A Bit of Random....

As always, I have a few things flying through this noggin' of mine.  Thought I'd share....

1.  Have you ever tried Ezekiel bread?  I looooove it.  You can buy it in the frozen food section.  It is healthier than regular bread (flourless, no trans fats, 100% sprouted whole grain) but it tastes so good!  Even my kiddos love it!

2.  I have a little girl that loves doing laundry....and she's good at it!  She still needs a little help sorting the various colors but other than that she has got it down!  Next step, cleaning toilets!!!!  Ha!  I just need to keep having little ones and before I know it I'll have myself a whole cleaning crew!

3.  Do you know anyone that spends most of their time complaining?  Especially about other people?  Do you ever wonder what they say about YOU when you aren't around?   I do.  A good lesson to remember (and teach my little ones)...in all situations practice kindness.

4.  Eva's is in a looping class, which means she had the exact same teacher and classmates last year and then again this year.  Simply put, they LOOPED up to 2nd grade together!  I wasn't sure how I would like it, but it's been awesome!  A bonus that I didn't expect is that I've become friends with  many of the parents in the class because our children have been together for 2 years and we often see each other at class functions.  Yea for new friends!!!!  (it's the little things that make me happy).

5.  I married super dad.  For real.  Matt has so much patience and comes up with so many fun things for us to do with our kiddos.  Love him and so very thankful for the kind of dad he is!

6.  I just realized THIS WEEK that after lunch time there are only 5 people in Jaden's whole class (the rest only go half a day)...and he is the ONLY boy!  Ha!  No wonder his best friends are Sarah and Lucy!!  (on a side note, I could listen to him talk about Sarah and Lucy all day long.  I love the way he says their names).  

7.  Greyson and I spent the morning at our Amish friends home.  I loooove spending time with them. It's so calming and peaceful.  I am so very lucky to have sweet Amish friends that embrace me, teach me, and inspire me....even though this Italian girl doesn't have a stitch of Amish running through these veins (which makes them giggle)!  

That's all I've got for now sweet peas!!  Have a great Thursday!!!

XOXO....

Jamie

I can't make this stuff up....

Sometimes something happens with my kiddos that seriously makes me laugh so hard.  Thought I'd share our latest laugh...

I had to run to the grocery yesterday and had 4 kids with me. I wanted to buzz through so I put Greyson in the stoller and Jaden offered to push him. I pushed the cart and the girls walked. We are speeding through the store when an elderly woman stopped us to ask if we'd like to try the tasty treats she was handing out samples of. I told the children they could each pick one, made sure they all told her thank you, and hurried on to finish my shopping. About 4 or 5 aisles later a woman comes up to me and says, "Umm...ma'am...your baby is back there". 

I look down at Jaden. NO BABY. 

I literally go RUNNING back to the sample lady where Greyson is as happy as a clam with his new senior citizen friend. I start rambling and saying, "Oh my word...I am SO SORRY...I thought my son had him..." to which Jaden replies, "I can't push him AND eat my jello!!!!" 

Moral of the story: If a 5 year old has to pick between his baby brother and jello....jello is gonna win. 

Girls Trip to Chicago 2013

Love these girls.  Loooooooove them.

To say I have a bit of history with them is an understatement.  They've known me longer than my husband has.  Nearly 30 years to be exact. 

There is something special about spending time with someone that has known you for that long.  Someone that remembers details about your life that sometimes even YOU forget.  Someone that helps connect the dots between your past and your future.  

We plan this trip every year, but for the past two years one of us wasn't able to join the others (I couldn't go last year because of some pregnancy complications).  This year we were FINALLY all able to go!!!

We took the train this year.  One of my favorite parts of our time together is the trip to Chicago and back.  We always spend all that time catching up.  

We spent the day shopping.  We found lots!!!  Our dinner reservations weren't until nearly 9:00 so we headed back to the hotel....and in true girl fashion did little mini-makeovers.  SO FUN!

That night we had dinner reservations at a restaurant I've been dying to try....RPM.  For those of you that don't know about this restaurant, it's partially owned by Bill and Guiliana Rancic.  He was the winner of the first season of the Apprentice and she is a host on E! News.  They also have their own reality TV show which I like to watch when I get a chance.  Simply put, SUPER cute couple and I'm kinda in love with them.

Sooooo.....we are standing there waiting to be seated and guess who I notice is dining there?!!!??!!  BILL AND GUILIANA!!!!!!!  They were there!!!!  The other bonus is that when we were seated we were literally just a few tables away from them.  To say we were a bit star struck would be an understatement.  We MAY have been spying on them the whole night.  Looooove them!  What an amazing evening.  On a side note, I LOVED RPM!  If you venture to Chicago you should most definitely give it a try!

The next morning I was up bright and early at 5:30 (having a baby will do that to you) and I knew my friend Stacey would be too.  Jill and Krissy are both sleepers - love them!  I whispered over to Stacey and asked if she wanted to go get a coffee together.  We slipped on some shoes, slipped out the door.....and sat for 2 hours curled up by the fireplace in our lobby, enjoying a coffee and chatting.  Such special times.

The weekend wrapped up with a MAJOR trip to Garrett's popcorn (Krissy MAY have nearly wiped them out of popcorn with all the orders from friends she had to pick up), lunch at Chipolte (another favorite), and then the train ride home!

I truly cherish these yearly trips.  The giggles, the serious talks, the deep connections with people I have known for so long.  I am so very blessed to have girls like this in my life.

My Little Animal...

Soooo.....even though you can't see it in this picture, this little cutie is now sporting 2 fangs and no other top teeth.  He's also started growling.  HILARIOUS!

Eva turns 8!

This little girl celebrated her 8th birthday right before the New Year.  8 years old is kind of major to me because I can remember my 8th birthday very well....what I wore, what I got as gifts, etc. (I also remember my 5th birthday really well - I have a crazy good memory when it comes to random things, but can't remember where I set my keys down on any given day).  

Anyway, my point is that she's getting to a point in her life where she's going to remember these days.  She's going to be taking these moments and storing them for future reference....hopefully for future smiles!  She's growing into such an amazing little woman and teaching ME so much in the process.  I'm so proud of her. 

She had a friend celebration (we do 2 parties - one with friends and one with family) with a sleepover and rollerskating at a local rink (which, by the way, is the EXACT rink I celebrated MY 8th birthday at).  It was so fun to watch her with her friends....talking and giggling like girls do.  At 1:30 in the morning I finally went downstairs and told the girls it was time to cozy up in their sleeping bags.  They were still partying like little rock stars.  Ha!

The actual day of her 8th birthday God gave her a VERY special gift....snow!!!!  She could not have been happier!

That night family joined us to celebrate our little girl.  Dinner, at Eva's request, was burgers on the grill!!  Tasted great in the middle of winter!  She was pretty surprised when she opened the gift from mommy and daddy.....

Tickets to see Taylor Swift in concert got the best gift opening reaction I have EVER seen from Eva!!  So good that when she opened it - after screaming - she ran over and jumped up to give me a hug and knocked me in the nose so hard we thought it may be broken!!!  Ha!  

In all this little girl continues to rock my world.  I love her, her spunk, and all the fun she brings to our lives.  On each of my kiddos birthdays I make a video of their past year.  I'll end this post with Eva's video....

A little fun before reality sets in....

Today is the last day of Christmas break and I wanted to make it special.  That being said, I also didn't feel like venturing out.  We  have a lot of cold/flu bugs going around our neck of the woods and I'm just not much for exposing my kiddos to it if I don't need to.  Soooo.....I decided to make a DAY OF FUN at HOME!!!!  After a little planning and a little shopping trip to get some supplies I was all set.  I didn't tell the kiddos my plans - just that I had some fun stuff up my sleeve!!

We started the morning with cinnamon rolls - a big treat in our house!  Not sure who was more excited...the kiddos or Matt and I.  I looooove cinnamon rolls!  Afterwards we tackled our FIRST project!!

Project One:  HOMEMADE FLUBBER!

It was pretty cool and easy to make (combination of glue, water, food coloring, and borax).....but it didn't turn out quite the way I was hoping.  On top of that Jaden HATES getting his hands messy, so this activity was more up Eva's alley!!  Ha!

Project Two:  DECORATED PLATES!

I found this project online and I wasn't sure it was going to work - but it worked BEAUTIFULLY!!!  I purchased plain white plates at Target and had the kiddos decorate them using Sharpie markers.  Afterwards I baked them in the oven at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  It makes the ink permanent so you can eat on it and wash it.  Both Eva and Jaden were super excited about this project and I LOVE how they turned out!!

Project Three:  JOLLY RANCHER SUCKERS

This may have been one of my favorite projects!!!  You simply unwrap Jolly Ranchers and lay them in a row of 3.  Bake them in the oven at 200 degrees for 5 minutes.  As soon as you pull them out of the oven insert sucker sticks.  That's it!!  They turned out so cute and the kids were so excited to try them!!

Project Four:  Crystallized Bubbles

I don't even have a picture of this project because it just didn't work.  According to what I read, if you blow bubbles when the temperature is below 32 degrees the bubbles will crystallize!  Unfortunately, I think it was a little warmer than that here because ours were just regular ol' bubbles.  We didn't let that stop the fun though....chasing bubbles in the snow is kinda cool!

Project Five:  CARICATURES

When I was teaching 4th grade I would have my students create caricatures each year.  I would have mirrors available and I would have them really study their faces to find all the little features that make them unique and special!!  Eye color, hair color, scars, freckles, tooth shape, etc. were all things we looked at.  Then we would exaggerate them when we would draw our self portraits.  

I decided Eva and Jaden were probably old enough to give this a whirl and I'm soooo glad I tried it out.  I absolutely LOVED watching them study their faces and draw their self portraits!!  These pics are most definitely going to be hung in our house!!!

(love the way his tongue sticks out when he is concentrating)

Here is the final projects (excuse the fact that Jaden is still wearing his PJ's and they both have Jolly Rancher suckers hanging out of their mouths)!  Ha!

It was SUCH a fun day!!!  However, the fun isn't over yet.....since our team is playing in the National Championship game tonight we need to all get our Irish gear on and I'm pretty sure dinner on the living room floor is in order (the kids think eating dinner on the floor in the living room is so exciting - cracks me up)!!!  Hopefully we'll be celebrating a championship!

"The best thing to spend on children is your time."

--Unknown

Hello 2013.

It's 2013?!!!

Let me give it my best snoofer!!!!

Christmas Activities!

Each Christmas it seems the kiddos have a few special activities that they are involved in.  Both of them sing for our church Christmas program.  I love watching all the little ones up on stage!!  This year they both had individual activities at their schools that they enjoyed being a part of too!

Jaden's class dressed as angels and joined the kindergartners to sing their little hearts out about the birth of Jesus!  Afterwards we were invited back into his classroom for cookies and juice.  Jaden was so excited about his special performance!!  I also had to snap a picture of he and his friend Sarah.  These two have been buddies now all year.  Ad-or-a-ble.

After listening to Jaden's class in the morning, Greyson and I buzzed over to see Eva's class!  They ventured to a local nursing home to spread some Holiday cheer.  While there they sang many Christmas songs, and then distributed homemade goodies to the residents.  I loved seeing my little girl up on stage!!  She did an amazing job.  My favorite part was her big grin when I walked in front to get a quick picture of her!!  I also loved watching the kiddos hand the gifts they made to the residents.  So precious.

Every year I feel that Eva and Jaden are learning more and more about what the true meaning of Christmas really is.  It's a lesson that is so very important and it makes this Mama's heart happy when I see it sinking in.

Christmas 2012

Ahhhh.....I love Christmas.  Everything about it.  I love the festivities and church services, I love the time with family and friends, I love sitting by the glow of the Christmas tree,  I love driving around and looking at Christmas lights, I love the excitement and anticipation for my little ones.  

I love Christmas.

This year we did our best to make sure we enjoyed all of our favorite things from this time of year.  We spent a lot of time with friends and family, we enjoyed our Adventure Box again (a GREAT way to instill in children the REAL meaning of Christmas), we enjoyed a candlelit service at church, we drove around and looked at Christmas lights (while eating Christmas cookies, drinking hot cocoa, and listening to Christmas music), we made Christmas cookies, we wrapped....and wrapped...and wrapped, we watched our favorite Christmas movies, we read Christmas books, and the list goes on and on...and on.

It's funny to me how some of these little traditions have become so important for our children now too.  For example, every year we put up 2 Christmas trees (not including the ones in the kiddos bedrooms and kitchen).  Our big tree in the living room has pretty matching ornaments on it and it is where Santa leaves his gifts.  Our tree in the office is smaller, older (it was my grandma's), and it holds all of our special family ornaments.  This year I suggested that we not put up the smaller tree.  It's getting REALLY old and every year I just cross my fingers that the lights are going to work!  I suggested we put all of our special family ornaments on our big tree and make THAT our special tree.

Ya, the kiddos were NOT having it.  We have always had 2 trees and that is how it was gonna stay.  

Too cute.

Christmas Eve finally arrived and the kiddos were anxious to crawl in bed and get to sleep.  However, before bed they each get to open one very special gift.  Each child receives an ornament from Matt and I that commemorates something that happened in the past year.  This year is was pretty easy to decide on the special ornaments....Greyson got his Baby's First Christmas ornament, and Eva and Jaden got Big Brother and Big Sister ornaments!

Christmas morning was full of the magic that I love.  We have the kids sleep in our room Christmas Eve so that they can't see the tree without all of us.  Jaden was up first, and Eva quickly followed.  We snuggled them in our bed for awhile until Greyson woke up.  

Simply put, this about killed them.  

Once Greyson woke up I had them ALL wait in the bedroom so I could go out and check to see if Santa had come.  I love listening to the squeals of excitement as I leave the room to check!!!  I returned and assured them that HE HAD BEEN THERE!!!!!  Their faces are always priceless when they first see the tree!  Then the unwrapping begins!!!  We open gifts one at a time so we can all look and enjoy the gifts that are given and received.

This year Eva and Jaden had wrapped quite a few gifts for Matt and I and put them under the tree.  Matt and I always take them shopping separately so they can pick out gifts for us, as well as for their siblings...so we had no idea what they were wrapping and putting under the tree.  We were surprised Christmas morning to find they had really put some thought and effort into some gifts for us.  They found a frame in the storage room of the basement that I was no longer using.  Then they found a picture of themselves in some extra pictures I had given Eva.  They framed the picture and decorated the frame with stickers!  Then they also took a photo album that was theirs and filled it with pictures of our family.  On the back they wrote the date.  I loooooooooooooved these gifts.  I loved that they really put thought and effort into them.  Hands down, my favorites.

Greyson had a great first Christmas!  His favorite gift was his Sophie Giraffe!!  He had one that was given to us as a gift.  It has been missing for WEEKS and we finally decided it must have either been left somewhere, or fallen out of his carrier.  When he "opened" his new Sophie giraffe it was like reuniting old friends!!  Too cute!   As you can see from the picture above he also got his own little toddler sled from Santa! 

Eva and Jaden both got electric scooters from Santa.  They are pretty pumped about them, considering they've been asking for them since last March!!!  In March (and April...and May...and June...you get the point) they would ask over and over and I kept saying, "Ask Santa for them at Christmas if you really want them!!"  When you have 9 months until Christmas that's a loooooog time.  However, Santa delivered!!!

Needless to say our family is blessed.  So very very blessed.  So much to be thankful for....so much to celebrate.  

I'll leave you with my new favorite Christmas quote from Andy Rooney....

"One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created on the living room floor Christmas morning.  Don't be too quick to clean it up."