MMM-pepermint hot chocolate fun

We went to Denny's for Jordan's 10th birthday to get his free Grand Slam and I also bought him peppermint hot chocolate. It was so yummy, we have started making it ourselves and the kids think it is the most special treat ever! I also tried a peppermint mocha at Starbucks and so am making my own with basically the same stuff I use for this hot chocolate recipe (add espresso)- and the best part is that I can make about 20 of these for the price I would pay for 1 Venti Peppermint Mocha - gotta love it.

I know you can buy peppermint syrup, but we just bought a big tub of little candy canes and grind them in a coffee grinder (we used to smash them in a plastic bag and make a big mess - wish we had thought of the coffee grinder earlier). The kids think it is fun, I think it is cheaper and we can use the candy canes for other things.

What makes the kids think this is the bomb, is adding whip cream and sprinkles on top or tiny marshmallows and sprinkles. They feel like they are drinking a specialty drink from a coffee shop - great memories for just pennies.

You can also add this candy cane powder to vanilla ice cream to make peppermint ice cream - mmm.

Joshua - 5 weeks-Mr. Blue Eyes

(I posted 3 new posts - so check below)

Here is the first glimpse of his bright blue eyes. We are still so, so in love. He is still rarely put down because there are so many people wanting to hold him, but thankfully he does like his swing too.

He nursed great his first week (never took a single bottle) and then struggled after that. The problems started when he was 6 days old. He would not latch or eat for more than 13 hours and was totally content - not crying or gassy. I took him to the doctor and she ran tests for various things, but found nothing. Then he nursed little bits, but since then he had trouble either refusing to latch after 30 minutes each time of trying or just play around and slobber, so I would often pump and then feed him, but I couldn't keep up with that and take care of 9 kids. One day he would nurse well, then the night he would refuse or visa versa. My body was so confused and I was leaking and in pain all the time. He nursed less and less and so now at almost 6 weeks he is on formula. I had a few good cries, but it is ok and he will be fine.

I still sleep with him on my chest every night. I never did this so much with any other baby, but I am just cherishing those sweet bonding moments as much as possible. He has been sleeping through the night now for about a week, but the real test will come when I put him in his own bed :).

Wedding Fairies and Bell Ringers

The weekend before Thanksgiving, my cousin got married in La Jolla, CA and all of our kids and my sisters kids were in the wedding (12 of them :0). The girls had elegant flower wands and the boys rang bells. They were so excited for this big day because they all love my cousin and were excited to dress up. It was so sweet and they did such a good job paired up walking down the aisle. This was the fanciest party/wedding we had ever been to - so that part was fun for the kids too. I think what they enjoyed most though, was taking a trip with their grandparents, Aunt, Uncle and cousins. We got 3 rooms that all opened to each other - so it was crazy and tiring for us adults, but full of great memories for our 3 families and especially the kids. (Below is a picture of my 91 year old Grandpa w/Alzheimer's - he was able to walk my cousin down the aisle and hold his newest great grandchild)

Joshua - 5 days old

Sorry these are out of order and were actually taken before the last ones I posted. I think you can even see he was skinnier and more newborn/alien- ish :) in these and they were just taken a few days before.