It's Christmastime!

Oh how I love this season! The white lights and Christmas music playing everywhere....And I love the opportunities to share the Christmas story with my boys again and again!

This year we bought a Fisher Price nativity set. Wow, was that ever a wonderful purchase! I found a book at our church library called "My First Story of Christmas" by Tim Dowley. It is perfect! They can act out the story using the nativity set while we read it. I also checked out a movie called "The Very First Noel" which I also love, and which the boys act out also! It is a joy to watch.
When I started unpacking our Christmas decorations this year, I found something that brought tears to my eyes...Our Christmas Binder! I just started this tradition last year, and I was so happy that I did that I actually teared up!

It includes photos of Christmas Day 2010, our Christmas card and letter, addresses of friends and family for sending cards, favorite Christmas recipes, and photos of some crafts that I have done or would like to do for gifts. I love having traditions, and although this is just a small one, as the years pass I know it will be very meaningful.

Some favorite Christmastime pics so far:

Helping decorate the tree...

Fun times at lunch after church:

Fall Fun

Hello! I'm back! :) I have been so busy with my new obsession, I have neglected my blog.

My new obsession is... drum roll please... searching for preschool activities to do with the boys! I am putting together a binder to keep us busy through the upcoming winter months. Truly, I.Am.Obsessed!! One great blog leads you to another and another and another! I feel so blessed to have such great, FREE, resources right at my fingertips. (I think Craig misses my obsession with hunting for recipes...)

These are a few things we have done so far:

Searching for numbers in the rice, then hammering them in place - so fun!
Mixing paint colors!
A paper plate pumpkin! I just love this...had a hard time taking it down!

Bath paint! Before it got messy...
Sensory Table Fun!Craig built this table himself...pretty awesome!

Making leaf people! Examining the finished product!

Having FUN!

Halloween At Our House

I loved dressing up and trick-or-treating as a child. I have fond memories of costumes, pumpkin carving and candy! Now that we are parents, we are faced with the decisions to celebrate... Halloween? Santa? The Easter Bunny?

At this time we are focusing on the friendly side of Halloween. Friendly costumes, decorations, pumpkin carving (although Craig's pumpkins are a little spooky as you will see! :) Although I don't like the evil side of the "holiday", I don't want to deny our kids the fond childhood memories that it can bring. This year more than ever we've been faced with the question of to celebrate or not-to-celebrate...

We're going to celebrate!!

The night before Halloween we carved pumpkins. Gage wanted to be a part of everything! From scooping to cutting...No, we did not let him have a knife! But we did give him a marker...

Eli was more into playing with his tractor... Then he came around.
The boys loved the finished pumpkins, especially with candles glowing in them! The small one scared Gage a little.

Trick-or-treating around here was very different than what we're used to. It went from 2 - dusk.? I was so confused as to who will be home at 2 in the afternoon to hand out candy, and aren't kids in school?? Anyway, we found out that people take time off work to be home and kids get out of school early! I guess Halloween's a big deal around here! So we joined the neighborhood crowd and went out at around 3:30.

Look at my "Lil Punkins" from last year! And this year, Gage is wearing a hood again and Eli still has very little hair - ha! Oh, my boys are growing up! In my opinion, they were the cutest little Buzz and Woody ever! We took some time out to dance in the leaves. The boys looked so cute. I had a lump in my throat the whole time because I felt so weird going around without Craig. He was missing it. At least he got home in time to see them in their costumes. Next year he's just going to have to take off work early too!

Best of Friends...

...and worst enemies sometimes! But that doesn't usually last long. Just until someone gets his toy back!

I have to share these pictures that I just LOVE! So wish they were better quality, but they still tell a good story!

Corn!

While I was in Galena a few weeks ago, and Craig was at his parents, he brought back a little treat for the boys...and me...

CORN!

I found a pool recently on clearance at Target and was saving it for just this purpose! The boys have been enjoying it immensely, thus I have been enjoying it too!

It's the perfect indoor activity now that the weather is changing. Well, perfect as long as the corn stays in the pool...which the boys are doing a pretty good job with!

Pumpkin Festival

Our toughest decisions lately on the weekends have been, just what to do with the boys...since there are SO many options around here! It really is a good problem to have I guess!

Last Saturday we decided on the Pumpkin Festival at Wagner Farms. First up on the to-do list was a tractor ride!Then we rode it again of course!

The boys enjoyed looking at all the animals,and playing in the straw (or was it hay? I can't remember which!)Gage even got to milk a cow!We had a nutritious lunch of chocolate chip cookies and potato chips.Gage's favorite thing was being buried under pumpkins. And although it was very chilly and blustery, we had a great time!

Counting

My baby isn't a baby anymore! He's talking more and more, helping pick up toys and whatever else I ask, and he's growing hair!! (I realized that as I was looking at pictures from last year recently!) He's even counting to 10 now...and beyond! I caught him in action at lunch today:



Big brother Gage had to have his turn too!



Oh how these two crack me up!

Girls Weekend!!

A tradition is born: Girls weekend in Galena over the Annual Craft Fair weekend!

Remember last time we went and how cold it was??? What a difference two years later! It was downright hot this year!

And I was not 7 months pregnant this time! Two reasons to enjoy it even more!

Oh, how we had fun shopping, laughing, eating, drinking, and no responsibilites... It was heavenly! And came to an end much too fast!

We stayed in a lovely B&B over the weekend. It was my mom and sister's first B&B experience! Captain Harris Guest House
We had the entire lower level (The Captain's Quarters) to ourselves! What a treat!

My mom and I met at our B&B late Friday afternoon, and Holly met up with us on Saturday morning. We hit the Craft Fair after breakfast, then shopping downtown in the afternoon/evening. On Saturday night we went to a magic/comedy show, and sat in the front row, no less! We were amazed by his simple tricks, which we couldn't even figure out sitting so close! So fun!

Dining at one of our fave's, Fried Green Tomatoes.

More eating and shopping on Sunday.
Mom found a walking stick for Russ!

Enjoying a yummy, and messy, shake at Dirty Gurt's!
All too soon our fun weekend came to an end. I'm already looking forward to next year!