two year anniversary tonight...

its been exactly two years since the boys and i arrived in austin...somedays it seems like just yesterday and at other times it seems like we have been here forever...we miss our families and friends but we are so blessed to have landed in this great city with wonderful new friends to go through the transition with...heres to change...heres to moving forward...heres to enjoying the simple little things in this crazy journey called life...heres to 2008 and all it holds for each of us...just peace...we celebrated new years eve with nikki and gregg at fridays for dinner...watched deck the halls...tuned into fox at 10:53 pm and celebrated the new year in the eastern time zone...the confetti will be with us for much of 2008...the boys loved tossing it everywhere...happy new 2008...

good bye 2007...

spent sunday enjoying the beautiful warm sunny day with the hensons exploring downtown...first we stopped at whole foods to pick up a picnic lunch, then we headed to zilker park, explored barton springs (yes, people were actually swimming), took a mini train ride around the park then hit 6th street downtown for cocktails and french fries...family fun field trip day on the path....this is the stuff the kids remember...

nikki and cooper boarding the train...

gregg and noah sharing a seat...

steve and colin making sounds at zilker...

steve and i smiling for the camera...

downtown austin from our train ride...

waiting for the train in the shade....

barton springs in the background...swimming year round...check a couple more things off the list of activities i wanted to do in 2007...looking forward to more family adventures in 2008...

holiday get-a-way...

spent the day after christmas in our pajamas, finished opening presents from us, building lots of legos and watched appollo 13 in preparation for our houston holiday get-a-way on thursday...
left thursday morning, checked into our hotel, shopped at the galleria, cocktails at the daily grill, swimming in the pool and room service for dinner while watching the longhorns play football...

drove to the houston space center on friday morning (note to self - watching appollo 13 pretrip - good idea), spent the entire day at the museum and only got through half of the attractions before closing time, upgraded our tickets into a family membership for the next year and drove on home...

i think steve and i enjoyed the space center as much as the boys did...totally rich in history...totally awesome in perspective..."failure is not an option" is our new motto around here...peace.

day twenty-five...merry christmas

merry christmas to all...thank you santa for my new digital camera...watch out blog - current daily pictures in 2008...we had a wonderful holiday season...spent christmas eve baking cookies, going to church and playing dirty santa at the hudsons...the blue bowl lives on and duplicates itself/man tools are the new thing/sarahs delicious fig bacon appetizers are the new party-in-your-mouth/nikkis champagne cocktails live-on/reindeer food for all...early to bed "because the earlier we go to bed, the quicker santa can come" per colin...christmas day was more fun for all...spent the morning opening gifts...the afternoon with hosting our dear friends and family on the path...the evening opening more gifts...we are so blessed on this wonderful day...

day twenty-four...merry eve

{ christmas eve 1984 - a visit from santa with ryan.mike.lauren.melanie.jesse & beth }

{christmas eve 1973...rose.tom.matt.paul & steve...edward asleep the photo states on back side}
a beautiful sunny cool day here today...the cookies are baked and HEAVILY frosted by my little elves...the presents are wrapped and under the tree...the fridge is stocked...the champagne is chilling...the stockings are hung...the advent calendars are almost gone...its christmas eve and its my favorite day of the holiday season...now its time to enjoy the day...go to church and celebrate with family and friends - near and far....happy birthday rachael - a special birthday for you on a special day...peace in your merry eve.

day twenty-two....

{christmas 2001...santa visits nursery school with justin and nathan}

today we have some new holiday magnet sentences...i love reading these...i love watching the boys create them...they are growing more excited each day...

santa loves the grinch

the grinch stole the toys and the christmas tree

mommy was kissing santa claus

frosty was drinking hot cocoa and melted

day twenty one...candy cane cookies

these are my new favorite holiday cookie...peppermint candy cane cookies...super easy...super quick...super delicious + now you know what to do with all those candy canes! for the recipe check out elsies blog here ...thanks elsie - i'm adding these to my favorites...mine look a little different but hopefully taste as great. peace.

day twenty...parties.parties and more parties

how many sugar plums are dancing around today?? heres rudolph colin at his party...steve and i stopped by nathans party earlier in the day...its so fun to watch how the boys act/respond in a different environment...we missed justins party but harassed him from the hallway window...schools out now until january 8th...i never remember christmas vacation being that long when i was a kid...peace in your party excitement, sugar high day.

day nineteen...candles and letters

happy bday brandon...lots of little errands today, getting ready for the big cday...colin came home from school today with the following letter:

Dear Santa,

I wot a toolbox

I wot a moove

I wot a gam

I wot a tv for me

I wot a axin figrs (action figures)

Your friend,

Colin

(hummmmmmmmmmmm....two options here - call santa or hit target tomorrow morning...gee, he's only five and i didn't even take him to see santa...not sure how this one will end...keep you posted)...still warm here today - 76 and cloudy...off for cake and ice cream...peace.

day eighteen...one week left

everyone is getting a little excited around here...the boys only have two days left of school...the cards are mailed...the last shipment of presents went out today...only a couple more gifts to wrap...it was a beautiful sunny 72 degree day here today...nikki and i just had to take the boys outside to play before dinner...since we are both from the north, we still are amazed with the weather and enjoy being outside at every opportunity possible...heres to all those last week errands - hopefully in flip-flops! since my list is finally growing smaller, check out this list if you want to check out what was hot in 2007...peace in your growing/shrinking list!

day seventeen...checking that list

nothing like a little starbucks peppermint mocha to help one review the list for today:

1. mail christmas cards on the busiest mail day of the year
2. make sure number one gets done
3. stop at starbucks to reward self after completing task number one.

ok, that list is done for another year....

day sixteen...address, lick & stamp

{photo from our christmas card photo day...december 2007}

today was christmas card day around here...note to self for next year...count the number of cards and envelopes before you start addressing them...i received 50 envelopes from target but only 40 cards...not a problem till you go to stuff those last 10 addressed and stamped envelopes...won't make that mistake again...heres to filling up all those mailboxes this week...peace.

day fifteen...snow, cookies & movies

today was family fun day on the path...we started out with the annual teravista snow day...it was a sunny day but the wind kept the temps in the 50's...perfect to keep the snow around for the afternoon...you can see the snow was quickly replaced with mud by the bottom of the hill but colin didn't seem to mind...

love those blue texas skies as steve gives colin a little push...

nathan showing off his athletic skills...

waiting in line for our turn...

nikki and cooper sharing a sled...

taggert wishing that hill was just a little longer...

after snow day, we all hosed off the mud then headed over to the jones for our second annual cookie decorating party...i believe we ate more cookies than we left with....heres rachael, nikki and sarah watching over the frosting and sprinkles....

here are all the decorators awaiting to frost....

after our kids cookie party, we all went home and hosed off again and changed into our pj's and gathered here for movie night (plus a little surprise birthday party for rachael) here are the kids anxiously awaiting the birthday mom while practicing their cheer....

after cake, games and movies playing in three different rooms, we finished the day with texas poker (and started the next day with some poker too!)...it was a holiday family fun filled day...can't imagine what we are going to do tomorrow to top this day...peace.

day fourteen...cards?

yikes...just received a card from buffalo and it took 6 days to get here!! no time for blogging...must get cards in the mail...ok, its midnight now and thats not going to happen today but we did go to fridays for dinner, played a family game of texas hold'em poker and watched its a wonderful life (i did fall asleep for the last/best half hour - darn) with 1 out of 4 boys...not a bad turnout for the movie...heres to a holiday family fun weekend ahead...peace in your little traditions!

its a wonderful life...

omg...i just went to tape friday night lights on tv tonight (part of friday morning routines...take out trash...figure out how to dvr friday night lights...vacuum...etc) and when i went to the correct time slot, there it was...my favorite holiday movie...its just not christmas without watching it...yes, we own it (on vcr tape) but somehow its not the same watching it standing up in the kitchen at the only working vcr left in our house and probably all of texas...so, what was going to be a regular family fun friday (hanging out in downtown round rock with santa and cocoa) has now turned into a wonderful family fun friday movie night...its beginning to feel a lot like christmas all of the sudden....i am hoping to talk ALL the boys into watching it with me...sometimes that black and white movie thing scares them, but hopefully not tonight...peace in your wonderful something today.

snowmen...

you can tell i found the huge box of pictures marked 'before 2002 - to be sorted'...i started scrapbooking in 2003 and started organizing my pictures at the same time BUT anything prior to that - yikes - its a scary mess...a project that will never get done...looking at this picture, i remember that it was a weekend day (because i came home to find this masterpiece awaiting my reaction), looks like it was before the colin days, looks early in the winter season (october, maybe november), looks like the curtains needed some attention, looks like a fun morning activity - if you enjoy all that white stuff... now, heres my favorite kind of snowmen...

• snowman cupcakes from martha
• snowman shaker from pottery barn
• snowman sweaters from max
• snowman note cards from paper source
• snowmen at night from barnes & noble
• snowman in a box from land of nod
• and this cute texas snowman craft (might have to make this)

peace.

day thirteen...invitations

mailed out our christmas day party invitations this morning...planned our family fun day for this upcoming saturday...planning on working on those christmas cards tonight...lots of writing today...received a cookie decorating party invite today and a christmas eve invite as well...invitations in & out everywhere...justin was home with a nasty cold today...the bus driver gave each of the children a roll of lifesavers today and nathan traded his candy on the bus for a pokemon card "mom, candy only lasts for a couple minutes but this card will last forever.." hard to argue with that...colin has been busy with markers, scissors and glue...another masterpiece in the making...eating chipotle chips all day (leftover from last nights dinner!)...a serious family game of blokus tonight (one of the best family games around - poppa & grandma bought it for justin last christmas and it is STILL a huge hit around here)...lots of projects to finish up tomorrow...lots of cards to finish writing tomorrow...lots of cleaning to catch up on...heres to tomorrow...peace.

day twelve...reflecting

{christmas 1994 - our first house - hoyt street in buffalo}

do you not just love this picture...the camera was balanced on the edge of the pool table in the parlor...yes, i had a pool table in the middle of our house...i moved into a true bachelor pad...love the picture on the wall & the basket of pine cones...not too many ornaments on the tree back then but it was a huge tree - very tall i remember...i bought steve a briefcase that year...do they even make them anymore?? we got a lenox holiday truck ornament from mom & dad that year - hence the start of our collection...i'm sure i could tell you all the details of the holiday season back then because i used to journal everyday/everything (obviously before children) and all those journals are packed away in a box that i refuse to open because i would probably lose two weeks just sitting and reading each and every page...but i know they exist...must be the reason i enjoy blogging all the silly little things of each day...heres to making memories daily...heres to remembering them too...peace.

day eleven....peppermint

{christmas 2001...justin 4 years old & nathan 3 years old...sweaters from ireland at ed and erins wedding in june of 2001}
its all about the peppermint today:

• a little bark here
• some homemade cookies here
• twisted peppermint here
• peppermint kisses here
• peppermint martini here
• warm peppermint hot fudge here
• stopping here for one of these

candy cane wishes to you today...peace.

day ten...checking the list

the to-do list is growing daily....

• christmas cards (write/address/mail)
• ship presents (wrap them/tag them/box them/address them/mail them)
• finish buying a couple presents
• order steves gift (free shipping)
• sent out christmas day invitations
• menu for christmas day
• bake cookies for kids party at the jones on saturday afternoon
• wash china/stock bar/try out cranberry cosmos (any one want to help taste?)
• organize holiday movie night party for this saturday night
• clean out chimney for santa
• see whos on santas naughty list/nice list (hence, classic line from nathan today when justin was doing something wrong.."justin you just got moved from nice to naughty"

heres to today lists growing everywhere...don't forget to breathe and enjoy the candy canes!

day nine...cookies & ribbons

{jamie, mandy, rachael, shannon, sarah, nikki and me - december 2007}
today was our second annual path cookie party hosted again this year by shannon...thanks shannon, another fun girls only event...lots of cookies and champagne punch - the perfect combo...got a big chunk of wrapping done tonight...love the feeling of putting a present under the tree...something magical about it...we had a busy weekend around here...the front door is all decorated with garland and lights (a new tradition for us)...a couple house projects completed (nothing like entertaining to motivate us to do those little things)...i noticed a present under the tree for me tonight (those boys must of been busy while i was at the cookie party)...church this morning...chilis for dinner saturday night then we drove around to look at everyones house all lit up...can't believe theres only 16 more days till christmas...peace in your countdown.

saturday review

holiday magnets are still alive and creating around here...today we have:

santa loves mrs. claus

the grinch was shopping at target

the grinch stole justins eggnog

day eight...birthday wishes

happy birthday rose - hope you enjoy your special day!! gotta love this picture of the sippel children on christmas 1966 (faith somehow found the time to date each picture and often wrote the exact age of each child on the back...sometimes jotting down little comments about the occasion)...note the stockings on the mantel...i not only have steves stocking but each year there was an addition to the sippel family, faith would create a stocking for them on that christmas...there where several years where she was very busy cutting and sewing (ie, 2002 there were 4 grandchildren born that year...colin/willa/daniel/bridget) our handmade stockings are all hung, waiting for santa...hopefully i'll remember to get a couple pictures of the boys under them...love traditions that span generation to generation...love new traditions...heres to yours in 2007...peace

day seven...thinking

just thinking about when i was a kid there was no such thing as a vcr or a dvd or a dvr...you got one chance to watch the grinch and that was it...if you missed it, you had to listen to all the other kids talk about it at school the next day and you had to wait a whole year to see it again...not these days though...we have the joy of watching the grinch over and over and over again...watching his heart grow over and over...watch the boys understand the movie on so many different levels...love the christmas specials as much as the boys do and yes, we watch them when they are on - thats half the fun - but we also dvr them to enjoy them again and again...can't wait to share george baileys movie with them over and over...it is a wonderful life...peace.

day five...decorating

woke up to this sentence on the fridge:

mommy loves daddy and visa

i think i know whos busy at night...today is filled with christmas errands(from mondays list that never got checked off)/regular errands(we still need to eat during this busy season!)/pulling all the christmas boxes out of the garage(the tree has been naked long enough & i can't use the olde letting the branches fall excuse anymore!)/working on the cards & presents that need to be shipped out of town/small little picture project for the bathroom (nothing like a little holiday entertaining to motivate me)/picking out a cookie recipe for our cookie exchange at shannons on sunday (brought santa surprises last year)/printing address labels for cards/thinking about my dirty santa gift so more/buy a new window cleaner thing (thinking about upgrading from the inexpensive one, maybe less streaks?!)...i think thats enough for today...its wednesday & i know my office work should be arriving shortly (probably should buy the ups guy a christmas gift..) so i want to get as much done before it arrives...lets hope i get to that decorating thing, otherwise i'll have to change todays title...peace in just a regular day

day four...holiday word magnet fun

the handmade personalized holiday magnets are a hit...today i woke up to this sentence:

justin was excited to be frosty the singing snowflake.

worth the time creating these, although the project got a lot easier when i mass produced them...the boys keep asking for more words, all very appropriate holiday words...nathans sentence was:

nathan stole the grinchs gingerman.

colin is still working on his...he just realized how this game works...have a feeling i'm going to be reading a lot of new words for him later on...just noticed this sentence also:

mommy loves daddy and drinking champagne

not sure who was that creative cat? haha...

day three...mondays & lists

i've got my holiday list all written, monday chores are completed around here, talked with mom for over an hour, showered and dressed and ready to go, car packed with gifts to be returned or exchanged (hello, my name is carol and i sometimes find a BETTER gift for someone on my list so i careful unwrap the first gift, find the receipt, drive to the store, stand in a long line and return the first gift - therapy after the holidays for sure) and i'm on my way to pottery barn/barnes and noble/target/best buy/hallmark/pier one...its a great day here for shopping - sunny and 65 - i've got the minivan cruising, colbie caillat singing, the holiday to-do list mentally checking off all the things i'm going to accomplish today then the cell phone rings...guess who? "mrs. sippel i have one of your sons in the nurses office with an earache - what would you like me to do?" "perhaps he could try out one of those cute little cots and a blanket for the next 5 hours? i've got just a couple things i'd really like to do..." haha - so shopping monday is now doctors appointment monday and we'll try this list again tomorrow or wednesday...gotta go, i have a better list to tend to...watch movies, play games, read books with a curly colin..happy monday no matter what your list looks like....peace

day two...christmas cards

ok, so every year i wait till 2 weeks before christmas, dress the boys up, shoot a roll of film, have it developed in an hour, decide to do another shoot, repeat all mentioned steps - well, not this year...on NOVEMBER 11th, we dress up, load the camera with film (no memory cards here) and attempt to take the boys pictures...they did not cooperate...they lost video games for a week...they were much more attentive today (hummmmm...can't imagine why?) and i'm sure that they will be telling their children the story someday during their own sippel story time..."i remember one year your grandfather sippel was so upset with us that we lost video games....." anyways, we finished a roll of film and got a couple cute pictures out of it, not to mention some laughs...not sure what steve was doing to make them laugh but i'm pretty sure he didn't want to have a third photo shoot either...heres to sending and receiving holiday cards...a little photo present in the mailbox...peace.

day one...christmas tree

{picture is from december 2006 - our first artifical tree}

december is finally here and i am as excited as the boys are...we had a busy day today, filled with old traditions & a couple new ones too!! steve put up the tree and the train today...we watched the grinch and made paper chains to count down till christmas day...the boys (yes, all three) had so much fun making their chains, hanging them up in their bedrooms & ripping off the very first link...why didn't we every do this before?...with all of this holiday excitement, i had to finish my little magnet project - more to follow when it dries...i love december...i love the holidays...i love the feel of the boys excitement worked into every conversation...peace in your december days...

birthday wishes

{picture from last years birthday party - november 2006}

happy sixth birthday taelyn...we can't wait to come to your special birthday party tomorrow...enjoy your day!

chutes & ladders & fridays

"Learn to enjoy every minute of your life. Be happy now. Don't wait for something outside of yourself to make you happy in the future. Think how really precious is the time you have to spend, whether it's at work or with your family. Every minute should be enjoyed and savored." Earl Nightingale
in this soon-to-be stressful time of the year, i am determined not to give into that mode this year...i think i'll print this quote and post it on my bathroom mirror as a daily reminder what a special gift everyday really is...colin is home again today...nothing like a couple board games to make him feel better...peace.

today

did not go according to plan and thats ok...colin was home sick with a nasty cough...christmas shopping was put on hold...and since i was horrified to find a huge spiderweb growing in my kitchen blinds i decided it was time to tackle the dreaded window cleaning project...4 windows/6 hours/5 screens/250 wood blinds all dusted & ready for santa...suddenly the sky is more blue, the sun is brighter and i am actually thinking about cleaning the family room windows tomorrow...maybe...

responsibility

so this morning the phone rang at 8am...

justin: hi mom
mom: hi justin
justin: i won the character of the month at school, can you come for the lunch ceremony today at 11:55?
mom: congratulations jdog, of course i'll be there, why didn't i get an invitation? and by the way, what was the trait for this month?
justin: sorry, i forgot to give you your invitation...this months trait was responsibility.

(sounds real responsible, huh? nice job justin! his teacher had many wonderful things to say why she chose justin for this award)

to-do list for today

• chat with santa about the boys
• lunch at school with justin today (he just called and asked me to come)
• grocery shopping/dry cleaners/bank
• order a couple more christmas presents online (free shipping sites!)
• think about that christmas card picture
• call nikki & thank her for apple martini cocktails last night
• call steve & thank him for picking up dinner at chilis (awesome chicken tortilla soup!)
• call mom
• laundry - those piles multiply while i sleep at night
• catch up on office work b4 new envelope arrives today
• help boys make a christmas chain to help them countdown till christmas
• make holiday 'word' magnets...still working on ideas for this...details to follow

peace in your wednesday to-do lists...

stocking stuffers for all

just a couple cute things to pass along today:

• check out this free video from itunes this week from john mayer - love the song. ( go to itunes - music video - john mayer - say. click on free video)
• get some instant snow here and a portable tree also. (love keri smiths blog & books)
• this great perpetual calendar to get organized for 2008 - never miss a birthday or anniversary again
• print a set of these labels and you'll never have to guess when you put it in the freezer - thanks martha
• check out this calendar for your favorite holiday movie and set up the dvr
• and if i have a couple extra minutes, i am going to whip up a batch of these for any leftover holiday pie

96 ways to get into the spirit...

{picture of colin from october 2007}

ali edwards blog shared these first 72 ways to get into the holiday spirit... i had a make some alternative suggestions due to the weather here + i added a couple of my own ways...enjoy

Build a snowman (real or styrofoam)
Take a sled ride (real snow or man made kind)
Make hot cocoa (add kahlua for the adults)
Take a moonlit walk in the snow (or on the sidewalk)
Have dinner by candlelight
Make a list of 100 things you are grateful for
Bake cookies and give them to a neighbor
Give someone a gift anonymously
Have a holiday sing-along
Donate gifts to a needy family
Take a ride to look at holiday lights and decorations
Make snow angels (grass angels?)
Make a popcorn string
Simmer mulling spices
Make orange pomander balls
Cut out paper snowflakes
Go cross-country skiing (rent them if you don’t own them)
Go ice skating (yes, texas has an indoor rink somewhere)
Take bird seed with you on a hike
Snowshoe on a sunny day (working on a substitution for this one...)
Go caroling in your neighborhood or at a local nursing home
Put evergreens and other seasonal greens around your house
Host a cookie exchange
Take an egg nog break
Host a wreath-making party
Watch the snow fall (real or snow globe)
Read O. Henry’s Gift of the Magi
Gaze at the winter stars
Host a holiday dance party
Write holiday cards to 5 friends you have lost touch with
Pray for peace
Share your favorite holiday memories with your kids
Spent 30 minutes in silent reflection on the meaning of the holiday season in your life
Call five people you love and tell them why you love them
Invite someone new to dinner
Learn to knit a scarf
Make homemade soup
Cuddle under a blanket
Enjoy a cup of tea with a friend
Donate mittens and other winter items to a shelter
Attend a holiday concert
Share the story of the best present you ever received
Learn to play a holiday or a soothing song on an instrument
Make resolutions for the New Year
Have a late night cookie and milk break
Make a pine cone wreath
Put out food for the squirrels
Learn how the holidays are celebrated in different cultures
Shovel your neighbor’s driveway (sweep your neighbors driveway)
Learn to say "I love you" in five languages
Make breakfast food for dinner and eat in your pajamas
Warm yourself by a roaring fire
Give experiences instead of material gifts
Take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage
Volunteer at a soup kitchen
Write down the 10 best memories from the past year
Commit to support a charity for an entire year
Send a recent photo of your family to distant relatives and friends
Enjoy a cup of hot cider
Practice one random act of kindness each day in December
Dress up for a special holiday dinner at your own house
Offer to help someone who needs it at the grocery store
Make your own potpourri
Take a long winter’s nap
Plant bulbs in pots for winter blooms
Invite friends to have a sleepover at your house during the holidays
Write your what you’re thankful for on strips of paper and form it into a gratitude garland
Make breakfast food for dinner
Build a snow fort
Paint your own wrapping paper or find ways to create recycle giftwrap
Memorize a poem to recite at the dinner table
Eat snow (or snow cones)

OK, now i'll add a couple more ideas....
Find a picture of yourself when you were a child on christmas morning
Burn your favorite holiday songs and have a neighborhood swap
Go see santa at the clubhouse on saturday afternoon - perfect for holiday card picture
Help your neighbors take DOWN their christmas lights after the season (no cutting allowed)
Make a fire even if its warm outside and roast marshmallows
Have an advent chain making party in november for the kids
Record your favorite holiday movies to enjoy after christmas
Buy extra ornament hangers to share with your neighbors
Set up a wrapping center somewhere in your house
Have the kids decorate shipping boxes with stamp art
Put santa hats on the kids stuffed animals
Let the kids decorate their room
Start a holiday journal this year
Create your own holiday binder - rip out ideas/articles/recipes that inspire you
Make reindeer 'food' now & leave near the front door for the big night
Cut one commitment out of your holiday schedule = less stress
Watch its a wonderful life...try talking the kids into watching too
Use a candy cane to stir your hot cocoa
Hang some mistletoe (real or fake)
Form an assembly line when it is time for christmas cards
Take pictures before christmas of the little everyday preparations
Start an online photo album to share all holiday pictures
Mix together crushed candy canes & vanilla ice cream
Wear a santa hat in public, just once, this season

cyber monday

and i'm in full hibernation mode...steve is home sick...weather is still cool...office work piles are as tall as the holiday weekend laundry piles which are as tall as the piles of crumbs on the kitchen floor - can't decide which pile to hit first...and the internet keeps calling my name 'free shipping, free shipping, free shipping...' let ya know who won tomorrow...peace in all your cyber monday treats...

thanksgiving day

today we all gathered at nikki and greggs house to eat/drink/laugh and enjoy the holiday together...the 12 of us (hensons/smiths/sippels/ms. jessica) feasted on 25 pounds of perfectly cooked turkey with all the trimmings...shannon & nikki did laps around the kitchen while the guys watched football...the kids were angels (they must know santas watching!)...it was a great thanksgiving....nathan enjoyed singing to kelly clarkson & watching the cowboy cheerleaders...justin had three helpings of turkey & a huge slice of ms. nikkis pumpkin cheesecake + one slice for the trip home...colin was busy playing with noah & cooper...we are so thankful for a special day with special friends on the path...peace to all who will awake at 5am to hit the stores on black friday...double peace to all of you who will hit the outlet mall at midnight tonight...

super fun day

{today we have a special guest blogger..}
today, we made super bouncy super balls. it was very different to see how to make them. Colin made two different super balls. one was a light green with a glow-in-the-dark kind of green. he also made a red and blue one. Nathan made a green, red, & blue ball. Justin {that's me} made a half red & half blue. it Had to take an hour to make & probable a minute to demolish. i hope that we can have the next last for more then sixty seconds!

target wednesday

since the boys had off from school today, we decided to hit target for a little early christmas shopping...my goal was to get some ideas for them for christmas...their goal was to buy for their neighborhood kris kringle...2 hours later, we finished...both goals accomplished!! it was so fun to watch them pick out a special gift, they really had great & thoughtful ideas and target was enjoyable - stocked shelves & few customers - i'm sure this store will not look like this again till after the holidays...where did we go before target???

wednesday notes

ok...so i spend two hours this morning working on my printer problem...removing drivers/updating software/reading owners manuals/figuring out that there actually is a difference between windows & vista/visiting chat rooms {ALL which are foreign things/languages to me}...so justin walks by on his way outside & asks what i'm doing and i give him this nice long, complicated answer and you know what he said...why don't you just scan/save/import it into your laptop....hummmmmm, good idea....its not the total fix i was looking for but it solved my problem/got the printer off the kitchen island/allowed me to file away all those darn owner manuals....lesson learned - ask justin first, he truly knows more about computers than i do...reminds me of a quote steve and i used to use for justin - 'throw away the set of encyclopedias, son knows everything'

tuesdays blessings

colin was very busy last night coloring forever at the kitchen table...as he showed us the above picture he said "first comes this..." {nice turkey hand drawing} and then he flips the paper over and said "then comes this!" {nice cooked turkey on the table!}

how could you not just love that...love the funny things that colin thinks/draws/says...peace in all your thanksgiving preparations/travels/shopping...and an extra special path congrats to brandon who passed his test yesterday...we all gathered tonight to share in the excitement...heck, we'll use any excuse to party!

monday thanks...

love this list of creative ways to spend an hour...(better than watching the season finale of the bachelor...how do i get hooked into these series??...editted - he said NO to both!!!!!)

november thanks

• thankful for getting a flat tire on saturday (happened when steve was with us)
• thankful that firestone is open on sundays (flat tire replaced with no inconvenience)
• thankful for the boys new school classroom (all three boys love it & colin is excited to finally be in the 'big kids' portable)
• thankful for birthday parties at the main event (loved watching nathan interact with his friends from school + we had fun hanging out/playing/eating while nathan was at his party)
• thankful for thanksgiving week (mini 5 day vacation for the boys)
• thankful for thanksgiving dinner at the hensons (looking forward to fun, football and lots of laughs)
• thankful for the bachelor season finale this week (austin dude = bachelor)
• thankful for the miracle on 34th street this thurday on nbc (love that dvr thing)
• thankful for nikki blogging too

peace.

sunday thanks

go buffalo bills....sunday night football...watch out patriots - hannahs dressed to cheer!

saturday november thanks

today i am thankful for winning the mom vs. nathan sour skittle contest...i was able to keep a skittle intact for over 15 minutes in my mouth...it was a close one though...nathans constant laughing proved to be my advantage...contest was monitored closely by justin and judging was completed by steve...good thing i took that parenting 101 class to prepare me for all these exciting, wonderful life challenges....

tgif

thankful for great neighbors...fridays restaurant up the street...watching this dvd tonight with the boys...the weekend with no plans...all three boys surviving a week without game cube or nintendo ds or computer games (actually i survived the week!)..peace & thanksgiving to all.

friday catalogs that arrive in my mailbox

can't decide if i should buy steve this, this or this for christmas...haha...

thursday notes...

1. cell phone picture...yikes scary quality...
2. look what colin got at school today...he was allowed to pick out a toy from ms. blounts treasure chest for 'being good when no one else was except me & madison'...he is very proud of this guy so we made a big deal about it...
3. steve: 'what play did you see on your field trip?' nathan: 'elvis in wonderland'
4. mom: 'justin do you want to join after school choir?' justin: 'i'd better not mom, i need to be on the bus with colin in case something ever happened to him & nathan couldn't handle it.' mom: 'that was the most creative excuse i've ever heard.' (remember eddie haskle from leave it to beaver?...)

november thanks = add frosting

yesterdays muffins actually got better with some homemade frosting...try using whipping cream instead of milk!...delicious difference...i was able to get a couple things done on the dreaded to-do list + i picked up a boat load of mailing boxes for free at the post office + purchased holiday stamps...now i am ready to read oprahs magazine from cover to cover (she has some awesome ideas on her 'O' list this month like this) i think sarah found this first ! peppermint chocolate cupcakes are a gooooood thing...off to do some window shopping with nikki at the domain {i promise to only take one charge card steve} ...later