Kickin' off the Holiday Season

The week of Thanksgiving always kicks off the season of holidays in our house. The Christmas tree lighting takes place early in our downtown, with Santa riding in on a fire truck. The downtown twinkles with white sparkly lights - such a beautiful site. There is something comforting in the annual traditions. Jeff kicked off his hunting season the same night, so the children and I had a pizza party with friends, then headed downtown for the lighting.

We also celebrated a certain birthday girls' 4th birthday!

I think we've found another tradition to incorporate into our family. Abbey took her balloons outside and I asked her if she wanted to let them blow away and watch them go up, up, up. At first she said no, then she asked where they would go if she let them go. We told her they would fly up to heaven. She thought about this for oh, about a nano-second and said "I want to let them go so everyone in heaven will know it's my birthday - like Pa-Pa". We lost my Dad (Pa-Pa) last year around this time so it was so sweet of her to remember him. I bet he caught those balloons from his little Abbey and celebrated in heaven. Don't you just love how children think? I think we'll need some more balloons to fly away on the next birthday.

So many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, but most of all our family and friends. I have the family I've always wanted and I will always be so very thankful for them each and every day. I get to kiss on soft, sweet baby cheeks every day (many times a day!), share in smiles, hang out with a teenager late at night, and just share life with them every day.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone!

~Lisa

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2009! We had a quiet Christmas at home with our girls this year. Santa was very good to them! Some of their favorite gifts were: a wooden kitchen complete with baking set, felt cookies (an etsy find!) and a kitchen timer - for Abigail(2), the Barbie from Diamond Castle with a dress to match and a wooden castle - for Allie (4), and Waldorf dolls - for all three older girls. Abbey loves setting her timer, then when it goes off she comes running singing "It's ready! It's ready!". Very sweet. Allie is all about princesses and Barbies. She dresses up daily and is incorporating Abbey now in her dress up play. They play together well flitting and twirling around the house.

Santa came early for myself and Jeff bearing a new Nikon camera which I love. He also found us a new to us Suburban - which is so sweet! I love all the room we have now and it's so funny when we all ride together in the Durango. We seem so squished! It's kind of like a watching a clown car unload when the girls keep piling out of it.

The girls hand made each other sister gifts this year and the only thing we bought for those was a hair brush. Allie gave Jessica a gift set that included homemade hair detangler spray and a new brush. We made the hair detangler by mixing together in a recycled squirt bottle 1 cup of distilled water, several drops of lemon and tangerine essential oil (sunshine scented!), a tsp of aloe vera gel and a capsule of vitamin E. We decorated the bottle and called it "Beautiful Hair Detangler". It really works - Jessica's hair is super shiny and best of all, not tangled.

Other sister gifts included a Go Fish -fishing pole set to Abbey from Jessica, hair bows and a beaded braclet set to Grace from Melissa, and a felt i-pod holder for Melissa from Grace. I enjoyed the one-on-one time with each girl as they created their gifts this year. Having our sewing/craft table permanently set up makes it so easy to craft with them.

I gave Jeff (my Good Hearted Man) a new blog! He's still learning but I know there will plenty there once he gets going. http://www.newbraunfelseats.blogspot.com/. This guy can cook! I can say I knew him when .......when he could only make grilled cheese sandwiches that is.

Cheers to 2009!

~Lisa