Day 12: True Meaning

Day 11: Anticipation

Day 10: Peace

Day 9: Joy

Day 8: Giving

This year David and I rang bells for the Salvation Army. So much fun!

Day 7: Decoration

Day 6: Colors

 David's ornament from a few years ago.

A replica painting my sister got me a few years ago. Love this!

Day 5: Family

Day 4: Tree

 

Day 3: Lights

The Reynold's light display - a tradition for so many. It's a local free light display that does not disappoint.

Day 2: Memories

I have a lot of Christmas memories. Mom and dad always made it special; from picking out the perfect gifts to making us sit at the stop of the stairs and waiting until the rolls were in the oven, the music was on...God only know what all they did while they made us wait, for what seemed like forever.

I always adored the 11 service at church. Candle light and hymns. I remember the year it got cancelled because of weather. Even though I was in college, I was devastated and had no idea how Christmas could go on without it.

Mom used to have a Christmas party every year between the 8 and 11 services. It started out so people in the choir had a fun evening between singing at the services. How I loved that! When serviced got changed and people left the choir, the party was on different evening in December. Then one year, she didn't have it. Don't think she didn't hear about that! This year she didn't have it either - there is too much going on and not enough time. That party and the people associated with it is an amazing Christmas memory.

Day 1: Angel

I have collected angels for years. I have them in every room of my house, my car, my office.

 

This angel has been on top of my tree since 2004. Prior to that, it was on top of my parents tree for years. No one knows for sure how old she is. All I know is that if she ever stops working, I will be devastated.

 

Her glow year after year is a reminder of the steadfast love of Jesus Christ. A simple yet powerful reminder.

 

12 Days of Christmas

The past 2 years I have done a 25 Days of Christmas Photo Challenge. Those can be seen here. I wanted to do something this year as well, but I decided to shorten it a little. Let's face it, with a full time job and 2 kids, I don't have time to blog daily. 12 days sounds more doable this year. :)

Here is my 12 Days of Christmas Challenge

Day 1, Dec 12: Angel
Day 2, Dec 13: Memories
Day 3, Dec 14: Lights
Day 4, Dec 15: Tree
Day 5, Dec 16: Family
Day 6, Dec 17: Colors
Day 7, Dec 18: Decoration
Day 8, Dec 19: Giving
Day 9, Dec 20: Joy
Day 10, Dec 21: Peace
Day 11, Dec 22: Anticipation
Day 12, Dec 23: True Meaning

David says...

On temperature control...

David: Mom, can you turn on the coldconditioner?
Me: The air conditioner?
David: No, the cold one. I don't want any hot airs melting my chocolate.

****************************************************
On movie selection...

Me: Let's watch The Lion King.
David: Mom, don't forget that I'm not a fan of lions.

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On breaking a wish bone...

Me: David, when you break the wish bone, you make a wish and don't tell anyone. The person with the bigger side will have their wish come true.
David: Okay mom, let's do it.
Break...mommy got the bigger side
Me: (after setting it down without saying anything) Okay bud, let's get ready for bed.
David: (sobbing)
Me: What's wrong buddy?
David: (Still sobbing) I want my wish to come true. Now I will never see the ninja turtles!
Me: (sobbing with him) It's okay bud, wishes come true all of the time.
David: Not mine! My side was smaller and I told you my wish! It will never come true now.

Guess what compilation of animated shows I bought the next day. Mental note to never do a wishbone again.

*****************************************************
On birthdays...

David: Mom, your birthday is soon.
Me: Yup
David: Are you going to have a parent only party?
Me: I probably won't have a party bud.
David: WHAT?! You HAVE to have a party!
Me: Well, we have a lot going on right now bud. Mommy doesn't need a party. I don't know what kind of party I would have anyway/.
David: Yes you do! I will plan it. It won't be a pink party either. We will have games - fun ones, not boring games. Like maybe we can go on a hunt for frogs mom. That would be an awesome game!

Not sure his idea of fun and mine are the same....

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On packing school lunches....

Me: Hey bud, what do you want for lunch tomorrow?
David: Um...I think I'm going to be really hungry tomorrow. I need a sandwich, apple, banana, chips, milk, dessert, yogurt...
Me: Whoa bud, that's a lot of food for a little guy.
David: Mom, I'm growing. I can eat it all.
Me: Okay bud.
David: And mom, you can give me 2 desserts. That would be okay..

Wouldn't you know, that kids did get 2 desserts the next day.

********************************************************

One bedtime...

David: Mom, can I get one more hug and kiss?

Always bud, always.

Ice Bucket Challenge

I was nominated for the ice bucket challenge, and in the spirit of giving, I accepted said challenge.
David wanted to join in after watching all of the videos on my news feed.

We decided that we wanted to donate to the American Cancer Society in honor of all the family and friends we know who are still battling this disease, and in honor of those who have kicked it's ass!

I have challenged the entire Mott family. David has challenged my parents and my sisters.

Enjoy!

http://youtu.be/TeSGpjfEZxY

 (Note to all taking the challenge. Check your sound. We did this the night before, and you couldn't hear us, so we repeated the next morning.)

Kindergarten

It's official - I have a kindergartner in the house.

And in case you were wondering, I still think of David like this, bundled with his favorite blankie.

David was beyond excited. His favorite part, the bus. Wanna know why? "No seat belts mom." Yeah, not sure how I feel about that one.

He gets on the bus early, like 6:45 early. We are hoping he wants daddy to take him to school eventually (which would mean daddy could drop off as late as 7:50). He is used to getting up, watching some TV, goofing off, and then going to daycare not on any set schedule. Not anymore. Kiddo will get up at 6am, brush his teeth, get dressed, eat breakfast, and out the door he will go.

For day 1, he didn't want to buy a lunch, so I packed. Packing is my preference for budget reasons, but we will let him decide. Wanna know what he learned on his first day?
"Mom, if you don't have a lunch, you just go in and they give you a tray of food!" 
When do you think he will figure out that someone has to pay for that lunch? 
Day two he totally wanted to buy a school lunch.

If you don't listen in kindergarten, you walk laps at recess. A classmate found that out the hard way on day one. David does not want to walk laps. He will always listen to his teacher.

It's okay to sit with friends on the bus and at lunch and not know or ask their names. "Mom, maybe tomorrow I'll ask."

A few weeks before school started this conversation was had...
"Mom, why can't I ride the bus home"
"Well, buddy, mommy can't get there to get you off the bus. Mommy doesn't get off work until after you get out of school."
"Oh, is that why I have to go to K-Care"
"Yup buddy, it is."
"Oh, I wanted to ride the bus home."

After his first day...
"Mom, I love kindergarten! The bus was awesome! Can I come again tomorrow?!"
"Yes, buddy"
"Mom, I liked K-Care too. I got chips and salsa!"

Thank you for taking such good care of my baby.

Kindergarten will continue to be a huge adjustment for us. David and Molley are no longer in the same place for ease of pick-up. She is very concerned about where he is after he gets on the bus. David now has a very structured day. We don't have those at all in the summer. Now he will be on the bus (until we convince him otherwise) at 6:45 and I will pick him up by 4 from K-Care. This is a much longer day than he is used to. We will work to figure out how our schedule needs to change. Molley isn't used to getting up that early, and neither is Nate for that matter! I am also used to running errands after school, and those will end as we adjust to David being at school for much more of his day. I know that he will be fine - I just need to adjust to my baby being away from me for so much longer!

The excitement melts my heart! I wish that everyone could see the world through the eyes of a 5year old. So magical, so simple, so wonderful.

Molley is 2!

I can't believe that my baby turns 2 today. It seems like just yesterday we were on our way to meet our beautiful miracle from God, and today she turns 2.

She has been an amazing addition to our family. She is a handful, for sure! She is stubborn and always wants to do things for herself, or at least try before she lets you help. She is active, loving, loud, and a lover of Minnie Mouse. She is a girl who knows what she wants, and is not afraid to let anyone know what that is or what she thinks. She can be a girly girl at times, but don't dare try to put a bow in her hair!She studies everything and thinks about things before answering questions. Molley is a daddy's girl for sure.

She has developed so much this year! From scooting to walking to running to jumping - she is a girl on the go! She had only a few words in March, and now she says over 40, and is puts words into sentences.

My baby girl on her birthday.

And on her 1st birthday

 Happy birthday, baby girl. We love you more than you will ever know!

4th of July Shirt

This year I decided that I wanted to make 4th of July shirts for the kids. I have always bought shirts or a outfit, and my kids have always been cute for the big day

See what I mean. :)

But this year, I wanted to save some money and make something cute, so I took to Pinterest. I found this and decided that it was just what I was looking for - cheap, easy, and I could add my own touch.

I started with grey t-shirts, mostly because I had them. I bought acrylic paint at the craft store in red, white, and blue. Probably should have bought fabric paint. Live and learn.

 My secret addition to the shirts - glow in the dark paint!

The stamp is made with pipe cleaners. I used white so I could more easily see where the paint was on my stamp.

To make the stamp, take 4 pipe cleaners.

Fold in half and twist. Then fan out the ends to look like a starburst.

I put a plastic bag on a hanger and then hung my shirt up. Protected the inside of the shirt and made hanging up to dry a breeze.

I also used plastic bags for my paint. Plates weren't big enough to get my stamp on. The plastic bags made clean-up so easy!

I started with red. Just swirl your stamper around in the paint and press on the shirt. I wasn't too concerned with full coverage. The color imperfect color lines look more like fireworks.

I added colors until I got the effect I wanted. I didn't wait for anything to dry between adding colors. I did red, white, blue, and then the glow in the dark. I did 1 stamp of each color to start, and 2 of the glow in the dark. I went back and did a 2nd stamp of each color, and some more glow in the dark. The glow in the dark paint dries almost clear (a slight greenish tint) so I felt I could add as much as I wanted.

Tadah!!

And it glows, though an awful picture.

So super, easy and they will love wearing them!!

We're gonna go Wild, Wild, Wild Kratts!

I'm finally getting around to sharing pictures of David's party. We had a great day celebrating with family and friends!

This year he chose to have a Wild Kratt's party. In case you are not in the know, the Wild Kratt's is a show on PBS. David loves the show and we don't mind letting him watch since it is pretty educational.

As always, I set out with the best of intentions of making things and having great games. It's the thought that counts, right?

I didn't get a picture of the food table. I had cute buckets with the snacks in them. It was all animal themed food, and all kid friendly.
Tiger tails (cheese puffs)
Fried ants (raisins)
Twigs (pretzel sticks)
Jungle vines (green twizzlers)
Elephant food (peanut trail mix)
Animal crackers
Fruit fly food (grapes)
Hungry hippo dip (fruit tray)
Mess hole (sloppy joe)

We played 2 games. The first was a game to learn about frog power. We used big 'ole sticky hands to catch bugs like a frog would with his tongue. Big hit!

Molley wasn't as amused with this game.. She picked the sand table.

Our second game was to teach us about the creature power of the caterpillar/butterfly. We took turns wrapping each other up and then busting out. Fun, but the tp wasn't as kid friendly. 

All in all it was a fun day! David was excited to have his friend over and he didn't want anyone to leave. He woke up the next day and asked when he would be 6 so he could have another birthday party. He's growing up too fast!

The guys (and Sadie) parties hard!!

Nate gave rides that may not have been so safe, but the girls loved it!

Boys being boys.

Any party that ends like this has to be a good one, right? *

*No he did not drink out of the bottle. He has gum in his mouth that he was chewing.