Christmas pajamas

A couple of years ago we started a tradition...every Christmas Eve, each person in the family gets a pair of matching pajamas made by myself. The girls have matching fabric and the boys have matching fabric. Although it's not the cheapest way to get pajamas, it sure is worth all the time and money it takes. Every year the kids try to guess what they'll look like. I know one day they might not be as excited to get ' homemade' pj's, but until then I look forward to it every year.
Emma had requested a nightgown this year and I put ruffles on Abigail's so hers would be a little special, too.

Jacob was too excited about presents to pose with his brother and sisters.

I even made a tiny pair for Steven. The kids had insisted that I make a pair for him so he could match the rest of the family. At three weeks old he's already outgrown them. I guess I made them a bit too small. Josh and I also have pajama pants. It's been a fun tradition to start!

Having a handy man comes in handy

With all of the recent cold weather, we've had fun trying to keep things working. Our pipes kept freezing (only the ones to the washing maching and the dishwasher) because I keep turning off the dripping water....it's habit. And recently our hot-water heater wasn't heating water. I guess it went on strike. For some reason (which Josh could tell you) the pilot light wouldn't stay lit. So what does Josh do?...he gets a couple of tools and proceeds to take the thing apart. After discoving a part was bad, we got additional bad news. They don't sell the part in town. So we called the company who makes it and they are sending us the part we need. In the mean time, Josh jerry-rigged the hot water heater so we could still take showers and I could still use the dishwasher. What would I do without him?

I'll confess....sometimes I get nervous when I see him like this--but he always comes through for me. I'm glad to have a handy man.

Making restitution

After my last post, the ladies in my household were quite upset with me. They wanted to know why I didn't post any pictures of them with Steven. I have to admit that I didn't realize what pictures I was posting last time--I just wanted to get a few pictures up. Since then, every time our blog comes up (which is alot because it's our homepage), they ask when I'm going to add a picture of them. So here are two pictures from the visit they made to the hospital. I have taken more pictures since then, but I'm having a hard time getting them off of the camera.

These girls sure do love helping with their brother!