12 Months of 2008

I saw this idea on a friend's blog and thought that I would snatch it up (thanks Erin.)

I can not believe how fast this year has gone by. Every year seems to go faster and faster and I am having a hard time catching my breath long enough to enjoy it all. However, I have found so much joy in my life and in my family and with each passing year. I am grateful for every minute, every look, every smile, every trial and every hug. I want to bottle them up and keep them in my heart forever.

January:
In January, we were so excited to have my brother in law and his cute kiddos come up for a couple of weeks to visit. They live in Texas and we rarely have the chance to see them. So, when we are able to get together, we live life to the fullest. We had craft day, went to Temple Square, the Children's Museum and Soldier Hollow. Kyra was in the middle of Kindergarten and Kaeson was enjoying preschool.

February:
February was a month full of activity with Toad. Kelton learned to roll over (not bad for 3 months old.) He got his first case of croup which was something that I was very familiar with. We took Toad bowling for the first time in his life and I actually did a pretty good job with him strapped to my chest! At the end of February both of the boys got very very sick. Kaeson did not move off the couch for several days and Kelton had to be hospitalized for nearly two weeks. They both ended up having RSV. It was a very scary time and needless to say, we are just extremely lucky to have our little Toad still with us.

March:
Kelty came home from the hospital on March 5th. Thank heavens. March 15, Harvey and I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary. I love you honey! Muah! Kyra got a terrible haircut that she absolutely hated. We had to disguise it with curls and headbands. Kaeson went through his Lewis stage and had his hair modeled after the kid on "Meet the Robinson's." Easter was so much fun. We went once again to Thanksgiving Point, but this will probably be our last year. It is getting way to overcrowded!

April:
In April, Kyra went on her first date. She was decked out and ready to go car seat and all. She is so lucky to have such wonderful uncles that dote on her like crazy! Kelton hit 6 months old and his personality started to blossom. We had general conference where Elder Ballard gave a talk that was a blessing to my life.

May:
In May, Harvey's company has their annual open house. We took the kiddos and they had a blast. It was carnival style with games, face painting and food. Harvey was so excited to show us all where he works. I learned how to make Boutique Bows although I am not very good at it. The highlight of my month was when I got to go with my girls and do the Race for the Cure in celebration of our friend Laurie. This is becoming a great tradition.

June:
We had a great time in June. We went to Disneyland with our great friends the Banks. They are such fun to travel with. This was our first long road trip with the whole family and they did a great job. We went to the park, the beach and just hung out! Kelty even started crawling when we were in Disneyland. Kaeson turned 4 on June 5th. He had his first big boy birthday party. It was Spiderman themed and he loved it! He also got his first big boy bike. We spent a good part of the month trying to convince Kaseon that he really had a brain and not a coconut inside of that cute noggin of his. I am still not sure that he is convinced. Kyra had her pictures taken dressed as a fairy at JC Penny. They are by far the cutest picture that we have ever seen. It was absolutely the most natural thing in the world for her. So, we went home, made her her own fairy dress and took her to Engh Garden's Fairy Festival. She loved every minute of it. Father's day was wonderful and made me realize how much I love the men in my life. Kelty learned to climb the stairs. He was so natural at it and once he started, he zipped throughout the whole house. We had a scary moment with Toad at the end of the month. He stopped breathing for no apparent reason. We had to call the paramedics. They came but he had started breathing on his own. After watching him for a while, the paramedics called an all clear and we were good to go.

July:
We decided for the Fourth of July that we would go on our first camping trip. We loaded up the van and met the Taylor family up in the middle of beautiful nowhere. It was amazing how much our kids loved it and they were excited how dirty they could get. Kyra's only reservation was the potty in the middle of the camp. The ice maker in the fridge malfunctioned and spilt water all over the place. It seeped through the floor and into the basement! No one was around to help me. Another mess to handle on my own! For the 24th of July, we went to a very dear friend's home and spent the day having a BBQ and swimming in their pool. My kiddos didn't get out for almost the entire day. The best part of the month was that Harvey turned 40. We had a surprise party for him and surprisingly enough, we were able to pull it off. He was completely shocked. Unfortunately, it rained for the first time in months the day of his party and the men spent the evening scrubbing the black streamer's dye off of our vinyl fence.

August:
For my birthday, we went up to Bear Lake. Dad rented a boat and we spent the day riding around having the best time in the world. I absolutely love being with my family and it was one of the best days of my life. A couple of weeks later, we celebrated Kyra's birthday. She was absolutely thrilled. We had a big family birthday party. We decided to put off her friend party until she started school. She had a three tiered cake and lots of fairy presents. We took our first family Trax ride. I took all the kids downtown. We met Harvey at the Gateway for lunch. The kids loved it. I survived it. Kelton had a big event. He had his ear surgery. All of my kiddos have required tubes. I wish that they would just put them in at birth but, the doctors just don't listen to me. Kelty also got Hand Foot Mouth disease and was miserable for weeks. I took the kids at the end of the month to the store to send their summer money. Every summer the kids save up all of the money that they find and earn and they are able to go to the store and get whatever they like. They love it. Kyra started her first day of 1st Grade. She was thrilled. I was devastated. I cried for 2 days. She loved going to school all day and especially enjoyed eating lunch there.

September:
September was Kaeson's big month. We took him to the eye doctor to have his eyes checked. Come to find out, he has a severe lazy eye. He had to get glasses. He wasn't too thrilled to wear them at first but soon got accustomed to them. Kaeson also started a new preschool. We thought that he needed a change that would work better for the person that he is. We started him in a Montessori school and he is thriving! We made our yearly mecca to the fair. It is a tradition that we have had since we were small. My dad and brothers met us there. My brother entered his painting into their competition and took home a ribbon. My kiddos were just happy to ride a pony! We were invited to go up Springville Canyon with some friend of ours that have family property up there. We had great food and the kids had a blast playing in the river, going on the zip line and sleeping in a motor home. Another great activity with my girls. We made it up to Silver Lake with the family on a beautiful afternoon. We got some amazing family pictures and it made my month!

October:
We started October with a bang and headed down to St. George with the Banks family for the St. George Marathon. We have made this trip several times but this is the first time with friends. What a fun trip that was! I now don't mind taking that trip. As long as I can bring a friend along. Kyra had crazy hair day at school and boy, did we make her hair crazy. The best part of the month was that Harvey finished installing the wood floors in the living room. YEAH! We have had the flooring for over a year and it is finally in. After visiting the eye doctor again, we learned that Kaeson's eye had not improved as much as we had hoped so, he had to start wearing a patch. He loved it and thought that he looked like a pirate. We entered October with mixed feelings. Little Toad turned one! He was thrilled and had a great birthday. However with him as my last little one, I felt a bit sad that my baby was growing up. Halloween was a great day. The kids dressed as a Toad, a Dragon and a nurse. Kyra was supposed to be a fairy princess, a costume that I had worked on for some time, but at the last minute changed her mind and wore the nurse costume that her uncle gave her. In October, we started the Great Franco Makeover. We started finishing our basement. What started as a simple idea turned into a complete overhaul.

November:
This month was a bit slower. Kelty got his first scar. Kaeson knocked him in the eye with a battery charger and left quite a gash. The basement took forever but, was finally finished only days before Thanksgiving. We were able to host our soon to be annual BYU vs. Utah football game. My girls and their families came over and we had a great time, even if our team didn't win. John came to town again with his kiddos. We had another great time. We took the Front Runner Train and went to the Tree House Museum. We had Thanksgiving together and shopped the outlets. I loved seeing my little niece and nephew again.

December:
December was a whirlwind. We are still recovering from family visits, shopping sprees and a torn apart basement. We had our little elf visitor that made our Christmas so much more relaxing seeing as the kids were on their best behavior. We decided to move Kyra to a new school. We had some issues with the old school so, we moved her back to the school closer to home. We hit a gold mine with a great school and a fantastic teacher. Thanks Mrs. Tapia. We had our annual Franco Family Gift Exchange. A tradition that is getting more fun every year. We were thrilled to carry on the tradition of watching A Christmas Carol with my family and having roast beef sandwiches. We loved shopping this year. Although we were on tighter budget this year, we were able to get the hearts desires of our kiddos. With the proud addition of a life jacket, Furreal Pet and a Ball Popper, our kids were in heaven. I was so thrilled that Harvey has spent so much time turning my sewing room into a retreat. He has done an amazing job.

All in all, this has been an amazing year. We have had moments that have scared us to death and others that have brought us true euphoria. I hope that I can take the lessons that I have learned in 2008 and use them throughout all of 2009 and then on!

Happy New Year All!

Words of Wisdom

Do all the good you can,
in all the ways you can,
to all the souls you can,
in every place you can,
at all the times you can,
With all the zeal you can,
as long as ever you can.
-- John Wesley

My Updated Blog

I absolutely love crafts. It is no secret whatsoever. I love to collect ideas like some people collect thimbles, spoons or wine. I keep them stored as files on my computer hard drive or as bookmarks on my internet. I hate to over pay for tutorials or patterns and am a thrilled when I find a great idea, with instructions, free on the web.

A few weeks ago, I sent my computer to be "optimized." During the process of making my life "easier," they erased all of my bookmarks. I was devastated. So, I am researching them again and putting them up little by little onto a blog for everyone to see.

Let me know if you have any ideas or things that you are looking for and I will add them to the list. I now know wher my wasted time is going...SHHHHHH. Don't tell Harvey

www.craftymomideaexchange.blogspot.com

Eliminate the Chaos

This is from a blog that I really enjoy called Homespun Threads. The creater has amazing ideas, patterns, tutorials and products. I hopped over to her blog today and she has a "declutter workshop" per say for the month of January. Now, I know that most of you live in perfectly clean homes with everything neatly tucked into its precise and labeled spot. However for the very select few, (mostly me) I thought that I would post this!

HomeSpun Threads: Eliminate the CHAOS!!!#links

HomeSpun Threads: Eliminate the CHAOS!!!#links

Christmas 2008

Noche Buena

As many of you know, Latin families celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve. At midnight to be precise. There is food, dancing, music, friends and all sorts of games. They call is Noche Buena (Good Night.) We used to do this with Harvey's parents before we had kiddos. I really enjoyed it. This is such a fun tradition that we have skipped for the past several years because we have little kids and we put them to bed at a reasonable time so that Santa can come and leave presents if our kiddos have been good.

This year, on the way home from my parent's house, Harvey's cousin called and let us know that they were celebrating Noche Buena and would love for us to show up. We decided to make a very quick "cameo" appearance and drop off some very meager gifts to his cousins. We showed up to a huge houseful of people. There was sancocho (Colombian stew-AMAZING) in the biggest pot that I have ever seen. You could easily fit all of my kids into it and have room to spare (Ok, that was a little too Hansel and Gretel.)
Kaeson was sounds asleep so, we put him in an upstairs room. Kyra was nearly asleep and Toad was ready to party the night away. He was all engines and ready to go. Instead of doing presents at midnight, they decided to stay ahead of the storm and do them at 9:00. They all grab a seat around the living room and pass out everyone's gifts to each other. Everyone ends up with a huge pile and them open them all at once.

We were shocked/ touched/ embarrassed that there were gifts for us... a lot of them. We were completely unprepared. We had no idea that they were doing this. They were mainly for our kiddos but we felt bad that we hadn't shown up with anything but fruit, and even at that we didn't anticipate so many families being there. Kelton had a ball. He received a darling steering wheel which made all sorts of sounds and lit up in many different colors. Kyra nearly fell off her chair from excitement (and complete exhaustion) when she received a nurse kit. We all know how much Kyra is obsessed with becoming a nurse.

I was talking to Harvey's cousin and she mentioned to me that she was so excited that we finally made it to a Noche Buena. Apparently they have been inviting us every year for the past 7 years but we have never heard about it. They have told my inlaws who somehow have forgotten to tell us about it. After a good laugh, we decided that any time we had a family function that we would talk and leave the parents out of it.

Christmas with the Families

We have had a whirlwind of a Christmas Holiday! Or holiday started off with a bang on Saturday afternoon when we received a call from Harvey's parents informing us that they had made a last minute decision to go to Colombia for the holidays. That came as a shock to all of us considering they had been talking for over a month about going to Texas to visit Harvey's brother John. We scrambled around trying to quickly gather our gifts for them and spend the next little while celebrating Noche Buena. We were in such a rush that we didn't even take our camera. How did that happen?

We then spend the next two days finishing up our Christmas shopping. We really need to get on the ball a little bit earlier this next year. It is amazing how many things pop up at the last minute. We assembled our neighbor gifts and thought that we were done...haha

My brother flew into town early on Christmas Eve. We were so excited that he made it considering all of the weather that has now hit the Salt Lake Valley. We spent Christmas Eve at my parents house. They did things a bit different this year. Instead of a Christmas tree, they had a Christmas Air Hockey Table. How is that for unique!

We usually just open our PJ's there but, this year, we opened up all of our family gifts. That was unusual but we had fun. My kiddos were absolutely spoiled by everyone there. Kelton got a huge floor pillow that he laid on all night. Kaeson's highlight was a magna doodle and Batman gloves. Kyra, loved everything. My parents went way above and beyond. They got us an outdoor fireplace, gift certificates for several places, books, etc. It was quite exciting.

As I looked around the room at my parent's home, I thought of how many times my parents have made Christmas amazing for us. They never seemed stress. Christmas was always very magical and full of wonder. It never once occurred to me that money was tight and the sacrifices that they made for us to have fantastic memories.

At the time, I had no idea how it must have been to provide Christmas for 8 (sometimes 9) children. This Christmas was tight for us and we only have 3 kiddos. I can not even imagine how it must have been for them.

I sat and looked around at my siblings an I was so grateful that my parents decided to give me siblings. There are a lot of us and some of us don't see eye to eye but, I am grateful for all of the experiences that I have had. I think that it has made me a better parent and a better person. I am grateful this Christmas for my parents and for the sacrifices that they made so that I could become the person that I am.

Christmas Tag

I have been in a tagging mood and was tagged by my hilarious friend Melinda. I was excited to see that she had one geared towards Christmas. So, here is this one.

Wrapping Paper or Gift Bags
Usually I am gift bags all the way however, at Christmastime it is different. I was a HUGE snoop when I was a child and I peeked way too often. To boot, I can't wrap. I am severely impaired in that area so all of our wrapped gifts look like Kelton did them. So, I wrap the Christmas gifts.

Real Trees or Artificial
When I was growing up we almost always had real trees. I don't know if it was for practical, financial or aesthetic reasons. I loved the smell but they were prickly and I didn't care for that. So, now I just have candles that smell like the tree and no needles to pick up!

When Do You Put Up the Tree
We usually decorate the house the day after Thanksgiving but this year we were WAY behind the ball. With company in from out of town and the recent remodel of our basement, we didn't get it done forever!! We got it up though. That is what counts right.

When Do You Take Down The Tree
We wait forever. As you all know, Harvey is from Colombia. They have all sort of fun traditions that we have adopted into our Christmas routine. We keep our tree up until January 6h because that is Day of the Kings in Colombia. This day we exchange gifts that we have made for each other. This is supposedly the day that the Three Wise Men found the Christ child. We don't take the tree down until we have exchanged our gifts.

Do You Like Eggnog
I LOVE it but, I don't drink it a lot. I like to eat my calories during Christmas, not drink them.

My Favorite Gift Received as a child.
My first instinct is to say my Cabbage Patch kid. My mom spent the night in the parking lot of Toys R Us to get it for me. I was very specific. I wanted a preemie boy, bald, brown eyes with a binkie. I got it. The runner up is a radio. I don't remember what my main gift was that year. I just remember opening it up and being surprised. My dad then told me that he remembered me mentioning that I wanted a radio at one point. My parents always made Christmas magical.

The Hardest Person to Buy For
My mother. She is very hard to shop for. She is very specific in what she likes and it is hard to come across the perfect gift. My friends also seem to be hard.

Easiest Person to Buy For
Harvey. If it has buttons and batteries, he will like it. My brothers also. Hello... gift certificates all the way!

Do You Have a Nativity Scene
Yes, I have a couple of very small ones. They are cute.

Email or Mail Christmas Card
I mail them. I have been good the past couple of years and this year I fell off the wagon. Of course, I fell off the wagon in several areas. Cards just didn't make the time cut this year. So, for all of you Merry Christmas, Love the entire Franco Clan!

Worst Christmas Gift Ever Received
I have never received a worst gift but I did receive a really funny one this year. Last year Harvey gave me an MP3 player. It was one put out by Best Buy and I never really figured out how to work it. So, I put it in the box and put it away. Harvey this year rewrapped it and put it under the tree and told me that maybe THIS Christmas I could figure it out.

Favorite Christmas Movie
Love Actually. It is such a good movie. It shows how love is different for everyone and it works for some people and not for others. You should watch the edited version. It is more family friendly.

Lights on the Tree
We have a prelit artificial tree with white lights. Growing up we had all sorts of colored bubble lights on our tree. I loved it. I want to track those down and put those on my tree. I really like the colored lights now.

Favorite Christmas Song
Bring a Torch Jeanette Isabella, The Holly and the Ivy, I Want A Hippopotamus for Christmas, Nuttin' For Christmas, Jesu Joy of Man's Desiring, Stars Were Gleaming. I love them all. The only ones I don't like are Little Drummer Boy (my brother used to sing it out of tune when I was young and I think of that every time I listen to it,) So This is Christmas (just lame,) Do You Hear What I Hear (reminds me of the movie "Gremlins",) Peanuts Christmas Song (just lame and I don't understand half of the words.

Travel or Stay Home
Travel on Christmas Eve. Stay home on Christmas

Can You Name All the Reindeer
In Spanish and English! Rudo el Reno

Angel or Star on Top of the Tree
Star. I think that angels can be tacky.

Open the Presents on Christmas or Christmas Eve
We do both. Christmas eve at my parents, Noche Buena with my inlaws and Santa comes on Christmas.

Most Annoying this About This Time of Year
The lines and discourteous drivers.

What Theme or Color Do You Use Around Your Home
Just a random assortment of the crazy things that we have collected over the years. I really like snowmen however and have a growing collection of snowmen that I love.

Favorite Christmas Dinner
I love turkey! Honey Baked ham also tops the charts!

What Do I Want For Christmas This Year
I know that this sounds retarded but peace and health. I want to be at peace with my life. I want the issues that are going on to resolve. I want health. I am going under for some fairly intense surgeries in a few days and want to have my medical issues resolve. If I can get those two things, I will be the happiest person in the world.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

An Orange Toad???

As part of our gifts this year we are including oranges. I bought a case of oranges at Reams the other day and put together several gift bags for our friends. The box then lay idley in the kitchen for the rest of the weekend....I am really getting lazy.


Last night, Toad realized that the box was there. Not only was it there, it had a couple of cool smelling orange balls in it. He decided to climb on in and spent quite a bit of time smelling the oranges. Every once in a while he would take a taste of one but would discover that the rind tasted terrible and spit it out. Then he would repeat that same process ten mintues later.

Kaeson, not wanting to miss out on the action picked up Kelton and took him out of the box and set him (no so nicely I might addd) to the side. Oooooh, he crossed the wrong person. I don't think that I have seen Toad throw a fit like that one! He soon won the battle and won his way back into the box to smell the oranges.

Ugly Shoes

I was running today to pick up Kyra from school. I was racing to put the boys in the car and didn't have time to glam myself up (oh, yes, you all know how glam I get too! NOT!) I was in my sweats, too big jeans and my hair up in a pony. I went to go squeeze my running shoes on without untying the laces.

Kaeson looks up and me and says, "Mom, I don't want you to wear those shoes." He has never expressed concern over my choice of apparal. I asked him why. He looked at me and with disgust in his voice he retorted, "Because they are UGLY!" There was such a tone of "duh" in his little four year old voice. I then turned and said, "I am only going to wear them into the car." The little voice then came back, "Then mom, don't get out of the car. No one wants to see those shoes."

From the mouth of babes does truth really emerge.

I Am An Idiot

Does this need an explanation?

Altered Couture

Let me introduce you to one of my favorite magazines. It is no secret that I am a fan of thrift stores and Hobby Lobby. I love to take clothing and revamp it. I love to make some chic out of something lame. I really do. I found this magazine a few months ago at Hancock Fabrics. It was an expensive one $10 an issue. However, it is soooo worth it. It shows you step by step how to make awesome designs out of thrift store finds. It even has challenges for readers. Right now it has a contest where you make an revamp an entire outfit for under $20. Winners get prizes. Anyway, I know that this isn't for everyone. I just had to share!

Take A Look At My Sidebar

I love to blog hop. I also love to craft. I have been finding some of the coolest stuff out on the internet. There are so many fun blogs that have make and take ideas. They have fun patterns, instructions and links to the neatest things. If you are in a crafting mood and want something fun to do, take a look at my sidebar and click on a link under the Fun Blogs That I Frequent. You will get hooked!

Kate's Tag--List of 5's

My cute friend Kate tagged me way back in October but, I will admit, that I am behind the ball and am just barely getting to it. Sorry Kate that I have been so slow. I was excited to do it though. I was in a tag mood tonight so here goes!

5 Years Ago I Was:
1. Moving into my "new"house (5 years nearly to the day.)
2. Just starting to tell people that I was pregnant with Kaeson.
3. Wondering how in the world I would get enough furniture to fill this house (Stop laughing. I know, I have WAY over done it)
4. I moved Kyra from a crib to a big girl bed.
5. Freaking out that my 17 month old daughter wasn't walking or talking yet. Now she won't stop talking!

5 Things on my list of things to do today (since is it 11:50 this is what I already accomplished):
1. Helped out at Kyra's Polar Express party
2. Made fudge that is the consistency of thick frosting
3. Finished making the rest of the matching Child/Doll outfits for my friend. Whew!
4. Futilely attempted to make Colombian beans and rice.
5. Chatted with my good friend Julie in Nebraska!

5 Snacks That I Enjoy (Don't get me started!)
1. Cheese and crackers
2. ANYTHING chocolate
3. Clam dip and potato chips
4. Chex Mix
5. Ice Cream

5 Things I Would Do If I Were a Millionaire
1. Pay off the house and car.
2. Get the kiddos college funds all set up.
3. Take my entire family on the vacation of a lifetime.
4. Open a Vintage store.
5. Take my kids everywhere and show them the world.

5 Places That I Have Lived:
1. Sandy, Utah
2. Rexburg, Idaho
3. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
4. Provo, Utah
5. West Jordan, Utah

5 Jobs That I Have Had (Besides Being A Mom):
1. Shopko
2. Piano and Flute Teacher
3. Dillard's Department Store
4. Oxford Learning Source
5. Teacher (Reading Specialist, 1st grade and did my internship in education administration)

5 Things I Want To Accomplish:
1. Know where my hairbrush and toothbrush are at all times (Kaeson)
2. Invent cabinet locks that work for curious 4 year olds.
3. Figure out how to design my web site (my web hoster is supposed to be fool proof... I have proved them wrong.)
4. Get my clothing company up off the ground.
5. Stop and enjoy my kiddos more.

I tag anyone that will do this. Since taking the blog private, no one stops by anymore. What the heck! So, I want anyone who reads this to do it! That will let me know who is really reading this. :)

Catastrophe Averted!

I have finally, nearly finished my Christmas shopping. Usually I am done with all of my shopping by Thanksgiving, but this year has bee a little out of sync with the basement remodel and family (I know, I will give it up already...you have already heard enough about all of that!) I only have to buy for my parents, one brother and all of our friends and neighbors. So yes, we are very nearly done (Loud laugh from the peanut gallery.)

I thought that I was SOOOO clever by hiding our gifts in the garage. Our garage is absolutely jam packed with all of the stuff that we had in our basement so, I couldn't imagine that the kiddos would be in there. Well, I have snoops for kids. We were getting ready to go somewhere and the kids were in the car. I had to run into the garage to grab an extra car seat for one of the kids friends and before I knew it, there was Kyra, standing in the garage staring at one of her Christmas gifts.

Not only did she find a gift, she found her Mack Daddy, Holy Cow gift! Ok, so in real life adult terms, a pack of Barbie furniture is not that amazing but, she REALLY wanted it. Besides, it came in a GIANT box. It had to be the main gift.

So, here I am stuck with this dilemma. What do I do??? She has seen it. I can't give it to her from Santa. How do you explain that Santa stores gifts in your garage. What does he do? Stop by your house, rummage through your garage, find the gifts, stuff them in a sack and then go down the chimney to put them under the tree? That doesn't make sense (However Santa is a guy, he would find the hard way to do something haha.)

Then I thought that I could give it to her from us. That kind of takes the bang out of the whole surprise thing. Plus, the box is so big that she would know what it was if it was just idley sitting under the tree.

After much debate, this is what we have decided (Cheery upbeat Duh Duh music here) we are going to give it to her from the elf. Since we have had our cute little Jingles the Elf hanging around the house, we have decided to give each of the kiddos a gift from the elf. We are going to leave a note from him saying that he was very happy on how good they have been (haha) and all that they have done to help their mom out and that he is leaving a gift to them from him. I even found that I had already bought Christmas paper that said "Jingle Bells" on it.

I know that this is not a great solution but what do you do??? I am just glad that we may have found a back up plan. Oh, and since she found her gifts, I have since wrapped EVERYTHING and it is ready to put under the tree. Even the Santa gifts that are usually not wrapped until Christmas Eve are packaged up and hidden under a blanket in the top of my closet. Cross your fingers that this plan will work.

Matching Outfits

A friend of mine asked me to help her out with her daughter's Christmas present. She wanted me to make matching outfits and PJ's for her daughter and her doll. I was excited how they turned out and just HAD to share. However, you have to keep it quiet for another few days until the big day is here!

Gingerbread

Between family and church issues, we are discovering that finding good "us" time is hard. I love the magic of Christmas and the wonder in my little one's faces. However, it often times gets squelched by all of the demands of parties, get togethers, shopping, commercialism and tithing settlement (Harvey is financial clerk...yeah...not.) We are trying to snatch up every single moment that we possibly can to be together as a family and do the simple things.



I have found an amazing recipe for really yummy and really easy, soft gingerbread cookies. We made the dough on Sunday and rolled the cookies out last night. This is the first year that Kaeson has taken an active, interested role and he was absolutely intense on making the cookies.

Cute Toad LOVED this activity. Mostly he enjoyed eating the dough. However, considering the recipe has a lot of raw eggs in the dough, we had to cut him off. He was quite angry at the conflict of supply and demand but, he was finally settled for a bottle of milk.

We've Been Elfed!

We have a visitor! About a week and a half ago, a little visitor showed up above our kitchen cabinets. A tiny little man with a red vest and hat. He has cute little green boots and a little bell atop his head! We have been having a hard time keeping track of our little visitor. He seems to enjoy hopping about the house spying to see the going ons of Franco Manor!

Kyra has started up a pen pal relationship with this Jolly little guy and we have found out several things about him:

*His name is Jingles

*He comes during the day but magically zips on up to the North Pole at night.

*He gives Santa a daily report on how the kiddos are behaving at home and if their rooms are clean.

*He knows what the kiddos want for Christmas and is reporting that to Santa!

*He is keeping mom sane throughout this time of year!

My kiddos have been so excited that there has been a little visitor at our home that they have been doing everything that they possibly can to be good. Bed time is no problem whatsoever anymore. Although their rooms are not clean....they are on their way.

This has been a fun new tradition that we are certainly going to hang on to. It has been magical for my kids to look for Jingles and try to find out what his next move is going to be. And, as for the peace, my kids refuse to disobey or argue if Jingles is around. I think that that is making it a Merry Christmas for me!

Sweet Gals

Every year we get together with my family and we watch some version of "A Christmas Carol" and eat roast beef sandwiches. My mom used to make the roast beef from scratch however, now we just order Arby's. Also, my little family rarely gets to stay through the whole movie. They exhaust early and we have to end up taking them home halfway through the movie.

This year, we did it again! We got Arby's and watch "The Muppet's Christmas Carol" My parents brought the sandwiches. Kyra, my sister and I made munchies. We made gingerbread, lemon bars, key lime bars, clam dip and Leigh's famous caramel corn. It was a hit.

Seeing as I am very short on aprons (I used to own one and I have no idea where it is) I had to find the candy bar Halloween costumes to drape over the girls. They had a ball and I was excited to have my family over.