Fun at the Movies

We just came back from "Bedtime Stories." We thought it started at 12:45, but it actually started at 1:30. We had fun just hanging out at the mall and then to the movie. Allie started out saying, "Where is the Bedtime Stories?" I thought we were going to be in for the long haul, but she settled in and we all had a great time at the movies. Chris didn't even fall asleep!! I think our next adventure will be sledding on Monday.

Christmas at the Hislops

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas as did we! It was such a fun Christmas. Our children were at the perfect ages too. (We thought that anyway!) Here are some highlights of our Christmas:

• Christmas Eve with Chris's parents.
  
• Crab legs, shrimp, and New York steaks for Christmas Eve dinner--Chick's new tradition.
  
• Allie portraying Mary, Chris--Joseph, Maggie--the angel, Cooper--the shepherd with Spike the rottweiler as his sheep, and Sallie--the pimped up Wiseman.


• Christmas morning starting at 2:05 a.m. with Maggie waking up every 1/2 hour and Sallie persuading her to go back to bed. We finally gave in at 7:00.
  
• All of them exclaiming, "Santa came!!"


• Each of them getting, "Just what I wanted!!"


• Playing games together.


• Designing their Webkinz bedrooms.


• Trying to get Maggie's imitation Ipod to work correctly--note to self, a $12 mp3 player from Hong Kong is just that--an imitation ipod that you got from Hong Kong worth $12--and that included the shipping. I am still working on it.


• Cooper loves his tool workshop--he got every tool imaginable!


• Allie loves her Ariel tea cart. Starburst tea is awesome according to Chris.


• Chris got lots of sports clothing--including boots and gloves to shovel snow off the driveway--hint, hint!
  
• Sallie received an airplane ticket to go to Florida in February to see her nephew, Austin's, wedding. Thanks Chris!!


• Having Chris's mom and dad come over for a while Christmas morning. And then later Jill, Kurt, and AJ came.


• Going to my mom and dad's for Christmas dinner and hanging out with all of the cousins on the Davidson side.


• Cooper got to spend the night there with the Collier boy cousins. He thought he was in heaven!


• Having my little family is wonderful! I enjoy being a wife and mother. I love Christmas!

Pretty Princesses

We had Wakely and Drew over for a playdate. Allie and Drew wanted to dress up in princess dresses, but Wakely wanted to stay in her "new" shirt. They have been playing so cute today. Aren't cousins the bestest thing in the whole world?!

Picture Perfect

I just wanted to show everyone this year's pictures of our children. When I took Cooper on Monday to get his "5 yr old" picture taken, Allie was quite disappointed that she wasn't getting her picture taken. So this blog entry is mostly for Allie, so she knows that I had her "3 yr" picture taken in June on her birthday. (Their pictures are also hanging in our living room, so I don't know how else to convince her--she already has the "I'm the last child" syndrome.)

Cooper's 5!

Cooper had a great birthday. He started off with donuts, chocolate milk and orange juice for breakfast--his choice, pizza for lunch and then Red Robin for dinner. He had an all boy party, plus his sisters. We played "pin the web on Spiderman" and "pop Venom-the bad spiderman." It was great fun and Cooper loved it.

Baby it's cold outside!

It's snowing! It is so beautiful. There is a Christmas song (that Petula Clark sings) that I love with the phrase "...with the snow fluttering down; the world seems new." My kids are watching "Goonies." I am about to make gingerbread to make gingerbread houses--thanks to Teresa for a nice new gingerbread house pan. My Chrissy is out in the shopping world trying to get Christmas presents for me. I think we will go out later and make snowmen--instead we made snow angels. Life is great!

Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can...

I just finished Cooper's 5th birthday cake. He wanted a spiderman and so we created one. He is quite excited for tomorrow! He is having 10 boy buddies over--no girls--except sisters.

Jingle Bells

Maggie had a piano recital last week, Dec. 2nd. She played a Jazzy version of Jingle Bells. She had it down, but when she had to play, she forgot where she was and kept repeating a line. (It was memorized.) I could tell she was getting frustrated. Hoping she wouldn't give up, she played through it and remembered where she was and finished. Chris and I were so proud of her as was her piano teacher, Ruth. Ruth is so awesome with her! Both sets of Grandparents came as did Aunt Linda and Uncle Don. She has a great support system. Maggie loves piano!!

What to do? What to do?

Cooper woke up last night just barking and hacking! I did everything I knew to do: vaporizer tent, vicks on chest and feet, robitussin, took him out in the cold night air. Well, with Chris in the Chicago area, I had decisions to make. I called my parents. My dad came over to give him a blessing and then make a juice run. He started to feel better and fell right asleep. I didn't go to sleep. I stayed up and watched a movie till 1:00. Dummy!! 2:15 a.m. came and and Cooper was barking so hard and was laboring to breathe. Call my mom and dad and mom came right over. I bundled him up and drove to the ER. The doctor and nurse both agreed that I did the right thing and that he was doing so poorly that he might have to be admitted. After some breathing treatments and x-rays, Cooper started to feel better. The doctor declared him ready to go home about 5:30 a.m. While in the hospital, I told Cooper that this was his early Birthday present (his birthday is on Friday, the 12th.) He cheerfully said, "Okay mommy. The doctor even gave me a present. This cool bracelet." What a sweet boy!

After we got home, we went directly to bed. Maggie woke up at 7:50 and said, "mom, you didn't wake me up." I told her about our night last night and she said, "poor Cooper!" Maggie then went and got dressed and got herself breakfast without being asked and said she was ready to go to school. Allie was cute too. She and Cooper are laying up in our bed hanging out.

Well, I should be sleeping, but I wanted to write it down.

The Hislop Family Tree

Well, we trekked to Park City and found the "Ah-Hah" Christmas tree, thanks to Brad and Jen!! We had so much fun doing it. We were able to get two trees on top of the van--yes we looked like the Griswalds. I love this new tradition--two years and counting. It is huge and beautiful and fills our living room. Love the smell too!