Reusser Christmas

This Saturday and Sunday we celebrated Christmas with my side of the family. Saturday night was "Christmas Eve" complete with the most amazing meal of the year, the first annual Reusser Family Talent Show, a white elephant gift exchange for the adults, and a birthday party for Jesus. Sunday morning we had our traditional Christmas morning breakfast... french toast fondue with homemade maple butter plus egg casserole, cinnamon rolls, fruit salad... you get the idea. This was Drew's first year to make his own fondue and he did great. Drew loves breakfast and ate as much as any of the adults, except Tom who holds the record at 33 pieces of french toast. Lots of great meals but I can't help but be amazed at how quickly we ate what took Mom several days to prepare. Thanks for all your hard work Mom!

My newest niece, Hannah.

Trying to get a family picture... always a challenge.

Santa's little helper :-)

Tom with Claire

My brother, David, with Claire

After breakfast the kids were beyond ready to start in on the presents. Mom and Dad put a picture of who the present was for on each package (instead of a name tag). That way the kids could pass them out... so cute! The kids all got fun stuff that they've been playing with nonstop. Their gifts, just to name a few, included: a castle (Drew is officially a knight in shinning armor), air hog cars that drive on the walls & ceiling, a kids' karaoke machine, a helicopter, games, clothes, and a gun that uses infrared to shoot cans and bottles (you've gotta see it for it to make sense).

Michelle with Gracie on "Christmas" morning.

Claire got a new chair.

Most of the kids resting in Grandma & Grandpa's room.

The mess after the gifts were unwrapped

Claire napping with Aunt Michelle.

Home from Wales

My sister, Michelle, is home from the Bible College of Wales. She has been there since September and will head back in a few short weeks. Her time there has been wonderful and I am so thankful she is getting this opportunity to grow in her relationship with Christ and live with some phenomenal people. We are all excited to have her home for a visit.

We went over to my parents' house last night to eat dinner and see Michelle. The kids were all so excited!! They have really missed her.

Claire LOVES her Aunt Michelle...


... and also thinks Daddy tastes pretty good.

Silly girl :)

Fire Safety

The boys decided to make breakfast this morning. Instead of their usual, toast with some butter and lots of jelly, they wanted to make eggs. They did a great job getting the eggs out of the fridge, cracking them into a bowl and mixing them up. When it came time to cook them, though, I stepped in. Drew wasn't too happy and, understandably, wanted to finish what he had started. I explained to him that he had done a great job up to this point but that Mommy was the only one who could use the stove. Not willing to give up so easily Drew informed me, "But Mom, I know what to do if I catch on fire. Stop, drop, and roll!" Comforting as that was to know - I cooked the eggs anyway.

Catching Up

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything new. My sincerest apologies to the three people who actually tune in to my, only slightly amusing, ramblings.

First things first, for some reason Blogger is not letting me post pictures lately - sorry.

We had a great Thanksgiving. Celebrating on Thanksgiving Day with my family and then heading to Ohio to spend the weekend with Tom's family. Good times and good food at both family gatherings.

I spent the day trying to recover from the stomach flu today. Not sure what happened... except that I woke Tom up at 2 this morning throwing up. Poor guy was totally shocked & confused. Between Tom taking a few hours off work today and my parents taking the boys to lunch we made it through the day. It's just never a convenient time for "mom" to get sick... I do love seeing the protective/nurturing side of the boys. Drew especially is so sweet to me and wanted to help "take care of Mom"

Mystery Smell

Sometime during the course of the morning I started to smell something suspicious. Now it's not what you think. The odor wasn't bad... it was overwhelming alright, but overwhelming in a, "Wow, who bathed in cologne?" kind-of way. I finally tracked the source to a spot on the sofa. Something definitely spilled there but I have no idea what or when. I do have an idea of WHO... and his name is Reese or Drew! My mission this afternoon is to figure what exactly was dumped on the couch. Of course it will only serve to satisfy my curiosity since, whatever it is, it's apparently here to stay. It will be interesting when Tom gets home. He has the nose of a bloodhound and can tell when there's a poopy diaper within a 1 mile radius of our house. I'm sure the overwhelming scent will drive him crazy, or at the very least, give him a headache like it's done to me!

Ahhhhhhhhh!

It's been one of those mornings. You know, when you question how any parent survives raising kids and maintaining their sanity. The boys have had a rough day, and it's only 10 am. Reese started the day by screaming and giving me attitude about almost everything. He got mad at me and dumped his glass of milk on the floor on purpose. Despite the wise old saying, "Don't cry over spilled milk," I almost did. As I sat Reese down and talked to him about how what's in his heart is what should come out of his mouth and hands, and if Jesus is in his heart, that means kind and loving things should come from him... he blankly stared at me and asked, "Will there be food in heaven?" It IS hard to stay mad at them for too long. :)

Last night I slipped on some ice, bit it, and banged my knee up pretty bad. Drew kept hitting me on my sore leg so I explained what happened and asked him to please not touch my leg. He asked, "Mom, did you break the ice?"

"No Honey, I didn't break the ice."

He replies, "I can't believe the ice didn't break when you fell." Isn't it amazing that a comment like that from anyone else could offend but, coming from an innocent child, you just have to laugh.

Underwear

Reese sometimes gets so excited that he has a hard time getting words out. This happened just this morning:

The boys' favorite underwear just happens to glow in the dark. I am used to Reese asking, "Mom, I want to wear my dark in the glow underwear." I've tried correcting him but in his brain, this is what they're called. Well, I've been behind with the laundry for a few days so their clean underwear pickings have been slim. This morning, as Reese was pulling on a clean pair, fresh from the dryer, he realized they were his beloved glow in the dark undies! He was so excited all he could manage to get out was, "Mom, Mom, it's my dark in the underwear glow!!!"

Post... errr "Poke" Office

I had to stop off at the Post Office today to buy some stamps. Reese and Claire came in with me. Once we entered the lobby Reese got really quiet and started to cry... big crocodile tears. I had no idea what was wrong. "Mom, I don't want a poke," he said sad enough to break my heart. I had no idea why he thought he was going to get a poke. "Oh, Honey, you're not going to get a poke (shot). This isn't a doctor's office, it's the Post Office." He looked behind the counter at the lady working and asked, "Is that the doctor? Mom, please I don't want a poke!" By this time he was attracting attention from the other people waiting in line. It took several of us reassuring him that they don't give out shots/pokes at the Post Office. The lady behind the counter explained that she is not a doctor and then she gave him a sucker. Life was good again :)

Good Hygiene?

The boys were going to help me make lunch today. Before we started I asked them to go wash their hands. Drew ran off compliantly to the bathroom while Reese just stood there. "Reese, you need to go wash your hands please." Reese's response was, "That's okay, Mommy. I washed my hands yesterday."

Once we were all seated and eating lunch Drew drank his water quickly and wanted a refill. We have the handy water dispenser in the door of the fridge so the boys usually help themselves. I guess Drew didn't feel like getting up. "Mom, would you please get me some more water? You're doing everything today anyway." He stated matter-of-factly. Finally, he noticed!!

First Snow

It's officially snowing. The boys (including Tom) are excited. I could have waited a little longer for snow, like say... Christmas, but what else can we expect living in Michigan?

Phalangies Anyone?

Anyone who has ever met Reese learns pretty quickly that he likes to eat. I say this because he usually makes the statement, "I'm hungry" about every 10 minutes (even shortly after eating more food than a grown man). Well, yesterday Reese was eating some crackers in the car. Out of the blue he starts screaming/crying - I have NO idea what happened! I ask him if he's okay and through his tears he tells me that he ate his finger... now that's a boy who likes to eat :) Also, sorry to say, this isn't the first time that he's bitten his fingers while eating.

Is it Friday yet?!

Yes it's Thursday already but it still feels like this week is creeping by at a snail's pace. Reese was Star Student of the day on Tuesday. If only the Star Student could influence the election in some way... ALL of the conservative candidates we voted for lost their elections. And if that wasn't proof enough that Michigan continues to move "left," the two state proposals also passed. Prop 1 legalized the use of medical marijuana, Prop 2 gave provisions for stem cell research to move forward. This is definitely a reminder that we need to be praying for those in positions of influence in our country.

Yesterday I was able to help chaperon Drew's class field trip. We went to the Wharton Center on MSU's campus and watched a musical depicting stories from several children's books. It was very well done and lots of fun to attend. Tom took the afternoon off and, although we didn't get to see him much, our driveway is now sealed and ready for winter. I feel bad that Tom took time off work just to "work" here at home, though I think he is very happy with what he was able to accomplish.

Claire is still fighting off a cold but it doesn't seem to be slowing her down much. She is making up for all those months of contently sitting in one spot by crawling all over the house and getting into anything within her reach.

Drew had some lab work done so we can try to determine the extent of his allergies. The doctor called yesterday simply saying he wanted to refer us to a specialist... that didn't sound good. I spoke to the nurse and asked if everything was okay. She said Drew is allergic to LOTS of things including (but definitely not limited to): milk, egg whites, wheat, pollen, dust, etc. They just felt it would be wise to consult with a specialist... We have an appointment Dec. 5th with the Allergist and will hopefully get more details at that time.

Trick or Treat

I'm not sure what time exactly the sugar buzz began. Maybe when they got the first whiff of a pack of Smarties... or glimpse of a Kit Kat Bar. I am sure it happened before any candy actually hit their mouths. Needless to say I was dipping into the candy bowl just to help me cope with the exhaustion from dealing with kids shaking from sugar.

Drew's school had a costume parade. Reese, Claire and I went to watch.

Claire, the "little love bug" as our neighbor Erin named her.

Getting ready to go...

We met up with some neighbor friends and went around together. Grandpa and Grandma Reusser hung out at our house for awhile passing out the candy. Later on they joined us in our quest for candy.

Claire and Kira taking in their first Halloween.

BUSTED! Our gang: Jessi, Skylar, Erin, Drew, Reese and Dimitri

Claire Joy

Claire had her 9 month well child appointment on Wednesday (a few weeks late). She is growing well and is 29 1/4 inches (89%) & 21 lbs. 10 oz. (84%). Claire and Reese both got their flu shot (Drew got his on Monday). The doctor asked, "so we're doing a flu shot today for Reese too, right?"
"Yup"
Dr. T left the room and Reese came up to me and said, "Mom, I don't want a flee shot!"


Big news - Claire is crawling!! She's been working on it for a while now but she finally took off this week. It's so much harder to keep the house baby proofed with the boys around. They leave so many crumbs & small pieces of trash or dirt on the floor. I'm going to have to vacuum several times a day to make sure Claire doesn't get to all the "goodies" on the floor first. The days of blopping her on the floor and having her stay in one spot are now gone...

Doctor's Appointment

Drew has his 5 year well child check up today. He was very brave even though he got poked 4 times! He weighs 47 lbs. and is 45 inches tall. We are so thankful that he is a wonderfully healthy child!

After the doctor appointment we went to play group for our Halloween Party. Claire is a ladybug. Reese a dragon. Drew is Batman.Left to Right: Makana holding her twin brothers Josiah and Cruz, Claire, Calla holding her sister Lyla, Mallory, Reese, Matthew, and Batman aka Drew. Unfortunately Dylan couldn't be with us today.

Claire was smiling at first but not so happy by the time we were done taking pictures.

Good Manners

Last weekend we went to Ohio to visit Tom's family. We had a great time and loved spending time with Mom, Dad, Tami, Anthony & Levi. We also enjoyed the bonfire (complete with hayride) with the extended family. Unfortunately I didn't take many pictures of our weekend. If you want to see pics just check out Tami's blog: http://www.delimpodays.blogspot.com/. I'm sure she'll have a wonderful post up soon (no pressure, Tam). :-)

Tom took this picture of Drew's balancing act at Fulton Farms.

Drew and Reese have been playing computers games lately. I wish I could say that the games they play are educational but, unless elf bowling teaches a "life lesson" I'm not aware of, that's not the case.

Reese...

... and his stamps.
Tom's been working late a lot this week so we go into SRC to have dinner with him. Reese loves the stamps and "tattoos" his arms every time we're there. Although you can't tell, the red stamp says "closed." The blue stamp says "verified."

Claire after her bath tonight.

Yesterday at breakfast:

The boys were sitting down eating their food when Drew asks, "Mom, may I please have a glass of milk and my vitamin?" Reese follows, "May I please have my milk and vitamins too?" Of course I was thrilled and wanted to affirm their good manners, "Yes, when you boys ask so nicely, I'm happy to get you what you ask for!" Without missing a beat Reese replies, "Mom, may I please have a sucker?"

Music Class

Drew's music class had an open house today where the parents were welcome to come visit and observe the class. Claire and I went and enjoyed seeing Drew at school. It's nice to get a glimpse of what his day is like in the hours he is not at home. Drew is in the blue shirt and jeans motioning that the music is high. The kids would sit on the floor when a low note was played.

Claire was so happy this morning during breakfast. I would take a picture of her and then show it to her and she would crack up. She's definitely got her daddy's beautiful blue eyes.

High Five!

On Friday Drew turned 5!! His class celebrated his birthday at school and he brought in a birthday snack to share. He loved his homemade birthday card. Thankfully he doesn't realize yet that I'm not artistic and simply appreciated my efforts at creativity.

Friday morning we went to Flap Jacks for breakfast - this is where all the grandparents went together the morning Drew was born. After school we went hiking and then to a high school football game with Drew's friend Tristan.

Drew loves to be a superhero - Batman!!

On Saturday we went to Hawk Island with Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle Dave, Aunt Leah, and cousin Jacob. We enjoyed the walk around the lake (except the mosquitoes) and the beautiful fall colors.

The boys rode their bikes while the rest of us walked the 1.5 miles.

We stopped at the playground. Claire enjoyed the swings...

so did Tom!

We tried to make it a weekend to remember. I truly hope Drew enjoyed it!

Party Time!

We had Drew's birthday party today at Twistars Gymnastics. He had a blast playing on all the equipment with his friends. Calla jumping on the trampoline.
Gracie, Reese, Makanna, Drew, and Ellie waiting for their turn on the tramp.

Ellie, Drew, Jaden, and Reese getting instruction on "playing safe" at the gym.

Drew loved his "Batman" cake. Thanks Grandma Reusser!!

All the kids in the party room.

The kids enjoyed the cake after playing hard for 90 minutes!

The adults had fun playing on all the equipment as well. Hopefully Tom will posted some video footage soon. The guys had a competition performing various stunts on the apparatus. It goes without saying that most of them ended up getting hurt in the process. Case in point: Tom is laying on the couch with ice on his foot as I write this.

Bi Lingual

The boys are sitting at the table eating lunch. This is what I'm overhearing:

Reese: "This is how you eat applesauce in French." He proceeds to slurp it off his spoon.
Drew: "Well this is how you eat applesauce in Spanish... and how you eat chicken nuggets in Chinese..." And on and on they go.

BTW - Tom did find the camera last night. He was right, the kids hid it (in an obscure cabinet). I have no idea how he found it other than, if you know Tom, you know he doesn't do anything half-hearted. He was prepared to look all night if that's what it took. :)

Desperate

It's 8:30. The boys should be in bed but instead they are helping Tom look for the camera. FYI - He told the boys that whoever found the camera would get a sucker. I think Tom is convinced that one of them hid it. However, with the promise of a sucker, I'm pretty sure they would have fessed up by now.

Toast

I'm sitting at the kitchen table feeding Claire and watching Drew teach Reese how to make toast. If only you could be a fly on the wall to watch this!! I think this is the cutest thing I've seen. Drew is so encouraging in his instruction. "Now you put the bread here and press this button... Good job, Buddy! Now, when I wait for the toast I sit right here like this. Reese, you're doing such a great job."

I can't even count how many slices of bread they've toasted! They are all business and so very proud of themselves. I'm just sitting back watching the show :) I absolutely LOVE watching them interact when they're not fighting.

Proud Mamma:
I don't think I've ever been as proud of Drew as I was yesterday. I was picking him up from school when the aid of a special needs student in his class stopped me in the hall. She told me how wonderful Drew is with Lilly (the little girl that she works with). She said Drew is very sweet to her and also very helpful. I almost started crying right there in the hall I was so proud of him! We see Drew's compassion and tender heart every day but it is wonderful to know that others notice as well.

Missing

Right now I'm missing two things: Tom... and my camera. Tom is on his way home from Dallas. It was a quick trip but we definitely missed him a lot! I thought maybe he took the camera with him but I guess it's hiding somewhere in the house. Hopefully it will turn up soon, but until it does the blog will be picture-less.

My mom took the kids this morning so I could work out (essential for my mental health), and then she kept the boys while Claire and I went to play group. While Drew was in school we took Reese to get his hair cut. This was his first hair cut by someone other than me and it is more obvious than ever that I don't know how to cut hair. He looks really cute!

Thanks, Mom, for all your help today!

Country Mill Farms

A bunch of us went to Country Mill Farms on Saturday. We picked apples, attempted a corn maze, petted the goats,played on the playground, and enjoyed fresh doughnuts and cider. Fun, fun, fun!! Some of the cousins: Annabelle, Gracie, Drew, and Ellie (left to right).

Makana and Mathew on the train while the other kids "mill" around :)

Uncle Nate picking apples.

Ellie, Grace, and Drew eating apples.

Makana enjoying a snack. She would have eaten the entire apple if her dad didn't stop her once she hit the core :)

Uncle Nate getting us all lost in the corn maze.

It wasn't a true petting zoo but the kids enjoyed the goats through the fence. Ellie kept asking, "Aunt Sarah, will they bite me?!?!"

Later Saturday afternoon Tom needed to mow the grass so my mom and I took the kids for a hike. We found a really nice trail along the Grand River. The leaves are starting to turn and their reflection on the water was beautiful. Of course the boys didn't notice the scenery. They spent most of the time hauling tree branches saying they were going to take them home so we could roast marshmallows. After Reese took a limb to his ear and Drew almost lost an eye my mom and I talked them into dropping their arm load of branches. We might need to talk Grandpa Gheen into having a bonfire (with marshmallows) when we head south in a few weeks.