Treats

I took the kids on a massive amount of errands with me Friday afternoon and we used up the last of our McDonald's free ice cream coupons (that expire on Saturday) when we finished.
It's fun to see how they each eat their cones differently.
Elizabeth is getting neater and neater everytime she has an ice cream cone.
Olivia gets tired of the ice cream and just wants to eat the cone....
And Vincent just makes a mess, but he eats the whole thing! He's wearing his hat (that's too small for him) because he got cold.
And here are the pictures my dad took with his cell phone just before Christmas. Too bad they aren't with a real camera or they would look much nicer. I still like them though.
My dad took the three big kids on a walk to the park.
Here are Elizabeth and Olivia.
And Vincent.And finally, I've been making a lot of fun cake pops. I got a cupcake maker for Christmas and traded it for a cake pop maker that cooks the batter into a circle right in the machine (it's like a waffle iron, but it makes them little orbs.)

First I made these chocolate ones. I was trying out different dipping stuff and used melted shortening with powdered sugar and baking cocoa for the smooth ones on the far right, powdered sugar, warm water, and baking cocoa for the ones in the middle, and raspberry jam for the sticky ones at the top. Just wanted to test some things out. (I cut the sticks in half too...)
These are donut holes. I found a few recipes online that I wanted to try and these were some of them. I made the thick powdered sugar glaze and then I started to run out, so I watered it down a little and then used powdered sugar to coat the rest. These ones had a little too much batter in some of them which is why there is a ring around the ones on top.For dinner one night I made these pizza poppers. They had Bisquick dough (I made some from scratch) with mozzarella cheese and cut up pepperoni. The recipe called for sausage too, but we prefer just pepperoni. We dipped them in pizza sauce.

Tonight I made some more chocolate cake pops and used the real candy melts. I'm afraid these treats might mess up my plan to lose some weight next year. I have no control! I'm planning on making a bunch for our school carnival this spring where I'm in charge of the bake sale. The health inspector told us last year that we needed to wrap each cupcake individually this year, so I'm going to try to switch to cake pops instead. They are much easier to wrap (and use less batter too!) I've seen some people put a frosted cupcake in a cup, but that seems like a big mess to eat. Any ideas (cheap ones)?

MY Goals for 2012

2011's goals were mostly a bust. I didn't print them or really think about them, which makes it awfully hard to DO them.

-In 2011 we did manage to not eat out very often, so I don't think I need that goal on here, although we'll keep working on eating more at home.

-I made more dinners at home in 2011, but this year I'll work on adding more veggies (our kids love them!)

-I just made a little online book of 2011 and I'm going to print it soon (I had a free book coupon come in the mail so I just have to pay shipping.) I don't know if I will still make a regular book to fit in with my others or not. I kind of liked just taking an hour to make a whole year worth of pictures condense into the book.

NEW 2012 GOALS

1. Read Scriptures and Pray before using computer

2. Exercise daily (instead of never)

3. Only check computer three times a day (morning, noon, and night) instead of constantly.

4. Read more with the kids.

5. Temple, Temple, Temple= EVERY month (instead of hardly ever like we did, but we did have a new baby....I can make all kinds of excuses, but that doesn't change that it's something we NEED to do.)

Goals are important. I remember one year I was at my cousin's house and they were all making goals for the next year and they asked me to do that too (I think I was about 10 or so) and I didn't know how. I also think it's important to set goals that are achievable.

I know exercising daily won't make me 90 pounds (And if it does, I'm stopping! Yuck!), but it will make me feel better and maybe help this back pain go away (along with helping my Halloween costume work and not being so large when I turn 30 this year!)

I also know that being a better scripture reader, prayerer, and Temple goer will help not just me, but my family and whoever else I'm in contact with.

I know that reading with my kids will help them to be more interested in reading themselves and that helps them in school, life, and helps them to know things they'd not know about otherwise.

I know that I should be doing things other than staring at a computer screen all day, so I'm changing that behavior. (Check up on me, PLEASE!)

Do you have any goals for 2012? This will be the BEST year yet!

Abby's view of Christmas Day

I decided I'd just show you what Abby thought of Christmas. Many pictures to follow. Don't you know that's how I do this yet?

Daddy made us do the Ransom tradition of taking a picture in the hallway before he could check to see if Santa came. I just wanted to drink my bottle, but eventually everyone looked at the same time! Look!

Santa came! And he even left magic snow footprints! Santa left one present for each of us. The other new presents are from Daddy. He keeps them at his office until Christmas Eve and even wraps them there.

What is this? Is it worth putting down my bottle to open it? Maybe I can multitask???

With a little help, I discovered that it was worth taking a break from my bottle.
Maybe Olivia will share these with me? I don't know....there's a fancy lock on there....
I KNOW Elizabeth will let me eat some of these! I just have to be on the lookout! She's pretty excited about them. I'm sure she wants to share.
That looks like a fun toy too. It has buttons and talks to me when I push them. Vincent won't mind at all if I push them, right?
Is that food? I want some!
As soon as they do something else, I'll take their stuff!
What is this? A musical book? FUN!
Pretty please! Let me play too Elizabeth!
Alright, I'll settle for some ribbon. Who needs a new outfit when there is ribbon to play with?

And paper to eat?

And Vincent's toys to snag while he opens more?
Seriously, I love this ribbon!
Why do they keep telling me to look at them? Can't they see I'm playing with my new toy from Santa?
I do like this stuff though. Mom calls it Cinnamon Sweet bread.
All dressed and ready for church at noon.
At church I made nice faces at the man and woman behind our bench and they played with me for a little while. I'm so cute.

Another fun train? Awesome! I love things that roll and make noise.
Grandma Mary sure has a lot of grandsons!
I don't think Mommy should have taken that pencil out of my mouth. It's perfectly safe to chew on erasers, right?
I love my Grandpa Paul! He always picks me up.
I like this little comb. It feels good on my gums. I have six whole teeth now!
I ended the evening with a bath, pajamas, and playing with a fun new toy while mommy and daddy watched "The Help" and cleaned the carseat because I kind of messed it up on the way home.

Abby is eleven months old now and in another month will be spoiled again.

Christmas Eve

The eve of Christmas Eve we had some dinner and played games with Sara and David while the kids played and sort of watched a movie and George and Shirley dropped by too.
On Christmas Eve we had some yummy taco soup and panini sandwiches that were tasty at Andy's parent's house .
Then we got out the Nativity puppets and read the story of Jesus's birth. Vincent was a shepherd part of the time. He kept trading with people. Olivia was Mary. She likes to be Mary.

Abby didn't have one while I held her, but she crawled over to Grandma Shirley so she could be the STAR. She is so smart! She head butt me Christmas night and I said that my head hurt and she rubbed her head too.

We went caroling next door to a nice neighbor and then over to Grandma Ellen (Andy's grandma) and (new) Grandpa Paul's house to sing to them. They are so nice to visit with and Paul even got out his new toy: A little remote control helicopter. He was trying to show it off, but it was out of batteries so he brought it over on Christmas day instead.
When we got home, it was time for Christmas pajamas. We read a few little Christmas stories and put out the milk and cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. Here's what was left Christmas morning.

Elizabeth decided that Santa must have made several trips up and down the chimney. She said he came down once with the presents and to eat his snack, then up to take carrots to the reindeer, and back down with the stocking things. As we got in the car for church she said she saw reindeer poop on the roof and that when she looked at it, she could smell it too! It's pretty obvious that Santa visited our house!

Elizabeth added this little book she made: (Yes, we are working on her spelling and penmanship...) It says: To Santa from: Elizabeth, Olivia, Vincent, and Abby RansomShe even added a little picture of them.
We had been looking at the Norad site where they tell us where Santa is, so she wrote, "They're tracking you! Did you see them? A=No, B=Yes. Leave a note on this tap gift it to a ??? (He wrote on it, but then took it with him.)
And a See You Next Year!

The girls wrote some little things and put them in each of our stockings again this year too.

I love their creativity.

Our little angel...

This fun ornament was waiting on our doorstep tonight when we got home. His nursery leader made it and the wings are his traced hands. It says, "Our Little Angel" on the bottom. It made us laugh, especially since he does not always behave like an angel. However, he's been so much nicer to be with since he figured out how to be potty-trained. He has now moved up to a tall back booster seat and wants to unbuckle himself while we drive though, so that is our next challenge, I guess.
We took a little trip down to Umatilla where Andy works most of the week and joined them for their Christmas lunch of Famous Dave's. The kids liked it. They especially liked the pop they got. Vincent sat at the table where the guys who work there sat and was impressing them with his loud burps and the way he ate his chicken wing all the way to the bone.
We went home through Walla Walla so we could stop and visit my parents. My mom just had her tonsils out last week and is still figuring out how to get some nutrition and still sounds a little hoarse. My dad showed up just after we got there and took the three older kids for a walk. He invited Abby, but I figured she could hang out with us. They went to the park and played freeze tag. Even my dad played with them. I would be freezing too. =) Andy moved a tv downstairs for them and set it up a little and I cleaned the bathroom. It was nice to visit with them. We'll go see them again on Sunday evening. (My dad took some pictures on his phone, so I'll have to share them in another post. They are good pictures. My mom and I must be rubbing off on him that he thought about taking pictures.)
We dropped Elizabeth off at Jujitsu on our way home and then Andy went back to wait for her while I opened Christmas cards (I LOVE getting Christmas cards!) and put things away.
I decided that it was time to put the presents under the tree tonight.
The kids helped me put them under and then I made sure that they know they can't touch them anymore or else their presents will disappear. That should do the trick (I hope!) They only have to wait a few more days. Christmas is very exciting.
This year we are having the kids do their own little gift exchange. They are each giving to the sibling older than them (or in Elizabeth's case-Abby.) They enjoyed picking something out just for their sibling and are excited to see them open the present from them.
This picture of Abby when she woke up Wednesday morning was a surprise on my camera when I unloaded my pictures. I guess the girls took it when they got her out of bed. She's almost done fighting off a cold and getting new teeth in, so she's a little extra needy this week.
Nathan (our game night buddy) had his birthday on Wednesday, so we had to celebrate with him at our regular game night.
We love having game night each week. The girls wrapped up his gift and put three or four bows on it. They like Nathan too. Nathan and Andy were sitting on our small couch playing Mario Kart and Vincent weaseled his way in between them to watch. It was so cute.

Cookies!

A friend invited Elizabeth and Olivia over Tuesday morning to frost cookies with them. I took them over and then delivered some of our treats to some friends. Abby fell asleep in the car, so we went home and the girls stayed there a while longer.
I sent the camera with them (because they like to take pictures and I like to see their viewpoint and I like pictures too-maybe you've noticed...)
Elizabeth was a help in the kitchen rolling out the gingerbread dough for my friend.They liked frosting them too (and even shared when they got home).Then it was time to get to work outside. Our leaves pile up so long because it always seems like such a hassle to get to them and do everything else, but they weren't going to bed like they are supposed to lately and they all owed me some time, so while I finished up something inside they worked on leaves.
Olivia had a rock or something in her shoe while I was taking the picture.
They came in a little while later and rested/warmed up and then I joined them outside to get the job finished before Abby woke up and Andy got home.
I made a quick dinner and then Elizabeth went to her Jujitsu class while Olivia helped me deliver our treats (and Vincent and Abby were there too). Then we met Andy over at the class and we switched cars and kids.
I went out with our sister missionaries on an exchange and we visited with a few people. I love going out with them.
When I got home the kids were bathed and ready for bed and watching cartoons with Andy.
And after they went to bed, I finished the book I've been reading. I like it when everything comes together at the end. =)

Shopping

I took the four kids with me shopping on Monday right about noon. Why, you ask? (Because I'm crazy? No.) Because they finished up with school on Friday and I didn't have time to do the rest of the things I needed to do without them (or at least it would have been faster without them). I figured that Monday at the mall would be better than Friday. They are actually not too bad. I take them with me just about anywhere (except for the OBGYN-when I have to go there....not now! They are uninvited to those appointments unless it's the real ultrasound-but I'm NOT expecting or expecting to expect anytime soon).

I had some special coupons at a few places that were $5 or $10 off any purchase for a few stores and several of them expire this weekend.
Store #1-We went to the church bookstore (I had a $5 off there because my account had reached $100 spent there-Elizabeth's scriptures put us over the top.) We saw my aunt and uncle shopping there. We found a book for Andy's grandma and the kids played in the playroom (and cleaned up so they each got to pick a sticker). Money spent=$0 (the tax was canceled out because the book was $4.99 or something.)
And we were off to the mall for most of the rest.
Store #2-Victoria's Secret (I like their perfumes, so I'm on their list.)-I had a $10 off any $10 purchase there and found a bottle of my favorite perfume there for $10 and we saw Andy's sister there with two of her sons when we were in line. Money spent-$0 (It canceled out again. I love this!)
Store #3-GAP (coupon for $5 off any purchase from their facebook page) We headed straight for the clearance section-that's how we do it!-and found a few cute things (secrets) and went to pay for them and their clearance stuff was discounted extra, so Elizabeth had to go and get a few more while Olivia made Abby a bottle. Money spent- .80 cents
Store #4-Bath and Body Works (no coupon that was worth anything good, but the kids wanted some of those tiny hand santitizers, so I indulged them). Three discounted hand santitizers .75 each + rubber holders .50 each Total spent= $4ish
Stop #1-Wishing Fountain in the middle of the mall- .03 cents The kids like to make wishes and throw pennies in the fountain.
Stop #2-The kid play ground so they could get some energy out for being so good!
Abby liked the slide much more than it shows.
Olivia wanted to help too.
Both girls helping Abby on the slide. She was hanging on!
Store #5-JCPenney (I had a $10 off $10 purchase coupon) We used it to get a cousin present for close to $2 out of my wallet that she'll LOVE (I hope!)
Left the mall and headed for Kohl's to finish the shopping with my 30% off discount. Spent close to $60 (and saved more than $150-like I would have spent that anyway!) there for presents for Andy, my dad, Aunt Nancy, two cousins, two siblings (in the little exchange at our house), a little something for Scooter, and an extra something for my present bag for those birthday parties. And I have $10 to spend after Christmas as bonus cash. (I already have $20 from earlier, so I ought to be able to get nice, new Christmas clothes for next year or birthday presents for the beginning of the year. =)

Many stops, but really not much $$$. That's my kind of shopping. Andy says the store's tricks for getting customers in don't work on me (except for Kohl's, but I always find things on sale or clearance already and feel like I get a much better deal than they do, although they are unloading merchandise, so they probably like it.)
We came home, ate some lunch, and wrapped up all the presents. (I wrapped the other ones the night before, but they aren't under the tree yet. I don't think Vincent understands how to wait and he would just assume that it's Christmas.) Then I made some dough for our goodie plates and the girls helped me put sprinkles on and wrap them up (I make cinnamon wreaths and freeze them so the people we take them to can cook them when they want to.) We delivered some of them Monday night and the rest Tuesday and made another batch and delivered most of them too.
NOW, I feel very ready for this fun season and we can relax for the rest of the week! I love seeing my kids so excited to give presents to each other and loving to help.