Christmas Baking with my helper

I woke up this morning and decided to get all my Christmas baking out of the way. So since I knew that my house was about to be destroyed, I decided to blend right in and not even get ready for the day. Nothing like staying in your pj's til noon. This was the first year I had a little shadow at my side the whole time, and I must say it was a challenge. My biggest obstacle was trying to keep her hands out of everything - I don't even want to know how much sugar she ate today. But even though she slowed me down, we had such a fun time together making memories. She informed me later that afternoon that she wanted to be a "cake baker" when she grows up. :)

*Many thanks to Natalie for playing by herself all morning and cleaning the kitchen floor for us. :)

Christmas Tradition

Last year I tried this craft idea with Adrianna, and it was such a hit that we just HAD to do it again this year. We made these dough creations (mainly Veggie Tales, of course), and put magnets on the back for the refrigerator. Adrianna got a little bored with cutting them out, so I spent way too much time sculpting their faces by myself. ;) But she did enjoy painting them. Next year maybe we'll move on from Veggie Tales and Cubbie Bear to something a little more grown up. :)

Recipe:
2 Cups flour
1 Cup salt
1 Cup water

Bake at 325 oven for an hour and a half.

I found a few visitors in the Nativity Scene yesterday . . .

Something's wrong with this picture . . .

No, I did not put my one-year old in the bathtub in her pj's. And no, that cell phone she's holding does not work. Yes, Natalie dove head first into the bathtub to be with her sister. Yes, I was a bad mom and was not in the room. But she looks like she is quite pleased with how things turned out. :)

The Flower Girl

My brother, Phil, got married this last weekend. He married a WONDERFUL girl, Alissa, and I'm so thrilled to have her in the family. For the last 4 months, I've been preparing Adrianna to be a flower girl - we even practiced in the basement with rose petals. The rehearsal went pretty well, although Adrianna would throw all the petals in the first throw, run out of petals, and leave her basket halfway down the aisle and keep walking. By the time of the wedding, I was pretty nervous. I prayed often and fervently as I waited in the front row for her to walk down the aisle!!! To my surprise, she was perfect!! It was quite a hoot to watch her walk down slowly, smiling at the audience as she went. I know we're not supposed to brag, but I was pretty proud of her. :) It was a special weekend, and we all enjoyed it.









Thought I'd include a video of the Adrianna busting a move during the reception. :)

Another funny . . .

Okay, I couldn't resist another one:

Today during lunch I was faithfully practicing Adrianna's Cubbie's verse with her for tomorrow night. It is "While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." I read the whole paragraph about it, and we said the verse atleast 10x together. When I could see that she had it well, I told her to say it by herself. She closed her eyes in concentration and quoted, "Cinderella, dressed in yellow, went upstairs to kiss her fellow."

Funny moment . . .

Today I opened a door not knowing that Adrianna's toes were right under it. I felt awful and kept saying how sorry I was, even going so far as to kiss her toes. She took it like a champ and sweetly said, "That's okay, Mommy. Maybe sometime I could hurt your foot too." I'm so glad she understands complete forgiveness. :)

Happy Birthday, Natalie!!

One year ago today our sweet Natalie was born. This year has gone faster than any other year of my life, and I look back and wonder where it all went. Natalie has been our little angel, always sweet and happy. Her smile fills any room we're in, and I can't imagine what life was like before we had her in our little family. We love her to pieces!!!!!

We celebrated on Labor Day since my parents were able to visit. Natalie enjoyed the whole event, mostly her cake. And Adrianna enjoyed "helping" her little sister with all the challenges of being the birthday girl, like blowing out the candles and opening her presents. :)

What on earth???

This afternoon Adrianna put on Nate's sunglasses, and I said, "Strike a pose, Adrianna!" I expected her to stand like the little 3-year old she is, and instead she pulls this move on me. Nate and I looked at each other and said at the same time, "What on earth???" I am racking my brain trying to remember where she could have learned this blessed pose: Winnie the Pooh?? her Sunday school class?? her books?? certainly not her mother!!!! I am stumped. Perhaps all little children have a natural "spoiled model" pose in them somewhere. :)

Adrianna's 3rd Birthday!

Tomorrow morning Adrianna turns three years old! Where did the time go?? I know every parent says that, but I never thought it would happen to me. This birthday is definitely more sentimental for me as opposed to last year. Last year she still seemed "baby-ish" to me. But now my baby is gone, and a little girl stands in her place. Here are just some of a million reasons I love her:

*She gets giddy with excitement at the smallest things, like seeing a ladybug or eating her vitamins.
*She sits on her bed for hours at night and reads her library books; we listen to her loudly playing the parts in each story. :)
*She loves to get her special blanket and cuddle with me on the couch or bed; she says, "Let's talk, Mom."
*She loves the familiar, just like me.
*When she sings, it always makes me smile.
*Almost every night at dinner, she says, "So how was your day, Dad??"
*When she wakes up in the morning, she decides which character she wants to be for the day. Today she was FrankenCelery all day (a little Veggie Tales for you fans). :)
*She sits and lets me read to her each morning for a half hour - I love those moments.
*When I look into her eyes, I see my own eyes - it's kind of a weird feeling.
*Nobody in the world makes Nate and I laugh as hard as she does.
*When she grows up, she wants to be a "mommy" so she can wash the dishes too. :) I'm flattered.
*Watching her interact with her Daddy makes me fall in love with him even more.
*She is my constant reminder that life goes so fast - I can't waste it.
*Her smile lights up a room and causes me to thank God for letting me be her mommy.

Happy Birthday, my sweet Adrianna! I love you!!!!

Our Porch

Before:



After:




Our front porch was a sight to behold when we moved into our house in '07. That was one of the top priorities on our list of "things to re-do." We (Nate) started working on it in April of last year, and finally as of right now, it is 99% completed - we still have a coat of white paint to put on. As with all home projects, it was far more than we planned on, mostly because Nate had such little time to work on it. But with the help of a few guys in our church, he was able to finish it. And I'm very proud of his work. :)


Here's the evolution of our porch if you care: