Homemade Halloween

Halloween was more fun than ever this year!!  For the first time, we had a very homemade Halloween!

In the weeks leading up to Halloween, we enjoyed some fall activities, including a trip across the street  to Hicklen Farm to buy our pumpkins.  (I made Cora's dress and was really pleased with how it turned out.)

I also got a little crafty when it was my turn to provide snacks after the soccer game a few days before Halloween.  We had Hershey bars left over from s'mores on our vacation, so here is what I did: (Thanks, Pinterest!)

For costumes this year, I made two out of the three.  (Seth's $6 penguin costume was a no-brainer.)

Cora had a costume parade at school, and she was a little unsure of herself, but she came around and ended up having a good time.

We also went trick-or-treating at Dave Ramsey's office (daddy's work), as always, and that was a lot of fun, too.

I'm not a fan of the ghouls and goblins, but as long as we can keep Halloween focused on candy, costumes, and creative fun, we are golden.

(This is my second post for today.  If you missed the post on our vacation, be sure to check it out!)

Cora is Three!

My baby girl turned three a week and a half ago.  How is that possible?  This little one, who started out so colicky and miserable...

... is now so full of joy and energy.  Her vocabulary and verbal skills are second-to-none, and she has a contagious smile.  She wins over most anyone who knows her with her hilarious speech and beautiful personality.

Here is a little glimpse into Cora's world at age three:

Cora Loves...

• purple and pink
• Caillou
• Hello Kitty and princess paraphernalia
• her stuffed piggy and elephant, "Ellie"
• peanut butter and jelly (every. single. day.)
• nail polish and lip gloss
• painting
• dancing
• playing "I Spy" in the car
• seeing her friends - especially her best friends from church

On Cora's birthday, she woke up to find pink and purple decorations greeting her at the breakfast table.  I always hang balloons and put down a tablecloth for the kids' birthdays, and this year, when Cora came downstairs and said, "Wow!  Thank you, Mommy, for doing this for me!  I love it!"  I knew it had been worth it to get up while it was still dark and hang balloons.  :-)

Since we couldn't enjoy any family festivities until after Daddy and Brennan got home from school, Grandma and I decided to take Cora for a haircut and some pampering!

Word to the wise:  NEVER pay to have your daughter's hair curled at Snip-Its.  They did a great job, but if you really feel the need to spend obscene amounts of money on a hairdo, come see me.  I'd be happy to curl your child's hair for you!!

In the afternoon, we had planned to go to a local pumpkin patch for hayrides, corn mazes, and more, but it rained.  :-(  Instead, we went with Cora's two best friends and their brothers to Monkey Joe's for some good, basic jumping.

Cora was given her first ever "My Little Pony" set.  She loves those ponies more than any toy in our house right now.  I wish so much I had thought to get a picture of Cora with Joshua and Dylan, but I didn't.  I was too busy staying flexible with the changes our day brought.

After we left Monkey Joe's, we went home for cupcakes and family presents.

The big gift of the night was the only one she cared about.  Cora has been asking for months for a "big girl bike."  The neat thing is, she didn't demand it or even act disappointed when the bike didn't make its appearance until the end of the night.  It made it all the sweeter to see her face when she finally got on.

All in all, it was a very fun day.

Cora Katherine, you are a gift from God.  We love your girly ways and your big, cheesy grin.  We love the way you pray to God to make people feel better and the way you try to take care of your brothers and friends.  Your songs delight us, your stories amuse us, your speech baffles us, and your heart captures us.  Happy three years, precious girl.

Christmas in Pictures

I just loved having Christmas on a Sunday this year.  We were able to stop opening gifts and go to church to get refocused on what matters.  It was wonderful, and I truthfully wish we could do it every year.  Here are just a couple of pics from our festivities:

Hope your Christmas was merry and bright!

December Pinterest Projects

Before I show a few photos of this year's Christmas festivities, I have to show a few pictures of Pinterest-inspired projects I tackled right before Christmas.

For my sister and her fiance, Brennan and I made this fun button ornament:

(I have the supplies to make one of these ornaments for my own tree, but I am not so sure it is going to get done this year.)

I also displayed my Christmas cards on my cupboards with ribbons and clothespins, thanks to this site:

And on the inside of my cupboards, I made these awesome hangers for my measuring cups and spoons, so I don't have to go digging through my drawer to find just what I need.  I just used a large paint stick from Home Depot, some little hooks, my Silhouette, some leftover paint, and some double-sided foamy adhesive (I have no idea what it is really called.)  I think the whole project cost under $5.

Coming right up... Christmas in Pictures.  (It's a double post day!)

Ready for Christmas

I'm spending a lazy day at home today, since it is the last day I will have while the kids are in school for several weeks.  Today I have washed, folded, and sorted several overflowing laundry baskets of baby clothes, and I am so thankful to have saved all of Brennan's clothes from six years ago.  How many hundreds of dollars (not to mention memories) are represented in those baskets?  I keep thinking how close together my boys' birthdays are going to be (probably around one and a half weeks or less apart!), and it is so weird to be saying the words "my boys."

Christmas is six days away, and I'm pretty much ready.  I have one more gift to buy Jim, one more gift to make, and a few left to wrap.  Compared to the huge to-do list I had a few weeks ago, I feel like I'm coasting now.  This year I've spent about six hours wrapping gifts, countless hours shopping (thank goodness for Amazon, my new best non-human friend!), and many other hours crafting and creating.  We've hosted two big Christmas parties and a few other social gatherings, and I think I'm done entertaining for this year.  It was all extremely fun, but I don't have an ounce of energy left.

Yesterday at church the kids sang a medley of songs while wearing costumes.  Brennan was chosen to be Joseph, and our friend Alana was Mary.  Brennan was as pleased as punch that he received such an honor!

After the kids sang, they had a birthday party for Jesus in the gym, complete with birthday cake.

All that's really left to do now is enjoy Christmas, which is good.  I have a cold that is leaving me feeling very run down, and it is amazing how much harder pregnancy is when you have multiple little people who need you.

Words of the Month

So, I realized that I have known for a week and have yet to share on my blog...

We're having another BOY!

We had our ultrasound last Monday, and everything looked perfect.  (This is not a shock, except that I fell, face-forward, three days before the ultrasound and had quite the scare!)  The kids went with us and we all found out the sex together.  It was pure joy.  Brennan's eyes and mouth got super big when he found out it was a boy, and then he buried his head in Jim.  He was so excited.  I was shocked.  I had thought it was a boy all along, but I had started second-guessing myself in the last few weeks and thinking it was another girl.  Deep down, I really knew, so I don't know why I second-guessed.  I haven't been able to come up with a decent girl name to save my life, and with each child, we've had a hard time coming up with a name for the wrong sex.

In keeping with our tradition, baby boy's name will be kept a secret until he arrives in early April, but since we don't have a name yet, we're still open to suggestions.  Here are the "rules:" :-)

1.)  The name can't be in the top 100 list of baby names from 2010.
2.)  It has to have a decent meaning.
3.)  We want something unique but not weird.
4.)  I would prefer that it not start with the letter B or C.  (I'd love to use a D so I can have my kids in alphabetical order, but it isn't a requirement.  Yes, I'm sick.)

Okay, use the comment form at the end of the post for your suggestions!  I'm counting on you!

In other news, my friends Kylie, Hope, and I helped to decorate a Christmas tree for a friend who was dealing with some stuff and wasn't really in the Christmas mood.  Her six-year-old daughter really wanted the tree up, so the three of us put it up and decorated it while they were at school / work and took some mischievous pictures while we were at it.

We hung the photos all over their house in conspicuous locations for them to find when they came home (in the refrigerator, inside the lid of the trash can, amongst the nativity set...).

Many thanks to Hope for her use of the props so we could infuse a little joy into everyone's lives!  (Hope is a natural at that, as she radiates joy all the time!)

You may have thought the props looked like something I would make, and although I'd like to take credit for them, I can't.  I can, however, take credit for this ribbon shirt:

I saw a similar one on Pinterest and just had to make one for Cora.  I'm so in love with it, I'll probably make one for next year, too!  :-)  

Laughter and great baby news bring joy, and so does some adult time out.  This past Saturday we went the legendary Lampo Christmas Party, and it did not fail to disappoint.  It was nice to put on fancy jewelry and clothes (thanks, Rachel and Brooke!) and get spoiled with good food, entertainment, and gifts.

So far the words for the month are JOY and BOY.  :-)  What a good way to start December!

Grateful

Well, we can all see on which one of my 2011 goals I have fallen short, can't we?  I guess when I set my goals for this year, getting pregnant wasn't necessarily one of them, and that has kind of trumped blogging.  I do have several posts planned for December, so perhaps it will help to get me back in the groove.  (?)

The last several weeks we have been celebrating Thanksgiving.  I love Thanksgiving.  I love setting aside a time to show gratitude.  I love the food.  I love watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade and remembering when Jim and I marched in it sixteen years ago.  I love having a house full of people who are laughing and talking and eating and loving life.

We started preparing for Thanksgiving last week as Cora had her first ever Mother's Day Out program.  Each class stood on the stage and "sang" one song.  I don't think a single child in Cora's class actually sang (they're only two years old!), but it was good for them to practice standing up in front of people and staying put.  Of course, Cora didn't really do that, either.  She climbed up and down the bottom stair for the whole song and kept walking over to her teacher, but it was cute.  She makes me smile.

The kindergarten at Brennan's school had an adorable Thanksgiving program on Friday.  Some of the kids were turkeys, some were pilgrims, and some were Indians.  It is a big school... You can't even see all of the kids in this photo!  (There are kids dressed as turkeys on either side of the photo.)  But even though it's a big school, we really love it and it doesn't feel big.  We are so thankful for our neighborhood school!

Brennan was a pilgrim, and for the first time in his five years of life, he fully participated in a program!  He sang every word, did every motion, and really enjoyed himself.  I was so happy for him and proud of him!!

Yesterday we had some friends over for Thanksgiving Day, and it was fabulous.  I just love hosting Thanksgiving!  I love having dinner parties, setting pretty tables, and spoiling my friends and family.  Plus, Jim makes a yummy turkey!  (Actually, this year he made two so we could have extra leftovers for our friends and our freezer!)

This year we had our friends Kylie and Jesse and their sons Dylan and Ryland (they have eaten with us for the last three years!), and our neighbors / friends Jefferson and Leslie and their son Jackson.  With four kids and a baby, it was the first time we've ever had a kid table for Thanksgiving!

The company was great, the food was yummy, and everything was wonderful.  Maybe next year we'll need two kid tables!?

These pictures above make it look like my house was so serene.  It was not.  At all.  But it was fun!!

I try very hard to show an attitude of gratitude each and every day of the year, so I hope Thanksgiving is just a continuation of that.  This year, among the many things I am thankful for, I am especially grateful for our friends.  I am thankful for genuine, passionate, down-to-earth friends who walk alongside us and encourage us to live for Jesus, allow us to be ourselves (and love us just as we are), and fill our home with joy and laughter.  Even without good food or pretty decorations we have so much to thank God for.  He answers the prayers we remember to pray and even the ones we don't.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others. --Cicero

I am so grateful.