Merry Christmas (eve) To All!

And to All A GoodNight!

Do Not Even Try...

to top this Santa picture.

It just can't be done.

I mean the pure excitememnt and joy in an 8 year old boys face,

the terrified horror in an almost 2 year old girls face

and the bored-get-me-outta-here-so-I-can-grab-a-drink look in Santa's face.

Tis The Season!

The True Meaning

Tonight I ran to Wal-Mart...kiddos in tow. We had to grab some M&M's for Logan's class party this week. It was blistering cold and the wind was whipping in all directions. Not to mention I parked in the LAST spot in the BACK of Wal-Mart parking lot. I wanted to hurry in and hurry out as fast as possible. Wal-Mart, a week and a half before Christmas, is not where I want to be. However, a very important lesson was learned from this trip and a very important lesson was remembered.

As we were walking in a large, Santa-like man was ringing the Salvation Army bell.
"What's he ringin that bell for?" Logan asked.
"He's collecting money for people that don't have any. Maybe it will buy them some coats or a hot meal for the winter."

We rush in, grab what we need and head out. I start digging around for change so Logan can put it in the SA bucket. A few other people had started dropping change in as well. He puts the money in and gets a BIG grin from the Santa-like man who then thanks him whole-heartedly for his contribution.

As I'm walking the mile back to my car, my 2 beautiful healthy kids in tow, Logan says quietly, "Mom, when we went in the store I was feeling pretty bad but, now I'm feeling good!"
"Oh yeah? Why is that buddy?"
"Cause no one was putting money in that mans bucket and I felt bad for not giving any. But then we did and other people were too!"
So basically Logan just realized the true meaning of Christmas. On his own. With no prompting from me. In that short, fast trip to Wal-Mart, that I just wanted to get through and get home as fast as possible, he experienced one of the most important things he'll ever experience. The reason for the Season.
And me? Well I was reminded of just how much I have to be thankful for. Yes, I had to park in the very back of Wal-Mart but, I could park. Because I do have a car. And yes, it was a mile hike to the door with kids in freezing cold but, we walked. Because we are healthy enough too. No, I didn't want to go to Wal-Mart to buy M&M's but we did and we bought because we do have money (albeit not much). And the kids? They were with me. Two clothed, fed, happy kids were with me.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Welp, here we are again. Another year has flown by! I'm a closer to my 30's. Logan's considered a Tween. Brynn's a full-blown toddler. Josh is ALMOST mid 30's!hehe And now it's time for The Most Wonderful Holiday of the Year (aside from my birthday).

As some dear friends pointed out to me, I've been a gynormous blog slacker! What with the holidays, working here and here , trying to keep my house in order and keep up with the kids schedules I'm strapped! Simply strapped! And worn out! But I will be better. I promise.

I did, however, want to take some time out to show some of our holiday decor/traditions. Let's roll!

Mom's Christmas Carolers (that I will sadly have to split with my dearest sister one day. tear)

Oh how I love their joyous little faces and rosey cheeks.

Fizzle who joined us last year. You know, The Elf on the Shelf craze! Yes, he watches the kids behavior and reports back to the big man himself.

He moves every night and Big Brutha LOOOOVES finding him!

Stockings hung by the chimney with care.

Very minimalist and simple

Above the fridge

Lots of Dollar Tree ornaments hung from light in kitchen

Floral Arrangement I made myself a few years ago. I think I wanna change it up soon though. Maybe just some long berry sticks next year in a tall cylinder vase.

One of my all time favorite things about Christmas was my mom reading us The Nutcracker every year. Not just any Nutcracker either! The one illustrated by Maurice Sendak. Love him. I wanted to be Clara soo bad in the ballet performance at TPAC.

Sadly, I never quit got the Point thing down.

I CAN.NOT. wait to take Lil Sista to see this on stage when she gets a bit older!

Maybe she'll be Clara and I can live vicariously through her.

I really need to work on the kids trees too. I want Lil Sista a white one but, I love the sparkly birds I found for hers. Big Brutha's could definitely use some lovin too. His treee holds all my old tiny ornaments from Hallmark.

Since we are The Fakey McFakersons with our tree

at least we can pretend we have a live one.

And last but not least, the presents. I'm almost done! Brown shipping paper, red & white yarn for bows and a silver sharpie for monogramming names is

how I rolled with the wrapping this year. I love it!

That's it folks! I swear I'll be back sooner.

Surely things will start to get back to normal soon Right. Right?
Happy Holidays to You & Yours

From Us & Ours

Thanksgiving: A great day for turkey NOT for tummies!

I'm just gonna say, our Thankful Thanksgiving started with a sort of bang this year. I came home from work around 11:45 pm on Thanksgiving Eve...starving & exhausted. I had 3 slices of cheese and hit the sack. Now, mind you, I had my morning completely planned out. Wake B at 6 AM so she'd nap at 9:30 and be up and in good spirits to leave for Smithville around 11. She needs at least one good nap. Finish the 48 deviled eggs that I'd boiled the day before. Unload & then load dishwasher. Fold clothes and put them in their places. Finish my Tom the Thankful Turkey project (don't worry, I have pictures and he's adorable). Pack car and, if there was time, work on pics from a session I had the other day.

Okay, now that's a full morning of stuff. So, like I said, I ate some cheese and went straight to bed...zzzzzzzzzzz...5AM I am jolted from my peaceful slumber by excruciating pains in my stomach. I am hunched over writhing in my pain with no way to make it stop!! I think, "Maybe fiber"...go to get the HUGE jar of applesauce and just dig in (although the thought of putting anything in my mouth makes me want to vomit) but it's MOLDED!! We just bought this! So it's back to the writhing. I wrap myself in the hard coldness of the bathroom floor and wait it out. Finally an hour and a half later I start to feel somewhat better. Get Brynn up cause I gotta follow through with her nap plan and pretty much lay around til 9:30. Get NOTHING done. Thank goodness Josh finished my eggs for me and went to get some medicine. I attempt a nap while she's sleeping. Get up, get showered and head to Smithville. Finish Tom the Thankful Turkey on the drive and realize this will NOT be one of those Thanksgivings where I actually enjoy the food. Good thing I love my family and always have a blast with them no matter what.

So enjoy the DAY & family togetherness I did. The food? Not so much. Monopoly was the game of choice this year. Logan is like the Monopoly Master! He always beats me and I really hate to loose! I guess it's a good lesson in patience for me. He played with cousins in Smithville and again at the Decker's. B was the star of the show. Only girl there, only babyish one there and she was eating it0 up. Let's wrap it up with a few pics shall we...

Clay has a totally cool app on his totally cool phone.

Point it up and you can see exactly where constellations, planets & the moon are.

The Game...

of choice.

Sure do miss him when he leaves!

My Mema...I adore her.

Tom the Thankful Turkey. Head & Body are styrofoam balls wrapped and wrapped and wrapped with yarn. Face is made from felt. Everyone wrote what they were thankful for on the construstion paper feathers. I love him and he will be our tradition.

Boiled Custard with ice cream is another tradition.

So are oyster appetizers which is a little strange but whateva.

We lost Uncle Tim (on the Decker side) a few weeks ago to a sudden heart attack. It has shaken everyone. He was a family man with 5 kids ages 12 to 28. They all live in NC but came here for Thanksgiving. Everyone wrote a few kind words about him on this balloon and released it Thanksgiving night. It was emotional to say the least.

Please pray for his wife & kids. They need it!

My Secret Garden Take 2

As we begin our morning walk at MY Secret Garden I immediately spot them...

The Chicken/Turkey Ducks.

Ohhhh aren't they U-G-L-Y!!

Then this strange little guy crosses our path:

Continuing on and we see a train begin it's journey.

He even lays on the whistle for us!

I try my hand at catching some Sun Flare.

Look up Little One! It's FALL!

Just as we come over the hill.... Look at those colors!

On our way back we find Grandfather Tree.

Twisting limbs and all.

Magnificient right?

TWENTY-THREE Canadian Geese!!!

Onto Dancing beneath the Pavilion

A duck & a mallard walk into a bar...

We pause for a break

if you don't know what this is I'm not telling

A perfectly framed picture.

Annnnnnd

We're out

Here are the kids.

In their Spook-Tacular costumes.

With side-by-side comparisons.

mine are totally cuter

Better late than never right!?

Happy HalllloWeeeeeen!

From the bottom of our hearts.

All Hallows Eve

Today we attended Mrs. McPhee's Fall Party today. I have always tried to stay very active in Logan's school. Whether by being the actual Room Mom, dropping in to see what I can help with, lunching in the school cafeteria or chaperoning field trips. He wants me there. He loves when I'm there. I'm gonna soak allll that up while I can! I know a time will come when mom's will no longer be cool and he may completely ignore more (fingers crossed...let's hope not!). I think it's very important to be involved with their education. Knowing who friends are and their parents. Having a good relationship with the teacher. And just plain keeping up with what's going on in your child's life.

So today we helped with the Fall Party. This is soooo not easy with a very active toddler who demands your full attention but we had fun. The kids decorated cookies, made candy necklaces, heard a ghost story, played candy corn bingo and painted pumpkins. Oh and some mom made these awesome eyeballs from marshmallows that you can see below.

He's super pumped for All Hallows Eve.

I've been getting daily countdowns.

A Hidden Treasure

Lately, after Big Brother is dropped off at school, B and I have been venturing around town. You know, finding the beauty around us and all. Well I'd passed this far off fountain thing that looked to be in the middle of a pond, from what I could tell, a few times now. There was also a newly constructed building nearby. I could never figure out how to get to it and what it actually was.

Well yesterday on our way home I found what could be the entrance. We made our way there this morn and as I got closer to the area I could feel the excitement creeping in. Like a hidden little treasure in the middle of town. My own Secret Garden per se. There was bustle all around the area, but the walkway itself was completely isolated. I wasn't sure if it was actually open or not yet but I saw no Do Not Enter signs sooo fair game right!?

I got B out and loaded the stroller. Rounded the first corner and saw The Beauty All Around Us! Beautiful walkways, lined with lamp posts, a huge pond with a sprinkling fountain, bridges and trees and hills galore!! It was a photographers dream and I forgot my stinkin memory card. We walk the length of it and back. Saw a crane in the middle of a huge field. I wanted to startle him with our presence so he'd spread his massive wings and B could ohhhh and ahhhh at his grace. He wasn't budging no matter how much I rustled the grass. However, on our walk back, the pond was FULL of ducks...mallards, solid white ones and ugle chicken/turkey looking ducks. Twenty or so beautiful ducks for B's viewing pleasure.

The path is on a hill and is a little far from the actual pond. I knew B would be thrilled to see the ducks just a little closer. I take her out and walk about 5 steps towards the pond. We silently watch the 20 ducks float towards the other side with the ugly chicken/turkey ducks smack in the middle of the line. They spot me. They emerge from the water and are coming straight towards us. "Ohhh look at the pretty ducks B," I say. Ohhh they're coming faster. I stumble backwards. This doesn't look good. Either they're gonna Wing Attack us or they want food, which I don't have.

By this time, all the other 17 ducks have noticed they're (apparent) leaders have retreated from the pond and are quickly following suit. Twenty ducks. Coming towards us. Eithere hungry or lookin for a fight. No one is around. No one will hear me scream! I manage to scramble to the top of the hill. Don't bother putting B back in her seat and scurry away as fast (but calmly as not to startle them) as I can! As I'm scurring I turn back to see if any are hot on our tail. They have slowed and a few are furiously flapping as if to say, "GetOwwnOuttaHeea!"

Ohhh I will! For now. But we'll be back ducks.

You can BetYerBottomDolla on that! This is My Secret Garden!

We'll Be Back.