Valentine Treats

A big mess in the kitchen

+ lots of Valentine fun for the kids

= a great way to pass a sick/snow day!

Um, yes. Totally a pullup on her head. This pic in itself explains how well the potty training is going with a stubborn 2 yr old.

= Valentine treats for family/friends.

Sad Gingerbread House Attempt

Krista and I got the kids together for a playdate and a disasterous attempt at this year's gingerbread house. I think we'd better stick to just playing. The roof keeps falling off, and the kids are shoving sugar into their mouths faster than we can keep up!

Dying Easter Eggs 2009

The cousins have their priorities -- must eat to keep strength to dye eggs!

Tyler, Julia, Me, Ryan and Baby Lucas anxiously waiting for our eggs to dye!

Grammie brings a little pre-Easter surprise for the kids.

Ryan "carefully" dips an egg!

Gingerbread Houses

Aunt Krista shows the kids a photo of a gingerbread house on the computer, as it has occurred to us that they all probably aren't sure what this project is we are making today! =)

Julia shows us her full tooth grin!

Julia takes a break from diving in to eat a piece of candy.

Tyler joins in on chomping down some candy...the best part of this project, in his opinion!

Oh, this is more fun than painting!

Julia concentrates on placing an M&M on her roof.

Taaa Daaa!

"Can I eat it now?" Ryan asks.

Wednesday

After leaving the candy store, we came home and had a lunch and a playdate with Isabelle O'Day. The kids (still on a sugar high!) were super excited about our afternoon plans!

Ry and Izzy play some type of hand game they thought was very funny.

We also made Christmas wreaths with paper plates this afternoon. I painted the kids hands green to make the greenery on the wreath (duh!) and then we used red paint on their fingertips to make the berries. When I asked Ry to hold up his plate so I could snap a photo, he put this piece of tape on his face and said "Look, mommy...I am like Santa!" What a creative bearded boy! =)

My sister had given me something called "Friendship Bread." It is where you have this bread mix in a bag for 10 days and knead it each day, add some ingredients on day 6 and on day 10 separate it into 4 bags to give away and then bake a batch for yourself. Well, OOPS, I misread the directions and ended up adding some of the ingredients for baking your own batch to the "original mix" and so I had to make all 4 batches! YIKES!!! So, thanks to my friend Jamie (for laughing along with me at the mess I created here, and helping me mix this batter that took my two largest bowls to contain!!!), for Trina (for allowing me to run down to borrow 5 eggs, vanilla, oil and extra baking pans!), and Krista for understanding how I messed this up and has so kindly agreed to give me another "starter" in 10 days when hers refreshes. Love you!
All the crazy baking that happened this afternoon wasn't for nothing, as the kids and I had a great time playing "elves" tonight and delivered some bread to our friends doorsteps. Happy early Christmas!

Give Thanks

Ever have those days where your kids are making you crazy? Ours started like that. Mine were both up at 7:45 this morning, and by 9am I was thinking it was going to be a L-O-N-G day! I had gotten nothing done from my to-do list and Julia was hanging all over my leg. So, regroup..attitude adjustment, and remind myself they are a blessing, and it is a blessing I am able to be here with them..in my jammies, and not stuck in some office...that they are my priority, and not that ever growing "to do" list! Besides, I can put the laundry away later..it's been hanging out 24 hours already, what's another few!?! =)

After breakfast the kids drag in the bin of train pieces and dump ever single bizillion piece in there on the floor as Ryan declares "We are going to build a VERY BIG, VERY COOL set, Mommy!" I bite my tongue and refrain from saying what I am thinking, "Yes, and you will be picking up that very big, very cool set when you are finished playing, as well!" Because, really, who could squeltch this enthausiasm..just look at their sweet happy (and dirty..yes, they have been wearing these jammies for the last 48 hours!! Yesterday, also a jammie day. Which I did question my mother about sending Ry to DQ with Papa dressed like this and she thought that it was a sweatsuit. I am not sure if she was serious or being very kind. Oh well. No harm done, the next laundry load will be that much lighter!)

Attitude adjustment: This is not a mess waiting to be cleaned up. This, here, is what it looks like when children have a very fun creative morning.

Yes, I might have gone off the deep end with the "happy attitude". This IS a full bottle of glue Julia is using...washable. I did check that out. So hopefully, it will wash out of her hair easily. =) I drew the line at giving her the scissors. A mom has to have her standards, ya know? =)
See the book? This is one we got from the library last week and it had a fun, easy craft on how to make a turkey tracing your child's hands (for the feathers) and feet (for the turkey's body). Anyways, we spent a chunck of our morning tracing body parts. Ry said, "This is fun!! This tickles, Mommy!" (That was the pen as I traced his feet). They were having fun, and I felt like we were accomplishing something....our Thanksgiving mantle decor...

TaaaDaaa. The turkey on the left is made with Julia's hands/feet, and the one on the right is Ry's. The banner reads "Give Thanks."