So my computer died. Again. Dad is trying to get ahold of a disk that would remove the virus so hopefully I will be up and running again soon. I have some great pics of the kids, too. I am really going crazy without it but have at least had Amanda and Elijah around to help distract me. She leave tomorrow and Elijah goes back to work so the craziness will begin!!

Sickness has hit the Sleigh house, and I am really feeling it. Amanda is on her way here and I have warned her, but oh well!
Elijah is watching the International Jump Rope competition on tv. I have asked him why he thinks the tv 'has' to be on, even if it's only crap. He said he is actually interested in this. It is pretty amazing what they can do. Ask him about it, he'd be happy to talk about it! He has explained some of the moves in detail to me. It's actually a documentary about the competition.
We went to the mom's club Christmas party yesterday, but I still haven't uploaded pics yet. It is on my list of things I want to get done, but I'm not feeling good and still have to go out shopping today. Blah. I used to love cold weather until I had children. I didn't ever wear a jacket out, I hate them. I would just brave the weather between the house and car and where ever I was going and then be comfortable inside. Can't do that with kids. Nooooo. Hats, jackets, sometimes gloves. Drives me crazy. That and they constantly ask where MY jacket is. So not only do I have to carry theirs, I have to carry mine, too. I am again looking forward to summer, which surprises me.
Here's a pic of the kids in the tub in our bathroom. I don't usually let them do that anymore, but Elijah was working late and I was all about multi-tasking.

Golf Outing

So I haven't uploaded the aquarium pics yet. But here are some from when we went to a little local golf course a couple weeks ago and spent the day. This was Avery's first attempt at golf. She did okay, we ended up in the club house about halfway through. It was just too cold for both of us. Elijah and Benjamin finished it out. Benjamin really does well playing golf. I'm sure he would do great if we could afford to take him more. HA!

Sleepy Girl

Over the last couple of weeks Avery has been falling asleep in random places. We don't let her sleep long, just long enough to take a picture of it because if she sleeps too long then she won't go to sleep that night until 9:30 or later. And no one wants that! Anyway, here are a couple pictures of her last nap on the floor. I don't get the whole 'covering one nostril thing. Benjamin got really jealous and popped into one:

We are about to start getting ready to head up to the Atlanta Aquarium. We are all really excited about it. Benjamin and Avery have no idea we are even going, which is my plan. They just think their dad took the day off for no reason in particular. I will post pictures when I get them uploaded.

Another Barbie Bites the Dust

I'm tired. Avery just wears me out!! Today we were at Susan's house for playgroup and the girls (Anna, Avery and Maddie) all disappeared upstairs so we decided to follow them up to keep an eye out. We end up sitting in a play area and the girls go in Anna's room. We are just sitting around discussing books and other nice topics when Susan looks up and calls Anna in to see what she has. Anna had apparently gone downstairs and retrieved some scissors. Susan asked why she needed them and Anna said 'For Barbie'. Susan looked confused but I immediately knew what happened. I told Susan that Avery had climbed up onto Anna's bookcase, pulled down the Barbie that was up there and they had opened it up and were trying to get the Barbie out. Susan yelled "oh NO!" and shot up out of the room. Malinda looked at me like I was crazy and we went in. Susan started going "no, no, no, no..." and I started to feel two inches tall. Malinda and I go in and sure enough, the girls are sitting on the floor looking soooo guilty and Susan was standing there holding the ripped empty box that the Barbie was in. They had gotten the baby loose but couldn't get the mommy out. I somehow just knew that was what happened. I looked down at Avery and asked if she had climbed onto the bookcase and gotten down the doll. She nodded and hid her face. Stinker knew she had done something wrong. Maddie threw Avery right under the bus, she said that Avery climbed up all by herself, so that was pretty funny. The opened Barbie by the way, is the one that the American adoptive parents get in China when they pick up their new babies at the orphanages. A blonde mommy with an oriental baby. I found a pic of one:






so at least it wasn't some once in a lifetime gift representing a huge milestone in Anna's life. I swear this child is going to drive me over the edge one day!! Susan said that the box is salvageable and isn't' too upset. I would be.

At long last (at least it seems) we are finally home. I had probably one of the worst Thanksgivings that I can recall. I spent the entire day and night before throwing up, and started the actual day off still wanting to just not get out of bed. But of course Elijah set the alarm and we were up bright and early. Avery actually had already woken me up before the alarm went off. We talked about my just staying home instead of trying to make the four hour drive, but I knew Elijah wouldn't come home any earlier even if I was at home sick so I didn't really want to spend Thanksgiving and the days after home alone, so I toughed it out and grabbed a Gatorade and a pack of Saltines and we hit the road. We got to his mom's about 10 or 11 and I laid on the couch and pretty much didn't move until it was time to go to his sister's to crash. I ate one roll and a bite of mashed potatoes for my big meal! I think I am the only person to probably loose weight on Thanksgiving this year. The next morning I was some feeling better and ate a little. I was really tired but Avery wasn't much help, though. She decided that she didn't really want to sleep at her Aunt Julie's so she didn't. She just sat up all night talking. I don't understand that about her. It's like her batteries never, ever, ever run out. I wish that she got that from me. I was worn out. Elijah and Julie were going to get up around 5 to hit the Wal-Mart sale on Black Friday, but since we were all up anyway (thank you Avery) we just got dressed and all went. We got some good deals and started and almost finished all of our Christmas shopping for the kids. We spent the morning back at Julie's and headed over to his mom's for lunch because his brother Joey was coming in for lunch since he couldn't make it Thursday.

Overall it was a good trip, at least once I was able to enjoy it. Benjamin really likes being around all those boy cousins and wrestling and exploring the woods. I even found out that Elijah took the boys out into the woods and let them shoot (with much assistance, and with my full protest) a pellet gun. Benjamin didn't even get to hold it alone, he just pulled the trigger. But he had a great weekend of just being a boy. He was really disappointed when the rain came and settled in and he couldn't go out anymore. They all still had fun. Avery spent almost the entire time in her Grandma Pickren's room. This is Elijah's grandmother so it is her great-grandmother. Ever since Avery was small she has had an affection for her Grandma Pickren. I think a lot of it lies in that Grandma doesn't come out of her room and Avery can go in there and have some one's complete and total attention, and stay out of the way of all the wild boys. She climbed up in the chair with Grandma and watched cartoons and held the 8 week old puppy and napped along with Grandma. I was so sick that I only took a couple of pictures of them on the chair together and holding this tiny puppy:

Elijah's mom has started trying to give the kids all sorts of things to take home with them. It started with the blanket that Sandy started for Avery when she was born. It is a beautiful hand made pink blanket that she just finished, so I have no problem with taking that home. Benjamin saw that she got one and he asked his Granny where his was. She had never made him one so she goes to the closet and gets out a blanket that her grandmother had made. Elijah's great grandmother so Benjamin's great great grandmother. I adamantly refused to take it. I didn't want to take something precious to the family. Elijah actually says he remembers his MaMa (like our Momo!!) making this blanket. They insisted so we now have that. Grandma Pickren said that Avery 'needs' more babies so Sandy needs to get the ones from Rose (her sister) down and give them to Avery. I said she needed those like a hole in the head. They pull down these dolls, and they are a bride and groom porcelain doll set. I tried to argue out of those as well, but you can't argue with those two!! :o) The dolls are beautiful, but put away. She would break those in a heartbeat! We almost didn't have room in the car after Christmas shopping and Sandy giving us so many things.
We are home at last and trying to get back into our routine. The alarm going off this morning to get Benjamin to school on time was not welcome. I am really looking forward to Christmas break!!