Hanging Christmas Cards

This year I wanted to display the Christmas cards a little differently so i took shiny tinsel type ribbon and strung it on the sides of our old window wall hanging.

Then I took little tiny close pins and am hanging all the pictures.

Easy and Cute.

Thank you everyone for your cards.

Come January we will be praying for all of you "one by one".

Merry Christmas!



Merry Christmas + Three Fun Teaching Tools

Anyone with kids knows...things take longer sometimes.

Well,
this has been our year to take a little longer getting our cards out.

I just ordered them today, Dec 12th, yikes!

We have been doing a lot of other activities this month to drive home the importance of Christmas and the birth of Jesus.
We have this A-Z advent pre-school young children coloring book where you do a page a day and it's wonderful.
This is the one devotional I've found that i just love and it's only .99 cents on Amazon:)

This year I've had a plan and came prepared for December and it's been so cool to see the kids grow in their knowledge and have more fun as a family.
These are two essential DVD's for Christmas with young children:)
The "Very First Noel" is just a awesome DVD all about the birth of Christ.
It's cute and you can pause and talk about things throughout the movie.

This is another essential DVD for young children:)
"A wowie ... Christmas"  SO cute.

Anyway back to photos the one activity I put off.  We aren't the most photo friendly family, we try but it's hard to get a good photo.
These turned out okay though.
What do you think?

Here's a preview of some photos we just had done.

It was a toss up, which pictures to use.

So I went with the below:)

This is the outcome and to all those close friends out there, I'm hoping to get them to you by Christmas!

Merry Christmas.

What's cool about shutterfly if you post on a blog or facebook you get $10 off your next purchase.  Cool huh.

Photo Card

View the entire collection of cards.

Thanksgiving II

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving in SLO.

We hiked Bishop's with my brother's family

and

then Sharon and I began getting the feast ready on Thursday morning.

Unfortunately,

a half and hour before the last family members arrived for dinner our oldest got really really really reALLY SICK.

Yikes.

So we tried to keep him in the bedroom, poor guy.

And then.

Everyone decided not to stay the night and left early.

However,

Just about everyone in four families got sick with the stomach flu.

What a bummer.

A Thanksgiving that will surely be remember for sure.

Yuck.

Hope your Thanksgiving was good!

Give Thanks

Give Thanks.

I Mean really "Give Thanks".

Despite the recession and what you would like to have and don't "Give Thanks".

We all really...really...really have a lot to be thankful for.

A little story on our side:)

Our oldest whom we love dearly can only live for today.  It just kills him to think or anticipate fun for tomorrow.  Really.  Because of his severe ADHD he can drive you crazy if he knows he will go to "Disneyland" tomorrow or out of town ect...

So.

We live for "today" not tomorrow and we are thankful for today.

It's biblical really, but we live with a child who reminds us constantly to hold our tongue and live just for "today"

and

be

"Thankful".

 Enjoy your holiday

and

"Give Thanks"

Dentist with Three

I decided to be brave and take all three to the dentist.  It went really really well all three did awesome.  It was Nolan and Taryn's first time to the dentist and afterwards Taryn declared "I want to do that again" and Dylan said, "can we live there"  too funny.

 Highly recommend getting all your kids done at the same time.  I thought I would be overwhelmed, but it actually went really smoothly.

 O'and so far no cavities for any of our kids.

Keep up the good work kiddos (and mom and dad).

November Rush

Well.

We have been busy this November and it's just begun.

My goal this year is to get all the shopping, some baking and even Christmas Child (shoeboxes) done before December.

I found there are SO many extra fun activities in December I have a hard time keeping up and get strung out, especially with three and I just don't want to be like that in December. 

I love December and celebrating Christ's birth and all the activities.

I want to enjoy it.

Not be burdened by it.

So.

I'm on a mission, to put cookie dough in the freezer, order pictures early (if i can even get them done) and all shopping DONE by December 1st and tons of other misc things that need to be done in December.

We'll see if it can be done or not...

(O'and am so thrilled we are going to the snow this year, which will be the twins first time)

Outings and Halloween

This is Santana Row in San Jose.

There are shops under all these condos.

Beautiful shops, some with security guards if you get my point.

In any case, they have a toddler Halloween event where toddlers come one morning and go from shop to shop and get candy; they also have some cute activities and entertainment.

It's cute.

So here we are all ready to go.

We met a friend, got Starbucks and wandered around.

 On the streets in Santana Row

 Waiting for our friend

"Peter's mean face" okay that's really mean Nolan...

 Walking down the row.

 Do you see those faces and all the candy, crazy!

 Taking a break and having some sweets, yummy.

Tesla picture for Jason (he likes cars)

Finally caught them all together.

(btw: the below were about a week later...)

 Grrr I'm Dylan it's about time Dill.

These are there mean faces, cracks me up!

Time to "trick or treat"
(and yep those are the "N and Out" palm trees on the pumpkin)

 Still can't get Dylan to not do a mean one...

 I threw this one in because remember the window I finally hung it...yeah!

 Eating candy...

 The effects of candy on kids.

 Hope you had a great Halloween!

Pumpkins...pumkins...pumkins...

Pumpkins

How I adore pumpkins; their shapes, color, smell ...

Avilia Barn is a great place to take kids for pumpkins.

Super cute and fun and just long enough.

(One little note: I have not been for years and can not believe how crowded it is, still beautiful and fun, but just a wee bit busy)

 And if you are wondering where the missing families are some had strep throat, others had to work...

 Smiley Nolan!

 Dad purchasing pumpkins...

 Mom celebrated her birthday, doesn't she look great!

I'm trying to get caught up.

Beginning to feel like FALL!

Okay so I'm trying to get caught up on my blogging.

So the first couple of pictures are a weekend in SLO with just my brother and kiddos.

It was so much fun.

The kids just love each other.

 Jason, Sharon, Jeff and the kids...cute.

 I am gramming a lot into my blogs, but the next set up pictures are from our trip to Monterey just the two of us, Jason's company trip.  It was just beautiful that weekend in October.

The view from our room.

The Intercontinental, the hotel.

 This is the "Red House Cafe" one of our favorites in Pacific grove you can walk there from downtown Monterey.  Best crab cakes (if you like those) and salad, yummy.

Loved the decor. 

Tried to copy a little, but you know I can only do so much.

LOVE LOVE LOVE

FALL

Do you?



A Dear Friend

This is my friend, Kara she nine months pregnant with her first

(doesn't she look great).

Anyway Kara's husband John started working for the same company as Jason soon after he started.  We were newbies at the same time, it was nice.  At the time they weren't even married, but soon married and recently had their first child. 

We have known each other for about nine or ten years now and chit chat and catch up at all the work parties and occasionally see each other outside of work

(secretly happy she is going to be home for awhile with the new baby, yeah).

Anyway, it's so cool to know people so long and see them go through so many life changes.

And Kara I'm so happy for you and John and the birth of your daughter.

Keeping you in our prayers.

(Her husband took this photo, but doesn't this crack you up because we did not plan and picked the same colors, but opposite, too funny).

Note: I'm catching up on my blogging...I was really sick with the flu for the last almost two weeks...

Tutorial for Friendly Spiders

Friendly Spiders 

So we are not real into Halloween around here.

I really try to downplay the whole thing.

(I mean I'm a gal who never trick or treated growing up so...)

Everyone is different.

However, I do enjoy making spiders for the kids every couple of years and thought I would share how to make them 

(they are one of God's little creations, so i've justified).

Super easy just have to find the supplies...

Here's what you'll Need :)

• Find black pom poms (this year I found some in a bag with all different sizes and sparkles).
• 6 mm or higher Black Pipe cleaners the larger around 12mm are super fluffy.
• Googly Eye stickers all sizes
• Glue Gun
• Scissors

Measure the pipe cleaners four at a time for the legs.  Cut them evenly.  Then pinch the middle and twist full circle.  After twisted glue a pom pom in the middle with, then attach the eyes.

Yeah all done.

Super easy.

I enjoy putting them on my ivy's and door decor out front and that's basically it.

Oops I also put on on the spatula I give to the teacher for Halloween, cuz it's so cute.

 Enjoy