December 3rd - Applesauce/Cinnamon Oranments

If you're going to have a fake tree you gotta do something to make your house smell yummy, right? I made these ornaments when I was younger so I thought I'd give it another shot. I googled it and found several recipes, but ended up experimenting. Most called for equal parts applesauce and cinnamon, but I found that to be too runny. I ended up doing more like 3 to 1 and added in some cloves and nutmeg. We mixed it, rolled it out and had a fun morning using cookie cutters to make the ornaments. We had them dry out in the oven at the lowest setting for close to three hours and then after dinner we hung them. There was a lot more than I expected - so I was almost relieved if one broke here or there when we were taking them off the tray. They are all over the house - we've now decorated a small ficus tree, our chandilier, our bedroom doors, and the bar that overlooks the family room. We should hand them out to any visitors that come over - we have plenty! Brody was mostly into eating the dough, and then saying it tasted like dirt but he liked it. He also enjoyed picking out the different shapes to cut out - we are complete with hands, feet, cowboy boots, trains, cars as well as all the traditional Christmas favorites. It was a fun, but much longer project than I anticipated!

December 2nd - Paper Snowflakes

We made and painted paper snowflakes today and hung them in the arch way into our family room. You can see our stockings hung on the staircase with care behind Brody - there is no fireplace in our house so we have to leave a key under the mat for Santa!

December 1st - Letter to Santa

Today we wrote but mostly drew a letter to Santa. Brody wanted to be sure that he had been a good boy - not a bad boy and that he wanted to give Santa his pumpkin tree. Im not sure what he meant, but I have a feeling he is blending his holidays. Last week he asked to go trick or treating and then last night he scolded Brandon for not saying Happy Thanksgiving. I think he really "gets it" when it comes to holidays just after they pass. He LOVES Santa and is excited for him to come bring presents. He has never cried on Santa's lap, but I think his sister will!

I also had the kids draw a snowman for a little project I am working on - a picture will hopefully follow soon!

Its Beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

We had a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend which included eating more than we should and go shopping when we said we wouldn't, and getting our house decorated for Christmas. It started on Wednesday afternoon when Brandon came home from work and wanted to know when we'd get our Christmas tree. Let me just say, this is not the typical question asked by my hubby during the holidays, but there is a reason for his excitement this year. When we got married I made a deal that we'd have 5 years with a real tree (how I grew up) and then we'd go fake (not how he grew up entirely, but the last several years or so). Five years came and went obviously too quickly, but here we are at year 6. SO...off to Costco. I had my eye on their tree and I knew it had the most lights for the height. We measured the ceiling, decided on 7 1/2 feet and off we went. We were pleasantly surprised that they had so many in stock and that they were offering a $50 instant rebate! So Merry Christmas to us! We have a few gifts left to buy, but for the most part that part of the holidays is done. (Don't be too impressed, it is easy when budgets are small - but fun all the same!)

The kids wore their Christmas clothes to church today. It didn't last long - and it was a VERY FAILED attempt at attending church. Without offering any embarassing details, lets just say we spent more time driving to and from church then we did at church.

We got the tree and got it set up and decorated tonight. Brody was so into it! I was excited because I have planned something Christmas related to do every day now until Christmas and this was a great start to my plan! I am so excited because he is actually getting it and it makes him so happy to be involved. So...if all goes well I will post hopefully daily with our little Christmas activities.

Brody hanging his new ornament on the tree. We have a tradition of getting one new ornament for the kids every year, and also if we travel we get one from where ever we go. That way the kids will have ornaments to decorate their own tree with when they are grown. This year Brody got a Lightening McQueen. He was very excited to hang it on the tree.

Ella playing with our Polar Express bell. She hasn't gotten her ornament yet, we haven't been able to find a Baby's First Christmas one that we like. I know -- its a huge decision that could shape her future, so I am taking my time. For now...she loved the bell.

The tree from the outside - I love how you can see it from the street. It is perfect for us! Very picturesque. We are forgoing the outdoor lights mostly due to the cost of them - we thought the tree would be this year and maybe we could do lights next year. I would like to find a wreath for the door though. More pictures to follow of the inside!

Cakes & Crashes

Its a weird title, I know...but bear with me because it really does explain what we've been doing the last couple of weeks. My dad's birthday was on the 14th, so Brody and I worked hard making him this Sponge Bob cake. Im not a huge fan of Sponge Bob and Brody RARELY gets to watch it, and when he does someone usually has a remote in hand to change it if it gets sketchy. The early sponge bobs were much cleaner than the newer ones. Anyways...he has a sponge bob coloring book at my parents house and he enjoys coloring with his grandpa when he goes to visit (thus the Sponge Bob birthday cake).

Then we have a reprieve for 9 days before my mom has her birthday (which was yesterday). So, here is where the crashes come in. Our "main" computer crashed. It is the one with ALL our pictures on it and the main computer we use for just about everything. Brandon has a laptop and I have an older desktop set up downstairs to check email, etc. during the day, so I haven't been completely out of touch with the rest of the world. At first we thought we could fix the computer, but we decided to take it in and just see what they thought. Well...after a few failed tests the guys at Geek Squad told us it was fried, but they could save the pictures. Its a good thing because the last time I backed them up was October 2007 (during all the fires). Yeah, its been a big year so all our scrapbooks would have been missing a lot of major stuff (i.e. ELLA) - her poor baby book! So I am anxiously awaiting my dvd's from Best Buy with all my pictures. So in the end - its okay. We won't be replacing the computer for awhile - darn economy. But, like I said, we have others so it will be fine.

Other crashes...with Brody having toys I didn't even think of the stuff in my kitchen that can entertain Ella. I have decided that she is the opposite of Visa - She's everywhere you don't want her to be. Her loves right now are first - the little potty (just sick to me), the stairs, my fake plants and that stringy stuff used as dirt, and the computer. The computer I have downstairs is at the perfect level for her to reach, so she is constantly turning it on and off and banging on the keyboard - you might be thinking the same thing I do a lot - she'd better quit it or we won't have any computers at all. She LOVES my tupperware though. It has been great while I am working in the kitchen because she has to be where I am, and if she is bored she just stays at my feet screaming. So I will happily clean up the tupperware if it means that I can make dinner while it is a little more quiet.

I don't have a picture of Brody's crash - but I don't want to re live it again. This darn kid will be lucky if he makes it to his third birthday. We are truly looking into how we can get a lower deductable...because I don't think we've seen the last of his tricks. His crash was at Best Buy while we were trying to get the computer figured out. We turned away for a second and he was climbing those ladders they have to get stuff off the high shelves. Brandon grabbed him down and I put him in the cart and buckled him in. We both turned back to the sales person and turned around when he started to cry because he jumped out of the cart. When I picked him up he was hanging by one leg from the buckles in the cart and his head was of course on the ground. By the way he was hanging there we thought for sure his leg was broken and his head had hit really hard. We were extremely fortunate thought - his leg was fine and his head was spared all but a small bruise. Thank goodness he HAD to wear his beanie that night. So thanks again Great Grandma Kimbrell - its because of the hat you made him that he wasn't hurt worse. The most comical part of all this (if there could be such a thing) is that same day I had just paid the last of his medical bills for his last ordeal. All I could do was shake my head. The whole way home he kept saying, "Im sorry mommy, it was a bad choice." Its hard to be upset with his little voice saying that - but still, sometimes sorry just doesn't cut it. Anyone wanting a Christmas idea for him - A HELMET - seriously, he is in need.

He does help out though too...he started trying to help feed his sister her dinner when she was crying. They are becoming such good friends to each other (sometimes).Back to cakes...yesterday to celebrate my mom's birthday I made her a turkey cake. She was a Thanksgiving Day baby so we went with the turkey theme. I thought it turned out really cute. Brody calls it a star cake - I think because when we put him in bed on Saturday night that was what it looked like. We had fun with the family enjoying dinner Stephanie made and the cake.

How Did He Know?

The entire time I was raking our yard he kept running and jumping in the piles of leaves. This from a boy who had only ever seen maybe a dead palm leaf on the grass in California - are boys just instinctive??? Is it part of their DNA that a pile of anything must be jumped in?

P.S. As hard as our yard was to mow (which the season for having to mow is now over) - it is even harder to rake! The joys of having four seasons....and don't get me wrong - I LOVE having four seasons and having the leaves in the yard and seeing them change colors on the trees. This is definitely my favorite time of year.

Decision 2008!

Brandon laughs at my election day cheesey-ness, but I think it is cool! The kids and I went and early-voted last Wednesday - it was a breeze even with the little ones with me. Brody had such a good time he went later that evening with daddy. We were in the midst of preparing for Halloween, so Brody went half way dressed as a magician. I think the old people volunteering at the polling place get a kick out of stuff like that, so I am happy to oblige. Brandon was a little embarrassed that I'd let him go out like that, but I thought it was cute. Besides, there are plenty of opportunities for me to get embarrassed when I am out with the kids so it wouldn't hurt for Brandon to do it, right? Not only was Brody dressed in his costume, but we were trying to get him to get in the mode of saying "trick or treat". Well, Daddy must have expressed some political opinions to him on the way to the polls and he came home saying "No Obama" instead. He also learned who John McCain and Sarah Palin were - although what he remembers most and tells me everyday is that Daddy voted for No Obama. Its really cute coming from an innocent 2 year old.

My biggest cheesy-ness tradition started when I was in the sixth grade - back in 1992. Our homework assignment was to color a map the red states that voted republican and the blue states that voted democrat. It stuck. I have done this every election since then, and I LOVE it! I have a great time on election night watching the news and coloring in the US map. I plan on doing it tonight, and I will even print a map for Brody to color while he watches along. I guess I have to have something to do to keep my mind off the possibility of the election not going my way. So far I have always had my way, so maybe I am as good an indicator as the weather or the Redskins football team. Either way - we will have our "red white and blue" dinner, Brody is sporting his USA shirt today (Ella would too - but she's grown a lot since July!), and we will color in our maps while we watch the returns come in. We are very grateful for the electoral process (even if it doesn't always work flawlessly) and our hope and prayer is that whoever does get elected is able to remember the freedoms that our people have fought to protect for so long.

AND - we are thinking happy hopeful thoughts for our family in California! May all your hard work and time put into supporting Prop 8 pay off! We've been contacting any friends that we have in California to let them know why they should support Prop 8, and praying that the people of California will support families and the freedom to have moral beliefs. Good luck!