My Little Sunbeams

Getting Crafty

2012-02-08T22:32:00.000-05:00

I love crafts! I love creating whether it is sewing, paper crafts, drawing or digital design - I just love crafting and creating. Do you know what I love even more? Searching online for more brilliant ideas. Ha! But I have a confession to make. I have a mental list of what must be hundreds of "things to make", a fairly large stack of half-completed projects and probably an even larger pile of materials I purchased for certain projects but never even started!!

For 2012 I decided to set a goal of completing one project each month. I will not buy any materials for any project until I know I am going to sit down, start and finish the project. Well, it is February (already?!?!?) so theoretically I should be on my second project. Unfortunately my January project has not quite been completed. And yes, I went against the rules and bought all the materials, but actually I have a good excuse for not completing it yet and that is I, as well as both of the girls, got sick the week after I bought all of my materials. And then February arrived and I knew I needed to get the February project(s) done in a more timely manner since they are Valentine's related.

Okay, enough of the rambling, the whole point of this post was supposed to be sharing my COMPLETED February projects.

Project #1 - Valentine Shirts for the Girls

When I saw this idea in my Family Fun magazine I knew I wanted to try these Adoily-able t-shirts for the girls. And here they are:

Projects 2 & 3: Valentine Cards (for Samantha's PMO friends)

One morning a week Samantha attends our church's Parents Morning Out, a cooperative childcare program. Samantha and I worked on her cards for her friends today. I wanted to keep them fairly simple. Samantha does not have the attention span to sit and color for too long or really sit and do anything for more than 10 minutes. Both of these projects were simple and took very little time for me to assemble.

Butterfly Tootsie Roll Pops - I found a template online here so these were a quick cinch. I printed them out, cut them out, inserted the tootsie roll pop and glued on some squiggly eyes.

Heart Crayons - These were super simple too but a little more time consuming with the prep work. We've been collecting our broken crayons for a while now but peeling the paper off these suckers is no easy task. Samantha seems to enjoy tearing the paper off crayons when I don't particularly want her to. I figured this would be the perfect job for her.

She did not disappoint. She sat for quite a while peeling her little heart out. After all the crayons were naked of paper I had to cut them all up into little pieces. I skipped this step the last time I made crayons and they did not turn out very well. My last batch of crayons, Gingerbread ones at Christmas, had huge chunks of un-melted crayons because the pieces had not started out the same size. Trust me, do not skip this step!!

This time the crayons turned out with much better results. The only thing I wish I could change is the color. I wish we had had more reds and pinks and purples but we had a lot of dark blues and even browns. I would have preferred them to be a little more vibrant and cheerful.

Not too bad for one afternoon! Gabrielle still needs to make her Valentines but since she loves crafting as much (maybe even more than) me I won't have nearly as much work to do on those. Maybe I'll finally get around to making my January project while she works on her Valentines this weekend.

Meatless Monday

2012-01-30T21:59:00.003-05:00

I am trying out something new with our meals - one meatless dinner a week. Tonight was the first of this trial. Homemade tomato soup has been on my list of "recipes I'd like to try" and today was the day to finally try it out. I made roasted cherry tomato bisque with homemade Parmesan foccacia bread.

First I roasted the tomatoes and garlic with olive oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Then in a dutch oven added the tomatoes, garlic and all the liquid, some water and chicken broth and simmered for about 10 minutes. I pureed the soup in my food processor, returned the soup to the dutch oven and added half & half. I was supposed to add a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar but was completely out. Did you know you can substitute 1 tablespoon of red wine or cider vinegar plus 1/2 teaspoon of sugar for 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar? I certainly didn't know that. Thank you Better Homes & Garden for your awesome red check cookbook with list of substitutions in the back. I cannot tell you how many times I have referenced this list in the 7 or 8 years I've owned this cookbook. And while I'm at it I should thank my awesome friend Casey for gifting this cookbook to me years ago!!

For the bread - I used my bread machine for mixing and rising the dough, super easy. Love the bread machine! (thanks also to my sister for giving me her bread machine a few months back!!) I should have started the bread a little earlier this afternoon, however, because I was not able to let the dough rest as long as it should have before baking. We were hungry!! Despite this, the bread was AWESOME!

I think it looks like apple pie or something in these photos but trust me, this was yummy!

As for the soup, well, it wasn't bad or anything but - and maybe I should not admit this - I did not like it as much as the Campbell's Select tomato basil soup and the rest of the family agreed. With the price of tomatoes and the number of steps (and dirty dishes, ugh) and the amount of work this particular soup recipe involved, I'm not sure it will be a keeper for us.

I do think "Meatless Monday" is a keeper though and will continue on with this idea at least until I exhaust all of my vegetarian recipes.

The Rest of Our Weekend

2012-01-30T14:28:00.000-05:00

We had more beautiful weather this weekend and took advantage of the sunshine on Saturday with another trip to Joyner Park to let the girls ride their bikes. It was a little breezy and cool but after 5-10 minutes of walking and riding we were all warmed up.

Until Samantha gets the pedaling (and almost more importantly, the steering) mastered a little better we decided we would be better off sticking with the tricycle. It is more fun for Samantha anyway. I wish I had taken some video of my little speed demon as she coasted downhill. She was hilarious! Every person at the park we passed was getting cracked up by her.

I am super proud of Gabrielle. She did so well on Saturday! She wanted no help and was able to even pedal up most of the hills on her own. Once again, neither of the girls wanted to leave. Unfortunately all good things come to an end at some point.

Here in the Lingg household we are continually rearranging and reorganizing. It is a must as new toys and stuff come into our cozy little house. Ed's dad made an awesome cubby unit for us when we were expecting Gabrielle. When we had little babies, it was used for blankets, diapers, wipes and all of those baby necessities you want easily accessible. As the babies grew the essentials were changed out for toys and books. When we put the girls in a room together last summer, the cubbies became storage for their gazillion stuffed animals, as you can see in this photo.

The problem with this is the stuffed animals NEVER stayed in the cubbies. I am not exaggerating when I say ten minutes after putting the stuffed animals back in the cubby, even with the girls having to do it themselves, the stuffed animals would inevitably end up back on the floor. And not just a few of the stuffed animals. No. Each and every single stuffed animal from big to small was taken out of the cubbies and piled onto the floor between the cubbies and the foot of the bed. Ed and I decided we might as well move the cubbies where they would actually get used.

I love it here. Instead of the shoes being piled up on the floor just inside the doorway, they now have a home on the bottom row. Our bookcase in the office was overflowing with books so we moved some of those to the top row of spaces, and still actually have room for quite a few more books The middle row is holding toys the girls play with the most often right now, mostly stuff they got for Christmas.

And until we find a better solution the stuffed animals are right where the girls apparently prefer them to be -

on the floor!!

I have to admit, it does look like a cozy place to lay and play. Ed thinks it is time to downsize by a few animals, and I tend to agree, but the girls really do play with each and every single stuffed animal. Every time I sit and go through them I cannot find even one they would miss. Until they are older and can decide on a few to at least store away in the attic, I guess we will have to deal with being overrun with stuffed animals!

Friday Family Fun

2012-01-28T09:01:00.000-05:00

My favorite day of the week - Friday!! The start of the weekend and time to slow down (sometimes to catch up on things too) and spend some quality time as a family.

We had the usual pizza for dinner but we did have a special dessert. I tried a new crockpot recipe for Lemon-Berry Pudding Cake. It came from a BHG Skinny Slow Cooker magazine. It was easy to throw together and turned out to be a delicious, light dessert.

Once the girls had their bath and were in the pajamas ready for bed we put together a new Dora puzzle. Both girls have really been into their puzzles lately. They were putting most of the old ones together so quick it was not a challenge anymore so I figured it was time to pick up some new puzzles.This new Dora puzzle proved to be more challenging. It is a lenticular puzzle so the pictures on the pieces change depending on the angle of which you are looking at them. The girls giggled as they tried to fit changing pieces together.

I also splurged and bought a new board game for us to play. This is not one I ever owned growing up but I can remember playing it at a friend's house. "Hi, Ho, Cherry-Oh!" The girls really enjoyed this game too. It was not too simple for Gabrielle to not still have fun playing but was a perfect game for Samantha to play with very little help.

The first round of the game went really quickly but the second round proved to be a bit of a marathon. Ed won the second round fairly quick but in our house we typically play until everyone has reached the finish line. That left us three girls left to play. It is amazing how many times the spinner will land on the bird and dog and spilled bucket! We all eventually agreed it was time to choose a new game as none of us were close to filling our buckets with cherries.

Poor Ed. The next game the girls chose was our Play-doh game. Definitely not his favorite.

But he was a pretty good sport about it. You create your own game piece out of play-doh and have the opportunity to smash your opponents game piece during the game. So you can probably see why the girls love this game but Ed not so much!

We finished the late night with a new bedtime story "The Goodnight Train" by June Sobel. Very cute book.

And then it was off to bed for all of us!

Wacky Hair Week

2012-01-27T13:28:00.003-05:00

This week was "Wacky Hair Week" at the girls' dance studio. Seeing all of the girls, and even the teachers too, with their wacky, crazy hair was very cute.

This was Samantha on Tuesday -

And Gabrielle last night -

We are having wacky winter weather this week as well. It has been quite warm most days, just barely cool enough for a sweater or light jacket. Today tops the cake though. High of 68, windy and on and off rain. On the way home from picking Gabrielle up from school to my right was dark, gray and stormy and to my left was blue skies and sunshine.

The girls woke up earlier than usual today so I was not surprised when Samantha fell asleep in the car on the way home.

I plopped her down on Gabrielle's bed when we got home and she has remained in exactly the same position for an hour now. Unfortunately I will have to go in and wake her up in a few minutes. A nap this time of day that lasts much more than an hour means bedtime will be impossible tonight. I do not look forward to waking her because she certainly takes after her Momma in that aspect. Samantha is not only difficult to wake up but she is also very irritated by it for quite a while after the fact. It has to be done though.

Hmm...would it be cruel to ask Gabrielle to do it for me?

Leftover Chicken? Try This...

2012-01-25T19:47:00.000-05:00

photo from: Everyday Food

Looks delicious, doesn't it? I found this recipe in my January/February 2012 issue of Everyday Food and have been wanting to make it for a couple of weeks now. You'll find the recipe when you click the photo link above but I took a few shortcuts to make this a really simple, really quick meal tonight.

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

cooked chicken ( I used some leftover chicken from a rotisserie chicken we had for dinner on Sunday night)
vegetable oil
garlic (I used one clove, minced)
can of diced tomatoes
2 tsp chili powder
2 - 15 oz. cans of chicken broth
corn tortillas
1/2 avocado
shredded cheese (I used a Mexican blend)
fresh cilantro leaves
lime

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Meanwhile heat a little vegetable oil over medium-high heat in a small saucepan. Cook the garlic until fragrant. Add the can of diced tomatoes (including the liquid) and the chili powder. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes until most of the liquid has cooked out. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Last I added my shredded chicken and simmered until the chicken was warmed through.

While the soup is simmering slice your corn tortillas (I used 3 tortillas) into thin strips. Toss with a little oil and bake for about 8 minutes, tossing halfway through, until the strips are golden and crispy. To make this an even easier meal you could always use bagged Tortilla chips, especially if corn tortillas are not something you normally would buy.

Now serve. Scoop some soup and add your toppings. We had the tortillas, cheese, cilantro, avocado and a squeeze of lime juice but I'm thinking some sour cream might be good as well.

From start to finish this took me only about 15 minutes and was quite tasty! So the next time you have some leftover chicken maybe try this!!

Wordless Wednesday {A Rare Moment}

2012-01-25T14:15:00.001-05:00

Sunday Scripture

2012-01-22T07:55:00.000-05:00

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion?
Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest.
Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.
Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you.
Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” ~Jesus.

I found today's scripture on the {in}Courage website I follow. It comes from Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message translation). After a week of nonstop sickness in our house, taking "a real rest" sounds pretty terrific about now. I am glad today is Sunday and I am joyful Ed is willing to stay home with two still not quite well little girls so that I can go to church and get some spiritual refreshment and encouragement!

Little Artists

2012-01-21T09:43:00.000-05:00

I am very thankful both of my girls love to color, draw, paint and do crafts. They both easily get captivated with television, and probably watch way too much of it. They both get sucked in to their video games and usually complain about their time being up. But even with all the toys that do this and that, buttons and gadgets galore, it is nice that they are equally satisfied, maybe even happier, by a simple coloring book and crayons. I loved drawing and coloring as a child and it makes my heart happy to see my children have that same love for artsy stuff.

Yesterday I was finally feeling well enough to clean the house. While I sick I spent two entire days on the couch. Literally. You can imagine then how the house needed some attention. Not to mention some disinfecting! The girls helped by putting away all their toys that had made their way into the living room and as their reward I let them do some watercolor painting while I continued cleaning.

Here are Gabrielle's two masterpieces:

This is Rapunzel, her favorite princess at the moment. Gabrielle has also been fascinated with drawing music notes lately as well.

And this next one really surprised me. On her own she decided to do a still life of fruit.

Pear, green apple, grapes, blueberry, plums and then some pink lemonade and a slice of pie thrown in there for good measure!

Samantha is currently in an abstract phase with her art.

I was told this next one was her still life of fruit.

Here is hoping they never outgrow their creativity!!

The Band's Back Together!!

2012-01-21T09:32:00.001-05:00

Tonight was our family night. It was a little cold and rainy and dreary and half the family was still recovering from being sick all week - myself included. But we made the best of it. We were all well enough to go out for dinner (family night is always more enjoyable when I don't have to cook dinner and then clean up afterwards!). After dinner Gabrielle wanted to play games. We are a divided household where this is concerned because I LOVE board games but Ed is not a huge fan unless there is some serious competition happening. The compromise was to play Band Hero on the Wii.

It had been a long while since we have played the Wii and Band Hero. Getting everything ready took some time. Ed got out the equipment, dusted it all off and replaced the batteries in all the controllers while I got the girls ready for bed. Finally we were ready to jam.

Watching us play this game as a family has to be hilarious (listening to us play this game is probably a little painful for the ears however!). Even on the beginners mode it is a bit above the girls' capabilities. But they LOVE to sing and can get away with making up their own lyrics to whatever song Ed chooses to play. And they certainly LOVE banging away at the drums.

Better Days

2012-01-18T23:52:00.000-05:00

Today certainly has not been the best of days. A cold I have been fighting off for a week now hit me hard this morning. Throbbing head, stuffy and runny nose simultaneously (how that is possible I don't know but that was certainly my case today), sore and scratchy throat. No energy. That was me. Samantha, who also has been dealing with the sniffles, was a little off this morning and as the day went on, I realized she was definitely coming down with something yucky. She fell asleep on her bed this afternoon. I had to wake her up unfortunately to clean up a yucky mess she had made in the bed while she was sleeping. Stomach bugs are the worst and to have that on top of the sniffles. Miserable.

After I got her cleaned up and her sheets off the bed she snuggled with her bink (thank goodness it had not gotten icky!) on her bare pillow on the floor. Ed put her to bed tonight and said she was very restless and was obviously having a hard time breathing due to her stuffy nose.

I'm hoping for a better day tomorrow. Hopefully Samantha and I will be well enough to at least get to a store after taking Gabrielle to school to get some medicine for myself and some Pedialyte and crackers for Samantha and maybe a couple of other staples, just enough to get us through a couple of days until we are all well enough to get real grocery shopping completed. And I'm praying that Gabrielle and Ed will stay well and the stomach bug in particular will not spread any further!

Guilty Pleasures

2012-01-16T21:48:00.000-05:00

For many of us, this was a long weekend. For me, it was a long weekend full of guilty pleasures (GP). No worries - nothing too scandalous.

Friday was our family night. The girls had a play date directly after picking Gabrielle up from school. It made for a fun, but exhausting day. Ed also had a long, exhausting day at work so we kept our family fun night as laid back as we could get away with. After going out for pizza (GP #1), we came home, changed into our pajamas and all snuggled up in Mommy & Daddy's bed for a movie (GP #2). Earlier on Friday I had dvr'd (what in the world would I do without my dvr!!) Disney's Robin Hood. This is Ed's favorite Disney movie and the girls had never seen it. They both really enjoyed it and in fact have been playing Robin hood ever since.

Saturday it was COLD! Samantha and I are both struggling to not let colds take over which seemed like a good excuse to not leave the house for any reason. ツ . Ed had another long day of work. The girls and I had already eaten dinner by the time he got home. While he was eating I gave the girls a bath and got them ready for bed. I then left them in Daddy's trusty hands for bedtime and I headed out to do some much needed grocery shopping solo (GP #3). It was heavenly to walk at my own pace, stroll around and browse the Super Target aisles while sipping on some Starbucks (GP #4). I decided to try out a new beverage. It was late and I did not necessarily need the caffeine so I opted for an unsweetened Green Tea. To be honest, I really did not think I would like it. I am a southern girl who loves her sweet tea. But the unsweetened green tea had been suggested by someone as way to still enjoy Starbucks without the high calorie coffee drinks. So what the heck, I gave it a try and surprisingly, I really enjoyed it! Now, will this unsweetened green tea replace my skinny mochas or my seasonal pumpkin spice lattes? Not a chance, but life is all about choices and balance, and the unsweetened green tea will be a nice, healthier alternative from time to time.

I came home to a quiet house. The girls were sound asleep and Ed was just about there himself. After putting the groceries away, I sat myself on the couch in front of the television and watched the Miss America Pageant (GP #5) while prepping my lesson and crafts for Sunday school. I can remember watching Miss America and Miss USA and even Miss Universe growing up and I still love watching those pageants just as much now! I love the talent part of the show, which I think they did away with broadcasting for a few years and I am so glad they brought it back, and I love the beautiful gowns. Maybe one day I'll have a reason to wear a glittery, sparkly gown and maybe even a tiara? LOL!

Sunday was another relaxing day. We had church in the morning and then spent the rest of the day as a day of rest. I wish every Sunday could be like this one but unfortunately that is rarely the case. I was able to read the majority of the afternoon. For dinner we had frozen pizza (GP #6) and I watched the Live from the Red Carpet of the Golden Globes (GP #7). More gorgeous gowns!! And few "what in the world were they thinking wearing that???" Ha!!

Ed was back at work today but Gabrielle did not have school. I had promised Gabrielle we would do something fun - go see Disney's Beauty & the Beast in 3D at the theater. When I looked online and realized the matinee was going to cost us $27.50 I knew I had to change plans. I tried to explain to Gabrielle why but she instantly starting crying. I decided it was well worth the $27.50 to keep my promise and not break my little girl's heart. I did learn a valuable lesson however: Do NOT make any promises to my children without finding out all the details first!! After tickets, popcorn, candy and Sprites (GP #8) our afternoon outing cost us $36!! But it ended up being worth it. I wish I could have taken pictures of my girls while in the theater because they were just about the cutest little things ever. Gabrielle was sitting all prim and proper on the edge of her seat, with her little tray of movie goodies in her lap and her 3D glasses resting on the tip of her nose. She slowly enjoyed her treats, one at a time, being sure to not spill anything or make a mess. On the other side of me was Samantha, sitting diagonal in her seat, completely stretched out and laid back, feet propped on the armrest, shoveling popcorn and skittles in her mouth by the handful. She said her glasses were sunglasses and since we weren't outside in the sun there was no reason to wear them. Ha! The girls loved the movie and it was definitely a special treat for the three of us. We did see a few previews that looked promising, Dr. Seuss's The Lorax being the favorite for both girls, also in 3D. Since they did so well this afternoon I think we might have to make a point to see The Lorax as a family in March.

And that wraps up my weekend of guilty pleasures.

Oh, I finally got my hair cut on Thursday - I had not even had a trim since September and my hair was out of control!! I wanted something different without going drastic so I opted for bangs. What do you think?

To be honest, my first reaction was "Oh well, guess I'll be wearing a lot of barrettes and bobby pins until these grow out!!". It's amazing how different a person can look by just adding bangs. I have not had bangs since, oh, I'd say 8th grade. It had been a while and I was a little in shock at first. But now the look has grown on me and I actually really like them. The above pictures are from the day of my haircut which is why my hair is exceptionally straight. I never get it that straight myself!! But I think I like the bangs even more when I wear it a little more naturally, with some curl and body to the rest of my hair. Now I'm thinking "Oh great, guess I'll be going in to have my bangs trimmed every three weeks!" Ha ha ha!

Sunday Scripture

2012-01-15T21:54:00.000-05:00

"Everything is permissible" - but not everything is beneficial.

Gentleness Challenge

2012-01-09T10:17:00.000-05:00

Gentleness. Speaking gentle words to my children is not something that often comes easily to me and that is not an easy thing for me to admit. I want to be the perfect mom. Calm and patient. Loving and kind. Gentle and soft with my words. Too often I am hurried by the stress of life, too much of a control freak, and too tired from either taking on too much or procrastinating until the last minute with my responsibilities. All of this adds up to an unhappy, impatient Mommy. I don't think I'm always harsh with my words - or at least I didn't until a comment Gabrielle made to me just before Christmas.

"Mommy, I wish you could be happier more."

Ouch! At the time I sort of laughed it off. I believe we were rushing around trying to get ready and out the door for some sort of Christmas celebration and when I'm trying to get everyone ready and out the door I'm probably at my worst. But that comment has lingered with me ever since and really bothers me.

I want my children to know I love them all the time. I want my children to really know being their Mom makes me the happiest person alive and I could not even fathom to begin to imagine a life without them. So when I came across this Gentleness Challenge on Women Living Well, one of the blogs I regularly read, I quickly and without hesitation accepted the challenge.

Has it been easy? Boy, I wish. I wish I could say that while reading the blog post this morning I didn't snap at Gabrielle when she came in to ask me for something. I wish I could say I didn't, once again, raise my voice trying to get everyone out the door this morning to get Gabrielle to school. But who said challenges were supposed to be easy. I guess they wouldn't really be called challenges if they were easy, huh?

I have, however, been able to stop myself midway when I find myself raising my voice, using a harsh tone, or about to say something hurtful to my children. And I pray that throughout this weekly challenge I will find new ways to replace my harsh words and tones with more words of love and gentleness. Children need structure and they need discipline and there is a time for firm words and actions - but taking out my stress and feelings of being overwhelmed on my children when they have done absolutely nothing wrong is not okay.

Hopefully Gabrielle will soon be able to say to me "You are a really happy Mommy!"

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come; The old has gone, the new is here!"

2 Corinthians 5:17

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control."

Galatians 5:22,23

Sunday Scripture

2012-01-08T20:07:00.000-05:00

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

~ Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV)

One of my favorite Bible verses. Regardless of what is going on in my heart or mind, or what is going on all around me, reading this verse always brings me comfort and peace. As I ponder on my goals for 2012 and pray for the Lord's direction, I am going to keep in mind the verse above.

North Carolina Winters

2012-01-07T22:13:00.003-05:00

Is today really January 7th? One would not guess it from the amazing weather we have right now. But I guess in NC anything is possible with each season. Last winter was FREEZING! It snowed a few times and now Gabrielle, poor lil' thing, does not understand it when I tell her snow is not the "norm" for where we live. She is only 5 and pretty much every winter she can remember has involved snow. She has experienced more snow than I did all of my 18 years growing up on the coast of NC. Naturally she equates winter with snow. But this winter, so far anyway, the weather has not been any where close to a slight possibility of snow. Today we had a gorgeous day of sunny and high of 67 degrees!!

My plans for the weekend involved catching up on some cleaning and finally putting away Christmas decorations. Well, my plans were foiled the moment I stepped outside to take out a bag of trash. It was way too beautiful a day to spend it inside cleaning, packing up decorations. We opted to spend the day outside!

First of course I had to get the girls dressed and their hair brushed which is when Samantha, being the "big girl" she is, decided to help Mommy out by combing her hair for me. It did not end well...

Fortunately after a while of turning the comb this way and that, pulling on this piece of hair then that one, I finally freed the comb from her hair and after several sprays of detangler managed to get it pulled back in a ponytail. Off to the backyard we went.

Once Ed arrived home from work, he loaded the cars with the girls' bicycles Santa brought them this Christmas and we headed to Joyner Park.

The park was busy - I don't think anyone wanted to waste the day inside if they did not have to - but the park is huge and there are over 3 miles of paved paths I believe so finding a good uncrowded spot for the girls to practice riding was no problem. The girls had only had two opportunities since Christmas at riding their bicycles. Our driveway slopes about half way down it so even on those two opportunities they only had a small circular path in which to learn to ride a bike.

There was definite some hesitation at first but once Gabrielle got the courage and confidence she was doing great and having a blast! Samantha was having fun as long as someone was pushing her but it did not take long for that to take a toll on mine and Ed's backs. I think we will have to get the tricycle out for a while until she gets a better grasp on pedaling.

I love this next photo. The expression on Gabrielle's face is absolutely priceless. At this point she had a completed a small lap without any help and was so proud of herself. I was so proud of her.

Here is a cropped, close up of the photo above so you can see her face better.

Gabrielle is a child that requires a lot of encouragement when it comes to something new. To be honest sometimes I get easily frustrated with her and I'm probably too hard on her at times when it comes to her cautious and timid nature. She is a very creative, artistic little girl and while she loves to play outside and run and swing she is not the active type as far as sports and those types of things. To get past her fear of falling and failing took quite a bit - but she did it! And she left the park fighting for more time and wanting to ride "just a little bit longer."

This afternoon was filled with memories this Momma won't ever forget.

2012-01-02T14:19:00.000-05:00

Apologies to everyone who usually receives a Christmas card from us. I had them printed, albeit very last minute, but they just never made it in the envelopes, addressed, stamped and put it in the mail. Cards were not the only "traditions" unintentionally skipped over this Christmas. Despite it all, we had a wonderful Christmas and truly hope all of our family, friends and loved ones had a blessed Christmas as well!

Wordless Wednesday {Trunk or Treat with Peter Pan & Tink!}

2011-10-26T14:09:00.000-04:00

Our Very Own Lil' Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-17T09:40:00.002-04:00

I know what you are thinking - after a highly stimulating Friday, I would take advantage of the good fortune of little girls sleeping late Saturday morning and have a peaceful, low-key, relaxing around the house kind of day. Nope. Not us. That would be way too sensible.

After washing the fair stink off the girls with a morning bath, I dressed them in their Halloween shirts and we headed to the pumpkin patch for more pumpkins!

A friend told me about Belinda's Pumpkins & Gourds last year. After our trip last year I knew it would become an annual tradition. Unfortunately Belinda's pumpkin patch seemed to have been hurt by the stormy summer like so many other farms (see "The Great Pumpkin Shortage"). While the pick of the pumpkins might not have been quite as great as last year, we still came home with several awesome pumpkins for carving (and a few gourds which my girls are obsessed with this year). Did I mention the pumpkins from Belinda's are not only beautiful pumpkins but the most affordable pumpkins I've ever come across? If you live in the triangle area of NC I'm telling you it is worth the drive!

The mums were also beautiful. I spent all the cash I had on me Saturday on pumpkins but I'm thinking I may have to make a quick trip back out to Belinda's one morning this week and get one or two mums for my front porch.

After loading up our pumpkins I took the girls to McDonald's for lunch. McDonald's Happy Meals are in Halloween buckets right now. They did this last year too but when we finally made it to McDonald's in October, they had sold out of buckets. The girls and even myself were disappointed. So when I saw the buckets were back I decided I would make sure I took the girls sooner rather than later so we wouldn't miss out again. Would it be the end of the world or the biggest disappointment ever if they did not get a bucket again this year? Of course not, but I had promised them a special lunch to McDonald's soon anyway so why not.

With all of our pumpkins we have our own mini-pumpkin patch!

This was actually our second trip to a pumpkin patch this year. Gabrielle turned the big 5 in September and we were able to throw her the big birthday bash we've talked about since she was born. We live about five minutes from Hill Ridge Farms. While this place can get really crowded and crazy busy this time of year, we always have so much fun. We have made a family trip to Hill Ridge every fall since having Gabrielle (with exception of last year - Ed's work schedule just didn't allow for it and I didn't like the idea of taking the girls without him). We were blessed that all of our family, our closest friends, and Gabrielle's best buds were all able to attend the party. It was a day of hay rides, train rides, pumpkins, Chick-fil-A lunch (yummy!), and giant slides - and much more! It seemed like everyone had a lot of fun and Gabrielle (and her mommy & daddy) were full of smiles that day.

Gabrielle's "How Tall This Fall?" photos - fun to look at and see just how much she has grown and changed each year.

I guess Samantha's "How Tall This Fall?" photos will start with this year at age 2 (the photo is part of the birthday collage above). Here is a photo collage of her very first Hill Ridge trip.

It's also fun to compare birthday photos and Hill Ridge photos from each year to see all the different weather scenarios typical, yet unpredictable, NC weather has been. We've been to Hill Ridge when it was hot and didn't feel like fall at all, when it was freezing cold and felt like full on winter and even once when it was what fall should be.

A Sunday Scripture

2011-10-16T21:38:00.005-04:00

*I am borrowing this blog post title from a blog I frequent (in)courage . Last Sunday I happened to post about our church service and included the verses from the service. Maybe this will become a regular thing, posting a verse or two I have read at some point during the week that I find particularly inspirational.

Today I helped out in Gabrielle's Sunday school class. The lesson theme is currently letting our light for Jesus shine.

"Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in Heaven." ~ Matthew 5:16

My hope for the week is that I live my life each day, letting my light shine for Jesus!

This little light of mine
I'm gonna let it shine
Let it shine
Let it shine
Let it shine!

**The image above is a lightning bug by the way - just in case it wasn't obvious! The class colored pictures of lightning bugs - or fireflies depending on where you're from.

Family Friday Fun

2011-10-15T09:06:00.014-04:00

Yesterday we had an entire day of Family Friday Fun. It made for a long, exhausting day but definitely one I think the girls will remember for a long time (I know I will).

The morning began with a trip to Marbles Kid Museum in downtown Raleigh. This was a field trip event with Gabrielle's school. Marbles Kid Museum is an extremely fun place where kids can play and explore while learning. There are giant games like Connect Four and Chess, giant Lego's, a place to build and race your own car, art centers, a grocery store, kitchen, vet and pet grooming center and even a giant piggy bank that once full will drop your "$avings" of plastic balls down on all the kids! And there is even more - way too much to include in a single blog post. It is always a great place to visit - yesterday was no exception.

Gabrielle found her best friend from her class a few minutes after we got there. The two girls wanted to hang out together all morning.

After a couple of hours we were all getting hungry. A quick exit through the gift shop (why do I always get suckered into visiting the gift shop??), I decided to find a nice park to have our picnic lunch. If I had brought one of our picnic blankets we would have tried out one of the parks downtown but I was not that prepared. Instead I decided to try to find a park I used to frequent when I was a nanny of three little girls in my younger days (I sure wish I had the energy and patience now that I had then - life would be so much less stressful!). After driving in what seemed like circles I finally found the park. Like so much of Raleigh, this little park has changed dramatically since my days of actually living in Raleigh. But it definitely had changed for the better with nice paved walkways, a sheltered picnic area and new play equipment. We ate our picnic lunch consisting of the standard PBJ, applesauce, goldfish and juice boxes and then explored the play area for a while.

The girls on a park bench with their new "friends" from Marbles Gift Shop.

The girls were having a blast and the weather was near perfect but it we had to get going so I could get all of our "stuff" together for our evening at the N.C. State Fair. Ed was going to be home from work at 4:00 and wanted us ready to leave when he arrived.

We did the whole park & ride routine to get to the fair. It was much quicker and less stressful than driving and parking (and paying who knows how much to park) ourselves near the fair. Gabrielle was a little nervous about riding the CAT bus but only because she thought it was some sort of fair ride. Once we got going she said "It's just like riding in a car!!" I had to laugh. She is definitely not a fan of any type of amusement ride. She had made me laugh earlier while in line to get our bus tickets. Gabrielle saw one of the teachers from her preschool and her shocked reaction to seeing a teacher outside of school always cracks me up. Last year I had to explain to her that teachers don't live at school - they actually have homes and families of their own. She is still not 100% convinced.

The weather yesterday was absolutely perfect fair weather. At a cool 74 degrees it was not too hot, not too cold, but just the perfect cool fall fair weather.

First on our fair to-do's was getting dinner. Gabrielle and I shared a giant delicious turkey leg. It was so good! Even with Ed helping us out, we still couldn't finish it off. Samantha had a hot dog for dinner (sounds pretty ordinary but it looked like an exceptionally tasty hot dog) and Ed had his traditional fair food, a sausage with peppers and onions sandwich.

This is the only photo we took at the fair. We were too busy enjoying the sights and time together to think about getting the camera out. Pictures are great to have but sometimes just being in and enjoying the moments are more important.

We walked through all the buildings to see the livestock - cows, sheep, pigs. We even saw a bunch of different rabbit breeds. I am now trying to convince Ed to let us have a cute little pet rabbit. I'm fairly certain I will be totally unsuccessful. We saw the ginormous prize winning pumpkin and watermelon. The watermelon, which was a new state record, was only 9 lbs. shy of setting a new world record. Mighty impressive! We attempted to browse through the Village of Yesteryear, definitely one of my favorite fair exhibits, but that was later in the evening and the girls were getting restless so we did not get to walk through it all.

Gabrielle was obsessed with winning a prize therefore we had no choice but to try our hand at the fair games. We chose the kiddieland games to be guaranteed a prize. Nothing is worse than not winning a game and having your kids cry and scream about not getting a prize. And at least one of our kids definitely has that kind of personality. After a couple of games the girls each had a couple of prizes and were happy as clams.

The girls with some of their fair prizes, taken this morning. I'm not sure how the smallest child ended up with the biggest prize. She kept hitting people with the giant crayon (that she actually thought was a real, working crayon!) while we were waiting for the bus home.

What to do next but more fair food of course. Roasted corn, ice cream, caramel apple with sprinkles, kettle corn - is your mouth watering yet? Or maybe your stomach is turning with a sick feeling?? Ha! I actually feel like we stayed fairly "healthy" with our food choices, considering we were at the fair. I would not dare touch a deep fried Twinkie or Oreo or whatever the new deep fried craze is this year. Gross! But to each his own I suppose. We decidedly reached our junk food limit for a while. We topped off the evening with some Lingg hot apple cider and decided to call it a night.

A quick bus ride back to our car, a change into pajamas for the girls and we were headed for home. A little over half way home I was a little concerned by the chattiness of our girls. "Certainly they are going to fall asleep on the way home" was the thought racing through my mind. It had been a very full, very busy, very long day and Ed and I were both exhausted. The thought of getting home at 10:00 pm and still having to go through the whole bedtime routine stressed me out! Alas, not more than 10 minutes away from home sweet home we finally, thankfully, praise the good Lord, had two sleeping girls in the backseat.

This morning the girls slept in, Gabrielle sleeping until 8:30 and Samantha just after 9:00 am. If only I could make every Saturday "Sleep In Saturday", then all weekends would be closer to perfection!

Thursday Thought

2011-10-13T22:01:00.004-04:00

I bet Mattie and Bella worried once I had "human" babies, their days of being pampered and spoiled would be over. Well, the photos below prove they have certainly not been forgotten!!

This, however, is probably NOT the kind of pampering and attention they had in mind or would have preferred.

But don't my lil' witch and lil' pumpkin look so cute???

While perusing the Halloween isles at Target today not only did I score the cute doggy costumes above but I also discovered dog trick-or-treat goodies. I am not even kidding - bags of little boxed dog treats to pass out to all those pets who go trick-or-treating are available at your local retailer!! Seriously??? Do people take their pets trick-or-treating? Have Mattie and Bella been deprived all these years?

And honestly, will any of you be prepared if a dog or cat or some other pet comes knocking on your door the 31st? Truly something to think about.

"Let the little children come to me..."

2011-10-09T19:36:00.004-04:00

Today was a special day for our church. It was Children's Sabbath where the entire service, except for the actual sermon, was led by children of all ages in our church - from the youngest being 3 years old to the oldest being 5th graders. The children, with a little guidance from a few parents, served in the roles of greeters, ushers, Lay Readers (scripture), the choir, leading in prayer, and even giving testimony of "Moments of Gratitude". The service was filled with moments that brought a big smile to my face - a smile of pride and happiness that we belong to this church. And of course there were moments, especially in the sermon, that brought tears to my eyes - tears of joy and awe and love and appreciation.

The scriptures for today's service were 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Matthew 18:2-5 and Mark 10:13-16. I strongly encourage you to read them. I know I personally can use the reminder to live my life with child-like faith!

On a children-related note, last night we got to experience a little of what it would be like with four daughters. Last month a friend and I decided to try out a kid swap where once every month or so we would take turns keeping each other's children overnight. We both wanted more regular "date nights" with our husbands but neither of us had a regular babysitter (nor did we want to shell out the extra money on a regular basis for one). Last night was our turn to keep their children - two girls, ages 7 and 2. Gabrielle absolutely adores their 7 year old and loved having a "big sister" for the night. Samantha and their 2 year old enjoyed having someone their own size and age to play with I think. All the girls behaved and got a long beautifully and the entire evening went smoothly especially considering it was the girls' first time staying with us. I definitely have a greater appreciation of parents with 3 or more children though!! (After seeing what it would be like to potty train 2-year-old twins I have to thank the good Lord above for blessing us with only one child at a time!!)

The Little Children and Jesus

¹³ People were bringing little children to Jesus for him to place his hands on them, but the disciples rebuked them. ¹⁴ When Jesus saw this, he was indignant. He said to them, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. ¹⁵ Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” ¹⁶ And he took the children in his arms, placed his hands on them and blessed them. ~ Mark 10:13-16 (NIV)

Fall Flavors & Family Fun

2011-10-07T22:40:00.010-04:00

October is here. The leaves are just starting to change from green to vibrant shades of red, orange, yellow. Pumpkins and mums adorn front porches. The air feels cool and crisp in the early mornings.

Fall is here and I L-O-V-E this time of year!

With fall comes my cravings for comfort food. Tonight for dinner we had baked potato soup - loaded with cheddar cheese and bacon (and as I think about it I bet some chopped green onion and a dollop of sour cream would have been D-lish too).

As we ate our dinner one of my favorite fall foods was baking in the oven - pumpkin bread! The house was filled with the aroma of cinnamon and nutmeg. Unfortunately it is better to wait until the next day to slice into this yumminess. We all had to be content with just a taste from the crunchy top I cut off in order to level the bundt for plating. But it will make for a very tasty breakfast tomorrow!

I have a love for Starbucks and their seasonal specials. Maybe my fave of all seasonal flavors would be the Pumpkin Spice Latte. But let's face it - a daily, or even weekly, trip to Starbucks is not exactly budget-friendly. I decided I must search online to find a good substitute for my Starbucks fix. I found this website, Deliciously Organic, and their recipes for homemade flavored coffee creamers. The recipes are simple enough and require a few basic staples plus a special ingredient here and there like specific flavored extracts. The first one I had to try of course would be the Pumpkin Spice creamer. I had a cup of coffee earlier (yes, I had a large cup of regular coffee at 8:00 pm) with some of the homemade creamer and I am very happy with the results. It is not quite as sweet as say the flavored store bought creamer but I'm willing to bet it is probably a little healthier since there are no preservatives or artificial flavors, etc. I can't wait to try the Peppermint Mocha in December!

With fall also comes a more regular routine for our family. School has started as well as all of our fall activities. This year Gabrielle is in school five mornings a week and Samantha is going to our church's Parents Morning Out one day a week. Both girls are taking dance and Gabrielle is in our church's children's choir again this year. Not only are the girls busy but my Bible Study has resumed as well as a busier work schedule for myself and Ed. We are all certainly staying busy and it seems we are always on the go. But with a busier schedule and routine I am happy to say we have started back our Family Friday nights - a night set aside to do something fun as a family.

Tonight we started with a good old fashion game of "Go Fish!" Gabrielle received a set of Disney Princess playing cards for her birthday. With the girls being young we play on teams of two so each child has an adult to help out a little. I am surprised though how little help they need, even Samantha picked up on the game rather well. After playing cards we surprised the girls with "The Lion King" DVD that was just re-released this week. By then it was just past 8:00, Samantha was exhausted and went straight to bed. We allowed Gabrielle to stay up and watch the entire movie even though she had seen it before. I'm hoping since she was up until almost 10:00 she will sleep in a little tomorrow but my guess is both little ones will be bright eyed and bushy tailed by 7:00 am despite the later bedtime.

I have been giving a lot of thought to my blog this week and I think I have come up with a few ideas to freshen things up a bit. Hopefully this is the first of many more regular posts in the future. Even after the late night cup of Joe my eyelids are starting to feel heavy so until the next time - good night and happy fall!!

Apologies...

2011-10-04T15:50:00.002-04:00

I suppose you could say I have been on a blogging hiatus - albeit an unintentional one. I do enjoy blogging and documenting our life and hope to get back to it soon. I'm simply trying to figure out a way to post more regularly without the feeling I'm neglecting some other area of my life and with more purpose and reason - more intentional I suppose. ;)

Hopefully I'll be back soon...thanks for sticking around and not giving up on me or this blog!

Girls' Artwork Display

2011-07-30T14:46:00.002-04:00

I am forever behind on blogging - I still have a couple of days of vacation I wanted to post about - but I suppose that is the way it will always be unless I just take a few days, stop all activities and sit in front of the computer! Eventually I'll get some more vacation pics up but I wanted to share a part of the girls' new room I am super excited about.

For a while now I've wanted a better way to display the girls' artwork. My fridge is always covered with paintings and coloring book pages. In Gabrielle's old room we just used pushpins to put various pieces up she was particularly fond of and after school ended last year and she came home with a full portfolio of artwork, a few works of art were put up in mine and Ed's room as well. I had thought about framing a few and also considered scanning them in and making a calendar with them through Snapfish or some other online photo printing company. While I still may go through with those ideas I just wanted something more.

As we all do when we want to find anything out these days, I Googled "children's art displays" and found this idea which I love! Curtain rods and curtain rings - so simple!

I wish I could remember the exact web site I found this idea on so I could give them credit. It is such a simple and very inexpensive way to display their work and what I love the most about it is I can easily change out the art as the year goes on and new masterpieces are created!

Gabrielle's art is displayed on the top curtain rod and Samantha's on the bottom. At the moment Samantha has a few more hanging because she is in the Parents' Morning Out program at our church this summer so each week she brings something new home. Once our summer slows down a little more and certainly once school starts for Gabrielle I'm sure she will be rotating her artwork quite regularly.

Other than a two or three little details I'm working on, the girls' room is complete and we all love it! Once Samantha has adjusted to a big girl bed and they both learn that bedtime is bedtime even if there is a "playmate" in the room, we will all love the arrangement even more!

Vacation Continued

2011-07-23T12:00:00.002-04:00

The middle of the week at Meemaw's was a little of this and a little of that. The only "big" outing was a morning at Atlantic Beach. We got to the beach at 9:00 when it was not as hot and a lot less crowded. I had no idea the girls would love the beach so much!!

I knew they would both like the sand because they love our sandbox at home but I really did not expect them to enjoy the ocean water so much.

The water was kind of cold at first as ocean water is the majority of the time but it did not take too long to get used to the water temp. Both girls, especially Samantha, were very hesitant at even getting their feet wet. The waves understandably scared them.

I held Gabrielle's hand and stood just close enough for the waves to wash over our feet. After a little bit of that we slowly inched our way out. Gabrielle loved it! We would spend some of the time standing and then spent some of the time sitting and letting the waves wash over us.

I think Samantha must have gotten curious and maybe a little jealous because eventually she wanted part of the water fun as well. Once Samantha got used to it, it was definitely a two person job keeping up with them. Samantha was maybe a little too brave! There were times she did not want me to hold her hand but it was way too rough. I held on tight whether she liked it or not!

Mama and I finally convinced the girls we needed to take a little break for snack and also to reapply some sunscreen.

Next time we go to the beach we'll probably pack a picnic lunch and stay even longer. The girls would have stayed all day I think! I'm so glad they have learned to love the water this summer!

The other days were a little more relaxed. A trip to Meemaw's library for story time, a little shopping and a little cooking. Gabrielle loves to help in the kitchen. She helped Meemaw make M&M cookies one day.

Samantha wanted in on the kitchen action as well so one morning she helped make the blueberry-peach muffins for breakfast.

On Friday Ed was joining us for the weekend as well as my sister and her family so Thursday was spent trying to clean up the disaster we made of Meemaw's house! It wasn't too bad I guess but my girls certainly make themselves at home when we're there.

It was nice to have a few days of a little relaxation because the weekend was very full and very busy but very fun as well!

First Night New Bed

2011-07-23T00:25:00.000-04:00

Tonight was the first night with the girls sharing the new trundle bed in their new room. Samantha's crib was set up in the middle of the room until we could get the second mattress. When Ed came home tonight with the mattress the girls could not have been more excited. I put Samantha to bed first and laid down with her since this was the first night out of the crib and in her "big girl" bed. Once she was asleep I tucked Gabrielle in and where does Gabrielle end up? Not in her part of the bed but on the trundle with Samantha!!

Maybe we should have just gotten a double bed!

Oh, and yes their hair is wet - from sweat! Our a/c is out and won't be fixed until Tuesday. We kind of knew it was coming but of course it would quit on us the hottest week of the year!! Last I checked the thermostat in the house it was 85 degrees - and that was at 10:00 pm!! Tuesday can not get here quick enough!!

Vacation, Day 3

2011-07-14T14:50:00.004-04:00

OK, so I started this post last week and due to some crazy, hectic days around here I am just now getting the time, actually just making the time, to get this one done and posted!

Day 3 of our vacation just so happened to also be the 4th of July. I was excited to be on the coast for the 4th this year because there is just nothing like a fire works show on the water.

We started out the day with a trip to Harkers Island - my hometown. Even though my mom does not live far from there at all now, it had probably been close to two years since I had visited. Not too much has changed really. It was weird to go by the house where I grew up. I don't think the current owners or renters have really made any changes at all to the outside of the house at least but for some reason it just looked...different. Maybe smaller than I remember it being? I'm not sure. I guess it is just somewhat surreal to see the house where I spent 18+ years and know someone else is living there now.

This was the girls' first trip to the Island except for a trip or two for Gabrielle when she was a baby. In addition to pointing out the house I showed them my elementary school where I went to kindergarten through 8th grade and all with the same 22 people! Ha!

The main purpose of our trip to the Island was to visit the Core Sound Waterfowl Museum. This is where Ed and I had our wedding reception but since then the other half of the museum has been completed. I was able to show the girls a little bit of family history. They may be a bit too young to understand or even care a lot about it now but hopefully we can make this an annual or at least every other year event and one day hopefully they'll "get it".

This is Gabrielle in front of my Poppy's old band saw. This sat in our backyard right beside the clothes line when I grew up. When Mama moved she called to have it donated to the museum knowing they would clean it up and take care of it.

Samantha was being anti-photo this day and this is the best shot I could get of her with Gabrielle and the band saw.

I wish I knew more myself of my family and hometown history (I'll have to make a point to buy a book my next visit to the museum) but what I do know is this. My great-grandfather, Stacy Guthrie, was a resident of Diamond City, NC, now known as Shackleford Banks. He was one of the residents that floated their homes over to Harkers Island after a hurricane in 1899. He was a whaler and boat builder. In the museum are several photos and stories about him and a couple of other family members.

My Poppy, Stacy Guthrie.

"Hey, Samantha, you want Mommy to take a picture of you with the ducks?" (She actually had been fairly excited about the decoys in the museum.) The photo above is her reaction to my request. She looks excited, right? And it was mid-morning, not nap time or meal time!!

Gabrielle was definitely more compliant - at least with most of my photo requests.

Almost a cute photo of Samantha and Meemaw in the rocking chairs.

At the top of the museum was a wrap around balcony. The view was great - the stairs getting there, not so great!! We took the elevator down. :)

You can see Cape Lookout Lighthouse in the distance.

Of course, Gabrielle would decide she did not want to have her photo taken when the request involved a family shot with me! And we're facing the sun so our eyes are all squinty. Oh well.

After the museum we went across the road to Shell Point to have a picnic lunch. To say it was windy is an understatement!

Gabrielle really enjoyed feeding the sea gulls some of our goldfish after lunch. Though she got a little freaked out a couple of times at just how close they would get to her for the food!!

After lunch we went back across the road to the National Park Service office. None of us had been in there before and we weren't sure what we would find. We were pleasantly surprised. It wasn't huge but there were some photos and displays of various parts of Cape Lookout and the banks. And there was a magnetic wall where the girls matched up the plant and animal life magnets to where they thought they lived on the Outerbanks. There was also a small table of sand, shells, bones and other interesting things that the girls could actually pick up and touch.

We spent the afternoon resting up since it would be a late night for the girls with fireworks. We were hoping to grill out with my brother Benji and his girlfriend Mimi for dinner and then walk from their house to the waterfront to watch the fireworks. Unfortunately Mimi was in a terrible accident that afternoon so of course dinner plans were canceled. Fortunately, God had certainly sent an angel to Mimi that day. She is bruised and battered and sore and will probably be dealing with some pain and issues for a while but it was a head on car accident and could have certainly had very different, very tragic results. So thank you God for Your protection over Mimi that day!!

While dinner plans didn't work out, we still went to Benji and Mimi's house, checked in on them both then walked down to the waterfront for the show. The girls loved the fireworks and I thought it was a pretty good show.

They were beyond worn out from such a crazy busy day. The fell asleep on the way back to Mama's and since we were on vacation at the beach I figured it was ok to go to bed a little dirty for one night.
:)

Vacation, All I Ever Wanted...

2011-07-13T11:55:00.002-04:00

♪ ♫ Vacation, Had to Get Away ♬♩

Anyone else have the Go-Go's singing in their heads now? Probably just me but whatever...

We are finally back from vacation, for a few days now actually, and slowly are trying to get back to the real world but coming back to a house full of disarray after a week of relaxing and playing is quite a difficult task!

Although there was plenty of relaxation last week we also did quite a bit as well. It will take a while to get all the photos and everything up on the blog but here is a small bit of the vacation.

Day 1, Saturday -

Saturday was our travel day. The girls and I left late that afternoon after attending a friend's birthday party here. We arrived at my mom's around 7:00 or so. My brother Matthew and his wife Tammy and boys Joshua and Noah were also visiting Mama that weekend. We had not seen them in a few months which is really quite ridiculous considering we only live about 45 minutes from each other. But life gets busy for everyone and time flies by without notice I suppose. It was nice to have a chance to visit and catch up with them.

Day 2, Sunday -

This is the first full day of vacation I suppose. We started out with attending my mom's church followed by a quick lunch and a little more hanging out with Matthew and the rest of the family before they had to head back home.

An afternoon of napss for everyone was followed by grabbing some pizza for dinner. Then we went to Dairy Queen for some soft-serve ice cream cones. Mama and I got ours dipped and man was it good! I don't think I had had a dipped ice cream cone since high school. The girls loved it as well!

When we got home we were met at the door by a couple of little green frogs.

We finally figured out how to get them off the door so we could get inside without some additional new guests and with avoiding having them jump on us!

And that's it for the first couple of days. Fairly uneventful but a nice start I think. The days that followed certainly were busier!

I'm going to skip ahead a week now to show ya'll what we came home to. Ed did get the carpets cleaned, the room painted, and the bedrooms cleared out enough the girls could get to their beds. I LOVE the color and so do the girls. They say it is like water.

Now I'm faced with the daunting task of getting boxes unpacked and the rooms organized. The girls are anxious to be moved into their new room and to have access to all of their toys again. And I'm pretty certain Ed and I are both ready to have everything moved and all the work done as well. Right now the entire house is in chaos!

More boxes to unpack so better get to it. More vacation pics to come!!

No More Nursery

2011-07-02T11:29:00.000-04:00

Over the past couple of days more packing has taken place.

We have moved furniture.

Now Samantha's room ~ our nursery ~ sort of looks like it did 5 years ago when we were preparing the room for our first little baby girl.

I have to admit this feeling is a little bittersweet. I love the ages and stages the girls are currently in (most of the time anyway!) and we have lots of fun. And of course all babies eventually grow up. But the thought, the idea, we will never again have a nursery - well it is difficult to accept at times.

The girls and I are all packed up and ready to head to Meemaw's for a few days, leaving Ed with this mess and the responsibility of painting, cleaning and moving furniture and boxes so that when we return in 9 days we will all have some place to sleep!!

I don't envy Ed ~ at all!! I would much rather be at the beach. :) Of course, I would rather have Ed with us at the beach but I guess someone has to stay behind and get all this work done.

Bedrooms Re-Model - Stage One

2011-06-30T08:55:00.004-04:00

This summer we are taking on a fairly big house project - remodeling the girls' bedrooms. We decided to put the girls in one room and make the remaining room back into an office/multi-purpose room.

Here is a sneak peak of what the final room will look like...

You would not even believe the ups and downs, the drama, the changing of decisions, back and forth, it took to get to the color scheme above. I never knew shopping for bedding would be so difficult. Between sticking to a budget and finding something we all loved and something the girls would not outgrow in a couple of years - it was tough and I was beginning to stress about it. The plan is for Ed to paint the new shared room next week while the girls and I are at my mom's. Until this past Monday I had no idea what the bedding was going to look like or what colors we were going to use. I had resolved myself to the fact I was going to have to make duvet covers myself (taking on the largest sewing project ever for myself!!) and then was stressing over the price of the fabric I was finding that I liked. I started shopping for sheets I liked to use as the fabric. Upon entering the new Home Goods (this was my first trip ever in a Home Goods store) I found 5 quilts I absolutely loved for great prices. Now I can let out a huge sigh of relief - knowing we have bedding, paint color chosen and I don't have to stress over sewing them myself now!

This week I have spent a LOT of time packing up the girls' toys and belongings. They are not happy about the majority of their toys being inaccessible at the moment but it is just for a few days before we go to my mom's anyway. Yesterday I was able to get the rooms packed up enough to move Samantha's crib into Gabrielle's room. Gabrielle's room will eventually be the multi-purpose room so they will share this room until the other room is complete.

I knew it would be an adjustment but I was not exactly sure what to expect for the first night of the girls sharing a room. It was basically a big pajama party for them. They were both awake past 11:00!!! Now Gabrielle is not the greatest sleeper. She often is up late and up early the next morning but even last night was rough on her. Samantha is an awesome sleeper so she has really been affected by the late night. Hopefully it will get better and they will adjust and maybe a compromise will be made. I just hope it happens sooner rather than later for the sake of all of us!

I have learned a couple of things over the past couple of weeks in this process.

I absolutely dread the day we may have to pack up the entire house to move. Just packing up two bedrooms has been quite a task ~ and I haven't even had to pack everything!
The girls own way too much stuff! I am determined to get rid of at least a third of their toys and stuff. It is absolutely ridiculous the amount of stuff they have!

So I'm looking forward to coming home from vacation in a week and seeing the new wall color. Soon their new bed should be complete and ready for pickup as well. I cannot wait to see and share the finished room!!

Summer Is Here!

2011-06-24T11:41:00.003-04:00

To say it has been a busy, hectic summer so far is an understatement but I have come to the conclusion life with little ones is always going to be hectic and busy. At least it is a fun kind of busy! Our days have been full of trips to the pool, play dates with friends, playing outside, birthday parties, a trip to Meemaw's, and more.

I'm glad we're having fun and spending time with friends but one of the downfalls of staying so busy is the time just seems to fly by. I want to enjoy and savor the the summer, not have it be over in a blur.

This week we're enjoying VBS at our church where the church and kids have been transported to Nazareth when Jesus was a child. The transformation of the church is amazing! And the kids all seem to be having a great time. (We are certainly exhausted already and just halfway through but it is a good exhaustion!) Tonight I WILL remember to take my camera to get some photos. We have several professional photographers from our church taking hundreds of photos but I'd like to get some of my own as well to post later.

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2011-06-16T13:04:00.002-04:00

the letter I!

Last week Samantha started going to Parents Morning Out through our church. She goes every Thursday morning for three hours. They do various activities from learning letters, Bible stories, crafts, music and of course playing.

Gabrielle was a little disappointed she did not get to go. I could have signed her up as well but with her going to preschool five days next year I thought it would be nice to have some one on one time this summer. It is tempting to take advantage of those few hours with just one child and run errands and other various tasks but I'm determined to keep all of our activities centered around Gabrielle and what she wants to do.

Last week Gabrielle and I baked some zucchini bread. Then she wanted to play with play doh.

This week I took her to get her hair cut. How cute is she with this style?!?!

After her hair cut, we went to Target and looked at books for a few minutes. Then we purchased a really inexpensive craft kit which had all the supplies and instructions for 7 days worth of crafts. Today Gabrielle used the clay to make an adorable little ladybug.

I think PMO is going to be a great thing for all of us this summer. Samantha is getting an opportunity to do her own thing, having fun, making new friends and gaining more independence. Gabrielle and I are getting a chance to do some fun stuff that is more difficult to do with a little sister around. However, for the first two weeks at least, Gabrielle has asked about every 20 minutes if it was time to pick up Samantha yet. I know she is having fun but it is sweet that she does miss her sister too.

In the fall when both PMO and preschool start back up I will get three hours a week just to myself!! Whatever in the world am I going to do! (read with strong sarcasm!!) I'm pretty certain I'll have no problem filling the time!!

T-Ball Finale

2011-06-14T21:52:00.002-04:00

Monday night was the last t-ball game for Gabrielle. I asked her that morning if she was happy or sad about t-ball coming to an end. Her response?

"But I love the t-ball snacks!!"

I assured her I could buy little bags of chips, fruit snacks and Capri Suns for her to have from time to time this summer.

After the game the team met up at Goodberry's for some delicious ice cream (actually Goodberry's is frozen custard but really does it matter what you call it when it is just so yummy).

Once everyone had finished eating, the trophy presentation began.

Gabrielle was beyond thrilled!

Each player also received a game ball which I thought was really neat (Gabrielle thought it was pretty cool too!)

Coach Jay was awesome. I think we got pretty lucky with our team. Everyone was super nice and all the kids had so much fun. No one seemed to mind too much that Gabrielle spent more time sitting in the dirt than actually paying attention to the game. And every once in a while one of the players would give Gabrielle the ball so she would have a turn actually throwing it in.

I think it is safe to say t-ball is not exactly her "thing" - at least not right now. Gabrielle is more of a ballerina-girl at the moment. But she got to try something new and make some new friends - which is what life should be all about for a 4 year old in my opinion.

It was fun. Now the regular activities are over and we have the summer to enjoy.

My Sweet Mattie-Girl

2011-06-02T23:08:00.003-04:00

Once upon a time (about 4-1/2 years ago) I spent my time photographing and pampering and talking about my first "kids" - our dogs Mattie and Bella. I think they each are finally adjusting to not being #1 around here when it comes to attention. Mattie especially has probably had the hardest adjustment since it was just her and Ed for years before I came along. She loves me but if she could speak I'm not sure what her honest opinion would be about me bringing Bella into her life just a few short months after moving in!! Bless her heart, she has tried to be patient with all of us though.

Mattie has been especially sweet and very chill lately. Anyone who has known Mattie for at least as long as Ed and I have been together knows "chill" is never a word that would have been used to describe this energetic cattle dog mix. I know unfortunately the chill factor is a result of her age finally catching up to her. I cannot believe she is 11 years old!

This photo is the inspiration for this post. When I found Mattie on the couch, snuggled with Gabrielle's blanket, it was simply too cute a moment to not photograph.

We love you, Mattie-girl!! And regardless of how much I may gripe about the amount of hair I have to sweep and vacuum, I hope you are with our family for a lot longer still!

A Taste of Summer

2011-06-02T22:15:00.002-04:00

While summer may not be here according to the calendar, it is most certainly here according to the weather. The mid and upper 90 temps we've been experiencing has kept us inside for the majority of the week. Last night after dinner the girls and I braved the slightly less severe heat of the evening to enjoy a favorite summer treat - watermelon!!

Although it is still a tad early for the peak of watermelon season, this watermelon could not have been better - sweet and juicy, and of course served in an aluminum pie pan just like my Daddy used to do it!

Another sign of summer, my hydrangeas are now brilliant shades of blue. They have grown so tall since I got them as a Mother's Day gift a couple of years ago and the number of blooms seem to double with each summer.

When Ed first planted these they would not have even been as tall as Samantha is now. Now they are taller than Gabrielle.

I am fascinated with the ever changing colors of these blooms and how it is all determined by the acidity of your soil. When Ed bought the plants the blooms were a light pink. The next year they were a deep blue. This year is really interesting because while the flowers on one plant are a true blue, the other has both white and very pale blue blossoms. Since they are planted side by side I'm not sure how that happened!

Maybe next year I can manage to have a small flower garden and can adorn my table with a variety of fresh flowers from the beginning of spring through the end of summer.

Background Fixed

2011-05-31T12:36:00.002-04:00

Maybe this didn't bother anyone else as much as it bothered me, and maybe it did not appear as badly on other computers but on my computer the background image for my blog was slightly off center and it was driving me nuts!! I finally took the time to fix it. Just FYI...

Memorial Day & Science Fun

2011-05-31T12:04:00.003-04:00

I hope everyone had a nice Memorial Day weekend and I hope everyone took at least a moment over the weekend to think about the meaning of Memorial Day and to appreciate those who have sacrificed so much to give us the freedoms we are so blessed to have!

It is HOT here so the girls and I have not spent a ton of time outside. Yesterday was a fairly lazy day inside enjoying the AC with the exception of a quick trip to the grocery store. Because of course even though I went to the grocery store on Friday there were a couple of ingredients I needed for dinner last night. I have had a major craving for a good steak dinner so that is what we had last night - grilled flank steak, baked potatoes, grilled corn on the cob, salad and delicious garlic bread. I also grilled some chicken for the girls but Gabrielle also had a little bit of steak, what little bit Ed would share with her. I may have to start getting more steak (the rare times we actually have steak) since Gabrielle enjoyed that way more than her chicken.

Oh, and I made some toasted garlic-thyme butter for the corn. It was really good!!

Ed and I enjoyed the dinner but the girls enjoyed their Popsicles after dinner much more.

Even though Ed had to work yesterday he was able to come home earlier than usual. While I was prepping dinner he and Gabrielle opened up a science kit I had bought over the weekend.

Mind Blowing Science

Gabrielle loves arts & crafts but I'm coming to the conclusion that really she loves any kind of activity and project. I hope she always loves and enjoys learning as much as she does now.

This kit has 12 activities and Ed and Gabrielle did the first two activities yesterday. They did "Dancing Powders" and "Color Changing Water", all involving acids and bases. It was really neat and definitely something Ed enjoyed doing with Gabrielle as much as she enjoyed it, maybe more. While the kit requires some adult supervision and help it is geared for ages 4+ so still something on Gabrielle's level.

I love the expressions on her face with each result. She was so amazed and fascinated.

It is another HOT, HOT, HOT day here so another day mostly inside for us. I'll probably spend the afternoon cleaning so that the rest of the week is freed up. I am hoping to get the girls outside early in the mornings for the rest of the week and maybe again after dinner for a bit to burn off some energy. We certainly cannot stand too many days stuck inside without driving one another nuts and completely tearing apart the house!

Once Upon A Time...

2011-05-28T14:11:00.002-04:00

We just got home from Gabrielle's dance recital. The theme this year was fairy tales hence the name "Once Upon A Time..." The show once again was a fantastic one and even kept the attention of a certain two year old for most of the 2-1/2 hours. I am amazed at how well she behaved, especially considering the circumstances.

Gabrielle was a little grumpy this morning. Maybe she was a little tired, probably a little hungry and most likely was just in one of those moods. Getting a good photo of her was not easy. Considering this was the best shot I guess getting a "good" photo was impossible.

She seemed to cheer up after her performance - which was just as cute as could be by the way! And the roses her daddy gave her brought quite a smile to her face as well.

It has been a long day and I personally am exhausted. Last night was a late night for me but I have only myself to blame. I am on the fourth book of the "twilight" series and had been warned I would not be able to put it down once I started it. Despite the warning I started it anyway and found myself muttering to myself at 1:30 am "just one more chapter." Finally just after 2:00 am I forced myself to put the book down. Right now I'm running on about 4 hours of sleep. Part of me would love to make a run to the fabric store this afternoon but the other part would love to curl up on the couch after getting the girls settled for naps and delve into my book again. Add the fact it is raining into the scenario and I have a feeling the couch and book are going to win out. The fabric store and the sales will still be there tomorrow.

Another Hour, Another Bag

2011-05-27T15:28:00.004-04:00

I plan on going to the fabric store this weekend to catch some of the Memorial Day sales to buy the fabric and patterns for a sewing project for the girls but in order to keep the sewing mojo going I decided to complete a project I started, oh, I guess over 2 years ago!! I had the fabric cut and ready to go but for some reason never got around to sewing it together. This was another really easy bag, from start to finish just about an hour.

Front...

Back...

My favorite detail are the buttons...

Please ignore the messy hand sewing of the buttons. I really need more practice with buttons and other stitching by hand. The bag probably could have been done in way under an hour by someone who knows how to sew on buttons!!

I also really love the bamboo handles. I bought the handles when I first started sewing, around 10 years ago. I used them on one of the first purses I made and I believe it was only my second sewing project ever (my first being a basic shift dress which the purse was intended to go with). A few years ago when I no longer wanted that original purse I ripped open the seams, ditched the bag and kept the handles. When I saw this fabric and these buttons one day at - of all places - Walmart, I knew these handles would go perfectly.

The purse is not real big and since it has such a big opening, I will probably only use it those times I only need to carry the basics - wallet, keys, small make up bag.

I wonder if I have any other quick sewing projects started I could work on until my trip to the fabric store???

Last Day of School

2011-05-26T14:10:00.000-04:00

Today was Gabrielle's last day of school. It ended with a fun family picnic at Blue Jay Point. This is Gabrielle and her best bud. Unfortunately they won't be in the same class next year but hopefully they will still see each other a little bit and we can always get together for play dates outside of school.

We are excited about the summer but I hope it doesn't go by too quickly. Next year Gabrielle will be in school five days a week, still just half days, but I think I'm really going to miss her every morning.

Wordless Wednesday {Dress Rehearsal}

2011-05-25T15:58:00.000-04:00

She looks so grown up in this photo I can hardly stand it!

'Sew' in the Mood

2011-05-24T08:08:00.003-04:00

The creative bug has hit and I have been in a serious mood to craft and sew. I decided to put that energy into end of year teacher gifts.

I made canvas totes and Gabrielle made bookmarks with her fingerprints and we included an Amazon gift card in with the card.

While we were at the fabric store last week picking out fabric for the totes the girls picked out some really cute, bright and fun prints that would make perfect sundresses or ruffled skirts. So while the creativity is flowing I am hoping to get back to the store and make some little coordinating summer outfits for the girls. They also picked out some adorable knit prints perfect for pajamas or nightgowns. Maybe that will be my next project.

I have made quite a few of these bags since I started sewing a few years back but it had been a while. I had forgotten just how quick and easy these bags come together. Once I had everything cut and ironed, from the time I sat down at the sewing machine, it took me only about 3 hours to get both bags done. Not too bad. And I loved how they turned out with the heavier cotton duck fabric and the webbing for straps. I really dislike turning fabric to make straps so when I remembered the webbing my mom had gotten me a few years ago it thrilled me that I didn't have to make fabric straps for the bags! I think the webbing straps will probably hold up longer and better anyway. I might have to pick up some more and make myself a bag for the summer. Do I need another tote? No, not really, but one can't really have too many bags. Can they?

Just Around the Corner

2011-05-23T11:45:00.003-04:00

Summer is just around the corner and this past weekend made that fact even more of a realization for us. The weather was warm and sunny and we spent the majority of the weekend outside enjoying it!

Once Samantha got used to the pool I was able to sit in my lawn chair nearby and read - with only a few interruptions now and then. This will be the first summer since becoming a mom that I will actually be able to sit and relax - a little - while the girls play.

Of course, Gabrielle is getting braver in the water and trying to stick her face under so I'll have to be watching carefully over that - not to mention little sister is quite the copycat and assumes she can do everything big sister can do. So maybe I won't get as much relaxation as I previously thought! Ha!

Mm mm...Popsicles!! These always take me back to my childhood, swimming in our pool, yelling for Mama who was usually inside taking care of the house to bring us some Popsicles. Heaven forbid we actually get out of the pool and get them ourselves. We were certainly old enough - like 12, 13, and older. And then I can remember Mama telling us if we were going to go through the trouble of wetting bathing suits and towels - and her floors - to at least stay in the pool long enough to make it worthwhile. Ha! Now I sound the exact same way, telling my girls to get in the pool and stay in the pool longer than 10 minutes!

This is our last week of school, one day being a family picnic. We also have dance recital dress rehearsal and the actual recital this week. Throw in a t-ball game, my Wednesday morning Bible study and grocery shopping at some point and it makes for a fairly busy week. Summer temps are really hitting us this week as well with the high expected to be in the 90's all week. I'll have to figure out a day or two at least to enjoy the pool and sun!

I know by July when NC is in the mid to upper 90's everyday, feeling more like 100 on some days, I'll be saying I'm ready for some cooler temps, but until then I say "bring on the sunscreen!!"

Gabrielle's Art Show

2011-05-18T08:05:00.002-04:00

Gabrielle was excited yesterday and repeatedly asked the same question all day - "Is it time for the art show yet?" She had yesterday off from school so that the teachers could transform the classrooms into an art gallery. And last night we are all invited to attend the "gallery opening."

Gabrielle helped me make some chocolate chip cookie bars and oatmeal raisin cookies to take for the snack reception following the art show. This girl loves to help me cook. I'm not sure if she likes the cooking part or the tasting part more.

After an early dinner and baths, the girls got dressed up for the big event...

And finally after much anticipation we were at the school art show. Gabrielle proudly took us to her (crowded!!) classroom to show us all she has worked on all year long.

Gabrielle & her "Very Hungry Caterpillar" (she commented how her caterpillar was the shortest because that's how she wanted it)

"The Pigeon Wants a Hot Dog" Gabrielle's pigeon was one of the few actually eating the hot dog. The other pigeons were holding theirs in their wing. I guess her pigeon was really hungry.

Pointing to her "penguin" art.

"Snowman"

"Firetruck"

"Pumpkin"

This is not an art project but a reading project the kids have been working on since just before Christmas. For every book they read (or was read to them) they took in a strip of paper with their name and the name of the book. To see all the paper chains hanging on the ceiling was quite impressive. Gabrielle loves books and it seems her classmates do as well. They are having a pizza party to celebrate their achievement later this week.

This was Gabrielle's photo hanging on the door to her class room.

Gabrielle and her teacher Mrs. Diane. She has been an awesome teacher and made Gabrielle's first year of school so great. Gabrielle loves school and I know will be bugging me all summer about when she gets to go back!! (I don't have a photo but Gabrielle also has an really great assistant teacher Mrs. Sheila who has also helped make Gabrielle's school year so wonderful.)

We loved seeing Gabrielle's face light up with pride to show us her classroom and all of her art. She was truly so proud and excited. Art is probably her favorite thing at the moment. She would sit all day and color, paint, cut and glue! Our little girl sure has grown up!

Remember Me?

2011-05-17T08:32:00.003-04:00

Once again it has been a while. Somehow I need to find my groove again when it comes to blogging. Maybe this summer I'll get inspired.

Here is a glimpse of what we have been up to for the past few weeks...

I took the girls to pick strawberries for the first time. My mom came along and we all had a lot of fun. Very few of Samantha's strawberries made it to the basket. They all went straight to her mouth!! She made a little ladybug friend as well. Gabrielle picked a few strawberries but she was more interested in the play area at the farm. After picking a TON of sweet, delicious strawberries we all enjoyed some even more delicious homemade ice cream. Yummy!

Samantha turned 2!! It is so hard to believe how grown up she is and how quickly it happened. She is quite the little talker and has a very unique, silly personality. We had an easy outdoor party one afternoon full of water games from the pool to the water table to a water balloon war.

Both girls are big into playing dress up and for Samantha's birthday she received a lot of new dress up stuff. It all has been broken in and worn quite a bit already!

I had a very nice Mother's Day. Gabrielle sang in the children choir at church that morning. We went out for both lunch and dinner so no cooking for me! I also spent the afternoon laying in bed reading and even taking a nap. It was pretty perfect.

Busy As Bees

2011-04-27T09:22:00.002-04:00

We've been a busy little family lately. Here is what we've been up to -

Our first t-ball season is well under way. We have had 3 games so far and from this week on will have two games a week. Gabrielle likes batting but right now is getting bored fairly quickly out in the field. But she is having fun regardless.

Our little #3!

Gabrielle & Lilly are 2 of the 3 little girls on the team. They are so cute out on the field. The little sisters enjoy the games too. They are quite silly at times.

We surprised the girls with a trip to the NC Zoo recently. One Saturday morning we woke them up early, got them dressed, loaded in the car and drove away without telling them anything about where we were going. They were in a little bit of shock once we arrived at the zoo. Despite the weather forecast being completely wrong - it stayed cloudy and much cooler than it was supposed to - we all had a lot of fun. We got there about an hour after the zoo opened and didn't leave until closing time, the longest day I've ever spent at the zoo. I didn't take a ton of photos unfortunately. It was much more crowded than we expected it to be and I guess it was too cool and drizzly for a lot of the animals.

Last week was spring break for us. We spent a few days of doing nothing more than playing outside and enjoying the easy week.

The girls had a great Easter as well. On Saturday we had an egg hunt at church followed by a surprise trip to Build-a-Bear. On Sunday the Children's Choir sang at church. Following church we had a nice Easter lunch and a special visit from GrandDad.

Samantha won an Easter basket from our local library. Gabrielle was really disappointed she didn't win but Samantha shared just about everything with her big sister.

The girls in their Easter frocks.

This morning, as I have been working on getting the blog updated, the girls have been playing babies. Gabrielle called me in her room to see Samantha. Apparently Samantha was the baby, Gabrielle the Mommy, and Gabrielle had just put the baby to bed.

The tiny baby doll feet sticking out from the blankets just cracks me up!

We will continue to be busy for a while. This week we are planning and preparing for Samantha's 2nd birthday. Two?!?!?!? Samantha's little personality is really starting to bloom. In between her serious temper tantrums she is quite hilarious and so happy and giggly about everything.

But this photo seems like it was just last week. Where did my little munchkin go? I can hardly stand to go back and look through baby photos of the girls. If I spend too much time doing so I may seriously start considering baby #3!! Ha!

A Whole Lot of Randomness

2011-04-08T15:43:00.002-04:00

Warning - this post is full of just random thoughts and photos!

Now that we are getting more consistent warmer temps I have unpacked the spring and summer clothes. The "new" clothes that were once packed away in storage containers, sitting in the corners of the girls' rooms, that the girls begged to wear on a daily basis, are now put away in their dressers. And now I can finally answer with a "yes, it is warm enough for short sleeves!"

After putting this particular outfit on Samantha a couple of days ago...

I flashed back to this photo...

That would be Gabrielle in April 2009, almost exactly two years ago. I can remember the day so well. I was only a month away from being full term with Samantha and had planned a special day for us. First we went to a paint-your-own-pottery place where I can remember Gabrielle painting a little ceramic monkey purple and pink and ballet shoe magnet red. We then met Ed for lunch at McDonald's.

As I was going through the clothes I couldn't believe Samantha was actually old enough, big enough to wear these same outfits I so vividly remember Gabrielle wearing not so long ago. And then as I go through old photos and see pictures of Gabrielle in these outfits I remember that not so long ago she had the same little round face Samantha has now. Oh how time flies and how quickly they grow up. Gabrielle is no longer in toddler sizes and officially in the girls department. It breaks my heart at times to shop for her because everything just looks too grown up for my baby. Today we went shopping for some spring church shoes and could not find a pair of white dressy shoes in her size that did not have little heels on them. She is only 4-1/2 - I am not ready for shoes with even little square heels on them!! If I think about it too much I get really sad because I am afraid the next two years with Gabrielle and Samantha are going to go by just as quickly as the past two years have and I am NOT ready for that!

On to the next random thought - I got new glasses recently. A very different style than my previous ones which I have had for over 5 years!! I like these but they are definitely taking some getting used to when I see myself in the mirror.

Have you ever had one of those days when you just feel like you have actually been a really good mom that day? Usually I have those days when I forget about the cleaning that needs to be done or the long to-do list of other responsibilities and instead doing something fun with the girls, something they don't get to do all the time. The other day we had one of those days I finally let the girls get their paint out.

Gabrielle's "Rapunzel" (the unfinished version)

Samantha decided at this point it would be more fun to paint herself.

After I put Samantha down for her nap I let Gabrielle paint on her easel they got for Christmas. She loved painting on the easel!

And for my last random thought and photo, the other night I went in to check on Gabrielle after putting her to bed and had a mini-panic attack. When I first peaked into the room I saw an empty bed. As I turned the hall light on and opened the door a bit more this is what I found...

She had removed everything from her bed - pillows, stuffed animals, blankets, everything - and made beds for herself and all of her animals on the floor. I don't know why I am surprised, she does have quite a history of this kind of behavior. See photos below...

Gabrielle 2008

Gabrielle 2009

Gabrielle's Parenting Style

2011-04-01T12:06:00.002-04:00

This morning as I was chopping some fresh fruit for some homemade pancakes the following conversation took place. I don't remember what Samantha had asked for but my answer had been no which sent her into a typical terrible two-year-old meltdown.

Gabrielle to Samantha: "What's wrong? Aww....what happened? What's wrong?"

Samantha replies: a lot of something I couldn't quite make out and "Mommy say no"

Gabrielle to me: "Mommy, you need to say yes all the time and not make people sad."

Then back to her sister: "It's okay. Mommy will be nice now."

T-Ball!!

2011-03-22T11:00:00.002-04:00

As of yesterday we have officially entered the world of spring sports! Gabrielle had her very first t-ball practice yesterday and she could not have been cuter! Yes, I realize being "cute" is not the point of playing t-ball but for me it is the best part. Ha! She seemed to be a little lost at times, uncertain of what she was supposed to be doing, but she will get the hang of it.

Gabrielle is playing on the same team with her best friend Lilly. There is only one other little girl on the team. I'm sure a few weeks into the season they'll be showing the boys how it's done.

I guess it takes 5 men to be able to handle and coach this group of 4, 5 and 6 year olds!

Madilyn and Samantha will be the little cheerleaders for their big sisters!

"Run Lilly, run!"

"Run Gabi, run!"

Hmmm...only to second base and already tired and walking? We have a lot of training to do!

I didn't get any pictures of the girls batting but there will be plenty of practices and games for that. This is going to be a very fun and busy spring!

My Lil' Super Hero

2011-03-20T22:54:00.000-04:00

Today in Sunday school Gabrielle learned about our greatest hero - Jesus! They made these adorable super hero masks, which she wore through the first part of church. Her Sunday school teacher has done some absolutely adorable lessons with the kids - she and all of the assistants are so great. At home this afternoon Gabrielle found a bag I had made out of a pillowcase which she has appropriately turned in to her super hero cape to go with her super hero mask. It's moments like this I am amazed this adorable and creative little girl is mine! I love her!!

Samantha's First Haircut

2011-03-10T10:06:00.003-05:00

Today I finally made myself do the inevitable - I took my baby to get her first professional haircut. Don't ask me why this was such a difficult thing to do because I do not know the reason. It just was.

Before...

and after...

I realize there is not much difference between the before and after. I only wanted the ends snipped slightly, just to start evening it out and look a little fuller.

I did not get any photos of the actual cutting because for one, it took all of 3 minutes to do and also I was not sure how she was going to behave. With her clingy and terrible two moments lately I did not even know if she would sit in the chair by herself. Samantha surprised me once again and did great. She sat in the chair by herself, never cried or fussed, sat still as could be and her only request was to hold my hand. Too cute!!

They gave her a cute little card/certificate, a lock of her hair and a lollipop. All in all, a good experience and good morning.

The Little Chair

2011-03-09T13:51:00.000-05:00

I am sure this is not what my Aunt Betsy had in mind when she passed along this cute little doll salon chair to my girls. But little Miss Samantha has claimed it as her own. Afterall it is just the right size - for now!

It's Been A While

2011-03-05T08:25:00.003-05:00

It has been a while since I posted anything and that fact really bothers me. I know I will never remember everything that has happened that I wanted to post and there has certainly been plenty to write about. We've been a busy family! So I will just let go of the fact I will in no way be able to catch the blog up and move on.

Strike a pose!

We are now in the (very) early stage of potty training Samantha. She wants to be like big sister and has certainly watched her enough to know how it all works. We just have to get the timing down. But as I said we in very early stages. When we are home doing nothing in particular Samantha wears her little training panties and sits when she feels like sitting. We have had some success but we also have had some messes. I forgot how NOT fun this whole training is!

But she sure is cute and proud of her "new" panties.

Samantha turned herself into a little arts & craft project while visiting Meemaw. Well I guess she may have had a little help but it still made for a good laugh.

I have used my bread machine a few times now. This week I tried my Aunt's yeast rolls recipe. They certainly were not the prettiest rolls but they tasted good. I knew they were not quite right and while talking to Mama I realized I had left out an ingredient. At least I know where I went wrong. These tasted good but the next ones will be even better!

My little flower!! We picked up Gabrielle's ballet recital costume this week. She couldn't be any cuter! Unfortunately the costume was fitted and ordered in November and since then Gabrielle has been through a big growth spurt. She has grown about an inch and a half in the past month or so. She has absolutely no room to grow any more in the next three months!!! Today in fact we have to make a shopping trip for a few essentials since she has grown so much. I need warm weather to permanently arrive so I no longer have to send her out in public with pants too short! Bless her little heart she certainly has her Daddy's long legs!

BFF's

2011-02-21T16:55:00.000-05:00

Samantha & Madilyn @ Winter Blast Family Fun Night at our church. These two are so cute together!

Our Valentine

2011-02-15T20:16:00.002-05:00

Our Valentine breakfast of heart shaped waffles and strawberries and even pink milk!

Gabrielle with her Valentine mailbox from school. She loved going through all the goodies her school friends gave her.

The girls with their little Valentine Barbies.

I'm fairly certain Samantha enjoyed her Valentine cupcake.

Ed surprised all us girls with flowers.

All in all it was a lovely Valentine's Day! I hope everyone else had a great one as well!

Laid Back Weekend

2011-02-15T11:06:00.004-05:00

I wish I could have more weekends like this past one. It was a very laid back weekend.

Friday was Ed's birthday so the girls and I spent the day straightening up the house, wrapping his gift and making his cookie cake.

Ed liked his giant cookie but he asked why I had to put "35" on it. Ha!

My sister gave me her old bread machine that she no longer used. On Saturday I finally had the chance to try it out and it was much easier than I expected. I used this cinnamon raisin swirl bread recipe and I think it turned out really well. It was delicious! I definitely will be trying out some more recipes soon.

I also made some banana bread - finally - with some ripe bananas I had stuck in the freezer a while ago.

The house smelled pretty good at this point in the day!

On Saturday night Ed and I were fortunate enough to have a night out without the girls. Our church youth group was hosting a parents' night out and we definitely took advantage! We had a nice dinner and then went to Starbucks for coffee and dessert. We each got a yummy Vanilla Bean Cupcake. I'm fairly certain that one cupcake killed my Weight Watchers daily point allowance but it was so good! We even had the time to sit at a table and slowly enjoy our drinks while playing a short game of Scrabble. I will definitely be purchasing Scrabble for Ed and I soon.

Sunday was a day full of church activities. Other than the usual morning Sunday School and service, we also had a special service in the afternoon in our new, almost finished gym. This week the floors will be laid down so before that was done we had a special prayer service inside the building where we could all write down a prayer on the concrete floors with a marker. It was very cool.

Before we went to the afternoon church service I whipped up some Valentine cupcakes. Our church is hosting WIHN (Wake Interfaith Hospitality Network) this week and the Children's Council was providing dinner on Sunday night for the families. My contribution was one of the desserts. I did set aside three cupcakes for us girls to have on Monday.

Gabrielle had choir rehearsal right after the afternoon prayer service and then it was home for a quick dinner of spaghetti o's, Ritz crackers and cheese. Then off to bed!

Sunday was a little busy but in a good kind of way. I only wish the weekdays or more weekends at least could be as relaxing as this past weekend.

A New Endeavor

2011-02-11T13:09:00.000-05:00

Look what I got in the mail today - my Thirty-One consultant starter kit! I'm so excited (and maybe a little nervous). More details to come soon!!!

Kids Are Funny

2011-02-07T21:42:00.005-05:00

I just never know what to expect from my girls anymore. They can be the funniest people I know sometimes.

Samantha loves "scaring" us. She'll cover her face and then say "Boo!" as she puts down her hands, in a more deliberate manner so you know she really wants to scare you, not the basic game of peek-a-boo. The other night at the dinner table she and Gabrielle adjusted the game. They would close their eyes, open them suddenly and with a giggly "boo" we were supposed to be scared. It was difficult to feign being frightened through our laughter. Each time Samantha closed her eyes the laughter would burst out. She wanted to close her eyes but still see everything that was going on. This picture doesn't really come close to capturing the actual expression on her face but after several attempts this was the best one out of the bunch.

This next photo cracked us up as well. Gabrielle decided to sit and relax and read a book. Samantha, ever the copycat, thought this to be a good idea as well. So here they are, feet propped up on their little table, reading.

When kids are honest, you know - that blunt kind of honesty, it usually turns out to be downright funny. Twice today Gabrielle not so subtly put me in my place and ratted me out. The first time, we were making Valentines for her school friends. I guess by the 9th one she had finally reached her limit with my gentle suggestions and advice on writing her name.

She says, "Don't tell me what to do. I already know. You can just sit in the chair over there and watch."

Well, I certainly took the hint. She did the remaining Valentines all on her own and I kept my suggestions and comments to myself.

When we came home from a visit with my sister recently we brought back a storage bin of spring and summer clothes, an entire wardrobe of awesome hand-me-downs from my nieces for Gabrielle to wear this year. There were a few cold weather items thrown in as well, one of which was a purple bath robe. I could not even begin to describe Gabrielle's excitement over this particular item (the monkey panties were very exciting as well). She immediately hung it on her closet door and could not wait to put it on after her bath tonight. She put it on after bath and kept it on while Ed dried her hair. I then overheard the following question to Ed from Gabrielle:

"Can I wear my robe during the day like Mommy sometimes does?"

I mean, come on, I don't lay around in my robe all day. Maybe half the day sometimes, but not everyday. Ha! I'm certain Ed now believes I throw myself together an hour before he gets home from work everyday.

"You're Kidding!!!!"

2011-02-05T14:51:00.003-05:00

That would be my response upon opening my surprise birthday gift this afternoon.

I can not even begin to tell you how much I have wanted one of these and how surprised I was to get it for my birthday today. Seriously I had absolutely no clue!!

Groundhog Day

2011-02-02T10:38:00.003-05:00

First, for those of you who check my blog regularly you've probably noticed I have an addiction to changing my blog background! I'll try to keep this one around for a while - at least until spring is officially here. :) I just really disliked the previous pink flowery background and header and it had to go!

Happy Groundhog Day everyone! And to make the day really exciting Phil has predicted an early spring. I don't know about anyone else but I personally as well as the rest of my family are all ready for spring!

So happy early Spring everyone!

The Happy Sunny Weekend

2011-01-31T20:15:00.002-05:00

For the first time in what has to have been months we put on light jackets and played outside this past weekend. The weather was absolutely beautiful. If only it would have stuck around for a couple more months. Today was cold and cloudy and the week's forecast is more of the same, except for a strange HI of 71 with slight chance of light rain in the middle of the week. I'm not sure what that day is all about.

I made a few discoveries while outside with the girls...

Gabrielle has without a doubt outgrown her tricycle and is ready for a big girl bicycle.

And Samantha is terrified of swings. This one really boggles me because Samantha used to love swings. I mean LOVE swings. For the first 6 months of her life if I was not holding her during the day, she was in the baby swing. It was the only way I could get her to sleep for any length of time and the only way I was able to do anything with Gabrielle or around the house. I wish I had counted the number of C batteries we went through with that swing! Even last summer she loved the baby swing on our swing set. It was the only way I was able to play with Gabrielle. In the swing I didn't have to worry about Samantha climbing on something and falling and getting hurt. I did not have to worry about her putting something completely disgusting and not meant to be ingested in her mouth. And she was happy. A few pushes here and there to keep her going and she would laugh and smile the entire time.

This time I put her in the swing, gave her two gentle pushes and then SCREAMING!!

"Out, out, out!!! Stop, stop, stop!!!"

Samantha does enjoy, however, climbing and sliding, climbing and sliding, climbing and sliding. I will definitely have to stay alert and on my toes this spring and summer.

Gabrielle may be too big for the tricycle but it is the perfect size for Samantha. I figure by her birthday she will have the pedaling part down. Then we'll have to work on steering!!

A little help from big sister.

Moon sand - definitely an outdoor activity.

Moon sand doggy.

Moon sand = messy, messy, messy!

Another messy activity but oh so much fun!

Gabrielle turned my dog into Rudolph. She definitely still has Christmas on her mind.

Chalk everywhere - clothes, shoes, hands and even faces.

At least Samantha is not eating the chalk this year. That's a plus.

Our family.

"Cheeeeeeese!"

I think Gabrielle is going to love the swings this year. She was just starting to enjoy them last year and now she is strong enough and coordinated enough to actually pump her legs and keep herself going - somewhat.

Something else Samantha loves - her pockets!

"One Thousand Gifts" Trailer

2011-01-31T20:01:00.002-05:00

I mentioned a couple of posts back the book "One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are" by Ann Voskamp. I joined the {In}Courage Bloom online book club which starts this Sunday discussing the book. I am about half way through the book and all I can say is this -

This is probably the most beautifully written book I may have ever read. And it will change you. Change the way you think. Change the way you notice the world around you. Change the way you live. Don't misunderstand me here. This is not a self-help, how to be happy, just follow these steps and do this kind of book. Believe me, it is nothing like that. But it does make you think. Or at least it has made me think. Think about all the little things we have to be thankful for, to start noticing all of the gifts God has blessed me with, even on the really bad days, the darkest moments of our lives, there is good and there are gifts to be thankful for.

Here is a trailer for the book:

This 'n' That

2011-01-28T09:49:00.002-05:00

It's been quite a week at our house. For a couple of days I was down and out due to a nasty cold - one of those colds that completely drains you of all energy. Now my girls are unfortunately fighting the same nasty cold. They are not quite as energy-drained as I was but I think I would be incredibly worried if ever a sickness made them too tired to play and makes messes throughout the house.

Samantha had a not-quite-pbj sandwich this week. Whether it is due to a family history of nut allergies or our maybe a little more conservative pediatricians, neither one of our girls have been given the okay to try peanut butter or anything else with nuts until the age of three. After a few times of Samantha eyeing Gabrielle's pbj's and crying for them I decided it was time to give her a substitute. With Gabrielle we gave her sunbutter (made of roasted sunflower seeds) until she could try the real deal. This time I decided to try soybutter (made from roasted soybeans). Both in my opinion taste amazingly close to real peanut butter. Samantha enjoys it on a spoon but is not quite sold on the sandwich idea but she is really not a big sandwich person anyway, typically taking it apart regardless of its contents.

Gabrielle has in the past week plus a few days grown quite fond of and attached to her 18" doll Sandy. She received Sandy as a birthday gift from Meemaw I believe on her second birthday. Gabrielle will occasionally play with her baby dolls but I've always thought she favored her stuffed animals instead. I'm not sure what caused this latest attachment, maybe because little sister has laid claim to most of Gabrielle's baby dolls, or if she is just now at the age when her dolls are like friends as much as they are toys. Regardless of the reason Sandy has gone with Gabrielle everywhere - church, in the car to and from school, at the table for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners, and most certainly to bed. Sandy changes clothes several times a day, depending on the occasion, and even plays games with Gabrielle. And now, not only do I have a 4 year old crawling in bed with me in the early mornings before the sun has even risen, I also have an 18" doll joining me as well!

As I was going through a pile of old mail one day I came across an American Girl catalog that had arrived the first of the month. I am fairly certain Gabrielle looked through the catalog when it first came but showed little interest. This second time however was much different. She is now begging for an American Girl friend for her Sandy. She has picked out the particular doll, chosen earrings and outfits, accessories and even a pet. Anyone who is aware of American Girl dolls know what an investment these dolls are, not to be given to just any aged child but better for the age when they can truly take care and appreciate the doll. So we have told Gabrielle to put this new friend on her birthday list and as long as she takes care of her things and shows us she is a big girl then we'll see what we can do about getting her the doll.

Although I am always looking for a "deal" I am not one who often is lucky enough to just come across a great sale. Yesterday at Target was the exception. Each time I have been to Target since Christmas I browse the toy department, checking out the after Christmas clearance. Nothing really caught my eye as being something I could not pass up. But yesterday, yesterday I happen to notice a couple of sleeping bags. Gabrielle has been asking for a sleeping bag for a couple of years. These were cute and according to the sticker marked down 50% off to $7.48. Not a bad price so I put one in the cart. There was only one remaining and even though Samantha is not old enough for a sleeping bag right now I knew she would want what her sister has, if not now then soon. So I grabbed the remaining bag and headed for the price check scanner. I decided if the sleeping bags scanned at a lower price I would get them both. Jackpot!! The sleeping bags were actually marked down 75% making them only $3.74 a piece. So I came home yesterday with two sleeping bags. I wish I had had my camera ready when Gabrielle walked into her room after school to discover her sleeping bag laid out on her floor. She was so excited. And so instead of her warm, soft, cozy bed she chose to sleep on the floor last night. But I am pleased to say, instead of crawling in bed with me this early morn, she stayed in her sleeping bag the entire night!

Other than more dress-up not much else is going on around here. I wonder if every little girl loves dressing up as often as my girls. I'm certain there are plenty who do but it still tickles me each time Samantha walks into the room sporting her layered look of pink and fancy and "pitty" (pretty) and the fact that Gabrielle is wearing a ballerina or princess dress sometimes even before breakfast and changes throughout the day to match the theme of her activity, whether it be playing Barbies, watching a princess or Barbie movie, or some other game she has imagined.

I suppose I have spent enough time this morning in front of the computer, catching up on blogs and our week. Time to get busy with the day. Another family night tonight - more pizza, board games and sweets to look forward to.

Week One - Me

2011-01-20T09:45:00.005-05:00

* I started writing this post on Thursday. Then life got busy and I never got a chance to come back, edit and publish!

Today I have officially been on Weight Watchers for one week and I am very excited about the results so far. Last year I set a goal to lose about 20 pounds, some of which was baby weight from Samantha and some of it baby weight from Gabrielle that I was still carrying around. I did fairly well on my own, watching what I ate and exercising regularly. I lost 10 pounds last year but unfortunately gained about 5 pounds back over Christmas. All those cookies and snow days being stuck in the house are not good for a sweet tooth girl with little willpower. I really want to get this weight off and keep it off. Even though I did pretty good the beginning of last year on my own I decided to try Weight Watchers this year, hoping to get some new healthy recipes for my entire family and to get a new healthy perspective on eating a balanced diet without necessarily giving up completely all those foods I love.

Anyway, in my first week I lost 4.5 lbs!!! I know these results are not typical for week 2 and beyond but it makes me happy to have a good start at least. Not to mention now that I have lost my "Christmas weight" I am so much more comfy in my jeans. :)

I am also trying, again this year, to read through the Bible in its entirety. I started last January but once I fell behind I found it hard to get caught up and keep going. I am going into this year with a new game plan and new perspective. Last year for my birthday my sister gave me the One Year Chronological Bible. I am using that for my daily reading and also following along with Wendy Pope's blog/group. She posts video lessons Monday through Friday for each reading and then the hundreds (maybe even thousands?) of other women who are also following along post comments and discussions on the readings. I am keeping a daily journal of the things I learn from each reading as well. Already, just a little half way through January I have gained so much more this time around from my daily reading. Instead of my daily reading being just another item to mark off my to-do list it is something I look forward to doing.

The other thing that I think is going to help me this time around is taking Wendy's advice from the very beginning which is we are not striving for perfection but perseverance. "Life happens" as she says and there will probably be days in which getting my reading in will be impossible. That doesn't mean I should quit. Write down the day I missed and later, when I have time, I can go back to read it. The important thing is for me to keep going.

I have a list of about 23 books (so far) I want to read this year, a wide range of subjects and types. "The Last Song" by Nicholas Sparks, aka my fave author, was going to be the first on the list but then just a little over a week ago I heard about this book "One Thousand Gifts" by Ann Voskamp. I ordered it from Dayspring and received it yesterday. This afternoon I read chapter one and never, NEVER, has the first chapter of a book moved me the way this one did. There is no way my explanation of what this book is about would do it any kind of justice. If you haven't heard of this book go here or here or here to read about it.

The weather forecast for the next week for us is not looking that great - at least in my opinion. Maybe for those who love cold weather and snow and being stuck in a house for days with restless and hyperactive toddlers and preschoolers the weather forecast is a dream come true. But for me, personally, as one of the teacher assistants at Gabrielle's school so perfectly said "I'll be glad when I can complain about the hot weather!" Maybe if I can get my act together, I can figure out some fun art projects for the girls and some good inside games and activities and then tomorrow make sure we have all the necessary supplies. If I keep the girls happy and busy then maybe I can also get a few moments of peace and quiet to sit cozied up under a warm blanket with some hot tea or coffee, reading more of my books. And maybe, just maybe, we'll get through those couple of days being cooped up in the house with some fun, happy memories and not cabin fever.

My Lil' Potato Heads

2011-01-19T09:28:00.003-05:00

There's just something about Mr. Potato Head's glasses...

Samantha, January 2011, age 20 months

Gabrielle, April 2008, age 20 months

Two by Two

2011-01-18T13:35:00.001-05:00

Over the past couple of days I have come to a realization - we need two alike of everything! The girls have spent two days in a row fighting over baby dolls, doll carriers, dress-up clothes, shoes and more.

It's going to start looking and feeling like Noah's ark around here!

"Hi Maw-maw"

2011-01-18T13:28:00.003-05:00

Out of the blue this morning, while Gabrielle was at school, Samantha came out of her room where she had been playing with her blocks and was insisting for me to do something - I just could not figure out what she wanted. She finally grabbed my hand and said "up" and then pulled me to the front door where I finally understood what she was trying to say. She wanted to go to Meemaw's house! I had to tell her Meemaw was too far away and we could not go today but that we would plan a trip soon to go visit.

She seemed to accept that answer easy enough but then put her hand to her ear and said "hi mawmaw" (she can't quite get Meemaw out yet but pretty close). I dialed her number and let Samantha talk to her Meemaw.

She talked and talked Meemaw's ear off for a few minutes. I had to pry the phone from her hand which she did not appreciate too well. The girl loves her Meemaw and loves to talk!!

More Curly Q's

2011-01-18T13:23:00.002-05:00

Yesterday's "after" photo of Gabrielle's curlers was not that great of a photo. I had just taken the curlers out and had not yet brushed through the curls. As the day went on and the curls relaxed her hair was just too cute!

Here is a photo from the end of the day...

In her Snow White dress of course!

She wanted her hair curly for school again so once again we rolled her hair last night. This morning I think it turned out even curlier!

I love her hair with this loose bouncy curl but there is no way I am going to start the trend of rolling her hair every night. Somehow I have the feeling she will be a little unhappy when I refuse to tonight.

...and After

2011-01-17T08:52:00.002-05:00

Now I've gotten myself in trouble because she likes her curls so much she wants to keep them! I told her we could roll her hair again tonight so it would be curly for school tomorrow but there is no way I can take the time to roll her hair every night! Not to mention she was so nervous about her curlers falling out last night she woke up several times during the night with concerns about them coming loose.

Before...

2011-01-16T20:16:00.002-05:00

Gabrielle and I are both anxious to see the curly results tomorrow morning!

And of course lil' sis did not want to be left out so just for the fun of it...

Of course I did not leave Samantha's one curler in for bedtime but fortunately she did not seem to mind. She did get a big kick out of Gabby though.

Brrr.....

2011-01-14T16:38:00.005-05:00

It is cold here! Very cold and windy. After being stuck in the house for a couple of days earlier this week due to the ice I really looked forward to getting out. After a couple of mornings in a row of being out and about running errands I have to say there is nothing like being in a nice warm toasty home!

For some reason in the past couple of weeks I have been hit with how much growing up both of my girls are doing. Time just goes by so quickly! And for the past couple of weeks I have noticed more just how much they are becoming little people and not so much babies anymore (although they will always be my babies of course).

Samantha just talks, talks, and talks. When out in public she pretends to be really shy but as soon as we walk away from someone she is waving her little heart out, yelling - and I do mean yelling - "Bye!! Bye bye!!" Occasionally, like today in the BJ's parking lot, she will yell across quite a distance to tell someone "hi." At home she is constantly telling on "Dabby" (her name for Gabrielle, maybe it will eventually become Gabby but for now Dabby it is). She isn't always tattling on Gabrielle, sometimes she just really wants to tell me what Gabrielle is doing, sort of a play-by-play of their day. She asks lots of questions and likes to "repeat" what I say and even copies my hand gestures. Her favorite word to say is "honey." She calls me honey, Gabrielle honey, anybody and everybody "honey" and sometimes she'll just walk around saying "honey" in this sweet, sympathetic southern way.

Samantha also loves her books! For a while now I've been reading to her at bedtime but over the past couple of months she will ask for certain books and forget trying to skip that part of the bedtime routine; she cries out for her books if you try. And her attention span for books has gotten a lot longer. She will sit through an actual story and usually requests two or three books. I checked out several board books from the library at our most recent visit and all week she will bring books throughout the day and say "ree" for read.

Gabrielle is also growing up a lot. In general she acts more mature. I'm not sure that is the right word when describing a four year old but compared to age 3 I would say she does act older. She likes to ask a lot of very serious questions about how things work and why things are they way they are - those impossible questions for a parent to answer! She also talks about Jesus and God frequently, talks about how God made her (with her Daddy's help according to her because she has been told she got her pretty blue eyes from her daddy) and talks about how God loves her and she loves God. Her favorite activity is to play Barbies. Yesterday in fact she sat in her room and played Barbies for 2-1/2 hours!!! She didn't come out at all - for anything! If it weren't for the fact I could overhear the drama going on in Barbie's world I would have been very concerned.

One activity both girls absolutely love - dress-up! It is not unusual for them both to have dress-up clothes on first thing in the morning, right after breakfast. And sometimes they will stay in dress-up clothes for the majority of the day, even if they are not playing dress-up. They will watch tv, color, play Barbies or with the dollhouse, all in fancy dresses or tutus, heels and jewelry.

From My Little Sunbeams

My big project for this year is to get the house organized, starting with the closets. So last week I spent two days cleaning and organizing the girls' rooms and closets. I wish I had taken a before photo but I probably would have been too embarrassed to post it but here is Gabrielle's closet currently:

From My Little Sunbeams

I am amazed we have kept it so neat this long! But I think by weeding things out and putting toys in boxes it has made clean-up much easier and quicker for all of us. But Gabrielle's favorite part of her "new and improved" closet is the dress-up stuff.

From My Little Sunbeams

Before the clothes, shoes, and accessories were crammed into a toy box and a basket. We could never find matching shoes and whenever a dress ended up at the bottom of the box it was forgotten so the same one or two dresses were always being fought over. Gabrielle and Samantha both love being able to see everything hanging up and pick what they want to wear.

Today is Friday which means our second family night. Pizza for dinner and board games!! Woo hoo!! Better get the pizza in the oven so we can get the party started. Ha!

Family Night

2011-01-07T22:07:00.002-05:00

Ed and I decided we really wanted to start a family night - one night every week set aside for just fun family stuff. Friday seemed like a good night and tonight was our first of hopefully many, many, many family nights.

From My Little Sunbeams

We had lasagna rolls and salad for dinner - yummy! While I was cooking dinner Samantha and Gabrielle were coloring and drawing - Samantha mostly drawing on herself. We also played a little of Guitar Hero/Band Hero on our Nintendo Wii. The girls may not be able to do too much seriously with the game yet but they certainly have fun trying. Samantha and Gabrielle especially like singing with the microphone and hearing themselves over the tv speakers.

That last photo of Gabrielle and Ed was from a couple of nights ago - some fun daddy-daughter bonding.

After dinner and baths for the girls I warmed up some cookies and we played some board games. First we played Play-Doh Toy Time Race game we received for Christmas. The girls absolutely love this one, for obvious reasons - what kid doesn't love making a mess with play-doh? After I put Samantha to bed we let Gabrielle stay up a little later than usual and the three of us played Memory. I am always so surprised at how well Gabrielle does with this game. Tonight she and I tied for the win. The girl has an amazing memory - she really does not forget much, or let me forget too much either!

After Gabrielle went to bed Ed and I played a few more Guitar Hero games. I imagine it would be pretty hilarious for anyone watching, Ed on drums, me on guitar or bass, trying to be rockstars. Ha!!! Earlier while dinner was cooking we all played Taylor Swift's "Love Story" song with me on vocals. I have no problem being completely honest with saying I cannot sing - at all. I love to sing but believe me it is painful on the ears. After belting out my best of Taylor Swift's song my throat hurt and I was hoarse. I mean how embarrassing would it be to have to explain to everyone I lost my voice singing - or rather trying to sing - a Taylor Swift song on Guitar Hero???? But I have to admit, it is fun and it is very addicting.

I think the next game we should purchase is one of the dancing games - now that would be entertaining!

Now that we are all rocked out, the girls are in bed and even Ed has turned in for the evening, I think I will change into my pajamas and maybe read a little in the rare peace and quiet. Tonight was fun and I think everyone is looking forward to next Friday.

And I get to go to bed thinking about all the smiles and laughter that filled the house tonight.

Bundled Up

2011-01-05T11:23:00.002-05:00

and ready to take Gabrielle back to school. The girls love their new scarfs and hats from Meemaw.

Samantha's New Trick

2011-01-05T11:20:00.003-05:00

Someone has decided it is fun to remove the sink from the kitchen and crawl through the microwave.

h

Only problem is, she hasn't figured out how to crawl out by herself.

Rock Band Christmas

2011-01-03T17:02:00.002-05:00

Watch out - there's a new family rock band in town!! On Saturday we went to my sister's house to have the Guthrie Christmas get-together. For a good part of the time after lunch we were all upstairs playing Rock Band on the Wii. It was really fun and entertaining! It was so much fun in fact my older brother and my husband were convinced each of our families needed this game as well and both have been on the hunt for it since.

From My Little Sunbeams

If only I had had my video camera with me!!!

Almost a White Christmas!

2011-01-03T16:55:00.002-05:00

Christmas evening it started to snow. We were not sure exactly how much we were going to get so I did not mention the possibility to Gabrielle. I did not want to get her hopes up and get her excited for nothing. When we all woke up the next morning to more than enough!

From My Little Sunbeams

It was a really good excuse to lay around for a couple of days which is exactly what we did for the most part.

By Tuesday the girls were not running a fever at all so we bundled up and went outside but only stayed out for about 10 minutes. Since they were both getting over being sick I didn't want them to catch something else but I also hated for them to not get a chance to play for a few minutes at least in the snow.

From My Little Sunbeams

After we came in we enjoyed some nice warm cookies and some delicious hot chocolate. Mmmmm!!

From My Little Sunbeams

Christmas Photos

2011-01-03T16:48:00.002-05:00

Finally here are some photos from Christmas...

Fixing a plate of cookies and some milk for Santa.

From My Little Sunbeams

A quick snapshot before bed - the first one cracks me up. It looks as if they had a really rough day.

From My Little Sunbeams

Santa came!!

From My Little Sunbeams

The girls were a little sick - again this year!! They both had colds and fevers but unlike last year they still felt good enough to play and enjoy all their new toys.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T22:29:00.002-05:00

It has been a busy but also relaxing week for us. I actually took a few days to sit and relax. I played with the girls and even read a couple of books while I stayed inside where it was warm and cozy, enjoying the look of the snow outside. Of course now the holidays are over and it is time to get back to reality - at least a little bit. I hope to take more moments this year to sit and relax and just spend some time with my girls instead of filling what seems to be every waking moment with activities and to-do lists.

Happy New Year to everyone! And I promise to have Christmas pics up soon! *smile*

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-23T21:48:00.002-05:00

We have a somewhat busy day planned for Christmas Eve - cooking, straightening up and cleaning for Santa's big visit and our family church service at night. I will try to post soon after Christmas Day for all those interested in the girls' Christmas but for now we wish you all a very blessed and happy Christmas!!

School Is Out!

2010-12-23T13:29:00.002-05:00

Tuesday was Gabrielle's last day of school until after the new year. She went to school for a couple of hours and then the classes put on a little Christmas program. Of course it was so cute!

From My Little Sunbeams

The kids marched in playing instruments. Then the preschool director told the Christmas story as the older class took the various pieces of the Nativity up on stage. Then each class took turns singing 2-3 songs. While all of the kids were super cute I have to say I think Gabrielle's class did the best. They were definitely the loudest performance!

From My Little Sunbeams

Gabrielle loves to do arts and crafts types of things and I've always loved doing them with her. But I have also looked forward to the day that she made something just for me, something I didn't have to help her with and here it is...

From My Little Sunbeams

Actually it was for me and Ed but still, I love it!!

Something else I love - Christmas packages, especially unexpected ones! I did more online shopping than usual this year and I loved receiving so many packages in the mail but the best packages are those you don't expect like these delicious chocolate covered strawberries we received this week. Yummy!!!

From My Little Sunbeams

Gabrielle & Samantha's Christmas manicure -

From My Little Sunbeams

I had not planned to paint Samantha's but she was awake from her nap and watched me paint Gabrielle's. She then held her hand on my lap and said "mine" so what choice did I have really? She kept her hands unbelievably still and did not even try to touch her nails until they were dry. Anything big sister does, she has to do too!

Peace On Earth December Challenge - Final Week!

2010-12-20T19:34:00.002-05:00

Not even a full week before Christmas. I have really enjoyed these challenges. I still have certainly had my moments of being a little "crazy" and definitely stressed but I can honestly say I've had several moments where these challenges have forced me to stop, calm down, and think about what is really important.

I don't feel like this week's challenge will be as difficult for me because I already have less planned and scheduled to do this week.

Here's this week's challenge: Christmas is just 5 days away and so much of our time is often spent helping the children to remember the "Reason for the Season". Now it's our turn. Once the kids are in bed get yourself a HOT drink (again we are warming the body as we warm the soul.) Get ALONE and turn out the lights by your Christmas tree, a lit fire, or a candle and just be alone with God. Pray, talk to him, I encourage you to sing Christmas carols or songs praising him, and just rest with Jesus.

I think a moment like this sounds incredibly calming and I'm all for it! It probably won't happen tonight but I'm hoping I can manage a couple of nights this week for moments like this one - maybe one of alone time and one with my sweet hubby. *smile*

Christmas Countdown

2010-12-20T06:59:00.003-05:00

Christmas is quickly approaching and for us our celebrations have already begun. We had a busy and full weekend of Christmas.

From My Little Sunbeams

Saturday was a busy day - shopping, cooking, cleaning - with some fun thrown in as well. I spent the afternoon making spaghetti sauce with meatballs and Italian sausage. The evening was spent baking sugar cookies and Nutella pinwheels while Gabrielle and Ed were busy wrapping presents and building a gingerbread house.

From My Little Sunbeams

Yesterday morning we attended church. Because of a couple of late nights in a row we did not quite make it to Sunday school but I'm just thankful we were actually early for church as opposed to running crazy late which is usually the case. The girls got to wear their new "Christmas" dresses. Growing up we always had special, usually new, outfits for church for Christmas and Easter Sundays - another "tradition" I hope to carry on. After dressing the girls they twirled and danced in their fancier-than-normal church clothes.

From My Little Sunbeams

I hate the picture is so blurry - I have a feeling a new camera is in our not-too-distant future - but even with a blurry photo I think the girls are beautiful in their Sundays duds. *smile*

The choir performed their Cantata during the 11:00 worship service. I love our choir! Ed and I think they are one of the best choirs we've seen. The cantata was so moving. There were a couple of songs and moments of narration that literally brought me to tears. It was a great reminder of what this season is truly all about.

After church we came home to finish preparing for our first of three family Christmas celebrations. We hosted Ed's family yesterday at our house. Gabrielle was so anxious for everyone to get here. She had been asking for the past three days "Is this the day they are coming?" Unfortunately I was so busy preparing food and just enjoying the company, getting caught up and having some adult conversation I did not get really any photos. I guess the important thing is we all were enjoying each other's company and not really concerning ourselves with the capturing perfect photo moments.

The one photo I did take was our antipasto spread we "snacked" on before dinner.

From My Little Sunbeams

The kids of course loved opening gifts and they were all so genuinely excited with each and every single one. Here are a couple of photos of Ed and Gabrielle playing with Gabrielle's new Lego blocks. This is her first set of Legos and she loves them but right now still needs help putting the pieces together and building. Ed is more than happy to help though since he loved Legos as a child (and in my opinion, still had quite a bit of fun with them!).

From My Little Sunbeams

My favorite moment concerning the gifts was GrandDad opening his gift from Gabrielle. Our church had a Christmas Shop during their fall festival. I dropped Gabrielle off at the Christmas Shop with a list of people to shop for and a very limited budget ($10 for all five gifts). She was paired with a member of our youth group and was able to shop and wrap the gifts by herself. Amazingly Gabrielle has done a terrific job keeping all the gifts a secret so we truly had no idea what she got for everyone. I was in the kitchen stirring the spaghetti sauce while GrandDad opened his gift and all I could hear was a bunch of laughter. She got GrandDad a can koozie - a Carolina Tarheel can koozie!! Now anyone who knows us know we are Wolfpack fans all the way. We thought we had taught Gabrielle about our rivals! Ha! It was actually pretty perfect and ironic - Ed's brother graduated from Carolina so he told Gabrielle how great the gift was. Just too funny! We all agreed it could have definitely been worse - it could have been a Duke koozie!!! LOL

Early Morning

2010-12-18T07:46:00.004-05:00

I have been awake now for almost 4 hours which means I have been awake since around 4:00 am. A little someone came into our room wanting to crawl in bed with us, which has become quite the regular event recently. After Ed and I each took a turn or two taking her back to bed and tucking her in, I found myself wide awake. I knew the television or computer would not lull me back to sleep for those precious couple of hours I longed for so I started a new book instead.

Needless to say, reading did not lull me back to sleep either. Almost 200 pages later, the book was finished, Ed had left for work and the sun was beginning to rise. I probably could have gone back to sleep at that point but I knew little ones would be stirring soon and I thought of the mile long to-do list I had written out last night before bedtime.

The book this time was "Christmas at Harrington's" by Melody Carlson - another can't-put-this-down-until-I-finish-it kind of book and a great story about forgiveness and the real meaning of Christmas.

Probably between 1:00 and 2:00 this afternoon, just as I am putting Samantha down for her nap - which she has been fighting more and more lately - I will hit a wall of exhaustion and need to take a little siesta myself. I just hope I have an extremely productive morning so I can give in and get a little rest.

Another Good Read

2010-12-15T19:38:00.003-05:00

I finished another really good, yet short, novel yesterday - Max Lucado's "The Christmas Candle." It only took me a couple of hours to read so definitely a quick read but a great story about miracles, prayer and faith.

Another good children's story we read the other night is Mercer Mayer's "Little Drummer Mouse." This book is basically the story of the Little Drummer Boy only it is a mouse so there are obviously a few twists and changes, but such a great story as well.

We made another trip to the library today, to return some of the books we have already read once or twice, and to of course pick up one or two - okay, actually 10 more Christmas books and a random book about a dinosaur Gabrielle insisted on checking out. I also picked up a new book to read. I bought "Christmas at Harrington's" from my book club which I can start next or "A Simple Christmas" which I got from the library today. I'm not sure which I'll start next but I know it won't be tonight because I have to make a grocery list and gather all my coupons - exciting night, right?

Peace On Earth December Challenge

2010-12-12T21:19:00.003-05:00

It is now week 3 of the challenge over at Women Living Well. I have to say I really enjoyed my scheduled bubble bath last week even though I had to borrow my daughters' Disney Princess bubble bath! I was so relaxed and refreshed I really wanted to schedule a second one but the week got away from me before I had the chance. Maybe Santa will surprise me with some really nice Bath & Body bubble bath in my stocking and I can enjoy another quiet bath after Christmas.

This week's challenge is going to be super tough. My calendar and to-do list is out of control this week with last minute Christmas preparations. To schedule a night of getting in bed - and going to sleep - super early this week BEFORE my to do list is all checked off will certainly be tough for me to commit to. But I also know I NEED this. I need this time to get my priorities back in order and to remind myself what is really important about this time of year and to enjoy Christmas all the more.

I'm getting out the calendar now and scheduling my early bedtime!!

After a Little Bribery

2010-12-12T21:10:00.003-05:00

After weeks of begging, explaining, promising and then finally a little bit of bribery we convinced Gabrielle to allow me to change out her earrings. From the time she had her ears pierced she talked and asked about the day she could wear new earrings but when the day finally came and I started to pull on the backing of the existing earring she decided being able to change her earrings was not all that important. She was terrified it was going to hurt all over again and refused to let anyone get their hands near her ears. GrandDad even begged her tonight to have new earrings in by next week when he comes to visit for Christmas.

I'm not sure what exactly did the trick - promising to not pull too hard, promising a present - but she finally allowed me to change out her earrings. After I took the first one out she cried. I'm not sure why. It certainly didn't hurt but I guess I had to pull harder than she thought I should. But once we put the near earring in - a gold sea turtle - her face lit up, she started clapping with excitement and was thrilled.

After both earrings had been changed she got to open her surprise and was even more ecstatic. She finally got her stuffed Rudolph she has wanted since last Christmas. Rudolph is probably her favorite Christmas "character" and she talks about him nonstop. She is thrilled to finally have her very own little Rudolph.

From My Little Sunbeams

Thank goodness the earring anxiety issue is dealt with, done and over!!!

The Cutest Lil' Donkey You Ever Did See!

2010-12-10T22:10:00.002-05:00

This past Sunday was our church Children's Christmas Cantata. Gabrielle was old enough this year to join the Children's choir and has LOVED it! For the Christmas cantata, the little ones were to dress like animals. She wanted to be a brown horse. After much difficulty finding a plain brown sweatshirt and pants we convinced her to be the very important gray donkey. After all, without the donkey poor Mary would have had to walk all the way to Bethlehem.

After we (my mom did the majority of the work) finished the costume, Gabrielle could not have been more proud - or cuter in my opinion!

From My Little Sunbeams

And here she is with her best friend, Lilly, also a horse.

From My Little Sunbeams

More Christmas Decor

2010-12-10T22:01:00.002-05:00

Finally! Finally I finished one of the craft projects I had hoped to finish up last week. My first attempt at it just was not turning out the way I wanted so I ended up basically re-doing it. My friend Janie bought a handmade garland for her kitchen window. I can't remember the exact phrase of her garland now but it was squares of stamped letters that spelled out "joy" or "noel" or something of that sort. I loved it and have thought about it ever since. I decided I would try my hand at making my own and here is the result.

From My Little Sunbeams

As usual I went a little overboard and ended up making four different words and hung them throughout the house. The above "peace" is on our living room mantle.

In our kitchen:

From My Little Sunbeams

Gabrielle's room (because she informed Ed the other day she did not have enough decorations in her room):

From My Little Sunbeams

Samantha's room (because we have to keep things fair and even you know):

From My Little Sunbeams

And now for just a cute little photo of the girls on the couch snuggled with their Christmas blankies:

From My Little Sunbeams

Gabrielle made some new decorations for outside today as well - birdseed ornaments! We found this idea in a Christmas craft book I bought for her from the school's Scholastic book order. It is Angelina Ballerina which Gabrielle adores. This particularly craft was so simple and a lot of fun. We're just waiting for everything to dry and harden enough to hang outside tomorrow on the porch for our little birdie friends.

From My Little Sunbeams

So Awesome!

2010-12-10T21:49:00.002-05:00

One of my best Christmas memories growing up was taking our traditional rides to look at Christmas lights. I love it and insist on keeping the tradition going with my girls as well. Actually, even when it was just me and Ed, I made him take me for a ride just to look at lights. Ha! But now with the girls it is even more fun to see and hear their reactions, especially Gabrielle's.

Last week I decided to do a search to find some really cool must-see kind of local light displays and found Lake Myra Christmas. Tonight Ed and I surprised the girls after dinner to take them. It was a bit of a (sketchy) drive for us but it was well worth it. As we made our last turn into the neighborhood Gabrielle's face lit up with this beaming smile. She was speechless and in complete awe.

From My Little Sunbeams

I took a couple of pictures that do not do the display any kind of justice so you'll just have to believe me when I say the show was so awesome! The display is a 30-minute "show" of over 180,000 lights - yes, OVER 180,000 lights - set to music. The side of the road is taped off so you can either get out of your car and sit/stand to watch the show or you can tune your radio to the specified station and hear/see the show from your car. We started outside but the girls were shivering and I didn't feel like we had them bundled enough so we finished the show from the car.

From My Little Sunbeams

If you like Christmas lights definitely check out this website and definitely consider the drive out to see the display in person. I personally have never seen anything like it (except on HGTV maybe). It was so great and the girls LOVED it! And I should mention in one of the photos above the white specks that look like snow - it really is snow! They have an actual snow machine for part of the show!!!

Christmas Reading

2010-12-10T09:23:00.007-05:00

We have been reading lots of Christmas books lately. Actually we started reading Christmas books probably the week of Thanksgiving but now it seems to be all we read. I secretly bought a few Christmas books from Gabrielle's monthly Scholastic book orders and the book fair. This past week we made a trip to the library to check out some new books. Our excellent librarians had already pulled all of the Christmas books and had them conveniently on a cart. We came home with 21 children Christmas books!! Don't worry - there were plenty of good books remaining on the cart for everyone else.

I am no expert on giving a book review but we have read so many good ones lately I wanted to share our favorites.

Gabrielle's favorite book is probably "The Gingerbread Man" by Jim Aylesworth. She loves gingerbread men anyway and when I saw this book I realized she probably had never heard the original story so I had to buy it. We have read this book at least a dozen times in the past week. It is the classic story of the Gingerbread Man who is chased by various characters, only to be outwitted and eaten by the fox. The illustrations have this old fashion look to them.

Samantha's favorite book is a board book I bought when Gabrielle was 15 months old, for her second Christmas. It is a simple story but perfect for a toddler. "Christmas in the Manger" by Nora Buck and Felicia Bond is a short and simple board book with cute pictures telling the true reason for Christmas. Samantha loves to say "baa" at the picture of the ram, "moo" at the photo of the oxen, "shiny" at the foil star and of course "baby" for baby Jesus. We read this one almost every night before bed.

Another cute board book we checked out from the library is "Down Through the Chimney." The book originally comes with a CD which has a narrator reading the story as well as singing the song. Unfortunately the disk was lost with the library's copy but the book itself is really cute too. Samantha loves seeing Ho-Ho.

Some of Gabrielle's other favorites from the library are "Reindeer Christmas", "The Christmas Hat" and "The Christmas Humbugs" (my favorite out of the bunch we have read so far). All very cute stories.

If you are looking for a book true to the Christmas story scripture but on a child's level I definitely recommend "My First Story of Christmas" by Tim Dowley. I found this recommendation last year from Proverbs 31 and ordered a last minute Christmas gift for the girls. I let them have it on Christmas Eve so we could read the Christmas story before bed that night. We have already read it once or twice this year but I will definitely make it a tradition to read it every Christmas Eve.

With all the Christmas books for the girls I decided I wouldn't mind something on my level as well so I too checked out a couple of novels from the library. In one evening I read the short novel "Miracle on I-40" by Curtiss Ann Matlock. It was an excellent (and quick) read in which part of the story takes place near Raleigh, NC - which was the first thing that peaked my interest about the book. I had not planned to read it one sitting but as I sat down to read I could not find a good place to stop, I wanted to know what happened next.

Both myself and the girls still have a pile and a list of books we want to read this Christmas season. If we come across any other favorites I'll be sure to share those as well!

Love, Santa

2010-12-07T14:45:00.005-05:00

In the mailbox today we received the reply I was hoping to get - a postcard from Santa!! Gabrielle was really excited.

On Saturday we visited Santa in person. Gabrielle told me she was not going to be shy this year and was going to actually talk to Santa herself. She did pretty good and managed to tell him one item on her list. Samantha was excited to see Santa while we were standing in line. Once we got near Santa she suddenly turned more serious. She also managed to say a word or two to him and leaned down from my arms to give him a hug but there was no way she was going to let me set her on his lap. So here is our Santa photo this year - Ha!

I did not want to hold up the line therefore did not get the chance to pass off my camera to someone to get a photo. Fortunately there was a photographer taking photos but instead of paying the insane cost one will find at the malls for a tiny package of photos, at the end of the day the photographer took a disc of that day's photos to the nearby CVS. Today I stopped by the CVS, viewed our photos and printed whatever I wanted of the photo. I thought this was a great idea and system.

I did manage to snap a quick shot of Gabrielle with Santa.

I wish I had a photo of the sticky mess Samantha was after enjoying her candy cane from Santa. She certainly enjoyed it! By the time we got home her face and hands were red and sticky and what was left of her candy cane was covered in lent from her sweater. It was pretty gross! *smile*

Decorating for Christmas

2010-12-06T15:49:00.002-05:00

Well after a bit of Christmas tree drama and issues and about a week of placing items here and there I have to say I'm pretty pleased with our decorations this year. I am still working on a couple of craft projects that I hope to be done with tonight or tomorrow and we still have a box of outdoor lights and garland to put up but that will have to wait for a day it is not 40 degrees with snow/ice on the ground and blustery winds.

Gabrielle loves the decorations and has declared this as the best Christmas ever. Let's hope this feeling remains throughout the entire Christmas season. And fortunately Samantha is not afraid of the tree like she was last year. Instead I am back to the days of all ornaments and decorations lower than 3 feet high being removed and placed all throughout the house. *smile*

Here is a glimpse of our little Christmas touches throughout our home...

From My Little Sunbeams

This is the second year we are doing our countdown paper chain. So far it is going well. I simplified the daily activities even more this year to make the season more relaxed and the days more enjoyable for us all. Samantha is not able to do some of the activities and needs help with many of them but she is definitely enjoying the mini candy cane she gets every other day with our snowman countdown.

From My Little Sunbeams

And here are our poor snowmen who are awaiting repairs. Samantha loves them and hugs them and kisses them but she is also a bit destructive and rips their noses, buttons and even arms off. Once they are all fixed we'll have to find higher spots to place them.

From My Little Sunbeams

Our first activity on our chain this year was writing our letters to Santa. This year we opted to mail the letters. I'm hoping to get a reply from Santa. I've heard of some people receiving a reply as long as a legible return address is on the envelope so we'll just have to wait a few days and see what happens.

From My Little Sunbeams