picture perfect

For Christmas my siblings and I got my parents a digital frame so they have a way to display all the pictures of the grandkids we email them. My husband had the idea that we should put holiday pictures and maybe a short clip of us saying Merry Christmas for them to enjoy when they open it Christmas morning. Of course everything sounds good in theory right! My sister who is taking the frame home leaves tomorrow morning, and of course, I procrastinated like always. I decided to do the photo shoot in the Christmas clothes this afternoon. You would think the fact it took all my strength to get them in their clothes that it would be an indication of how it was going to go. Needless to say even with a digital camera and a million shots I am not sure I have a Christmas morning frame worthy shot. Then again we are talking about grandkids here I could put anything in there and my parents would love it! Well here in a nut shell is how my photo shoot turned out today.

Business?

So my husband gets to spend a week here on a business trip. Business? Because they could not have meetings anywhere else in the world right? So in January, the dead of winter, I will be on full diaper duty and husband less. I can't complain to much my wonderful mother and sister will be on hand to help out with the kids. I just wish his business trip involved spouses!

The count down begins

Yes till Christmas, but in our family also to Sophia's first birthday. In just one month she'll be one! Where has the time gone? I always said I would never have a Christmas baby but we all know how that goes. Never say never. She was not due until January 9th but two days after Christmas my water broke and our sweet angel changed our lives forever. She has brought such joy into our family. I was a little nervous to have two kids so close but it has been a blessing. Caden is a very sweet big brother. The other day the two of them were in his room playing and I heard her crying. I crept up the stairs to take a peek and Caden was patting her back saying "it's okay Fia, it's okay." Granted I will never know if he inflicted the crying to begin with, but the fact that was comforting her made me smile. It was one of those I wish I had a camera right now moments.

A day of thanks

So it is two days after Thanksgiving but I feel like I need to post about the day. My husband was telling me he thinks that Thanksgiving in the most overrated holiday.
"What? Overrated?" I gasp in horror.
How could anyone think this of Thanksgiving?
"Are you not Thankful?" I ask him.
"Of course I am." He tells me, "But shouldn't we be thankful everyday?"
"Well yes, but you love your mom everyday but we have Mother's day once a year to." I say to Thanksgiving's defence.
"Yes," he says, "but the whole purpose of Thanksgiving is to over stuff yourself watch football and then stuff yourself some more."
Okay so he does have a point, BUT I love Thanksgiving and not because of the food. To me it is all about family. The day were you get together with family and friends to spend good quality time together. It was time for vacation when I was a student. It was time my dad did not have to go to work, and now time my husband stays home. Who does not love a four day weekend? This year I have so much to be thankful for, and yes I would still be thankful even without a day set aside to give thanks. But I am thankful for Thanksgiving and this wonderful weekend we've had at home as a family.

Black Friday Results

So after almost no sleep and an upset stomach from eating WAY to much food I decided to get up and go this morning. I almost didn't do it. I mean really is standing out in the cold, getting pushed around, and saving maybe $20 worth it? Honestly. I guess it was for me! I got almost everything on my list and then some! I got up at 4:30 this morning then stood for half an hour in the freezing cold to save what they told me was $90! That is what my receipt said anyway. In reality I think I saved about $40 and I got a bonus $5 gift card from Target not bad. I then headed to the mall and got cute clothes for cheep for the kiddies, there they said I saved something like $100 (can we say overinflated prices to begin with)then I haded to Costco were the crowds were the least threatening and made an impulse buy which is yet to be reveled because of certain people who may read this blog. I ended at Walmart which was actually just a quick stop I did save $10 on a toy but they were out of the cheep PJ's $7 for two pair of blanket sleepers!
At Target there was pushing involved, but no wait time to get out, all their cash registers were open. Macy's department store was nice and empty but the wait in line took awhile, Mervyn's was a MESS but I got WAY cute clothes and I had nothing better to do while I waited an hour and a half for Costco to open it's doors. I have to give Costco five stars for preparedness everything was easy to find and very clearly marked so you knew what was the sale stuff and what was not. Target gets credit for early morning crowd control the line was single file and they had security to insure no cutting! Walmart was, well Walmart. I enjoyed the rush and only wish I had had company on the journey.
THINGS OVERHEARD IN LINES
Overheard in the Target line at 5:30 AM doors opened at 6.
person a: So what are you getting?
person b: I don't know. Hopefully something good.
Who stands in line that early not knowing why they are there?

Overheard in the Mervyn's line that I stood in for a good 45 min and there were maybe six people in front of me.
person a: My wife and I do this every year, and every year after today our Christmas shopping is done.
person b: You must save tons of money.
person a: I wouldn't really know we just love doing this together.
Earlier person a had told person b that they started in the Target line at 3AM! They got everything they wanted.

Overheard at Costco
My personal favorite of the day.
Mom to son: grab one of those quick, quick!
Son grabs item which is a MP3 player that a lot of people were grabbing.
Mom to Son: what is it?

Black Friday

So I am gearing up for the big day. I went last year and I was hugely prego! This probably worked to my advantage because come on you can't push a pregnant lady. I honestly didn't go anywhere to exciting and I was not rushing to get the super hot items. This year though I have my eye on a few hot buys. So I think I will brave the weather, the crowds, and the hideous hour of the day and go see how much money I can save.

Twelve

Last night I sat and talked with a twelve year old and I realized I do not remember what it is like to be twelve. Maybe I have blocked it all out I don't know but it seems so foreign to me. Was I awkward? Honestly sometimes I wonder if I am any less awkward today. Well I get to relearn what it is like to be twelve, I got called to work with the beehives. Yeah for puberty. Wish me luck.

Who are you?

So I did it. I took those internet quizzes to find out who I was. Here are the results. If I worked at Dunder Mifflin I'd be Pam. If I were a Jane Austen character I would be Marianne Dashwood of Sense and Sensibility, and finally if I lived on Sesame Street I'd be a cross between Elmo and the Count. Life's problems solved thanks to those handy quizzes on the internet! Take yours today.

Baby anyone?

I get baby hungry when I look at newborn photos of my kids. How could you not look at those tiny little faces and not think I want another one of those. Then I think am I really ready to have three kids? Yikes! So for now anyway I will enjoy the two I have and hope that one day I will be blessed with more. I now have to go and spy on my independent two year old who likes to play in his room with the door closed. He has quite the little imagination and it is very amusing to watch, hopefully I can be sneaky enough so that he doesn't notice me.

THEN

AND NOW

perfection

I am a perfectionist in some ways, but not when it comes to crafts! Last Friday I spent nearly three hours on this project and then I spent another hour Saturday morning finishing it. I rarely take this much time on projects and even with all the effort it still turned out imperfect! Usually this kind of thing does not bother me. I am one of those the edges can be uneven kinda girls. This however is bothering me. Every time I look at it I think if only that A was a little lower. I have even thought of getting a saw and sawing the bottom of the pumpkin or getting a new letter A and turning it around. (The latter would pose a problem though because I have them on my banister and you can see them from behind.) So maybe I am becoming a perfectionist when it comes to crafts, well not likely since I still have this displayed and it is unlikely that I am going to do anything about it!

Our Halloween

We had a fun Halloween this year. It started with pumpkin carving on Monday and ended with trick-or-treating last night with the cutest puppy and kitty the world has ever seen. Here are some pictures of the fun.