Homemade Advent Wreath

One of the new traditions I wanted to start this year was the Advent Wreath. Last year we picked the Jesse tree to bring more Jesus and less Santa to Christmas and this year it was time for the advent wreath. I decided right away that I didn't want to make a real one because I just knew someone would find something to light a candle and we would have a fire. The odds were extremely low since we have one lighter for the fire and its kept up high, but crazy me didn't want to take a change, not yet at least. 

I found a DIY wreath idea from pintrest and I decided it was perfect since the kids could do it all themselves! Well we used a pizza plate instead of a paper plate and once the paint dried it curled up and the paper towel rolls kept falling over and the little boys kept pulling the "fire" out of the candles, BUT we did make it and talk about it so there is that!

For a little advent season lesson, ( Catholic style, not sure how other religions do their advent wreaths)

The four candles represent the four weeks of Advent. A tradition that each week represents 1,000 years to sum the 4,000 years from Adam and Eve to the Birth of the Savior. Three candles are purple and one is rose. The colors match the color vestments that the priest wears that week of advent. The three purple candles tend to represent prayer, penance and preparatory sacrifices and good works undertaken at this time. The rose candle is lit on the 3rd Sunday of Advent, also called Gaudete Sunday. This is the Sunday of rejoicing because the faithful have arrived at the midpoint of Advent (which ends January 11th).Their preparation in now half over and they are close to Christmas. The progressive lighting of the candles symbolizes the expectation and hope surrounding our Lord's first coming into the world and the anticipation of His second coming to judge the living and the dead.

This years wreath was kinda a gong show but we did it and I will look for a more durable craft for next year!

Christmas festivities have officially begun!

We got a rather late start to all of the Christmas festivities this year. Brandon wasn't' fully finished with school until a week before and there simply was no time for family fun time until he was done. The last day of work before a glorious 12 days off was spent decorating a gingerbread house. I have known for a long long time that I really suck at art. I never knew that also meant I sucked at gingerbread house decorating as well, but let me assure you, I do not have the gift. Luckily daddy was on hand to use his muscles and artistic ability to help the kids get the house decorated!

Annie and I bought a gingerbread kit at Target and the last time we did so, things did not go so well. But that was 3 years ago and we have improved out building skills since then!

The kids had a great time, the house stayed together and Annie even made a beaded gingerbread man( a project from Aunt Nikki) to reside out side his home. It was a very festive decoration...until

Brandon and the kids decided to eat it!! I threw it away after they really started going to town on it. I can't imagine how much nasty gross stuff was pumped into those pieces, it gives me a stomach ache just thinking about it! Poor gingerbread man, lost his house. 

Gifts from Grandma Mary

After a couple of weeks of watching presents slowly accumulate under the tree, the kids finally got to open a few of them! We are lucky enough to have not one but TWO great grandmothers who are kind enough to send our kids gifts for Christmas. We allow them to open the gifts from these grandparents early, so they remember the gifts and they don't get lost in the shuffle of Christmas morning. 

The gifts from Grandma Mary came about a week before Christmas Day. The kids were SO excited, but unfortunately we had bad behavior so they had to wait a day, talk about a mean mom!

The next morning we did the whole breakfast get dressed thing, THEN we finally got to open some of those presents!

Samuel carefully tried to unwrap his gifts but was unable to, so big sister Annie helped out. It was so so sweet to see how excited she was getting for him. She has her mothering voice down pat " Oh! Sammy, loot its a book, oh Sammy how nice!!" She was loving helping him. 

Then Benjamin got to open his presents, a task he had no problem with. He was overjoyed at his "OLAFFFFFF" shirt and his Captain America big boy superhero toy. 

Finally I let the older two open theirs and Elias was more then overjoyed to get a Big Hero 6 Toy and Annie Frozen clothes and a coloring book. The kids also got a few stocking stuffer type stuff and Samuel instantly found the candy. Thank you SO MUCH Grandmary and Grandpa Chuck for thinking of us! The kids spent the rest of the day hording and playing with their new treasures. 

 Annie getting excited for Samuel's spiderman shirt

 Now it was the big kids turn to get excited for their gifts!

Grandma Mary sent them some of those little square washcloths that expand when wet, they had too much fun watching them unfold in the bath that night!

Shop with a Cop

Every year, some of Grand Forks finest police officers take kids to go shopping for Christmas gifts that they otherwise couldn't afford. After the kids get their gifts, they take them to Culver's where they enjoy a little wrapping party and then and enjoy a free meal topped off with candy canes from Santa. Brandon got asked at the last minuet to play Santa this year and was happy to oblige. He got all dressed up and the kids wanted to take some pictures with him, except Samuel, he is still absolutely terrified of him!

After the pictures we headed to Culver's for the meet and greet. Most of the kids were old enough or cynical enough to know Santa isn't real but there were a couple who were bright eyed and giddy to see Brandon, er I mean Santa!

My jolly Santa, complete with painted on eyebrows!

Merry Christmas from the Eberhardts!

Single Parent

This has been a rough semester here in the Eberhardt household. Brandon's PhD classes have really been quite demanding these last few months and we are all at the end of our ropes. The semester started off easy enough, kids in a few activities here and there, Brandon working usual amount and gone for class a couple days a week, then November came and our lives exploded. We packed up and moved on Brandon's days off leaving me to unpack alone with 4 kids( and lots of help from grandparents/uncle), then his work took off with meetings for a couple of work teams he is a part of. He has also been teaching ground fighting at in-service on a few of his days off. On top of his regular hours and additional school teaching, Brandon was picking up lots of overtime shifts as 1. There were a lot available and 2. We just moved so extra money for home improvements was a wonderful motivator. Annie switched gymnastics classes so now she is in it 3 days a week 2 hours a pop, plus she has ballet and  tennis. Elias is in gymnastic, tennis and basketball so there is always a kid to run to and fro. With grad school winding down, there is of course the end of year projects ,which was bad enough ,but this semester is the one where Brandon had to do all of his finalizing for his thesis( getting approval from various places to conduct his research). On his now limited days off, he always seem to be leaving to to a meeting or work on a big paper. Finally, he does get one night a week to himself, Wednesday night city leauge basketball.  So that leaves me and the babes, all to our lonesome...A LOT.  

We are fine, I got this whole take care of 4 kids, get the house cleaned, cook, home school and get the kids to activities thing down.  We just miss daddy. The kids can't wait to wake him up but then are deeply sadden when he has to leave right away for one thing or another. They keep asking when they can play with him, it is so sad :(  Poor Brandon hates it too, for anyone who knows him, he LOVES playing with his kids, there is nothing else in the world he would rather be doing( well, maybe except city league) and it breaks his heart he is gone so much. BUT I am happy to say, this pity party can end here! Brandon goes back to work tonight ( Monday) for 3 nights, then  he has TWELVE days off whoop whoop!!! He is switching his schedule around and will be with us all day and night whoo hoooo! The kids have been making list of the things they want to do with daddy. This list includes but is not limited to ; Stay up late and play LEGO marvel, put the clothes in the circle thing and watch the water come in ( a.k.a laundry), Snuggle and finally AKAHHHA BLAHH . You can guess which kid said what. 

Is it Thursday yet?!

Learn Something New Every Day

I don't consider myself an expert in many things. I have figured out this whole wife/mom things as most of us do but I wouldn't so much say I was an expert. I started cloth diapering almost 5 years ago and there hasn't been very many days since then where one hasn't been changed in my house. I have recommended them to several people and helped them navigate their way through the ups, downs and troubleshooting of cloth diapering. I would say I have become a cloth diaper expert. Then I found this website awhile back and I can officially declare it; I know nothing. 

I LOVE this website! It gets into the science of why things are good and bad about cloth diapering, why some things work for some and not for others. It takes into account things like the specific machine you are using, the hardness of your water, the brand of diaper, its gets to the bottom of so many myths and "common" practices! I just love love love it! It has totally changed the way I do some things( like stripping) and given me a new go to website. It is a little annoying the way the website is designed( in my opinion) but hey,that is my only complaint. If you are a fellow cloth diaper-er, CHECK. IT. OUT!

Happy diapering

More House Stuff

Yet another part of this house to be excited about, the basement living room! We knew immediately that we would use this as a toy room by day and family movie room by night. The color is truly awful and it covers a massive amount of the basement. We are living with it for now until we can persuade Grandma Mim to do some more painting. Any color suggestions? 

I don't have much else to say, other than here is our big sea form green basement with all our toys and we love it!

Finishing the Tree

We had a wonderful afternoon and evening at my parents house for Thanksgiving and wished we could have stayed all night, however, we had a very important matter to tend to at home, trimming the tree! 

We started decorating the day before but had to stop early due to Samuel's epic Santa meltdown. With all the Santa properly hidden we got to work. This is hands down the kids favorite part of decorating every year. They grab the ornaments just as fast as they can and get them on the tree with no rhythme  or reason. The first year or so this kinda bothered me and I would go back that evening and try to re decorate it, not any more. I love the chaotic imperfection, it reminds me of our little family. When Brandon and I celebrated our first Christmas we made a trip to Target and bought all new stuff for the tree, Ornaments, beads that wrapped around, and all the frills. Here we are, 8 years later and some of the ornaments remained( because a childless woman does not think to buy shatter proof) and none of the frills. We have several handmade ornaments, and a few we have received as gifts and of course those precious childhood ornaments of ours. Our tree was looking pretty sad but cluttered with love when we were done!

We have lost 4 more ornaments this year, I refuse to buy more until the old ones are all broken, a couple more years and I think we are good! Isn't our tree beautiful ;)

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, almost a month last!

We woke up bright and early Thanksgiving and had a super healthy breakfast of doughnuts!! We did a quick clean of the house and got ready for the, now traditional, parade viewing party! The kids really enjoyed watching all the big balloons and wonderful groups lip syncing that this years parade offered. After the parade, we did a quick lunch and put the boys down for a nap, including Uncle Jordan who apparently forgot that you nap AFTER the big meal, not before. 

The big kids and I putzed around, woke up daddy, got everyone ready, took some pictures and headed over to Grammy's for Thanksgiving dinner!

This picture sums up all that I am thankful for: 

crazy family, the ones in the picture and the family we were going to see. Without Grandparents, we would truly be lost!

new house( lovley orange wall, No? one day we will repaint,)

Uncle Jordan behind the camera who helps out more then we will ever give him credit for

Friends who we would soon see( and those that are far away)

I didn't take many pictures at my mom's but this year's thanksgiving was by far the easiest since having kids. The kids all ate then ran off to play. There were so many adults and the kids were so independent( yes I know two of them are only 1 and 2 but what can I say). I was able to watch football, talk, played with the kids when I wanted to and just sit and digest. I don't think that has happened since 2007! 

Happy newly weds celebrating their first thanksgiving together, as you can tell Andrew was really excited to have to rush his dinner to go work

You have one guess as to what she was singing

An AMAZING meal, great family time and best of all, Brandon and I got to relax!