Merry Merry Merry...whew!

Wow, what a fun week!  It went by so fast, and was packed with so many great memories!  We had the Worsts over on Monday before Christmas to do some cookie decorating.  The two youngest got to hang out while the mommas worked out and the big guys played.  Adorable!

Group shot on the couch!

Then on Tuesday evening, we had the neighbors over for more cookies and dinner.  I only took 1 picture.  This is the result when you forget to monitor Sam's pouring...

On Christmas Eve morning we awoke to do some quick little family presents (the siblings had gotten each other gifts and had picked out a few for mom and dad).  Noah helped the brothers coordinate in Christmas colors!

We dropped Ellie off in Burr Ridge and then headed to Chicago Ridge to hang with the Mionis!

 As always, the boys were SPOILED with some awesome gifts they had been hoping for!

 Christmas morning we woke up at my parents house for even more gifts.  Noah got his coveted Iron Spiderman.

 Isaac got lots of noisy button toys, which he LOVED!

 Ellie was less than thrilled about the arrival of Zoomer, the robot dog.

 A 6:30am wake up results in necessary napping on the couch.

Are you really sleeping daddy?

 Sam LOVES Zoomer!

You too, Uncle Josh?

 Christmas day we headed back home for 24 hours of recovery and playing with new toys!

 On Friday we headed back to Burr Ridge for a fun weekend with extended family.  My parents and Pops and JoJo bravely offered to stay at the house with 8 children while the other adults got hotel rooms nearby!

 Friday night involved a cooking competition which Kim/Joe and Marcia/Cello came over to judge.  It was anything cooked in a muffin tin.

 There was kid Jeopardy put on by Josh, Brian and Dan.  They even wired up remotes and had a TV display!

 We celebrated December/January birthdays!

 Adult Jeopardy which I somehow managed to win after being down -$5000!

 We weekend was filled with lots of cousin love!

 Noah and Sam hosted a dance off complete with categories like best robot and best booty moves!

On Saturday we did a variety of projects (Bears Scarves, etc) and went swimming at the hotel!

 Giant Jenga was also a huge hit!

 I snuck away Sunday morning to meet up with some high school friends for breakfast!

It was a jam packed awesome week of fun!  Now we lay low this week and recover!

Merry Christmas 2014!

Wishing you and yours the best of the holiday season!

Annual Quote list from the Rodriguez Brothers 2013/2014:

We spent our final Christmas at my parents lake house last year, so we had a couple quotable moments while there in December 2013 that didn't make into last years edition but are quite memorable -

Noah asked CJ how old Pops (their grandpa/Great Uncle) is.  CJ responded, "Well I know he's older than 11..."

I asked CJ how it was sleeping in the same room as Noah and Sam, he said "when Sam says 'one more thing' he never says just one more thing.  He just keeps talking!"

When Noah stepped out to check the weather, he told everyone "It's a little luke out here" (as in luke warm).

January - I overheard a deep conversation between Noah and Sam during a car ride that went something like this... Noah: "You know Sam, only God can turn off the sun."  Sam: "Yeah, and moms."  I like that my status rivals that of the Almighty!

March - Sam's infatuation with Josh's girlfriend, Kjersten, is less than subtle.  When asking him to pick someone to read him a story, he attempted to make it look random by saying, "Eeny meeny miney, Kjersten."

March - After a particularly rough Tuesday watching the boys, my mom informs me that Sam declared "Isaac is trying to push me out of the family!"

March - After his birthday, Noah is playing with new toys and sharing with Sam nicely.  Sam says, "I love you Noah."  Noah's response?  "I love my new toys."

April - We decide to get one of our favorite take out foods, chicken wings.  Noah asks "Did we get any bonus wings?"  Took a minute to figure out he thought boneless wings were free, or "bonus" wings.

April - In talking about his cousin (Kate) and our family friend (Mary Kate) Sam refers to his cousin as "regular Kate, not Mary Kate."

May - Sam reveals "When I grow up, I wanna be a farmer who kills pigs for bacon."  Um, ok?

May - I explained the double meaning of the word "saucer" to Noah.  Later I hear him explaining to Kjersten, "it's what aliens keep their coffee cups on."

May - While playing castle in a fort, we decide that Noah is the knight, Sam is the Prince of Roselle, and Isaac is the Duke of Roselle.  Sam asks, in a sweet voice, "how's our little Jerk of Roselle?"  

May - Noah's comment on dinner, "Hashtag, gross!"

July - Sam, "I wish I could whistle with my butt!"

July - After a nightly wrestling session with Daddy, Noah asks Mike, "Before you did the science thing, were you a wrestler?"

August - Noah comes out one morning and tells me he's a "wrestler sleeper" as he moves around a lot during the night.

August - I host our mom/book group one night and explain to the boys as they go to bed that they might hear Ellie barking or people talking.  Noah says he won't be worried if he hears loud reading (as it is our book club and all).

November - Mike and I are playing a new video game with a villain named "Shatterjack."  Sam's attempts at saying his name are...unpublishable.

December - After a day spent apart shopping for gifts, Noah tells me although Sam can drive him nuts, he did really miss Sam while we were out.  Noah follows with, "He really brings the sparkle to our family."

May you enjoy your families during this time and enjoy a happy and healthy new year!

Building the excitement!

Whoa buddy are we close (but not close enough) to Christmas!!!  We've had a great couple weeks prepping for the big holiday!  Isaac's been dabbling more in the dress up...

I took the big two with my parents and Josh and Kjersten to the Christkindlmarket at Oakbrook.  It was packed, but we had fun and had a giant dessert at Houlihan's!

"Mom let me have markers, so I went for the eyebrow enhancement."

 After our initial "free" period of karate, the boys decided they liked it and wanted to continue.  So this spring we'll be at the dojo rather than on the field!

 Noah had his school holiday party!

 We began a new tradition of watching the Star Wars movies in order, one each day during the holiday break.  So Friday night we started with Episode 1!

 Mike and I had a date night and used a Groupon to try out something new, the gun range!  Mike had only fired a gun once, I hadn't done it ever.  So we had a safety lesson and then went on the range with an instructor. 

 Mike and I both agreed, guns still make us feel uneasy/nervous.  It was fun to try, but it will not be a regular hobby for us.  We both were pretty decent shots after some instruction!

 So now we enjoy some lazy couch days and family time as we get ready for the holiday!