A new Recipe Box and Cards....it's the little things in life :)

My amazing husband got me a MacKenzie-Childs Recipe Card Box for Christmas..I'd been wanting it ever since we moved in the new house since my cabinetry is black!  So...I decided I needed some cute recipe cards to match :)

My Recipe Cards to match :) 4x5.5 in a linen finish:

Front

Back

Kenwood's FIRST Haircut....

Last week I sent this picture via text message to Dillon, the tagline was: "Kenwood's creepy mullet" 

 We laughed for days!

So, yesterday we finally decided to get his mullet/mohawk/curl mop on his head trimmed up.  So, we took him to the only kid-friendly place we knew if the threw a massive fit we wouldn't be completely embarrassed.

You can see the rats nest on his head...it's been covered by hats for a few weeks now :)

 Getting all set up!

 Watching the "Snip-It's" cartoon to keep him occupied

 He doesn't seem to realize he's getting his hair cut at all!

 Wel...until now.....

 Mom? Dad? What is going on?

The mullet is GONE!!!!! 

Christmas Afternoon-Night

For as long as I can remember, we have gotten together with my family on Christmas afternoon through Christmas night.  My brother and sister are MUCH older than me ;)  So, when they got married and had kids, they would do their Christmas morning and come over around lunchtime.  This year, we all have our own kids and spouses so we went to mom's a little later in the afternoon.  But, we still had a very eventful, foodful, wonderful Christmas!

Reading books with Zeezi before all the cousins got there

 All the cousins hanging out on the couch!

 "Big Dillon" getting trampled by all the kiddos

 Our Little Santa...or "Ho Ho" as Kenwood calls him

 Mom/Zeezi reading the legend of the Candy Cane to all of us

 In the midst of chaotic present opening, Kenwood got a bow stuck in his hair. 

 He would make a pretty girl, so lets hope the same for Olivia! :)

Santa Came!

We had our first Christmas morning with just the three of us this year!  It was wonderful!  Santa obviously came, we ate yummy cinammon rolls and opened our presents.  We had a long morning of playing hard, and Kenwood went down for a nap about 2 hours early because he had so much fun.  We are blessed!

Santa brought a train and train table!  It took the elves 3 hours to put it together,

 and they didn't even use all the peices :)

 Stockings are stuffed! Even Miss Olivia got a few things in her stocking

 Looks like Santa only ate half of a cookie...he was probably full from all the other houses!

 WAKE UP WAKE UP!! SANTA CAME!!!

 SUPER excited about his train...he hasn't quit playing with it since!  

And Owen is pretty excited down in the corner too :)

Christmas Eve!

Christmas is a very special time for our family.  We are both very very close to our families and enjoy spending time with them as much as possible!  On Christmas Eve, we treated it like "Christmas Morning" in Shawnee and got up and opened stockings and presents as a family.

Kenwood with his "Don Don"

 Reading books with his cousin Kimber, they are almost exactly 2years apart and they are very close

 Sitting with his cousin Drew listening to Nana read Luke 2

 Dillon gets a piece of coal from our neice Gracie every year...it's tradition :)

 Daddy and Kenwood...looks like Daddy has been teasing him a bit and he's being a grump :)

 Had to ride his Tonka before it was even out of the box!

After a day full of fun and family and celebrating Jesus we headed back home so Santa could come visit Kenwood in his own house!  He was very excited!

Kenwood's First Nativity Set

I'm not sure I've ever mentioned Dillon's godparents or not...shame on me if I haven't!  We consider them family and they go above and beyond for us (and our sweet Kenwood) constantly!!  Anyway, Richard and Teresa Finley are Don and Loma's best friends and Dillon and Leah's God-parents...which I guess makes them my kids Great-God-Parents?  Anyway, they do a little something for all the kids just about every holiday--which is totally overwhelming that they are so thoughtful of all of us!  This Christmas, Kenwood got a Nativity set to play with!!! It was such a wonderful gift because I think it's important for kids to have at least one Nativity Scene that they can play with and as they grow older they can act out the story of Jesus' birth and really let it sink in.  Kenwood is already having so much fun with his Nativity Set that he hasn't quit playing with it!! I have a feeling this is going to be one of those "Christmas Toys" the kids will always remember playing with during the Christmas season.  Can't wait for Miss Olivia to be playing with our little Kenwood next year!

Pulling the basket with the "Donk" aka Donkey

 Playing with some of the other animals

He put the angel up on top of the tree!!!! 

I was so shocked that maybe he actually understood what the angel was?!  How exciting!

Keeping the CHRIST in CHRISTmas!

I got this  booklet from our church this week that has several "reminders" of how to keep Christ at the center of your CHRISTmas season.  I remember picking it up and making the joke, "Like I don't have enough to do these days"....Then, today, I actually sat down to read through it.  I was really impressed with some of the things in there!  And, guess what?  There was an entire 2 pages dedicated to being "Too Busy".  The definition of BUSY?


B-Being
U-Under
S-Satan's
Y-Yoke


Umm..Yikes, no thank you.  So, I decided, I'm not too busy really let Jesus be a part of my Christmas season in every way possible. 

This was also one of my favorite parts, telling what the Christian significance is in these "Christmas" symbols:


Candy Cane:  In the shape of a shepherd's crook, we are reminded that it was humble shepherds who first saw Jesus and He is the Good Shepherd.  The red is symbolic of His blood, the white is the purity of His sinless life, and the three stripes represent the Trinity (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit).  Turned upside down, the candy cane is simply a "J" for Jesus.


Manger:  The manger represents the human heart.  Just as there was "no room" for Jesus in the Inn, we too can be so busy that we have no room for Jesus in our lives.  This Christmas slow down and prepare Him room in your heart.


Santa Claus:  Is the North American version of Saint Nicholas.  In sum, Saint Nick was a wonderful man who loved and served Jesus faithfully. So, we gladly include him in our Christmas traditions to remind us of what it looks like for someone to live a life of devotion to Jesus Christ.


I read this in another article, and thought it was interesting:

The Truth about Santa Claus

The larger-than-life myths surrounding Santa Claus actually emanate from the very real person of Saint Nicholas. It is difficult to know the exact details of his life with certainty, as the ancient records are sparse, but the various pieces can be put together as a mosaic of his life.

A Gift-Giver

Nicholas was born in the third century in Patara, a village in what is now Turkey. He was born into an affluent family, but his parents died tragically when he was quite young. His parents had raised him to be a devout Christian, which led him to spend his great inheritance on helping the poor, especially children. He was known to frequently give gifts to children, sometimes even hanging socks filled with treats and presents.

Perhaps his most famous act of kindness was helping three sisters. Because their family was too poor to pay for their wedding dowry, three young Christian women were facing a life of prostitution until Nicholas paid their dowry, thereby saving them from a horrible life of slavery.

A Bishop and Saint

Nicholas grew to be a well-loved Christian leader and was eventually voted the Bishop of Myra, a port city that the apostle Paul had previously visited (Acts 27:5-6). Nicholas reportedly also traveled to the legendary Council of Nicaea, where he helped defend the deity of Jesus Christ in A.D. 325.

Following his death on December 6, 343, he was canonized as a saint. The anniversary of his death became the St. Nicholas holiday when gifts were given in his memory. He remained a very popular saint among Catholic and Orthodox Christians, with some two thousand churches named after him. The holiday in his honor eventually merged with Christmas, since they were celebrated within weeks of one another.

Misnomer

During the Reformation, however, Nicholas fell out of favor with Protestants, who did not approve of canonizing certain people as saints and venerating them with holidays. His holiday was not celebrated in any Protestant country except Holland, where his legend as Sinterklass lived on. In Germany, Martin Luther replaced him with the Christ child as the object of holiday celebration, or, in German, Christkindl. Over time, the celebration of the Christ child was simply pronounced Kris Kringle and oddly became just another name for Santa Claus.

Folklore

The legends about Santa Claus are most likely a compilation of other folklore. For example, there was a myth in Nicholas' day that a demon was entering people's homes to terrorize children and that Nicholas cast it out of a home. This myth may explain why it was eventually believed that he came down people's chimneys.

Also, there was a Siberian myth (near the North Pole) that a holy man, or shaman, entered people's homes through their chimneys to leave them mushrooms as gifts. According to the legend, he would hang them in front of the fire to dry. Reindeer would reportedly eat them and become intoxicated. This may have started the myth that the reindeer could fly, as it was believed that the shaman could also fly. This myth may have merged with the Santa Claus myth, and if so, explains him traveling from the North Pole to slide down chimneys and leave presents on fireplace mantles before flying away with reindeer.

These stories of Santa Claus were first brought to America by Dutch immigrants. In the early twentieth century, stores began having Santa Claus present for children during the Christmas season. Children also began sending letters to the North Pole as the legends surrounding an otherwise simple Christian man grew.

Planning for TWO

I am starting to really contemplate a number of things related to Olivia.  The first is the fact that one of my best friends had her baby girl today!!! YAY!!! She was FIVE weeks early though...which freaks me out b/c we're only about 3 1/2 weeks apart in our due date which means if that were me, Olivia would be here in 3 weeks.  No, I'm not ready for her yet and I don't think I'll be ready then either!!  So, I've really started thinking about all the things that go along with having a toddler and an infant!  The other day Dillon and I had a "credit" at Baby USA and decided we needed a new pack 'n' play/bassinet for the baby.  We figured, it would keep her off the floor (especially with our, "not so gentle" little boy running around like a maniac and trying to feed her "cany" aka Candy).  So, we ultimately decided on this one:

It's on rollers, so we can roll it into the bedroom at night for her to sleep in the bassinet part for the first few weeks(she will likely move to her crib at two weeks b/c I'm a babywise mom)...it also has a changing station complete with wipes holder and cup holders (for bottles) and an "electronics module with vibration soothes and amuses your little one with 5 classical songs, 5 soothing nature sounds, convenient look light and auto-shut off time"

I also went back and forth on what stroller we needed...and ultimately decided again on my original choice...the same one I posted a few months ago: Schwinn Turismo Double Jogger

AND...I'm already starting to obsess about my post pregnancy weight loss and I'm not even full-term yet.    Hopefully having a jogging stroller will motivate me to actually get the kids out this spring and go for a run in the afternoons....that, or maybe Santa will bring me a treadmill or elliptical?! Doubtful.

Merry Christmas & Happy Nesting!

Christmas is right around the corner, I have all my Christmas shopping DONE and WRAPPED (Yes, you heard me).  I am extra excited about Christmas this year because it will be our first year to do Santa and stockings at our house with our little family! I know...I've already said that in another post, but I am really really excited for Kenwood to experience Santa and for us to set out cookies and milk this year!  Here are my WRAPPED Christmas presents already under the tree!

Another thing that is FINISHED around my house? Olivia's bedding!! YAY!!!! Finally! It was really quite easy, but it was definitely time-consuming.  But, the time was worth the money I saved, and I'm in love with it!

Close up! Forgive the bunched up blanket where the mattress should be :)

FINALLY all done! It's super soft and she's going to LOVE it!!

Now that her bedding is done, her room still isn't quite ready for her.  We have a glider/recliner that we ordered since I still use the one in Kenwood's room to read books and say our prayers at night before bed.  Here is my new chair, I'm super duper excited! Can't wait to see the final product!!

It won't be in this ugly gray color, it'll be in the khaki minky dot underneath...but do you see the little remote on the seat? Ummm that's right! It's electric and it lays ALL the way back so I can sleep in there on those fussy  nights with my little high-maintenance angel!  

Now, if I can only talk D into a laptop, I will be perfectly content for all of my late night feedings!

I think the tan color will look great with her bedding! We took the swatches and it matches the ruffle color almost exactly, so I'm pretty excited!

Merry Christmas and Happy Nesting!

Name Plates for the kiddos rooms

Kenwood and Olivia both have a sort of entry area into their bedrooms...it's all bare right now, but I have 2 plain black frames with white mattes that I plan on using and I made these to sort of "introduce" which room you're walking in to....I'll post pics as soon as I print them and get them hung.

I did Kenwood's name plate with kind of a "football" feel to match the theme of his room:

And of course I had to do something frilly and girly for Olivia.  These are the colors in her room--lots of whites/creams mixed with some light pink and gray

More Etsy...

Now that all of my Christmas shopping is pretty much DONE, I have been finding plenty of other "things" to shop for...go figure!  I ordered these darling booties on Etsy today in tan....for $10 you can't beat it...My friend Stephanie has twin girls and they have the  same pair and she swears by them instead of socks.  So I copied her :)  I figure, she knows what she's talking about if she has TWO TWIN girls!

I also LOVE this Etsy Shop for cute skinny headbands and bows....they are unique, classy, and adorable....also, this photography makes me think I can take Miss  Olivia's newborns myself on a fluffy white blanket. HA! We'll see how those attempts go in the near future :)

Baby Shower

I know I have bragged on the wonderful girls and kids in our playgroup before, but yesterday they all went above and beyond and threw my bff Sara and I a joint baby shower!  It was my first baby shower for Miss Olivia and we got tons of great "girl stuff" that we needed!!! First of all, it is the coolest thing ever that I am pregnant with not only one of my best friends.....but there are FIVE (I think I counted everyone) of us due in the next few months and three others have already had baby #2!  Then, there are the SANE few in the group who are sticking to baby #1 for awhile!  I am beyond blessed to be surrounded by all of these wonderful mom's as some of my best friends.  Beyond blessed.  I SO wish I would've taken some pictures, but I think all of us were having too much fun to even think about a camera!  Anyway, I am one lucky girl and I am so thankful for all of you!  I feel lucky to know that I am raising my kids alongside other kids from families that I know are being raised in Christian homes and learning polite social manners.  We are going to have so much fun over the next several years!  I see many group family vacations in our future!

Kenwood's Birthday Bash!

I know I blogged last week about Kenwood's birthday week, but he is now officially a two year old!!! We went to the doctor today for his 2 year check up.  Thankfully, no shots today!! YAY!!!  He is a very healthy two-year old and apparently a very smart little boy :)  He was about 75th percentile in height and 65th in weight.  I'm thinking we might have a tall boy on our hands--tight end anyone?  We had a great birthday party at our house on Sunday night!  Kenwood had family and friends over and SANTA came to visit!  Even though Kenwood was terrified of Santa...he still insisted on wearing the Santa hat all night...and all day Monday...and I finally got him to wear his OU hat today instead.  But, I guess he's just festive and ready for Christmas!!  Here are a few pics from the party!

This was Dillon's rocking horse as a little boy--his parents re-finished it and cleaned it up to give to Kenwood for his birthday!! Such a cool and sentimental gift for this little guy!