First off, MERRY CHRISTMAS! and for those who celebrate – Blessed Solstice.

Now… after alerting all 3 sets of parents to our big news I can FINALLY post what I have been alluding to in previous entries here! As of about two weeks ago we have confirmed (by home pregnancy test) that we are indeed pregnant! This is not something we decided easily… adding another little one to our not so little family is a big decision and not to be taken lightly with our added possibility of twins. So after much discussion and soul searching we decided to keep up our 2 yr span between the babies and go for it.

When we got married the number of babies was a hot topic and we actually agreed on 5, so this looks like the last pregnancy for the Reinsch-Johnsons (though I am a firm believer in NEVER saying for absolute – that ALWAYS blows up in our faces) so we are planning to enjoy this event to the fullest… there will be NO advance knowledge of the gender and hopefully a little photo shoot before baby arrives some time early August. We have a doctor’s appointment scheduled for the 6th of January to confirm and make the necessary plans for an early ultra sound and referral to our favourite OBGYN office. Sadly with the holidays and weather we could not get in sooner – the only other two dates fell first thing in the morning (not a good idea since the dr is back in the town my mom lives in over an hour away) or the day we are seeing the Davey family off back to California AND (he)Chris is going in for ankle surgery and needs Ken to help him get back home. So the 6th it is!

Of course this being pregnancy #4 we are not so worried and thankfully, so far, I have not thrown up! SO FAR.

Our parents took the news basically well, I think my dad is a little worried about me as per usual but mom – well I gave her the below card (designed by Karyn) and she waffled between tears, hugs and screaming… so I think she is excited!

Thankfully I managed to save A LOT of clothes for both genders while still donating and gifting lots to friends and family so that is rather taken care of as is things like the car-seat, high chair, baby bath… what I do NOT have is a bassinet… and diapers. I am sure there are a few “luxury” items I would love to have for this baby but that will depend on finances. We have done without them before we can do so now! Though I DO need to hunt down a place to purchase maternity clothes on the cheap. Some of what I have is rather worse for wear now and I have NEVER been pregnant and large over the summer!

Anyway… back to the past couple days…

Christmas Eve was a little rushed in the morning getting the family packed up and out the door to go visit first their Aunty Christine (also Gavin’s Godmommy) and her 6 month old puppy Bella. (who was an instant hit with the whole family and NOT a barker!).

Presents were exchanged and the kids spoiled! The twins each got their very own remote control call (which of course had the parallel drawn to the red remote control car that their Cousin Jimmie got from his mommy and daddy). This was promptly used to terrorize everyone – luckily Bella is quick on her feet!

Emanuel got a Lightning McQueen car that when you shake it enough it talks and then goes for a bit of a drive forward. Emanuel has spent much of the following days shaking that car and letting it go while cheering along! Trinity got a baby doll with her very own toy kitty that Bella thought should be shared! This dolly is the perfect size for the doll bed she then received on Christmas Day.

After a nice long visit we packed back up leaving Christine time to get her dog calmed down and get herself ready for the close shift at Shoppers. This had us on our way to Grandma’s house – a destination of choice for our 4! Funny how it is Mike’s truck, Mike’s bike but GRANDMA’S house. We got over there in time to find the hidden key (in a place only Ken remembers), get settled and play a bit before dressing the crew for Christmas Eve service at our old church.

Take special note of the Beatle we had in the grey shirt… looking spiffy after a bang trim he reminds me of the old black and white footage of the Beatles when they first came to the US. Oh and the pretty Christmas dress – last year’s choice it FINALLY fits properly THIS year! Grandma and Mike made it back just in time for Grandma to join us after dropping James and his family at the bus station – they had to go to another city to do so as the Red Arrow only goes from select places but had the best price.

We made it through 40 min of the service – basically up to the sermon including the kids’ time where all 3 boys drug Grandma to the front to enjoy story time. By the time the sermon started the boys were hungry and Trinity getting fussy so we headed back to the house for dinner. Oh and our traditional Christmas family pictures.

Dinner was not nearly as expansive as the previous at mom’s – we had a nice selection from M&M Meats courtesy of a gift card she received as a gift. Oh and the kids had floats! Blueberry ice cream (they were out of home-made vanilla) and grape pop.  The kids were in heaven and I even had myself a dish of home-made raspberry ice cream! YUM!

Of course we had to stay well into the evening with the boys playing with their new cars in the basement and Trinity, Mike and Harley playing up in the living room.

We actually left around 9:30 with 4 very sleepy kids in tow. Once we got home we put the Santa key in the mailbox (thank you BJ!) and then banana cookies and CHOCOLATE milk was put out for Santa (note the exhausted almost 4 yr old attempting NOT to cry at this point).

With out VERY late night and lack of naps for the little ones Christmas Day actually started at a REASONABLE time! Ken let me sleep in until the bacon was done leaving me the task of making pancakes for everyone (not from scratch this time – box mix). Soon after everyone was fed and of course the kids dressed in their new Christmas pjs the fun truly started!

I did try to keep some semblance of control over the present opening. All 4 kids get a present each and if you open to fast, well then you just have to wait. And of course there was the bow saving for next year and the bags (REUSE). Even with my staying completely in budget Santa, friends and family made this a rather plentiful Christmas for which I am VERY thankful. The only thing we DIDN’T get in time was the booster seats for the twins. It was actually the main gift they were asking for! So we told them those would come in a few days.

The biggest present of course was the table and chairs I saved up for! Talk about perfect size and as Ken pointed out, room for a 5th chair! So of course that was where they HAD TO have supper.

As per tradition we had Uncle Ted over for supper and while Ken and I got the bits and bobs together he and the boys created a “gingerbread house”… fun was had and THAT was the point but I don’t think we would win any sort of competition. Poor Uncle Ted was trying to hold it together with tiny fingers poking the sides and roof to assist the “fixing”.

Dinner was turkey with the fixings… we all ate well over our limit I think. The kids got special “fizzy pop” in the form of those tiny cans you can buy at the grocery store. Desert was chocolate covered wafers and Christmas candies, not that we had much room for any desert! Late bedtime for the kids and an even later one for the adults as well past when I turned in (at almost 2am) Ken and Ted played PS3 until they most likely could not see straight!

Boxing Day is definitely NOT a shopping day for this family. The kids spent their time buzzing around all the new toys… of course Emanuel and Trinity had to try out Trinity’s new bath-toys… and Zander and Gavin Gavin’s new car-wash! I have buzzed through two of my 3 new books sadly (there ARE two more in the series but I am debating the funds available and how they should be used) but have also finished the beading and beard and moustache on my Santa ornament. Ken is going to clip it free and maybe just maybe it will make it onto the tree before we take it down.

I have started a new project actually today in my idle moments… this is one of my Advent gifts… a little kit that I figure would be a perfect gift for my dad and stepmom to add to their new kitchen. The kit actually is to make a pincushion but I figure I could finish it as a tiny wall hanging.

Poor Ken had his usual gift luck and was unable to get any of my gifts in time for Christmas. BUT I was spoiled by my Advent partner and my friend Michaella in the UK (as pictured below – that is my absolute FAVOURITE fragrance from the Body Shop!!!).

I of course had no such problem with Ken. Thankfully he absolutely LOVED his Domo all dressed up as a package. The Toblerone (white chocolate!) lasted the day and the pj pants were put on immediately! With him also loving his Timmies card I think that my choices were a success! $40.00 well spent!

And in going with my “use now” philosophy the bath supplies I was given this year by my mom have already been put into use. This is a philosophy I am working hard to impart into my children. There is such a push to “save things for a rainy day” to keep them for “special occasions” and after a while things just gather dust. So we aren’t putting up our books for later, or keeping treats for that perfect day, instead we are living in the now and enjoying our gifts and it is such a wonderful feeling to use those things you have been holding onto.

A final note about Christmas – our cards ARE going out…  but late! So watch your postbox for what would now be considered NEW YEAR greetings! Oh and I am a few short so there is the need to make more… tomorrow of course! Now to clean the house, find places for the new toys and attempt to get the family back to “normal”… yikes.