Countdown to Christmas 2013 ~ Days 9 & 10

We're counting on down to Christmas!

Day 9 was spent shopping.
My girls could shop all day, every day.
They love it.

I needed to pick up a little surprise at the Disney store,
and then it was off to Walmart for wrapping supplies.
No photos for day 9 because 4 children + 1 disorganized Mama = mess.


Day 10 was Wrapping Day.
I specifically bought a couple extra rolls of .97 wrap at Walmart so the little girls could wrap
{and tape!} to their heart's content. 

 

 

Holly let her hair down yesterday.

 

And in the afternoon, we got a call from my dad
asking if the big girls and I would like to go to a movie.

I'm going to be honest, at first I wasn't sure.
It was a greasy-hair, pony-tail and leggings kind of day,
and the thought of leaving the house didn't appeal.

But I'm so happy we went.
It was nice to get out with just the two big girls.
It was a beautiful drive to an old movie theater in Silverton.
 

 

 

 

And I was pleasantly surprised to find I LOVED the movie
{we saw Catching Fire. I didn't love the first movie, but the second totally made up for it!}
*And ya know, my hair was nothing a little baby powder couldn't fix ;)

 

Once we got home, we had a little dinner, did some snuggling, and put the littles to bed.

And just enjoyed the beautiful sights of Christmas.

 

 

 

 

 Today is a laid back day at home.
Christmas story-reading is on our to-do list.
I'm going to enjoy these quiet moments . . .
the rest of the week is going to be BUSY!

 

 

 

Another week has passed us by, and it is now just a handful of days until Christmas! 

Unbelievable. 

 

If you're like us {and I'm betting you all are}, this last week was almost unbearable.  Friday was full of tears and heartache for the families in Connecticut.  My heart hurts every day, I cannot imagine what all of the mamas and daddies and brothers and sisters are going through this holiday season. 

It is unthinkable.  We continue to pray.

 

 

On Friday we decorated gingerbread houses.

 

Kam enjoyed eating the decorations just as much as she loved decorating with them ;) 

Saturday was busy, busy, busy. 
The girls had dress rehearsal at the studio, and I was there to do photographs. 
I had planned on turning the offer down, especially being so close to Christmas.  But Sierra had begged and begged, and in the end I couldn't say no.  There was many an hour spent editing {dark, dreary day + overhead lighting + natural light photographer = terrible combo}
And I was a little sad to be missing out on those precious moments with my girls.
But.
On the flip side, some of the most beautiful and adorable dancers attend our studio.
The individual shots were definitely my favorite.

Miss Sierra:
 

Sunday was another busy day. 
We headed down to the church for a family luncheon, and then back down that evening for the Children's Christmas Program.

{Tay was there, she just refused any pictures}
 

Monday was Christmas Movie Marathon day ;) 
That's code for:  Mama has a bazillion hours of photo editing ahead of her, and she needs to keep the littles occupied, and doesn't have time for a big craft or outing.

Tuesday we had a cousin/friend over to play, baked cookies, and . . . more editing.

Wednesday was a BIG day!  Sierra finally picked out her kitty.  Without typing up a whole, long story . . . Sierra is the biggest helper I know.  For months {years, really} now, she takes notice of what needs to be done, and willingly helps out whenever needed.  I never have to remind her to make her bed, put her laundry away, clear her dishes.  She does all of those things without being told, and she takes on many tasks that aren't her responsibility, simply because she sees that it needs to be done.  Honestly, I don't know what I would do without her. 

She has wanted a kitty for a long while, but Daddy didn't seem real thrilled with the idea.  So she wrote him a letter.  Outlining why she wanted one, and reminding him of all of the things she has done that show how responsible she is.  It worked like a charm ;) 

And Wednesday was the day to finally get her!  

Meet:  Miss Sophia Bentley

 

 

 Thursday was Spa Day. 
We typically try to do an at home spa day around the time of a dance recital. 
We get our toes and fingers all prettied up, and pamper ourselves before the big show.

And today is the recital!
My girls have worked so hard for weeks to prepare for this show, and I can't wait to watch!

Alright, y'all . . .what have you been up to?  Are you running around like a crazy person {like me}?  Or are you peacefully enjoying these last few days before Christmas?

Link up below, so that I can see what you're up to!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Countin' On Down

 

 We are Countin' on Down to the FIRST OF DECEMBER!!!!

One more day, y'all!  And this year . . . is the first year that we have jumped on the Elf bandwagon!
I'm so excited! {Please remind me of that when it's 1:30 in the morning, and I wake up realizing Elfie hasn't moved!}

We are decorating the house today, and the girls cannot wait!

More fun activities to count down the days until Christmas:
{You can find the first installment here}

Make their meals special . . .

My girls {Kam, especially} LOVES a cookie cutter sandwich. 
Last week we made our own PB&Js ~ which is especially helpful if you have kiddos like mine.  Sierra doesn't like jam, Kam doesn't like peanut butter, and Kenners pretty much goes with the flow.
 

Or if you'd like to make it *super* special . . . Add sprinkles.  We really like sprinkles.

 

More Ideas:

 * Decorate a Gingerbread House.  We usually buy a kit, but I've seen ADORABLE little "cottages" made from Graham Crackers.  We may just have to try that this year.

* Have a Wrapping Party with your littles.  My girly girls LOVE wrapping paper.  And tape.  Ohhh don't get me started on their love of tape.  Turn on a special movie, gather together gifts for the Grandmas and Grandpas, and let them go to town!

* Christmas Movie Marathon.  Stay in jammies all day, pop popcorn, and watch your holiday favorites!  Ours include: Charlie Brown Christmas, Garfield Christmas {seriously hilarious}, Elf {LOVE!}, and Frosty!

Don't forget to share your favorite activities in the comments!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving & Whatnot

Y'all, we had a fantabulous Thanksgiving. 
I did miss out on the actual dinner {Miss Tay was in need of a nap}, but  I fixed myself a plate later.

And dessert.  I pretty much live for dessert.

So.  The girls with *their* AG girls ;)
 

Are they the cutest?

And this girl:
 

 

Ahhhh, my mischief maker.  And I thought Kam was full of it.  Never, folks.  Never have I known a child to be so full of . . . . mischief.

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What have you all been up to?  We are gearing up for a busy, busy month!  Countdown to Christmas starts in just 4 days!!  This is our fourth year.  My, how time flies!!  If you're new here, we plan an outing, activity, craft, etc. every day in December for the girls.  We keep it pretty simple, but the girls LOVE it!  Stay tuned for some ideas for your own littles!  And if you're looking for a little inspiration now:

Countdown to Christmas 2011

Countdown to Christmas 2010

Countdown to Christmas 2010

Countdown to Christmas 2009


 

 

 

 

Countdown to Christmas Happenings

We've had a busy start to our Countdown to Christmas, how about y'all??!


December 1st found us making our Hershey's Advents.  We always have so much fun with this.  This year we used the Hershey's Caramel Chocolates.  Uh, yum.

On the 2nd we attempted Christmas Shrinky Dinks.  We cut them out, colored, placed them in the oven, and . . . nothin'.  No shrinkin' whatsoever.  

We'd heard about a local Christmas Bazaar on the 3rd, and went to check it out.  It was pretty small, but one of the tables catered to crafts for kids.  For a couple of dollars they could choose any crafts they liked.  The girls chose Christmas Tree Ornaments.



And yesterday . . . . we got our tree!  YAY!  We've been hit with some sort of cold, and haven't been feeling our best, so we weren't sure when we'd get a tree.  But we sucked it up, and got it yesterday.  And it's HUGE.  They look so much smaller out there in the field, don't they?  Our old house had, I don't know, maybe 7 or 8 foot ceilings, but our new house has vaulted ceilings throughout much of it.  So.  Pictures of that adventure coming tomorrow ;)

How are y'all celebrating?  Don't forget to document your happenings, and come back here on Thursday for a link up!

Countdown to Christmas ~ 2010, ♥ Week 2 ♥

Welcome to Week ♥ 2 ♥ of Countdown to Christmas! Am I the only one who has a hard time believing that we're in our second week of December already? The clock is ticking, isn't it?

We had a great week. It was kind of quiet and relaxed, but that's good sometimes.

So, recap:

Last Friday we went Christmas shopping and out to lunch. We ate at one of the girls' favorite restaurants {no, not McDonalds, thankyouverymuch!}, Lil' Cooperstown. And we finished up almost all of our Christmas shopping. Just a couple more things to pick up.

Saturday we got our tree! We were so happy to have it picked out and put up! We even got a shot of the whole family. That doesn't happen very often ;)

Sunday we had planned to craft, but at the last minute our plans changed and the girls decided to go up to Jeremy's parents' house to help them sell trees. They had such fun as the official tree picker outers ;) We also spent some time in Luke 2. I think the more I read it, the more in awe I am.

Monday we made wreath decorations. I had little foam wreaths left over from last year, and the girls decorated them with rhinestones and sequins.

Tuesday was spent reading some of our favorite Christmas stories. The girls love the Little House books. Makenna received "A Little House Christmas" a couple of years ago. It is a fabulous book filled with special Christmas stories. We read the first one on Tuesday.

And Tuesday evening we were invited to my parents' house to decorate their tree. I don't think the girls could ever get tired of decorating.

And today we made our Rudolph Candy Canes. So much fun!

~ ♥ ~~~ ♥ ~~~♥ ~~~ ♥ ~

So . . . . what have you all been up to? Any crafts, recipes, or activities you'd like to share? Link up below. And don't forget to visit others! It's more fun that way ;)

Holiday Happenings

Since many of you asked, here are a few pics of the girls' tree. They love having their very own tree in their room, and they decorate it all by themselves. Well, I string the lights, but they do the rest ;) Sierra's especially great about checking each day to make sure it has enough water.

We're off to the grocery store in a minute, but I'm hoping to have some craft ideas to post later today ~ if any of you are looking for things to do with the littles.

Oh, and don't forget to link up your holiday activities. Come back here tomorrow for our Countdown to Christmas! We've had a busy week, how 'bout you?

♥ Countdown to Christmas 2010! ♥

<a href="http://sugarplumcreations.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="Countdown to Christmas" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs8VN-zvFeOKI2rIN_cFbIAD2GDFfnMCQ6DdPXfEd6-rwM9GZBTrfIGbw8Za3mMfwOPoSn0y2ZHqAQcylsq15daEMNXsZ7LrX2ZgXIVeFFo_NWfSw3ohheyvV_WiyJbT9qXMMjoX6HtvVZ/s200/Countdown+to+Christmas+Button+2.jpg" /></a>

Oh my goodness, I can't believe we are only two days away from the first of December! It is definitely time to get organized for Countdown to Christmas!

So, the details: I think we'll link up on Thursdays throughout December {December 2nd, 9th, 16th, and 23rd}. Since we'll only be two days in for the first link up, I thought we could blog about what our plans were for the first week {or even the entire month}. Or, if you don't care to link up until the following Thursday, join in on the 9th! Either way, we'd love to have ya. It's a great way for all of us to gather ideas for crafts, activities, and outings to enjoy with our own children as we count down the days until Christmas! And, of course, feel free to post about your fun creations, projects, outings, and recipes each day, if you like. And on Thursdays, we can do a recap.

Grab my button for your blog, if ya like. I worked REALLY hard on it {just kiddin'!}
Most of my projects will be centered around my children, but if you do not have children {or they are too young to participate}, please consider linking up some of your favorite crafts, holiday traditions, recipes, anyway. We all could use some inspiration!

Need ideas? Have a look through my December 2009 archives. Last year we made our own advent calendars, hair clips, gift boxes, gift tags, and snowflake decorations ~ to name a few. If you're not feeling super crafty, think about making Christmas cookies, going for a drive to look at Christmas lights, or snuggle up with a cup of cocoa and some good Christmas stories {or a movie!} I've found that children just love the idea of having something fun to do each day.

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Oh, and also, there may be a giveaway at some point ;) I'll give you more details about that later!

Now go! Plan out your activities, and think of joining us. We had so much fun last year!