Dialogue Monday

Brayley:  "I love to jump on our new jumpoling!"

The Sweetness of Christmas Morning 2008

Another Adventure with the Reindeer Elf...

This morning we awoke to another adventure of the Reindeer Elf.  While he has been hiding and making messes every day, this morning brought a whole new scenario.  We found that he had been having a cotton-ball fight with Rudolph!  I'm not sure if they were actually fighting or if it was friendly fire, but they sure made a mess!!

Oh, what fun! ;-)

Top 10 Things I Still Have To Do Before Christmas...

I have been running around like a chicken with my head cut off Christmas shopping, tending sick babies, attending work parties, wrapping this, bagging that, last minute Amazon.com orders and checking the mail for Christmas cards!!  Now I am down to the wire and I am still not done!  So as a reminder to myself, here are my...
Top Ten Things I Still Have To Do Before Christmas

1.  Get 1 or 2 more gifts.
2.  Wrap 5 or 6 more things.
3.  Vacuum, Dust, Laundry, Bathrooms, Etc.
4.  Prepare for Christmas Day Breakfast and Lunch.
5.  Make sure Santa is prepared!
6.  Clean out some toys in the kids rooms so they can be jammed packed again with the new things!! (Ridiculous!)
7.  Try to keep everything Lysol-ed and everyone well!
8.  Make some Christmas snacks for family gifts.
9.  Rest for just a minute with the hubs.
10.  Read The Christmas Story to my sweet babies and remind them that He is the real reason for the season!

I'm praying that I get it all done but loving every minute of it!! 

Dialogue Monday

Brayley and Addy: "Away in a manger, no rib for a fred.  The little Lord Jesus lay down his sweet head.  The star in the high look round where he may.  The little Lord Jesus asleep in the way."  (Or something like that!)

Shaggy, Smelly Sheep 2009

Top 10 Things I Love About Christmas Time

Christmas is right around the corner and I, like my children (and my 'I work in retail and I am exhausted with all of these Christmas shopping lunatics' husband), can't wait! So for today’s post, I am giving you my

Top Ten Things I Love About Christmas Time

In no particular order…

1. Shopping for others.  I shop better for others than I do for myself!
2. Driving and Looking at Christmas lights. We’ve already started taking the long way home from wherever we go, just so we can look at the Christmas lights.
3. Wrapping presents. I love to wrap presents and I love to make my own wrapping paper!  Brown mailing paper, finger paint and some toddler creativity make the perfect present wrapping paper!
4. Our Christmas Eve tradition. Christmas eve is always crazy for us… many years we have four stops to make on that single day! But I wouldn't trade it for anything!
5. Christmas Programs. At school and at church, I love them all!
6. Christmas Cards. It’s the one time of the year we’re actually excited to get the mail!  I love mailed cards!!
7. Christmas Music. The Carpenters Christmas album!!  Karen is my vocal idol!
8. Preparing for Santa.  The exhausting, hard, time consuming labor of getting everything "ready"!
9. Christmas Day Morning. I love to watch my children's face on Christmas morning! Our kids are at the perfect ages for Christmas, and I can’t wait to watch them this year. It’s something I want to remember forever!
10. The Christmas Story.  Is there anything better than teaching your children that the true meaning of Christmas doesn't sit under the tree or magically plop down the chimney.  It was born under a star in Bethlehem many years ago and died so that we may live!

Don't you just LOVE Christmas!

Dialogue Mondays

Brayley: "Mommy, it's snowing!!  It's just like Christmas! ... I have an idea!  Why don't we pretend it's Christmas today!"

Reindeer Elf Strikes Again...

On Tuesday, 'Rudolph' was hungry again!  But this time he went for a healthy snack ;-)

The Holidays 2009

Top 10 Thins I Love About Cold Weather

As the Holiday season approaches and it begins to turn cold, I get excited.  There are at least...

Top Ten Things I Love About Cold Weather

1. Baking!  Bonus points for this being an activity that also heats up the house!
2. Soups!  Ditto on the bonus points for extra warmth!
3. Candles, Candles and MORE Candles!
4. Heart warming movies:  It's a Wonderful Life and White Chrsitmas are some of my favorite Christmas movies.
5. Cuddle time with my husband and kiddos!
6. Sweaters, warm socks and slippers!!
7. Blankets!!  I LOVE Blankets!
8. The warm feeling that Christmas lights give. 
9. Hot cocoa, flavored coffee creamer and Apple Cider  ;)
10. Being able to open the blinds and let the light into the house without the worry of overworking the air condition!

 What are your favorite cold weather things?

Dialogue Monday

We went to celebrate Brandon's grandmother's birthday yesterday at a local Olive Garden.  As Brayley was preparing to eat his salad, Brandon unwrapped his silverware and put the cloth napkin in his lap...

Brayley: "Am I allowed to use this(holding up the cloth napkin)?!

 
Bless him!  We don't get out much! LOL

A New Tradition

So there are many families that are participating in a new tradition this holiday season.  It is called Elf on the Shelf or Elf Magic.  I think this is a super cute idea, I am just too cheap to spend $25-$30 on something that will be used 3 weeks out of the year.  Maybe one day I can talk myself into it but, until then, I came up with my own tradition.  I found an elf poem on the internet and changed the wording around to have the same principle idea as the two links I mentioned above.  Then, I ventured out to find a "cheap" elf for hire.  Who knew that elves were so valuable?!?!  So, I instead chose a "Reindeer Elf" for less then 1/10 of the price.  We introduced him to the kiddos and they were immediately astonished at this magical reindeer elf!  They named him Rudolph.  On the first couple of nights "Rudolph was very inconspicuous.  But, he soon began to get into everything!

( He jumped into the ornament filled sleigh!)

 

 (He ate Addy's popcorn! He even forgot to wipe his mouth!)

 Brayley and Addyson can't wait to see where he is and what he has done every morning.  It is also great to be able to remind them that "Rudolph" is constantly watching them and their behavior and that he reports to Santa Claus nightly!  It actually helps... a little!  

 And so a new Smith family tradition begins! ;-)

Fall 2009

Top 10 Christmas Activities To Enjoy As A Family

I borrowed a post from "Another Day, Another Thought...Or Two" for todays Top Ten Tuesday.  Today's post is:

Top Ten Christmas Activities To Enjoy As A Family

Click HERE.  There are some really good and traditional ideas!

Brayley:  "Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and then Saturday Santa Claus will come!"

-Bless him, he is so excited this year!-

Thanksgiving 2008

Top 10 Things I Am Thankful For...

Top Ten Things I am Thankful For... (cont'd)

10.  Most of all, I am thankful that my heavenly father sent his son to die on the cross for my sins.  Because of this, I can one day leave this hard, cruel world and meet my maker and see all of the loved ones that have gone on before me.  This is by far the best gift I have ever received and for this I am truely THANKFUL!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Dialogue Mondays

Addyson:  "I was just per-kiding!"

Making Sweet Potato Casserole 2008

Top 10 Things I Am Thankful For...

Top Ten Things I am Thankful For... (cont'd)

7.  When driving to or from work in rush-hour traffic, I am always thankful for one more minute with my babies.  You never know when God will decide to bring you home so I cherish every hug and kiss.  (Even though the bewitching hour is not my favorite time!!)

8. A wonderful, hard-working, God-fearing, High School sweetheart, had our ups and downs, best-friend, wonderfully singing, great dressing, fast driving, mexican eating, love of my life of a husband.

9.  MY ENTIRE FAMILY - From Husband, to children, to mom, to dad, to brother, to in-laws, to nephews, to grandparents, to aunts and uncles, to cousins and everyone in-between.  I am thankful for them ALL!

...

(To be cont'd)

Dialogue Mondays

After her singing debut in her school Thanksgiving program...
Addyson:  "I sing pretty!"

Fall 2008

Top 10 Things I am Thankful For... (cont'd)

Top Ten Things I am Thankful For... (cont'd)

4.  The fact that I could stand to lose a few pounds!  This at least means that there is food on the table (or at least chicken wings! LOL).

5.  Air Conditioning in the heat and warmth in the cold! Whether it be in my home, car or work, I am thankful for it! 

6. Books to read, music to hear and shoes to walk in! Having these thing means I can see, hear and move!

...

(To be cont'd)

Dialogue Mondays

Brayley:  "My precious mommy..."

(I LOVE it when he says that!  Sweet boy!)

Fall 2007

Top 10 Things I Am Thankful For...

To Celebrate November, the month of giving thanks, I am posting a series of things I am thankful for. I am thankful for so many things that it will take me the entire month to narrow it down to only 10.  So, here is the beginning of the:

Top Ten Things I Am Thankful For

1.  The fact that my husband and I both have a job.  There were periods of time this year when we both weren't working.  That put a strain on our finances, among other things.  Thank you, God, for the blessing of having to go to work every day!

2.  I am thankful for a roof over my head.  At times I get tired of cleaning, fixing and paying for it but I am SOOOO thankful for it!

3.  I am thankful for my children's great teachers.  You never truely appreciate a great teacher until you have a not so great one!  This year we are truely blessed with wonderful, Godly influences for our children.

...

(to be cont'd)

Halloween 2010

A Batman-Butterfly Halloween 2010

 

Ready to go trick-or-treating!!

Dialogue Monday

Addyson: "Nem-E-Nems" (M&M's - her favorite candy!)

Sneak Peek #2

Here is a sneak peek of Batman:

(He said he was stronger than Spideman !)

Sneak Peak...

Here is a "Tinkerbell" (Butterfly) Halloween Sneak-Peek:

(Today is her Halloween Party at school!)