your christmas was better than ours.

We got the stomach flu. On Christmas Eve...through the night...into Christmas morning.

We were in Jacksonville, so early on Christmas morning we had to pack up the car, including our still-wrapped presents, and drive on the empty interstate back home. I have always wondered what the people in cars stopped on the side of the interstate are doing, but now I know about the dreaded kid-throw-up-in-the-back-seat moment. Gross! And cleaning it up is so much worse when you are in the throes of it yourself. On the side of I-10. On Christmas morning.

On the bright side, I got to meet my two new nephews!! They were adopted from Moldova 3 weeks ago. They are beautiful, curious, energetic, and perfect. I am so excited to watch these boys grow up with my girls and it was so surreal to see these little guys toddling and crawling around.

Isaac and Katie (one of the very few pictures I took):

we are so excited for christmas!

Sometimes Meg gets mixed up when she gets excited and says, "I am so exciting!"

Meg wore a dress to church last Sunday that was my mom's when she was a little girl!! I won't say how old it is...but I think that is so cool that she saved it.

christmas program

Meg's preschool had their Christmas program yesterday morning. So cute! Meg was a sheep. It was so fun to see her up there singing and doing all the hand motions because I know she loves it so much.



Meg's little sisters were there to watch, too. At first they were great but by the end I think they were ready to go home.

1:30 p.m. is wonderful.

Because every girl is napping by then, and I can make the best choice of all: to be super-productive or to take a nap myself. Today with its gray skies and chill in the air, I chose the latter. After a cup of hot chocolate.

Katie is 18 months old already! She still sleeps in a crib but can you tell she loves pretending to be a big girl in her sister's bed? Not yet, Katie!

better late than never

I feel like we got a late start getting into the holiday spirit this year, but last weekend we more than made up for our tardiness. I took the girls to Target (for some reason Target trips are more fun than Wal-Mart) to pick out some stockings, we picked out and decorated our tree and the house, drove through the Living Nativity (I believe the highlights were the real live donkeys and sheep), and to Oven Park to see the Christmas lights. I love having 5 of us this year!

less than a minute

That's how long it took for us to decide on our Christmas tree. I think we set a new record. The nice boy scout who was helping us just held one up, and while Mark was wrangling 2 of the 3 girls he said, "looks good to me" and I said "looks good to me" and it was a done deal.

Easiest sale in the history of Christmas tree selling.

chocolate chip pumpkin cake

It is not like me to stray from a recipe. I must be feeling a little rebellious lately, because I have been taking liberties with quite a few dishes. Whoo-eeee...going crazy!!

I made this chocolate chip pumpkin cake with a vanilla glaze by taking bits of a few good recipes and putting it all together. It turned out really moist and is a delicious holiday spin on a normal cake. This freezes well if you add the glaze after thawing.



Recipe:
1 c. vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 can pumpkin puree
1 t. vanilla extract
2 1/2 c. white sugar
2 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. nutmeg
1 t. pumpkin pie spice
1 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. salt
1 bag chocolate chips

1. Preheat 350. Grease 2 8 x 8 pans. (Note: I should have lined the bottom of the pans with wax paper...then maybe they won't crack when coming out).
2. Cream oil, eggs, pumpkin, vanilla.
3. Whisk/sift all the rest of the dry ingredients (sugar through salt). Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture until just combined. Add chocolate chips.
4. Bake 40 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes, then remove from pan and add glaze.

Glaze recipe:
1 1/2 c. confectioners' sugar
2 1/2 T. milk
1/8 t. salt
1/4 t. vanilla
1 T. melted butter

Whisk together until combined. If too thick, keep adding milk until desired consistency.

their hangout spot

There is an almost-empty kitchen cabinet that the girls love to play in/fight over. I send them an incredibly mixed message about whether or not they can play in it. On the days they play happily and quietly with it, I encourage them to stay there. On the days they pinch each others' fingers in the door or blockade a sister and make her scream, I declare "it's not a toy!" and send them elsewhere.

Bad parenting, I know...I know.

rosemary roasted vegetables with quinoa, feta and walnuts

Something about the cold weather makes me want to cook. Maybe it's the warmth in the kitchen. I made a great new recipe last night and I think it's going in the official Webb Dinner rotation. I used a recipe from a magazine and added my own spin on it to make it even healthier.



rosemary roasted vegetables with quinoa, feta and walnuts
1 lb. butternut squash, cut into 1-in. cubes
1/8 t. black pepper
8 oz. button mushrooms, sliced
1 onion, cut into thin wedges
1 T. fresh rosemary, or 1 t. dried
1 T. olive oil
2 c. chicken broth
1 c. quinoa
2 cloves minced garlic
1/4 c. chopped walnuts, toasted
1.4 c. crumbled feta cheese

1. Preheat 450. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray. Put squash in one, sprinkle with pepper, cover with foil, and bake 10 minutes. Uncover.
2. Put mushrooms and onions in other baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil and sprinkle rosemary and garlic on both baking sheets, mix around, then bake uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring once or twice.
3. Meanwhile, cook quinoa: bring broth to a boil, add quinoa, reduce to simmer, cook 15 mins.
4. Add vegetables to cooked quinoa. Add toasted walnuts. Top with feta.

thanksgiving

Our family came to our house this year so we didn't have to travel with all our baby stuff. And for that we were thankful!! We had a great time with all of the cousins, siblings and parents...all 18 of us.



I love watching all the cousins play together - every one of them is so sweet, fun and funny.



Claire hadn't met most of her extended family yet, and she was more than happy to be passed around from lap to lap.



I will remember this Thanksgiving for all the music: piano playing, violin, guitar, and the "chorus"; and for the cutest front-yard football ever (if football could be cute, this would be it).