Christmas 2010

It was a bit of a rough Christmas season for us. We're suffering another round of a cold/virus. It seems we just got over the one from Thanksgiving and here we go again. Bebe Sister averted the first round but it seems the second time caught her and caught her bad. However, it did mean we were home bound for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day thus ensuring Santa would not miss us. Hopefully, he did not catch our cold! We missed seeing all the family and were extremely grateful that my family dropped off Christmas dinner for us.

Here are some photos of our festivities...

First we started with some video entertainment - Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Then setting out some refreshments for Santa and his reindeer while also checking NORAD for the whereabouts of Santa. At this point, he was in Uruguay. Then it was time to head off to bed.

On Christmas morning, this is what we woke to:

Here the kids are looking at all their goodies from Santa:

Then later, some play time:

A few other notes to go along with the photos. Santa went with a "Cars" theme and T Rex Mom and Dad had nothing to do with the "giant Lightning McQueen". T Rex asked Santa for a yellow monster and some Cars and when he saw his stocking he said, "Just like I asked". But later he said he he got everything he wanted except "Bebe Jesus". Made me proud that he remembered the meaning of the season.

Bebe Sister looks pretty sad in the photos just because she was really sick and had been up all night. Also the reason there are no photos of T Rex Dad and me (we were zombies).

However, despite all the illness, it really was a great Christmas. We have everything we could possibly want, thus, the news of a school scholarship from the AANP Foundation was just frosting on the cake!

Winter Garden-a-Glow 2010

This past Monday, we made our annual trip to the local botanical garden which during the holiday weeks turns into the "Winter Garden-a-Glow". If you'd like a recap from last year's trip - here it is.

I would say the displays get a little more elaborate every year. And the moon made a big impression, too.  We did get to see the winter solstice lunar eclipse, too. That was pretty cool!

T Rex had a great time. It was quite muddy so we had to keep reminding him to walk not run - I did not want a mud-covered child in the car nor an injury from falling. He was a little nervous about giving Prancer some pets but in the end he loved it. And T Rex Dad was more than happy to lend a hand so he could ring the bell.

This was the first time we let him walk on his own. In years past he was either a) in the womb about to come out at any moment (yes, I was in labor), b) in the carrier like Bebe Sister is in the below photos, or c) in the stroller.

We have you have a wonderful Christmas Eve and Christmas Day with your loved ones. We send you all our best wishes.

Clam Bake...

Strike That - Reverse It - Baking and Clams...

Let me explain.

For my birthday this year I wanted to bake cookies and then go out for clams. The baby snuggles this year are a total bonus! Here was my birthday celebration in photos.

First, time at home baking holiday goodies and making graham cracker houses...

Then off to dinner. This is Idaho - a land locked state so there's no ocean to get fresh seafood. However, there is a local pub that serves steamed clams by the bucket full. We split a big bucket. The pub has been around for ages, the service is amazing, and like most Idaho pubs, very kid friendly. Don't let the ads on the walls deceive you, we are not influenced by any of the propaganda. The kids thought the clam shells were very entertaining.

Then back to the house for a quick ride around the couch on a fire engine. And "Cousin Dede" makes it so much more fun. While the kids played, we quickly ate brownies since snow was falling promising white out conditions. Hence, the family left in a hurry. But the house was left clean, sweet smelling, and our tummies were very happy.

It did, however, take the kids quite a while to wind down from all the day's excitement. In all, a great birthday celebration. We might just have to do it again next year!

More Completed Projects...

There has been a lot of scrambling to complete Christmas gift projects along with studying for finals and completing final school papers. But, today I am officially done with fall 2010 semester. Not all the projects are completed. But taking inventory of some of the ones that are does make me feel a little less stressed.

The disclaimer on these is my sewing machine is really starting to act up. It's about to celebrate is 10 year anniversary and is in desperate need of some maintenance. The tension can no longer be adjusted so unless the fabric is exactly the right texture, my seams are a bit rough. So, if you receive one of these gifts, please know I was up against a time crunch and could not stop to take the machine in for repair.

JKMommy introduced me to upcycling. I cannot recall the tutorial that I used. Generally I read it once and then I can sew what I want from there. This is my complete project. Wool longies with matching sweater. This I made from an old GAP ladies sweater I found at the thrift shop. What's awesome is the longies also double as a diaper soaker. I had to put a bow on her, though, because the outfit is blue. Next one will be orange. I haven't found a pink sweater yet. And no - contrary to what I thought and what you might be thinking - not itchy or hot.

Next project completed - a couple of girly monsters. The one on the right is my favorite because I gave her pigtails.

Hat with matching scarf - at least one is sure to fit. Not sure if the hat will but at least it makes the scarf look cuter, right?

A pair of Batman lounge pants with matching Batman cape. Here's hoping the little guy it's for will allow his mom a break from wearing his Batman costume non-stop.

I love dressing the kids in matching outfits. Here are the toddler/lounge pants they get to enjoy during December. Their bare feet are actually my favorite part of the photo but the pants are cool, too.

And here are my little helpers all excited to play with the outgoing packages while I printed labels for then. I think shipping cost more than all the materials that went into the projects. But at least by printing my own labels I was able to save a few extra dollars.

More projects to come. Let's see if I make my impending deadline...

So, how prepared are you with only 11 days until Christmas?

Christmas Tree Shopping...

 Our little guy was just a little excited to go tree shopping...

After nap time, he called his dad at work and told him he wanted to "Go Christmas tree shopping at the Christmas tree place so we can put an angel at the top." So sweet!!!

On the rare occasion that T Rex Dad and I have purchased a tree, this is the place we've always gone - Elves Christmas Tree Forrest. We were looking for a tree 4-6 feet tall tree that we can put on a table so the kids cannot pull it down or Bebe Sister, who's just a little obsessed with power cords, doesn't get a shock.

T Rex was just a little overwhelmed by all the tree choices. This year will be the first time he's had a live Christmas tree in the house.

Bebe Sister has been teething horribly. Not sleeping much during the day or night. In fact, this is what she and all of us want for Christmas! I can only defer to Santa on this one!

Thus, in the photos she's a little groggy and sad but at least the outing was a distraction from her cries and moans. I read in one of my medical books that if adults had to go through teething, we'd request narcotics for pain management. I can only relate her pain to the times I had my braces adjusted when I was an adolescent/teen (5 years of braces). Not fun. 

She's also in her front facing pack. This is actually one of my least favorite packs for carrying her. I prefer my "hip hammock" because it holds her facing me but I forgot it back at the house. This is my emergency pack that I carry in the car. It works in a pinch and she seemed fine with it.

We love this place because they have a mini Ferris wheel. Next year we'll bring one of T Rex's stuffed guys to to ride the wheel. He was enamored by it.

 Yeah - a family photo! We rarely get one of these. I'm thinking Christmas card!

I told you she was exhausted. Poor dear. This is also a good perspective of her size. She still fits comfortably in her infant car seat. I don't think she'll make 20lbs by her first birthday so she'll probably be rear facing for a while. She's our petite girl. But as you can see from the family photo, I'm no Amazon so I guess she takes after her mama!

P.S. I made their hats and her polka dot pants.

Live or artificial tree?  Do you have a special place you get your tree? Or a special memory of a tree you had as a child?

Black Friday Sewing...

No going out on Black Friday for me. Years ago, my sister and I would get up in the middle of the night, do our shopping, then come home before anyone was even awake. Those days are past. 


Now I do what little Black Friday shopping I need to do right from the comfort of my living room. And Etsy has been a favorite this year. The rule, however, is that I can only buy things I could not otherwise make.


So, aside from a couple of cute things for the kids, the rest of my Black Friday was spent sewing. This was the focus of my efforts...

This crew of fleece monsters was the result. These are all for kids. And I still have a few more that are in the works. Other projects I have either completed or in the pipeline:


- Wool dryer balls - so far I've made about 20 but I need to make about 10 more.
- Black/White knit scarf - complete
- Christmas knit hat - complete
- Red knit hat for Bebe Sister - complete
- Boy's black/white knit hat - complete
- Buzz Lightyear blanket with matching pillow case - early stages
- Buzz Lightyear pants - only cut out
- Upcycled wool pants/longies for Bebe Sister - early stages
- "Cars" Car carrying case - design template is done
- Bath salts - 3 batches in lavender scent - complete (my house smells SO good)


After all this, I think I'll be ready for Christmas. I'll post more photos of the really cool stuff as it becomes available. In the mean time, I think I did pretty good for a Black Friday. In fact, I don't think I've ever had so many Christmas gifts after one Black Friday.


How did you spend Black Friday? When do you do your Christmas shopping and do you have a favorite place to shop for gifts?

Happy Birthday, T Rex Dad...

A very happy birthday to the love of my life...

We love you!

A little something from your little guy...

Building our First Frosty...

This morning, we woke to this...

T Rex has been asking and asking to make a snowman and today he got his wish. While Bebe Sister napped in the warmth of her bed, T Rex and I suited up in his new snow gear and went outside to select just the perfect snow balls to build our Frosty. Actually, neither of us has ever made a snowman so it was a first for both of us.

Here is the process we followed...

What do you think of our finished product? He's not very fancy, not like some of the others going up around the neighborhood. But he's our first Frosty, and that means the world to us.

Poor T Rex Dad was stuck, literally, at work so he just gets to enjoy the photos while we hope by day's end he'll be able to get home and meet Frosty in person.

A few other fun things associated with waking to 6-9 inches of snow...

Footprints in the snow:

T Rex's boot prints

Anya's paw prints

Running in the snow:

T Rex's new snow boots are so comfortable he can easily run in snow and ice.

Anya also decided to get into the running action. We like to joke that when it snows she's in full camouflage - can you see her?

Do you remember your first snowman? Or first snow? Or have a memorable snow experience? I'd love to hear about it.