Blogging is Like Laundry

Yes, you read that right.  Blogging is like laundry.  If I don't keep up, I get overwhelmed, and the thought of doing it becomes more and more daunting.  Well, today is my catch up day.  I'm going to write as many posts as I can bang out.  Get ready for an influx of posts!  :-)

Today's post is dedicated to all of the little things in our life over the past month.  In this month we have...

Enjoyed Brennan's soccer games:

(Brennan is number 3)

Introduced solids to Seth:

(this was our first breakfast with all three kids at the table!)

Improved Cora's cooking skills with the help of Grandma and Daddy:

Spent some time on the phone with Nana:

Read lots and lots of books:

And taken our annual apple-picking trip:

Okay, with my first "load" done, I am going to go have some lunch!  :-)

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!

Rocking Around the Christmas Tree

Christmas is in the air, and we have been very busy enjoying the season.  Two days after Thanksgiving we made a trip about an hour north of our house to choose and cut down our Christmas tree.  This is one of my very favorite Christmas traditions that Jim and I have kept since before Brennan was born.  Every one of our kids has gone tree chopping in utero, and baby #3 is no exception.

This year we went with our friends Jeff and Sheli and their daughter, Mia (plus baby boy, due in February or March).  It was their first time cutting down their own tree, and I think they enjoyed the hunt.

Here is our last Christmas tree photo as a family of four: (!)

In addition to being busy finding the perfect Christmas tree, we've also been super busy getting our craft on.  Brennan made this adorable reindeer painting at school:

...and I had a huge craft night for the women's ministry at our church last Friday.  A whole bunch of women gathered at my house to make wreaths, gift tags, etched glass gifts, chocolate dipped pretzels, and to order some custom monogrammed items from my friend Kellie, who brought her monogramming machine.

There was a lot of really good food...

... creative women...

... and a ton of estrogen filling my entire house!

Even people who said they hated crafts or hadn't done a craft since sixth grade friendship bracelets seemed to have a blast.

I never wanted the night to end (and it almost didn't, as the last person walked out my door at 11:45 PM!).  I loved every single minute.  I was tired, but I was thrilled that people stayed so late and seemed to have such a good time.  I have had several requests to make this an annual event, and I would be more than happy to oblige, especially if we have the you-need-to-wear-sweatpants-or-pajamas rule again.  

If you want in on next year's Christmas tree cutting event or craft night, let me know!  We'd love for you to join us!

This Saturday we are looking forward to my other favorite Christmas event: The Lampo Christmas party!  I can't wait to put on a dress and feel girly, eat good food, take pictures with my handsome husband, and get spoiled by Dave Ramsey.  It's going to be awesome!

I'd love to hear about your favorite Christmas events!

Apple Picking 2011

Every year we go apple picking.  It is one of my favorite (pre-)fall traditions.  I can't remember why we didn't go last year, but we have gone every other year and plan to go as long as the kids will go with us.  Two years ago we went a whopping four days before Cora was born!  I don't have any pictures of me (thank goodness!), but check out this picture of little, three-year-old Brennan!

This year was my favorite apple-picking trip ever!!  The weather was absolutely gorgeous, and the kids had a ball.  Brennan was a terrific apple picker, and Cora was content to just ride in a wagon the whole time, which was good because I pictured her picking rotten apples off the ground and throwing them into the basket faster than we could stop her.

After we paid for all 23 pounds of apples(!), we sat down and had a picnic lunch.  The whole morning was honestly like a taste of heaven.  The kids were happy and carefree, petting the farm owner's dog and playing with sticks and running around trees... It made me temporarily forget sickness and financial stress and schedules and Jim's schoolwork.  It was a freeze-time moment.

My mom's birthday was yesterday, and, with the help of my in-laws, we surprised her with a basket of Cortland apples (the best in the world... they had to be bought up there), Hershey kisses, and a copy of these pictures:

Next year there will be a six-year-old, a nearly three-year-old, and a six-month-old baby in the apple picking photos!  It's still hard to believe.