Sophia turned 4 on December 1st! We celebrated by going to Chick Fil A with Grandma and Grandpa followed by a trip to a local farm. At the farm we picked out our Christmas tree, pet rabbits, and got pony rides! After dinner we celebrated some more with cupcakes and gifts for the birthday girl. She had a pretty fabulous day!
On December 4th I watched Hunter and Eden Rappa for the day since my sweet friend Amanda was sick. I towed all 4 kids to Chick Fil A by myself and the first person to see me there said, "Are they all your kids?" I guess I wasn't impressing her with my multi-tasking skills but I sure was proud of myself! Sophia, Tyler, and I decorated our Christmas tree on December 5th. We turned on some Christmas carols and had pizza delivered for dinner. Sophia was such a big helper with the ornaments and it was one of my favorite holiday memories this year.
December 6th began a big Christmas party weekend for us. I took the kids to the Base Christmas party in the morning. It was held in a big hangar where a C-17 was dressed up to look like Rudolph! There were snacks, games, prizes, and Santa Claus! That evening I went to Joe's squadron Christmas party which was a ton of fun! The food, dancing, and company was amazing. On December 7th we went to the Hearts Apart Holiday party which was sponsored by the USO for any families that had endured a deployment during the 2014 calendar year. Lunch was provided and then a magician performed. The kids were nervous about the magician at first but they warmed up to him eventually. After the show the kids got gifts and we got to see Santa and Mrs. Claus again!
December 10th was another big day in the Benscoter house hold. Tyler got his first hair cut! He sat on my lap and screamed the whole time! He didn't even settle down after the barber gave him a lollipop! That afternoon Sophia had her first visit to the dentist. She did fabulous! The visit went really well--We watched a cartoon movie about the dentist, visited the real monkeys that live there, then Sophia played with toys while she waited for her turn to get her x-rays and her teeth cleaned. Tyler and I were not able to stay back in the cleaning room with her but I was told that she did fantastic! When she came out to the waiting room she was holding a balloon, a big bag of teeth cleaning goodies, and was wearing a button with her face on it! The staff even gave me a couple copies of the photo they took of her in the dentist chair. As we were leaving she said, "Mommy can we come back to the dentist soon?" I'll call it a big success!
The kids and I began our Christmas vacation on December 22nd. We drove up to Cape Cod and made great time. On December 24th we went to Christmas Eve mass and then we to my Uncle Ted and Aunt Karen's house for dinner. Not only did Aunt Karen make a wonderful Lasagna dinner but she also mixed some amazing cocktails!
On Christmas morning we were able to Skype with Joe while we opened all of our gifts. It was a very nice morning and we were all blessed with lots of wonderful gifts. Joe even surprised me by getting me a guitar! Evan, Erin, Ava, and McKenzie came over in the afternoon to celebrate with all of us. That evening we raided my Mom's closet and wore a bunch of her ugly Christmas sweaters...it was hysterical! We ended the evening with a delicious turkey dinner.
We drove back to New Jersey on December 29th. Again, our drive was smooth and uneventful. We made it home around 3pm and around 6pm we met Nana and Papa at a local BBQ restaurant just outside of the base! They drove all the way up from Georgia to spend a few days with us and we were all thrilled to see them.
Our year ended on a very high note because Joe got home from his 2.5 month deployment on December 31st. Since Nana and Papa were in town, I was able to pick Joe up from his squadron around noon. We got home just before the kids' nap time. They were so, so excited to see him again!
Tyler could not believe what he was seeing! He just kept saying, "Daddy's here! He's here!"
Some milestones and funny quotes from the kids this month include:
Sophia saying "just chill" to her brother. She also said, "Do you want me to hold your hand so it wont hurt as much?" right before I got my flu shot. Such a sweetheart! She also insisted on giving a princess sticker to a total stranger at chick fil a. After she gave the sticker to this thirty-something guy eating his lunch she said, "It was a gift, I think he liked it!" Lastly, one day she was doing crafts at our house and said, "I'm making you a thank you card because I love you and you're my best friend." It totally melted my heart!
This month Tyler has been doing so much better with his eating. He does more self feeding during the day and is able to tolerate a large bolus pump feed after he goes to bed at night. His physical development is improving, too. This month he mastered climbing up on the couch and stepping up on the front porch step...he used to always crawl up. We are so excited for the independence he is gaining on a regular basis!
Grandpa starting off the pumpkin chunkin'
Look at that baby fly!
Tyler's turn! Watch out--he's in his track suit!
Our lefty has a good arm!
Birthday girl's turn!
Look at her go!
Petting bunnies at the Christmas tree stand
Feeding corn to the bunnies
Time for a horse ride!
Tyler's turn!
Birthday cupcake time!
Cozy jammies :)
She loves her new Elsa hat!
Her first school pictures!
Sophia passing out treats to celebrate her birthday
Someone is way more interested in playing with toilet paper than actually going potty
They're looking for something...
Benscoter and Rappa kids (all in the Acadia!) for a trip to Chick Fil A
Hunter posing with the cow while doing craft time at CFA
Sophia and Hunter attempted doing nap time together...it didn't last long
TV time while I prep dinner!
Who doesn't love pasta with garlic bread?
Playing around while waiting for the bath to be drawn
Sweet Eden
She loves Tyler's rosary
I hung this all by myself!
Final result
Porch is decorated for Christmas--Tyler says hello
Sophia brought her guitar in for letter G show and share
Helping Mommy decorate the tree with ornaments
Sophia liked the horn ornament
Sophia wanted me to get a picture of Santa instead of her :)
Me and the kids at the Wing Family Christmas party
The C-17 was dressed up as Rudolph
Tyler waiting for food at the Hearts Apart Holiday Party sponsored by the USO
Waiting for the Magician begin
Dancing to the music!
We saw Santa and Mrs. Claus there!
Silly kids can make a big mess!
Tyler playing a round of "What hand is the ball in?"
Before Tyler's first haircut
After his first haircut!
Sophia's first trip to the dentist!
Playing in the snow!
Grandpa is so fun :)
Cookie and cocoa party at Sophia's preschool
Tyler enjoyed the party...especially the frosting!
Giving Ms. Jessica her Christmas present
Sophia rocking the side pony!
An Uncle between two nieces
Always picking on the baby of the family :)
She built her own village!
Christmas Eve dinner at Uncle Ted and Aunt Karen's
All the kids!
Real men wear sweater vests!
Look how handsome they are!
Ugly sweaters on Christmas day!
They love broccoli!
Christmas dinner
Evan made special cocktails for the BC Football game
Boys and their toys! Playing with planes :)
Tyler seeing Daddy for the first time in 2.5 months. BIG smiles!
My love
Tyler's Toss
Grandpa's Launch
Sophia's turn!
Horse ride!
Happy Birthday, Sophia!
Sophia "reading" her card
Birthday song at school
Big Sister potty time stories
Candy Walk at Wing Christmas Party
Squadron Dance Party!
USO Kids Dance Party!
What hand is it in?
Beauty Shop
(I'm pretty sure she thinks everything is lip gloss)
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