little pumpkin grace

blowing valentine kisses {easy peasy last minute valentine}

2012-02-13T10:45:00.002-06:00

Are you looking for a last minute school valentine? Bypass the boxed variety and head over {here} to The Mother Huddle for a super sweet printable to make your very own

bLowiNG vALenTiNes kISses yOuR waY...After we made {these} sweet valentine treats for her classmates, I realized Grace needed to bring something that could fit in their valentine mailboxes! No biggie - we used the mason jar valentines as party favors for their class party and then got to working on some smaller valentines to go in the cute mailboxes.Part of their week's unit last week was on the postal service and addressing envelopes, so they had to practice writing their return address (their name) and the delivery address (their friend's name) on the envelope or on the back of the valentine, in the right spot.As you can see we made pink ones for the girls, blue ones for the boys, and even red ones for the teachers! The teachers also got bubble bath with theirs for a fun treat. I hot glued the bubbles to the cardstock, poked tiny holes with a toothpick, and tied with twine. As far as the different color printables, I just tweaked the template in Picasa before printing. So for just $2 (12 bubbles, bought at Target in a little red mesh bag from the valentine party favors aisle) to $4 (24 bubbles), you can have really cute valentines for a full class of littles!Mimi was a lifesaver yesterday. Not only did I come down with laryngitis, but also pInK eYE!!!!! This was my first time to have pink eye as an adult. No.fun.at.all. especially when you wear contacts and don't have a good spare pair of eyeglasses. Yikes! Guess my eyes wanted to be in the valentine mood too...THANK YOU MIMI for taking Grace to Reese's birthday party and for picking up dinner for the littles!!!Off to tackle the disaster that is our play area after two days of wild littles and no one picking up...

one step forward...

2012-02-11T23:53:00.000-06:00

...two steps back.

Just when I think we've got everyone on the road to recovery, BAM! I've come down with laryngitis - I think - actually I don't really know what I have but I have no voice at all and it hurts to talk. The littles are finally on the mend. We've had one or both littles sick for the past month. On and off, on and off, on and off. Spring, where are you??!?

Okay, okay, okay, that sounds like an awful lot of complaining. Sorry for the rambling. In honor of Valentine's Day this week, let's talk about some of what I'm lovin' these days...

♥Serendipity♥
Ooooh, I sure am crushin' on this year's Matilda Jane spring line!! Seriously cute.This was Grace dressed to go to a birthday party this afternoon. The party that is TOMORROW but for which we showed up TODAY. HA!

Funny thing is, we weren't the only ones!! Two other moms did too! So we turned it into a mini playdate at a local indoor play place, one with a coffee shop {genius!}.First thing Grace said when I told her we had the wrong day..."but I STILL want to wear this (tomorrow)." What can I say, she loves what she loves!!♥bloop, bloop fish♥
Hudson made this cute fish at MDO on Thursday {I think he had a little help, but I love it all the same!}. As soon as I walked in the door he handed it to me and said, "fow you, Mama! I made dis fow you." Soooo cute! I LOVE it, Hudson!!You know what else I love? How he's really into puzzles these days and he's getting pretty good at them too!♥Abraham Lincoln♥
The little pumpkin's teachers sure do make learning fun. I don't know how they do it, but what I know is that even when I ask Grace about a subject they studied weeks ago, she remembers so much. I have to think it's all the fun interactive projects they do while they're learning about each topic.♥Hair Pretties♥
I got home from work one day this week and Noonie surprised me with this cute head wrap!This one is a little different from the other style we've made before...the flower on this one is fluffy and sort of poofy, meant to fray a bit, instead of sewn flat on the band. I like them both ways. And I love that this one matches Grace's owl dress we made last year!♥woof woof pants♥
That's what Hudson calls these cute pj pants Noonie made for him.We love when you're in a sewing mood, Noonie! ThAnK yOu!!! :)♥from the heart♥
Grace was so excited to give Noonie the valentine she made for her & Papa J!
{Mimi: close your eyes, don't peek! She wanted to give you yours on Valentine's Day since you'll be here that day!!}♥do unto others♥
It really warmed my heart to see how sweet Grace was to the new little girl that joined her class this week. She kept including her and asking her to slide down with her on their field trip to a jumpy jump place on Friday. Isabella just turned 4 and she's the youngest...all the other littles in the class will be moving on to kindergarten next year.Grace has such a sensitive soul {and a STRONG will...a dangerous combination some days!}, I've seen her time and time again reaching out to others to make them feel part of a group...at ballet, at swimming, at school. She has a way to sense when someone needs a buddy and she never hesitates to reach out. I can't help but think that God is going to use these traits in a mighty way someday. I can't wait to see!♥polka dots♥
You can never go wrong with polka dots. Especially in pink, red, and aqua. *wink*

For T's little girl...For M's little guy...♥zzzzzz's♥
I can't remember the last time I slept 12 hrs. straight, but last night, I sure did!! Most of my creative work comes in at night after the littles are in bed and it sure does cut down on those zzzz's, but last night at 8p I was out like a rock. So thankful for the hubby who's a morning person and gets up with the littles every Saturday! That's love right there.
Happy Valentine's Day!

Louis, the Love Bug + Valentine 'Bots

2012-02-07T14:15:00.003-06:00

Pinterest came through again! When I saw {this} pinned, I knew it would be perfect as a valentine for Hudson to give his Mother's Day Out buddies. We still had a sheet of valentine labels from last year, so this was super easy and so inexpensive!Of course, the moment the little pumpkin saw them put together she said, "But I like robots too......" Siblings!{Note: the laffy taffy may not be the best choice for little ones - just FYI - you can decide for yourself! At Hudson's MDO, all party favors get sent home for parents to decide what they want their littles to eat, so no worries here.}

I finally finished the stitching on Hudson's love bug valentine shirt this weekend. Meet Louis, the Love Bug...Hudson is fascinated with Louis' eyes...uh oh, poor Louis.
{These are triple stitched with embroidery thread for safety, but small buttons may present a choking hazard for wee ones - just wanted to put that out there...off the soapbox now.}All ready for school this morning...
{and maybe a wee bit jealous of all the pics I was taking of Hudson?}And then..............Hudson, are you sure you don't feel good?Yes, the coughing won - Boo :(
Poor little fella all dressed up and nowhere to go.But......does he look sick to you??? Silly monkey!Those eyes again............................................And yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay for being officially registered for K-3 come Fall!
I seriously think the preschool / elementary school madness is out of control around here! :O

oreos better watch out!

2012-02-06T23:54:00.002-06:00

So thankful for moments like these...He's a dunker, that's for sure!We share a love for glitter...Even 2 1/2 years in, I'm still in awe of how different little boys and little girls play {and I love it!}...Forget the expensive toys and gadgets, all we need is a $2 bag of dinos!We've been working in some fun "school" sessions too...
{oh, and the yellow vest.......yeah, some battles are not worth fighting}This little boy keeps me in stitches! One of his favorite books right now is about opposites. We've been talking a lot about "big" and "little" and I think it's sinking in. Just yesterday he came to me and out of the blue said, "I know what Tiki Tiki (our tiny fish) is going to be for Halloween...a shark!" he he he...love you, Hudson!

And if there was any doubt in my mind about the little pumpkin's birthday theme, this just sealed the deal!HA HA HA!It may not be 100 cats, but I think she'll love it all the same. *wink*And guess what she wore to school this morning...Funny how a pair of sparkly shoes makes my I-don't-want-to-wear-jeans-pants-are-for-boys girly girl put on a pair of denim ruffles with speed to rival any Olympic sport.

When I picked her up she told me Mrs. A {the P.E. teacher} took a close look at them this morning and said, "Hmmm...okay, those are okay" {they're supposed to wear athletic shoes on P.E. days}. Grace's response, "They made me go extra fast, mama, they really did! I HAVE to wear them every P.E. day!"

Almost 5 and 2 1/2....................such fun ages!

our {early} valentine

2012-02-04T19:59:00.003-06:00

First things first, knee socks may just be one of my favorite things about having {and dressing} a girl...doesn't get much cuter than knee socks + mary janes!We decided to give the littles their valentine treats early so that they could enjoy them all month long...We use the same little buckets every year and just fill them up with goodies and fun things I pick up here and there, not too much candy but really just things I know they've been wanting or need...Of course my favorites are these sweet vintage cards. I love writing little love notes for Grace and Hudson...for when they're older. I found these on our trip to Minnesota last Fall.Both of them . in one picture . looking the same way... yeah, not happening!So ready to dig in!Excited to get his very own copy of Where the Wild Things Are!I finally got them, mama!!!!!!!!!!!!!So here's the story on the Lelli Kelly shoes...I'm not a fan at all. I think they're kind of gaudy and the price tag a bit ridiculous ($71). But then after Christmas, I went to one of our local boutiques and they had them 75% off. I knew the little pumpkin would love them since she's been begging for this strawberry pair all school year long and for $17, why not?! She was so excited - made me smile for sure. ;)I love these sweet cups {the plates too!} from Pottery Barn Kids this year - thank you Angel for helping me get them!Hudson sure liked his!He didn't care one bit for this cute shirt - typical boy!!!
{but what can I say...I love navy + stripes on little boys!} ...but he loved the dinosaurs and started playing with them right away!And yes, we're swimming in lalaloopsies around here! I think they must be like strawberry shortcake & friends were back when I was little...not so long ago, of course ;)Cookies & cream chocolate hearts...enough said.Yes, sugar overload in the middle of the afternoon!We're making homemade valentines for family & friends tomorrow after church...glitter, glue, googly eyes...this should be ~~a big mess~~ fun!

little bits of happy...

2012-02-03T06:00:00.005-06:00

...because I'm excited about Valentine's Day,

but my one true love will always be Spring!
*wink*

You had me at hello...

{here}

You too...And even you...So many projects!

Now, if I could only finish the stitching on Hudson's love bug shirt!!
{fingers crossed for this weekend!}

happy groundhog day!

2012-02-02T23:53:00.003-06:00

Is this not the cutest little groundhog, or what??! Hudson came home from MDO today carrying this cute little groundhog puppet - love it! Seriously, one of the highlights of my day is always seeing what's in the littles' backpacks. Sure makes my heart happy and always makes me say a little prayer of gratitude for the amazing teachers both are blessed with.Speaking of school...the little pumpkin tested for kIndErgARTen this morning!!! I know! I can't believe I'm about to have a 5 year old AND a kindergartener come next Fall!!! Aaaaaaaah! She was so excited this morning! And maybe a little nervous??? She woke up BY HERSELF at 6:10 a.m. and the little pumpkin is a BEAR to wake up in the mornings. Yes, she hibernates soundly and would sleep-in every day if she could {takes after her mama!}.The test was kind of a big deal. The school we are looking at is ultra competitive with very limited spots. So glad the testing is now over - whew!...but now we just sit and wait...until MID-APRIL! Anyone have a time machine I can borrow? he he he

On a more serious note, tHanK YoU to everyone that prayed with us that Grace would do her very best! Grace, we know you tried your very best and we are so proud of you! Always!

Grace's requests this morning: 1. to wear the lipgloss her friend Julia gave her for valentine's day last year; and 2. to wear her super girly pink, flowery shoes. Check. Check.
Oh my, these two are quite a pair! The little pumpkin's recital choreography this year is a tap number to "I like to move it, move it" from Madagascar. Yesterday at ballet, they added another segment to the dance with some hip-hop moves to "I'm jumpin' on the flo' ", she had me rolling!! Of course, as soon as we got home she had to show the moves to her Daddy and brother and now well, you can see who is having a good 'ole time with it!!So super silly, but oh, so loveable!It's beginning to look a lot like............................................ Valentine's!!!Yes, we are excited and have started adding little bits of pink + red {and aqua blue...shhhh} + hearts all throughout the house...Noonie came bearing valentine gifts yesterday so I went ahead and gave her the little something I had gotten for her too...a cute Brighton heart bracelet that just made me think of her from the first moment I saw it - she liked it Yay!This Little Kitchen cookbook Noonie gave me is too cute! I can't wait to try out some of the recipes with the littles - they LOVE "helping" me in the kitchen!!It's no secret that I *may* have a mild obsession with the littles' clothing choices, which is easy peasy when it comes to the little pumpkin but oh, so hard when it comes to Hudson. I just don't find as many cute little boy clothes...and don't even get me started on all the ridiculous skulls & bones plastered designs there are for little boys these days - Aaaaah!

So, I'm super excited about Matilda Jane's new boys' line: The Good Ones! I've been a fan of their girly line and their Mighty Acorns boys' line since Grace was a toddler.And oh my, speaking of...........{Serendipity}...SWOON! Probably my favorite Matilda Jane collection of all time!So with that....................................................................................I hope you find all kinds of little unexpected ways to let your loved ones know how much they mean to you!

she loves art

2012-01-30T23:51:00.001-06:00

The little pumpkin is cRazY about art. All kinds of art...drawing, painting, dancing, performing...anything creative. She definitely marches to her own beat and that's just fine by me.Last week was a tough week for us. The littles took turns being sick...colds, sore throats, coughing fits, pink eye - yes, just to name a few! - thank goodness they are both doing better. Grace missed a couple of days of school...this was on her first day back. I love that cute tiger! And I know I'm biased, but I think it's really good for a 4 year old!What a difference a year makes! This was during zoo week...funny how she picked a giraffe to draw last year and this year. Giraffes always make me think of my grandpa - they were his absolute favorite animal.They've been studying about space and constellations and what can I say, she is all about cats these days! HA!Thankfully by the weekend Grace was feeling much better and was able to make it to McKinley's birthday party.
Happy 6th Birthday, McKinley!She thought this "puppy" was the funniest thing ever. What a hoot! And you see that balloon the clown was making for Lovi?? It was supposed to be a cootie. Grace's answer: It's an amoeba! Where does she get this stuff??! he he heAfter last week, I was so glad to have a girls night out Saturday with two of my favorite people while we celebrated Bridgette's birthday...29, of course, right Segi? ;)Happy Birthday, B!And today we took advantage of some downtime to finish off valentines for her classmates...I think they turned out so sweet...and I was glad to put all the leftover mason jars from our Christmas projects to good use!I was going to bake chocolate chip cookies to go in them, but we ended up just filling them up with some of the little pumpkin's favorite {tart} candy...decided I didn't want to be up all night baking the night before her class party.Hope you are having a great week - can't believe February is just right around the corner!!

etsy...projects...easter...sewing...birthday...

2012-01-25T16:00:00.003-06:00

I'm always on the lookout for sweet vintage cards, but they have to be unused since I like to write little love notes to the littles. I was super excited when I found both of these
{on etsy} in one day!

For the little pumpkin's easter basket...For my always-on-the-go sweet boy's easter basket...
{the stock pics are both kind of fuzzy - sorry!}A fun find...super sweet vintage inspired fabric for a couple of special projects coming up...Just as soon as I get my sewing maching back {yes, STILL not back!!!}, I'm making the gorgeous Nelle, Brownie Goose's newest release.Hmmm...how about this sweet {and a bit shy} little kitten... yes, part of my birthday projects, but not in the usual way...he he.And then there's this vintage child's hankie that I just couldn't pass up...Eeeek...the colors!In all this kitty-cat birthday talk, have I mentioned I'm a dog person - Ha! It's true! But who can resist some sweet vintage kittens??? I am having such fun planning a sweet celebration for the little pumpkin, that's for sure!

And finally, a couple of sneak peaks...

For B's little boy~For A's daughter~One last thing...Since I know a lot of you are really creative, can you help me come up with some fun party favor ideas for Grace's vintage kitten birthday party??? I have about 30 kids, split pretty evenly between boys and girls, most of them 3-6 years old.

Thanks!

You can fly! {vintage Dumbo party planning}

2012-01-23T12:15:00.003-06:00

Some time ago, I saw {this} adorable dress that a blogger friend Amanda had custom made for her daughter by my friend Angel. I almost did a double take because not only was it full of vintage charm, but I had the same out of print fabric in my stash waiting for just the right project!

Some time later, I asked Angel if I could send her my fabric and have her turn it into a similar dress for Grace. We added more pink because the little pumpkin can't get enough of the girly shade.

I love Dumbo and I love the dainty embroidered pocket she came up with. Initially I had a different phrase for the pocket but wasn't 100% sure, so when Angel suggested, "You can fly!" it sounded just right. I wasn't sure what occasion Grace would wear the dress for but I knew it would be perfect come Spring.
Fast forward some months and when I found out "Kite Day" was scheduled for Friday, March 9th...the day before Grace's birthday and the day I would be sending treats to share with her school friends...I knew the dress would be just perfect!

Noonie and I made the coordinating head wrap out of little scraps of fabric I had...coordinating but not too matchy-matchy...love how it turned out and Grace loves wearing these nowadays so it was win-win!And then, of course, she needed a birthday hat. *wink*I love how dainty and sweet it all looks together. And I love how excited she was when I finished her hat and she saw it all together for the first time.So excited about Kite Day and the treats we're sharing with Grace's school friends.
I'm ready for Spring! he he

birthdayholics anonymous

2012-01-22T00:12:00.002-06:00

Is there such a group? Please sign me up.

So it's not enough that I'm planning the little pumpkin's 5th, working on the class valentine party, thinking about a valentine playdate (the hubby brought down my v-day box from the attic and hello, I had forgotten I had bought all kinds of party stuff last year including VINTAGE invites - woo hoo!), and planning an easter egg hunt & party, but........................................ I *think* we've stumbled upon the perfect party theme for Hudson's birthday. His June birthday ;)

You see it all started yesterday while we were at Target. We went down the party aisle and he went cRaZy over {this} big green monster pinata. I had not seen it and had no clue what he was talking about until a super nice Target employee pointed to it and gave Hudson a high-five (I love Target, but I digress). I'm not sure how I walked out of the store without that monster because let me tell you, he was in L-O-V-E (oh, yeah, I remember - the promise of gummy bears from the checkout aisle...yes, I'm not against bribes...pick your battles, pick your battles).

And then, it hit me. He LOVES monsters and dragons, his favorite colors are orange and brown, and he's a wild little thing and well, the rumpus that comes along with that is just inevitable. {source}

Lance and I had already decided to have his party at the same farm we had Grace's 2nd, but this is no ordinary farm, they have a camel, and kangaroos and several other wild animals. So.............................are you with me?.............................. Where the Wild Things Are it is! Hudson loves the book too, who doesn't?{source}

And I think a version of these may just be the perfect party favors because I don't know about you, but both of my littles are wiLD about living room forts. And I'm all for a party favor that sparks creative play.And totally off topic, but I'm so excited!!! Noonie came through in a big way for me by hunting down Grace's birthday gift that I had not been able to find locally. Loopsies...fairy tales collection...enough said. tHanK yoU, NooNiE!Hi, my name is Jessica and I'm a birthdayholic.
{there are worse things, right?}

wild, WILD I tell ya!

2012-01-21T23:54:00.002-06:00

My littles have been w.i.l.d today. I don't say this often, but I was ever so thankful for 8:00 p.m. to get here because it meant one thing and one thing only: bedtime!

We've had two almost-broken-nose incidents the past two days. Three water-soaked-couch incidents. Four time-outs in a row. No less than five you-apologize-to-your-sister/brother-now lectures. At least six melt-downs and on and on. You get the picture.

But let's talk about the fun things because my whining is
b-o-r-i-n-g.Today was Solomon's birthday, one of Grace's buddies from school. I have to say Solomon is such a sweet child. He always runs to me and gives me a hug in the mornings when I drop off Grace and he has such a fun accent.I have a love-affair with egg races. Something about simpler times...I hope all your wishes come true, Solomon!Happy 5th Birthday!And then to try and burn some energy to improve the overall mood in our house today, when Grace and I got back from the party, we took the littles outside. It was in the 60s/70s and perfect for a spin around the block.Did it help? I think I'll go with if you don't have anything nice to say...

Fingers crossed for a smoother Sunday.
{That or an extra heaping of patience. Please God. Amen}

mama's turn {sewing}

2012-01-19T14:00:00.001-06:00

It's about time someone other than the littles benefitted from my {read: Noonie's!} sewing skills, don't you think???

I'm giving this a try...

...yes, just as soon as the sewing machine hospital lets go of my machine, which they've held captive for oh, 3 weeks now..........aaaaaaaaaaaaah! please get it right, already!!

I'm thinking like the picture but in a longer length in a fun vintage-y print for Easter....some ladylike pumps, a cardi, and a prim & proper handbag. Hmmm...maybe I'll start with the shoes and go from there. Yes, shoes first.

{source}

How about you? Have you made anything out of Amy Butler's Anna Tunic pattern?? I'd love to see it!

pinwheels never looked so cute! {Lulu & Co.}

2012-01-18T13:45:00.001-06:00

There's nothing that makes me smile bigger than when sweet customers send me pics of their littles wearing party hats I made. If you do send me pics, please be sure and let me know if it's okay to share the pic here on the blog, otherwise I'll just gush all about it and tuck it away as inspiration for late nights when I'm burning the midnight oil making sweet creations - ha!

Do you remember this hat? I made this one as a gift for a sweet friend.

I haven't added hand-embroidered hats to my regular Lulu & Co. repertoire because the hand stitching on the applique' takes quite a bit of time and I just haven't found a way to make the hat more economical just yet. But maybe soon, who knows? *wink*Here is sweet little E in all her 2 year old splendor.
{that cupcake is serious business, ya know?!} Oh my, is she a.d.o.r.a.b.l.e or what???Her mom, my friend Ashleigh, set up the cutest pinwheel dessert table......and you know what?.......she made all the pinwheels herself!! I just love the bright, fun colors. I think I have an orange crush ;)Speaking of brights...here are some more fun hats I've made recently.Pink & Black and Oh, so chic!And some super sweet and girly ones too...This one is for a Winter ONEderland party...no doubt she'll be so pretty in her girly, sparkly hat!Want to see more? Click {here}!

I promise to share more boy hats next time!

One last more<-----he he, that's what Hudson always says! Look at the sweet vintage {unused!} card I found for the little pumpkin's birthday!!! Isn't it perfect??! And I'll definitely be adding a "5" in that little square!

happy birthday, noonie!

2012-01-17T22:50:00.000-06:00

Sunday was Noonie's birthday. We celebrated with lunch. and cake, of course. and a little stack of happy presents.Oh, and the owl? The little pumpkin helped me decorate...he he he. But I do love that little owl!
{looking at the pic, the OCD in me is having a fit over the non-conventional placing of the forks by the knife, even if I put them there myself for a casual setting. Aaaah!}My sweet mom.Happy Birthday to you...
"Noonie, I put 6 white candles for 60 and 1 pink one for the one, because pink is the best." ~ Grace.Happy Birthday, dear Noonie...
{notice who's already blowing...}...and many more!A little someone couldn't wait to try the tres leches cake...These are all for you, Noonie!!L.O.V.E.I'll help, I'll help!!This picture makes me laugh...check out Grace & Noonie...so excited over the purse and then there's Hudson sort of like, eh, what's the deal? Let me see if this thing right here comes off or not.Lookin' good, Noonie & Papa J!Just us girls...
{someone was hamming it up for the camera}Love this sweet one of Noonie and the little pumpkin!
{and of course, Hudson - in typical male fashion - wanted nothing to do with the pictures. Aaaaah!}Happy 61st, Noonie!
{and if you're wondering, 'why are you putting her age for the world to see, don't you know you should never do that??!' this is what Noonie always says, "be proud of your years, they are a gift from God."
Amen to that.

meow, meow {birthday party planning}

2012-01-15T02:00:00.007-06:00

About a month ago, I started asking the little pumpkin what type of party she wanted to have for her 5th birthday. We tossed around a few ideas. I really thought she was going to go with "Lalaloopsy" - one of the contenders - since she loves playing with the mini dolls.

But then one day while playing with Praline (kitty cat) and Chocolate Chip (puppy) - two of her little American Girl stuffed animals, she came to me and said she wanted to have a kitty cat birthday.And then a few days later she told me she wanted to have a kitty cat birthday................................................................... at.our.local.gymnastics.facility!
He he, that's my girl, always mixing it up. Not sure what
'kitty cats' and 'gymnastics' have in common, but it's kind of fun too, since the gym is where I used to work while in college. The owners are such great people - I know it'll be a fun day for her and all her little buddies and they'll have the entire gym to themselves. Let the swingin' and flippin' begin!

So to sweeten it for my girly girl, I tweaked it a bit and we're having a vintage kitten birthday party with lots of pink and aqua blue {her favorite colors} and a few other fun colors to make it pOP!

Can't wait for March 10th...I think it's going to be just purrrrrfect. *wink*

Photos~
Kitten in Mittens: The Sugar Nest
Bunting: Starlit Nest Gifts
Miss Kitty: Loralee Lewis
Candy: Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats

beauty and the beast...and other random pics

2012-01-14T20:45:00.003-06:00

I usually get most of my creative work done after I put the littles to bed, but lately I've been falling asleep right as I'm putting them to bed! Sorry for the blog absence, I've just been feeling extra tired! I'm behind on emails too...sorry if I haven't answered you yet...I'm working my way through and hope to catch up this week.

Here's a little bit about what we've been up to this past week...

Making rice krispies treats...yes, in costume! Hudson begs to wear his dragon costume at least once a day, so of course, the little pumpkin had to follow suit and wear hers too!Cheering for the Tigers...we had a great time having our friends, the Andersons, over. The game was another story. Heartbreak!Hudson has been coming home from MDO with lots of artwork lately. I love this little penguin he made. His teachers said he picked out the colors for each piece and glued them all by himself - he didn't want them to help him. He's been having a ~~terrible two's~~ very independent streak lately.We had a fun playdate with some sweet friends from school...we went to see Beauty and the Beast and then had lunch at Chick-fil-A. The girls loved the mini screening of Tangled II - can't wait 'till it comes out!Hudson was more interested in the popcorn than the movie ;)Papa J helped me with some projects at work and of course, the littles loved the trip to Lowe's for supplies! Thank you Papa J!!I'm thankful it's a long weekend...I need time to catch up! I've been having bad migraines, but I think my contacts are to blame. And I'm hoping my littles get over this head cold that has come out of nowhere...at least long enough for us to enjoy Monday's holiday.

I'm excited that tomorrow is Noonie's birthday! We're having lunch over here after church. Papa J is making his yummy Poppyseed Chicken and I'm making my mom's favorite...the Pioneer Woman's Tres Leches Cake! Y-U-M!!!And of course, birthday planning for the little pumpkin's 5th is in full swing!!! Yay for that!

Reyes {2012}

2012-01-08T16:15:00.001-06:00

Uggh, I feel like I've been running so far behind this week!! This first week of the new year has been B.U.S.Y!!! I've been playing catch up ever since the clock struck 12:00 on 01.01.12. About the only thing that's up to date is our laundry because I'm just a little OCD about our laundry - HA!

Anyhow...this past Thursday on the Eve of Three Kings Day, the littles cut grass to leave for the camels of the 3 Wise Men traveling through the night to meet baby Jesus and pay homage to our Savior...one of the traditions I grew up with that Noonie is helping me pass on to Grace & Hudson.

Grace kept cutting and Hudson kept dumping! Boys!!They were so excited to fill their little shoeboxes!!And then in the morning......the camels the Wise Men traveled on had eaten all the grass and los Reyes Magos (the 3 Wise Men) had left them some surprises!

Hudson was up first...by the time I got out of the shower, he had already partially opened his present, but I managed to grab my camera and snap a few pics...Grace - my little night owl - was still sound asleep. I woke her up and when she remembered it was 3 Kings Day she jumped out of bed!Later Noonie came over and it seems the Wise Men had visited the littles at Noonie's house too! She brought over this fun automated train track puzzle that Hudson just can't get enough of!!Noonie, let me give you a big squeeeeeezy hug!!Grace couldn't wait to see if the Wise Men had visited Noonie's house or not. She was sooooooooo excited when I picked her up from school and Noonie told her they HAD!Art supplies! The little pumpkin's favorite! Yay!Thank you, Noonie!!The littles were both jumping off the walls, hugging, squeezing, climbing, wrestling...guess to be expected for a Friday afternoon after the first week back from holiday...so I just rolled with it.And can I just say I have some of the sweetest memories captured on film all thanks to Noonie! Thanks mom! I always love downloading pics and finding the surprise ones you always take when I put the camera down.Good times!Off to make rice krispies treats with the littles to try and use up the 4 bags of marshmallows I found when I cleaned our pantry yesterday! Yum!

rodeo day...safari too?

2012-01-05T11:45:00.001-06:00

Today is rodeo day at the little pumpkin's preschool. Her pink cowgirl hat didn't go with the outfit so we made good use of a party favor cowboy hat from Carson's birthday last May. Thanks, Amanda!...bet you didn't know we still had that lying around here!!

Can you say, "Howdy, pardner!"Not to be outdone by his sister, Hudson quickly grabbed his safari hat {and took his favorite stuffed tiger to MDO this morning}... he he he.Note to self #1: buy more boy dress-up toys!
Grace LOVED this sword & shield set she played with at Preston's house last weekend.Note to self #2: PAINT that dining room and re-upholster those chairs already!!!! HA!
Don't worry...it's on the to-do for 2012!

But you know what I'm excited about??? Tomorrow is Three Kings Day...El Dia de los Reyes! The littles are excited to set out grass for the camels of the Wise Men in hopes that they will leave a little treat in their shoeboxes on their way through town as they travel through the night to meet baby Jesus. More about this sweet tradition {here} and {here}.

locked-in

2012-01-04T16:45:00.003-06:00

Do you remember {last year's} birthday mayhem?
We are so not having a repeat performance.

It *seems* the little pumpkin has finally made her choice for the big #5.
{of course, just the fact that I'm uttering the words means she'll probably change her mind tonight - HA!}

This year we're lucky because her actual birthday - March 10 - is on a Saturday which means we can have one combined party for family & friends all on her special day. Yay!

So what's the theme?
Want a hint?
Here ya go!...............with a twist, of course *wink* I can't believe my baby girl is about to turn 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

cozy in your jammies...

2012-01-01T23:59:00.000-06:00

...and hanging out with your cousins!
what a fun way to start off the new year!preston-3, carson-4, grace-4, hudson-2

thank you thomas & julie for the invite!
your new house is beautiful and we're so excited for all that's in store for you in 2012!

we almost ran out of time, but...

2011-12-31T14:45:00.006-06:00

...we squeezed it in!This past Friday we had our annual Bake Day...yes, after Christmas.Seems like Christmas came fast & furious this year and we just ran out of time, so sadly Santa had store-bought cookies this year :(We always make such a mess during Bake Day but it's always so much fun.This year Hudson really got into it. I think it had a little something to do with the alligator rolling pin Aunt Segi gave him......or maybe it was the 543,187 white chocolate chips he ate! He even shared a few with Noonie......and played cookie cutter peek-a-boo with me.
LOVE this sweet boy!We mixed...and mixed...and mixed some more.We got ready to roll out the dough...and Oops!...a little love pat!Luckily Noonie took it in stride.We rolled......and rolled some more.
{Oh, how I love these three sweet hands!}We put those vintage cookie cutters to good use......and then the littles insisted on pulling out every.single.cookie.cutter we own. Ha!Before long...
{Yikes! I need to clean my oven!!}Our cookies were ready for the littles' favorite part: ICING OVERLOAD!
{we cheated with the can froting because I have yet to master royal icing}And of course, SPRINKLES!!!As soon as I pulled out these sprinkles...
{yes, DINOSAURS!!!}Hudson went to town frosting and decorating his cookie masterpiece!
{Notice the missing gingerbread boy arm and legs?? Hudson snuck in a little taste test along the way!! he he he}So sweet to see how into it they were...And before long we had some mighty fine masterpieces...
{yes, they had complete creative control this year!!}Love how proud they both were of their creations!Best part of Bake Day for the littles?
Eating their masterpieces, of course!But for Noonie and I...
just spending this sweet time with the littles is what it's all about.Sweet, sweet memories.

Happy New Year!
I'm excited for 2012!!

it only took me 33 years...

2011-12-30T20:25:00.001-06:00

...but I FINALLY managed to keep a New Year's resolution!!!Weight loss? Sadly no...onto 2012!!
Fitness? Nope. More for 2012.
Learn something new? Kinda...I did learn to hand embroider! But that's not it.

So what is it???
Wanna guess?
...
...
...
...
...
Give up?
...
...
...
I went an entire year WITHOUT charging a SINGLE thing on a CREDIT CARD!!! 365 days without using plastic!! Yay me!

It wasn't exactly the Dave Ramsey cash system, I DID use my debit card but that's tied to my bank account so it doesn't really count, I mean the money comes straight out of the account immediately....because, I don't know about you, but there is absolutely NO way that I'm going to drag two littles INTO the gas station every.single.time. I need to pay for gas!?!?

But other than my debit card, that was it. No major credit card, no store card (got rid of those a long time ago), nothing. nada.

To be completely honest I didn't think I would make it, so last December, I called the credit card company and had them cancel and deactivate my account effective December 31, 2010.So not to boast or anything, but I'm pretty proud. It wasn't easy, but I made it!

Oh, and please DO NOT consider this financial advice of any kind - I actually don't think it's a good idea to cancel your only credit card, but I needed to make a drastic change to open up the door for some new ventures in 2012 and this worked for me.Was it hard? Maybe not for some, but for me, yes - you betcha!

Hardest? Hotel reservations!!! Did you know that when you book a reservation with a debit card and check in to the hotel, they actually charge 3-4x the amount of your stay as a temporary hold on your account - you know, in case you decide to party like a rockstar and trash the room - and then it takes something like 5-7 days to be removed?? Yes, I learned that this year. Fun times. :)

So now that this little experiment is over, what next?
Hello, Visa/MC come 12:01 a.m. on Jan 1, 2012!!!
HA! just kidding!
Really.Thank you to my family & close friends who supported me along the way! And thank you Jesus for your constant grace and provision in my life.

Here's to a 2012 full of possibilities!

10 lbs. of pure sweetness

2011-12-30T00:03:00.002-06:00

Man, were we in for a treat last night! A treat in the form of a sweet-as-can-be little baby girl named Shabella, here for a short visit all the way from Florida. Oh my, is she cute...off the charts sweet with her little 3-month old coos, tiny little hands, and jet-black hair. Grace was pretty smitten too.Hudson was fascinated with her little feet.He loved kissing them. And he sang Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star to her. Be still my heart.Thank you Riveras for letting us stop by to meet sweet Shabella...I know it was the end of the day and you guys were all ready to call it a day, but it was such a treat for us to see her and deliver her gift in person.Shabella's aunt, Segi (holding Shabella in the pic), is one of my dearest friends. We go way back. You know the type of friendship where you really have seen each other at your very worst and know every little detail of the things that have shaped each one of us into the people we are today. The kind of godly friend who has sat with you and cried with you when life threw you curveballs no one deserves to endure. That type of friend.

Her sister and her parents are no exception. They are like a second family to me. I think her mom fed me dinner almost every night for an entire season of my life, almost a decade ago, when I was really weathering some storms. She did more than feed me, she nurtured my broken heart. I still carry in my wallet the prayer card she gave me when I miscarried my baby five years ago. Some people are just golden. This whole family is. Love you, Riveras!Haguit & Charlie~ we're so happy for you! Shabella is just the sweetest little thing ever. We loved seeing you today and meeting your precious baby girl. Come visit again sometime soon so we can get in another little Shabella love session!!! God bless your growing family!
XOXO, Jessica

P.S. Totally unrelated but can I say I'm in awe over Neosporin and Mederma for Kids!! The alternating combination has done wonders for Grace's cut and five days in, it is healing faster than I could have imagined!!

baked with love

2011-12-29T00:01:00.000-06:00

Every year since Grace was born, we've made a point of trying to do something tangible to remind her why we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

Sure, we talk about Jesus, we pray together, we believe, we go to church, but I think for a little child, having something they can relate to makes a big difference, so............... all that to say, we sing Happy Birthday to baby Jesus and have cake on Christmas Day!
The past 3 years {see here, and here, and here} I've baked the cupcake/cake/brownies and we've just sang happy birthday. This year I wanted to do things a little bit different.I knew the littles were old enough to help and both of them fight all the time to be my helper in the kitchen. So after we opened presents, we baked a funfetti cake for Jesus! Thank you Segi for the baking supplies - we put them to good use right away!!Sprinkes (and glitter!) = the little pumpkin's love language.If a few sprinkles are good, a WHOLE container of sprinkles is much better!There, isn't that pretty?!She has seen me add bunting to just about anything that will stay still, so she was super excited to make this one, "for baby Jesus, mama! He will love it!" Not too happy that she had to share putting in the mini bunting on the cake with her little brother, "But he didn't help make it!!! It's not fair!" Oy!For Hudson, cake = birthdays and birthdays = candles, so as soon as the bunting was in and we started singing "Happy Birthday to you..." he was blowing the (imaginary) candle out!! That's right, we didn't even have a candle on the cake yet!!He kept going and going and going...
{it's a good thing this cake was just for family - HA!}Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus!Glory to God in the highest, and on Earth peace, goodwill towards men. ~Luke 2:14

Christmas Day!

2011-12-28T12:00:00.002-06:00

Be forewarned: LOTS of pictures!!
I probably should have edited them down or split into two posts but this is our family's scrapbook so I wanted to remember all the littles' sweet expressions on this special day.

On Christmas Eve the littles set out cookies for Santa and the conversation went something like this:
Grace: There, that's perfect. Hudson, quit touching the cookies!
Hudson: I like cookies.
Grace: These are for Santa NOT for you. Hmmm...but how is he going to know they're for him? I know! I'll stick one of these Santa pictures in the straw and he'll know they're for him.
Of course when Grace wasn't looking, Hudson snuck over there and took a big chomp out of one of the cookies! HA!Lance read The Night Before Christmas to the littles and then it was off to bed...And in the morning...
{because it was raining pretty bad the night before and we couldn't sprinkle the reindeer food on our lawn, we had to put it in a little dog bowl for Rudolph & his buddies...they still ate it though!}Santa came!!!!!!!!!
{That Santa! He's kind of clumsy and he always leaves his footprints all over the place!!}He ate all the cookies and left sweet notes for the littles. And yes, he raided mama's stash of vintage cards to leave his notes on {sneaky Santa!}Hudson wasted no time eating Santa's leftover cookie bites!! That's my boy! He has such a sweet tooth!After finding Super Belly & Cookie Rooftop's last location of the year...they were sitting on the piano right by the Baby Jesus in a Manger that Hudson made at school...it was time to open gifts!We opened gifts from sweet cousins...thank you Carson!And then we opened gifts from Santa...the excitement was off the charts this year!Yes, Santa brought the highly-anticipated-and-wished-for American Girl doll for Grace AND a ~~dinosaur~~ Dragon for Hudson!!More sweet squeals and it's-just-what-I-always-wanted over the Lalaloopsy Treehouse...Of course there was frustration over bows that don't come off right away...But lots of joy over lions and tigers and bears, oh my!All was fine and dandy...UNTIL.........too excited to see if Santa had indeed filled their stockings, the little pumpkin grabbed her stocking and instead of it coming off the hook, the CAST IRON stocking holder came crashing down with the stocking smashing her right in the face...This was AFTER all the bleeding finally stopped and we had gooped up her eye with neosporin...OUCH is right!Talk about mama guilt. I should have known better about the darn holders. They are now in the trash. They didn't even make it to the goodwill pile - the thought of the same thing happening to another child was too heavy on my conscience.

Thank you Noonie for making a house call that morning so that we could avoid the ER. And thank you Jesus for watching over the little pumpkin - I know it could have been much worse had it hit her IN the eye.

Thankfully, she recovered pretty quickly...she said her new doll Emily helped her :)After everything settled down, she still wanted to see what was in her stocking, so the merriment went on...Hudson's turn!
That $5 Lion King phone has been the most played with toy...figures!

Oh, and you see those cute dino undies???? That's right! We've started the potty training business.

And if you're curious about the little abominable snowman...........................Hudson is CRAZY about the "snow monster"!!! HA! Yes, he loves that thing - no clue why, but he does. And..........he loves to antagonize his sister with the snow monster since she's scared of "the real one" - little brothers!Santa was very good to Mama & Daddy too...seems Santa must have been in a western state of mind since both Lance and I asked for and got boots!All in all, it was a wonderful day full of memories we'll never forget...The big kids are enjoying the toys as much, if not more, than the little kids...But, I saved my favorite part of Christmas Day for a post all its own...I'll be back soon to share. For now, I hope you had a beautiful Christmas and made some sweet memories to treasure in years to come...

Christmas with the grands!

2011-12-27T16:35:00.000-06:00

One of the best things about having lots of family close by is that you get to have multiple days of celebrating!

Ready to go to Mimi & Pop's on Friday (and wearing a super cute top by Amazing Gracie that I won as part of a collection naming contest - so fun!)...and yes, Hudson wanted nothing to do with taking pictures - boo!Aunt Lexi brought her new beau, Ben, who happens to have two little girls and Grace had a great time playing with her new friends. Isn't it funny how quickly kids make friends?? Such a neat thing to watch!Time for presents!In the middle of it all...Hanging out with Mimi & PopGrace with Aunt Marilyn - love this sweet picture!Thank you Mimi & Pop, Aunt Marilyn, Aunt Tammie, Lexi and Jade for all the fun and generous presents!!

Then on Christmas Eve it was time to celebrate with Noonie & Papa J...We all went to Christmas Eve Mass, then to Noonie & Papa J's for dinner and to our house for presents. This is our attempt at a family photo right after mass...yes, hungry littles and ready-to-open-presents littles do not make for the best pic.Grace was sooooo excited to open this gift from Noonie & Papa J!Hudson checking out all his goodies...Such a serious block builder, he he he!But he's putty in Noonie & Papa J's hands!! This little boy loves to be tickled!!Santa was pretty sneaky this year and got lots of stuff off people's lists!HA! This one's a classic...Grace unable to take her eyes off the innotab and Hudson growling with his animals!There, that's better!Thank you Noonie & Papa J for all the fun gifts - we love everything!

And then the day after Christmas we went to Aunt Marilyn's & Memema's house to celebrate with them and with Mimsy & Papaw. I didn't get as many family pics as I would have hoped - my camera settings were all wrong - boo! But I can say one thing...our littles sure are ~~spoiled~~ loved by all the grands!! :)Yay for puzzles and figuring things out!!Thank you Memema, Aunt Marilyn, Mimsy & Papaw!

For Christmas Day we had decided we wanted to stay home and relax and be together just the 4 of us...HA!...little did we know what was in store for us!! More soon!

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas spending time with your loved ones and celebrating our Savior's birth!

happy birthday, baby Jesus!

2011-12-25T00:16:00.002-06:00

Yes, they left cookies & milk for Santa...We read The Night before Christmas...And they're now snuggled up in their beds...But she sure gets it. She knows the real reason for the season and that makes my heart happy.
I was drying my hair yesterday morning when she came in to show me some of the drawings and cutouts she had already been working on that morning {the little pumpkin l*o*v*e*s art} and she was carrying this little book. This is the final page to a little coloring book she received when her class visited Santa at the mall...It's not what she came in the bathroom to show me, but it's all I saw. I'm pretty sure she thought her mama had lost it...tears rolling down my face and the blow dryer still going - what a sight! HA! But it's the little things that make a mama's heart happy.

Like this little handprint that sits at the very top of our tree {Hudson made it at Mother's Day Out last Christmas} which is one of my very favorite ornaments. And he gets it too. In his little 2 year old way, he sure does. Like when he tells me, "Jesus in my heart, mama." He sure is, Hudson!Happy Birthday, Baby Jesus!
And thank you.
Merry Christmas everyone!

blessed is the season...

2011-12-24T05:00:00.000-06:00

...which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love!
~Hamilton Wright Mabie

From our family to yours...Merry Christmas!

it's 3am and 3 days before Christmas...

2011-12-22T03:05:00.016-06:00

I'm listening to the rain and watching old movies...not like the really good old ones, just the recent old ones. Just finished Maid in Manhattan - never seen it before...don't watch too much tv. Lance and I take turns putting the littles to bed. Tonight was my night to snuggle with the little pumpkin - she's a great snuggler that little one - and 4 1/2 hrs. later I woke up at 1am, still in her twin size bed. Now I'm fully awake...it's going to be a long day.But what I'm thinking about tonight is childhood innocence. That magic twinkle in littles' eyes. How they fully trust. How they love passionately. How they know how to squeeze every drop of fun out of a single ordinary moment and relish it wholeheartedly.And then my mind wanders sadly to the other side of the spectrum and I think about the children who have that innocence taken away from them, whether from unfortunate life conditions, sickness or through abuse and it just tears my heart apart. My prayer this Christmas is for littles everywhere. That they may feel God's everlasting love manifested here on earth through at least one caring adult. How great our world would be if every child had that chance!Tonight right before bedtime, I had a special surprise for the littles...their very own message directly from the jolly old fella in the North Pole {thanks PNP!}. They were SO excited!!They couldn't believe Santa had files with their picture and everything and knew about things like the ballet recital... and birthdays... and school!And then it was Hudson's turn...He was taking it all in... Until the elves put his "file" into the naughty or nice machine...And I think it scared him!!! Poor little thing! Even though he was on the NICE list, of course!Aah, such sweet memories!

And don't worry, he wasn't scarred for life or anything. We quickly switched over to {starfall}. Have you heard of starfall? It's an educational website for toddlers and preschoolers. A sweet mom in Grace's class told me about it just recently and she was right, Hudson loves it!

Oh, and the bathtub pics...shampoo + whirlpool jets = our very own "snow" fight! If only you could have heard their giggles! :)

{gifts from the heart}

2011-12-20T16:35:00.001-06:00

Last week during their shopping excursion, Grace and her classmates bought Christmas presents for their parents at the dollar store. They then helped their teachers wrap them before proudly presenting them to us a couple of days later.I wanted to wait and open them on Christmas morning but the little pumpkin was much too excited to wait a whole week and a half.My sweet little pumpkin giving me the gift she helped wrap...I'll help you open it, Mama!
And I'll hold it for you too, okay?!This right here is all the "gift" I needed this Christmas...
I found two things that I wanted to get for you, an angel and this ring cage (he he he). I wanted to get both but since Mrs. Bryan said we could only pick one thing for our mommy and one thing for our daddy, I saw that this one had baby Jesus and I knew you would like it the best, so I picked this one for you. Do you like it, mama?
Oh, my sweet little pumpkin...I LOVE IT! It opens UP, mama! Did you know that?It's the little things that mean the most...Wait mama, I have even MORE presents!And this is our house, Mama! I made it yellow just like ours...we have a happy house, Mama!
{So sweet!...You don't even know how happy it made me to hear her say that. I'm so glad she feels that way because some days I worry that with all the craziness of coming & going, we don't take enough time to just focus on the things that really matter.}Grace, I love you with all my heart! You are a blessing in our life and we thank God for you and your little brother every day.Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, Noonie for grabbing the camera and insisting on taking pictures even though I had been running around like crazy and didn't feel like having my picture taken. I will treasure these forever!And when Lance got home, someone couldn't wait to give him his gift...Daddy, I'm good at opening gifts. Let me help you.It's...a...new...flashlight!
{notice Hudson's little hand in the corner...he dropped everything he was doing to come check out the flashlight!}I picked the sparkliest, shiniest one I could find, Daddy!It's okay if you share it with Hudson, Daddy, 'cause he likes flashlights too.Love you, Daddy!Thank you for the best presents ever, Grace! We LOVE them!
Mama & Daddy

Preschool Christmas Party

2011-12-19T12:15:00.002-06:00

Last Thursday, the little pumpkin's class had their long-anticipated Christmas party...it was a Rudolph themed party full of fun activities and treats for 13 excited littles who can't wait until Dec. 25th!I just love this picture of Caroline! One of our stations was a keepsake rudolph canvas with each child's footprint and handprints. Can you tell Caroline was just a wee bit ticklish?? :)Grace's turn...
The next day, after the paint had dried, they each decorated their Rudolph by adding eyes and even a bow if they wanted to make theirs a girl Rudolph.Next up, Make your own Reindeer Food! All I can say is those reindeer will have no problem at all finding these 13 houses...they were all VERY generous with the sparkly sprinkles!!Painting ornaments was a big hit...luckily, no major spills!Solomon's dad recited Twas the Night Before Christmas...he was sooo good! He captured their attention and had them laughing in no time at all!And then it was time for a little surprise...an official reindeer ceremony. I had a special little package for each child...their very own Rudolph nose! Mrs. Bryan & Mrs. Peterson had made antlers for them so it worked out great! They were sooooo excited to put on their noses.I think the Rudolph noses were my favorite part of the party...he he he.Caroline was the leader that day and Grace was the caboose so they got to give Mrs. Bryan & Mrs. Peterson their Christmas gifts...cute little tinsel trees full of gift cards from each family!I wanted something different from just a basket full of gift cards and I think the trees turned out cute. Both teachers liked them - yay! And it was fun to surprise these two very special teachers who do so much for our littles.Who knew Santa had so many reindeer? A few of them didn't want to wear their reindeer gear, but aren't they so cute??! I love all these sweet littles!Time for treats! Yum!
{one little hint if you decide to make reindeer brownies...do NOT use the fudge brownie mix - HA!}
The Grinch Punch was a hit!I had to tweak it a bit due to time constraints, so instead of {this} recipe I ended up mixing one 2L bottle of lemon-lime soda with 1 bottle of white grape juice (can also use white cranberry juice), scooping a little vanilla ice cream in each cup and then pouring the juice mixture over that. Minty green and sweet!Time for the gift exchange! Girls brought a gift for a girl and boys brought a gift for a boy, $5 range...then they drew numbers and found the gift with the matching number...Here it is, right here!Grace ended up with Paityn's gift and Paityn ended up with Grace's gift...they were so tickled!Time to open those gifts!!Our last activity...Pin the Nose on the Reindeer! Super cute, even if there was a little bit of peeking...he he he.All in all, it was a super fun morning spent celebrating Christmas and having fun with friends...I think we crammed a lot of fun stuff in that 1 hour time slot!!I had a lot of fun organizing this party and couldn't have done it without the parents' and the teachers' help, especially my co-host Angela, Julien's mom - thank you Angela!!

Later when we got home I asked Grace if she had fun and she told me, "No, I didn't have fun, I had a BLAST!" Sure made it all worthwhile!I can't believe Christmas is just 5 days away!!!!

not quite 3 weddings and a funeral...

2011-12-17T10:30:00.006-06:00

...but close!

This past week we had 3 field trips and a class party. Whew, I'm still tired thinking about it. Normally these field trips are scattered throughout the month but this year it just worked out that they were all in the same week.

First up, Shopping & Santa!
Grace and her classmates rode the big yellow bus to the dollar store to shop for presents for the parents.
So that it would be a surprise for the parents that were there to chaperone, we were assigned two little shopping buddies that didn't include our own littles. My two buddies were Kate & Caroline and they were soooooo funny! I loved listening to their cute little comments while they decided what to buy.Next up, a visit to Santa at the mall. This time the little pumpkin wasted no time telling Santa about that beloved American Girl doll she is hoping he'll bring her. She even wrote about the doll and drew a picture in her December journal at school...I sure hope Santa comes through! *wink*Twelve little wiggly bodies...we missed you, Julien!Tuesday it was time for a cute Christmas play at a local school and a visit to see Dr. Carter's train display.The play was super cute! I just love elementary school plays! And Grace...well, she was just enamored. The girl loves art and drama and anything theatrical. I think we may just have to try the little one week summer camp a local actor's guild puts on every year.Dr. Carter and his wife were so sweet to let Grace's class come check out his collection of trains.I didn't take too many pictures this year, but oh my, he has a lot of trains!!! An entire room full of collectible model trains, full villages with every operational piece you can imagine, steam-blowing engines, log-loading & water tower climbing characters, Disney character trains, the Polar Express and on and on and on...a little boy's dream room, for sure! But it was this little Christmas train that had the girls mesmerized...Thank you, Dr. & Mrs. Carter for sharing your trains with us once again this year!Wednesday, Mrs. Gloria opened up her festive home to let the littles in Grace's class see her gazillion Christmas decorations in all their glory.Mrs. Gloria and her husband start decorating October 1st. They take down almost everything in their home and replace it with Christmas decorations. There were over 10 trees and every room had a theme. This was one of her new additions to the music room...Her kitchen had over 50 Christmas cookie jars...this one was my favorite.Mrs. Gloria has a silly side to her too! Before she retired she was an elementary school teacher for many, many years and she sure knows how to make littles smile!! She surprised Mrs. Bryan by putting this silly hat on her and turning it on...Grace and her school buddies thought that was HILARIOUS!After that silly prank, Mrs. Gloria let each child select one of the dancing/singing/talking toys to turn on. This was a BIG deal for them...he he, so cute! Kate picked out my favorite...a globe that said Merry Christmas & Happy New Year in languages all over the world...I love this sweet picture of Mary Stephens about to have her turn...After waiting patiently for most of her classmates to go, it was finally Grace's turn...she pondered all the choices for a while before selecting...RUDOLPH, of course! Rudolph was her favorite thing last Christmas and I think she still has a soft spot for him. Right after she turned the music on, she - in pure Grace fashion - said, "Ready?" and then broke out singing {loudly} & clapping her hands in attention to lead her class into their own little rendition of Rudolph, the red-nosed reindeer...oh dear!Grace's class...love all these sweet kiddos!I'm not sure if this is a preschool thing everywhere or not, since Grace is our first child to go to preschool, but right before they have their daily snack at school, they sing this little song...

Where is (child's name)?
Where is (child's name)?
There he/she is.
There he/she is.
Thank you for our snack.
Thank you for our snack.
It's so good.
It's so good.

They sang this for Mrs. Gloria when she showed them the cookie bar she had set up for them and she just loved it. So sweet!

Funny story...last year a couple of weeks into the school year, Grace came home upset and said to me, "How come you never send the morning snack?" I had no clue what she was talking about until she told me they had never sang the snack song to her! HA! Of course you can bet who carried in a tray of homemade goodies to school the very next morning...Right as we were leaving, Mrs. Gloria handed each child a little Christmas tree and told them these were for them to keep in their room year round...a little reminder to keep Christmas in your heart all year long. Grace held on to this little tree the whole ride back to school and it now has a spot front & center on her dresser...so sweet!Preschool party coming up next!

what a crazy busy week!!

2011-12-16T14:05:00.001-06:00

Some random pics from the last 10 days or so...it's been cRazY busy - thank goodness I've been on vacation this week, well, more like a staycation, but I don't think I would have been able to get everything done if I would have had to go to work too. So here's what we've been doing...

Creating...
{It was super fun to make this head wrap to match a cute spring dress in Grace's closet. Thank you, Noonie! And yes...trying to get a head start on Spring sewing!}Indulging...
{Krispy Kreme...yummmm... snowmen for the littles and red velvet for the grown-ups.}Sightseeing...
{We went on one of our many December drives to look at Christmas lights and this house was my favorite that night - just simple & elegant - love those wreaths!}Playing...
{When we got home Grace insisted on recreating some of the Christmas displays we saw...here she is waddling like a penguin...silly pumpkin!}Convincing...
{Batting those baby blues for Daddy so he would lift her up to touch some of the ornaments that are off-limit...apparently it works like a charm.}Dreaming...
{Nutcracker, anyone?}Dancing...
{Speaking of the Nutcracker...look who was so proud to show off her moves during observation this week.}Snuggling...
{I know he's mine, but could he be any more snuggalicious in those dino pj's and wellies??? LOVE that sweet boy! And yes, wellies are his new accessory of choice...he he}Boot loving...
{I think I could live in boots and jeans all winter...}Swimming...
{Grace has been taking swimming lessons every week for the past year and a half, but we're taking a little break these next 3 months. By then I think Hudson will be able to take lessons at the same time and it will be much easier on us than trying to keep him entertained poolside. Grace loves the water and she's learned so much - she sure has come a long way from when she started and didn't even want to jump in without her teaching holding her hand! So proud of you, Grace!}See you in March, Ms. Megan!Field trip taking...
{Do you know how hard it is to get a good picture of 13 wiggly boddies???? Aaaah!}Cheer spreading...
{He gets so shy whenever he's giving a gift to his teachers!}Decorating...
{I finally put all those sweet, vintage Shiny Brite ornaments to good use and made a fun wreath using this tutorial. Bonus: my ornaments are now safely out of reach from curious little hands!}Cookie eating...
{Aren't those Santas cute?? No, I didn't make them!}Grinch punch sipping...
{Minty green and frothy...a hit at the preschool party!}Love giving...
{The little pumpkin's preschool class took a field trip to buy Christmas presents for the parents - more on that soon - and Grace picked out this sweet ring box for me!}I hope you're finding JOY in big and little things this December!

gingerbread house applique tee {tutorial & guest post}

2011-12-14T23:58:00.000-06:00

I'm a few days behind but I wanted to share a fun & easy gingerbread house applique tee tutorial I wrote as a guest post for Happily Mother After earlier this week...you can check it out {here}.Lauren is having a neat Christmas series on her blog...12 Crafty Days of Christmas...with some fun guest bloggers. See them all {here}.Back soon with some fun Christmas pics, but in the meantime we're enjoying lots of these around here...
Have you tried the Candy Cane Oreos?? YUM! Be forewarned though, they're addictive like Girl-Scout-Thin-Mints addictive.

have yourself a merry little christmas...

2011-12-12T16:18:00.007-06:00

12 days and counting...
{and FINALLY the Christmas cards have been mailed!!}

Because it's good to give... {the legend of St. Nicholas}

2011-12-11T23:58:00.000-06:00

...and have only God know about it.As parents we have so many dreams and hopes for our children. Above all, I want my littles to love Jesus with all their heart and to be kind...to have a giving heart and to know the joy that comes from serving others.Sometimes it's easy to get discouraged when you can't give in the ways you think you should, whether it be time or money or a number of other things, but we can all give something. I have to admit, I struggle with this one. I want so much to give in ways that sometimes I'm not able to and then it gets me down. Someone very wise {hi, mom!} once said this to me: you have to re-think how you look at it. It can be so simple. It's as simple as a smile. We can all give a smile to a passerby...we can all share joy and be kind. That is great giving right there.My littles are still very young and I have to admit, teaching them about giving is sometimes hard...teaching them that we give not from our leftovers or things we don't want, but from our "first fruits".Both of my littles love books, like really, really, really, really love books. So I've been trying to use that to help us convey to them the real meaning of Christmas - the story of our Savior's birth. I also want them to know about the real story behind Santa Claus, the story of St. Nicholas and how he helped those in need. There were a couple of books I wanted to get before Dec. 6th - St. Nicholas Day - but I couldn't find them locally and then Dec. 6th came and went...and well, you get the picture. I just couldn't get it together on time. So silly of me.So this weekend, in lieu of books, we just sat together and I shared the story of St. Nicholas with them through some websites. {This one} is good for the story but {this one} was much easier for my littles since they are still wee ones. Of course my little smarty pants wanted to know how St. Nicholas knew who the people were that needed help and a certain other little one wanted to know if St. Nicholas liked dragons {snicker}...but I hope some of the seeds planted take root.Learning at this age has to be fun - that's what I think anyway - so I've got a couple of projects up my sleeve that I'm excited about to help my littles learn a bit more about giving. Some I may share here and others I probably won't because that same wise person taught me by example about giving without pomp & circumstance.And yes, I scattered some pics throught the post because well, a post without pics is just plain b.o.r.i.n.g - HA! And just to be lighthearted, we sure had to throw Super Belly & Cookie Rooftop, our elves, in the mix. Grace & Hudson put their shoes {wellies} by the fireplace hoping St. Nicholas would leave them a little something and the next morning those sneaky little elves had moved their wellies into another room! Fun!It is not how much we give, but how much love we put in the giving.
~Mother Theresa
Dear God, Please help me remember that. Amen.

gingerbread house & coffee filter santa

2011-12-09T15:45:00.005-06:00

First things first...have you visited Party & Event Guide lately?? Well, what are you waiting for? It's such a fun site full of great party ideas............. and.............. they featured my North Pole Breakfast on their site today! Check it out {here}. Thanks Jerry and Party & Event Guide!
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The littles have been bringing home all kinds of cute Christmas themed artwork, ornaments, and projects. These sweet things make me smile from ear to ear.

This past Tuesday the little pumpkin's preschool class made gingerbread houses. Grace told me the big kids (5th graders) came in to help them. She said a girl named Bethany helped her and said Bethany was "super extra sweet". I asked her how she made the house and she said, "I told Bethany what I wanted to make and where I wanted to put everything and she helped me spread the gooey frosting all over the place" he he he...You may never read this, Bethany, but ThAnK YoU! You sure made Grace feel special!
This little see-saw is my favorite!I just love how excited and proud she was to show me her gingerbread house!! {and Hudson kept getting upset because he couldn't eat it!! HA!}And then there's this sweet little coffee-filter Santa that Hudson made at MDO this week...I love, loVE, LOVE it, Hudson!!! I love those crazy googly eyes and that crooked little nose.I can't wait to bring out this sweet Santa {and the matching one Grace made when she was in MDO 2 years ago!} year after year.
Have I mentioned lately how much I love Christmas??

how is it even possible...

2011-12-09T00:02:00.004-06:00

{warning: belly pics!}

to go from this......to this! So quickly too!Yes, feeling very sentimental tonight. My little baby is growing up. *tear*

I was cleaning out my closet today and found this long-lost cd with all of these maternity pics that a friend took back in May, 2009...a month before I had Hudson. Oh, the memories just came flooding in! Among them..."sure wish I hadn't worn the darn maternity jeans with the stretchy band" HA!!!!!!!

But this saying is so true...{when you have littles} the days are long, but the years short. What a sweet reminder tonight!

I pledge allegiance...

2011-12-08T12:05:00.000-06:00

This morning was a very special morning at Grace's school. I mentioned {here} about one of Grace's little classmates whose dad is in the military, currently stationed overseas.Paityn's dad is in Afghanistan, serving the last 3 weeks of his 6-month deployment. He is scheduled to come home December 28. We are all anxiously awaiting his safe return.Grace's class has sent several care packages to Paityn's dad while he's been overseas. He always sends the most uplifting notes back to the kids, telling them how much the cards, pictures, snacks, and prayers mean to him, teaching them about freedom and being good citizens, and telling them he can't wait to visit the class - Bryan's Bears - when he comes home. He also sent a very important package last time...Paityn's dad flew an American flag for one week over where he is stationed in Afghanistan in honor of Bryan's Bears. He sent the flag to Mrs. Bryan and today, Grace's school had a ceremony and flew the flag in honor of Paityn's dad!I would love it if you would join me in praying over Paityn's dad...for safety during these last 3 weeks of his deployment, for a safe return to his family, and for all the troops still overseas.Thank you!

hmmm...not too sure about that big jolly fella

2011-12-07T08:14:00.001-06:00

A couple of weekends ago we made our annual trip to visit St. Nick. This year our plan was to hand deliver the littles' {letter} to Santa. Grace worked on it really hard while Hudson told her what he would like Santa to bring him and she added it to the letter.

All was well with the littles before they knew Santa had snuck in the room...they were giddy with anticipation...

Then Santa came around the corner...the little pumpkin was nervous but she handled it like a pro {thank you, Mr. Pat!}. She handed him the letter but wouldn't talk to him or stay near him while he read it...he he he.Hudson, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with the jolly old fella. Notice the cookie bribe... yes, mama always comes prepared! Right after this pic, he bolted from Santa's lap - still, so cute!More sweet Santa pics {here}. Awww...the memories!
My littles are growing way too fast *sniff, sniff*

pinwheels and polka dots

2011-12-06T23:53:00.000-06:00

When I'm making a Lulu & Co. birthday hat, I'm always thinking about the little that will be wearing it.
Every hat is a labor of love. Since most of those littles are very young, I often think of the sweet memories they will one day see captured on film, when they look over their old birthday pictures.This little hat has an extra heaping of love poured in it since I know the sweet little girl that will be wearing it this weekend for her second birthday. She's a cutie and her mama is one of my sweet friends.Happy 2nd Birthday, little E! This next hat is part of a very special project...a
spread-the-love project. A sweet teacher bought this hat to make the little girls in her class feel extra special on their special day. Isn't that a fun idea??! Love it!The littles in Grace's preschool class get to wear a fun number necklace on their birthday and a golden letter on the letter-week that corresponds to their first initial. You should see how excited they get! It's always the little things that make the biggest difference. Always. Cute cupcake pincushion from {here} and sweet little doll from {here}. I'm slowly migrating orders over to the {shop} just to make the ordering process easier and I hope to add a few ready-to-ship hats after the first of the year to help with last minute requests. Turnaround time for custom hats is still 3 weeks.There's just something about handmade, isn't there?
Are you making any handmade gifts for loved ones this year?

Bears count their blessings...

2011-12-05T18:26:00.026-06:00

Last Friday the little pumpkin's class - Bryan's Bears - went on a field trip to where else, Build-A-Bear! I must admit I'm not a fan of stuffed animals at all, but both of my littles love BAB, so Hudson and I met Grace and her class at the store, so he could make a new little cuddle friend too, and guess what he picked.......................a new "Dragon" (crocodile), of course! Sweet friends waiting for the store to open...Pandemonium!The only rule...it must be a BEAR!Time to see those bears come to life!The little pumpkin picked out a cute little chocolate chip bear that sported a Dairy Queen Blizzard and actually smelled like chocolate chips...Then we had to girlify her, of course ;)Meet Fluffy, decked out in her Princess Aurora dress & crown!Hudson's turn! He was sooooo into this dragon, talking to him and everything...Serious cuteness! He was giving his dragon smooches......and even high fives!Fun times at BAB!Noonie met us there which was a fun surprise......we love having Friday Lunch with Noonie!We ended up having lunch with one of Grace's sweet little friends from school Paityn, her mama, and her little sister, Aubrianna. Paityn & Aubrianna's daddy is in Afghanistan - he was scheduled to come home right before Christmas but now it looks like it might be 3 days after Christmas...pray with me that somehow he makes it home before Dec. 25th, will you? Wouldn't that be the best Christmas gift for this sweet family??!After lunch we went to visit Santa and play with the "snow" at a nearby store...And on the way home...he he he...told you he was crazy about his new dragon!Thank you, Mrs. Bryan for a super fun field trip!Better go! Have to go get those Christmas cards addressed & mailed! Aaaaah!

warm & cozy...and elf shananigans!

2011-12-04T23:52:00.001-06:00

There's quite possibly nothing better than two freshly bathed littles cuddled up under a cozy blanket watching classic Christmas movies...Except maybe this little mama-in-the-making lovin' her little brother...
{she was trying to get him to look at me so I could take their picture before church this morning, and she was being sooo sweet to him...Oh, be still my heart!}But then there's a couple of little elves who are up to no good...Yes, they turned our milk minty green! Naughty little elves!
{idea via here}

sneaky little elves...

2011-12-01T10:30:00.002-06:00

Yes, Super Belly & Cookie Rooftop are at it again! After "deciding" to sit in the same place two nights in a row {and today is just December 1...Gasp!} they really were active last night.At exactly 5:55 a.m., this sweet little face woke me up out of my dream state {I dreamt I was pregnant with twins, a boy & a girl - what in the world??!!! Nope, not preggers.} to tell me in her sweet little voice that there was a marshmallow trail all the way from her room to the living room.He he he...seems Super Belly & Cookie Rooftop got into the leftover marshmallows from our North Pole Breakfast and had themselves a little midnight snack, dropping some all along the way. Silly little elves.And.................I have a confession to make. Do you secretly wish to rearrange your littles' Christmas trees??? Oh my, I'm fighting the urge - HA! But for now, they are just as they should be. We'll see how long that lasts seeing as they like to add more & more stuff to them every day.Two new Lulu & Co. hat designs are on their way to celebrate two fun December birthdays...a Very Hungry Caterpillar second birthday for L, a sweet little boy that I made a Dr. Seuss inspired hat for last year......and a Winter/Penguin themed 1st birthday for sweet little K.Happy December Birthday Boys!!

And just to keep it real...one pic that didn't make the cut from our North Pole Breakfast...so goes life with littles around! :)First day of December...love, love, love it!

Introducing...Cookie Rooftop! {North Pole Breakfast 2011}

2011-11-29T05:00:00.006-06:00

Exactly one year ago to the day, we had our very {first} North Pole Breakfast - it was a hit! The littles L*O*V*E*D it and were so excited about it we decided to make it an annual tradition to kick off the Christmas season.The North Pole Breakfast marks the debut of our
Elf on the Shelf little friends. This year, Super - Grace's elf - gained a middle name...how special is that??! Yes, he is now Super Belly!Here's the letter Super Belly left Grace...AND, this year Super Belly brought with him a little sidekick. Yes, please let me introduce you to
Cookie Rooftop - Hudson's elf! he he heCookie is a vintage elf. He was first spotted out & about near Minneapolis a few months back...here's his story:As soon as Hudson saw him, he grabbed him! Oops!
{elf on the shelf tradition says "hands off the elves"}......but since this was Cookie's first time in our home, it was okay and he's now been officially welcomed to our family - Southern style, you know "let me hug your neck" and kisses for everyone.Hudson has the funniest names for his cuddly friends...yes, we even have a Shampoo, the Panda Bear that sleeps with him every night...so when I asked him what he wanted to name him, he took one look down at his plate and mumbled through his little Peppermint Oreo & Candy Cane Kisses stuffed mouth, and said "Cookie"!
More on his middle name in a bit...But let me back up for a second. This is why the North Pole Breakfast is worth the effort, check out these precious little faces just waiting to check things out...
{and please ignore the elephant trunk pj sleeves}Oh my, I just love those two littles to pieces. Seeing life through their innocent eyes has got to be one of the most precious gifts motherhood brings.

Seeing the table for the first time...Mama, Super Belly MADE this breakfast for us!!!
Hmmm...o-kay.Grace pumpkin, I think that---
But ma-ma, it says so right here. He came from the North Pole and... Hmmm...you know, Grace, I think Super Belly did help with the breakfast afterall. *wink*Our fun & festive North Pole table...
...and of course the SWEETS! Sorry, but the North Pole is not exactly known for its "healthy fare", rather visions of sugarplums swirl all around...Super Belly and Cookie Rooftop left the littles some presents...Socks to keep those tootsies warm...everyone knows socks are signature gifts in the North Pole. And this year's ornaments...a lion for my sweet, lion-obsessed Hudson and a sparkly cinderella carriage for my pink-lovin', girly girl little pumpkin......and some cute books for our 25 days of Christmas books marathon...Fox and the Snowflake Christmas for Hudson and Lalaloopsy Party Time for Grace {no, not a Christmas title but a sweet story about appreciating everyone's special talents}.Please tell me your littles are the same way...always checking out what the other is getting??!And here's how Cookie got his middle name..."It's Rooftop (rudolph), Mama!! I lot (love) Rooftop." So Cookie Rooftop it is. Oh, how I love this sweet little boy!By now little bellies were hungry...let the sugar fest begin!A north pole tradition...Snow-covered Donuts stacked up high...Peppermint Kisses straight from the jolly old fella himself...Tiny Snow balls from the elves' friendly snow fights......perfect for Floating Glacier Snowman Soup (hot cocoa with marshmallows)Candy Cane Milkshakes
I had no idea candy canes would do this to milk, but what a fun surprise and right before the littles' very eyes! The North Pole is very magical, you know. *wink*Mini replicas of the Steps that lead to Santa's workshop...And a new one this year, courtesy of Cookie Rooftop himself...Santa's favorite snack...Gingerbread Man Cupcakes!{Yes - run, run as fast as you can because this recipe - French Toast muffins {found here} is soooo yummy! Serve warm for even more yumminess}

And speaking of the jolly old fella, check out what else Super Belly & Cookie Rooftop brought the littles...St. Nick & Mrs. Claus truffle pops!!North Pole Breakfast 2011 at its best...And with that, our North Pole Breakfast 2011 was a wrap!
{if you do your own version of the NPB, be sure to leave me a comment - I'd love to check it out!}Dear Grace & Hudson,
I hope when you're all grown up one day, you'll look back on our family's quirky traditions and they will warm your heart...May you always remain this close...Love you with all my heart,
~Mama

Resources~
Santa & Mrs. Claus truffle pops: purchased at a local gift shop
North Pole gift pails & tags, kids' plates, striped plates, candy cane placemats, paper napkins, gingerbread house boxes, snowman treat bags, and tier serving plate: Walmart! {I know!}
North Pole sign frame and scrapbook paper: Hobby Lobby
Santa cupcake toppers: Hobby Lobby
Snowman tray & penguin plates: Target {a couple of years ago}
Milk bottles: frappucino 4-pack to go from Target!