Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Gingerbread Houses

The gingerbread house has been a household tradition for at least 4 years now. The distributor has made it increasingly easier to enjoy the fun part of this tradition without having to worry about baking the house and assembling it. I always buy the Wilton preassembled gingerbread house from Wal-mart for $10.00. This year, I bought two different ones. The other one was from Target. This is ONE tradition I allow the kids to do completely on their own unless they ask for me to help them. I remember the first year Ty and I did this, I was controlling where Ty put every piece of candy. I wanted it to look nice enough to display on my countertops, then I realized how unfair that was to him. Their gingerbread homes always wind up looking simiar to the candy house on the movie Handel and Gretel. Candy, candy, EVERYWHERE!!!!!!!

This year, decorating gingerbread houses came a tad early, but that just means we get to display them a little longer. Daddy and Ty worked on one, while Lilah and Jax worked on the other. Enjoy the photos. What are some of your family traditions? Do you remember this post from last year?  Click on the words "this post" to view our family traditions.



Double click on the picasa album to view it in a larger format.

"You are officially THAT nerdy mom!"

"You are officially THAT nerdy mom!" That was the comment out of my husband's mouth, as I pulled up to the house, during his lunch break, sporting THIS...
I bought this accessory weeks ago and I could NOT wait to dress up my van. I thought I should wait until December 1st so my van wouldn't get keyed, but November 30th is close enough. I've always wanted a set of rudolph gear. Haha. I forgot I had attached rudolph to my van and I was wondering why I kept getting so many stares today. I mean, I know I'm beautiful and all, AND I know it's hard NOT to stare at me, but geez.... the stares were MANY! LOL!. Just teasing. I guess people either thought my dressed up van was clever, cute, cheesy, or thought that possibly Santa got rid of his sleigh and bought himself a Sienna minivan. HE HE.

The kicker... Darren has to drive this thing around town too!!!! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA

Singing In The Shower (X-Rated)

Lilah is a great talker, but lately, she has been "singing" and it isn't making a lick of sense. It's insanely adorable though. She had no idea I was recording her because I was doing it incognito with my i-phone. She did this the other day, at the library, and the entire library was getting the biggest kick out of it.

I apologize for the nudity. It is ONLY because my blog is set to private and I know that some weirdo isn't viewing this. Oh and I have to mention, she has a hiney like her daddy! Just thought you wanted to know where that skinny butt came from.

PS. The yelling at the end of the video, was Jax. I'm sure you could take a guess as to WHY he was yelling out in irritation. One word hint... TYSON!

It's Beginning To Look A LOT Like Christmas!

Our home has actually been decorated for about 3 weeks now. Christmas cards have been designed and mailed, some Christmas shopping has been done, gingerbread houses made, Salem parade attended, but ONE "key" piece was missing... THE TREE! We assembled our pre-lite tree at the same time we put up ALL of our decorations, but we never decorated it. Upon assembling it, we noticed almost 300 lights had failed. I spent many hours trying to repair the tree, but after many attempts I gave up. I was on strike from decorating it, in hopes that my dear husband would allow me to buy another tree. NOPE! He wants to wait until the day after Christmas to purchase a very discounted tree. I eventually submitted :) and decided to purchase some lights for the interim. So today I decorated the tree finally. I'm not sure it's complete yet, but I am relying on my dear friend Erin Carroll (the BEST Christmas tree decorator I know) to give me her thoughts. So, if you are wondering why a full picture hasn't been taken yet, that's why!

I switched things up a tad this year. I added ribbon to our tree AND CHEETAH print ribbon at that!!!
Of course after the tree is decorated, if you've been following my blog for a year or more, you know what happens next right? Our ELF "Nicey" arrives. Tonight, I put the kids to bed after reading them the book, "The Elf On The Shelf". The twins don't have a clue about the details of Nicey, but I KNOW Tyson will bring them up to par for sure. He'll be up early tomorrow looking to see if he did indeed arrive. Check out this post if you are looking for details on "The Elf On The Shelf".
Sweet little Nicey sits patiently, waiting for our kiddies to find him tomorrow morning.

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

"A Gift From Santa!"


This week the "Sensational 6" started Secret Santa! Today, my Secret Santa arrived. Darren arrived home for lunch and found it. I was out. Obviously, my Secret Santa knows today is a preschool day and took advantage of the opportunity to deliver the gifts then. The gift arrived in a sweet snowman (my favorite) bag, with a beautiful passage on it. Inside were two ornaments: a snowman ornament and a festive colored monogrammed "B" ornament.

I am getting close to figuring out WHO my secret santa is. I have eliminated one person for sure, if not two.

Thank you Secret Santa. I will for sure be decorating our home with these beautiful ornaments this season.
PS. I won't say why, but this passage was PERFECT!!!!!! PERFECT TIMING WHOEVER YOU ARE. DIDN'T I JUST SEND A SIMILAR PASSAGE TO YOU THIS MORNING?

Monday, November 28, 2011

I-Toddler vs. I-Phone

A similar post has been made before regarding an i-touch, but this one TOPS the CAKE! The house was silent. Ty was doing his homework, Lilah was sipping on a sparkling water (no lie... she thinks it's a "shoe-da" aka soda) and Jax.... where was he? We found him nestled backwards, among 5 stacked pillows, feet propped up, and as quiet as a mouse on our living room couch. He almost blended in. This is how we found him (see below). I cannot believe our toddler knows how to use our i-phone APPROPRIATELY. He found the "angry birds" app and created his own little fun. He was even playing the game properly.

I am gonna attempt to send these pictures to APPLE and see if they will use them in as advertisement for the next ipod or iphone. KEEP your FINGERS crossed. Maybe we'll get some free apple merchandise to share will all of you. Or better, a few thousand dollars to compensate him for advertising those sweet "tootsies" and "fingies" while playing with their i-phone.

I-LOVE HIM


Caught With His Hand In The Cookie "Jar"

On Saturday, the kids were so excited to make some slice and bake reindeer cookies. Unfortunately (for Lilah and Jax) & fortunately (for Ty), Tyson was the only child who finished his dinner. Ty was able to enjoy some "hot out of the oven", fresh cookies, but Lilah and Jax were NOT. Jax didn't handle the "No'sssssssssssssssssssssssss" too well. The extra s's are for the amount of times I had to say "NO!" Later, after I thought the message was loud and clear, Darren caught Jax alone, working his way up the ladder barstool to help himself to some of those yummy cookies. Needless to say, he STILL didn't get to have any. AND... 3 days later, he STILL HAS YET to eat a FULL meal, so he STILL has yet to taste them. Poor fella. I'm NOT proud of his deceitfulness, but it is amazing how SMART a 2 1/2 year old little booger is. AND I have to admit, Darren and I did (without his knowledge) get a good laugh out of this one.
Up he goes..
He jumped when he realized we caught him.
Then, he sat there just starring AND I am sure contemplating on what the next best decision would be!
And starred, and starred, and starred....
As the tears fell. It broke my heart. Who ever said parenting is EASY is BEYOND ME!

Park Fun With Daddy & Pretending to be Shannon Maggi!

It's hard to believe that Virginia is still sporting 70 degree weather. After the movies, we took the kids to Longwood Park. They had such a blast running around. Remember, they had MUCH ENERGY aka a sugar high. They were dressed up so cute, but by the time I got the camera out, they look like raga muffins.

I pretended to be a Shannon Maggi (a talented local photographer), but unfortunately, my talent doesn't even come close to hers. Ha ha. I tried. Lilah was really the ONLY one being cooperative anyway during the "photo session". She thinks she a model. LOL!!!!!

After Longwood Park, we went to "Mamma's Pizza" for dinner. The day was FILLED with all kinds of fun events.
Re-living the tough mudder experience. Showing off really!!!!
Our little "toddler and tiara"

One thing they really enjoyed was playing in the leaves. We don't have leaves in our yard. No trees = no leaves. I even let them throw the leaves on me. Funny thing is... at dinner, I was sitting next to a mirror, and I happened to glance over to see that I had two leaves stuck in my hair. It's NOT hard to hide things in my head of hair. Ha!
These two were wrestling a fallen tree. LOVE that look on Jax's face.


Lovin' on daddy's leg.



LOVE THIS KID'S SMILE! (boff'em!)

"Let's Go To The Movies!!!!!! Let's Go See The Stars!"

As promised, we took our kiddies to see Happy Feet 2, the day after Thanksgiving!!!! I thought the movie was cute. However, I'd have to agree with Darren... it wasn't the cutest movie out in the theater. Mission accomplished though, the kids enjoyed themselves, and that's all that matters.

The kids were thrilled to have their daddy present. If I'm NOT mistaken, it was the first movie daddy has gotten to come to with us. The best part, to the kids, was continuing with our movie tradition. I allowed the kids to fill zipblock bag of candy from our Halloween bowl. Darren was having a heart attack as he watched them gorge themselves with SUGAR.

The best part, TO ME, was hearing that the twins were admitted into the movies for FREE!!!! Any child 2 and under is FREE. Whoop, whoop! Somehow we still managed to spend $36 between tickets, popcorn, and ONE drink. INSANE!!!!!!


Thursday, November 24, 2011

Thankful for blessings....

The Lord has blessed me beyond all measure. It sounds so cliche, but I had to say it anyway. The Lord knows my heart AND He knows I did not just say that to say it. I'm not going to lie, many days, I do not recognize the blessings. Life is so hectic. Some days are harder than others, but I do have a burning desire for my paths to be properly guided so that, these blessings do not go unnoticed, not for a second, but it's tough. I want to be more focused on Him, but responsibility steps in and distracts. Sometimes my day passes and I think, "Wow, I really failed today!" It's painful. As I sit here in silence (oh how I love a deafening moment), I am filled with emotion about what tomorrow (Thanksgiving) is all about. It's a day of gratitude. Gratitude and thanksgiving to our Heavenly Father who has given us ALL that we have. My heart literally aches with emotion, knowing that God loves us so much and has given us HIS only son to pay the penalty for our sins. If only I could comprehend this even MORE than I think I do. I am MOST thankful for our Heavenly Father. No one is as great a Him. In those moments of incomprehension, I pull through because I have faith. In those tough days, I pull through because of what He has done for me. In those moments of failure, I pull through because of what He has given to me. Today, I am thankful for blessings...

1. Salvation in Jesus Christ. What a blessing that I am no longer blind. What love and security to know my sins are covered by the blood of Jesus Christ. What hope to know that one day I will meet Him face to face. I love you Lord Jesus.

2. My marriage to a good, faithful, godly man! My husband's salvation has not just been the greatest blessing for me, but also for my children. Thank you for leading us Darren. Thank you for surrendering your life to our Lord. I love how driven and dedicated you are to our family. An amazing team player. I love you honey!

3. The tiniest miracles, yet biggest responsibilities of my lifetime... my children. I fail daily to recognize these helpless and dependent creatures as blessings. Parenthood is tough. I keep saying, "motherhood is kicking my butt!" LOL! We are in a rough and exhausting season in the parenthood world, but at the end of the day, I look at them, tucked in their beds, and my heart truly does melt. The Lord is refining me through motherhood and I am thankful he uses them to sanctify me :) Tyson, Lilah, and Jaxon I love your smiles, your smells, and your kisses/hugs. I love all of YOU!

4. My sensational 6 - What great godly women - who encourage me, pursue me, relate to me, hold me accountable and care for my soul. I never thought I could have a group of girlfriends that would be so genuine, real, loyal, and faithful without the accompaniment of backstabbing. What a blessing. What a remarkable blessing. I LOVE YOU GIRLS!

5. Prayer and Worship - I take this for granted and ask for your prayers on this. Although I do NOT utilize my ability to pray as often as I should, I am so happy that we live in a country where prayer is acceptable and not punished. I am thankful for songs of praise/worship. What a BEAUTIFUL way to show the Lord you love him and are grateful to Him.

6. Pastors and Mentors - The depth of theology our church body is introduced to and taught, on a weekly basis, is incomparable to anything I have ever experienced in my life. I am thankful for the blessing of dedicated, wise, and godly pastors/mentors.

7. Food, Shelter and Clothing... It's a common grace that everyone, on this earth, gets to partake in. What a gracious God we have. He owes us NOTHING and yet he gives us everything. Even those who profane the name of Christ. God you are good.

8. Health and Safety - In just the past 4 months, through different tragedies of others, we have been reminded of how fortunate we are to have our health and to be kept safe from harm. God is so good.

9. Financial/Career Stability - In a dying economy, I am thankful my husband has been able to continue providing for our family and am thankful for a stable job at Bolling Steel.

10. Breaks, Naps, and Sleep - How refreshing it is to be able to take a small break away from responsibility and rejuvinate yourself. I love preschool days :), short 20 minute naps, and sleeping at night next to the man of my dreams! ... that's you Darren. ;)

I know there are MORE reasons I am thankful , but I figured listing 10 of them would drive the point home!!!!

FOCUS ON YOUR BLESSINGS TODAY! BE THANKFUL! AND not just for turkey, ha ha.

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

"WACKY TACKY WEDNESDAY!"

Today, Ty's school is allowing the kids to come dressed wacky & tacky! I bet MANY of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd graders do that on a daily basis anyway :) Tyson on the other hand... doesn't. Mommy still picks out and iron's his attire each morning. I bet this is a ROYAL treat for him. I thought he'd have fun picking is wacky tacky outfit out, but he asked me to do it. It could have been the fact that it was 5:50 am and he just couldn't bring himself to care. So... if the outfit is not that wacky tacky, you know why! It was ROUGH putting together something that doesn't match or that looks wacky!
Notice the two different shoes?!?!?!?! Hey... it was the best I could come up with. Don't fault me for having brain that operates anally!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

Who's that Girl?


Sunday mornings are so hectic in our home. Our church body laughs and jokes about the "holy pavement." You know... you rush around all morning, frustrated, and then as soon as those feet hit the Church pavement everyone puts on a happy smile. LOL!!

Two Sundays ago.... Jax found my make-up bag. OF ALLLLLL mornings!!! He did a pretty good job though, if I must say...... Cute little girl boy!

You MIGHT live in the BOONIES IF.....

If you see tow-mater and dead deer meat, on a trailer, on your way home from Church! What the HECK?



Truth be told, YES, we really saw this on our way home from Church, but NO.... we do NOT live in the boonies.

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Boyfriend

HUH????????????? Who knew a 2 1/2 year old would know this word?!?!?!?!? Sitting at Burger King today, I had this convo with Lilah...

Lilah: "I have a boyfriend."
Mommy: "What? You don't have a boyfriend."
Lilah: "Yeah... I do!"
Mommy: "You don't even know what a boyfriend is. Who's your boyfriend?"
Lilah: "Cohen"

Hmmmm. Not sure if Cohen is on the parental approved list or not (wink wink), but he's at least made it to Lilah's list.

Have Some Waffles With That Salt!

I turned my back for a split second, with a salt shaker in "hands reach", and look what happened to Lilah's "hot off the stove" breakfast. Yes... I had to make her breakfast all over again.

Monday, November 7, 2011

Ways to Have Fun, Indoors, During the Winter Months!

Jax just discovered his roller skates. They've always remained in the same place, in our garage, for months and months (well minus when Jody borrowed them for Ansley), but today, they stood out, to him, for some reason. I may just add these "shoes" to his closet and allow them to be indoor skates during the winter. He was all smiles while the skates were on. If you could read his mind, it said, "This is the greatest invention!!!" Isn't he just the cutest little kid you've ever laid eyes on? Okay, I know, I am a tad bias. But those dimples.... ugh! I LOVE HIM!





A great way to have some winter fun indoors!

Sunday, November 6, 2011

2011 Biddy Football Glenvar Gladiators

Darren compiled a few great football shots and made a video clip using some pretty classic sporting music. The little guys were Superbowl champs!! Double click on the video OR click on the youtube logo to view in a larger/clearer format.

Julia Carroll's Barnyard 3rd BIRTHDAY BASH!

Tyson, Lilah, and Jaxon were invited to their sweet friend Julia's birthday party! Her mommy, Erin, is an amazing artist and she did a fantastic job, along with her father, decorating this party. The theme.... BARNYARD FUN!!!! From the decorations, to the cake, to the goody bags every little detail was well thought out and exquisitely designed. Birthday parties have really stepped up a notch from way back in the days when I was little.

Julia, we wish you many wonderful blessings this year. God is growing you up to be His. I pray you continue to be the obedient and gentle hearted little girl that you are today!!! We looking forward to watching you blossom over the years.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

Trick or Treat 2011


After a stressful few weeks of narrowing down our family's costume selection and finally choosing the Napoleon Dynamite theme + Annie, I finally took a sigh of relief. THEN.... after winning the costume contest at Church, I decided those costumes were clever and cute, but not comfortable. So, on Halloween night, I allowed the kids to be comfy and trendy. The boys dug into their dress up basket and grabbed a super hero costume while Lilah decided to be a Virginia Tech cheerleader, since her "cousins" were cheerleaders. Ty was Iron Man (costume seemed a bit snug for him :) and Jax was Spiderman).

We were surprised by a visit from Carlene/"Cee-Cee", Salene, and Saleece this Halloween. We thought it would be a great memory if the kids went trick or treating together. Ansley also joined us. Salene and Ansley have met before and they are less than 2 weeks apart in age, so it was perfect. The ONLY problem was they were both competing for Ty's love and attention. :)

I wish I had a good video clip of how hilarious the evening was. It was like watching a horse or greyhound race. Inevitably, Tyson was always in the lead, trailing behind was Ansley and Salene, then Jax (poor little third wheel), and finally Lilah and Leecie. LOL!!!!

The weather was just perfect for racing horses kids, the kids bags were filled to the brim, and the company couldn't have been better. We headed back home around 7:30 pm and everyone hung out, in our home, until about 9 pm.

We captured the best pics we could even though the dark night and the kids in full speed were against us.