Happy Birthday To Us!

Happy 2nd Birthday Scooty Pants!
Happy 6th Birthday Clowny Pants!


Since the boys dont technically share a birthday, having thier birthdays 4 days apart still lets us "share" their special day together- esp at Grandma's house. The highlight of our day was the egg free banana muffins that Clowny Pants made (his egg allergy keeps him from enjoying birthday cakes) . He specially requested the "2" 's and the "6" 's be frosted in green- his favorite color- on the muffins.

Scooty had no idea what to do with his candle, so grandpa blew it out for him hee hee.

Scooty picked up a new sentance that day too (you'd think he'd have mastered it at Christmas lol) "Open Presents!"

My little boys are getting so big!!

From my family to yours...

More crafts...

We've been busy this weekend with all of our crafting! More to come I'm sure- we still need to make Snowflakes to hang on our tree!

Finger Snowmen gift bag

Santa Handprint gift wrap

glass photo ornaments

this year

last year

an M&M Christmas

My kids brought this note home yesterday from church with a bag of m&m's and it was so cute I had to share!


As you hold these candies in your hand and turn them, you will see...
The M becomes a W, an E and then a 3.
They tell the Christmas story it's one I'm sure you know.
It took place in a stable a long, long time ago.
The E is for the East where the star shone oh so bright.
The M is for the Manger where the baby Jesus slept that night.
The 3 is for the Wisemen bearing gifts, they say they came.
W is for Worship, Hallelujah Praise to His name.
So as you eat these candies or share them with a friend, r
emember the spirit of Christmas and never let it end!

Reindeer Gift Bags!

I know...I know...that's not a bag...that's the card that Bossy and Sassy made for their piano teacher... it was too cute not to share...

-paper bag
-q-tip
-red paint
-brown paint
-black paint
-paint brush
-brown marker (I like sharpies for this project)
-google eyes
-glue
-finger or thumb (I used Scooty's big toe)


1)OK I forgot to take a picture of what it looked like with just the antlers...so use your imagination..
dry completely before going on to step 2

2) draw on antlers...I used a brown sharpie



3) glue eyes on
(I couldn't find my google eyes, so I used a hole punch on white paper, then drew a pupil on each eye and then glued it on...it looks like a google eye, right?)

4) dip just the end of your q-tip in paint and dot a nose on each critter, let dry and VOILA!!

this is the one that Sassy Pants did for her gift exchange- she put noses in the middle of the thumbprint and then she drew a smile on

Reindeer tags/ornaments

we did these last year with my sunday school class...and then I took the same concept and put them on cards... this year I used the same idea on gift bags- when they're dry I'll add photos...

I totally stole the idea from FamilyFun.com!!

materials:

-cardstock

-scisors

-cup

-pencil

-q-tip-

red paint

-brown paint

-paint brush

-brown marker (I like sharpies for this project)

-google eyes

-hole punch

-ribbon

-glue

-finger or thumb (I used Scooty's big toe)

I cant explain this...so here have a lovely picture:

stamp thumb/finger first and let it COMPLETELY DRY before you glue anything or paint anything or draw anything on!!

Sassy's class visit to "Ellis Island"

Sassy Pants class has been studying immigration and Ellis Island in social studies at school recently. To finish off the unit, their class took a "trip" to "Ellis Island".

Sassy had a BALL!

The teacher assigned each child a REAL person who visited Ellis Island, Sassy was given Annie Moore, the first woman (who was 16) to pass through Ellis Island. She was Irish.

The night before the big event, Sassy had to pick out an immagrent outfit and pack a "suitcase"- things real immagrents probably had with them. There was a list of suggestions, but Sassy is pretty creative and came up with a bunch of great stuff on her own! She used my old brown purse as a satchel and inside she put a drawstring bag filled with plastic gold coins, a hankie filled with plastic fruit and bread, another hankie with a plastic pearl necklace, a tea cup and tea party gloves, a journal and a pencil, and a shawl to keep her warm on the boat. Sassy was sure to put her passport (made in class) in her bag too.

Then she picked out her outfit. She raided her Auntie's "to donate" pile and found that super cute brown skirt and that white top. The hat came out of the dress up box at grandma's house and the jacket and boots are her own. She makes a pretty cute immagrant!

Sassy told me she couldnt smile in the picture- according to her teacher none of the immagrents smiled in *any* of their photos upon arriving at Ellis Island. Sassy figures they were too tired.

Then she went to school and the fun began!

There were several centers set up. The kids had to sign in, go to the weighing station, go to a health center where their temperature was taken with a red vine lol and....darn I'll have to ask Sassy what the other stations were. She said that some of the kids were sent back to "the detention center" for suitcases that were too heavy and incomplete paperwork or "health concerns" lol. She came home from school that day saying that it was the BEST day of 3rd grade EVER. I wanna be in Sassy's class!!

Poor Bossy Pants. His class didnt do that at all- his class had a "high tea" insted- when they finished reading The Velveteen Rabbit.

Ultrasound Results are IN!

And I know what kind of baby is in there!!!!!


#5 is a GIRL!!!

Sassy Pants is VERY excited to be getting a sister!!!
(and so are Bossy and Clowny Pants...Scooty is oblivious....try explaining "baby sister" to a 23mo with nothing but an ultrasound picture...he's lost lol)

Finally Sassy Pants isnt the only girl in our family! (not even girl cousins- they are all boys!) YAY!!!

cuteness: uncensored

Its only taken him almost 2 years, but he's discovered the fun of peek a boo through his legs! lol

I wish he could stay this cute forever!

tomorrow is the BIG ultrasound!

I'm having an ultrasound tomorrow afternoon- cross your fingers that Impending Arrival is cooperative and lets us have a peek at his or her definitive gender parts! My kids and my mom are DYING to know what kind of kid is dwelling in my belly! (Grandma wants to start her shopping)

Hopefully I have exciting news to share when I get home tomorrow!!

dont try to take pictures of your child unless you're behind the camera....

because they end up looking like this:

ok- I'll admit it...

I am admitting to being a closet Star Wars nerd. Not a huge one or anything. But enough of one that I can talk Star Wars with my kids and not be lost...

I swear its because growing up my brother and sister were HUGE Star Wars nerds and it all sort of sunk in through osmosis.

Silly huh.

A thanksgiving nobody will forget...

because this year my brother came down to spend thanksgiving with us. My brother works a lot, he's running a martial arts school and gets very little time to himself. So when he found out the school would be closed over the holiday, he immediatly made plans to come out and see his family!

My sister and her husband (and bunny) were in town this year too, they're leaving in January for graduate school. So this is probably the last thanksgiving- for a while anyway- where we had EVERYONE together.

My brother decided my big boys were big enough to enjoy his old Star Wars and Transformer toys, so he set out to dig through my parents closets until he found them. Umm...Maybe not the *best* idea- it became a HUGE project, but we found them, and all the kids got to enjoy them! While he was digging around in the closets he stumbled accross my elusive My Little Pony collection (and stable!) which I have spent the last 3 years looking for! Sassy Pants was very excited to see those, but seems to be enjoying the Quints babydolls we found in the closet too. I think she was dissapointed that I only have 6 ponies. Thats nothing compared to the 30+ she has (I had to explain to her that I was a bigger fan of dolls and thats why I didnt have many. She's a huge pony/horse fan, so she doesnt have many dolls

anyway....I got some great pictures of the kids enjoying their Uncle's Star Wars toys and Transformer toys! Grandma put them back in the closet, but at the front so that they are easily accessable...they're not "every visit" toys, but they will for SURE be coming out again soon. Unfortunatly I didnt get a picture of the kids with all the ships...

I just hope that my kids dont expect my brother to pull cool toys out of the closet EVERY time he visits- because thats it! No more cool toys hiding in the closet to be un-earthed!

Here are the kids with both of their uncles and their cousin- tearing into all the toys...

Scooty likes this dino transformer a lot

Bossy about to open a treasure chest...

Sassy even enjoyed the Star Wars toys!

I am thankful for...

I am truly blessed, and have many things to be thankful for.
Here's a very short, very incomplete list:

-a houseful of noisy children. They fill my life and heart with joy. I think I'd be pretty lonely without them. And gosh they're cute and funny.

-a loving husband. I sure like him. He's a keeper. Even if he can't find the hamper.

- a roof over my head. Yep, our house is too small, yep we have crappy neighbors that party all hours of the night on weekends, but I have a place to call home.

-loving and supportive parents. My mother has had a rough year this past year, and we got the best news we've heard in months on monday. Her PET scan came back clear. That means that all the chemo and radition she's done has paid off. I am truly thankful for that news, I love my mommy and I love that I get to share her with my children.

Thankgiving Turkey Project! FUN!

Start with a coffee filter and some washable markers




we colored ours over placemats as to not draw all over the table

try not to fall out of your chair



when you're done coloring, dip your coffee filter in about an inch of water

squeeze the water out

ooooh look at how pretty that looks with the colors all blending together!

Hang it up to dry.



Then trace 1 foot on a brown piece of paper, cut it out.

cut out eyes, a beak and a "waddle" and glue it onto your turkey body (upside down foot)

fold the coffee filter in half (when dry) and glue the turkey body onto it.

viola!!

well thats just smurfy....or is it?

At first glance, it would appear that Scooty Pants has been eating smurfs, right?
Turns out he bit the tip off of a non toxic washable crayola marker. EW!!! Thankfully he spit it right out, but it turned his whole mouth blue!! No more markers for you Scooty!!

Its begining to look a lot like Christmas?

How come, in the middle of November, I'm already seeing Christmas movies on TV, hearing Christmas songs on the radio and in stores, and seeing Christmas decorations everywhere?

Is Christmas coming early this year? Can't we have Thanksgiving first?

Never mind that its 90 degrees outside...

Halfway There!!

As of friday I am offically 20 weeks pregnant. Thats the halfway point! HALFWAY!! In 20 weeks I'll be holding a precious new little human! What am I going to do with FIVE children?! YIKES!!!

Best Kid Movie EVER!

My mom found this movie on DVD for $5.50 at Target a few weeks ago, remembered that it was a childhood favorite of mine and bought it and stashed it away. Today at grandma's house, my kids were digging through grandma's old VHS tapes and found this movie and now THEY have fallen in love with this charming movie! Grandma sent home the DVD for us to enjoy :) Thanks Grandma!

10 thumbs up from our house! Get your hands on a copy!

**RAVE**!!!! Lee jeans NO Gap Waistband!

I dont know about anyone else, but at this house we have ISSUES finding jeans that fit right.
Sassy pants and I are both carrying a little big of junk in our trunks, but are slim pretty much everywhere else. Thats where buying jeans is literally a pain in the behind.

Usually the problem is "gap-osis", where there's a 2+ inch gap between the back of the pants/jeans and your back. And then your underpants show. PROBLEM. Not only is it completely unflattering (and who wants to see what underpants you're wearing, right?) but its also really uncomfortable!

Until now.

Last night at kohls, grandma sent Sassy into the fitting room with 14 pairs of jeans. (I kid you not). The 4th pair of jeans Sassy tried on was a pair of Lee girls streach jeans with a "NO GAP WAISTBAND" and you know what? THEY FIT PERFECT! No "gap-osis", no "hitch up your pants-dance" to keep them up...we were in LOVE.

Come to find out after googling....Lee makes an ENTIRE LINE of these not only for little girls (in slim sizes too!), but for ladies too! Guess what my first pair of post baby jeans I'm purchasing are going to be? Yep...you guessed it!

And whats better than finding a fantastic fitting pair of jeans? Knowing that they're reasonably priced!! I think Sassy Pants new jeans were around $11! (on sale, with a 20% off coupon)

THANK YOU LEE for making a pair of jeans that cover our booties!!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from Yoda, Obi Bun Kenobun, Han Solo, Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia (with an Ewok)!

Whoa there Obi Bun...I think that light saber is a little big for you...

Happy Birthday Bossy and Sassy Pants!

Today is the 8th anniversary of your birth!

Happy Birthday my little stinky monkies!!

love,

Mommy :)

Hey Big Brother...I have your trai-ins!

Houseful of Thomas Fanatics here...I think this one is probably this biggest fan...at 22mo, Scooty can name ALL the trains. However he can't tell me what HIS name is. But when he's mad at you he'll call you a "Steamie!" (just like Diesel calls Thomas!)

Little Daddy once again

These Little Mommy twin babies just dont get old! Look at Scooty loving them up today during his nap in his stroller (yes, parked in the living room-he fell asleep in the car and I transfered him to the stroller to get him into the house-it was so much easier to leave him there than to fight him with taking a nap if I accidentally woke him up)

RAVE!: Trader Joe's Sunflower Seed Butter

I have 2 nut allergic children, and when my sister found this at her favorite grocery store last week, she picked it up for me to try on them. (Thank you Auntie!) Scooty wasnt too impressed with it(he didnt know what to do with it really), Sassy refused to try it (she's hopelessly devoted to creamy skippy), but both Bossy and Clowny took Sunflower Seed Butter sandwhiches to school today because they LOVE IT!

Clowny Pants loves having a peanut free sandwhich alternative! (I loving giving him something that tastes like peanut butter but doesnt make him sick) And I'm hoping it helps put a little meat on his scrawny little bones too!

I love that its peanut free, and inexpensive! $2.50 for a 16oz jar!

Thumbs up all around!

Fall Decorations!

My aunt gave my children mini pumpkins this weekend as party favors at her grandson's birthday party. What better way to display them than than a pretty vase on the center of your kitchen table?(this is me crossing my fingers the kids dont touch it and break it)

And yes, those are plastic glow in the dark spiders stuck in there too lol

I *may* or *may not* have gotten the idea for this centerpiece from this photograph in FamilyCircle magazine...

sneaky much?

Scooty Pants has turned into SNEAKY PANTS!

Look at what I just caught him doing! He snuck the raisins out of the pantry and decided to pork out on them! lol

At least it was the raisins and not Daddy's cheetos, right?

Read It Here First! (unless you read my fashion blog first...)

ok, I need to take a deep breath before I start.

Breathe in...


Breathe out...


Breathe in...


Breathe out...

I think I'm ready.

I have officially lost my mind. Hubs and I will be welcoming a 5th spawn into our over crowded household around the beginning of April. Yep, that means we've known for several months. But you know how we are about telling people about expanding our family...we just DON'T tell people! lol

So there you have it.

And now back to trying to convince myself 5 isn't that much harder than 4...I can handle 5, right?

Auntie's Bunny...

My sister has a bunny. My kids call her "Bun". Auntie brought Bun to visit the other day, and I was able to snap some photos of Scooty loving up Bun...

Scooty saying "Hi Bun" and "Soft Bun"

I wasnt quite quick enough to catch Scooty giving Bun a kiss...I swear he's not trying to EAT the bunny, thats just the end of a really big "mwah" that he planted on Bun lol

Scooty saying "Bun, NOSE" before he pulled the side of the bag up, said "Bye Bun" and walked away...

Painting fun!

Scooty and Girl Pal painted today...

ok well Girl Pal painted the table and Scooty ended up wearing more paint than putting it on the paper...

but it was fun anyway!

this is Scooty telling me that the paint tastes like "BLEH!" lol