Just for you, Grammy

Check out those cool helmets and bells!

Good Stuff

My sweet and smart friend, Lindsay, has started a blog to encourage young wives/moms. She has been doing a series called the 25 days of Christmas and while all the days have been great...this one is my favorite!!!!

Rubies and Rewards: 25 Days of Christmas: Behold the Lamb: We are over half way through our 25 Days of Christmas series! Most of it has gone according to the plan I had put together with a few ...

Day 13

Big Idea: The shepherds got excited about finding the baby.

Activity: We made snowman soup! Super cute and easy. You take mix hot chocolate and whatever you want. We added marshmallows and candy canes. They mixed it themselves!

Excuse Blake's knees.  You only get snowman cup pictures.  The boys were over smiling :)

4 months

Happy 4 months Caroline!!!! You are a true joy!!!

What to do...

What to do on a rainy day...
Build a homemade race track with a wrapping paper roll, tape and straws!

Food for thought

 Thought I would steer away from our advent for a few minutes and show some recent found yummy foods!

I accidentally got this at the store the other day.  I didn't look well enough to see that it is not the light kind.  But oh.my.life. this stuff delicious!  I let Blake have some today and he said, "it's ice cream yogurt?"  Yummy.  So if you are willing to spend 14g f fat and 39g of sugar per serving on yogurt, I highly recommend this :)


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This is another recent favorite find I have made.  It is seasoned rice vinegar.  I am not usually a huge vinegar person, but I do like vinagerettes.  So I thought I would try this on salads for a whole 5 calories per serving.  I love it.  It is very sweet and a good subititute for salald dressings!!

This sandwich I made last night and it is scrumptious!!!  It is from Cooking Light and so easy, so good and reheats well!!!

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/mozzarella-chicken-sandwich-10000001185367/

Days 11 and 12

Day 11 Big Idea: Good News was announced about a baby who would be Savior!
Activity: Made our teacher's gifts.  We made vanilla brown sugar scrubs.  I found this on pinterest and it was so great for them to help with.  You can't mess it up!

Mix 2:1 Brown sugar and sugar

Add in Sunflower or Vegetable Oil and vanilla

Scoop into jars.  I found these at walmart for $2

Then I put on some scrapbook letters and ribbons.  We also gave them gift cards to our favorite place in Corsicana - 2 Doors Down!  It's a coffee shop.

Day 12: Big Idea: An angel surprised the shepherds
Acitivity: We went to the library to get Christmas books.  No pictures:)  And a word to the wise...go BEEFORE Dec 12...or all the good ones are gone!!! 

Day 9 and 10

Sorry to be a little behind!!!
Day 9:
Big Idea: Mary gave birth to Jesus in a stable.
Activity: Go to a live nativity.

It was pretty cold that night.  Luckily Caroline had a warm outfit thanks to our buddy Elizabeth Anderson.  When I put it on her she looked liked the kid from A Christmas Story.  "I can't put my arms down!"

In true little boy form, they were more excited about the soldier at the entrance to Bethlehem.  He did have a sword!

Daddy took our picture!

Day 10:

Big Idea: An angel surprised the shepherds.

Activity: We had to kind of "wing it" this day because we got to go to our cousin, John's, birthday party.  So daddy took them to get donuts!!!  Mommy got her hair done.  So that means no picture!!!

Day 8

Big Idea: That Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem to register.
Activity: Go look at Christmas lights!

These videos aren't great, but here is the boys getting loaded to go and the other one is of the lights in the park that we drove through. Good job Corsicana on good lights!!!

This is how CJ felt about the lights!!!

Day 7

Big Idea: God has promised that Bethlehem would be Christ's birth place.

Activity: We made ornaments to give to our friends and had hot cocoa! (sugar free!)
At this point we realize the pictures are looking a lot the same and this is really for the granparents (and Auntie!)!

It was funny to see personalities come shining through.  Owen could have done this for hours.  He was very focused and wanted to complete the task.  He actually did two by himself.  One little piece of paper at a time.

Blake however, literally put about 5 pieces of paper in one ornament and called it done.  However, he did finish his hot cocoa!!!

Day 6

Big idea:
It was time for them to register for the census.

Activity: Make Brownie snacks.  This idea was inspired by a pinterest idea.  I saw some brownie tree pops.  I changed it up a little and it was fn because the boys got to do more of the making, not just decorating.  I poured the brownie batter into 2 pans instead of one so that they were thinner.  Then we let the boys pick whatever christmas cookie cutter they wanted to make their own.  Then we decorated.  It was a success!  And delicious!



She was there too :)



We needed baths afterwards and in true third child form...this is her first bath picture and she is almost 15 weeks old!!  She's gonna have neglect issues!!

Look at that sweet bunny!

Day 5

Big idea: Joseph took care of Mary while she was pregnant

Activities: tell the Christmas story with our nativity scene

And we went and delivered some clothes to a place called family services. It was so fun explaining to the boys that we are supposed to help take care of others because that's one way we can show God we love him. The best is to hear them repeat that to Nate. PRECIOUS!!!

Day 4

Big Idea: That God had already told us that he would send His son this way.
Activity: Christmas card pictures!  You can't see the final result...but I will let you in on what it's like to take a picture on a self timer with 4, I mean 3, kids :)

Nate's face kind of says it all!

again?!

here are a few cute shots

The Beans...he has a great smile.  And he was promised candy.  No I am not above that.

Yes, Caroline, this is what you are stuck with!

Day 3

The big idea: The angel told Mary her son would save us from our sins.
Activity: Go to see the Christmas Parade...so much fun!
So much fun that when we got home, Owen came up to me and said "mommy thank
You for taking me to the harade!" (that isn't a typo...that's how he says parade)
We have a video that I'll try to post tomorrow!

Whose impressed at how we are keeping up!?!?!!?

Day 2

Big idea: an angel came to Joseph to tell him about the baby.

Activity: watch Santa buddies... More fun for them than us!!!

Day one

The "big idea" was that God made it possible for Mary to have a baby.
Our activity was making gingerbread men.
Here's the pics:

Thanks for the encouragement!

My last minute DIY advent

So I have been wanting to do an advent calendar this year and with my pinterest app on my phone I have been seeing all kinds of cute ones for lots of inspiration.  But of course, I am me, I am not very crafty and known for great ideas and little follow through.  So of course since most Advents start on December 1st I put my thoughts together yesterday...which left me with today to make the calendar. 

However, I am very happy with my last minute project.  I am hoping to do a post a day this month to show all of the fun things we do.  Again though, great ideas...little follow through...so we will see!!!



Here is where I started: I got this cute scrapbook paper from Walmart for $.97 and it had 7 pages in it...NOT BAD!





Then I found this cute heart shaped envelope tutorial on pinterest and so I cut out some hearts and made emvelopes:





Here is the envelope and m&ms to put inside



Inside each I wrote a verse that we would read as a family that night and two m&m's and the activity we would be doing for that day.  I found the verse of of my friend Lindsay's advent blog found at rubiesandrewards.com



I then hung them on a ribbon with clothespins on our back doors



Here's a shot of both!

Not bad for not being crafty and doing it last minute!  We'll see how I like it once we do it.  Changes might come...