, but they do. So I gave up on cute Halloween themes and let them 'be what they wanted to be' and buy costumes. But don't worry I haven't completely given in, their coordinating Christmas outfits should be enough to get my by until Easter.

Day Trip

Jon's parents are in town and our kids only had two days of school this week so we took the entire crew up to Blowing Rock for the day. We met Kristine, Chris and my adorable nephew and niece there.

The leaves are still changing here in Charlotte but we just missed peak up in the mountains. The tornadoes that ripped through the night before may have helped that process along a little, but the view was still beautiful.

The kids climbed around the rocks and enjoyed the fresh mountain air. Like Ben's tattoo? That's from his dentist visit on Wednesday. He has no cavities so the least I could do was let him brand himself.

The monkeys. Camryn is getting along just great with that cast of hers. She has started walking and running. She's quite a trooper!

There is the actual Blowing Rock. From here we went to lunch, caught some lake trout, visited Mast General Store, and then enjoyed ice cream in historic Blowing Rock before heading back to the Queen City. What a nice day! I love when my kids are out of school!!