Christmas 2014

I will start with some pictures from the PreK4 Christmas program.  Video to follow but enjoy some George cuteness.

We headed to South Bend to celebrate with the Sullivan clan.  Lia loves her Mana.

Kids gathered around the fire.

Giant paper airplanes were a big hit.

It was all too much for the little miss.

Hi Pat!

Crazy lady with Pat.

This is Mike's leg, which was used as a mode of transportation.

We were super smart and rented a house for a lot of us.  So we took the kids there to open gifts.

The next day were traveled north of Chicago to see the Hattons.  Lia loved the dog bed.

Patrick didn't feel so great (lots of coughing) which caused us to leave earlier than we planned.  Here he is just chilling.

Becca scored a sweet hat from Aunt Mary.

A pink parasol!

Despite the sickness, it was a nice weekend and the kids had a blast.  We stayed home for Christmas Day and have been busy potty training Lia (more on that later).  It's been a restful week here at home, so we're driving each other crazy!

More Pictures!

Life continues to be crazy at our house and the kids are growing way too fast.  But not Mike! Here his is being silly as we re-organized the basement.

I have no idea what was so funny.

Lia is proud to show off her birthday present from Aunt Pat.

Yesterday was Patrick's first time as an altar server but only George and I were in attendance.  It's funny.  My friend Chris, who was sitting next to me, kept saying "He's so big" and all I could think was "He's too little for this!"  Here he is before Mass lighting the candles.

 And holding the candles during the Gospel reading.  I think God understands proud moms, so it's okay.

Becca and Lia were the ones to be sick yesterday.  I found Becca on the floor like this in the afternoon.

Today everyone who is of age went off the school!  This may not seem like a big deal to you, but it was huge to me.  With only Lia around, I got a lot of stuff completed I couldn't do with all the kids around.  We're just about ready for our Christmas celebrations to begin this weekend.

The Goose is Getting Fat!

I know a lot of you have been in the Christmas Spirit for over a month now, but here at the Hatton house, Christmas starts when we get the tree.  That was today.  George and Teddy being best buds.

The sickness that has struck our family is taking another toll on Patrick.  Despite the fever and feeling like crap, he insisted on going out with us.

Each kid gets a turn to cut.

Little Lia isn't doing so great either.  I love this picture, she looks kinda dazed.

The men, the kids, and the tree.

 It was Becca's turn to hang the angel.

Love the tongue.

This year, Mike added this amazing stocking hangers/holders to the house.  He made them himself.  I love them!

 At night, we lite the candles and got this great effect from the camera flash.

Some more decor.

Since Mike made a new nativity scene, I moved the older one up stairs...

with the Kings still on their way.



As I mentioned, sickness has taken us each down this week.  It all started with Cecilia puking on me at the school Christmas concert Tuesday evening.  That was it for her but e all stayed home from work/school on Wednesday.  Becca just felt crumbing and was back to school Thursday.  George puked all night long Tuesday/Wednesday but seemed to bounce back by mid-Thursday.  Then Friday knocked him back on his butt with a high fever.  Patrick woke me up Thursday morning screaming that his head was killing him and spent the rest of the day feeling like garbage.  Too wore out to go to school, Pat stayed home on Friday just to be brought down by a fever on today.  Lia has been extra whining today as well and is feeling rather warm.  What a fall we've had for sickness.

Hopefully, your health is better than ours and this week brings you joy.

Thanksgiving in St. Louis

We headed down to St. Louis last week to spend Thanksgiving with family.  We stayed with my brother's family and my parents, with another sister's family sleeping at a hotel.  That's 9 kids between the ages of 2 and 10 in one house.  Here's one of Patrick.

The senior grandchild for the weekend, AJ.

 The kids at the dinner table being very, very silly.

And watching TV.

We also took some pictures outside with Grandma and Grandpa.  We missed the other 4 kids.

 On Friday, we headed over to Mike's sister's house to see the Hatton side.  The kids had a great time in Aunt Annie's basement.  Especially with the heavy bag.

Who know an umbrella could be so much fun?

All in all, it was a fun weekend.  Thank you to D&T and Annie for allowing us to invade your homes.