Keeping up with the Laughlins...

Hello, Monday

2012-02-20T06:20:00.000-06:00

Hello Monday!

Hello to getting caught up on Project Life!

Week 5

Hello to week 6!

Hello to the Presidents (and a day off of work!)

Hello to finally finishing off all of the candy hearts!

Hello to our rock band, footie pajama boys

Hello to a short work week due to conferences (no school Friday too!)

Hello to getting St. Patrick's Day decorations up

Hope you have a great week!

Transportation Museum

2012-02-19T19:19:00.000-06:00

If you haven't been to the Transportation Museum in St. Louis, you are missing out! We have a few groupons to go there, and we finally went this past Saturday. It was an Evan/Mommy/Daddy date. Alex got to stay with Me-maw and Pa-paw and had fun as well. Evan had a blast and I can't wait until it gets a little bit warmer to go back, ride the train (that part isn't open until March), spend time in the Creation Station and walk around and see all of the different kinds of trains.

This place was amazing! It has all different kinds of boats, cars, trains, trucks, dress up costumes that have to do with transportation, puppet show puppets, a huge climbing boat (and you can go underneath of it too), crayons/painting, play kitchen, and Ispy on the walls too. It was so fun and Evan did great with all of the other kids there too! :)

Evan the pirate...argh!!!

He left this Astronaut costume on for almost the entire time we were there. It was a good thing it had a helmet, because he kept hitting his head underneath the boat playing with another little boy and girl and their dad as the "alligator". They were running and chasing each other to try and get away from him and get out of the water.

Can't wait to go back!

Date 2 of 12

2012-02-19T14:08:00.000-06:00

For our February date, we went to the Fox Theater to see West Side Story. I had no idea what the story was about, so I was glad that Mike and I were able to go and spend Saturday afternoon together (and bring our friends, Cortney and Matt to enjoy the show too!) Thanks to my mom for getting the tickets and to my parents for watching the boys for us yesterday afternoon. We had a great time and I loved the story!

Here are our other dates in 2012
January
February (was supposed to be Jan)

For other date ideas, click here!

Friday Five

2012-02-17T05:50:00.000-06:00

1. Our yard is seriously disgusting right now. I've mentioned before that we are getting weatherization done on our house. Step 1 is to dig a well....right now, it's just a big, old muddy hole in our yard. Ugh! Evan has been in heaven though! :)

This is where most of his meals have been...

2. Evan has his Valentine's Day exchange at his preschool and it was the cutest thing ever. LOVE it there and I'm so glad he is learning and growing and making friends.

3. This guys seriously needs to slow down! He is pulling up with ease, trying to walk across his crib and making us laugh every single day.

4. This is the new face he's been making for the past week or so! Hilarious!!!!!!!

5. And a little project I'm working on...this is just a start. I needed a place to put all of our paperwork, receipts, outgoing mail, invitations, etc. so this is the start of a command center. I'm not sure what else to put up there yet...or if I'm going to move the calendar over there (it's on the fridge now). But for right now, it's already a huge improvement. Jesse...this is the piece I want to paint!!! :) In the bottom part of the hutch we have bowls, etc. but I'm hoping to make it into our arts/crafts supply. I have slowly started cleaning it out to add construction paper, etc. We have a ton of plastic pencil boxes I'm hoping to use for markers, glue, fingerpaints, etc. Hoping this will help keep it all organized since we don't have an office! :)

Thursday videos

2012-02-16T07:30:00.003-06:00

Just a couple of videos I wanted to share! :) Enjoy!

Wordless Wednesday

2012-02-15T18:12:00.000-06:00

Happy Heart Day!

2012-02-14T12:54:00.002-06:00

Hope you have a great Valentine's Day today...I know we are! :)
Love my boys...

Also, I wanted to share what I got Mike and what the boys made Mike too! :)

52 Reasons I Love You
Idea from Hannah at Everything Always Sunny

I traced a hand of each boy and made this...
Idea from RootsAndWingsCo

Evan loved helping with the painting!

And this idea...which I asked Evan the questions and he answered. It was pretty funny! I added a picture of us 4 after I took this picture, but you get the idea! :)
Idea from FreePrettyThingsForYou

Have a great day everyone!

muffin morning...

2012-02-13T05:15:00.001-06:00

Friday morning Evan's preschool had their Muffins with mom and grandma. My mom was going to be in town this weekend so she got to go with us! I made some egg free muffins and we had a fun morning with Evan's friends from school. :)

Alex's dedication...

2012-02-12T15:56:00.002-06:00

We finally got to go through with Alex's dedication....we were originally supposed to have his in November, but then he got sick so we rescheduled it to today. We had a great morning of going to the first service, heading to lunch, and then going back for the dedication part. We are so thankful to have family and friends who love Alex (and us/Evan) and want him to grow up knowing Jesus!

And just for fun...here's Evan's from Sept. 2009

Evan's godparents, the Powells

Aunt Kelli (or Aunt Tia-as Evan likes to call her!) :)

Uncle Dave and Aunt Sarah (baby Lillie was sleeping)

Me-maw and Pa-paw Merritt

Grandpa (it's his birthday today too!) and Grandma Laughlin

Mommy and Daddy with Alex James

January date in February :)

2012-02-11T20:05:00.001-06:00

We finally went out for our January date. We headed out bowling and even though I lost...I'm just glad I got over 100 for one of the games! Mike and I had a blast! It had been years since we had been bowling...and I can't wait to go again! My mom has been here for a few days and I'm so thankful for her for watching the boys while we went to bowl and also for helping us get ready for Alex's dedication tomorrow!

9 months

2012-02-11T06:20:00.000-06:00

I can't believe I am sitting here again writing Alex's 9 month update.

Dear Alex,
You are at such a fun stage right now. You are wearing the same size diapers as your brother (size 4) and size 3 shoe. Most of your clothes are 18 months. Alex, you are crawling, trying to pull up and stand up on your own, and clapping. Slow down will ya!?! :) You have had pink eye twice and 2 ear infections this past month. You went to Iowa to meet your other two Great Grandmas and went swimming for the first time. Your 1st and 2nd tooth came in and you also went on your first sled ride in the snow. You love to "chase" Evan and crawl after him and watching you two is so fun! Love you Alex!
Love, mommy

Here is the 9 month shots I tried to get...little Mr. did NOT want to sit still! :)

Love it! :)
Happy 9 months A!

Wordless Wednesday: making progress...

2012-02-08T05:23:00.003-06:00

Ten on Tuesday

2012-02-07T13:12:00.001-06:00

In a cleaning and purging mood. We are going to be getting some weatherization done (for free!) on our house. New windows, doors, insulation, etc. So....in order for all of this to be done, we need to make room in our basement. So, we have been working at night after the boys are in bed to go through all of our stuff and decide what to keep or get rid of. I've been listing a ton on craigslist. Sold a couple of things today which is nice. If anyone wants to buy Stampin' up stamps, Christmas dishes, an exersaucer, Wii games and also Rockband, or Graco stroller let me know! :) Email me at kaseylaughlin at yahoo :)
Just finished watching the Bachelor. Seriously...the girl that left because she was in love with her ex-boyfriend or whoever...is the ugliest, weirdest crier ever!!! What the heck!?!
Curious....how do you or someone you know organize all of your pictures, scrapbooks, etc??? Either yours from the past or your current stuff?
Just finished reading a couple of books...what are some that you recommend????? I need something new!
Excited for Alex's dedication at church this Sunday! Deciding on a few egg free cake recipes now to make for the celebration!
Can't believe that we are already a week into February!
Needing to get some ideas for re-doing the basement area and making it into a playroom. Thankfully there are a ton of ideas on Pinterest! :)
Heading to Sprint...yet again to have them check out my phone. Battery isn't working right... :(
Looking forward to our February date with my hubby...coming up on the 18th!!!
Love these boys! Alex watching Mike drum and then Evan spraying Mike with the Spiderman web and Mike "sleeping" from the spider web! :)

hello monday...

2012-02-06T13:38:00.000-06:00

Hello Monday...
Idea from here

Hello to squeaky clean brothers

Hello to the sun shining...

Hello to a great Giants win!

Hello to dancing

Hello to another pink eye and ear infection go around. :(

Hello to planning Alex's dedication at church this Sunday

Hello to playtime

some ideas on this Sunday...

2012-02-05T13:14:00.009-06:00

Getting ready for a relaxing Super Sunday! :)
But wanted to share a few Valentine's ideas for you...courtesy of Pinterest! :)

Valentine...you knock my socks off! Idea from here...at Evan's preschool, the teachers and kids usually wear their socks while they are inside, so I thought this was a fun idea for his teachers.

Pin It

Another idea from here...You're the "write" teacher for me! Happy Valentine's Day!

Pin It

I'm so fortunate to have you as a teacher. I got the idea from here and included some chocolate, the rolo pencil, and fortune cookies.

Pin It

For Alex's babysitter, Erica, she loves to read, so I made her some homemade bookmarks and got her a gift card to a book store (as well as the chocolate!)

Pin It

For Mike, I found this idea here and here and loved it! So I decided to make it for him. I think it turned out great! :)

And the Valentine's for Evan's classmates...super cute! Idea from here!

Pin It

Have a great Superbowl Sunday!!!!

Happy Friday!

2012-02-03T21:06:00.000-06:00

I am so going to enjoy the weekend! Hope you will too!

E helping Daddy lower Alex's crib.

This guy got his 2nd tooth...AND he finally learned how to go from a crawling position to a sitting position on his own! :)

A walk in the park...

Bath time...

Date 1 of 12

2012-02-02T14:46:00.001-06:00

January's date was to go bowling! I was very excited to go and so was Mike. Unfortunately, my back had a different story in mind. I had back surgery back in 2002 and still have problems with 2 disks. Well...the whole month of January it was hurting...bad. So, bowling was out unfortunately. I'm hoping we can make up for it soon because I want to go with Mike and/or with friends!

Instead of bowling, we went to go see The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. We both read the books and loved the movie. It was great to get away and enjoy a non-kid movie (which is usually on our TV these days).

So excited to share our February date soon!!!
Here are some other date ideas!

awesomeness...

2012-02-01T05:11:00.004-06:00

Nicole posted these on her facebook and they made me laugh so hard....they are both so true.

This from Parenting. Illustrated with Crappy Pictures.

Scary mommy also posted This one from Illustrated with Crappy Pictures too.

Just wanted to share and pass along! :)

Project Life...week 4

2012-01-31T15:02:00.000-06:00

Last week's project life :)

1. Top left: Alex playing with his toys and getting a big ol' grin because Evan is saying "baby Agex" over and over.
2. Top right: Evan's preschool report :)
3. Middle row: Alex reading, the boys and their superhero shirts, and enjoying the first sled ride of the winter
4. Bottom row: Evan loved pulling Alex in the snow and on the write, a note about prayers for my mom while we wait for the results from the biopsy to see if it is cancer (and we are still waiting...so still appreciate the prayers)

1. Top row: Mike's letter from Mizzou accepting him into the PhD program! Way to go Mike!!!!!!! and also Alex working on his pincher grasp...still trying to get those thumbs to work :)
2. Middle row: A few of my facebook status's from this week, playing downstairs, Evan pointing and saying "This is Superman", and Mike and Evan watching a show before E's bedtime
3. Bottom row: A sweet letter from Mike's grandma Laughlin thanking us for coming up to her birthday party. it was so sweet and loved what she wrote. :)

Sesame Street

2012-01-31T14:23:00.000-06:00

Evan's preschool took a field trip today to go see Sesame Street Live. It is performing here in town and some of the preschools in town got to go (for way cheaper I might add too!) :)
It was a long program (an hour and a half)....so we made it to intermission before leaving and heading to lunch with Mike's parents who also joined us. The show was really cute and we had a great morning!

Happy Dedication Day Lillie!

2012-01-29T18:36:00.000-06:00

What a great day!
Happy Dedication Day Lillie!

snow morning...

2012-01-28T11:43:00.000-06:00

It's almost all melted now, but we woke up this morning to about an inch of snow. Beautiful! I took the boys out for a sled ride and we had a great time! It was the best watching Alex enjoy his first ride with his big brother.

Currently...

2012-01-27T14:22:00.000-06:00

Found this idea here and definitely loved it! Have a great weekend everyone!

date: Friday, January 27, 2012
location: living room floor
weather: cold, dreary, windy
reading: through some quotes that I want to use in my Project Life album this week
eating: Oreos
drinking: water and Dr. Pepper
enjoying: the quietness of this house...both boys sleeping!!!
thinking: about what to make for dinner, finishing this week of Project Life, and going out with some friends for Bunco/drinks tonight!!
loving: that the weekend is here
wondering: when my back will feel better
needing: to take a shower and finish Evan's Valentine's for his classmates

Happy weekend!

some videos to share...

2012-01-24T19:44:00.000-06:00

Not sure if I've shared these or not...but here they are :)

Alex and his teething pizza...

Evan dancing and singing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang...

Happy Tuesday!

thoughts...

2012-01-23T20:31:00.000-06:00

Took both boys to doctor for follow up with pink eye. They both still have it and Alex actually has a double ear infection too. No wonder his sleep has been so bad this past week. Crazy to think I didn't know...he wasn't pulling at his ears, no fever, etc. ugh...mom of the year :( We had to hold Evan down so they could check his ears/take wax out. He got so worked up he threw up...poor guy. In the end he was happy because the doc brought him a popsicle. Hoping these boys are healthy soon!

If you could say a prayer for my mom...she had a biopsy done on her skin today to see if it is skin cancer. Any and all prayers appreciated and welcomed...thank you.

Right now I need to continue weeding out my scrapbook supplies to get rid of things. I have so much stuff and I'm definitely in the cleaning and purging mood.

Watching the Bachelor...seriously...why do I get sucked in Every.Single.Time! :) I can't stop.

That is it for now....thank you for the prayers for my mom....

Superman 1 and 2 to the rescue :)

Project Life...week 3

2012-01-22T20:27:00.000-06:00

This is basically just for my record and memory, so feel free to skip if you're not interested! :)

1. Top Left: My Saturday ramblings post...just printed out with smaller font
2. Middle Left: Overheard at bedtime one night...Evan said he was Batman and not Evan :)
This look was mostly on Alex's face this week. Poor guy and his teeth. Was so overtired and cranky and up at least 2.5 hours each night crying...
3. Bottom Left: Up early enough to see the sunrise
4. Top Right: Iowa weekend
5. Middle Right: A few random notes and a picture of Evan and his Lion hat he made at school
6. Bottom Right: Woohoo! Alex's 1st tooth

1. Top Left: Iowa Pic
2. Middle Left: B Warm pic from a new toy of the boys...fitting considering how cold it was this week. Also a picture on his Christmas gift from the Morrison's...he drew a picture of himself and said "Hey look mom...this is a picture of me."
3. Bottom Left: Donuts with dads/grandpas note
4. Top Right: Swimming picture in Iowa...love their Superhero swim trunks
5. Middle Right: Our fantastic babysitter Erica with the pink eyed boys :)
6. Bottom Right: Donuts with dads/grandpas

Ramblings...

2012-01-21T10:25:00.000-06:00

Our Saturday started off with both boys sleeping in until 7:30. Awesome! After another rough night for Alex (up from 2-4:30) having them both sleep in was great. Even better was Mike got up with both boys and let me sleep in until 8:30. Man, I love him :)
Evan did wake up with both eyes crusted shut from pink eye. Having to hold him down to get drops in with him saying over and over "I'm done. I do not like. I'm done" is heart breaking. Hoping that it doesn't last too long. Alex still has it as well but at least it is only in 1 eye now.
Laundry is started for the day...one of our little tricks is to just have a laundry basket for each boy and to do a separate load for just their stuff. It makes it easier for putting away instead of having to sort it all out. Now, if I could just remember to do that all the time, that would help! I often find myself just throwing both of their pajamas into the same hamper, etc. It's easier in that moment, but I'm kicking myself later when I go to do the laundry, sort and put it away in their dressers.
Laundry was also started because Evan decided to throw up all over the living room this morning. Poor guy! We had to take off his clothes, Alex's clothes (because he was practically sitting underneath him) and the cover to his "Evan" chair. Hoping it's not more than just an overfull tummy.
So much for a relaxing morning at home! :)
As I was rocking Alex and getting him ready for his morning nap, I was sitting and thinking about how fast time goes by. I often get annoyed by having to again get up in the middle of the night or go back and rock him or something....but really. It's not bad. I am going to miss those moments. It seems like it was yesterday that I brought Alex home and he was this little bitty baby...now, he's almost 9 months old! Next thing I know he'll be in his own big boy bed and not wanting to be rocked at all (like Evan now). So...instead of getting upset, I rock a little longer, sing another song, whisper in his ear, stroke his hair/cheek, and hug him a little longer. Not getting enough sleep is okay right now because in the long run I'll miss those tender moments with just me and my son (even if he is thrashing and screaming ;) at me!). It also helps to have a hubby who will let me sleep in too!
Right now, Alex is sleeping, laundry is going, I am sitting at the kitchen table with a nice, hot cup of coffee, and Evan is playing cars with Mike and they are watching Alvin and the Chipmunks. Seriously...even though the dishes are clean and need to be put away and the floor needs to be swept, I love my life. At this very moment...just us.

Friday Five

2012-01-20T15:40:00.000-06:00

Evan has pink eye...and yes, Alex STILL has it. Ugh!
Alex is teething bad. He's been up the past four nights for 2.5 hours crying and in pain. Nothing is working for those pesky teeth. I feel so bad for him...
Excited to have a weekend at home with just the four of us.
Going to try a new recipe tonight for dinner...I'll let you know how it turns out before I post it :)
Love these two guys...

similar???

2012-01-19T05:43:00.000-06:00

Me, Mike, Evan and Alex

Wordless Wednesday

2012-01-18T18:16:00.000-06:00

Oh...pinterest...how I love thee...

2012-01-17T13:44:00.001-06:00

I couldn't narrow it down to a top 10...so here's 15! :)

Just want to document some things from pinterest...what I've done and what I want to do (soon!).

I do wish Pinterest had a little button or something to mark what you've actually done! :)

What I have done recently...

White Chicken Enchiladas

No picture, but I want to make these again this week. SO good! Instead of the can of chilies, I added a can of tomatoes/chilies. Delicious!!!!

Car Tutorial Shirt

Tissue Paper Canvas Picture

This was easy to make...just take your time when you modge podge the tissue paper onto the canvas.

Photo Glass Magnets

Crayon Initial Gift

Christmas Card Book

No pictures because the Christmas stuff is put away :)

Organization with a dish rack

I actually am using this at one of the schools I am teaching at....it works great!

EGG Free Donuts!

Evan had donuts with dad and grandpas this morning at his preschool. I knew that most donuts have egg in them, so thankfully pinterest came to the rescue and I found a recipe without egg. And seriously...these were so good and easy to make.

Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits

Easy and so so good!

Feta Dip

This was yummy and can't wait to make it again!

What I want to do soon...

SuperValentines (do you see a theme for Valentine's Day and a double bday in May??)

Art Holder

I love you because frame

Boyville Wood Characters

Fishing in the tub

Mirror, mirror

2012-01-16T13:41:00.000-06:00

Love these

Project Life week 2

2012-01-13T21:10:00.000-06:00

Week 2 and still love getting little snippets of our week down! :)

* Mommy got new shoes (with Christmas gift cards) to start slowly training for a duathlon and Evan got new "Flash" shoes...he says he's fast in them and runs every time we go somewhere in them. :)
* Took a self-timer shot during dinner one night. I actually made a few new recipes this week and Evan even ate some of them! Alex is starting to eat more finger foods...well...at least putting them in his mouth now. Eating...not so much. We're getting there!
* Evan got a haircut from Mike. Let's just say if you were anywhere within a ten mile vicinity of our house, we were not harming our child...just cutting his hair. Seriously he screamed, I was holding his hands down, Alex was sitting on the floor rolling/crawling into walls/door frames and screaming too. It was a fun night I tell ya ;)
* Evan's artwork from Tigerside
* Love that Alex has his tongue out of his mouth and is so focused on flying Buzz :)
* Mike's brother, Dave, turned 30 this week
* Alex is still getting over pink eye and had a flu shot this week...we have a new, stronger medicine, so hoping it works
* One of Evan's daily notes from school. This particular day he did a great job tracing his name and saying all of his numbers

* I copied and printed out Alex's 8 month letter for this week as well as his 8 month picture
* I still have two spots left for journaling...one is going to be Evan telling Mike in the car ride home (just those two were in the car) and that Evan wanted Daddy to call Mommy because I work with Santa and that he wanted to say hi to him. The second thing is jotting down notes from our dinner out at TGI Fridays. We had the best, most peaceful dinner as a family of 4....out in public. It was awesome!
* I took a picture of the road from our 1st snow day (school was canceled)
* Evan and Mike watching old school Batman, Superman, and Spider-man videos on YouTube.
* Breakfast one morning...Evan was pretending to be Spider-man and has his arms out shooting the spiderweb web and Alex is trying to eat a cracker and watching in awe at his brother :)
* New Green Lantern car (from Target), Spider-man socks and Batman fruit snacks :)

Indy...part 2

2012-01-12T20:25:00.000-06:00

We had a blast at this jumpy place. It was so fun on a rainy day to bring the six kids to play. They wore themselves out! Madison and Mallory did such a great job helping get the little boys up to the top so they could slide down too.

LOVE THIS FACE! It was his first time going down...he LOVED it!

Want to know what the girls were taking pictures of???? See below! :)

Waiting for delicious Donatos Pizza!

And my favorite!!!!!

Alex at 8 months

2012-01-11T21:05:00.000-06:00

Alex, at 8 Months:

He has 4 teeth coming in…they have been coming in for the last few months it seems like. I am hoping the bottom two poke through soon. Poor guys has been in so much pain and chewing on anything he can. He goes in spurts for naps and bedtime with the teething pain. For a few weeks his naps were out of whack and he had some nights where he was awake every. single. hour. Hoping we are back to a normal sleeping schedule soon.

Started crawling (on Jan 1^st!) while we were visiting the Morrison Family in Tennessee, and hasn’t stopped crawling since! He does a more army crawl, backwards push, and long arm stretch. He’s so quick and changing his diaper or clothes has been some fun wrestling matches lately!

Alex is still working on his eating skills. He is picky, picky, picky! He does great with stage 1 baby food. Loves bananas, prunes, and peaches and can’t stand sweet potatoes, green beans, or squash. Alex also has a pretty sensitive gag reflex (just like Evan and his momma), so we haven’t even tried any soft, finger foods like puffs. Well…we have tried giving him puffs, but he won’t put them anywhere near his mouth. He’ll grab them and hold them, but won’t eat them. If we try to put them in his mouth, he gags.

He is in size 12-18 month clothes and size 4 diapers. His hair seriously reminds me of Conan O’Brien. It’s awesome…especially after a nap!

He has been saying da-da a ton and will also say ba-ba. No ma-ma yet! At least I haven’t heard it… Hoping soon! Loves to watch his big brother Evan. He cranks his neck all the way around to get a glimpse of him if Evan is running back and forth between rooms. When I nurse him, I have to go into another room, otherwise, Alex is so distracted by Evan. Alex loves when Evan tries to tickle him and breaks out in a big ol’ belly laugh. It’s pretty fun to watch the relationship between these two grow!

One of the happiest babies ever…except if it is bedtime! Still has a hard time putting himself to sleep one his own in his crib and Mike and I don’t like the cry it out solution, but if we are out running errands, etc he has no problem falling asleep on his own in the car seat or stroller.

We are so in love with our little boy and can’t believe he is 8 months old. It’s such a joy watching our family grow and the way our boys are starting to interact and play with each other now. It’s fun to watch!

Christmas in Indy...part 1

2012-01-09T14:59:00.001-06:00

We headed to Indy to see Dan, Amanda, and the kids and we had such a great time. We had a wonderful visit with them...watching the six kids play and us grown ups getting a chance to catch up and chat was much needed. As usual, here's a ton of pictures from our trip! :)

Playing Uno MOO

Aiden looking for his name of the presents...so cute!

Building things :) A huge train track was also put together downstairs...so fun watching all of the kids (big kids too) play and interact and get along :)

One of my faves before opening presents...

Birthday stats :) Here's a closer look...

I made the girls a birthday scrapbook...one page per birthday and each year I'll just make a digital copy and they can place in their own album. I am doing it for my boys as well...and making one for Aiden and Ethan. And Amanda...we won't talk about why Madison has more...right?!?! :) Ha!
Below is the other tissue paper canvas art I did. :)

Aiden and Ethan did such a great job sharing their new toys with Evan...

Stay tuned for part 2. :)

Project Life week 1

2012-01-08T21:45:00.000-06:00

Well, I'm so excited to say that I've completed week 1 of Project Life! :)
I think I am going to like this...getting our yearly scrapbook done, but also making sure to add more notes and tidbits along the way. (Note to Self: find photoshop cd and reinstall on computer...)

Here's my cover page

Week 1:
January 1-7

One of Evan's preschool daily notes home and my little superheros from our drive back from Nashville...

A couple of pics of Evan and us celebrating his first New Years and in red, just random notes/thoughts from this week. I keep a notebook by my bed to jot stuff down at the end of the day...otherwise I'd forget. I also send texts to myself in order to remember :)

2012...my resolutions

Our New Years day dinner clan at the Morrisons...

I love looking and reading all of the other people's Project Life pages who are completing them...mine are going to look completely different. They probably won't be as snazzy, use as many stickers or journaling, etc and that is okay. I'm just looking forward to documenting our life...one week at a time. Remembering this moment of our lives and the everyday happenings. :)

Mothers and Sons...

2012-01-08T05:49:00.004-06:00

This is amazing...

25 Rules for Mothers and Sons

Grab a kleenex :)

Happy Sunday!

1 week

2012-01-07T09:57:00.001-06:00

Here we are one week into the new year.
I have lots of thoughts swirling around in my head, so this post is going to be all over the place. Some good, some bad...here we go! :)

We still haven't totally unpacked from our Midwest trip to Indy and Nashville. Packing I do not mind...it's the unpacking that seems so hard. Why is that? I guess it's good that we haven't totally unpacked yet since we are going up to Iowa next weekend.

It was a rough morning around our house today, which is why this momma needed a break and is writing this at Starbucks. Thanks Dan and Amanda for the gift card! Both boys were up at 5:30 am...way too early. I tried getting Alex back to bed, but he wasn't feeling well. Did I mention that he has double pink eye??? Yeah...no fun trying to get eye drops into crusty, matted down eyes. Poor guy. Mike got up with the boys and let me sleep in for another hour. Grateful for that since Alex was up three times last night. Anyway, Evan was a tad tired and whiny and he kicked me in the chest...the same side that has mastitis. Did I mention that I had that again? Yeah...well I do, and it hurts so bad! Not thinking and just reacting from the intense pain, I smacked Evan in the leg trying to get him off of me. He started crying, Mike started saying not nice things to me, and I started saying not nice things back. Anyway, it was a morning for a do-over. Anyone else have those types of mornings? I try to be positive and happy on this blog, but sometimes I just need to vent about the not fun stuff.

Please say a prayer for my niece, Mallory. Yesterday she had to have a biopsy done on her lymph nodes to see if she has Hodgkins Lymphoma. She was so brave yesterday during the procedure and now they must wait a week for the results. Pray for my sister and brother in law...having to wait a week will be so hard.

Even though I am teaching part time...15 hours a week. I have a full time job. I am at 4 schools, but have 30 students. This is tough. My department knows this, but there is nothing they can do...I can't get paid more and don't think I can ask for more hours. Even if I did, I don't want to work more hours right now. I love getting time to spend with Alex one on one while Evan is at preschool. I think I am just feeling overly stressed because testing is next week. This is a huge test for the ELL students and trying to find time and get all of the testing in (when I am only at the school one day a week) is going to be challenging. I will be getting some help, but getting it all done, with three different levels of testing and 6 grade levels is stressing me out.

I used a couple of gift cards yesterday to buy some new running shoes. I want to get back in shape. I am planning on signing up for this. I think it will be a blast to do! I have a bike, I have shoes...just need to start slowly to train. I'm excited to try! Any one close by want to do this with me???

And because I haven't posted any video in awhile...

Evan and his breast pump "horn"

Alex and his belly laugh

Man, I love those boys!!!!

Mike and I had a movie night last night and watched Friends with Benefits with Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis. A funny, funny movie! I was laughing aloud many many times!

We also opened our monthly dates for February and March. February we are headed to the Fox theater in St. Louis to see West Side Story (thanks Mom for the tickets!) and also another date to go ice skating! :) March we are going to go see The Hunger Games movie! Mike and I both read the books and are so excited to see this. Another idea I put in the envelope is to go see, Josh Arnold, a comedian that I went to high school with. He was a year older and I knew of him, but don't know him...(does that make sense)? Anyway, he is going to be at the comedy club here in town and we are possible going to go see him.
I'm excited to have the rest of the months opened too! :)

This totally is true and made me appreciate all of the difficult days, happy moments, and our everyday life at this moment in time. It does go by too quickly and even though it is stressful in the moments, they are only little once. Thank you Nicole...I totally needed this today!

This is long enough...so if you've read the whole thing...thanks! Have a great weekend everyone!

2012 goals

2012-01-04T21:03:00.000-06:00

Here's our 2012 Picture a Day Blog.
I'm so excited that I've kept up with this since 2008!
My next goal is to actually get them printed into blog books. Not sure which program to use...blurb or blog2print or are there any others that you've used and are easy to get into book form??

This year besides keeping up with the photo a day blog, I'm also actually going to try Project Life. It's funny...I've actually had the kit from 2009! I'm excited to try this since all of the scrapping I do is digital and this will give me the chance to write down the everything thoughts, funnies, or anything else that I want to share about our life that week. I've got the album already ready, paper already slid in the album, and pens ready to write! For me, it's easy to jot stuff down on post it notes or text myself funny things or things I want to include. We'll see how this year happens with adding our every day life. I'm excited to try!

I also want to run a 5K. I'm thinking I need to do the Couch to 5K approach and also make sure I start slow because of my 9 surgeries :) Also thinking about doing this in April.

What are your goals???
Still can't believe it's 2012 already!

Favorites of 2011

2012-01-04T14:12:00.001-06:00

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October
(Alex was really happy! The loud clapping and cheering just scared him for a sec!)

November

December

2012...

2012-01-02T20:35:00.000-06:00

And we are back from our Midwest travel-fest. Had such a fun, fun time and I'm so thankful that we went and saw family and friends who are like family...good times all around.
As of right now my wants and needs are a little confused...
I want to sit on the couch, go through pictures, watch the Bachelor, drink coffee, and get started on my 2012 Picture a Day blog, get Project Life going for the year (yes, I am going to attempt it!), and sit and organize some blog posts/ideas/pictures....
BUT
I need to finish unpacking the car, start laundry, get ready for work in the morning, get Evan's clothes ready for preschool, unload the dishes from the dishwasher, and just get ready to get back into our routine.

I want to blog about:
A top 10 list from our travels...
Cousins...
Indy trip...
Nashville trip...
New Year's Eve...
A 2011 review...
Favorite 2011 monthly pictures...

Lots to do and lots to get done tonight, so I will be back soon....in the meantime here's a fun picture to share.

here's to a great start to 2012!

9

2011-12-28T04:51:00.002-06:00

Nine years!

3,287 Days

= 78,888 Hours
= 4,733,280 Minutes
= 283,996,800 Seconds

2 mortgages

3 addresses

6 cars

15+ house parties

1 state

2 churches

2 dogs

3 car accidents

2 of those deer accidents

15+ vacations

12 states visited

2 births

6 employers

6 surgeries

1 half marathon

2 college degrees

1 PhD started

thousands of movies seen

five thousand tears

a million laughs and memories

one love of my life. Forever.

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Happy Anniversary Mike....love you! xoxo

Merritt Christmas

2011-12-27T03:05:00.001-06:00

Some of the highlights of our Merritt Christmas in pictures.

Definitely had a great Christmas...thanks Mom and Dad! Love ya!

Top 10

2011-12-26T20:45:00.000-06:00

Top 10 things I want to remember about our Christmas Day...

The look on Evan and Alex's faces when they saw that Santa came

Alex laughing and playing with his new learning bug

Evan laughing so hard he's crying...(I was laughing at Alex and tears were coming out of my eyes, Evan starts laughing for a few seconds and then starts pretending he is crying. it was awesome)
(note to self...upload video of this!)

Matching Christmas PJ's

E learning how to blow the train whistle

Evan driving cars on Mike's present

Alex giggling uncontrollably while Evan tickles him
(note to self...upload video!)

Alex's Christmas miracle ;)
(trust me...you don't want to see this pic.)
After almost three weeks of not going #2, it finally happened after a dinner of mirolax and prunes.

Watching the boys play together or at least sharing toys! :)

Celebrating the real reason for the season!

12

2011-12-26T19:45:00.000-06:00

12 dates...one a month for 2012. This was my Christmas present to Mike (thanks to Pinterest for the idea!). Apparently it's a great idea for others this year too! :) Katie and Heather both decided to give it to their husbands too!

Can't share the rest now, but I will, just in case you decide you want to do this too! :) Here's to a great 2012!

Santa

2011-12-25T15:02:00.000-06:00

Evan

Alex

Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T13:10:00.000-06:00

From our family to yours...Merry Christmas!

Numbers

2011-12-22T14:02:00.001-06:00

Thanks Heather! ;)

number of Christmas cards received: 56
number of packages received: 2
number of packages that arrived just in time for STL: 2
number of Christmas cards sent out: 100
number of times Alex got up last night: 4
number of times Alex got up Tuesday night: 6
number of teeth coming in *and they better hurry!: 4
number of dollars spent at the grocery store: too much
number of Dr. Pepper brownies I'm making for our big Christmas Eve family party: 3
number of Christmas movies watched: 5
number of Christmas cookies made: 0
number of Christmas sugar cookies still on the agenda to make: 1 (a new egg-less one!)
number of times Evan got up last night: 3
number of shows at Evan's preschool this week: 2
number of days traveling this Christmas break: 8
number of cities visited: 3
number of cups of coffee (decaf): 4
number of projects finished while Alex had a 3 hour nap: 4
number of days before Christmas: 2

Why did it come so fast this year?? And WHY did I wait so long?! :)

for my friend...

2011-12-19T13:16:00.000-06:00

I have a friend who needs to hear some of these words and thoughts today....sending prayers and hugs for you and your family. Love you...

Image from here

Weekend Update (in pictures)

2011-12-18T18:38:00.000-06:00

Mike's work party and a trip to St. Louis...

randomness

2011-12-16T13:27:00.001-06:00

10 Random thoughts...

Not ready for Christmas...this is the first year that I'm not and I thought I'd be stressing out, but I'm not. I just can't get it done. The wrapping, finishing up the odds and ends, making sure I have gifts for everyone. I know it will get done, but I'm not worried...(check back with me on Christmas Eve! ha!)
You ever get that feeling that a friend or family is just totally lying???? And possibly not telling the whole truth to their spouse...Yeah...me neither ;)
I wish traveling was quicker and easier...meaning...I want to be in Indy visiting family and helping my sis in law who has a lot on her plate right now while adjusting as a family of 6! I wish there wasn't so much of a travel distance between us. Between her and my sister, I want to be able to see them and catch up whenever possible. It's just hard not living in the same city as both of them...they are my best friends and I don't have that close of a relationship with anyone here in town and I miss them both.
Only three more days of school before ~~Christmas~~ Winter break. Ugh! I wish today was our last day.
Heading to St. Louis this weekend while Mike has to work. I miss my mom and dad (and bro and sis!) and I'm so excited to be there and then also head back on Thursday to celebrate Christmas! :)
Love that our door is filling up with Christmas cards...total count as of now...22 :) (edited...7 new ones today!)
Today is Mike's work Christmas party...I'm loving the smell in the house as I'm baking muffins, cookies, and brownies! Yum!
I wish sometimes I could just let out how I really feel about a situation...having to hold it all inside, keep everything in and pretend is so so hard. Anyone else feel this way? But...opening that up could be WW3!
Heading to the doctor today to get Alex's ears checked out again...hoping it's just teeth.
whew...it's Friday.

Merry Christmas

2011-12-16T12:17:00.002-06:00

What's On...

2011-12-14T19:49:00.000-06:00

This week...

What's on the bed...

What's on the floor...

What's on the bed...

What's on the floor...
Do you see a pattern?? ;)

Desserts...

2011-12-13T14:23:00.000-06:00

I'm all about simple, easy desserts and these are definitely simple, easy and YUMMY!

Again...thank you pinterest! :)

Lemon Cake

3 ingredients and 1.5 weight watchers points a piece!

1 box lemon cake mix-mix with one 20 oz bottle of diet 7-up

Bake at 350 for 30 min in 9x13 pan

Cool and top with one tub of light cool whip

The entire cake is 19 weight watcher points and it is divine!

I would add another tub of cool whip though...made this Sunday and it was amazing!

Diet Coke Brownies

1 box fudge brownie mix ( I used the 9 x 13 pan size)

1 (12 oz.) can Diet Coke

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl dump the brownie mix in. Open that can of Diet Coke, and slowly pour over the dry brownie mix. It will foam up a lot. I stopped to stir in the soda a couple of times.

Pour into a 9 x 13 pan which has been lightly coated with non-stick spray (bottom of the pan only),and bake for 30-35 minutes or as directed on the box. I found though that I had to increase the baking time by about 7 minutes in order to have a toothpick inserted in the center come out clean
Let them cool, cut them into 24 pieces and try not to eat the entire pan before the family gets home!

12 days...

2011-12-12T12:18:00.000-06:00

I have some exciting news for you!!
Truth in the Tinsel is running a "12 Days TIL Christmas" sale for 20% off the book
plus a free 12 day alternate schedule featuring the best 12 crafts!!! (A link will be included in the download.)
It will be 24 hours only with code 12DAYS.
So, its not too late! For those of you who didn’t have time to get everything ready or you just weren’t able to start on Dec 1st , now is the time to jump in! Or get it for next year!!
Get your Truth in the Tinsel today!

Sunday Funday

2011-12-11T20:14:00.000-06:00

Someone turned 7 months old today...

Hard to believe Alex was this little...(E looks so young too!)

Of course we have outtakes...

We played with lights

Had a lazy morning before getting ready for church.

Ran a few errands...

Made reindeer food for Evan's classmates

Hope you had a great day too!

ramblings...

2011-12-10T14:36:00.000-06:00

Can't believe that Alex will be 7 months old tomorrow
Love that almost every time Evan is counting to ten, he skips 4.
I think I am all ready for Christmas...just need time to actually sit and wrap gifts. I'm hoping to get to it this week while E is at school. By the way...where do you hide gifts????
I think I need a professional organizer to come over and help me purge
Trying to figure out work plans for Mike and I for next year...decisions, decisions...
Alex is doing great sleeping all naps and bedtime in his crib (finally!) and he definitely is a stomach sleeper.

Evan got a new bed that we are hoping will help with his not being scared of his room/bed/ghosts/etc. He does great sleeping at preschool...maybe we should've just bought a cot! ;)

Sold lots of toys and baby gear in a consignment sale...that money will be going toward our new transmission in the Escape. boo. We figure IF we have another baby in a few years, we'll just get what we really need...craigslist and friends will hopefully come in handy then :)
Ready for a nap...
I forgot how much teething babies drool
I need to post some videos of the boys for my out of town family to see...hopefully tonight or tomorrow!
Took some fantastic pictures for a friend for their Christmas cards....hoping to post a few of those too.
Love listening to Evan sing "Jesus Loves Me" at night
Alex is seriously the most content baby
Happy Saturday friends!

winter pics

2011-12-10T13:55:00.000-06:00

Evan and Alex at their 6 month pics...

Happy Weekend!

Magic Tree

2011-12-08T20:16:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite holiday traditions is visiting the Magic Tree. It was even more magical since both boys were happy and loving the lights/colors.

Alex's 1st Magic Tree trip!

Here's Evan's 1st trip (from 2009)

and in 2010

This year Evan helped "fix" one of the lights that had fallen on the ground...

It's the best time of the year!!

ISO: Nature

2011-12-08T19:53:00.000-06:00

This week's theme at ISO is Nature.

My entry this week is a magic tree. I love how they took a simple tree and wrapped it entirely in Christmas lights...makes you appreciate the beauty of the simple things.

Head on over to enter and see the other entries!

ISO Winner!!

2011-12-08T19:49:00.000-06:00

I was the winner this week over at ISO!!!

The theme was thankful.

Here's the winning pic!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-07T14:45:00.000-06:00

gift giving...

2011-12-06T21:04:00.000-06:00

Thank you Pinterest for helping me make Christmas gifts this year!
Thought I would share some ideas that I found and have made for family members...family, feel free to skip this post! :)

This idea is for Evan's teachers...
Magic reindeer food for Evan's classmates and also some Snowman Soup! :)

Picture wreath: idea from here
This wreath was super simple to make and looks amazing! Just grab a styrofoam wreath from any craft store, wrap with fabric or ribbon and use push pins to keep it in place. I used brads to attach the pictures/circles. Tie a bow around the frame holder and instant gift! :)

Picture on canvas: idea from here
this was simple to do and looks amazing...much better than it does in the below picture. I did a few and black and white pictures (in my opinion) look a little better than the color pictures. All you need is tissue paper, your printer, modge podge, and a canvas. Click on the link because she gives great directions on how to make this yourself!

Got this idea from here...can't wait to hang these up in their rooms!

Important Dates...love this idea!

For Evan's teachers...idea from here

This is for the Grandpa's...it is a car shirt where the roads are on the back of the shirt, that way, when my dad and Mike's dad are wearing it, all they need to do is lay down :) Idea from here...

Breakfast with Santa

2011-12-05T15:15:00.000-06:00

Saturday we headed to one of the high schools to have breakfast with Santa. We had a great time and I actually got Evan and Alex in the same picture together with Santa. Evan is not loving Santa and definitely didn't want to sit on his lap. We did have a great morning and Alex had fun people watching as well!

I also got to run into two of my friend's daughters (one being a former student!) :)

I think E loved the candy cane the best! :)

Tis the season

2011-12-04T05:32:00.000-06:00

Throw on some cute matching pajamas...

attempt a family picture...

see the magic of the season...

through your children's eyes...

Love this time of the year!

Ah...the joys of photo editing

2011-12-03T20:31:00.001-06:00

Just wanted to share this and also thank Mike's cousin for merging the pics into 1.

First we got this great one...

Then we got another great one...

Then we tried together....well, it wasn't quite happening like I was envisioning it

So, thanks to Mike's cousin, we got it! :)

Love Photoshop :)

ISO: Thankful

2011-12-02T14:57:00.000-06:00

This week over at ISO: In Search Of is "Thankful"
I am so thankful for family and my two boys...

Head on over to see the other entries and to enter yourself!

weekend is here...

2011-12-02T13:48:00.000-06:00

Hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Dec. 1st

2011-12-01T19:50:00.001-06:00

There's still time to get Truth in the Tinsel to complete your advent activities! Tonight we completed our first activity...making the candle to show that Jesus is the light.

We opened our first Christmas book tonight...What is Christmas? by Michelle Medlock Adams. Love all of her books. First we had to have a family tickle fest!

We also completed our 1st activity for the month, which was to mail off Christmas cards! :) Evan also got to put a cotton ball on Santa's beard.

The cards hanging on the left are the random acts of kindness cards and the daily December activities. The paper chain on the right are clues for the Truth in the Tinsel activities and after we finish one each night, we'll pull one of the chains off.

Hope you had a great 1st day of December as well!

Good to go...

2011-12-01T05:33:00.001-06:00

Update...

We are all healthy! :)
Had follow up appointments for both boys and everyone is good to go! Not contagious, no lingering problems, so let's keep it that way! :)

Alex had his 6 month appointment and is 17 lbs (40th percentile for weight) and 27 inches (40th percentile for height). Love all of the screeches and mouth movements he is making too. He is definitely getting around...not quite crawling, but getting where he wants to go by rolling and turning. He loves apples and pears and hates green beans and sweet potatoes. Next we'll try squash :) He is wearing mostly 12 month clothes and size 2 shoes. Love to play with his toys and when we make funny faces and tickle him, but he especially loves it when Evan is tickling/getting him to laugh. He is eating his hands, so that makes me think a tooth (or two) is coming soon. Orajel is our friend right now :) Alex is one of the most content babies and I can't believe is going on his 7th month. Time flies, but it feels like it goes even faster the second time around. We love you so much Alex!

At 2.5 years old, Evan is doing great and just within the last month or so, his vocabulary has taken off. He is now stringing together 5-8 word sentences and can tell you what he wants or something that he saw/has happened. He is doing fantastic at his new preschool and has done such a good job making friends, listening, and following directions. He can tell us what he does during the day and loves the book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! :) He can sing a little bit of Jesus Loves Me and definitely needs a routine for bedtime. After getting out of the hospital, he started hating bedtime. He was scared and we had to start leaving the door open/cracked. Finally last night he said he was scared of the "osts". After talking with our doctor today, he thinks the nurses (who dress in light colored clothing) who came in and out throughout the night while he was in the hospital for the week scared him...and now he attributes that to scary/ghosts. It is starting to get better, so hopefully in the next few weeks he will feel okay about bedtime. He is so fun to be around and watching him play with Alex brings a smile to our faces. Love you E-man!

Getting ready...

2011-11-30T14:11:00.000-06:00

Can you believe tomorrow is December?!
This is what my living room looked like yesterday afternoon...getting ready for Christmas and advent activities. This year we are doing Truth in the Tinsel...if you haven't gotten this...you need to! We are also doing a book advent where we open a new Christmas book each day to read together. Another thing I'd like to implement is random acts of kindness to people throughout the holiday season. For instance, taking coffee or hot chocolate to the bell ringers, etc. I found the idea here.

I also found a cute Santa countdown that I think will be fun for Evan to use to put a cotton ball on each day to make Santa's beard as well as a ton of fun things to do over the holiday season.

Are you ready for the holidays????!!!!

Comparing

2011-11-29T09:53:00.000-06:00

I love looking back and comparing baby pictures...so here are my boys and my nieces :)

Happy Tuesday!

Thanksgiving...

2011-11-28T19:42:00.001-06:00

We had a great Thanksgiving until Alex got sick, dehydrated and in the hospital for a couple of days. Thankfully we are home now, the antibiotics cleared his double ear infection and respiratory infection. We are thankful that he's okay and are hopeful that all of us can stay healthy. It's been a long couple of months

Here are some pictures from our Thanksgiving weekend...hope you had a great one too!

We got the call Wed. before heading to St. Louis that Mike's brother, Dave and his wife, Sarah had their baby girl, Lillie. We got to head up to the hospital for a little bit and love on her before heading to St. Louis.

We had fun playing, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving parade, making Pilgrim and Indian hats, eating, eating, and more eating, and playing outside with Jack. I don't think I've mentioned it on here about Jack, but just until the boys are a little bit bigger, Jack is staying with my sister and her two dogs. We just couldn't give Jack as much attention as we wanted and Kelli said her dogs would love a playmate! :) We are so thankful for her for taking him in for awhile. The best part is we always get to see him when we go to St. Louis.It was a great few days (except for the sickness part!)

Saturday we went over to Mike's parents house and had lunch. Alex was in the ER in St. Louis thanksgiving night and still wasn't feeling well. Friday we also ended up taking him back to the emergency room because his fever spiked and he started throwing up. After spending the afternoon slowly drinking pedialyte and getting an antibiotic shot, we were sent home. Saturday, he did take a good nap while we were at Mike's parents but woke up and didn't want to nurse and threw up the pedialyte I had given him. He had only had 1 wet diaper that day, so I called the nurses hotline and they told me to bring him in because most likely he was dehydrated. I was so sad to miss the dinner and was planning on taking a group picture of all of us before dinner, but didn't get the chance. We did have fun chatting and watching the boys play before I left...

After waiting to get into the ER, Alex was given an IV and was started on some fluids. He still didn't want to nurse and his ear infections were still pretty bad. We were admitted Saturday night and also stayed Sunday night because they wanted to see how he would do without the fluids. He wasn't nursing as long as he usually does, but finally started feeling better this afternoon. We got home this morning but last night in the hospital, I started throwing up. Thankfully I feel a little better, but definitely not myself and I am hoping it's just a 24 hours thing.

Truth in the Tinsel...Advent E-Book

2011-11-25T04:36:00.060-06:00

Truth in the Tinsel is an e-book written by Amanda White. It is an Advent E-Book Experience for Little Hands and it is about knowing and loving Jesus through the holiday season. I am so EXCITED for this! The planning is done for you and done in such a way that is well thought out and meaningful to the real reason for the season! Buy Truth in the Tinsel now!

This ebook will lead you and your children on your own experience through the Christmas Story. You’ll take a few minutes each day in reading the Christmas Story directly from the Bible, making a fun ornament craft and talking about it together.

On Black Friday only it will be $2.99 and regular price is $4.99. You guys...that is an AWESOME deal! Amanda had done all of the work! She has the plans laid out, materials needed, directions, bible verse, you name it. It will help you and your children learn about Jesus and the Christmas Story. The best part is if you've already created your own advent calendar of some sort...add this to it! I can't wait to post pictures of what we are going to be doing here at the Laughlin house.

Each day has five parts to help you have fun in a quick and easy way teach your child about the Christmas Story. It includes the overall supply list (as well as the daily supply list) to help you with your shopping for the ornaments and I'm almost 95% sure you'll have most of it around the house! Templates are included as well. I LOVE LOVE LOVE how Amanda included pictures of what to do for each ornament and how to make it. Each day contains the "read it together" bible verse; "make it together" ornament; "talk about it" paragraph; and "do more together" extension to really help your child understand the bible verse and make a real life connection.

Click here to get your own E-book copy for your family...for a friend....for your grand-kids or your nieces or nephews. This could also be used as a great activity with youth groups or children's church.

Click here to "like" them on facebook
Amanda is going to challenge everyone to "give" our kids the first 24 days of December by doing the book together & joining the Truth in the Tinsel Facebook page. We will be encouraging each other every day during Advent (by posting pics of the craft you did, funny things your kids said while doing the activity, etc.).

This post has an affiliate link. Thanks for supporting my blog and this fantastic e-book!
I received a free e-book copy of Truth in the Tinsel to review and post my thoughts, which are all my own. :)

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T05:46:00.000-06:00

We have so much to be grateful for...
from our family to yours, Happy Thanksgiving!

Evan, 6 months
2009

Alex, 6 months
2011

What we've been up to...

2011-11-23T05:53:00.000-06:00

It's been a long week...this is just some of what we've been up to...

Nothing like using a (clean) breast pump part as a horn :)

Our sickie... :(

Making gifts...

Exersaucing

Kitchen falls...

Wrestling...

And someone is sitting on their own :)

Happy Wednesday!

Recipes...

2011-11-22T19:43:00.001-06:00

I have way too much on my mind...packing for Thanksgiving in St. Louis with my family...Saturday dinner with the Laughlin family, Alex's dedication at church on Sunday...not to mention getting things back to normal around here and hoping the yucky sickness is gone. Evan is still not back to 100%...hoping a good night's rest will help and get him back to his happy, healthy self soon.

So...I needed a ten minute break before working on packing, laundry, cleaning, preparing dessert, etc...so I wanted to share some recipes that I have that are good and EASY! You are welcome ;)

Cobbler

Ingredients: 1 box yellow cake mix; 1 stick of butter; and 1 can of pie filling (your choice) we're using apple
Directions:
1. Melt butter
2. Combine butter and cake mix. Stir until crumbly.
3. Pour pie filling into round pie pan.
4. Spread cake and butter mix on top evenly.
5. Bake @ 350* for 45 minutes
6. Serve warm or with ice cream.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins
Ingredients: 1 box spice cake mix; 1 can pumpkin pie; chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Mix together
2. Bake at 350* 20-25 minutes
3. Put a little powdered sugar on top when they are warm...enjoy!

The BEST Cheddar Biscuits (just like R. Lobster) (makes a dozen)
Ingredients: 2 1/2 cups Bisquick baking mix; 3/4 cup whole milk; 4 Tablespoons cold butter; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 cup of grated cheddar cheese

Ingredients to brush on top of biscuits when they come out of oven: 2 Tablespoons melted butter; 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley flakes; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400*
2. Combine bisquick with cold butter...don't mix too thoroughly. There should be small chunks of butter about the size of peas.
3. Add cheddar cheese, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon garlic and mix (don't over mix)
4. Drop approximately 1/4 cup portions of the dough on an ungreased cookie sheet (I used an ice cream scoop).
5. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until tops turn light brown
6. When you take biscuits out (With about 1-2 minutes left to cook...I melted the butter and combined it with parlsey and garlic powder so it was ready to brush on top). Brush immediately on tops of biscuits.

Enjoy! :)

Gratitude: Day 20...ISO: LOVE

2011-11-20T10:48:00.000-06:00

Today I am thankful for the love of these two boys and watching their relationship as brothers grow. It's so fun to watch and I'm thankful to be their mom.

I'm also entering this into ISO: In Search Of' Challenge this week of LOVE
Head on over and enter yourself or look at the great entries!

Gratitude: Day 19

2011-11-19T13:40:00.000-06:00

Today I am thankful that our Christmas decorations are up. Having three sick boys for the past few days has definitely taken its toll and since Thanksgiving is just a few days away (when we usually put it up) I'm just glad it's done and ready for us to enjoy the season. With Thanksgiving in St. Louis with my family and then heading back here on Saturday for Mike's family dinner and then Alex's dedication at church on Sunday...we just have a full, busy weekend. Hoping to get these guys healthy soon and truly starting to enjoy the season!

Love this print! :) From here...

Another favorite...Magic of Christmas

More favorites :)

Here is another printable I have too...

Christmas Word Printable Scripture Tree

Keep Calm and Merry On

I can't find or remember where I got the Unto Us a Child is Born...but if I find it,

I will definitely link back here!

Christmas Subway Art

Evan and Alex's 2011 ornaments...

Our 2011 Family ornament...