Austin's 2nd Birthday

Austin had a great 2nd Birthday!

Kevin woke up and got all the kids long johns from Donut Bank.  While he was gone getting breakfast, I measured Austin on my wall like I do on all the kids birthdays.  He opened one little gift we had picked up for him.  We bought him a new mattress and bedding (like we did the other 3 kids before him) and that counted for pretty much all of his birthday gift.

We had Christmas leftover's for lunch then I made and decorated Austin's birthday cake.  Kevin was a life saver and helped clean pretty much the whole house.  We started welcoming family just before 5 o'clock to Austin's "Chugga Chugga two two" party!

My mom brought an adorable train shaped veggie tray and Kevin's mom brought over a delicious ham and bean soup.  I made little ham and swiss sandwhiches and some vegetable lo mein.  We had some of Austin's favorite chips too.  It was an easy meal and everyone seemed to find just enough to fill them up!

Austin opened his sweet gifts then we let him blow out his candles twice.  We had fun fetti cake and ice cream for dessert.  It was a simple party, but I know he had so much fun.  Here are some pics...

He's so much bigger than the girls were at 2!  I didn't measure Hayden until he was 28 months old, but Austin is about the same size Hayden was then.

The adorable train veggie tray

Austin looking over the other food.

The train track was made out of kit-kat and rice krispies.

Kevin ran by our friends house the evening of Austin's party and my friend Stephanie had made all the kids crocheted hats.  They are so cute!!!  We didn't want Austin to take his off!

p.s.  My siblings and their families came to Austin's party even though they aren't in many pictures!  My sister didn't get to stay long due to dinner plans and my brother was in our barn working on building a gun and it was well after the party ended that I realized I didn't have a family picture of them!  I need to be better about taking pictures throughout the parties!  :-P

Our Christmas 2015

Several weeks ago we went to see Santa!

Our Christmas card picture this year!

Christmas Eve started a little rough for us.  Kevin and I both had head colds that kept us from getting any deep sleep that night .  We felt drained before the day even started, but it didn't keep us from doing most of what we planned.   We took some DayQuil and started on our to-do list.  For me that meant picking up the house and making 100+ sugar cookies.  Kevin had to put together one of the kids toys they were getting that evening from their grandparents and I had him switch Austin's crib to a twin bed that day too.  We chose to pass on our church's Christmas Eve service since we weren't feeling great (because we would have had to take all 4 kids to service with us, and that's never gone smoothly).  We opted to watch a Christmas Eve service from our favorite Elevation Church app instead.  That evening, we hosted dinner for Kevin's parents and I made a pretty easy meal (ham, roasted potatoes, snow peas, corn, crescent rolls).  The kids enjoyed opening their gifts from their mamaw and papaw and spent most of the evening trying out their new heavy-duty teeter totter.

We got a bit more sleep on Christmas morning.  Krissy woke up at 5am and had a conversation with Hayden but they both went back to sleep.  Austin woke up around 6am but fell back asleep.  Allie was the first one out of bed at 7:15 and I heard her little feet run down the hallway.  Once she spotted the gifts under the tree she ran into our bedroom to tell us Santa had come.  We told her to go wake up everyone else, and she happily did!

Allie and Hayden passed out gifts.  Austin stayed close to me and Kevin on the couch and didn't have much interest in opening his gifts.  He seemed to enjoy watching everyone else open theirs.  Krissy almost immediately started eating all the chocolate and candy that was in her stocking, while Allie and Hayden anxiously opened gifts and wanted everything put together right.then.and.there.  We helped Austin open his gifts and then started assembling and unpackaging all the new gifts.

For lunch we headed to Kevin's family's get together.  I brought a spinach/strawberry/pecan salad with raspberry vinaigrette and gingersnaps and sugar cookies for the dessert table.  We had a good time visiting with all his aunts/uncles/cousins/the new babies.  We took the kids home for a nap, but unfortunately no kids took naps.  Austin still wasn't a fan of staying in his new bed, so Kevin decided to lay with him until Austin fell asleep - but Kevin fell asleep and as soon as he did, Austin snuck out of his room and came to the family room to play with me and the other kids.  We ended up going ahead to my parents house to start my family's Christmas.

My dad had worked well into Christmas morning on a stabbing that made the news.  I always like hearing him tell the stories, so when we got to my parents house I wanted to hear all about his night fighting crime haha!  We waited for nieces to arrive and wake up, then we opened gifts and ate a fantastic dinner.  I didn't stuff myself at lunch because I knew I'd want to indulge a little more at dinner!  :)  We all left around 8 o'clock and headed home.  The kids went to sleep easily, which was a great ending to a long, but great day!

Here are some pictures from Christmas Eve & morning!

Austin napping in his new bed that Kevin put together for him.  We've since put up a side rail to help keep him in bed.

Our sweet neighbors are always so thoughtful and remember our kids on Christmas!

Krissy was playing with her neighbor gifts too.  The girls and I dressed up in fancy dresses for the evening :)

I made the kids sock monkey pj pants and did our usual pose in front of the tree before we sent them to bed Christmas Eve!

All the kids camped out in the boys room.  (Austin ended up sleeping in between the girls!)

Santa has arrived!

Both girls got new bikes and Hayden got a new skateboard.  We decided on bigger gifts that were outside toys that we knew would get lots of use! 

Allie opening a box of veterinarian barbies I found at the fall consignment sale.  She had no idea they weren't new! (And what she was holding up was actually an unwrapped box of Barbie bunnies).

Hayden loves playing with money so the little cash register has been one of his favorite gifts!

Another one of Hayden's gifts was a Minecraft lego set.  Krissy got a little beauty set because she insists on watching me do my hair and make up.  She loved it!

Both of the girls got a bird cage and 2 birdies like they requested.

Both girls got new barbies.  The barbie car in the pic came from the same consignment sale I mentioned above!

Austin's "big gift" was this Tonka truck.  He loves it!

Krissy eating her chocolate...

Austin also got a football and matchbox cars and rug with a track to roll his cars around.

The kids wanted to go outside and play on their new teeter totter after all the gifts were opened!  And Austin had an accident in his jammies, which is why he no longer matches the group!

Birthday Recap

The I turned 32 last Monday!  This is the first year I can remember actually feeling older.  (Which may be a good call to action for me!)  I celebrated over the course of three days and it was a wonderful!

Kevin was scheduled to work the day before and the day of my birthday but that didn't stop him from making me feel specially!  I woke up (when my alarm went off) to find a text from him at midnight saying "happy birthday".  Before I got out of bed, I checked my email and saw he had emailed me to say he got Donut Bank for breakfast.  I walked into our family room and was surprised to see he'd bought a couple birthday banners that he'd hung up.  I also knew I was getting a new purse and coat but there was another gift bag.  He'd picked me up some warm socks and a cute pink knit hat.  He knows I'm always cold ;) 

Next up, the kids gave me cards that they had worked on the night before.  Hayden taped to my card a box of milk duds (from his Halloween candy) and two of his favorite rocks.  When it was time to take Hayden to the bus, I noticed Kevin had written on my van in shoe polish that it was my birthday.  I'm more easily embarrassed these days and it made me kind of want to stay home so no one knew! Ha!  I took it easy all day, worked on ordering pictures for my newly arranged photo collage, read a couple chapters in a book, baked cookies, and updated my chalkboard.  My parents came by that evening because I asked if they'd pick up my photo order from Sams Club.  They also delivered my new nativity set I had picked out a few weeks ago.  My mom wanted to see my new bookshelf that dad had redone for me.  It was a fun, quiet evening!

Tuesday was the day we went out to celebrate my birthday.  The family gathered at Texas Roadhouse (make a note - kids eat free on Tuesdays!) and we stuffed ourselves.  We came back to my house for a ding-dong cake my mom had made.  I opened a card and another gift and we took some pictures before calling it a night.

(My new jacket that Kevin picked out and my new purse!)

Kevin's parents gave me money to pick out my own gift and I decided on some Chanel sunglasses. I love them! 

On Wednesday, my sister had planned to come into town and shop with me all day.  Kevin woke up early and watched the kids, so I was able to go and enjoy some sister time :). We thrifted, ate at Azzip, did more shopping, and finished up at Stephen Libs.  I was tired from all that shopping!  Kevin and I rented a red box and put the kids to bed a little early so we could have an at-home date night.  I had lots of sweet texts and Instagram messages and phone calls on my birthday and I couldn't have asked for anything more!

I think 32 is going to be a great year!

Getting to Know Me: Christmas edition

Wrapping paper or gift bags?

Definitely wrapping paper! Wrapping gifts is one of my favorite things to do!  When I still lived at home, I'd wrap all the gifts my mom would let me!

Real Tree or Fake?

I grew up with only fake trees and I love them, but we wanted to start a new tradition with our family so we've started getting a real tree too!  The kids have artificial trees and the main tree in our family room is real.

When do you put up the tree?

Usually the first week of December, and it kills me to wait that late! One year I put up our artificial tree on Novermber 1st!

When do you take the tree down?

I usually take it out by New Years! I'm over cleaning up all the pine needles by then :)

Do you like eggnog?

I've never tried it and have no plans to!

Favorite gift received as a child?

I really don't remember much, but I always looked forward to getting a couple new Christmas ornaments for my tree!

Hardest person to buy for?

That usually was my parents and in laws but now we just do giftcards and keep it simple!

Easiest person to buy for?

My kids! I keep a running list of ideas in my phone throughout the year.

Do you have a nativity scene?

I have two! Both are kid friendly!  One is a large plush set and the other I just got this year.  It's made out of olive tree wood from the Holy Land. 

Mail or email Christmas cards?

Definitely mail, and I like to have them out in early December.  I love taking them to the Santa Claus post office and stamping them myself!

Worst Christmas gift you ever received?

I remember an uncle (that we only saw once a year at Christmas) gave me socks with zipper pockets on the side.  We laughed about them for a long time!

Favorite Christmas Movie?

My favorite chick flick is "The Holiday" but it's not as kid friendly as "Elf".  I happen to find that movie hilarious and could watch it over and over! 

When do you start your Christmas Shopping?

That changes every year! Usually by Black Friday though.  

Favorite Christmas song?

Oh Holy Night - Martina McBrides edition may be my favorite

Travel at Christmas or stay home?

We travel, but just to the west-side of Evansville.

Angel on the tree top or a star?

I really want an angel, but I've yet to find one I like.  So we have a pretty star on the tree now.

Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?

My kids have to wait till Christmas morning to open them!  We usually have my in-laws over for a Christmas meal and gift exchange on Christmas Eve so they do get to open some gifts then.

Most annoying thing about this time of the year?

No matter how hard I try, I find myself stressed about things I'm wanting to get done.  I like baking and sewing and crafting all month but that leaves little time to do the laundry and dishes and house cleaning. 

Favorite food for Christmas dinner?

My mom has always made an amazing Christmas dinner.  Ham, seasoned mashed potatoes, broccoli cheese casserole, corn, Christmas jello, and rolls.... But dessert is my favorite and I can always find room for sugar cookies, gingersnaps, fudge, Mexican wedding cakes, peanut brittle..... I'm hungry thinking about all the food!

Gingerbread or sugar cookies?

I couldn't even pick between the two because I adore both cookies!

Do you like fruitcake?

Apparently my mom makes a killer fruitcake but I've never tried it. So I don't know if I like it, but I'm going I guess no.

Does your family have a special holiday recipe you like to help make?

I'm going to go with sugar cookies. My moms recipe is a favorite to all who try them and I love making them!

What do you do the day after Christmas?

Before 2013, it was a lazy day for us, but now that's Austin's birthday and we are tidying up the house, making cake, and getting ready for his birthday party.  Two years ago we welcomed visitors at the hospital, last year we had a casual dinner for family, and I assume that will continue to be our tradition!

Is there a certain food you have to have around Christmas time that comes out?

Candy canes, and only the peppermint ones! I love the Brachs ones and the little tiny ones.  I could eat my weight in them during he month of December!  I love seasonal candy! 

Christmas lights, White or Colored?

I love both but always decorate with white lights.  Kevin prefers white and I grew up with only white, so we've just stuck with what we know!

Whats your favorite ornament on your Christmas Tree?

That's impossible for me to answer because I love every one.  And I haven't really decorated my tree in a couple years due to kids removing and breaking ornaments....I'm hoping in the next couple years I'll be back to loading my tree down with my little treasures!

What's your weirdest Christmas tradition that you do each year?

Weirdest, and definitely the most fun is Kevin shoots down mistletoe for us.  We love passing it out to our friends/family/(Kevin's)coworkers.

Have you ever spent a Christmas away from "home"? 

Never!

Describe Christmas morning at your house when you were a child.

Well, the night before Christmas, my brother and I would camp out in my sisters room.  We'd play funny games and make each other laugh all night.  And we'd be awake pretty much all night because we'd be so excited to open gifts. We'd wait till like 4am and wake my parents up to see if we could open gifts then, and they'd tell us to go back to bed (which we really hadn't gone to bed all night!) so we'd wait till 4:30 and wake them up again only to be told to go back bed. Usually somewhere around 5/5:30 they'd let us open our stockings while they drug themselves out of bed.  Then we opened gifts, mom would make breakfast, and we'd quickly clean up our gifts and get ready for my dads side of the family to come over for lunch.  

Did you believe in Santa as a child? Are you using Santa with your own children?

I did but I think I was always a bit skeptical.  I snuck downstairs one year when I was probably 5 or 6 and saw my mom putting presents under the tree.  I wasn't traumatized in any way to find out he wasn't real.  We do "Santa" with our kids but as soon as they start to question it, I'll tell them the truth.  

How will you spend Christmas day this year?

This year, the kids will open their gifts at our house Christmas morning.  We will turn on the tv and watch the Christmas parade while I make breakfast and eat.  Then we will get the kids and the adults ready and go have lunch with Kevin's side of the family.  They rent a cabin at Burdette for the get together.  We will probably come home and let some kids (and maybe adults) take naps before we go to my parents house for the evening.

I wish you all have the Merriest of Christmases!!!

Bookshelf Upgrade

I was sitting in our rocking chair about a month before my birthday.  I looked at this eyesore in my family room and though "it would sure be nice to upgrade this bookshelf!" My mom always asks for ideas for birthday and Christmas gifts and I thought maybe I could find a replacement with he money she was going to spend on my birthday.  

Within 5 minutes I had found this piece on Craigslist.  I loved the shelves were high enough the kids couldn't rummage through my books and I loved the doors at the bottom for extra storage. I immediately emailed the person who posted the ad and she called me right away to let me know it was still available.  Kevin and I went to her house that evening with some of my birthday cash in hand.  I'm glad I brought him because I needed the muscles!  He took the heavy end and I took light end and we loaded it up in the old Ford.

I was excited to start the remodel project and I made it known to my parents I'd be painting and updating it.  A couple days later my dad called to say he was coming over to help me start sanding the cabinet.  I told him I had planned to do it myself and he said he knew that but thought I'd want the help. And I did. I just didn't want to bother him with a project I had high expectations for.

I told him I'd like to put legs on the bottom and replace the back with bead board.  I actually did over half of the sanding on it (Kevin helped me use his big sander), but that's about as far as my help went.  My dad took it to his friends shop where they finished priming/painting and rebuilding it.  They rebuilt the chewed up corners on it, added some new trim to the top, and added a new board to the bottom to make it a little taller.

(I picked out the Palladian gold color to use as the bead board color.)

The before and after is pretty dramatic!

Our Christmas tree kind of steals it's thunder, but I love love love how it turned out!  It's by far so much better than I could have ever done by myself!  I had to rearrange my picture collage to center it above the loveseat and that turned out better than before!  I have updated pictures for my collage printing at Sams Club as I type!

I'm so happy to have added this beautiful piece of furniture to our house, and even more thankful for all the hours of work my dad put into redoing it for me!