A-Bug's Christmas Program

I have been feeling so old. On Sunday night, A-Bug was in her first ever Children's Christmas program. The first of many. Unfortunately, the 2 minute video is too big to share on the blog, and all the still shots are on my hubby's iPhone (I'll try and fix that soon.) But she did adorably, if not fabuously :) She got a little "stage struck" when she walked out and saw all the lights and people, and didn't exactly sing like she normally does, but she did clap with her usual level of exuberance. She does love to clap. The adorableness was exacerbated by the bells they all had hanging on their arms. It was just too cute. If you're friends with me on Facebook, you should be able to view the video by clicking here.

After the program, the church had a Christmas Cookie Fellowship for everyone - nothing like adding sugar to the adrenaline rush all the kids already have lol. Here are some shots from that. A-bug loves being around people, and she was truly in her element here.

A and her friend, Baby B

Aria and her "Aunt" Kara

Family shot :)

Me and my baby girl <3

A with our pastor's wife - Joyce Hands

Playing ring-a-round-the-rosie :)

K sporting one of the leftover mustaches from the play lol

K and my sweet friend, Katie.

  

Comedienne in the Family

Everyone loves to tell me how funny and entertaining A-bug is. Trust me, I know. Here are some classic examples from the past couple of weeks.


Several days ago, this conversation happened while I was changing her diaper.
A: "Look, mom! A star!"
Me: "Yes, Aria a star! Is the star purple?"
A: "Yes, mom! Good job! Star is purple!"

Yesterday, A-bug was having a crabby day early on and she told me, "I can't like him (K) today. I tired."

Earlier this week, A was playing with her magnetic dress-up doll which she loves. Every time she got a complete outfit on her, she would say to her doll, "Oh, you're so pretty!" And then, when she would start to take the clothes back off she would say, "Please, excuse me!" as if she was afraid the doll would be offended that A was removing her clothes. It was hilarious.

Today, A-bug stood at the window watching all the rain come down. She looked up at my sadly and said, "It's raining, mommy. I cannot go play outside." I felt so bad, I almost let her go out. Almost.

One of A's favorite things to do on the computer right now is to watch the iTunes visualizer to The Piano Guys. She gets very upset if we have to turn it off to do something else lol. You should see her dance to "You Don't Know You're Beautiful." It's pretty awesome.

Today, A slipped and fell while doing something she's been told over and over not to do - try to climb into K's crib. Of course, she hurt herself and was devastated, but instead of getting angry per her usual MO, she reached over, held K's hand and said to him, "It's ok Ky-Ky. I cry, but it's ok." I almost laughed out loud.

Recently, A likes to pretend that cookie cutters are hats for some reason, so all morning she's been putting cookie cutters on K's head and singing happy birthday to him lol. He's not impressed.

Josh: "A, do you wanna play the cello when you get older?" A: "Oh cello! Yes daddy, i lub cello! I eat strawberry cello (jello)!" LOL

Playing with some of mommy's old jewelry while mommy
finished sorting the laundry. Gotta distract her lol...

I love my silly girl :) 

Just to see you smile :)

Sometimes I feel like Mr. K isn't getting the same amount of attention as Little Miss A on the blog since he doesn't say anything or do as many cute or funny things as she does. Yet. So I wanted to dedicate an entire blog post just to him and his adorable little smile, and other various and interesting facial expressions. I think this kid is going to be a little heart breaker :) Just look at those dimples! :)

His usual happy face :)

Laughing while I'm tickling his toes :)

Totally sacked on daddy

"Come on, mom. Don't you think you have enough pictures?"

Forcing himself to stay awake after a big meal

AH! The dimple :)

It's beginning to look a lot like...

CHRISTMAS! Yes, it's here. Even though the snow is not, we must carry on and pretend that it's Christmas time. Well, I guess it is Christmas time, but it sure doesn't feel like it. We've had weather mostly sitting in the 40's, sometimes even warmer, and it just makes the Christmas lights feel premature. But alas, it is truly December.

Every Christmas, we go with my parents up to Bronner's Christmas Wonderland to take pictures, buy ornaments and get a picture with Santa. This year, we once again made the horrible mistake of going on  Saturday. We really gotta do something about that. It was incredibly packed out. I was shielding K's head from strangers elbows, and we definitely needed a leash of some sort for A-bug. It was just nuts. But we did get our ornaments and our pictures with Santa. A also discovered the Sesame Street display, which made the wait for Santa much more bearable.

So here are some shots of our annual Christmas weekend tradition. What are some annual traditions that you have with your kids?

Family Picture :)

Playing at the Sesame Street display

Had to give the giant Big Bird a hug :)

Every year, we gt a picture of A with these
ear warmers :)

Me and my baby girl

She was not so much thrilled with Santa

K was cool with him, though

Make Believe

Most toddlers like to make believe. It's a great kind of play for them - they are using their imaginations and learning how "the adult world" works. Any child development expert out there will recommend "make believe" play for children of all ages. And just like everything else she does, A has her own unique way of make believing. 

Typical make believe play consists of make believe cooking in a play kitchen, pretending school or house and sometimes "doctor." A likes to make believe nap time. Every day for the past couple of weeks, A pulls out all her blankets and pillows (which has become quite the collection, let me tell you,) brought out her favorite stuffed "animals" (Elmo, Abby, her owl and teddy bear, and occasionally Huckle Cat and a Dr. Seuss bird thing,) and laid them down on the pillows, tucked them in with blankets and read and sung to them. It's quite the process and it's absolutely adorable.

How does your child make believe? 

Sibling Love

I just wanted to publish a few pictures of A holding K. I never ask her if she wants to hold him - I let her ask me. She's been asking more frequently the past couple of weeks, which makes me happy. Jealousy is still something she's experiencing on a daily basis, so it makes me happy when she says to me,"A- hold baby K- now, please?" :) These pictures are just too precious to keep to myself :)

Holding baby brother's paci in :)

This just cracks me up

<3

Love his smile!

She was being so gentle with him, and he was
just sporting the biggest smile :)

K at 2 months

My little boy eats like a monster. Or a horse. Or a teenager. However you want to put it, this kid eats a ton. And he's growing a ton. You may remember that he only weighted 6 lbs. 8 oz. at birth. After he was born, I was in a bit of a panic, because I was afraid I didn't have enough newborn sized clothes. As small as he was, I thought he would be in them for a couple months at least, and I didn't have enough for that. Boy, was I ever wrong. Before he was 1 month, they were starting to get snug. Now, just after 2 months, he's entirely in 3 and 3-6 month sized clothing. The boy's a beast. I never thought that after A had stayed so small that we would have such a chunker in our family, but we do. And he has taken full possession of that role. Here are a couple shots from his 2 month pictures. You can see the insane size difference when you compare them to his 1 month shots, in which he is still very much in a newborn onesie. In these 2 month pictures, he's squeezed into a 3 monther, and that adorable hat is pretty tight.

Practicing for Christmas

I can't believe it, but my baby girl is old enough to be in this year's children's Christmas program. Yesterday, when I picked her up from her class after church, her teacher let me know what they would be singing and asked me to practice with her a few times. Since they're only 2, remembering 3 songs and a "Bible verse" is a lot to expect from them if they're only practicing once a week. So yesterday on the way home, J and I tried to go over the "Bible verse" section of the program with A by having her repeat it over and over again. This is how it went.

J: A, can you say "John 3:16"?
A: John 16!
J: Good! Now say, "God"...
A: God...
J: Loved...
A: Jesus!
J: Well, I guess that's theologically correct...

Then, later last night, when I was practicing with her again, trying to get the right ending to her verse section, it went something like this...

Me: A, can you say, "God"?
A: God...
Me: Loved...
A: Counting things!
Me: Hmmm.... not quite. Let's try again. "God"...
A: God...

Me: Loved...

A: Tacos!
Me: Oh boy... I better video tape this Christmas program.

Finally, at dinner, I was singing through the "B-I-B-L-E" with her, attempting to get her to sing along. The whole time, she just looked at me like she had never heard the song. I was thinking while singing, "I thought they had already taught them these songs...?" When I reached the end of the song, however, A threw her hands up in the air and shouted "BIBLE!" right on cue. For some reason, I feel like I'm getting played with this whole "practice with your toddler" scheme...

Today... She is my toddler.

Today, my toddler helped me sort all the laundry. She also tried to throw away all her baby brother's clothes.

Today, my toddler helped make her own peanut butter and jelly sandwich. She also tried to dump her juice all over my family room rug.

Today, my toddler kissed her baby brother on the head while he was crying. She also tried to suffocate him with a blanket.

Today, my toddler told me, "I lub you so much mommy. And bubbles, too." She also told me to "cut it out" when I asked her to get off my bed.

Today, my toddler cleaned up her blocks all by herself. She also pulled down the stockings off of the mantle and almost broke her head open.

Today, my toddler learned which was her right and left hands and feet. She also had a complete meltdown over the fact that I wouldn't let her have candy for breakfast.

Today, my toddler changed out of her pj's all by herself. She also hid said pj's somewhere in her room, and I have yet to find them.

Today, my toddler is an angel. She is also the spawn of Satan. But that's all in a day in the life of a toddler and their parent.

They're so precious when they're asleep.

Small Business Saturday is Here!

So, I didn't get to do half of what I wanted to with SBS this year due to all the insanity of getting our home ready for the holidays, taking care of the kids and traveling quite a bit. But that doesn't mean it's any less important. This Saturday, every single one of us have the chance to help make a difference for a small business owner out there, and in turn, the economy. The vast majority of jobs in our country are made up of small businesses, which means most of our friend's and family's livelihoods depend on the health  of small businesses. And they can't do business without customers. Pretty logical progression there.

As you all know, my favorite type of small businesses are ladies working with direct sales companies to bring income directly into their home. These companies now go far beyond just make-up and kitchen supplies; there is literally something for everyone nowadays. Which means you have no excuse for not shopping from one of your friends or family members this year for at least one person on your list.

I've done this many times before, but once again, here are just a few of the benefits of "shopping small."

• Better customer service
• Customizable  gifts for those on your list
• Direct positive affect on a family's income which, at this time of year, is vital. 

So this Saturday, and maybe even on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, shop small. Because you can make a big difference when you shop small.

Here's the list from the Small Business Support tab directly copied and pasted here for easier access. When you order something from any of these ladies, come back here and tell me what you got, so we can encourage more people to "shop small."

Altered to Perfection by Sherry Morales - hand-made, customized journals and vintage party decor
Avon by Ariel Lee 
Creative Memories by Catherine Morrison 
Jamberry Nails by Deanna Sweidel 

Lia Sophia by Ashley Judd
Kittangle by Marilyn Marie - Customized Jewlery
Lindt Chocolate by Monique Saucedo
Mary Kay by Kristen Lila
Missy's Musings by Missy Douthit - Crocheted hats and adorable bows for little girls and mommy's, too!
Purposeful Homemaking by Becky Zale - Healthy Living and Homeschooling blog and store
Scentsy by Missy Douthit
Simply Said Designs by Charity Guidinger

Thirty-One Gifts by Kara Wardell
Trendy Tadpoles by Melissa Borden - Kid's items from clothing to loveys to jewelry and other accessories
Uppercase Living by Kristi Balding
Usborne Books by Kristi Balding

Velata by Missy Douthit

Christmas Cookie Pin-Win

I saw this idea on Pinterest, and since it fit in nicely with my "semi-homemade" baking abilities, I decided to give it a show for my Christmas cookie exchange last week. It turned out marvelously. So marvelously, I'm sharing the recipe with you :)

Candy Cane Christmas Cookies (whew, that's a lot of C's)

1 sugar cookie mix

1 stick of butter

2 eggs

1 packet of candy cane pudding, Jello brand

1 tsp vanilla

Approx. 2 cups of white chocolate chips (I always put a lot since we're big chocolate fans) 

Peppermint pieces

Not my picture, but this is very close to what mine looked like.

Mix together all ingredients except peppermint pieces. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. While still hot, sprinkle peppermint pieces on top. Eat.

See? Soooo simple, and they were scrumptious. Super easy to whip up for some unannounced Christmas carolers or a family gathering! :)

Facebook Snapshots

The past couple weeks have been kinda crazy here, and I haven't been able to blog nearly as much as I like. I have, however, had the time to write quick statuses on Facebook about the funny and entertaining things that have been going on in our family. So while this may be redundant for all my Facebook friends, it's nice to consolidate all my statuses about our family in one place every once in a while.

11/20/12

Me: "Aria, what does C-A-T spell?"
Aria: "KITTY!"

11/19/12

We have worked really hard to teach Aria to share... unfortunately, she was under the impression that this also applied to her cold. Kylar and I are both partaking in the runny nose.

11/13/12

I hung up candy canes above our staircase for christmas...aria has been trying for a half hour to reach them. Only 4 feet too short lol...

Not on Facebook

Scene: *Mimi holding a screaming baby K*

A: "Mimi, put Ky-Ky in his chair. He fine. Put him there."

Scene: *me blasting choir music and singing along*

A: "Mommy, no singing, please."

Me: "do you want me to turn on the radio?"

A: "Yes please, mommy. No singing, mommy."

K's "wide awake face" that we normally see around 11 each night.

A's artwork from Sunday School. She's so proud of it that it's
now hanging on my refrigerator :)

It's all about balance

I'm not an all-natural and organic mom. I'm not gluten-free, dye free or anything else "free." We watch TV,  and my child loves Elmo, Clifford, Daniel Tiger and Arthur - all TV characters. We don't ban technology in our family; we play with iPhone game apps and the Wii. I don't have homemade meals on the table every night for dinner, and my dishes are not always done. Some days, we wear our pajamas all day long. I'm just not one of "those" moms.

But my child knows her ABC's - not just the song; she can identify all of her letters and words that represent each letter. She can count to 20. She can sing several songs word for word. She can identify almost every "main stream" animal that comes across a page in her books, on TV or in her puzzles. She will spend hours and hours a day reading books. She loves to play with shapes and puzzles and working them all out on her own. She can operate an iPhone better than I can. She absolutely loves being outside and kicking a ball around.

Our life isn't perfect, by any means. As I type this, I can still hear A crying in her room following the most recent temper tantrum. I'm no Pioneer Woman; 90% of my meals are "semi-homemade." But I have learned that it's not what you keep your children from watching, eating or doing. It's the balance you strike in your family. You obviously can't depend on PBS to teach your children everything they need to know in pre-school, but you can watch Sesame Street once a day and count with them, recite and sing the ABC's song, and point out various colors and shapes. You can't expect your children to get all their nutrients and vitamins from processed and fast food, but a happy meal for a special "date night" or a Jr. Frosty after a rough Dr's appointment demonstrates moderation, and teaches them that these things are special treats and not everyday events.

It's all about balance. You have to teach your children that learning is both important and fun, that food is for creating memories with family as well as making "big strong muscles," and that life is more enjoyable when you're not so much worried about what others will think.

One of life's simple pleasures - finding a good spot to read a good book :)

Second Time Around

I had previous blogged about what a good baby K had been, and how he was nothing like his big sister. Well, in the past week or so, that has changed. He still eats really well, and for that I can be thankful for, as A never mastered that trick. Unfortunately, he seems to have developed "the curse" that his siter had to deal with as well - acid reflux. His symptoms are somewhat different than hers, but still typical of babies dealing with AR.

The most astounding and difficult to deal with symptom is the projectile spit-up. I've heard of this kind of spit-up before, and the doctors were always amazed that A didn't have this because her case was so extreme, but I had never experienced this first hand. It's truly amazing how far he can spray the spit-up, and quite disgusting. My all-natural carpet and upholstery cleaner is getting the medal of honor for remarkable courage in the face of insurmountable difficulties. 

We're also dealing with nightly screaming sessions and extreme fussiness during the day. It makes my heart hurt to see my baby in pain, and I'm hoping I can get him into the Dr soon to get him some relief. That's another long story, though, brought to you by your not-so-friendly insurance company red tape. Anyways.... today hasn't been too bad, and I'm thanking my lucky stars. I've actually gotten some laundry done today - only one load actually got done my my usual laundry day, which is Tuesday. I'm also not insane yet, which is a huge accomplishment, considering what I had to deal with yesterday.

Since I dealt with this on such an extreme level with A-bug, I feel somewhat prepared for this and better understand how to help my little one. But it's still very difficult, and I really hope we won't have to deal with it on the same level as we did with A. It was a long and stressful battle the first time around. I don't have the luxury of insanity now - I have another little terror to take care of this time around. 

This is the face of Acid Reflux. :(

Making Me Laugh

There are few people who can make me laugh like A can. Seriously, such a funny little human being. I have no idea where she gets this outrageously funny personality, but we're never bored at our house! Here are some of the funny things she's done and said over the past few days.

My mother recently sent over a box of cookie cutters after cleaning out her kitchen. Being incredibly busy with a fussy baby and a house that looked like it had been hit by Sandy, I hadn't had time to go through them yet... but A found time. They're now her new favorite things to play with. The cutest thing? She calls them "cookie dutters." :)

K has had some serious issues with colic or acid reflux recently, which means we spend a lot of time burping him so as to keep him from spitting up as much (for the record, it's not working.) Now, whenever I'm holing him, A-bug walks up and starts patting him on the back saying, "Burp, Ky-Ky! Burp!" She even tries to burp her stuffed Abby and Elmo. So far, no luck, but she's not giving up anytime soon. I also love when she sees he's awake and says, "you're awake, baby boy!" Our little imitator....

As her vocabulary grows, A starts saying complete sentences. My favorite thing ever is when she sits next to K's bouncy seat where he chills out during the day, and just strikes up a conversation with him. "Hey, baby Ky-Ky! How doin'? Get good sleeps? I lub you!" It's adorable. This morning at breakfast, after I gave her her usual blueberry yogurt, she says, "Mmmm, I luuuuub blueberries, mama. Do you?" and then proceeded to take a massive bite of blueberry yogurt lol. She just cracks me up.

The other day when I was nursing K, I noticed something on his head. When I started rubbing it, I noticed it was dried yogurt from A had kissed him after breakfast and gotten yogurt on his head. It all makes both my heart and my face smile. I love my kiddos, and I love the ever entertaining dialogue that goes on in our house. I can't wait until K joins the conversation... if he ever gets the time to get a word in ;)

Time for Small Business Saturday!

It's November, and those of you who have followed the blog since this time last year know that November means Small Business Saturday is coming up. As you all know, I'm a HUUUUGE proponent of Small Businesses, especially those businesses run by moms trying to help out their family. This year, I'm even more all about it since our family's financial future is slightly up in the air. I know we're definitely not the only ones, which is why I like to push EVERYONE to check out direct sales and other mom businesses this Christmas season for your Christmas list.

You all know the benefits of shopping small - helping the economy as well as a real middle class family (not some nameless, faceless corporation), better customer service, many times better products, more customizable options, and often times better prices. Why wouldn't you check them out? :)

There truly is a product for everyone out there now, not just the women on your list. Many companies have products for men and kids now, so you can "shop small" for everyone on your list :) You all know about my "Small Business Support" tab at the top of my page, and I'll hopefully be adding even more options to that list as the season goes on. I encourage everyone to go there and find a company that they're interested in ordering from and connecting with one of those ladies. I'll be highlighting a few of those ladies as the month goes on, and writing up summaries of their products and services. If there's a company in particular you've been wanting to hear more about, let me know, and I'll check it out for you!

I also encourage everyone to check out the Small Business Saturday Facebook page for more info and to add your name to the Small Business movement :)

Halloween Fun! :)

This was the first year we decided to let A go trick or treating. In the apartment, there was really no where to go unless you went outside your own neighborhood, and she was so little, we'd have had to carry her the whole time anyways. But this year, we decided she was old enough and there are plenty of houses with kids around ours.

Hurricane Sandy gave us a rather windy, cold and rainy Halloween, but at least we got to go - it could be much worse, and our prayers go out to all those affected by that superstorm. Since it was so chilly outside, I had to make sure that A's wings would fit around her winter coat, and J and I decided that he would just take her down our road and the road next to ours. They were out about a half hour, and she has plenty of candy for an already energetic toddler.

This year, we dressed A up as her favorite Sesame Street character, Abby Cadabby the fairy. Mimi made her the skirt and the "Abby tail" pom poms. Pink, sparkly stretch pants and a pink turtle neck made up the rest of the costume, and we added a fairy wand and a pair of wings to complete the fairy look :) I think she looks pretty adorable :)

We, of course, did not take Kylar out trick or treating, but I did dress him up. Isn't he adorable? :D My little Tiger :) 

K's 1-month Photos

These are by no means professional shots... I just took a couple of him in his room. Special thanks to his Aunt Allie, who gave us the monthly stickers and adorable matching hat :) I can't wait to fill up a frame of his first year, month by month!