Christmas is coming

I'm so excited to announce that we are going home (to Iowa) for Christmas this year!!! This is the first time in 5 years that we'll be there for this holiday and I'm stoked. Taryn has never been to Iowa for Christmas and she is just as excited as the other kids. Since she is the only one that doesn't have a concept of time, she thinks that Christmas is "tomorrow" and that we are going to Grampy's any moment. She has her bags packed... so cute!

I have not started shopping and honestly don't even know what to get the kids this year. I'm struggling to figure out a few things... Do we have Santa come early and celebrate Christmas early, do we ship gifts there and have Santa find us there to let them open Christmas morning, do we wait and have Santa come while we are gone and celebrate after the fact? I just don't know what to do! It makes sense to do it early but I can't imagine the kids not opening gifts from Santa Christmas morning. What to do - what to do...

I have asked each of the kids what they want for Christmas. Jayden said he wants books and more nerf guns, Kiarra wants a cell phone and an iPod, Tamia wants clothes and jewelry and Taryn wants and iPod and a "real" laptop. Why is it that my 4 year old is suddenly more expensive than the older girls!??! Taryn told me she does not want any more babies or books, because she has enough. She is going to be one disappointed little girl come Christmas morning (or whenever we celebrate).

Jayden had a reading benchmark a few weeks back and he passed with a 97% (missing only 1 question). He only needed a 65 to pass and he killed it, we are so proud of him. Yesterday, Kiarra brought home her reading benchmark (that she stressed out about for a week) and she scored a 95% (missing only 2 questions). I think she needed a 75 to pass but regardless she did awesome and we are so proud of her as well. Taryn just moved up to the next room as pre-school. She is such a big girl and so grown!