December Happenings... AKA Christmas!

I have been putting off this post for a couple of days.  Trying to put a different spin on Christmas pictures is hard.  I am sure you are tired of reading about all the presents, family gatherings, etc!  But I just can't come up with a way to make this topic fresh for y'all!  Maybe it's the lack of sleep... No, I slept 6.5 hours straight last night (thank you LuLu!).  Maybe its the 4 kids eating at my brain all day... Naw, they are pretty good AND Nate has been working a bunch from home. Perhaps, just maybe, it's because Christmas IS truly all about the presents and gatherings... Now we are onto something!  But not the presents Santa brings.  And not the family gatherings of duty. Christmas is about the present and gathering that can only come from our Savior's birth.  The gift of Eternal Life and the gathering of those from afar, just to pay tribute and bring gifts. Gift giving not out of obligation, but out of respect and honor.  Family gatherings not out of duty, but because we love each other and deeply desire to connect with one another.

I hope you enjoy seeing our December as much as we did living it!

On their way to Palomar Mountain for the day with Grandpa Dave.

To the Vermont Family: Those are the hats from Cathy's store!  Hooray for Turtle Fur!!

GO BOISE STATE BRONCOS!! 

Lucy's 1st Christmas gift from Uncle Jeff and Cousins Ryan and Adam!

Not a great picture...  But what you can kinda see here is the Turner Family Wii Oath. 

Things were getting a bit out of hand one night while playing Super Mario Bros and Scooby Doo.  Angry words, hurst feelings, not sharing or taking turns, etc.  You get the picture!  Time for Mommy to step in...

First, all kids and daddies got a timeout from videogames. 

Next, Mommy made all kids and daddies take an oath to only speak kind words to each other,

take turns and freely give grace, or else

NO MORE WII FOR A WEEK!

I am happy to report things are better.  Bailey has gotten the concept of "Bubbling" in Super Mario Bros better and Daddy is sharing and taking turns more frequently!  LOL!

Daddy and his girls! 

What a trooper! Maggie on his back, Lucy on front and Bailey holding his hand!  It was cold and even started to sprinkle on us during this walk.

Our Gingerbread House.

Maggie's Big Wheel!  Will is always there to give a helping hand!

Especially if it means getting to presents faster!

Almost 80 degrees on Christmas day!  We sat on Oma's patio for Dinner!

Right before the frenzy!

Hey, wait!  He's not trash!!

Groucho Marx on skates!

She wouldn't even take the skates off to eat!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Can't wait to share our 2012 happenings with you all!



Lucy's 1st Photoshoot!

Hi All!  These are pictures my wonderful friend, Jennifer Williamson,  took of the kids.  Lucy is 11 days old!!  It is crazy to "look back" at these pictures and see how much she has already grown and changed since they were taken! 

Enjoy!

Hope y'all are enjoying the
CHRISTmas Season
as much as we are!

December Thus Far!

What would a Turner Troupe Fall/Winter post be without a bit-o-basketball?!?  Just wrong, that's what it would be... Just. Plain. Wrong!

 This is at our first game of the season!  Our really great family friend Kimmy Iverson plays for Master's College and last week they played at San Diego Christian College, so we HAD to go!!!  Bailey has dubbed her, BFF, and whenever she is in town for church, Bailey always finds an excuse to sit with her, instead of our family!  She is the kind of kid that inspires and blesses everyone she comes in contact with, young and old, stranger and friend.  When I grow up I want to be Kimmy, but I would definitely settle for 3 daughters just like her (or like her sisters and brother for that matter!)!  Look for more basketball posts and pictures, as CLA's season is just beginning and yes, Nate is coaching again!!

 Lucy at her first basketball game... sleeping!

 Since Mr. Christmas (Will) can't get enough Christmas, he volunteered to decorate Oma's house, inside and out!  She happily took him up on his offer!  Bailey helped, Lucy watched and Maggie napped.  I am sure there will be more posts this season about Mr. Christmas....

Beckett Family Christmas Party!  We had an amazing time getting a chance to reconnect with my cousins and our kids getting to meet and play with their kids!  Again... Lucy (pink blob, center) pretty much slept through it!  Our family is really looking forward to making more memories like this one in the future! Family is good. 

On the horizon...  Aunt Julie is coming in for my mom's birthday this weekend!  Can't wait to hang out with her!  Then Uncle Jeff will arrive for Christmas, Will is hoping to rock climb or hike with him!!  Then it's 3 days of Christmas!  Eve at Mom/Patty/Grandma's house, Day at Oma's, and after at our house with extended family.  Hoping to have a snow day or ice skating time in this season!  But in the meantime, we are having a great time searching for spectacular Christmas Light Displays!!!

Today, be happier than a bird with a french fry! 

(Just saw it on FB, and it made me laugh!)

And!! 

Be a dispenser of GRACE, just like a Pez dispenser if of good ol' sweet tasting candy!!

(Courtesy of Mike Lopez, Trinity Fellowship Church)

Love you all!  SMILE!

Thanksgiving

It was an interesting Thanksgiving to say the least... mainly, I guess, because it was our smallest Thanksgiving I can remember.  You see, my mom is one of 7, and let me tell you, when gathered, it is quite a crowd!  But this year, there were only 13 of us and the Turner Family accounted for 6 people!!

Our day started at our Running Club's Turket Trot!  I did one mile pushing Lucy in the stroller and Nate, Bailey, Will and Maggie each did about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 miles!!

They are holding their Turkey Charms to put on their necklaces!!  Lucy and I are sharing our trinkets from here on out!!

Maggie wore the Turkey Hat for awhile!  We had to tie the legs under her chin so it wouldn't fall off!  Hilarious!!

Our Turkey craft.  The kids did all the feathers and gluing.  They also made made turkeys out of their handprints!!

Love you all!

Lucy Marie's Post!

Finally sitting down to formally introduce you to the newest member of our family! 

LUCY MARIE TURNER

HER STATS:

Born at 8:01am,

8 pounds 4 oz (biggest baby of the Troupe yet!),

20 inches long.

It is said a picture is worth a thousand words!  Well, we have many pictures to share, and if I tried to write that many words, well, I would be exhausted!!  So, without further interruptions... away we go!!

Daddy, Mommy, Lucy!

Big Sister Bailey and Lucy

The Big Brother!

The Troupe!

Baby Moosie!

Many more pictures of the first two weeks

and Thanksgiving are coming soon!!!

Stay tuned....

Love you all!

A shower for Lucy...

My sweet friends threw me a shower for Lucy.  It was so special and scrumptious!!  Pictures are courtesy of the amzing Jennifer Williamson and the food (homemade tomato soup, wonderful salad, bread and more!) by Melissa Williams.  Thank you ladies for hosting and thank you to everyone who came to celebrate Miss Lucy!

 

Sissies.

So yummy!!

Jennifer is amazing at decorating for parties!

Just look at the sweet detail!! 
I got ot take those home and hang up near Lucy's bassinet!

Melissa doin' her thing with the food!

So lovely!

Is there anything better than family and friends?

Sweet, special girls...
(L to R)
Maggie, Bailey, Kelly



The beautiful women of my family... 
FOUR generations of awesomeness!



Home Sweet Hospital!

That is the theme for our week!  And why you ask?!  Good question!!!  Their names are Maggie and Lucy!

This past weekend Maggie woke Saturday night with a "seal bark" cough... Ya know, Croup type stuff!  Normally doesn't bother us, we are pretty used to this stuff by now!  But by Sunday evening she hadn't gotten any better and actually started saying her chest was now hurting.  Daddy said it was time for Urgent Care.  Away we went thinking she would get a breathing treatment and we would be home before "The Amazing Race" and definitely before "The Good Wife" started.  Apparently she was a little worse off then originally anticipated...

the steroid breathing treatment didn't work, so Nate stepped into an ambulance for the 1st time in 5 years.  This time his own little girl was the patient....

Maggie can kinda be seen in the left window.  Nate's arm (in his green Celtics Long Sleeve shirt) can sort of be seen reaching to her.

Upon our arrival to Palomar Hospital, she was admitted and given more treatments.  Still no improvement.  Ambulance ride #2 all the way to Children's Hospital accompanied by the Critical Care Team was our reality.  By now it is 11:30pm and has started raining cats and dogs and thundering and lightning.  The first time I started crying really hard was when my baby girl and her daddy and the ambulance they were in, turned south and I turned north to go home without them.  Whoa!!  Hardest. Thing. EVER!

Nate said she was given a breathing treatment every 2 hours with steroids throughout the night.  By morning things were looking better, but every time she fell asleep, the croup and stridor (simply means noisy breathing. It is usually caused by a narrowing in a child's upper airway, and makes it sooo hard to get enough air!  SCARY!) came back...  The doctor said she had to stay for more treatments AND another night!!

 Maggie and Nate are obviously both EXHAUSTED!!!

She woke-up long enough to enjoy a visit from Bailey and Will and of course Oma, Grandma Lisa and Aunt Lexie.  They spelled us for about an hour so we could eat dinner.  By the time we returned from the cafeteria, she had found her pacifier and her grandma's lap.  She fell asleep!  Maggie was also blessed by both her Grandpas!  Grandpa Bill and Dave also came to see how the little one was fairing!



I stayed with Mags the 2nd night.  I need Nate at the top of his game for this weekend!!!  By the 2nd morning all that remained was a little cough.  But man oh man!  Have you ever tried to keep a 2 year old, that is hooked up to a bunch or different monitors AND who is feeling MUCH better, corralled to about a 6 foot radius?!  Nearly impossible!  And oh yeah... Her appetite had returned....

 Two bowls of cereal, two pancakes, 2 slices of bacon and many bites of mommy and daddy's breakfast burrito.  That's our girl!

So as I type this, we are all hustling and bustling around the house, doing all those last minute things that need to get done before Lucy arrives.  Tomorrow Nate and I will be up at about 5am, to prepare to welcome Lucy into the world at 7:30.  Then it will be at least 2 more nights in the hospital for mommy and daddy!  The next time I blog, should include a picture of our family of 6!!

Come visit us!!!!

On a Rainy Day it's Fun to Remember the Summertime!

Pictures Courtesy of Jennifer W.  Her skills never cease to amaze me!

 We had such a great summer!  No complaints, except that it is over already!  But we are looking forward to the holidays, so I guess everything has it's perks!!