There was great excitement, it was a pretty magical morning.
Legos are officially the "it" toy of the holiday season at the Scott house. Bradley is obsessed, and if Bradley is obsessed it means that Patrick is along for the ride.
Isn't this how everyone builds Legos? Bradley and Eleanor love is so cozy.
Bradley's new gigantasaurus.
Bradley is pretty impressive, he likes having help finding pieces but besides that he can pretty much build all of his Legos entirely on his own.
He's even started to make his own creations which are cute and thoroughly impress his audience of parents and younger siblings.
Describing his robot creation.
Bradley generally demands to hold as many Legos as possible for shows these days. Mommy and kitty cuddles are a bonus.
Group Lego play. No, I have no idea how they got to be so cute together. I credit some excellent parenting. Don't ask me about the parenting that led to what I'm referring to as "the toilet incident" but apparently when a 4 and 5 year old are left unsupervised on the main floor for 30 minutes they use tiny toy teacups to pour water over a drawing the 5 year old did at school and then they tear it into tiny bits and flush it down the toilet. And also carry the wet colored bits of paper around the house, spilling water as they go, and use hand towels to clean some of the water they have spilled all over in the bathroom. When I left them to put Patrick down for his nap they were doing a puzzle ...
Eleanor likes Legos too although she is much more interested in playing with them than building them. I am so jealous of all of her cool girly Legos, they didn't have anything like this when I was little.
It's the Wellie Wishers set, it's basically an intro level American Girl Doll spin-off. And there are amazing Legos!
We had a lot of other fun new toys to play with as well.
Calico Critters! Nathan wanted to know if I wanted these for Eleanor or myself. Can't it be both?
The other big toy of the holiday season - this is called a Zoomer Meowzie. It's a robot cat that you can play games with by pressing a few buttons and petting its head or moving your hand in front of its face. Eleanor has already mastered a fair number of things it can do and it's pretty funny to hear the dice game going when Eleanor is completely under a blanket on the couch on cold mornings.
We also got some new games, the most popular of which is currently HedBanz which is a cute guessing game for small kids. It's a lot of fun to watch, especially when Patrick will only guess monster over and over while jumping around in great excitement. Luckily, he had kind siblings who give him lots of hints.
Bradley got a big dinosaur excavation kit which required assembling an entire dinosaur fossil he dug out of hardened clay.
It's now on display in our built-ins by the fireplace.
The Christmas Eve service was very nice. We got properly dressed up and let the children unwrap one present each before we left for church. It was so lucky they were all handed new activity book presents!
This photo was take after I had finished threatening children about what would happen to candles that were handled wildly. Bradley was bringing a scientific level of curiosity to fire and hot wax and this was not the time or place for such experiments.
Family picture - the best we could get.
We went home and changed into Christmas jammies and Bradley was in charge of writing the note to Santa that was put out with the milk and cookies.
It says "Dear Santa. Merry Christmas! Love, Bradley, Eleanor, Patrick" and then Bradley drew a picture of Santa holding the plate of cookies.
The kids have been very excited to sing Christmas carols in anticipation of the big day. Nathan and I love how they make up words to all the songs.
This video starts out with a lot of yelling and a new Eleanor insult (rotten coconut!) and then calms down into some cute carol singing. We're huge suckers for Bradley songs about dinosaurs, especially dinosaurs who party on Christmas Eve.
Eleanor insults are our new favorite thing. Nathan and I have started calling each other rotten coconuts, fools, and Mr. Bunnyface. The last isn't truly an insult but Bradley was properly disgusted and had to tell her off when Eleanor called him that while they were riding on the platform swing in the backyard. On December 18th, when it was in the mid 50's and my children were running around barefoot outside.
Mr. Bunnyface in action.
We fit three kids in the bath after our barefoot adventure. They all still fit!
Did I share Bradley's class picture yet?
He's so cute at school. I love visiting once per week to help out during language arts. Eleanor had a stomach bug on the day of Bradley's school holiday party so wonderful Nathan came home to watch her and Patrick while I got to go solo to the party. I didn't know it could be relaxing and fun to be at a school party, it was much more exciting when I went to the Halloween party with both younger siblings in tow.
His cute class. It's really fun getting to know the other kids, he has a lot of sweethearts in the class with him.
It snowed on Christmas eve and so we had a white Christmas, which was a lot of fun. The kids went outside and played with the neighbors and had a blast.
Swing in the snow sounds fun but in reality it just means you are a target for everyone's snowballs and have no access to snow in order to return fire.
There wasn't a lot of snow but we didn't let that deter the kids from sledding until they were basically riding directly on grass.
We had to warm ourselves by the fire after we came inside. Eleanor just makes me so happy sometimes. Please note that Patrick is raising up his shirt to copy her.
We decorated cookies for Santa during Patrick nap time.
Each child got to eat a cookie they had decorated.
Patrick was very pleased to be offered a cookie upon waking from his nap and I have to say it is fairly impressive how he's able to clear an entire cookie of glaze and toppings while leaving the actual cookie part untouched.
Bradley and Patrick have been amazing little buddies lately. Bradley wins a prize for being an amazing big brother. Patrick loves these horsie rides and has been demanding them on a regular basis lately.
Nathan and I got in a few cool grownup dates over the course of December. Here we are all fancy for his company Christmas party at Union Station.
We got a caricature portrait of ourselves at this thing and while it was very cute I wasn't exactly sure what to do with it once we got home. So I found a spare frame and hung it in Bradley's bedroom. He seemed okay with it, although I'm sure it's a weird thing to put in your child's room.
Patrick appreciated that I left my high heels out when I got home.
And then the next weekend we went to the Kansas City symphony (I know!) with some friends. It's hard to be this fancy but we manage it to pull it off. We actually went out the following weekend as well but didn't think to take any pictures. We had three different babysitters for three different nights out and it went so much better than last year where Patrick would run after us, sobbing hysterically as we walked out the door. Don't miss that. Although it's a lot of fun to hear Patrick tell what he thinks was important from the babysitter's time here, like when he solemnly tells me that the babysitter said "go back to bed!" That ranks with when I left him at a friend's house when I took Eleanor to a doctor appointment and after I picked him up he told me that my friend had said "NO hitting." It's helpful to have a child that tells on himself.
Patrick is very lucky he's so cute. Note how the binoculars are being used in the picture below.
Bradley started martial arts and he loves it!
These are pictures from his first day and I knew we were good to go when we walked in and he went from nervously clinging to me to enthusiastically putting on his uniform and bouncing around in excitement within five minutes of us being there. He also insisted on introducing himself in Spanish to everyone (thanks Kindergarten language lessons) and would say "Me llamo Bradley. Como se llama?" It was adorable.
He generally bounces around in excitement a good amount in his classes. It's a blast to watch and he goes twice per week so Nathan and I get to take turns watching him.
Practicing his crab walk.
Look at that great kick! He has been practicing at home a bit too but fortunately for us it's only been on Patrick and the younger sibling assures me that he likes it.
Videos! They play a lot of games in the 4-5 year old class Bradley is in. But they're still learning moves and concepts. Bradley loves it so much.
Currently my favorite video. He's getting so good at the different kicks!
The last video. I love all the different activities they do and how Bradley is so obviously loving every bit of it.
Eleanor and Patrick just finished up gymnastics and Eleanor will be starting dance class next week. We asked her if she wanted to do martial arts like Bradley but got an emphatic "NO" in response. In all fairness, there are no tutus or sparkles in taekwondo, they really need to work on that.
Patrick by Coach Lisa, the only person he would trust to help him do flips or other tricks at gymnastics. I don't know how many times I tried to help him in class and was told "NO, Coach Lisa!" It's okay though, he does the same thing to Nathan when he tries to brush his teeth and Patrick wants me. I rank when it counts.
And I somehow thought it would be a good idea to take my five, four, and two year old to a jazz night at a church the week before Christmas. We went in jammies and took a number of cute pictures.
Video of picture - this sums up the Bradley and Eleanor love.
I think Eleanor was going for a nose boop here and Bradley decided to give her a smooch.
We had better luck the next morning when we went to Mabel's daddy's birthday party at a Mexican restaurant. This was perhaps more our scene.
Look, all the kids (plus Mabel) in a picture. Bradley was undeterred by Patrick's stiff arm and continued to try to hug him.
Remember how Eleanor discovered "whistling?" Whenever she wants attention now she "whistles" and Patrick has taken notice and now does the same. Eleanor makes her shrill noises to get our attention and Patrick says "whoo whoo!" My favorite is when he does this to get the attention of his siblings. Eleanor will still hotly tell him that he doesn't know how to whistle right yet.
Patrick really prefers to be called by his name or be referred to as a "big boy." Anything else he will hotly deny. Nathan and I may think this is rather hilarious and enjoy called him a cute little elf in order to see his reaction.
And oh my Eleanor. Why don't I put this little girl in pigtails everyday? Also, I really need to retire some of these dresses that have become miniskirts. She still fits in them but they are no longer church appropriate length.
Most of what Eleanor says I want to write down these days. The other day she talked me into playing princesses with her and Patrick. I decided to have my princess try to ride on Patrick's hummingbird toy.
Eleanor: Nono, you can't do that, it's too dangerous!
Me: But it's my pet!
Eleanor: (her princess talking) Once I had a pet woodpecker and it stabbed me! The stab is gone now. But that can't be your pet.
Now whenever I have a cut or something that heals I tell Nathan "the stab is gone now."
This duo. How are they this sweet? Patrick is so intent on being in on anything and everything going on with his big brother and sister.
Patrick is also the wisest child when trying to get rid of food he doesn't want at dinner. Cute sharing works a lot better then whining and begging to not have to eat things.
Is he keeping up with jumping with the brother three years older than him? Why yes he is.
How are we so happy and cozy all the time? We aren't. I don't remember what this picture was from. But Patrick and Eleanor are so done. Bradley is cute at least! Good job, Bradley.
Eleanor fell asleep in front of the fire the day after Christmas because she was so tired. I guess maybe I didn't have to take the family to the gym pool to burn off some energy the day after Christmas. We had to walk in and out of the gym in 10 degree weather. It's something to watch snow falling outside as you're swimming in a warm pool. Oh, and I also took her shopping at Target during nap time (we now own Christmas cat and Christmas rhino decorations for our yard). Poor tired girl!
This sweet thing - she needs rest and lots of cuddles!
Good thing she has Daddy. Mostly the big kids don't nap anymore but sometimes the holidays just take it out of ya.
How we read with Daddy on the couch. He's cozy and Eleanor is ridiculous.
Here Patrick is with the best toy we've inherited, a toy keyboard from the neighbor girl. Bonus videos at the end.
Eleanor dancing
Bradley on the mic, Eleanor as the director.
Here's to wrapping up a wonderful year! I feel like we're in a good groove these days. Nathan and I have finally rediscovered the joy of consecutive hours of sleep happening on a regular basis, the kitties are getting more love and attention then ever before (thank you, Patrick!), and it's so fun to see these sweet children grow and become their own people. And such wonderful little people they are!
