American Girl Tattoos

Haven't you heard? American Girl dolls are following the trend set by Barbie and now have tattoos discretely hidden on the dolls' chests....This is what I walked out to after going in to the bathroom for 45 seconds. I repeat, 45 seconds. Oh, the damage a two-year old can inflict in no time flat. Claire decide to grab a sharpie(that was put away, trust me!) and "draw on the baby's belly." The baby that she just received for Christmas; the baby that if it had been marked anywhere else with sharpie could have been cleaned with a magic eraser; the baby that she loves dearly and carries around everywhere. Oh, the joys! :)

Happy New Year!

This was just one of the hampers that I needed to tackle this morning. Now that the boys are back in school today and Christmas vacation is over, I'm ready for a vacation! Anyone else feel this way?

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!