Christmas 2008

We had a merry little Christmas this year with my parents and siblings, who come to find out would prefer us over the white stuff they are getting by the foot back home. We were excited to introduce them all to baby Liv, who has grown up so much even in two months it is amazing. The best part was being able to reenact some of my childhood traditions, like my dad's fresh-squeezed orange juice on Christmas morning. We also had the Austin Barlows over for a big ham dinner, which I forgot to document, but picture as many men as you can fit on a couch watching football while the kids run rampant and the girls get caught up makes for a picture perfect meal. All in all it was a great day; Ryan and I quickly realized we should have called it good after buying the wagon-the girls have not left it alone since. As it turns out, a Radio Flyer is also a makeshift baby cradle, fort, and bridge, serving any other purpose your mother hen can think of!

Girls Night Out

When I received word that the lovely Lonna Barlow picked me for a clothes shopping date, I could hardly contain my excitement.
Holiday sales + good company + a night without kids = count me in.
But why were our husbands so quick to volunteer the supervising of five children? A little detective work was all it took to discover that Thursday night was conveniently an important NBA game, which event could be watched vicariously with a few movies. Did I mention the combining of our offspring totals five children under four and includes a set of multiples and a newborn?

While we spent a few hours looking for these...


And trying on these...


We're talking no lines, no crowds, just two women on a mission to find the perfect cardigan (and there were many)...


We came home to find:


My Christmas tree, tipped and dismantled by toddlers.
No injuries.
And five children who were otherwise happy, fed, and ready for bed. The only casualty (besides the entire tree damaged beyond repair) being a small red ornament. Looking for a new tree anyway, Ryan and I now have an excuse to buy at least 7-footer. Was it worth it for the shoes, absolutely. Because as it turns out, the damage done to the tree was but a small fraction of the damage I did to the credit card...
Mr. Barlow, I call it even.

Here's Hoping...

If Santa brings this comforter set for L & M's bed, will they spend more time sleeping in it?

Just one of the girls

Does anyone remember the days when this was the only way to tell the twins apart?

(Which finger they were sucking on.)
Thank goodness now you can ask them who's who. As it turns out, Maddie, the delegated spokesman, will provide any information about them you need to know.


Which brings us to Baby Liv...


Who has already found a favorite, just in case we need to tell her apart.

Noodle Skillz

It is uncommon these days for London to be seen without "noodle", her magnetized drawing board. We like to practice writing her favorite words (STOP, GO, LONDON) but all too frequently she asks me for drawing requests. For instance "Please draw Sleeping Beauty with a castle and a baby London." Despite my best efforts at a seventh grade art level, I always get it wrong, which has been known to cause tears and even--chucking the contraption across the room (am I that bad?). I finally started sending her over to her dad, who taught her how to draw--


Him.
That dot on top is his hair.