Merry Christmas 2014

Another Christmas season has come and gone.  It goes so fast.  Every year I think of how I could have made it last longer with a little more relaxing and simplifying... so far I haven't figured that out yet.  Wisdom with age right ;-)

We had a fabulous Christmas!!  I am thrilled!!  After spending the last two Christmas' sick I was beyond excited to go thru the season healthy!!! I know that sounds kind of petty, but you have NO IDEA how happy I was!!  The past two years were honestly pretty un-enjoyable and it just sucks the fun out of the season.  Last year ALL of us were sick over Christmas... this year just Madison with a cold turned into an ear infection & bottom molars bursting thru.  SHE was not thrilled about anything.  Third Christmas is a charm for her right!!  Next year little Madison, next year is your year!

Our first party was a few weeks ago with Matt's Mom's side of the family.

Miss Makenzie hanging with cousin Joshua & Caleb!  She LOVES those boys!

As we listened to the Christmas Story, this little girl stole the attention
prancing around while everyone else was seated.
Little girls in Christmas Dresses.... L-O-V-E!

Cousin Jonathan checking on Miss Madison after a fall!

Our second party was at my parents house with my Mom's side of the family.  Yummy turkey dinner followed by gifts and finalied with Grandma's Famous Cake Roll, which Makenzie and I made.  (I just finished eating another slice!  Yum, yum! Very thankful we had leftovers.)

This is our second Christmas that we took up a collection for a local ministry that provides lunch/ breakfast/ dinner in backpacks for children over the weekends.  Love this ministry and was so happy to do it again this year.  Last year there were 17 children from a local elementary school that didn't have enough to eat over the weekend that this ministry fed.  This year it has grown to 3 local schools and 52 children!!

Fuzzy, but such a good pic!

Love Uncle Jim's face!

Auntie Kelli testing Madison's gifts!

Auntie Katie and Makenzie helping Madi open pj's!

We collected all of this food and $80 to donate (the $80 can cover 13 children's backpacks.)  So proud!

That's all for tonight!  More Christmas to come later.

It's 2 More Days Till Christmas!

It's two mornings before Christmas,  and all thru the house most creatures aren't stirring, not even our cat.  Miss Madison and I am.  Madison whimpering trying to get back to sleep as I dose out medicine so we don't here a peep.  Madison laying in bed dealing with a nasty ear ache and I on the computer trying to update my take.

The stockings have been hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nick will soon be here!  Matthew and Makenzie are nesteled all snug in their beds, visions of Christmas cookies dance in their heads.  Our tree is all trimmed presents laid out below. Now if we could just have it snow.  The Christmas cards have been sent!  I have pictures in there so I hope they don't get bent!

It's now 9 pm at night... Madison interrupted my early morning rhyming.  Poor baby had another rough day.  Last Thursday she got a cold, led to a fever, nasty snotty, stuffy, coughy cold that has led to an ear infection (possible double).  No nap on Sunday led to a not so fun Monday.  She took okay naps but had to be held all day.  Today she was up just after 6 and we spent almost an hour on the couch snuggling with the Christmas lights on!  LOVED it!!  Definitely gotten lots of snuggles as she has had to be held non stop!  (Ouch my arms!!) Didn't get good naps today... one one hour nap.  Keeping my fingers crossed for tomorrow!


I love this time of year.... I just love it.  LOVE IT!  There are so many memories and traditions that I can't get enough of!  The past two Christmas's I've been sick and cranky, so I'm totally loving really being able to enjoy the season.  Here are some of my favorite things about Christmas...

Our tree!  Our REAL Blue Spruce Christmas tree, that is so delicious smelling, sits in the corner of our room displaying years of family memories.  As a child my Grandparents (both sides) and my parents gave me an ornament each year.  Some are just cute!  Some show what I was interested in at the time.  Some are homemade, like many little treasures of my late Grandma.  My first Christmas ornament sits on there as well as "Our First Christmas Together" star, as we celebrated our first Christmas married.  Madison and Makenzie's 1st Christmas ornaments hang along with 2 sets of snowman families, one from 2011 as a family of three and one from last year as a family of 4.  On top of our tree is a homemade Angel, that's pattern has been passed down generations, watching over.

I can sit and stare at our tree all lit up for hours!!
 
I love writing Christmas cards.  I know the latest trend is to send out photo cards.  I'm just traditional and love to use an old fashioned Christmas Card where I spend all that time writing To's and From's and a special message in each one :-)  We also love getting cards and decorate with them.


Quick Visit with Santa downtown!  Never goes well but puts a smile on my face :-D

Very intent stares while waiting in line!!

This is it folks!

Christmas Dresses on little girls!!  Makenzie got a new one that she will be styling in tomorrow!!

Baking Christmas Cookies!!  We make dozens of cookies each year and share with friends and family!!

Madison's FIRST time baking cookies at the counter with us!!  Typically she
sits next to us in the high chair.  She giggled and smiled THE WHOLE TIME!!

One Happy Girl!

The faces I get after saying 'No More DOUGH girls!'
Makenzie's unhappy face and Madison doesn't care and
goes for more.

Love that sweet little hand.

(FYI... the cookie dough was made before sickness hit!  Ha! No need to worry!)

We are looking forward to the next couple days of festivities.  We hope you all enjoy the time spent with family and have a joyous Christmas in celebrating the birth of Our Savior!  

Merry Christmas!!

Take 1.

Take 2.

Our Elf is Here!!

Deer, was our Elf's name last year.  This year we've just made it real simple.  Elf!  Love the names kids give things!!  

/Day 1/

His first appearance at our house was actually in the car in Makenzie's seat!!  He was all buckled in like a good little Elf to head to the Christmas Lights Parade.  

 /Day 2/
The next morning Elf got into our monster loot of candy from the parade.  He had a WHOLE line of candy he was ready to gobble up and was happily eating a sucker while wearing a "Be Nice" pin and some sort of luggage ID as a necklace.  It was funny for a min and then Makenzie decided that the elf was really bad and needed to sit in the corner.  He got into candy without asking and made a mess!!  She did NOT want him around here if he was going to be getting into trouble!  (The Santa Clause is Coming to Town Song is getting to her... she was in tears one day...guilty conscience!  We now have a sticker chart to show her all the good things she does!)

/Day 3/
Thank you Elf for pointing out to us that we forgot a Fall Decor!  Miss Madison is SO good at finding things and was the one who found Elf way up there.

 /Day 4/
Makenzie wouldn't let me take a picture of Day 4.  Elf had found our goldfish and was on top of the tank peaking in.  (No our goldfish doesn't have a name.  It should.  I'm stinking proud of that thing. All of the fish I have ever bough... and I have bought A LOT... die... very quickly.  (Remember Makenzie's Birthday Fish that died before her party was over?)  On a whim, us girls were at the store one evening while Matt was hunting and came back with 5 goldfish.  I told the girls they would be around for the weekend and then have to go.  They all lasted a week.  A couple died after a week.  A couple more the next week.  And it's now been 2 months and the FISH IS STILL ALIVE!)

/Day 5/
This elf has a sweet tooth!  Very smart to get up out of Makenzie's reach so she wouldn't steal the sucker.

/Day 6/

Quietly reading some Christmas books.

/Day 7/

No pic... sorry. Elf snoozed happily under the tree!  AND under the cat!  :-/  It took awhile for the Elf to be found since the cat WAS happily sleeping under the tree.  

/Day 8/

Woot Woot!!  Early Christmas present straight from the North Pole!!  A boxed DVD collection of the Christmas Classics!  Good thing because does anyone notice that all the specials are on AFTER the kids go to bed!?!?  Drives me crazy.  Now we can watch it whenever :-)  

/Day 9/

Miss Makenzie woke up with Elf snuggled up with her in HER bed!!  Whoa, was THAT a surprise!  Guess he learned sleeping under the tree wasn't a good idea.

/Day 10/

Amen to this one.  It's December 10.  It's sunny.  I see grass.  A month ago I checked the extended forecast and it was winter... low low temps, no sun, snow almost every day, perfect.  It's been the opposite since Thanksgiving (which we HAD snow!).  It's been cold.  But sunny and no snow.  We have 15 days till Christmas... LET IT SNOW!!!

A Month Later! 60 Years!

So this didn't go as planned!!  My last post was a month ago.  Hmm....  I'm so bummed!  I have so much to share, but just plain and simple don't have the time for it.

At least that must mean I'm living in the moment right!?!?

It's early in the morning, everyone else in the house is sleeping.  I couldn't sleep so figured I'd see if I can get a couple post knocked out.

How was everyone's Thanksgiving!?!?

We had a good one.  Matt and I each did a turkey that we brought over to my grandparents.  He smoked his (yum!) and I stuffed mine and roasted it.  They tasted good, by time we carved it and were ready to eat they were not very juicy.  :-(  I can usually knock out some very juicy turkeys.

The boys with their turkey!

The Girls' Turkey... Makenzie wanted to help stuff... but just wasn't so sure :-)

Kudos Girl!!

Smokin'!!

Madison wasn't interested at all in eating.  Grandma has pilgrim and indian candles back from who knows when on the table.  Apparently if there are little people on the table they are more fun to play with than eating!  So Madi played.  And when she was done both girls started laps inside the house.  They just go!!!!

Yesterday, we also celebrated my grandparents 60th Wedding Anniversary!  60 years those two have been together!  That is SO cool!  Those two are so dear to my heart, I was so thankful that we could be there for Thanksgiving AND in celebration of their marriage.  Seemed perfectly fitting that their 60th Anniversary be ON Thanksgiving and surrounded by family.

Wrapping up this post I will list some of my "Thankful's":

~My Church/ My God, whom we get all these blessings from.
~My husband & Girls

~Sleeping morning snuggles with Makenzie and Madison after they wake up.  Madison takes a bit to wake up and comes at you with her blankie tailing behind her and snuggles for a long time!  Makenzie also hauls out the blankie and will cuddle... for a bit.
~Our Family & Friends, each one of them has made an impact on our lives!  Some a lot more than others and I thank you for that love and support!
~Slowly falling snow before dawn that falls into a blanket of sparkly snow already fallen.  BEAUTIFUL!
~Cooking/ Baking in the Kitchen with Makenzie... Our Thanksgiving Turkeys turned out pretty good!!

~Our Health
~Our Home

Everyone have a GREAT Thanksgiving weekend!  We are off to go Christmas Tree hunting :-D

Baby Dolls

Makenzie and Madison don't play together all that much yet.  Madison watches Makenzie very closely and will do (or try to do) what she sees Sister doing.  That certainly makes things entertaining!  When the girls do play together it is JUST PRECIOUS!!  Moments like these take my breath away and I can't do anything but just sit and watch them and thank God for what he has given me and beg for moments like that to go s.l.o.w.

Last weekend while Matt was out hunting, the girls, in matching deer outfits, were busy "moms" taking their babies for walks.  It was so stinkin' cute!!  Madison loves to play with Makenzie and was so excited that she had a stroller too and was able to do exactly what Makenzie was doing.

I can't help but think what adding 25 years to these pictures would look like!!!!!

Yesterday the baby dolls got brought out again.  The girls played for a few minutes in Makenzie's room and then headed out to the living room.  Makenzie came strolling out... baby doll in arm and diaper in the other asking for help in changing the diaper.  Madison wasn't too far behind but struggling down the hall.  I kept hearing her falling and grunting as she drug her doll behind her.  This doll that Makenzie gave her was ALMOST as BIG as her.  What a challenge to drag the baby to us while holding on to the diaper in her other hand!!

Makenzie sets her baby down for a diaper change, so Madison does too.  Madison OPENS the diaper, puts the diaper UNDER the baby and then tries to pull the tags up.  She would get one and then it would go back down and get stuck again and she just sat there monkeying with it.  Finally she brings the doll to me and the diaper. 

Trying to get baby on the couch.  Not getting much leverage by yanking on her hair!

After the girls changed their baby's diapers Makenzie showed Madison that her baby can suck her thumb!!

It amazes me how much Madison understands and can do!  I hid stuffed animals for the girls to "rescue" as they were playing firemen.  I hid one animal up on top of a door.  Makenzie was looking all over and not finding it... even after my hint of looking UP in every room.   Who finds it and who walked all over the house with her head tipped up at such a horrible angle??  MADISON!!  

Let's Start With This!

Last spring we had Makenzie start a gymnastics class.  One day a week for 45 mins.  This was her FIRST class of anything!  I was very excited for her and excited to sit and watch her.  Too bad they had tiny little windows to peak thru :-(  Her teacher said not to look thru the window for very long and don't let your child see you.  I was in the window A LOT :-D  But... I didn't get caught (by my kid!)

It was so good to see her "on her own" playing and having fun with someone other than me!  They had so many different activities that they did and she did MOST of them (when she wasn't watching herself busting moves in the mirror or walking around the balance beam instead of walking OVER it).

Makenzie did SO well in the class.  In one of the later weeks her teacher came out and told me that I have my hands full.  I laughed and said yes, a mom of 2 under three.  We ALL have our hands full.  'No, I mean Makenzie is busy... she does not stop.  She's my busiest student!'  Huh... I left pondering that for awhile.  Wasn't sure how to take that... good thing or bad thing?  It's funny how someone else makes a comment and you realize how true that statement is.  The next couple of weeks I watched her more and my goodness.  She doesn't stop.  She doesn't stop moving, even when you are talking to her or she is sitting for dinner, she is always moving and always talking!!!  Miss Makenzie!!

And I certainly enjoyed my alone time quietly playing on the floor with Miss Madison.  Madison doesn't get much one on one time with me, those moments were just great.  The first few weeks she slept thru most of the class and the last ones we sat and played on the floor.  SO nice that she wasn't crawling yet.

Family: here are a few clips of her class.

For some reason there isn't a thumbnail for the bottom two, if you click them they will play :-)

So So So SO much!

After a three month break from blogging I am ready to get back in!  It was a great break as I spent that extra time in the evenings relaxing with my hubby or catching up on housework that was cast aside during the day so we could play!  I have SOO much to catch everyone up on.  Things were just getting way too busy for us as we were well into our summer fun.  

We certainly don't mess around with our summer months, as we only get a few months of great weather.  When I say our calendar was packed I'm NOT joking.  We had very little time to just sit at home!  Once the summer fun ends, the garden harvest starts and keeps us extremely busy till mid October... now.  Our garden harvest isn't the most fun thing to do all the time, but it sure is quality time spent with whomever helps!  Makenzie (4 in December) is my biggest helper... what that girl can do in the kitchen just amazes me.    

So stay tuned as I blog about our summer adventures, a one year old's birthday, an exciting purchase and some fall fun!