Christmas Cards

I love getting Christmas cards! It is always so fun seeing everyone's families and hearing about what they have been up to in the past year. It is fun to see the photos and the creative ways some like to document their family adventures. I do not enjoy trying to get a family photo of us. This year it didn't happen. It seems like whenever we try and do this one of us is sick and no one is cooperating. We opted to take a photo of just the kids this year since we couldn't time it right with papa coming home from work and the failing winter light. The kids were predicable. Posing, goofiness and contempt for having to be photographed ruled the scene. After we were done and I was trying to figure out which photo to use, I considered bagging the whole thing. But, I did it and I am glad. Why? Because of the cards we started receiving in the mail. It is so nice to get letters in the mail! I think this is the only time of year we do. I think that if we focus on the birth of Christ and what Christmas is all about, this love and connection we feel toward each other is part of the sweetness of life. And can't we all use all little more sweetness?

The Gingerbread Baby

One of the kid's favorite books we read is "The Gingerbread Baby" by Jan Brett. It is basically the story of the gingerbread man, but in the end the little boy in the story makes a gingerbread house to capture the gingerbread baby in and no one gets eaten. When we read this book we make our annual gingerbread house. The kit you can buy from Costco is great! Someday, I think it would be fun to really bake and design our own houses but this works for our family right now. This year it has been so cute to see Claire catch on to Christmas. Since we decorated the gingerbread house, she is convinced that the gingerbread baby is living inside all cozy and warm. She talks to him and asks him:" What are you doing in there, baby? Do you want to come and play with me?"

Counting Down to Christmas

The Christmas countdown that we started has been a big hit. Wrapping up the books and picking a few up from the library started us off a bit late this year, and I have to admit we have had to read two books in one night before, if the previous day was hectic. But in all, the tradition is here to stay. It has also been a special treat this year to have Grandma and Grandpa here a few of the nights to read the stories with us. I think that it would be nice to record a loved one's voice reading these stories. Then, we would always have that cherished voice and person with us as we read. Some of our favorites include: Snowflake Bentley and Snowflakes in Photographs, The Gingerbread Baby (all Jan Brett books are great), A Christmas Dress for Ellen, Ollie's Ski Trip, Christmas Day in the Morning, The Night Before Christmas, Snowmen at Night, The Polar Express, The Tomten, the list goes on. Some of the activities we have done are; making paper snowflakes, a gingerbread house, nativity night, making cookies, receiving our Christmas outfits or pajamas, hanging special ornaments on the tree, depending on the book and the year. You get the idea. As of today there are not many wrapped books left in the basket and the kids are getting really excited!

Decked the Halls

Our walls and some of our rooms have been pretty bare around here. But it seems like since we have decorated for Christmas, it really has started to feel like home. The weather has even cooperated and we have a nice, white blanket of snow covering all the dirt! I love Christmas!

Halloweenies

Halloween was pretty low key around here. Jared and Luke wanted to be the same things this year with a different makeup job for Jared. Isaac picked an almost homemade get up that was fun to put together and Claire still fit into the sweet shirt that her aunt made her last year so I wanted to use that for her costume and came up with a 20 min/ $2.17 tutu to go with it. Fever free and perked up, the kids went out trick or treating and had fun.Claire enjoyed practicing her witch's cackle during our photo shoot. Halloween has never been my favorite holiday. But it is fun to see the kids get excited about dressing up and begging for crappy candy.We left a bowl on the porch while we were out, but I don't think we had any takers. Maybe next year! Check out this Family Home Evening Lesson by Chocolate on my Cranium if you need ideas for tonight. That's what we'll be up to...(cue Indiana Jones music...)

Got Meds?

"Mama? I don't feel so good..." Thus it began last Sunday as Luke hunched over the island. Now four days later we have 3 out of 4 kids sick with (drumroll please) the flu! Yipee! It has been a long week. Though I am happy to say that while Claire christened our van with vomit once again, our house is still a no vomit zone. I just jinxed it didn't I? I'm pretty sure it will be a low key Halloween this year. Anyone want to come over? :)

Four Eyes

Isaac got glasses yesterday and has been strutting around ever since. It is so cute/sad to hear about all the new things he is seeing for the first time. One example: "Mom, I could see the clock at school today!" Um, yes he is a BIT nearsighted.

Still Alive...

It has been a looong, exciting and exhausting summer! The house is done and the boys have been in school for several weeks now. My life this week has revolved around packing, potty training and puking. 3 "P's" I don't recommend to anyone at the same time. We are SO excited to be done and moved in- just a couple more weeks. We are trying to move things along faster but there seems to be some unwritten law about how long paper work is suppose to take and how much the process is suppose to annoy you! Everything else has gone smoothly so far so I will not complain anymore. Anyone got a garbage truck they want to bring over and load up all this stuff I want to get rid of? More details to come...

How Firm a Foundation...

Construction on our house is moving right along! Much faster than the "remodel" I wanted to do on this blog. I keep forgetting I don't have a degree in web design...sigh. It is so fun to go out each day and see what the crew has been up to on our lot. I have to admit, it all seems a bit surreal to me.

Fiddling Around...

Goldilocks is under construction....I'm ready for a change.........stay tuned!

Project Summer Fun

With only three days of school left, things are finally winding down around here. I have started to look at what I want to accomplish this summer. A few weeks ago a friend of mine gave a great presentation on how she tackles each summer. Her motto is : "The key to a great summer is planning." For her family, each day is planned out in to a regular weekly schedule. For example: Monday= cleaning day, Tuesday= craft day, Wednesday= field trip day, Thursday= weeding/projects day, Friday= swim & friends day (kids day off), Saturday= family day.Most of these days last only a half day except field trip day. I think this is a great idea!
Tonight we are going to sit down as a family and talk about all the things we would like to do and places we want to go. We are going to write them down in a special calendar so that we can have a plan of when to do them. A lot of areas offer free days at local museums, etc, during the summer. We plan on taking advantage of as many of these as possible. Chocolate on my Cranium has a cute summer boredom buster chart you can check out here. I also plan on having just some lazy days too. To me, it just wouldn't be summer without them.

Look who's 2!

I can't believe my baby is two years old today. It has gone by entirely too fast. Claire is our little peanut weighing in at 21 lbs. Her spunk makes up for her small frame though. She has brought a lot of love and gentleness into our family and continues to be the apple of her Papa's eye. Happy Birthday little girl!

Creative Tuesday

I love this idea found at The Small Object. It is a fridge magnet with coordinating notes for list making. So cute, simple and easy! I plan on making this with the boys. I'm sure they can come up with some crazy ideas!

Strawberry Jam

We are making strawberry jam today! I am looking forward to this being the last year I buy strawberries and make jam. Next summer we plan on having our own strawberry patch. Luke says that we will need a dog to guard the strawberries-ha! Good try, buddy.
photo via bbc goodfood

Check it out! (creative tuesday)

Coming this Fall, a very creative adaptation of the book, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I'm so excited!

12 Years and Counting.........

Happy Anniversary to us!

Happy Earth Day!

We are enjoying some warm spring weather around here. (finally!) Monday we had a family activity and spent some time picking up trash in the neighborhood. Luke kept saying:" I SO love the earth!" and "We are making the earth SO happy!" :)

Read Alouds

I love a good read aloud. Lately, Luke and I have been listening to Charlotte's Web by: E.B. White. This is one of my favorites. I think it is especially good because E. B. White himself is reading it. Who better to deliver a story than the author himself? We recently checked out the audio version of Skippyjon Jones by: Judy Schachner. This is a fun book about a Siamese cat that pretends to be a chihuahua. Once again we were delighted to hear the author read her own book. Not only does she do the different character's voices, she sings the songs too. What a great find! A good rescource for read alouds and the case behind reading aloud to children is The Read Aloud Handbook by: Jim Trelease. I read this years ago and just finished it again. It is now updated and has lists of books to get you started. What are some of your favorites or good finds? Happy reading!

Easter Creativeness

Yes, I know it's a bit late for this idea. But I still love it. Bakerella made and wrapped these cupcakes in cellophane with ribbon on the top to look like individual baskets. The basket handles are made from sour punch straws. "Oh cute !" says Claire, and I agree. I'm putting this away for next year. I think that you could do this with kiddos too, which makes it a double find.

Easter Report

We had a great Easter weekend around here. The Easter Bunny came Friday night so the kids woke up surprised to find their baskets filled with treats. We went to a community Easter egg hunt and dyed eggs Saturday night. Sunday we went to church and then to Nana's house for a big family dinner. It was a pretty mellow weekend and I am glad. It was nice to relax and reflect on the resurrection of the Savior.

Happy Easter

I loved this talk by Elder Jeffery R. Holland: "None were with Him".

I {Heart} Spring Break

This week has been spring break. I has been so nice to slow down from the usual routine and have a chance to relax a little. Here are the top reasons why I am loving spring break this year:
1. No soccer or scouts at all!
2. No rushing out the door in the morning
3. Snuggling up to watch a movie and eat popcorn then make cookies all before lunchtime!
4. Enlisting helpers with my spring reorganization projects
5. Taking a break from doing kindergarten with Luke (even though he has asked to do one school thing a day)
6. Staying up a little bit later

Big Project

Wish us luck! We are building a house! All of my creative energy has been spent the last little while deciding on colors, flooring, etc. Who knew that door knobs, fascia and soffit colors could matter so much?
We are really excited and have our fingers crossed that all can go well!

Creative Challenge

Funky Craft Mama had a craft challenge this past month. So I entered this canvas. It is a lift from an art piece that Pottery Barn is selling right here. I used the scraps I had leftover from the memory game and then just punched circles and added buttons and rhinestone brads I had laying around. I would like to add some more detail by stitching with embroidery floss, but I don't have any handy. This was quick and easy!

La Poste

About a month ago, I received a surprise letter in the mail from an old friend whom I haven't seen for almost five years. We have sent Christmas cards to each other every year, but this was a "real" letter. It was so great to hear from her and know of how things have been going for her lately. It was not a long letter, but it made my day. Thinking about it, reminds me of my college and mission days when I used to write letters and receive them from friends and family. (This dates me, I know!)Now in the age of email, affordable long-distance, facebook, etc, when was the last time you send someone a "real" letter? This is my challenge for you this week: make someone's day. Write an old fashioned letter. Uplift...extend....smile....

Creative Inspiration

Funky Craft Mama has done it again! Look at this stationary box she created as a gift.... I love it!
The original idea was found on splitcoast stampers.

Creative Tuesday

Luke and I made a memory game similar to this one. I found this idea at Inchmark. I used scrapbook paper instead of fabric and I ran the cards through the laminator to protect them. It was an easy project to do together and he has had fun playing the game as well.

Creative Inspiration

I wanted to share two great ideas this week. The first is the adorable elephants pictured above as seen at Seeking the Sunlight. This was a project done with kids and I think it is a great idea. I love the plaid ears and tusks! The second is this cute cupcake. What a fun thing to give someone to let them know you are thinking of them. (The original idea for the cupcake can be found at inkingpink ) Thanks ladies!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

This is also a very creative Tuesday. My sis in law made shirts for Luke, Claire and I for the holiday and they turned out so cute! Stay tuned for more creative inspiration tomorrow.

Creative Tuesday...

I have seen this floating around the internet and found it lovely. Thanks to those who have shared!
A few people have asked what happened to Creative Tuesdays. The grocery sack bib has been about as creative as it gets around here besides cooking. But I will try to do something this week. Submissions are always great too!(hint, hint) Remember it does not have to be something that you made. A great idea goes a long way. Here is some inspiration:

Moderation People!

Free Range Kids cited this article in the NY Times which I found interesting. Is our attitude toward food scaring our children? We try to adhere to healthy eating habits around here, I will admit that. But I will also admit that I do allow myself and my kids to have a treat also. (preferably not daily) "Healthy eating" is such a relative term. But I do wish we could stop obsessing about it all. Including obsessing about obsessing. Eat your colors, lead an active life and know how to appreciate the art of a delicious homemade ny cheesecake.....mmm!

Le Mode

Yes, this is a photo of my baby with a grocery sack tied around her neck. Yes, I realize this is a choking hazard. No, I wouldn't recommend this for a younger child. But for the last couple weeks Claire has been sporting this new article of fashion. It is all the rage, haven't you heard? You can see by the look on her face; she just loves it when her mom does this! Claire has a super-sensitive, UBER, highly-agitated gag reflex. She has demonstrated this reflex to us on many occasions. She has been sick for the last little while(upper respiratory infection) and coughing a lot. It doesn't paint a pretty picture does it? I have been washing a lot of Claire's clothes, sheets and other items in the near vicinity of Claire lately. Fun! Well, one day when having to go do a taxi run for one of the boys I decided that enough was enough. At least for the van's sake anyway. Burst of inspiration=the grocery sack bib=brilliant! It catches anything gag related and you just pop it in the trash when you are done. I would recommend that you use Target bags if you try this trick as they are the only ones that you can "tear" off. Also I would expect you to use your own common sense and not do this on a child that would enjoy choking on it. But let me tell you it has been a wonderful discovery and I reserve the right to use it only in the car so that it does not lose its magic. As many of you know there are just times when the whole world can not stop when one kid is sick.( Sigh)Judge if you will...

Arrow of Light

Jared received his Arrow of Light award last Friday in Cub Scouts. This is the highest award you can receive and the only award you can wear on a boy scout uniform. Nana and Papa were able to join us at the Blue and Gold Banquet and celebrate with us. We are so happy for Jared and pleased with his hard work. He hasn't had an actual scout leader for the past four months and he was still motivated and able to accomplish this goal!