Love is in the air.....

Mmmmm....sugar cookies, with sprinkles! Anna just picks the sprinkles off and licks the frosting.

Wyatt enjoying his cookie

Wyatt concentrating hard on his craft (notice the tongue).

My husband never ceases to amaze me. After almost 10 years of marriage he has become so good at knowing what I love and what makes me tick. I feel like I'm really a simple girl at heart, but I do anticipate a little "thought" on his part for V-day. The less money spent the better!

He had a little scavenger hunt set up for me this morning complete with a D.B coffee and another CD he made. What I love most is that he wrote about every song and why he put in on there for me. I just love it. One of the most meaningful gifts ever.

The above are some pictures of the kids Indoor Park Party. I meant to take more pictures at Will's party this afternoon, but I forgot my camera. I was so bummed because I got to bring Wyatt and Anna and they each got root beer floats and sugar cookies. There would have been some cute pics, I'm sure. But I must get over the mother-guilt.

Happy Valentine's Day!

just wondering?

Just one of the many questions I asked myself today:

When will this child learn to use utensils??

(ps......it's yogurt)

He's got it under control

There are so many little things that happen in the day to day, but I have been reflecting on this one since it happened last week. It is such a good example of how God is always taking care of us. Even with the little things in life.

Last week Craig was leaving for work and he went out to start his truck up. He came in REALLY upset and told me that his truck box was wide open and his tool box was missing. Now, this isn't any old tool box. It's about three feet wide and a foot and half deep and I can barely lift it. It has all his most used, favorite tools in it (since we don't have a garage). Beside that, tools are one of Craig's most favorite things in life. It would be the equivalent of having someone steal all my finished scrapbooks. He was really upset.

We talked for a couple minutes and I said I would call our insurance to see if they would cover the stolen tools. He decided to go out and have another look around, just to see if they messed with anything else. He came back in a few minutes later and had found his tool box sitting right behind our van. It was such a huge sigh of relief. And it turns out, after talking to some neighbors, there were several other "pranks" on our street that night.

We realized that in the grand scheme of things, tools are pretty insignificant, but we felt so blessed to know that God really does care about the little things, and he's got eveything in control.

So, I just had to share.

He's always good for a laugh

I'm so thankful. Whenever I need a laugh I just need to hang out with or listen to Wyatt. Here are a few things that made me chuckle today:

Wyatt get very serious and says, "I have ISSUES mom". I ask him what kind of issues. He replies, "just ISSUES."

In my attempt to clean I was just about to throw away a broken Christmas ornament that Wyatt had found and been playing with. I tried explaining to him that it was broken and no good. He threw himself into hysterics and the tears started..."please mom, please, if you throw it away I will be just HEARTBROKEN." How do I say no to that??

Driving into "town" is always a highlight for my redneck kids. On the way in Wyatt was chattering with glee over all he was seeing. "Look, the golden man....look, the carousel, look, mom, there's the giant world." Soon we came to a stoplight with a 76 station (big spinning orange ball in the sky) and a cemetary. Wyatt says happily "Look there's the spinning ball.......and there's the place where they put dead people!"

Good morning!

This is what happens when mom doesn't get her shower until AFTER the kids wake up.....stick pretzels anyone??

She looks pretty guilty, huh??

(sorry about picture color, some setting on my camera is messed up)

For your enjoyment....

....I have added a couple blogs to my list! Check them out!

The first one is my friend Jessie's photography site. Jessie and I met in college, and she now lives on the East Coast with her husband and adorable daughter, Ava. Jessie is a talented photographer who runs her own business from her home office/studio. We've been lucky enough to have her take pictures of our kids and family when she is on the west coast, which I cherish. check out her blog http://jessicapasson.typepad.com to enjoy her amazing work.

The other is my dear cousin Harmony's blog. Harmony is in Argentina for the next five months, living and improving her fluent Spanish. She just started her blog http://viajesdearmonia.blogspot.com and I am excited to stay connected with her in this adventure.

Gearing up

The potty chair has been out for about three months now. She uses it frequently, but not all the time. We've checked out half a dozen books on toilet training from the library and read them over and over. I think she's getting it. And when she poops she is quick to rush to the bathroom and TAKE OFF her pull-up by herself (remember, "I do it!!!") and "clean" herself up with wipes {disgusting}. I made the mistake of buying the princess pull-ups and showing them to her before I was fully committed to spend a week or two devoted to taking her potty every 20 minutes, and cleaning up accidents. We have just about finished the pack. She has big-girl panties ready and waiting, and stickers as a reward for using the toilet.

All this to say....I'm gearing up. I kept telling myself that after Christmas I was going to focus on potty trianing. Then kept putting if off til "next week". Now, it's the last day of January and I need to kick myself in gear. I am hopeful that with some work on my part, she will get this thing. If you moms of girls have any advice before I dive in head first, let me hear it. Craig gets all the credit for potty training Wyatt a few weeks after Anna was born so this one's all mine. I'll keep you posted on our progress.

My incentive is dreaming about what I could do with that extra diaper money each month!!

We got our snowman!!

Seems as if we got dumped on out here to the west! This morning we woke up to a 2 hour delay and about 3 inches of snow. It's now turning to slush, but before heading out to school/work Craig and Will built this snowman. We were given this cute snowman "kit" and were really hoping to be able to use it this winter. Fun!

Our short-lived winter wonderland

The snow is just about gone now, but we enjoyed a little time outside this morning in our winter wonderland. Who knows, there might be more tomorrow?

Getting ready to play in the snow with Dad this morning!

Will had high hopes of making a snowman, but our snow was really powdery so the snowman ended up being about a foot tall.

Our little blue-eyed snow baby, all bundled up.

This is from a few days ago, and is one of those classic photos that will be really funny in about 10ish years or so. Anna is all about the "girly" things in life, but she is also a sister of two brothers, and when they play "super-heros" she loves to join in as "spiderwoman"!

Dreaming of Spring

Despite the chilly weather, today is one of those beautiful clear winter days that gives me an ounce of hope that spring is not too far off. I find myself gazing out the window into the sunshine and imagining about 30 degrees warmer weather on a late spring day when my sweet peas are just about ready to bloom. I love sweet peas for their many colors, their smell, and the fact that the more you pick, the more they bloom. Only about a month til I buy the seed packet and start them indoors. Spring is really not too far off, is it?

One can dream.....

Wyatt's Dance Moves

Here I am a stay-at-home mom who has been spending way to much time staying at home lately. So, how do you spend a cold January afternoon? Dancing in the kitchen to Toby Mac, of course. Wyatt's favorite song is "Hush little baby", and I laugh so hard watching him dance, it is good therapy for me. (I'm his mom though so I don't expect you all to think this is that funny). If you care to watch be sure to notice:

1. His outfit. The sweater vest and plaid shirt are his FAVORITE and he begs me to let him wear them everyday because they are so "handsome". Today I gave in.

2. The cookie he takes bites out of while performing.

3. The "Egyptian" and "the Zombie", dance moves that Wyatt invented.

It is (just about) finished

Anna's new and improved big girl room is just about finished. We stayed with the same color theme so everything matches, but we did give the walls a fresh coat of paint and changed them from a light green to a very soft pink, called "slipper". It is ever so girly and was very fun for me to pour all my love for pink, feminine, shabby chic into one room. I was given so many of the items for her room, I really spent very little money, but it all came together. Here it is.....

My dad made the picket fence headboard for my niece and now she's now 10 and isn't using it, so we are borrowing it for Anna's room for a while. My other niece who's 14 gave Anna this nightstand. The framed picture above her bed was stiched by my grandma and my parents had it framed for Anna's room before she was born.
Here is Anna's special rocker that she likes to sit and look at books in and rock her babies. Ama made a slip cover for it and gave it to her as a 1st bday present.

A little bookshelf in the corner. I love the antique lamp, it was in my room growing up, and the corner shelf was also my grandma's and I painted it pink.

This is not new, she has had it in her room all along, but I love it. Craig's parents custom made this shelf to go above her window.

Her simple dresser and accesories above. I found the miniture white hutch at the Assistants League in Salem for $7. And my mom-in-law gave me the metal shelf abover her dresser, which I painted pink as well.

And the post wouldn't be comeplete without a picture of the big girl asleep in her bed. She loved her new bed and was really excited to sleep in it the first night.

I am still seraching for the perfect sign to put above the wall on the side of her bed. I want to find something that matches and says, "thank heaven for little girls". I found a regular fabric shower cutain at Goodwill for $3 in great condition that is a light green background with pink floral desing and matches perfectly. I am planning on hanging it as her closet door since we have been without closet door in the kids rooms for years. I just need to buy a rod to hang it from.

So there you have it, the almost finished project!

Shock Value Parenting

I don't know it I am the only parent who occasionally uses this technique. (I hope not!) I admit there are times I think a certain child could benefit from a little bit of shock value parenting.



Let me explain.



For several months now Wyatt has had a problem with lying. It is where his imagination and story telling cross over the line, and becomes a flat out lie. I'll pick him up from pre-school and simply ask him what he had for snack. He'll make up some off the wall answer like, marshmallows and jellybeans, when I can clearly see the remnants of cheese crackers on his lips. He'll say it with such a straight face though, that I do sometimes question myself. Maybe he is telling the truth this time, I think. He'll go on to tell me they got a new student in their class named Tim. He's fully describes Tim and I can always suspect he's lying by the amount of detail he'll put into something, so I come back with, "Oh that's nice, I'll have to ask your teacher how this new students is doing." That'll throw him off guard for a second, but then he'll come back with, "ummmmm, she was sick today, so she didn't meet him yet." I just waved goodbye to his teacher about 30 seconds ago. Another lie. I really think I could write a book entitled, The World According to Wyatt.



The lying about really insignificant things was starting to bother me so after a few other things I decided to try shock value parenting. I read him the story from the Bible where two people lied about something and God "struck them down dead" putting great emphasis on this part. We also read the 10 commandments and talked about how when you grow up, and continue lying you could go to jail and get locked up. (I know, I'm so horrible). Did this work? No, not really. He will tell anyone the story of God striking the liars down dead, but it still doesn't stop him from lying. Do I still think shock value parenting might work on him one of these day? Yep, I do. And when the opportunity presents itself I continue to try.



Yesterday Wyatt was balancing precariously on top of a step stool flailing and acting as if he was going to fall. When he did fall (on purpose, for attention) he landed on a VHS we has checked out from the library and cracked the plastic. I decided on the spot to try shock value parenting again and said something like this:



Oh, my gosh Wyatt, you BROKE the video that we checked out from the library. We are going to be in so much trouble, I bet the library won't ever let us come back!



He looked at me and for a second I thought it might work. But no, it really had no affect on him so I had him put the stool away and warned him not to play on it like that again, it just isn't safe and things get broken. The video, although cracked a tiny bit, will still play perfectly, so I let it go. It was at least 10 minutes later I passed the boys room to hear someone sobbing. I looked in and found Will on top of his bed with his head buried in the pillows crying his heart out. It took me a full minute to calm him down enough to get him to tell me what was wrong. "The library won't ever let us come back", he choked out.



Ok, now I really felt bad. I went on to explain to him that, yes the library will let us come back, the worst thing that could happen would be we'd have to pay a fine, and I mostly just said that to teach Wyatt a lesson. I apologized and he was fine.



Am I the only one out there who has tried this method? Maybe I should just stop the whole shock value parenting. I realize it is not highly effective in most situations. But I know it works on one kid. I just keep thinking that someday it might work on the other.

So, in closing I'll leave you with a totally unrelated quote from Wyatt, today:

W- Mom, do you know what girls do when handsome boys are around?
M- No, what?
W- They blink their eyes really fast.

What a wonderful day

I know the majority of people with kids in the public school system see a snow day as something that interrupts their schedule. Working parents have to make arrangement for their kids, and things just generally get thrown out of whack. With Craig being a teacher we have always been in the public school system and I continue to LOVE a snow day. Although a 5:11am call woke me up this morning to alert us of the two hour delay, I had no problem just turning my alarm off and going back to sleep. When I rolled out of bed at about 7:30 (major sleeping in for me) I was greeted to Craig and the kiddos snuggling and watching cartoons. A little after 8am we received yet another phone call giving us the news that school was cancelled! "SCHOOL'S CANCELLED", I yelled and we all began giving each other hi-fives, even Anna joined in on the fun, not really understanding what all the excitement was about. I not only had a lazy day with the kids to look forward to, but my husband had an unexpected free day off work, with pay! So cool. Now, can you see why I love "snow" days so much?

And, of course, here in Oregon a "snow" day seldom really means you're really stuck at home. We had a couple errands to run in Salem and then went to the Gilbert house for about an hour. Craig got some projects done around the house this afternoon and I have been working on Anna's new room. I hope to have it finished by the end of the week, so I will take pictures so you all can enjoy. She's slept really well for two nights in her BIG GIRL bed. I am so proud of her and yet a little sad that now the crib is definitely a thing of the past. Her room is turning out pretty cute though, and I'm excited to finish it.

So, just a random update. It was a wonderful day!

Just my thoughts, today.....

Looking back on the road of parenting that, for me, began nearly 7 years ago, it started out quite easy. Many people know that Will is a very compliant child. As a baby and toddler he was easygoing, and content. He never climbed out of his crib, never scaled his closet shelving, never jumped in the bath fully clothed, never took a bath in the kitchen sink without me knowing. When people would ask if he was "easy" I didn't quite know how to respond. I had nothing to compare him to so I didn't really know if he was easy or not. Let me assure you now, though, he was easy.

We welcomed Wyatt into our family just after Will turned two. We all adjusted great and life was pretty smooth. Then, on Wyatt's 4 month bday he had his first real roll. By the end of the day he was rolling across the room, even into other rooms and pretty much getting where ever he wanted via rolling. That should have been the first dawning for me that these two boys were like night and day. At about 5 months Wyatt was happy to army crawl and by six months he was a full-fledged crawler. Life for me became busier, of course, but Wyatt was always a happy baby. He took his first steps at 9 month and by 10 months he was a walker. Gradually we noticed more differences between our two boys. Where Will had always been content to play with his toys and basically do what mom and dad told him to, Wyatt was curious and fearless. We pulled out all the stops including a leash (yes, I used a leash on my child!) and a bungy cord on his doorknob to keep him in his room at bedtime. I spent the following summer chasing Wyatt.....literally....everywhere. Shortly before Wyatt turned two, and I felt like I was able to take a breather every now and then, we found out we were expecting our third baby.

When we found out Anna was going to be a girl, I was so excited. I had visions of me and my 2 year old daughter, happily walking hand in hand together in the store. She would hold my hand and we would shop together, looking at all kind of girly things and she would never once reach out to touch them. (Boy, the hormones must have had me really deluzioned!) I would sit in the rocking chair in her pink and green girly room awaiting the arrival of my sweet, calm, compliant, little girl. Anna arrived and boy was she sweet. She has also grown into a very, determined, spunky, fearless, and strong-willed little girl. As Craig puts it, "she's the girl form of Wyatt".

Here is a typical conversation with Anna as she puts her shoes on, yes I know some of this is her age, but you'll get the point:

M- here's your shoes, lets get them on
A - I do it!! (grabbing the shoes from me)
M- okay, you do it

(Anna forcing her foot into the shoe and having a hard time)

A - Help me!!
M- do you want me to help you (me reaching to gently help her out)
A -No, I do it!!! (grabbing the shoe back)

Repeat that process about 7 times before the shoes actually get on her feet.

And on it goes......

Now, I really don't mean to put labels on my kids. But lets face it, if you have more than one you are bound to notice the differences. They are each unique and I am so blessed by each one. Imagine what would my days look like if I had all Will's (predictable, serious....) Or all Wyatt's (I'd probably be in a funny farm). My point is, I know God gave me each of my kids for a reason. I need to focus more on what I can learn through each of them, in whatever stage they are in, and be joyful in the process. If I am being honest, I have to say Wyatt and Anna are definitely more challenging, right now, and yesterday was a particularly hard day for me. By 6pm I was running on empty, feeling like a sucked dry juice box (a term I stole from my mops magazine, because it is so fitting). Craig wasn't due home until late and I managed to make it through the evening. Sometimes I feel like I don't know what I'm doing. Like I honestly don't feel like I can make the right decision, or any decision for that matter, in a given situation. After the kids went to bed I prayed and read my Bible in peace and quiet for a while. Nothing earth shattering was spoken, but I did feel a whole lot better about myself as a mom. The skill of parenting is something I'm sure I will never master. But as long as I am seeking the Master in it, I know I can't go wrong.

I truly thank him for each of my children. I am not at all worthy, but He has shown great love for me in letting me mold and shape these three.

Cruella de Ville

The other day I was getting on Wyatt about something....like not getting his shoes on when I told him to.... or something like that. He looked at me and said. "Mom, you're kind of reminding me of Cruella de Ville right now." Wow. I guess I need to tone it down a little.

Do you see any resemblance??

Happy New Year!

We had a fun, and rather uneventful New Years Eve with the kids and Craig's parents. We went out for a yummy breakfast and then laid low for the day, since I woke up with a super bad sore throat. Over the past three days I have drank probably 20 cups of tea and I am starting to feel better today. Craig had a great idea of making ice cream sundae's with all the fixings for a special New Years Eve treat, and I think that may have to become a tradition! The kids have been practicing "cheers" at mealtimes the past couple weeks with whatever drinks they have, so they were very excited to get out fancy cups (I had to rinse them out, they were so full of dust) and sparkling cider to toast with. We rang in 2008 at 9pm with the boys (Anna already in bed) and then sent them off to bed. CHEERS!!
"Cheers" photo with Ama and Papa.....
The friday before New Years we had to return a coat at the Lincoln City outlets, so we decided to make a day of it and visit the Hatfield Marine Science Center in Newport. I can't believe how cool this place is, and all for FREE. I had to post some pictures of our fun. The kids loved it!

Touch pools......

Anna was a little hesitant about actually touching, but she loved all the "shishys"

Here I am with the three at the touch pools.....Wyatt's favorite were the baby skates (they look like sting rays only they don't sting) and he was not shy about touching them!

This is the octopus, Jimmie. She was out and moving all over. The volunteer tried to let us touch her, but then she became a little too feisty. Last time we went Jimmie was sleeping so it was pretty awesome to see her out and about.

Cousins....

These are the cousins on Craig's side. Craig's older sister has three girls (in orange) and his younger sister has three boys (brown/blue). In October we secretly assembled the the DCP for a photo shoot to surprise Craig's Mom and Dad with for Christmas. I took over 300 pictures (including individual and family shots, as well) in 2 hours and me and my assistants (Kristi & Nikki) walked away tired, but satisfied we had captured at least one prized photo to grace the 10x 13 frame. It was all worth it because when Ama and Papa opened their picture, I think they were truly surprised and some tears were shed. I have been waiting since October to post some of these so here it goes..... L-R Hunter, Chase, Bryce, Kaylei, Alissa, Sydni, Will, Anna & Wyatt

We don't know what this is, but we referred to it as the 1/2 pipe and it made a pretty good set up for 9 kids...
I think this is the chosen ONE, below.....

What cuties!! Do you notice Anna's black eye? I tried to cover it with make-up!

They range in age from 2-11.....

And of course there were many "silly" shots, so I had to include a couple....

Do we have to do this again next fall? :)

Sew like crazy

I have finished up my sewing projects for Christmas. I am one of those people who loves fabric, and I buy it with good intentions. I just find myself so swamped with other "duties" that I seldom find the time to sew. Recently I organized all the fabric I had, and set up my sewing machine back in our bedroom. I realized I had accumulated three tubs FULL of fabric. I decided that my goal this year would be to make as much as I could in the way of gifts, without buying any more fabric. I came across this camo fabric, I think I've had at least 3 years. My original intentions were to make matching jammies for the boys. Like that ever happened! So instead I decided to make them matching rag quilts. As of Tuesday I was only about 1/2 done with the first one. I spent most of nap time sewing and I finished them both yesterday! I can now wrap them up for the boys for Christmas! I also made Anna a pillow for her new big girl bed. We ended up finding a clearance deal on a quilt for her bed, but I still wanted something personal and home-made for her bedroom. So I took scraps of her nursery bedding along with some other scraps I had from another rag quilt and pieced them all together for a very shabby chic look. I also made another pillow like hers, for a friend, and one apron. All in all, I spent $0, it was all fabric from my tubs. Still, I haven't made much of a dent in the fabric! But, I'm glad to have done a few projects. Now I can fully say I am READY for Christmas!!

Oh.....my.....gosh!

Every once in a while Anna will look at me with big eyes and say this. It's cute and a little frightening at the same time, but I have no doubts about where she learned it :)

Santa

The Indoor Park I take the kids to had their Christmas Party this week. We had a visit from Santa, and he gave each child a gift......

They went right up to him and sat on his lap. Anna even tried to go back and sit on his lap a second time! Here I am prepared for tears, but none came. I'm glad they enjoyed it, but I do find it a little strange that they weren't the least bit afraid. Maybe we need to brush up on "stranger danger" a bit :)

I just turned 31

This weekend Craig and I went away to the coast for TWO NIGHTS! It was the first time since having kids that we have been able to spend two nights away from them (not counting the hospital stays after birthing them, that is :). It was crazy how, for me, it seemed like such a long time to be without them. I almost felt a little out of my element. But then I realized, that the past (almost) 7 years of my life, I have been a mommy 24-7. It's not like we moms have the regular weekend, or evenings off. The job of mom is thoroughly ingrained in us. So, of course it was going to take some adjusting to get used to no kids around. However.......I quickly adjusted, and we had a wonderful time. We took walks/jogs both mornings, shopped for over 4 hours, watched a marathon of Love Comes Softly on the Hallmark channel, and even a few UFC fights (I was so kind!), shared a pint of Ben & Jerry's, ate out, laughed a lot, and enjoyed each other's company. There were times, I truly felt like we were dating again. It was both a little wierd and wonderful to be without our kiddos, and a great way to bring on 31, which hit today. Today took a little getting used to as well. Dishes, floors, laundry, to and from school, finishing up Christmas baking and putting together teacher gifts, etc., etc., etc., hit in full force. As of 6:50pm all three kids were asleep in their beds, fighting off colds, so now I am off to enjoy a quiet birthday evening!

31 things I thought of on our way home from the coast that I am thankful for on my 31st Birthday:
1. Jesus, my Savior
2. Craig, my support
3. Will, my helper
4. Wyatt, my comic relief
5. Anna, my snuggle girl
7. coffee every morning
8. a warm bed
9. my backyard
10. my church family
11. growing up memories
12. hugs and kisses
13. my in-laws (they're great!)
14. pictures
15. books
16. music and singing with Craig
17. family that loves me
18. phone calls from friends
19. hearing "I love you mom"
20. my college experience
21. my Bible
22. freedom
23. hot showers
24. the rain
25. my home
26. my piano
27. my freckles
28. people's individualities
29. healthy kids
30. my siblings
31. the outdoors

I think I may have to keep this forever....

I love Will's phonetically correct way of writing. This one reads: "Have a merry-mis" (he thought it was funny and clever to combine Merry and Christmas) "I love you mom because you take care of me, love Will."

Just for fun...

Copying this Christmas Survey from Alysun's and Angela's blog. Post in on yours!!



1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Usually wrapping paper, especially for the kids stuff.



2. Real tree or artificial? Real, love the smell



3. When do you put up the tree? Sometimes right after Thanksgiving, sometimes we wait til the next weekend.



4. When do you take the tree down? A few days after Christmas, for sure by New Years



5. Do you like egg nog? No, it gags me. But Craig does so I usually buy a small carton.



6. Favorite gift received as a child? My Barbie Head---you know the kind where you do her hair and make-up



7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, a soft one for the kids to play with. I love it.



8. Hardest person to buy for? probably brother-in-laws, so Craig's in charge of that



9. Easiest person to buy for? My mom.



10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail. For sure.



11 . Worst Christmas gift you ever received? My grandma was always giving me and my sister's her old shirts. Some of them had stains or dried food on them. Ya, it was that bad.



12. Favorite Christmas movie? National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. EVERY time I watch it I crack up.



13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I start thinking about around October and I do a good 75% of my shopping the day after Thanksgiving.



14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so.



15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Cookies, fudge....I'm all about the Christmas baking. Oh, and peppermint mochas. So yummy this time of year.



16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear



17. Favorite Christmas song? I have so many, but I will say “Mary Did You Know?”



18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Vancouver to celebrate with Craig's fam, Salem on Christmas Eve, just home on Christmas Day.



19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? I would venture to say I could come close. I just read the kids that book last night.



20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel, but it is really dorky so I think we are switching to a star next year.



21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Growing up both Craig and I did the Christmas Eve thing. We do Christmas morning with our kids, as a family.



22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? People get stressed out....relax already, It's Christmas for goodness sakes! (kind of talking to myself here)



23. Favorite ornament theme or color? We have a huge mish-mash, lots of Craig's ornaments from when he was a kid, and I love snowmen, so we have a few of those....we also have sand dollars, a few birdhouses, and stars.



24. Favorite part of Christmas dinner? We have never done a full "dinner" for Christmas. My dad makes his famous Clam chowder and crabbies (crab meat, cheese, red onions melted on buns....to die for!) stuffed mushrooms, and lots of other "snackies".



25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Great memories.



26. Gift Cards. Yes, I like them, or No, too impersonal? They are great!



27. If yes, where from? If No, best place to shop for your present? Craft Warehouse, Spencers Alley



28. Any plans for New Years? None, other than kissing my husband at midnight.

Routine

I have always pretty much been a routine type of girl. Motherhood, threw somewhat of a hitch in things, but lately I find myself really striving for and loving routine. My days seem to go much easier when I spiffy up the house before bed, run the dishwasher, lay out clothes and pack lunches. Mornings go well, when I'm up early with my coffee and Bible reading time before the kids come out to cuddle.

While I love routine, I have never been an athlete. I was a cheerleader. Never played a sport of any kind. Never consistently exercised until after I had Wyatt, (gained a whoppin' 50+ pounds, I desperately needed to). But, ever since July or so, I have been consistently rolling out of bed at 5:50am for my morning walk/jog. Now there's nothing appealing about getting out of a warm bed on a cold December morning for exercise, but like I said, it is routine, I find I am stuck with it. I started walking, then added a slow jog. Now, the non-athlete me is proud to say I can run (very slowly mind you) most of the way without dying. And each morning if I'm early enough I pass the kid riding his bike up the hill. Some days I see the middle aged man walking his wiener dog, and we exchange hellos as we have done too many times to count. Friday's I pass the little old lady in the beauty parlor sitting under the hair dryer, while working on her knitting. Shortly after that I pass the gym where there are usually a couple big guys lifting weighs. I whiz by (ya---right). Then, I round the corner to start home and pass the courthouse, and County jail, feeling very safe as I pass police cars and usually a big white surburban. Then it's down the hill to the most rewarding part of the run. Passing by Dutch Bros. getting a whiff of coffee and of course noticing the average of about 3 cars in line.

What happens when I don't get up? I am left wondering all day, did the wiener dog guy miss me? how busy was D.B.? Was it really that cold out? I kick myself for not just getting up! These and other questions are what motivates me to keep it up. It's all about routine. That and those stubborn 5 pounds or so, that are hanging on for dear life.

Holiday Home Tour.....

I am participating in a Holiday Home tour hosted by Heidi Jo, a fellow blogger who I've never met, but found her blog through another friends (if you care to check it out and/or participate go to her blog, heidijowhatdoyouknow.blogspot.com). So wipe your feet, and come on in the Button home and have a look at some of our holiday favorites.....

A Christmas basket liner for our library books, makes things just a little more festive.....

No porcelain nativity in this house....someday , maybe. But for now the kids love to play and re-arrange this soft bean-bag style set which was made for my mom, when I was little. Being a Chritmas baby I always kind of thought this was "my" nativity and took it with me when I got married. I have since made my mom a replacement set for her house!

Our stocking are hung by the chim....no wait, they are just on the wall. We have no chimney or mantle so this works.....

The boys have their own little tree that get to decorate anyway they like. And yes, it has already tipped over once, thanks to little sis...

One of my most favorite ornament. I got it at a MOPS ornament exchange and it became Anna's ornament when she was one. Now, whenever I look at it, it reminds me of her......

And, or course, every Oregon school teacher's wish is for a snow day at some point this winter!!

Merry Christmas!!

Steely season

Steelhead fishing season is upon us and Saturday Craig got the bug to head out to the river and came home with this nice 31 inch, 10 lb. buck, the first of many this season, I'm sure. Fresh with sea lice on it and all. Which to some of you may sound totally disgusting, but to me it is just proof that you won't find a fresher fish. While I dread the winter months because of their dark evenings and cold dreary days, he anxiously looks forward to those months for the fishing. But.... I am glad he gets the chance to do something he loves. It makes him happy. Plus, I love fish so it will make a yummy dinner!

mommy in training

Anna loves being mommy to her babies. We were eating popcorn so she made sure her baby was situated in her high chair with some popcorn to eat as well. She also loves lotion, and as a part of our daily routine I usually give her a little to rub on her hands, then she proceeds to pat some on her cheeks and says, "pretty!". Today she ran out from my bedroom to get me saying, "baby, baby, c'mere!" I followed her back and saw that she had lovingly rubbed lotion onto her baby's face as well. She copies everything she sees these days. I am amazed at how quickly she learns. A little mommy in training.

The Perfect Tree

Can the perfect tree ever be found? I'm still not sure, but we had another adventure in getting our tree this year. Let's just say I have realized we are cheapskates and we settled on the tree farm that was selling any tree for $12. We ended up getting two, one for us and one for the boys room for way less than we would have paid for one tree at the big and fancy tree farm we started at! Here is Wyatt with Daddy helping to pull our tree up the hill.

This is simple classic Wyatt. We hadn't been out of the car for more than three minutes and he had already fallen twice, was covered with thick mud, and complaining of being cold. I couldn't resist snapping a picture.
A little brother love...

Anna, exploring the Christmas tree "forest".