It's getting festive around here!

We were able to put up our tree and all of the decor (minus the outdoor lights...coming soon) on Friday afternoon. The kids loved helping put up the tree and opening all of the ornaments. Every year, I keep saying I am going to buy ornaments that have some sort of color scheme, but then I cave and we put up all of our ornaments we love that range in age from 1979 to 2011.

We purchased some new crystal-lit garland to place above our fireplace as well as some new JOY letters, which I picked up at a craft show a while back, although, I think they also have a shop on Etsy.

Tea Party

She invited all of her babies to a tea party this evening. I think fun was had by all, including two dogs (Sugar & Pepper), a bear, and Wolfie. Kanani even played her guitar for everyone.

Update List Style

1. The kids had their school photos taken and they are super cute...and super expensive.

2. Our Christmas cards are in early...YEAH! First time ever! Hoping to get those in the mail next week.

3. Brynn is rocking Pre-K and is one of the best readers in her class! I must say, this child is quite brilliant! ;)

4. Brynn is learning how to spell out quite a few words due to her learning various word families. Now, she is also sounding out how she thinks words are spelled (like Cougar, she spelled it 'Kugr' the other day on her OWN...phonetic spelling already!)

5. Baylen is doing "fine" in Pre-School according to his teacher. She said he needs to work on his listening skills. This is not a new revelation to his parents. He loves school, and knows almost all of his letters and can write his name very well on his own.

6. Baylen is in love with Lego toys and Transformers...and his beloved Cars cars.

7. Spritz is back and in full force. He's working better than "Santa's watching" threats.

8. The iPhone Santa App is working even BETTER.

9. The kids will get to go see Santa this weekend at their school for a pancake b-fast and then get a pic with Santa. They are stoked!

10. We loved cheering and destroying our voices last weekend during the ISU/Okie State game! :) WHOOHOO!

11. I ran 6 miles today for the first time...prepping for the 10K in two weeks w/ the hubs. I lived to tell about it, which means it's doable. My fingers are crossed that the weather isn't terrible, even though all signs are pointing to rain, since that's all it's been doing for days now.

12. We enjoyed a long holiday break and now crave Christmas break! Come soon, please!

13. The kids are asking for everything for Christmas and Santa is pretty much done buying for them. Only one more thing to get for Brynn from AG and we're complete! Now...on to Dj!

Happy Thanksgiving

from our little turkeys to yours! We are very thankful for all that we have been blessed with and all of the blessings that continue to come our way. We hope you had a great Thanksgiving!

Baylen's daycare-created hat held up much better than his sister's. Her pilgrim hat accidentally landed in the recycle bin and then we tried to use her Native American headgear, but unfortunately, the feathers were badly smashed unbeknownst to mommy or anyone else who rides in mommy's car. Needless to say, we tried our best to salvage the feather headdress, but for the most part, we were unsuccessful.

What plans did you have this year for Turkey Day? We ate at home and made a traditional dinner for the first time in a lonnnnnng time. Usually, Dj makes reservations somewhere and I eat steak for Thanksgiving instead (which I prefer). However, someone who recently turned five and learned all about Thanksgiving meals and how many people celebrate, requested that we make turkey, stuffing, and cranberry sauce at home this year instead. And, when your little beloved asks for something as simple as starting up this particular almost 400-year-old tradition, one can't refuse the request. After a hefty grocery bill, we gathered all of our "fix ins'" and made a delicious Thanksgiving meal. Instead of cooking a large turkey, we purchased a small Jenny-O turkey breast, which was the perfect size for our family of four.

We spent the morning at the Muppets movie and then after dinner, I spent from 10 p.m.-5 a.m. Black Friday shopping out and about. It was fun but the mall was crazy at midnight. However, I was able to find some great deals and gifts of all sorts, so that's always a good thing. I spent the majority of my time waiting in long checkout lines, but in the end, it was fun and my adrenaline served me well by keeping me awake all night long.

First Musical

After seeing a sign for this on our way to pick up Brynn's dance recital tix this a.m., I was very excited to check out ticket prices and possible dates for the show. Needless to say, Brynn and I will be going to see her first musical and one of her mommy's favorites. I know she'll enjoy it and recognize one of the songs from her dance recital last year. Personally, I'm looking forward to singing along w/ the songs and reciting some of the words (if I can remember any!)

We are looking forward to going to our first musical theatre show together. Next year: The Nutcracker.

It's that time of year already

It's hard to believe that Christmas is around the corner. This year, I have found it easier to buy for Baylen, but much harder to buy for Brynn. I think once girls and boys turn 5, it's just hard to figure out exactly what they like. The thing is, she actually likes a lot of things...American Girl, My Little Pony, dollhouse stuff, Littlest Pet Shop, Leapster games, drawing, coloring, and Barbies. I think that is what makes buying for her this year so difficult: she's into SO MUCH. Dj claims she has too many toys, and maybe that's the case, although, most of them fit in bins or contain thousands of little pieces, so it doesn't seem like she has stuff all over the house. The other interesting thing about this girl, is she doesn't play with just one toy...she moves from toy to toy to toy...one night it's AG, the next it's LPS, the next it's MLP. One never knows what kind of mood she might be in.

I know she will be happy with anything we buy for her, and maybe it is more about buying things like "experiences" vs. actual items. Or, maybe it confirms my worst fear: this girl is growing up.

Happy Halloween!

May the force be with you!

The kids received many wonderful compliments on their costumes this year. They agreed to dress as a duo yet again. I hope they continue to agree to this fun idea for awhile. Maybe it will last until they are too old to do it anymore...one can hope, right?! :)

Brynn's wig was hysterical! At daycare on Monday morning, the director was giving them a hard time and teasing them about who they were dressed as, and finally, Brynn said, "Hey, do you know that this is not my real hair? It's a wig!" Then Baylen chimed in, "Yeah, she has two hairs!" It was pretty cute!

Luke and Leia had a great time Trick-or-Treating in a fun little neighborhood that's just perfect for little ones--hardly any traffic, friendly and generous neighbors and only a few ToT'ers. Leia was on a mission to knock on as many doors as possible, while Luke followed, just as excited for awhile, and then slowly started to lose momentum. Leia was in it for the long haul. Both ended up with a pumpkin-full of candy.