actually, it’s not really a goodbye- it’s more of a relocation.  after five and a half years of blogging on xanga, i’ve decided to start the new year with a new blog:  tsaifam.blogspot.com it wasn’t an easy decision to make as i’m still super attached to my blog (and blogging friends!) here and have for the most part been happy with the features and options available on this site.  however, my ongoing problems with the photo uploader and the more-than-a-few times the thing wouldn’t upload at all has finally pushed me over the edge and it’s time to move on. but!  i will continue to pop in here to catch…

here are some pics of other fun stuff from this month… took the kids to disneyland a couple of weeks ago so they could see it all done up for christmas– it was sooo crowded, but we all had a good time anyway. happily waiting for the midway mania ride. he’s kinda conflicted about it– on the one hand, he loves all the shooting games, but on the other hand, he’s still not a big fan of anything in 3D. my three munchkins. quick stop to visit with mater and mcqueen. the kids planned what we’d do next while waiting for daddy to return with… ice cream cones! allie decided…

so in between all the illnesses and injuries (lauren managed to cut a chunk out of allie’s thumb this morning with a pair of scissors.  long story.), we’ve been trying to get ready for christmas in our house.  fun little things like decorating the tree, driving around looking at christmas lights with plenty of hot chocolate and popcorn for all, hanging up all the holiday photo cards that have been coming in the mail (one of my favorite parts of the season!), counting down the days with the kids’ chocolate advent boxes and the advent nativity set.  things that do require a bit of planning and stress for me, but…

thankfully, good health has been restored to our house (well almost, lauren is still on the tail end of a cold- which she caught on top of the stomach bug she had last week).  i’ve never had to deal with so much puke and poop in my life and hope i never have to again!  but having to put everything else on hold has meant that my christmas to-do list is now kind of a lost cause.  still have to take our family picture and send out our holiday cards, get a few more presents, put together photobooks for the grandparents, make the treats for both kids’ classmates, wrap all…

we currently have three sick kiddos in the house.  mikey with a lingering cough and low-grade fever.  allie with a lovely stomach bug that makes her throw up multiple times a day.  and lauren with another stomach bug that’s causing her to throw up first thing in the morning, then have plumbing issues for the rest of the day.  which then gives me no choice but to set aside all the busy holiday plans i had set in order to tend to the kiddos and help them feel better.  tiring, for sure, but also nice to know that sometimes, all they want is mommy.  anyway, for thanksgiving, we considered going…