I very occasionally use some hair gel (Herbal Essences stuff, the green bottle - it smells YUMMY!) when my hair is long enough for it. I did so today, and Gabe decided that he wanted some, too. So we played Dad's Beauty Salon (I just can't think of a more masculine way to describe it, so there it is).

We are proud to announce the arrival of our quadruplets! We finalized the adoption today and got the cute little fluffy butts settled in their new little home, a Guitar Hero World Tour box. What can we say, they are some rockin' chicks! They are four days old and will be growing fast, so stay tuned for updates to the Bancroft Backyard Chicken adventure.

Many thanks to our family, ward family and friends who helped us out when I was in the hospital from the 21st-25th. Our kids were well taken care of (they basically thought it was one big extended playdate and sleepover), we received yummy meals and treats and we are thankful for all those who expressed their concern, prayers, and willingness to help. We feel so blessed to know such wonderful, giving people! In case you missed the details of my Hospital Drama 2009, here's the short version. After being treated in the ER for painful stomach cramps and vomiting (there's just no pretty way to say that), a CT scan showed some inflammation/blockage in my small intestine and a lovely blood clot near an ovarian vein. I was admitted to the hospital and immediately put on blood thinners and IV fluids. Needless to say, being in the hospital for the next 3 days was not fun and I missed my kids terribly, but Josh was there by my side the whole time. I am so grateful for him! I got home Wednesday evening, relieved to be home, but exhausted. Who can sleep in a hospital bed when nurses (who were fantastic) and other staff come in every 2 minutes (a slight exaggeration) to check vitals, poke and prod and make sure I'm passing gas?! Anyway, I'm feeling much better now, have several appointments with specialists to figure out what the heck is going on, and I'll be on blood thinners for a while. And don't worry, I have some kind of hospital drama about every 2 years, so you have something to look forward to in 2011.

Dress up at Grandma's, originally uploaded by Rachel Bancroft.

Ok. Something weird is going on with the camera on my iPhone. Makes for some funky photos.

Thank goodness for a sunny day after we've been in quarantine over the weekend. We enjoyed a nice walk and played at a nearby playground.

Josh took the kids to the Lego store a few weekends ago when I was on a retreat with my sisters and mom. Gabe and Emma have been playing with this Lego fire truck almost every day since then. The doll is Emma's latest playdough creation.

Yes, I plan on starting a petition to cancel February. I can only think of a few reasons for keeping February: Valentine's Day and our family's sisters retreat (when it's in that month). Reasons to cancel: everybody and their dog being sick. I swear this happens to our whole family in February. Emma has been sick twice (along with a bunch of her classmates), Gabe was a wreck a few weeks ago with a cold, I've had a cold sore and now another bad cold, Josh has been sick and now has some random skin infection. And shall I mention that my mom was a wreck at our retreat (but quite entertaining on Vicadin) and I'm pretty sure my extended family has had their round of illness. I'm just sick of it. Next January I'm dosing up on some heavy duty preventative herbs, man. All in favor, say aye. AYE!

We saw the movie Bolt on Christmas Day and my kids loved it. It is now Emma's favorite thing to "play" - with friends, with Gabe, with me, with any willing playmate. And of course SHE must play Bolt. Emma loves to get the doggie stance just right when she does the superbark. Today when we were out in the sunshine with the sidewalk chalk, she had me draw Bolt for her to color in. She was so proud. RRRRUUUFF!

After having a whole week off school before Christmas break officially started, our family was having some serious cabin fever. We spent Christmas morning at home and then went to see the movie Bolt - partly as a tradition and partly to get out of the house! On the 27th we embarked on our Christmas Break family tour, beginning with Mom, Dad and Liz. Emma and Gabe managed to turn the playroom into a disaster zone in no time. That Sunday night we visited with Sara and Clint and the girls. It was so nice to hang out, eat a yummy dinner and let the cousins play with all the new toys - Gabe's favorite being the racetrack and Emma loved anything princess in the girls' room. On the 29th, we left Springfield to travel to Central Point for a visit with our Ebert cousins. Not too far down the road, just outside Cottage Grove, we got a flat tire. After unloading most of our stuff on the side of the highway, Josh put the spare tire on and then we took a little detour into Cottage Grove to get brand new tires. We could not get Gabe to sit still at Les Schwab. He ran around squeeling, "Wheel! Wheel!" It was tire heaven. Soon I took the kids on a walk in downtown Cottage Grove to pass the time. Here are some photos of that adventure: We finally got on the road and got to the Ebert's fabulous new home that evening. We were so happy to see them! We had a wonderful time with them that whole week. Emma loved playing with Ada and Claire, feeding the chickens and counting eggs, jumping on the trampoline and getting art supplies from the art store. Gabe pulled every toy car out of the playroom, loved being spoiled by his auntie and cousins, and had a fun ride with cousin Ammon on the tractor. Josh played Guitar Hero with everyone until he needed a break from it! I tried to talk Ann's ear off, tease all my nieces and nephews, relaxed, bought some "discount" calligraphy supplies and enjoyed Ann's walk-in shower! The photo set below are only the photos I took with my iPhone during our stay. Who knows if we'll get the others from our fancy camera on here anytime soon.