family vacation

Here are a few pictures of our relaxing and beautiful stay on Sanibel Island!!

Happy Birthday Owen

Ona, Silly Boy Owen, O-Dog, Smiley Guy, "O"

2 years ago God gifted you to us.  Thank you for your never ending joyful presence.  You are a delight in our family.

We pray that you grow to be strong and courageous, that you will not turn from God's law and the Word of God will not depart from your mouth, that you may diligently act according to His Word.  For then God will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success. (from Joshua 1: 6-8)

Daddy and I will try our very best to train you and prepare you for the plans Our Heavenly Father created for you.  You really are so special! We love you.

Daddy, Mommy, and Caeden

Creative gift giving

Me: "Caeden, what do you want to get Daddy for Christmas?"

C: " a ring with rocks in it where you swing it around and it hits a giant."

Me: "oh you mean a sling, wow what a creative gift!"

Seriously, i don't know where he came up with that, but we wrapped a sling shot today. 

 (mike already knows)

At bedtime,  among reading the Christmas story, we had to read about David and Goliath.  And there is a song about David and Goliath that thankfully Aunt Amber remembers because I know the tail end of the Chorus.  "One little stone went up in the air. woo woo woo woo woo. and the giant came tumbling down"

requesting a hammock

Dear Santa,
I want a hammock for Christmas!
thank you
me

Owens Birthday Cake

I made this for C's first birthday

and again for O's 2nd (he will be 2 tomorrow)

It is delicious!!!!!!!

Apple Swirl Cake from wholesomebabyfood.com

Ingredients:
2 c Apples
3 tb Sugar
1 ts Cinnamon
2 c Sugar
1 c Cooking oil
4 Eggs
1/4 c Orange juice
2 ts Vanilla
3 c Sifted flour
1 tb Baking powder
1/2 ts Salt

Instructions:
Peel, core, and chop apples into small pieces. Mix together with 3 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.

In large bowl, combine sugar and cooking oil; beat. Add eggs, orange juice, and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt; add to creamed mixture. Beat until smooth. Pour one third batter into greased and floured 12 cup bundt pan alternating with one half apple mixture. Repeat.

End with layer of batter on top. Bake at 325 degrees F for 60 minutes or until cake tests done. Cool in pan 10 to 15 minutes; turn out on wire rack or serving plate to complete cooling. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar if desired or lightly frost with cream cheese frosting.  

Christmas questions

1.  Fresh Tree/Fake Tree? fres always

2. Favorite Ornament- the hotwheels on my tree

3. Favorite Christmas Song- Buon Natale

4. Favorite Tradition- Baking cookies with my sisters and mom

5. Favorite Gift Ever Received- my Pretty Cut-N-Grow doll

6. Favorite Christmas Meal- Fresh green beans cooked with tarragon and white wine.mmmmmmm

7. Favorite Christmas Cookie- do pumpkin cookies count?

8. Favorite Place to be- home

9. Favorite Memory- when we got a 4 wheeler for Christmas. we found out because my dad drove it into the back yard and we went out to see what the loud noise was.

10. Favorite Christmas Movie- charlie brown

thanks jill

Crafts to be tried

I have been away for a while.........Sanibel Island............ahhhhh

so relaxing.

I want to try this craft project

Cool Craft Project from a site i found on Carly's blog.

It would be fun to try a surfboard, or moped, or sihlouette of the kids.

Where can i find such great fabric?  How can i incorporate the iron-on transfer pen that i have yet to buy?

Puzzle Mania

This Christmas, we participated in "Santa For A Senior."  The lady we chose requested chocolate and a jigsaw puzzle.     While searching in Target, C found a 60 piece puzzle on the shelf of John Deere Tractors.  I couldn't say no, even though, to be honest, I thought it would be too hard.  The puzzle says for ages 3+, so i should have realized it was achievable.  I never imagined that he would be better than I.  Seriously, he loves it and I am amazed at how well he can figure out where the pieces fit and how fast it comes together.

Gram was helping .........It is strange for me to see her 

hand in this picture and think it was my own.

This was his puzzle pose

Puzzle Complete!

Bike Day

Mike is a brave man!

On Sunday, I had to work the nursery at church.  Since we only have one car, I had to use it.  He decided to ride the bike with kids in tow to Estero Park, about a 5.5 mile ride.  But he C's bike, and O's fire truck onto the stroller.  The ride was really hard, apparently it was a really windy day and I am sure he towed about an extra 100 pounds of weight.

But, they made it and had a great time, and the kids rode the bike and fire truck down the giant grassy hill at the park.

AND>>>>>>>>yesterday

he rode 53 miles on his bike.  He and John want to try the 100 miler bike race in Cape Coral in January.  Yesterday they left at 4:30 am.  WOW

i am impressed with him!

Day at Lakes park

I don't have much to write about, but i liked these three pictures from this weekend.

Oh Christmas Tree

My fun and creative husband wanted to decorate the tree with Matchbox cars.  We thought we would see how long it would take for the kids to notice.............about 3 minutes after awaking from nap time! :)

So far there have been many attempts to take them down, but they know that they are to wait for Christmas day.

I am also supposed to draw attention to the Tampa Bay Bucs football ornament, OOOOOOH!!

This year might be my favorite tree yet!

Another Give-a-way site

I found this site from my friend Danielle

Lil Peanut Patch is having a 12 days of Christmas give-a-way.

Check it out, there is a lot of great gifts and there will only be 2 winners.  So you could actually win 6 gifts! cool!

First Parade

I love this picture.  It was taken at the Christmas parade held at Coconut Point.  The boys loved ever minute of  it.  I tried to get both of them waving, but no such luck.   I did however, get them making goofy, silly, smiley faces.  I love these kids!

What I am loving right now

My Christmas Tree!!!!!!!!!!

My husband so lovingly listened to my plea for a flocked white Christmas tree.  So we bought a green

 5-6 ft Fraser tree last night and then went to Target to buy 4 cans of Christmas Tree Flocking in a can.  We (Mike) sprayed the tree and now I am giddy with glee that we have a white snow-covered tree in our living room!!!!!!

I forgot to take a picture of the bare naked green tree

But here it is in white and with lights.

Next up, to decorate!!

What my kids are loving right now.

 Owen- Cruisin on the fire truck &

 Caeden- Cruisin on his make-shift bike.

It all started when mike decided to take the training wheels and pedals off of the small toddler bike we acquired from Addie, after they left for Argentina.  He read that letting a child push them selves with their feet on a bike would help them learn to balance and transition better to a regular bike.  In the last week, all Caeden wants to do is ride his bike, down the road, down the driveway, down the dirt hill in the backyard and Owen zooms by his side riding the fire truck.  It is so cute to watch.  The bird picture  was taken on one of our bike outings this week.

Just searching for anything related to lions and found this
Soap 

there are all sorts of animal soaps and a fun website to peruse.

ABC'S

I love these

Magnets

you can get all 26 letters

for $23.

what a fun way to learn the abc's and what they stand for.

For Mom's Only

This is a really cool Idea................Any mom can go to this website The Mother-Letter Project.

And write a letter to another mother, advice, encouragement, insight, etc.....

Then email it to the link on the website.

It is a surprise gift for some really lucky wife and mother who has no idea what her husband has created.  Originally it was planned because of their decision not to  spend money on christmas gifts for each other.  Apparently if you write a letter, you can receive a copy of the final compilation of letters.

here is what i wrote...............

"In the past 3 1/2 years that I have been a mother (of 2)........My heart has more room, even though my mind has less; My soul has more thirst, even though my body needs more rest; My memories are more cherished, even though my time is not my own; My God is bigger, even though He remains the same yesterday today and forever.  Just as my life has been changed, I want the world to be changed by my children as they live out the incredible purpose that our Heavenly Father has designed for them.  Teaching them along the way as I am learning myself how to Love more deeply,  Give more generously, Pray more earnestly, Live more purely, and Forgive more readily.  Thanks to my children, I will never be the same."

A Blog Worthy Day

Yesterday was a day worth writing about.

First of all, my youngest son Owen, went on the big boy potty all by himself, YAY!!!!!!

In the morning, he was on his motorcycle rocker (stark nude) when all of a sudden he jumped off, ran in the the bathroom saying, "bathroom, bathroom, bathroom."  He sat down on the potty and said, "Com'n out" and I asked if it really was because he has said that before.  He stand out and says, "yah, see!." And there is was,  oh man if you could have seen the glee on his face, especially when his big brother came in to see and started clapping for him.  I was so proud that he initiated it all on his own.  Let's hope diaper changing duty is over really soon.

I rode my bike to work yesterday.  It is something we are trying to get in the habit of doing.  Since Mike has to ride his bike to work everyday, because we only have one car, I thought that I could do it on Tues and Thurs.  SO i the 7 miles by myself in the morning and we ride home together after work.  My mom picks the boys up at our house, brings my change of clothes to work as well as doughnuts or bagels for the maintenance crew, and we get there for break time to hang out with daddy and the men.  I wonder if this is why Caeden always thinks he needs a break when he is pretend working?   So if you are ever on 41 around 3:30 pm, look for me in my pink helmet riding south and slower than my husband.

While on the internet yesterday I came across an affordable, homemade, customized superhero cape for C and for O.  I really want to purchase them

It is from this Etsy site.  

Before the kids left the campground, Caeden got Tree sap stuck in his hair from doing a head stand on the cement pad across from the office.  We have gotten some of it out with rubbing alcohol, but it was not easy or tear free.  I will try to attempt it today with hopes of not having to cut his hair.

Last night my mom and I had a great time holiday baking.  We made 2 loaves of pumpkin bread, 2 loaves of banana bread, 1 pumpkin pie, choc. chip cookies for the boys, grandpa, and daddy, pretzel jello salad, and Triple Chocolate Pumpkin Pie.

It is a Martha Stewart recipe and I am excited to tasted it today!  We get to eat Thanksgiving dinner Today and Tomorrow.

I am thankful for: A God who is Tender, and Loving and doesn't give up on me.  A husband and kids that love to laugh and make memories with me.  Friends that care enough to ask about my relationship with Jesus. A church that leads me to live out worship.  Holidays that make us reflect.

I am thankful when: I lay down at night and cuddle with my husband about how I wouldn't want to be with anyone else ever.  When my kids see their daddy and run up shouting, "Daddy" with their arms open wide.  When my parents tell me their are proud of me.  When my sisters and i get to be together.  When my kids think I am funny.  When my attempt at new recipes turn out delicious.

Why I am thankful: Because I am unlovable, but loved; unworthy of salvation, but saved; Because even though all the world around me is chaos, My God shall supply all my need according to his riches in glory.

Happy Thanksgiving

Kid's Hands

I told Caeden that I wanted to take some

Pictures of their hands this morning, so 

this was his pose...............................

As I was creating our Free Snapfish Photobook, (thanks to Oprah) I realized that I really had a lot of feet pictures.  Family feet, dirty feet, fun boots on feet, Wet feet.  I love those pictures, but thought maybe I could switch and start focusing on hands.

Their hands are always so busy and hard to capture, but here are some snapshots from this morning.

The Circus

Fri. Night we went to the Cole Bros. Circus.  The kids really enjoyed it and that was the main thing.  I thought it was fun, but creepy, which is what makes up a good circus any way right?  The favorite things to watch were the motorcycle tricks and the elephants.  

Caeden was enthralled in the whole event.

My parent joined us in the festivities.  

I took this picture of Owen before we left, and i thought it was cute.

Here are the really OLD elephants!