CHRISTMAS IN OHIO

Family Christmas in Ohio!  

We have the same meal every year!  

The one time of the year that Debbie cooks dinner from start to finish...well...almost!

Our little munchkins...

  

Our bro-in-law, Tom...he looks rather smart here, huh?!  Looks can be deceiving! :)

April...Brian's sis...love her!

Grandpa Tim...Check out the bows on that paper.  My kids know how to do it up right!

***Our little Mr. and Miss really got into wrapping presents from around the house.  Little Mr. made me a little tree ornament.  The excitement on their face when they gave us these presents meant more to me than anything.  I pray that they never lose the spirit of giving.  ***

SNOWY DAY

We have had quite a bit of snow.  The majority of the winter has been filled with the stuff.  Just as the snow melts, new snow begins to fall.  Now, I am all for snow if I have no where to go or I can grab a snow day from school.  Unfortunately, the state reduced our number of days to 3 causing our district to be a bit more stingy with calling school off.  Which in the end is a good thing because we won't have to tag on days to the end of our school year.  The worst part of not getting the snow days is when my family gets to have one.

My kids lay in the bed all bundled up and warm.

 I go to work.  

That stinks.  

My kids get to make forts with their Daddy.

I go to work

That stinks.

My kids get to play out in the snow.  

I go to work.  

That stinks...well, sort of...I don't really love being cold and they usually wait for me.

My kids are usually bundled up by ME.  

I come home to get the kids dressed for the snow.  

That stinks!  

(the neighbor girls and Little Man have really been enjoying the snow)

FOUND IT, NOW USE IT!

I have been a total slacker on this blog as of late.  However, this doesn't mean that I have been slacking at home.  Well, I am always a slacker when it comes to cleaning because I can't keep up with constant ideas/brainstorm screaming my name.  I actually wanted to be at Lee University's Homecoming or a retreat with my church, but I am a make lemonade out of lemons kinda gal!  What lemonade am I making this weekend?  Planning for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and everything in between.  I am searching Christmas PJs for the family, planning our annual Christmas brunch, rummaging through old magazines, kissing the babies, eating donuts (had to slide that in),  and ATTEMPTING to get our basement cleaned up!  While rummaging through old magazines, I came across something that you guys (all of 3 that may still read this) might like to use.  There is an artist in Cincinnati that is often featured in Family Fun Magazine.  She has a really great lunch survey and a new thankful survey.  Check them out!  Love, love it!

Since I mentioned the lunch survey, I should mention that I have become crazy mom when it comes to packing the kids' lunches.  My Dad (you read that correctly) packed the most amazing lunches for me as a school gal.  He would write notes, use a sandwich puncher that said "Have a nice Day," and made me egg sandwiches any day I wanted.  I can proudly say that I only bought school lunch one time as a child.  That one day confirmed packed lunches weren't for me!  Last week, I had a blast with the Fall/Halloween theme.  My Little Mr. and Miss seem to love finding out what I have packed because they are quick to share with their grandparents when I drop them off!  I keep forgetting to take some pics!
I have found some really creative blogs that have sparked some serious creativity.  Check out these websites:

BENTOBLOGGY
LUNCH PUNCH
ANOTHER LUNCH...my absolute favorite!!!

VBS, BABY!

My kids got to take part in yet another wonderful Vacation Bible School put on by our church...directed by none other than the great Miss Carolyn.  Little Miss is still SiNgInG her little heart out!

The props were incredible!

Little Man invited his friend.  This little guy has been his buddy since he was born.  His dance moves made me think that I needed a little guy of my own!  Love him!

Little Miss Princess catching some bubbles during an outdoor activity.  The kids were supposed to dress up in a pirate outfit.  I pulled one out for Little Miss to wear and she told me it was ugly and "I a princess."  Thus the outfit.  Miss Carolyn has one of her walking the plank.  Too funny.  Pirates capture princesses, right?!?

I love this picture of my little monster and think the two in front of him are hilarious.  

SPRING BREAK IN OKC

So, I have what equals about a whole lifetime to catch up on here.  I don't have any other excuse other than we have been crazy busy enjoying our summer together.  Unlike most summers, I haven't completed any organization projects.  In fact, don't freak out, but I didn't even put together a tangible list.  This isn't to say that I don't have a ton that has to get done, but I haven't been able to bring myself to do much other than enjoy the kids.  I am thankful.  Okay, so as a I try to play catch up, try to enjoy the ride.  That is if anyone even still reads this thing...

As always, we have a blast visiting my family in OKC.  For some reason, I didn't take as many photos.  We went to the zoo and celebrated Easter while we were there...good times.  Couldn't resist posting pics of Little Miss P as a diva.  Poses were not my idea, but hers.  What are we in for?  :)

{ZOO}

Bird Pooed on Daddy!  Yuck!

{EASTER}

As If...

Can you hear that girl from Clueless saying, "As if!"  Come to think of it, my brain is so jumbled that I am a bit clueless!  

I am on my mad summer mission to reorganize, provide some type of learning structure, establish reward incentives for the kids, work on my tan, get some scripture visuals for our weekly bible verse, and R-e-L-a-X.  Did you hear me slip in some vanity?  :)  In midst of all my serious planning, I came across Muffin Tin Monday and I am so thinking I have to do this with the kids...at least a couple of the Mondays this summer.  They kind of fall in the "homemade" Lunchables idea.  Very cute and I think I can totally make them thematic with the learning activities I have planned. 

Let me just tell you...the learning activities are in abundance here on the web.  It is really making it hard for me to gather my thoughts!  So much to do and only a few months left...ugh!  Brian is loving that I make extra work for myself!    

Sensory Table...of sorts

Last year, while Little Man was in preschool, he would come home excited about playing in a sensory table.  I tried to figure out how I could make one and got to talking with my friend, Colleen.  She gave me the great idea of using a flat storage container.  I change the "sensory" material every so often.  The possibilities are endless...flour, rice, beans, shredded paper, pebbles, pasta, etc.  In the following picture, we were using Moon Sand.  I love it!  I throw in some tools that they can use to explore.  Rules are that no tools can be taken out of table and "sensory" item must stay inside.  This makes clean up super easy...pop the lid on and forget about it.

Mother's Day Tea Party

It's all about creating memories in this house.  Brian and I cherish all of our childhood memories, so we are constantly reminiscing and recreating.  We really love to set up traditions that remind us of our favorite memories.  One of my favorite childhood traditions was going to the Mother/Daughter Tea (Banquet) at our church.  I am not sure what it is exactly that made this so fun.  Was it getting dressed up?  Was it that my mother planned it?  Was it going with my mother?  Was it socializing with everyone from church?  Was it all of the amazing food that we got to eat?  I guess it is a combination of all of these!  When I got married, I was devastated that I wasn't able to go with her anymore.  I was even more sad when I had a little girl!  I want so badly to be there, just one year, with Little Miss P.  It would be so fun if we could all go together.  

A few years ago, I tried to recreate this tradition here in Ohio by having a tea party with the kids.  It has been a hit ever since!  This year, Little Man had a huge part in setting up which made it so special.  While I prepared the food (mini sandwiches, sugar cookies, and kool-aid), he set about the details of the table.  

He had to have a tablecloth...a bit wrinkled, but p-r-e-c-i-o-u-s. 

The MENU:

His Place Setting...notice the silverware is wrapped in a paper towel with our initials written on it:

Looks like the goal of making a special memory was achieved!  Look at those faces:

           

Date with Mommy

I have to admit that Mother's Day is one of my favorite times of the year.  This is not because I get a lot of presents.  I would say that Brian and I really don't do the material gift kind of thing for the "parent" holidays.  If we do, it is something really small that means something extra special.  Not that there is anything wrong with giving or receiving a present...I wouldn't turn down a pair of Jessica Simpson shoes...for sure!  We usually focus more on the simple gifts like a date night with mommy or like this year...a card where Little Man left his mark...with his lips...with lipstick on...my new lipstick.  I could tell the wheels were turning when he volunteered to get my make-up out of the van.  Isn't that where everyone keeps their make-up?  It took him a while and I heard a commotion.  I walked into the kitchen to find him and Brian in a scurry.  They were wiping something off of his lips...my lipstick...my new lipstick.   Little Man was devastated to say the least.  I thought he was embarrassed that he got caught with lipstick on...my lipstick...new lipstick.  This was not the case.  He thought he had ruined the card he got for me.  He kissed the card and messed up, so he tried to draw a square around the lips using lipstick...my lipstick...my new lipstick.    He was then crushed because the lipstick got all over his picture too.  Check out the photo...I think it is precious...I told him that he looks like my lipstick kisses are all over him which is not too far from the truth.

I should have known that this was the start to an interesting night!  As you will notice, LM takes "Date Night with Mommy" very seriously.  He selected his outfit and dressed himself for the evening.

Every year on Mother's Day and Father's Day, the kids take us out on a date.  This has been such a wonderful thing because the kids get one on one time and love to feel like they are treating us to a special night out.  Can I tell you how much I absolutely love this?  My focus is on one child and I don't feel guilty about it because I know that the other is the total focus of Brian.  

Our original plan was to go to out to eat and then I thought we would go see "How to train a Dragon."  I should say this was our original, original plan.  After we looked at the trailer, Little Man decided this wasn't a movie he was really interested in.  We made arrangements to go out to eat and then go shopping for new shoes.  He is the best little shopper and has great taste.  Well, before our "official" date began, I ran into Wal-Mart to get him a little thank you treat for taking me out on a date.  Inside Wal-Mart, he decides to change our plan back to the original, original plan of going to the movies.  We rushed like crazy to get to the movie theatre.  We made great time and had a few minutes to spare, so he wanted to spend his Toys 'r' Us gift card.  After a quick jaunt to Toys 'r' Us, we returned to the theatre with just enough time for popcorn.  Drinks and candy were bought at Wal-Mart and stuffed in my purse.  We rushed into our assigned theatre only to find this:

Yup, not a single soul was in the theatre.  Were we in the correct theatre?  Um, yes!  Were we early?  Um, yes, but not by much.  When the movie finally started, there were a totally of 10 of us in there.  I think this was a bust for Little Man...he likes a crowd.  About 10 minutes into the movie, he looked at me and said, "I am going to give this 2 more minutes and if I am still scared, we are going to have to leave.  Is that fine?"  Wouldn't you know, we had to leave...after I had paid $27.  UGH!  We were able to get a couple of photos with our 3D glasses.

We ended our night at Friendly's.  This place is wonderful for kids!  My favorite was Little Man asking the hostess for a table for two.  The ladies were loving it!  Oh, how I love this boy!
 

BASKETBALL SEASON

This past week Brian had a meeting with the parents of the boys that are interested in playing basketball next year to discuss summer plans and what not (ha).  Bball is a huge part of our lives since Brian is a coach, his side business (one of many) revolves around it, and because you will rarely see LM without a basketball in his hand (much like my brother was as a child).  After posting pics of Isaiah's party, I realized that I haven't shared pictures of this last season for either the coach or player in my life.

{Coach in Action}

{Brian trying to be young again~which eventually help lead to a hurt back!  Thank ya very much!}

{Little Man's Turn to Shine}

{Junior Dribblers}

{He won the free throw competition at the Shoot OUT with...he made 5 out of 6.  As a mom, I personally think he would have made all 6...if he hadn't moved from his spot because he thought he was finished!  :)  I am just sayin'! }

This year, a little cheerleader made an appearance.  What a crack up!  I am on a mission to either sew or buy a cheerleading outfit for her to wear to the games.  She even held her arms in the same position as the cheerleaders during the National Anthem.  Check her out!  One of these days, I will figure out how to put a video on here, so you can see her chant C-A-T-S!  Love her!