9 years

He's 9 years old today. . . she's ** years old. :) They share a birthday and love every minute of it! Happy Birthday Ty and Barb, we love you!

It's a girl day

We woke up early. We dressed, and ate, and fixed our hair, and brushed our teeth. I think I was in grouchy-robot-mom-half-asleep-mode. Tyler kept teasing Paige about some funny eye. I put a stop to the teasing by yelling something from the other room. As we were putting our jackets on, I actually LOOKED at the eye. UMMM. . . ewww! Okay, okay, so he was right.

I called Shane, and he said. . . you better keep her home. And here's the rest of the story:

Paige: I GET to stay home from school!?! . . . . (and in the same breath). . . . . WAAAAAAAA!!!!!We'resuppposedtoOHHHWAAAAAAgbgerbreadWAAAAAawardWAAAAA!!!!
Me: WHAT? Please stop yelling and crying and say it clearly. I'm not sure why you're even crying.
Tyler (translating): They're supposed to make gingerbread houses and get awards in the assembly today.
Me: OH. . . well, what if WE make our own gingerbread house today?
Paige: really? Well, is it going to be BIGGER than the one at school?
Me: sure
Paige: O.K. I'll stay home from school.

It's all about quantity with this one.

We went to Tyler's award ceremony and dropped off some gifts to their teachers, then we headed home to make our gingerbread house from a kit. . . (Yeah, that's right. . . you can call me Martha.)

Paige said it was a "girl's day." We made our gingerbread house, ate chicken nuggets, and played candyland. It was such a nice day, just me and her and some Christmas tunes. (Mo was napping) It reminded me of the good old days before she was in school. We would eat lunch together on the back patio in the sun and she would walk a full circle around the yard in between each and every bite of her blt. She always finished her sandwich, it just took forever!

We're not scared of a little viral conjunctivitis around here. We'll still share some gingerbread and give goodnight kisses. . . but it sure does look nasty!

Christmas music

My absolute favorite part of Christmas is the music. I listen all day while I'm working around the house. I listen in the car on the way to my photo shoots to put me in the Christmas mood. I used to listen to Bing Crosby with my headphones in my bed as I fell asleep when I was younger. My 4 favorite songs are Jingle Bells (Bing Crosby & the Andrews Sisters), Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (Bing Crosby & the Andrews sisters), The Man With the Bag (Kay Starr) and Sleigh Ride (Andy Williams).

It's all for kicks you know. Puts me in the Christmas mood. But, what really tugs at my heartstrings is my little (but very tall) Paige and 4 of her best little friends singing "Away in a Manger" in church today. Oh, they sounded so sweet!

Then, to top the day off, the senior primary kids (all 18 bazillion of them) sang their little hearts out to "Christmas Bells" and "Stars Were Gleaming" along with the cello and violin. So gorgeous and reverent as can be! I can't wait until next Sunday's program.

What's your favorite Christmas song and artist?

B-day Bash

Paige's b-day was celebrated Webkinz style. We had the party at the park and the day was just gorgeous! They brought their pets with them. We spun the wheel of wow and competed in b-day hat decorating and relay races. We also made little pet collars for their webkins. Throughout the party they had chances to earn their "kinz cash," and at the end, they "brought" prizes out of the treasure box. It was a great party. . . I think I'm still recovering. Man, birthday parties really knock it out of you!

I made webkinz clothes for party favors out of old clothes that we had around the house that were stained. It turned out to be one of those projects that you curse yourself for starting. . . because I ended up making 12 or something ridiculous like that. It would be a great project if you just had 1 or 2 in mind, and something that would be fun to do over a Christmas break, or on a day off of school with your kids. Click on the 3rd picture of the clothes below to get an idea of how to make it. You can make your own pattern depending on what type of webkinz your kids have.

Check this out!

My great friend, Keira, and her sweet sisters have started a great blog showcasing some gorgeous photos and some equally gorgeous hair accessories. They call their blog Vintage Dreamz. Check it out. . . they could definitely come up with the perfect hair accessories for your holiday pictures!

Click on the picture below!

Happy 6th Birthday!

Wasn't it only yesterday that she was 2? I'm sure that it was. She loved her blankie and loved to go on walks. She sucked her little thumb until it was raw and we had to tape gloves on her hands to heal the infection. She couldn't wait until Daddy got home. . still can't! Her favorite thing to do was play the keyboard and swing. . . oh the swings. If you put her on the swings it could be more than an hour pushing and pushing. She would still kick and scream when it was time to go home. She was not afraid to talk to anybody. . and she still isn't. Her favorite food in the world was fruit snacks. She couldn't wait to go to school like Ty Ty. Now, she's in Kindergarten and loving every minute of it! I can't believe how she's grown!

Her favorite color is PINK

She LOVES her music class

Her best friend in Kindergarten is Sean

When she grows up, she wants to be a VET

She is the entertainment of our household with her wit and silliness.

She reads like a pro

She loves swimming, kitties and playing with Tyler and Mo.

She always brings Mo to us first thing in the morning. . .and I do mean FIRST thing in the AM. . I'm talkin' before the sunrise . . . joy of our life.

She learned to tie her shoes

She learned to ride her bike without training wheels. . . only in the grass MOM!

We love you Paige! Happy Birthday!
now, stop growing!