Christmas Gifts and Ideas/Recipes

So yesterday was Darby's last day of preschool and now we have a break for the holiday.  I put together some things to give her teachers and I am also sharing some with my neighbors.

For your taste buds:

White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn!  Click here for recipe.   There is another version at Our Best Bites but I did the white chocolate kind.

To kill germs: (not caused by the popcorn)

Last year I made these.  This year I made them simular but went with the monogram version here instead.  Love them. 

Pray for Ansley

How sad.  This family just recently found out that their 4 year old daughter has cancer.  Here is a link to the blog they have started.  Please join with me in praying for God to heal this child.

http://prayingforansley.blogspot.com/

She's a funny one...

At least that is what the doctor said at her 18 month check up. 

My sweet Carson is 25th percentile for head circumference, 50-75th for weight and 25th again for height.

She actually on the scale isn't too chubby but bc of her height she is my little butterball.

I love her, she is super duper sweet all the time.  It's been a while since I updated my blog on the kiddos so I need to more often for my records and such ; ).

She is running and walking rather well, her hair, bless her, is still slowly but surely growing in.  She is very quiet.  She talks but not much and not often.  She does repeat things you say when you ask....if she is in the mood.  Some times she spouts off in what we call her own language... She is generally just a heavy thinker and serious and quiet.  I love her little personality.  Her favorite jam is the ABC's.  She LOVES her big sister.  Really she loves all of us, the dog, dad and mom.  She is quite attached to her family and is so lovey.  I love watching Carson and Darby interact.  They play so great.  Yesterday when I picked Darby up from her little preschool Darby came and grabbed her hand and walked her over to her friends on the rug and asked, "Do you like my baby?". 

A week or so ago Carson went in to the bathroom and grabbed the step stool and brought it into Chad's office, first she tried to climb into his lap, then she was "helping" him work by bringing him CD's one at a time and getting him to stack them on his desk...then she just stood by watching and waiting to see if he needed help ; ).  It was so stinking cute.  I snapped a picture on my phone.  I think it is the cutest.

Some thoughts on Christmas

I think I have said before but Christmas is my FAVORITE holiday.  I love the colors, smells, decorations, shopping, family, food and etc...

Christmas with children is fun...and challenging.  Trying to capture the true meaning of Christmas is a hard thing in all of our hearts but especially in a child who LOVES the presents, the lights and the junk food and etc.  All of those things are fine and dandy but if they replace the true excitement over a Savior being born then they really are all meaningless little idols in our hearts.

What's annoying as a parent.  Christmas programs.  As Darby and I were watching one the other day I was just so disappointed, but not surprised. 

So here we go, seemingly against the grain to teach her:

the point of Christmas: Jesus' birth

the miracle of Christmas: God in the flesh (born of a virgin)!  come on ppl that is a big deal!

the "magic" of Christmas:  personally I don't care for the word but I would just refer to last statement

what to believe in: why Jesus is the son of God of course sent to save

I'm so confused...this program had not a single mention of Jesus but they taught that when something is wrong all you have to do is believe in the magic and miracles of Christmas.  It's so shallow and fluffy really.  I'd like to ask people who live this way,  what do they do when something goes wrong in January?

Another one we watched recently made it seem like the only way Christmas is "magical" is if you believe in Santa... oh me oh my

So now I feel like singing/praying some of the words to "Onward Christian Solider".

Just continuing in the faith and praying for God's mercy on me and my children and for the people around me.

And thankfully and joyfully with Jesus' cross before me.

"See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of the world rather than on Christ."  Colossians 2:8

My FREE Christmas Cards from Shutterfly!

Family Wall Red Christmas Card

Get custom photo Christmas cards online at Shutterfly.com.

View the entire collection of cards.



Family Pictures..."Vintagey"

On facebook I came across a super fun photographer, Kristen Pace.  We normally have our family pictures taken once a year or so and so this year here is what we went with.  It's kinda "vintagey".  I like it for a change from our traditional pics.  There are alot!  Trust me I know...I had to go thru and water mark all of them!  I tell you why.  I am not necessarily worried about yall stealing them but it is weird that if they came up in a google image search anyone could use them....  Anyway- these were my favorites!



I love my family!  I can't believe there will be 4 of us just months away!

Are you surprised??? .....cuz we were but surely babies are the best surprises EVER.

I Changed My Mind!

I actually LOVE the fair!

I wrote in my last post about how I don't care for it and was almost dreading going but it was our first time taking Darby and it was fabulous!  We all went, even Carson, but to see how much Darby enjoyed it was such a delight. 

We went with our neighbors and so Darby got to have all the fun with her BFF. 

 They rode this dinasoaur rollercoaster ride like this the entire time and we were laughing so hard we were crying. 

Later we met up with some more friends and so Carson got to hang out with her BFF olivia for a bit.

My husband took some awesome pictures and there were tons more I wish I could share.  I have to work on watermarking them so I don't have to shrink them down so much, but I hope you enjoyed a glimpse at our night, and I officially do like the fair!



What are you going to do for yours???

I love Christmas!  Love it!

It is definitely my favorite holiday!  I love the decorations, the music, the longer hours for shopping bc the stores are open later, the smells, the colors, the food....  I love giving gifts.  The only reason we get to enjoy any of it is bc of the birth of our precious and much needed Savior Jesus Christ!  Glorious!

Naturally, at the first sign of lower temperatures I start sing Christmas music ; ). So this brings me to my question....What are you going to do for your holiday cards???  I've been researching for a couple weeks now.  I was going to make my own.  Then quickly I realized that I'm not that creative so......

In my search I came across Shutterfly .  They have a TON of choices! Plus- Bloggers!  You can receive 50 FREE Christmas Cards click Here to see how.

My person favorites are the photo cards.  I love to send updated pictures out of our family to our friends and family with a short holiday greeting!

Here are some of my favorite cards for this year!

You can visit http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards to look at all of the Holiday Card selections!

Or click here http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery to see the assortment of Holiday Photo Cards! 

A great idea for the grandparents gifts would be a 2011 Calendar.  What a joy to see new pictures of the babes each month!  I plan to do them for our family as well. 

miscellany monday

1. Candy is my weakness!  I love candy!  Thanks to these two trick-or-treating cuties, I have tons!  I am doomed-I must throw it away.

2. The fair is here.  bleh...  I don't like the fair but nevertheless we are venturing out tonight.  I hope we don't get shot or pick up a communicable disease ; ).

3. Last week I began training for a half marathon.  My neighbor and I have been running together for a while with this in mind.  We worked our way up to running 3 miles as our normal run and then we set out on our training schedule last week.  I was pumped actually.  Until....I broke my toe on Saturday : (.  I don't know what that means for my half marathon but I am hoping it heals quickly an I can catch up the training.... we will see.

4. Bowtique Bowtique is my name, etsy is the game.  That is what I wanted to share with yall.  It's fun to be crafty.  I enjoy it.  I just find etsy-ing is impossible!  If  you sell and have any tricks please inform me!  Right now I post and within an hour I am already several pages back.  I don't get it.  I'm getting  it up and running slowly but surely in between meal times, playdates, cleaning and working on current orders.  Here is the link to my etsy shop... Feel free to visit it, share it or even shop!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/bowtiquebowtique?ga_search_query=bowtique+bowtique&ga_search_type=seller_usernames

5.  I hope you have a most fabulous week!





Death...

I'm not sure what it is like but I am pretty sure I was close to it the other night when I came down with a stomach virus!  I wanted to die. 

{you should know I am totally being dramatic here, well kinda, some I am being a baby.  I know so many people battle all kinds of physical ills daily or regularly and I can't imagine it day in a day out but for my what is normally pretty healthy self, this is how it goes}

I wanted to put a gun to my head!

{see please don't take me too serious, remember I am being dramatic}

I hate the stomach bug!  I can't stand throwing up.  Thankfully though it only really lasted about 24 hours and I was better.  But my stomach has never hurt like it was with this virus....

And it was weird because when I woke up and felt nauseous at 3 am I totally almost woke chad up to go get me a pregnancy test although there was no real reason to think I could have not on purpose been pregnant.  It was weird.  I am glad it is over now... 

So I need to share something with you guys....but I will wait for the next post or so... but here is a teaser.

My sweet Darby.

The Biz

So I  posted a couple videos a couple months ago bc Chad and I started a videography/film biz...  Here is our latest....Chad who really runs the whole show was in the wedding so that was interesting but still so fun!

Hope you enjoy!

Are you still my friends???

I can't be to sure if I have any blogging friends left after my ridiculously long absence...but alas I am back at it ; ).   I finally feel like I may have some more time for this blogging business!  I am telling you it is the shorter days!  It makes all the difference.

So what should I start you off with?  I don't know...but I have been in the worst mood lately.  It is getting on my nerves and I so I can only imagine how Chady feels about it.  (Well that sure was a downer to start off with...but that is what came to my brain.)

What else...well we went punkin pickin the other day and here are some pictures from this event!

The last picture is us girls with our choosen pumpkin...