Exhausted......

This is what happens after two days of Christmas parties and opening presents!! They are both tuckered out...as are Mom and Dad!!
We had a very wonderful Christmas. It started Sunday with a gathering with Scott's family. Then Christmas Eve afternoon we went to my Mom's for the Hayes Family Christmas where we all got useful gifts and thanks to Uncle Steven, a very fun game of find your own present! I got mine on the first try although I thought it was scrapbook paper and it actually was a
Mommy calendar/planner (very useful).

Nanny, Aleasia, Madeline, Hayley, and Brayden

Around 6:30 we went to Jason and Lena's for a nice evening with more family and friends. We didn't make it home Christmas Eve until after midnight. After we got home, I realized that I had left my camera at my Mom's!! So, I called over there and it was found. Of course the scrapbooker and blogger in me knew I had to get my camera before the kiddos started opening gifts from Santa, so guess where I had to go as soon as I woke up!! The kiddos were know sound asleep in their own beds and Santa made his appearance. I woke up around 7:15...Hayley woke up about 15 minutes later. I had to break the news to her that I had to run to Nanny's to get my camera before we could open any gifts. She didn't give much of a fit about this (which I thought was commendable for a 5-year-old!)....and I was home by 8:15. Gifts were opened.....and everyone was HAPPY.

We had Christmas dinner at Lori and Steve's and then off to Dallastown to spend some time with my Mom's side of the family...again...more gifts and plenty of food and fun!! On the way home, both kiddos fell asleep! We have one more day of Christmas with Pappy Dave and then Christmas 2008 will be history Back to work for me tomorrow :(

MERRY CHRISTMAS

AND

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

LOVE,

THE MARSH FAMILY

??Punky Brewster??

Hayley decided she was going to dress herself this morning, which I highly encourage but she makes me laugh!! She is so cute...but doesn't she look like Punky Brewster with her choice of shoes and socks LOL

One old dawg.....

Levi...relaxing under the Christmas Tree

Christmas Photo 2008

So it was that time again to try and get a Christmas picture . This years picture didn't turn out too bad. I cannot believe how big they look now. I posted pictures from the past two years too. They grow up right before your eyes!!

Christmas 2006

Attempted Christmas photo 2007 Not a very good picture for 2007.

Look how Brayden went from a baby to

a little boy in one year!!

Christmas 2008 Happy Holidays!

December already....

Where does the time go??? I can remember when I was younger and I thought an hour felt like an eternity...nowadays an hour feels like a minute. Thanksgiving came and went so fast. We had a wonderful time at the cabin and a lot of great food to eat.


We went shopping on Black Friday and got a few deals. The one funny moment was when I told one of the younger sales clerks that I was from Gettysburg and he asked "Virginia?" *HUH???*** Guess they don't teach the kids from Altoona about the Gettysburg Address and the Battle of Gettysburg?? Or maybe I just remember all of this from school because I grew up with it in my back yard?***


Hayley succeeded to give Brayden a bloody nose on Saturday (I'm sure the first of many!!) They were playing nicely rolling the ball on the ground and tossing it back and forth when Hayley decided she was going to give it a little more forces and *POW* right at his nose. It did not bleed initially and after about 3 minutes of consoling Brayden then Hayley yells,


"Mama, there is blood on Brayden's nose".


I then said, "You better apologize to your brother and give him a hug".


Through tears she proceeded to apologize and gave him a hug. She was so upset with herself and continued to cry and cry and cry.

Finally I said, "Hayley what is wrong? It was an accident?"

She replies, "Mama, am I going to go to jail??" Bless her heart..she was so upset that she hurt her brother and gave him a bloody nose that she thought she was going to go to jail.

All & all we had a wonderful long weekend at the cabin. Even baby Mady didn't need much time to adjust to being in a quaint little place with LOTS of family at one time.

Before we know it...December will be over and it will be 2009

Hayes Christmas Cookies 2008

Nana, Aleasia, Hayley, Mandi, Brayden, and I

Today Nanny, Nana, Mandi, and I made the infamous Hayes Christmas cookies...sand tarts. These are cookies that you have to acquire a taste for and actually not many of our significant others actually enjoy the cookies, but we all enjoy the tradition and the time together (and for the record, all the girls do like them). A sand tart is a thin cookie topped with black walnuts, if you are not a black walnut fan...then you are not going to enjoy these cookies. We started around 10AM and finished around 2:30 and baked approximately 700 cookies....Nope...I didn't use one too many zeros! It was really 700 cookies. So, what do we do with that many cookies...well, everyone gets their own tin and my Nana does give some out for gifts. The sand tart is much better after it has "aged" so this is why we make them so early. My mom has been helping my Nana make these cookies for 38 years...and my Nana inherited the making of cookies from her grandmother-in-law. This year was the first year we made them at my Mom's house...and things went fairly well. Aleasia, Hayley, and Brayden wanted to help...but only stayed interested for about a whole 5 minutes...although Hayley did come back and help later in the afternoon.

Madeline also came along for the cookied baking.....and Nana did a great job keeping her occupied, although she is such a good baby...as long as she is fed...she is pretty much satisfied.

Mady enjoyed an afternoon nap with her grandnana!! How SWEET!!!

You know you are getting older when....

You are home on a Saturday night, drinking coffee, and watching Mulan II with your kiddos!! LOL

Christmas lights...ballerina turkey??....and Shrek

Today I had all intentions of putting up the Christmas decorations; however, I was not quite in the "mood". We have very busy weekends coming up and I am just not sure when I will find the time to do it...so more than likely, we will "squeeze" it in next weekend between "Cookie Day 2008" and taking Hayley roller skating with Hannah on Sunday. Hopefully, I will be more into the Christmas spirit next weekend!! Scott did put up all the outside lights...and they look really good.


So, what to do?? I planned on making a big dinner with a roasted chicken, mashed potatoes, and filling...YUMMM...so that is in the oven right now. I also made a carrot cake..but I told the kids that is was a "wacky cake" so they would at least try it...knowing carrots were in the cake, neither of my kids would even try it. I went to use the cream cheese frosting in the pantry, and it was "best used by 04/19/08"..so went to my trusty cookbook to find out how to make the frosting myself. Can you believe I had all the ingredients except I only had about 1 cup of powdered sugar and I needed 4 cups. AGHHH...so I had to get out of my pjs and go to the store (by the way, it was 12:45...I was a little lazy today). Now with the cream cheese frosting made Hayley informs me that she needs to "dress a turkey" for school. Here are some pics from our crafting this afternoon. Hayley decided to dress her turkey as a Ballerina(who would have guessed??)

cutting & glueing

The finished Ballerina turkey

Then the kids decided to dress up....Hayley as a "flower princess" and Brayden as Shrek


I can't believe the weekend is over again already!

Saturday

SATURDAY...The day started with Angie and her two kids coming over to go to StoryTime at the Reader's Cafe on Broadway. This us such a quaint little Cafe/Bookstore...it is such a wonderful little place *and they have good coffee too! : ) After story time, we went through Wendy's drive thru for a quick lunch. Then Angie and I were determined to get some scrapbooking/card making done...even with four kids running amuck in the basement with us. I would have to say that the kiddos were on their best behavior for the most part, even with Cody and Brayden not getting their normal afternoon nap. Angie got a few pages of Cody's scrapbook done, and I started my Christamas cards (I had cut all of the paper two evenings earlier while watching Grey's) I really enjoy being "creative" and think that my cards turned out very well. Although most of you that read my blog will be getting your very own once they get mailed out...I decided I wanted to post a picture of it here.....So, without further ado, here it is!!

Marsh Christmas Card 2008

Pics from the weekend

Here are a few pictures from the weekend.
We went to our cabin in Raystown and like
always, had a wonderful time! There were
plenty of leaves for the kiddos to play in....
and boy did they have a ball....check them
out! Yeah...they are just wearing long-sleeved
shirts...when we arrived on Friday, it was
70 degrees...not typical for November in PA!

I call the last one....my clown and the princess...Obviously I could not get

Brayden to cooperate and pose for a good picture with his sister. Hayley

is a PRO!!

Such A Big Girl!!!

Today Hayley had her 5 year check up (where has the time gone??). She did very well. I had prepared her for the fact that she was going to be getting the dreaded "shots". The mean mommy that I am also scheduled for her to get her flu shot as well (what was I thinking??) The Doctor spent a lot of time with us...talking to Hayley...asking her what she knew, having her draw pictures, asked her address and phone number (which is something we are going to have to work on...since she couldn't remember). Then the nurses came in to tag team her. She did good with the first set of shots...and not too bad with the second set....but that flu shot put her over the edge...and she started shedding some tears. Those tears only lasted a few seconds...and then she was back to her old self. Brayden also got his flu shot and he was a real trooper...not crying at all. I brought the kiddos home...gave them some Tylenol...and but Brayden down for a nap. Then Hayley and I made an apple pie to take along to the mountains this weekend. My mom, the kids, and I are going up tomorrow afternoon. We always have such a great time at the mountains with the family

A day on the dairy farm

The day turned out to be a fairly nice one! We didn't have anything planned in the morning..so we just hung out until it was time to go to the annual A&A picnic at the Dehoff Farm in Red Lion, PA. Hayley was all excited because her friend Hannah was going to be there! We arrived around 1PM and it was quite brisk out! The kids first went over and feed the goats. These goats have been around for years...and they just love cheese curls!! Of course, neither of my kiddos would allow the goats to eat right out of their hands...but I got a few cute pics of them trying.

Later, we all walked up to see the baby cows....man were they cute (as cute as a dirty cow can be but cute nonetheless)

Again, my kiddos would not pet nor let the baby cows suck on their fingers (hmmmm...guesss they take after their mother??) I had to BEG them to pose in front of the cows so I could at least prove that we went to the dairy farm.

Next, we walked down to the actual "staging area" prior to milking. It was awful dark in that barn....so I couldn't get any good pics....but the HUGE dairy cows were all standing in what looked like mud....but lets just say...it wasn't dirt and water (ughhh) As we were walking out....one of the cows decided that right at that time would be a perfect time to relieve herself. Now I know where the expression " sounds like a cow p***ing on a flat rock" came from....*woo hoo*...she really had to go! I snapped this picture of Hannah & Hayley leaving the barn...I thought it was cute.

As we were leaving , up came the tractor for the hayride, so Hannah, Hayley, Cody, Brayden, Angie, and I all got on while Scott and Jimmy decided to go back down to where the food was. The kids enjoyed the ride...although it was a little long as well as a little cold....poor Cody didn't want to get off when it was over but I was ready...45 minutes on a straw bail was plenty of time for me.

The kids then had caramel apples w/ sprinkles, mini M&Ms, and gummy bears (yeah...they got their dose of sugar today!) We left to come home around 4:45...and Hayley said..."Mommy, we didn't see where they milked the cows." Can you believe we never made it over to the milking area. The cows are milked every 12 hours (4 a.m. and 4 p.m.) 7 days a week...with no vacation days for the cows!! Thankfully...we also didn't see the boy cows making babies (LOL) Once home, it was time for bathes and to watch the rest of the Eagles football game (the EAGLES WON!!) Hayley was sitting on her daddy's lap watching the game and it must have been boring for her or she was just plain exhausted from a day at the farm! I hope she is not up at 4 a.m. Monday morning!!

November 1st

Wow....November 1st...and it was 60 degrees today! Ummmm...not that I am complaining. I am definitely not looking forward to gloves and heavy coats or even that dreaded SNOW!! Today was a fun day! Mandi, Jane, and Mady came up for the day and we started Mady's scrapbook. Mandi just needed a little push in the right direction and voila...she is a scrapbooking Mama!! I wish I would have thought to take pictures today and post them on here...but I didn't so there won't be any pics :( We scrapped from about 10:30 until 3:30 with an hour break for lunch and to print some pics. Thank goodness for Grandma Jane who kept Mady occupied...as well as my two kids. Later in the afternoon, the whole gang of us went to AC Moore to get some more scrapping materials (now I know why I like to go without KIDS!!) but because Grandma Jane was so generous...we made it out of there with only a few stares at Brayden who definitely had the terrible twos today! Mandi is all set now...and has plenty of supplies to keep her going...now for her to just find the time...and energy.

Tomorrow, we are going to a picnic at a coworkers dairy farm. The kids are all excited to go. Here is a conversation we had this morning!

Me: Tomorrow we are going to the dairy farm for a picnic. We will get to see where milk comes from.
Hayley: Wow..I didn't know we were going there. I can't wait to see the cows!
Brayden: Girl cows make milk??
Hayley: No Brayden, boy cows make milk.
Me: No, Hayley boy cows do not make milk, girl cows do.
Hayley: Oh....then what do the boy cows do? **only my 5-year-old : )
Me: ?!****?? Well.....*sigh*...boy cows make babies. ***I was at loss for words...didn't know what to say..so I was HONEST
Hayley: Are we going to see the boy cows make babies???....
Me: Guess what...Aunt Mandi is coming over today with Mady...(DIVERSION worked!!) LOL

Now I am off to watch CSI on Demand.....I'll let you know about the dairy farm...*tisk *tisk !

Another busy Thursday!!

Don't get me wrong...I love my Thursdays off....but they are always so full of things to do!!

* LAUNDRY :(
* Vacuum
* Make Johnny Marzetti to take to Mandi's house for dinner............yummmmm
* Breakfast for kiddos
* Haircut for the kiddos @10AM
* Grocery store (this is becoming one of my least favorite chores to do!)
* Lunch for me and the kiddos
* Watch Mady in the afternoon
* Spend the evening with family : )
* Bath time for kiddos (and then bed time)
*GREY'S ANATOMY!! ( I am also really liking the new show My Life on Mars, if you haven't watched...check it out!)

I'm sure some other things will "pop up" to be done on Thursday too!! But I will get through it....I always do!!

Recap of the weekend

This weekend went soooo fast! I had off work from Thursday until Sunday. Thursday, the kids had a play date with one of Hayley's preschool friends H. They had a great time playing together. And her Mom and I had a good time chatting while the kiddos played contently. Friday, I watched my niece Mady. The morning was a breeze! She slept from the time her daddy dropped her off until I took her into work to show her off at 9:30 am. Then back home with her and Brayden. Then it was time to feed her...well, that little girl likes her food and does not like to BURP! She really gets MAD!! I finally got her calmed down and then it was time to pick up Hayley at preschool and then off with the playgroup to The Hungry Parrot. (Yeah..I was being very brave taking three kids out by myself!!) Mady, again, was very good for the outing and didn't wake up ONCE!!! We ate our pizza and played a few games, then it was time to go home. Brayden went for a nap and then time to feed Mady again....same ole same ole...that little girl likes to EAT! Later that evening, we took Mady back to her mommy and daddy (after sitting in traffic in New Oxford for at least 25 minutes...not sure what was going on in that small town but traffic wasn't going very fast). We at dinner with them and then back to our house for bedtime. Saturday, we had a Fall Festival for the kiddos in the playgroup. Hayley and Brayden went as Mickey & Minnie....they were too cute!! All the kids had a great time! I am so glad that I found a great group of parents and kids to get together with!! Here are a few pics of Mickey and Minnie.






After the party, we stopped by Pappy Dave's then went home to make Homemade pizza. Hayley wasn't too sure about this. We have always ordered pizza out...so when she saw me making the dough...she was a little confused! When the pizza was done she said, "Mommy, if I don't like it, can I have circle bread (PB&J)?" Of course, she liked the pizza and ate 4 slices! Brayden didn't eat any until Sunday at lunch...guess he wasn't hungry. On Sunday, I tackled the kids closets...change of the seasons...and trying to weed out all the clothes that are too small! I ended up with 2 boxes of girls clothes and a HUGE tote of boys winter clothes and a smaller bag of boys summer clothes. I was really glad that I was able to give the clothes away to friends at work that have little boys...and of course to my sister for 'lil Mady. So, it was a very productive weekend! Now back to work....training on a new computer system and working the front desk for an entire week.....Hope my week goes as fast as my weekend went!

Opposites DAY....

Today is Opposites Day at Hayley's preschool.....this is what she looked like this morning!! She thought it was so cool that she was wearing two different shoes!!

Also today, we have baby Madeline. So far it is going well, she is still sleeping : ) After preschool, we are going to attempt an outing to HUNGRY PARROT with the playgroup. We are taking Mady back to mommy and daddy this evening....and having dinner there too! Hope our day goes well!

Schedule for Thursday,,,

Thursday is my day off, however, we always have plenty of things to do. Tomorrow is not any different:

~kids are up bright and early...time for breakfast
~shower, dress kids and myself
~clean around the house including laundry, vacuuming, empty dishwasher, make beds
~figure out what we're having for dinner
~go to the library ( I try to do this every other week...but at least make it there once a month)
~find Mickey Mouse ears for Hayley & Brayden's Halloween Costumes...as well as pants and a shirt for Brayden's costume.
~lunch
~Brayden for a nap (hopefully 2 hrs!! : )
~activities with Hayley while Brayden sleeps (maybe read some library books)
~today I actual have a hair appointment at 4PM
~come home and eat dinner
~baths and playtime
~BEDTIME at 8pm for the kiddos!!
~an hour or so of alone time.....and then bedtime for me!

I'm sure there will be some more activities and chores that get added into this today...I enjoy my Thursdays off...it is always such a BUSY day!! But well worth the time with my kiddos!!

silly conversations

Last night, on our way to Hayley's dance class. Hayley and I have a funny conversation.

Hayley, "Mama, what are we doing tomorrow?"

Me, "Hayley, I don't know what we are going to do tomorrow."

Hayley, "Can you think?"

Me, "Hayley, I am driving right now!"

Hayley, "But Mama, can't you think and drive?"

needless to say...I started cracking up laughing. She was so serious!! Our day is still up in the air!

What a beautiful day...............

I always enjoy Thursdays (probably because it is my day off!!)..but today is an especially nice day because the weather is so beautiful. Although I love the summer months, Fall is my favorite time of the year. Crisp days and evenings, apples, pumpkins, mums...the list just goes on and on. The kids & I have already been out this morning...took the dogs to the groomers and then back to the house for breakfast (chocolate chip cookie dough Pop Tarts are what the kids wanted this morning!)...have some things to do around the house and then off to meet others in the playgroup at The Explore 'N More Museum in Gettysburg. On Monday, was Hayley & Brayden's first day of preschool. Hayley of course was an old pro since this is her third year. Brayden on the other hand...wasn't too sure about it! He thought Nanny & I were going to stay in the room with him and was not too happy when we did not. Ms. Marsha told me that he kept telling the teacher, "I want outta here!!"...well, he made it to 10:00 but there were plenty of tears shed as did most of the other kids. Hopefully he adjusts soon and starts having fun! Here are a few pics of there first day.

Have a great day!!! It's a beautiful one!

September 17, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAYLEY!!!


It's hard to believe you were ever this small!!



Hayley & her beloved Rosie dolls (9 months old)



Here you are at 5!!! You are growing up so fast!
We all love you very much!!
Happy Birthday Hay Hay!!

My baby is going to be 5!!!

On Sunday we had Hayley's 5th Birthday party! She was so excited and asked me every half hour when people were going to show up. Around 1PM friends & family started trickling in for some good food and conversation. Hayley had a great time playing with her cousin and friends...almost so much that she forgot she had a mountain of presents to open. Her weekend started on Saturday with a shopping trip with Pappy Dave...she came home with a bunch of stuff (She isn't spoiled at all!!!) We sang Happy Birthday and then she began opening, opening, and opening...she received a lot of nice things.Her birthday is September 17th, which happens to also be my aunt and uncle's 25th wedding anniversary and Scott's cousin's birthday. She is just growing up way to fast!

Check out this picture

Steve tweeked this picture for me......I thought it was GREAT!!!!!!!!!!!!