Countdown to Christmas 2011 ~ Week 3

I cannot believe Christmas is just a few days away! 

This last week has been a little boring around our house :(  With so much sickness, we haven't been feeling up to being all that festive.  But the other night as I was getting ready to go to bed {and Taylor was just waking up} I was sitting in the living room, rocking her, and looking at our brightly lit tree, and I started thinking.  Do I have it all wrong?  Here I've been running around like crazy.  Shopping, shopping, and more shopping.  Decorating.  I've scheduled an activity or craft for my girls every day in December.  We've baked cookies more times than I can count.  And just how much time have I devoted to reading the Bible, or quiet time with God?  Hmmmm, let's see.  Probably less time this month than any other month this year :(  It hurts to admit that, but it's the truth.  I'm not saying that traditions and activities aren't fun and an important part of the season.  I just think I've lost a bit of the true meaning somewhere in all of the hustle and bustle and planning and stress.  And I find that totally ironic.  And sad.

Anyway.  On to the recap.

Last Thursday {Day 15} we went to the Portland International Raceway to look at lights.  Other than a little car sickness, we had a great time :)

Friday {Day 16} was Beauty Day.  It had been awhile since our toes had gotten special treatment.

And just in time too!  Because the girls' dance recital was our big outing for Saturday {Day 17}.



On Sunday {Day 18} we had planned to go to the Church Christmas Program.  But Kam wasn't the only sicky anymore, so we had to miss it :(  Instead, we got in our jammies and watched Christmas specials.

Taylor had her Six Month check up on Monday {Day 19}, and all we were really up for afterward was a quick stop at Starbucks for a Vanilla Bean and Cake Pops.



I was supposed to attend a Cookie Exchange on Tuesday {Day 20}, but with the number of sickies multiplying, I had to miss it.  We stayed in jammies ALL DAY and Nana and Grandpa cooked us dinner that evening.  But I was soooooo sad to miss the cookie party :(

By Wednesday {Day 21} we were all feeling a little discouraged that our plans weren't really turning out the way we'd imagined.  I had picked up a Gingerbread House Kit, and it was screaming the girls' names.  So we invited Grandma over {despite the fevers and coughs}, and put it together {after a certain 2 year old went to bed . . . at 6pm, ahem}.  I have a few photos of the masterpiece, but they're not all that great, and I'm tired, and can't bring myself to upload them right now.  Envision a lot of frosting and candy.

And here we are.  I'm not sure what our plan is for today.  The coughing turned to vomitting last night {sorry TMI!}, so I'm guessing that we'll have another low-key day.  And that's okay.  I just want the girls to feel better in time for Christmas.

So . .  . what about y'all??  What have you been up to?  Please do let me know!

And also? I'm finally {FINALLY!} linking up {kinda late, but oh well} with Beth @ I Should Be Folding Laundry. Because I've been meaning to for about 300 years now.

If You Come To Our House For Christmas Cookies { A Warning }

You may find our process to be a bit . . . messy.  A little unorganized.

Little hands are always in charge.



Especially the littlest of hands.



We enjoy an abundance of sprinkles.


Ahem, we enjoy an abundance of sprinkles.



And did I mention chocolate frosting?


But, if you think you can handle it, we'd love to have you over for some sprinkles, er cookies.

Starbucks Makes Everyone Feel Better

So . . . we've been doing a lot of this lately.

{Please excuse the frizzy, unkept hair.  Sick little girls don't appreciate their mamas doing anything but taking care of them 24/7.  Maybe excuse the zombie look too.  Mama hasn't been getting much sleep these days.  Actually, why don'tcha just ignore crazy lady on the left, and just focus on the little one on the right.  She's pretty adorable even when she's not feelin' so good. }

Don't get me wrong, I love the snuggles.  But I REALLY love healthy too.  And we're not feeling all that healthy these days.  And it's kind of a bummer, because I feel like we're missing out on all of the holiday festivities.  But then, I think maybe it does us some good to slow down.  So, we're making peace with that.

Taylor had her 6 month check up yesterday {Um, 19 pounds, 3 ozs.  Hello, big girl!}, and I asked if we could squeeze Kam in for a quick peek too.  No ear infection, lungs sound good.  "Just" a virus.  But poor little thing is just miserable.  After the appointment we swung by the store for more Tylenol, a couple of last minute gifts, and more wrap {and juice too}.  And the girls were SO good, that I ran into Starbucks to pick up a little treat for them.  They ♥ the Vanilla Bean, so I ordered three, with a few of these:

Yummy, chocolatey, pepperminty goodness.  I had a tiny bite, and they are heavenly.  And they're photogenic too.  Don't you think? 

Hope y'all are staying healthy!!

Dancing Queen{s}

Saturday night was the girls Christmas Dance Recital.  They look so forward to all of their performances, and I do too!  I don't know if it's because I spent so many years dancing {and coaching and teaching}, or if it's just because I'm a mama, but I get teary at all of their performances. 

This year was a little difficult because most of us weren't feeling all that great, and Kam was feeling downright awful.  But she insisted on going to watch her sissies.  Thank goodness for my mother-in-law.  She offered to take the older two so they could be there early, and so that I could stay at home with Kam {and Taylor} as long as possible. 

Luckily they got right down to business, and I think the entire show was only about an hour long.

And the girls . . . .



they looked AWESOME!  I knew they would.

♥ Six Months ♥

Okay.  What on earth happened to the last month, someone please tell me.  Six months??  Six?  Holy cow.   Half of a year?  I'm sorry, but I'm still trying to process this.  Oh how I wish time would slow down just a little.  But that doesn't look like it's happening any time soon :(

Miss Taylor Grace, you are SIX MONTHS OLD already!

You are the sweetest little babe ever.  You are smiley and friendly to everyone who crosses your path.  You also, however, are getting a little more vocal ;)  Up until recently you had me believing that you were going to be my sweet, laid-back, easy-going one.  I'm starting to question that now.  Sometimes you sound an awful lot like big sissy, Kam, and let me just tell you . . . this family can only handle ONE Kameryn, okay?

You enjoy your walker, and can scoot along in it just fine all on your own.  Though your sisters won't be havin' any of that.  Oh no.  They love to twirl you around in it ~ racing you through the house. 



No teeth yet.  Still working on it.  But you've got a LOT of drool goin' on, and you're gnawing on anything you can get your hands on, so I'm thinking teeth can't be too far off.  And by the way, you can hold off on that as long as you want.  Nursing gets a little more . . . frightening once teeth appear. 



We still have some "rough nights" every now and again.  One night, a couple of weeks ago you decided to wake up right about the time that Daddy and I were going to sleep.  And you wouldn't go back to sleep until 2:30am.  Other than those occasional nights, you sleep pretty well ~ waking to eat, and then back to sleep.  You're still on a two nap schedule, but we've been on the go so much lately, that it's messing with naptime a bit, and you're not liking it.



You're loving food.  Avocadoes, mashed bananas, applesauce, and green beans.  You don't care, you love it all!  Not sure how big you are {will find out tomorrow!}, but I'm guessing somewhere around 18 pounds.
Big girl!

Oh, and one last thing.  Please forgive your mama if you notice that you're not in every single photo right now.  Just know that I'm holding you about 99.9% of the day, which makes it a little more difficult to snap photos.  Trust me, you are with us on every single outing, permanently attached to Mama's hip.  I'm thinking that in the next couple of months, as you become more independent ~ sitting, crawling, walking ~ the "Taylor photos" will increase ;)

That is all :)

We are so enjoying our first Christmas season with you, Sweet Girl. 

Christmas Lights

Last night we went to Portland International Raceway to see the lights.  It took us nearly two hours to get there {lotsa traffic}, but I'm so glad we went.





Of course, on the way home we had two sickies {Kam is finally getting the virus that everyone else had a week or two ago, and Kenners has some sort of stomach bug}.  I can deal with colds.  But PLEASE no stomach flu.  Please.  After last year's bout {when I thought I might die}, vomiting is seriously on my list of greatest fears.

So today we are resting up.  Hanging out in our comfies, and watching movies.  Tomorrow is the girls' dance recital, and we want to be in tip top condition!

Countdown to Christmas 2011 ~ Week 2

Another week gone by already??  That means one week closer to Christmas! 

Our days get busier and busier as we get closer and closer.  Whew!

Week Two . . .

Thursday's activity {Day 8} was reading Christmas stories.  I knew the next few days were going to be busy, busy, busy, so I wanted an activity that was a little more low-key.

On Friday {Day 9} we had friends over for a craft day.  The girls had so much fun decorating snowflakes, crafting ornaments, and making these Rudolph Candy Canes:

Saturday {Day 10} was our first-ever Cookie Baking Party.  My mom, sister, and niece came over for a full day of cookie baking.  Next year we hope others can join in.  The more, the merrier!  But even with a small group, we had such a great time.  We made seven different cookies, and they were all scrumptious!  Notice I said were?  Yeahhhh, they're pretty much gone now.  Oops :(



Sunday's activity {Day 11} was heading up to Grandma and Grandpa's for tree decorating.  If you can't tell by now, the girls love to decorate ;) 

Big Sis teaching Little Sis the importance of tree decorations.



On Monday {Day 12} we started wrapping gifts {I don't have pictures}.  Sierra was so excited.  She'd been asking to wrap for weeks.


On Tuesday {Day 13} we were invited to Grandma's work for Hot Cocoa and Donuts.  This is our third year having Cocoa with Grandma at work.  So, definitely a tradition ;)  Last Year and 2009



Wednesday {Day 14} Jeremy took the girls Christmas shopping.  I'm sorry, but I pretty much think that is the sweetest thing ever.  Especially since he detests shopping.  He knows what it means to the girls, though, so he does it. 

So.  That was our week!  How about y'all?  What kinds of holiday fun have you been having?  I want to hear about it.  Link up your favorite recipes, traditions, activities, or crafts below.

Cookie Baking

We had our first annual Cookie Baking Day with my mom and sister {and niece!} last weekend, and it was such fun!  We will definitely have to add this to our list of traditions, because Family + Cookies = all sorts of wonderful memories.

We made my variation of Jam Thumbprints:

Those are Jeremy's favs.  I think they're okay.  I mean, I wouldn't turn down a cookie, but Jeremy thinks they're the greatest cookies on earth.

We attempted to use a cookie press, but it just wasn't workin' so great.



Which actually resulted in a lot of laughter and even a few shenanigans.  I love that photo.  Sierra was either totally embarassed, or laughing so hard she couldn't keep her head up any longer.  I'm thinking it was the latter ;)



Then Sadie got serious about it, and managed to create a few trees.  And they were SO adorable.



See?



We wound up with a LOT of cookies.  But we're not complaining one bit!
Have y'all started baking?

It's Baking Season

If it were up to me, it would always be baking season. 
At our house, it pretty much is.
Hello, my name is Liz, and I'm a cookie-aholic.

Have you ever noticed that cookies and, well, everything taste so much better when you use "real" ingredients?  {Real butter, and we're blessed to have fresh eggs daily, and mmmmmm, vanilla}.  A good vanilla makes all the difference, in my opinion.  And I use vanilla in EVERYTHING, whether it calls for it or not ;)

Ever thought about making your own?
Me neither.
Until I started cringing every time I had to fork out lots o' bucks for tiny little bottles of vanilla {which was pretty frequently}, and until I kept reading about how easy it is to make your own!  And until I thought, 'hey, this is a great gift idea!'

All you need are glass bottles, vanilla beans, and vodka ;)

I purchased my glass bottles on Amazon, and I think I got 12 of them for about $10, including shipping.
I got the vanilla beans through Beanilla.  They offer a HUGE assortment of different types of beans.  I chose the Madagascar ones because of their flavor and price.

And I can't even tell you what kind of vodka I used.  A cheap kind.  Jeremy picked it up for me ;)

You just take and slice the beans down the middle, drop a couple of them in each bottle, add the vodka, and voila!  Let it sit for a few weeks, and you have your very own vanilla.  The best part?  When you're running low, top it off with more vodka, and perhaps another bean.  Easy peasy.



Oh, and did I mention they make the cutest gifts?

Countdown to Christmas 2011 ~ Week 1

I say this every year, but seriously, where does the time go???  I cannot believe we are less than three weeks away from Christmas!  We've been busily crafting, decorating, and baking.  How about y'all?

A recap of our week:

You can view days 1-3 here.
We started off our countdown by making Hershey's Advent Calendars.  We make them every year, and the girls love them.  Day two was spent crafting.  And day three we went to a local Christmas Bazaar.  On Sunday {Day 4}, we got our tree!  Oh how I love picking out a tree, putting it up, and decorating it.

We love it so much that we get a little tree for the girls to decorate {our Day 5 Activity}, and we even help others decorate their trees ;)

Nana and Grandpa invited us over on Day 6 for that very purpose!  {Well, that, and to consume lots of yummy snacks and beverages}

Makenna topped our tree, Sierra topped the girls' little tree, so naturally, it was Kam's turn :)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Wednesday {Day 7} we tried out Cupcake Liner Trees.  I saw this ADORABLE craft from Desiree at 36th Avenue, over at Tatertots and Jello.

Kenners did such a great job, and stuck with it.

Kam pretty much just enjoyed eating marshmallows. 

And yes, she's wearing her nightgown. 

She lives in nightgowns.

And someone else has inherited some perfectionist tendancies from her mama, and decided she didn't care much for her tree.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We have lots of crafts and activities coming up in the next few days ~ I can't wait to share them!

Have y'all been baking? Crafting? Decorating? I want to hear all about it!

Link up below:

Kid Food

This little pumpkin below has not been the greatest eater lately.  If I remember correctly, Sierra went through this stage when she was about Kam's age.  Makenna did too.  Of course, I'm a lot more laid back about it now, because I know that she will grow out of it.  I try to get them to eat their fruits and veggies, and to understand that they don't always have multiple choices when it comes to meals.  Sometimes, though, you have to pick your battles, and just pull out the "kid food".

I make these pizza pockets whenever the girls are getting tired of sandwiches and soups for lunch.
They're SUPER easy, fast, and they disappear quite quickly.



All you need is a can or two {we use two} of refrigerated crescent roll dough, grated cheese, and any other toppings you choose.  I used to spread tomato paste on too, but we don't love a lot of sauce, and after awhile, I just quit using it.  Unroll the crescent roll dough, but don't peel the sections apart.  Lay half of it flat on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle plenty of cheese on top {we do, however, enjoy a lot of cheese}.  Then we arrange some Turkey Pepperoni on top of that.  You could even add olives and mushrooms.  {My girls don't care for either, and since this is supposed to be kid-friendly, I cater to them ;)}  Maybe another little sprinkle of cheese, and then top with the other half of the crescent roll dough.  Bake at 375 degrees until the top is golden brown {maybe 15 minutes?  I'm not sure I've ever timed it}, and enjoy!

Let me know if you decide to make these, or if you've made your own version.  And if you have your own kid-friendly {and easy!  Easy is always good} meal ideas, do share!