I don't want to forget....

We don't do Santa. I know, I know, I'm a mean mama. Just for the record, I'm not anti-Santa. We watch all the Santa  movies. AC knows who he is, she just knows he isn't real. Even AK has learned about Santa this year, and says "ho, ho, ho" every time he sees someone (or something) with a Santa hat on. :) I grew up with Santa and it didn't scar me. I don't remember when I realized he wasn't real, but I know I played along for a while (since I was the oldest of 4). Anyway, we don't do gifts from Santa...for a couple reasons. When EK was small, I knew she would HATE sitting on Santa's lap. We never started that tradition b/c of it. She would still hate the tradition at age 7 if we did it. We also only give a couple gifts to each child. I did not want some fictional character getting credit for something that we bought. (Yes, that's selfish!) Because of the other two reasons, it allows us to make sure that Jesus's birth is the main thi...

Oh my word!! Is it just me or is it stressful trying to get good pictures?? I'm hoping this gets easier with time. EK and AK had issues. EK is hard to get sweet pictures of on a good day. But she's a pretty little girl, so I want a picture that shows that. But AK was a handful this year. He's a busy boy and if he doesn't want to do something, he can't be talked into it or even bribed. My sweet friend Jamie (bless her heart) was very patient. We had to take pics two different days. The first day was freezing and we didn't get any good ones. The 2nd attempt was much warmer (like 20 degrees warmer) so we got a couple that were "card worthy". For now, enjoy a few that did not make the cut...Just trying to keep it real, folks. :)

A couple weeks ago, the meteorlogists predicted lots of snow/sleet/wintry mix for early Sunday morning. Keith watched the weather all day Saturday, trying to decide if we should have church or cancel. He didn't cancel and we were able to have all three services Sunday morning, however, the staff canceled a special Thanksgiving service that evening. The storm was predicted to start that afternoon. In the end, we didn't get much of anything!! Early last week, there were predictions of some more wintry mix, but they didn't talk it up that much...until it was almost on us. (I think they were worried they'd be wrong again!) I went to the store Wednesday and again Thursday AM to get a few things like milk, juice, bread, etc. I figured even if it stormed we'd be able to get back out Saturday. Well, it was BAD!! It started Thursday afternoon (freezing rain and sleet) and schools announced closures for the following day. I can't remember the last time our district close...

Our computer wasn't working correctly for a few weeks. It was terribly slow and I could tell it had spyware or malware on it. :( Thankfully we got it back and running! I missed it! I rely on it more than I realized. Anyway, here are some pictures from my phone! AC and I decided to make some ornaments for our tree this year. I wanted them to be pretty, easy to make and non-breakable. I found several ideas on Pinterest.   We made some cinnamon dough ornaments but I wasn't impressed with the recipe we used. Will look for another one next year. (If you have one that you've used and liked, please let me know!) I wanted to try and get a picture of my three before Thanksgiving at my in-laws. It is NOT an easy task. AK is at the age where he does what he wants and it's so hard to get a good picture of EK. Most of the time when EK is looking AND smiling, the other two aren't! AK cracks me up how he folded his arms. ;) AK ate at the table with the big boy...