Wedding Centerpieces!!

Okay girls, these are the best photos I could take of the centerpieces that are giving me such grief!! They are going to be on ivory tablecloths. Let me know what you think.

Kota!!!

So, Timothy got his birthday present from Mom and Dad today since Mom will be out of town for the actual birthday!! Tim was so happy to get Kota the Triceratops! It is big enough for him to sit on and ride! It moves it's head and eats leaves! It even burps!!

Madelynne is not too thrilled with the talking moving dinosaur!! She wants no part of Kota!

Tim is one happy (almost) 4 year old!!!

Cooking with Maddie

So this morning when I started to do my baking and cooking for our church dessert auction and potluck I put my Red Apron on (yes an apron) Maddie threw this big fit about wanting to wear my apron. Well it just so happens when I bought my red apron it came with one for a child. I had intended it for Taylor but as you can see below it was a bit small for her. So now it is Maddie's.

So, together with the chef's hat (Gram sent) and hot pad (came with the apron) Maddie made quite the little chef.
Of course taste testing was her favorite part!!

Self Portrait of my Injury

So, do you have any idea how much you use your left hand? This is what I have finally resorted to with my hand! I hurt it skiing (see earlier post!) and feel really silly that all I hurt is my hand!! Putting the splint on it has been very helpful in keeping it from hurting. It isn't that great when typing and cooking!!

Scrapbook Area

This post if for Alycia. She has been asking about my scrapbook area. It is a perfect spot in my basement. I have been able to make great use of it and am excited for visitors to come scrapbook with me!!

The Cricut Station!!
Awesome Shelves!! They hold a ton of weight and you can adjust the shelves to any height!!

This is a carryover from Alycia and Tonia makeover!!

This is where I can cut my fabric! Pay no attention to the unattractive vases wrapped up in paper!! They are there to be used for upcoming wedding!!

Fabric and sewing machine area!! Not the best photo!! It really isn't leaning!

Skiing in New York

This is the only photo of the trip. Greg says this is the sum of the day. Zack is smiling, I am smirking!, and Taylor wants nothing to do with any of it!!
So, yesterday was our big ski trip! Greg's company had a ski trip get together up at one of the ski areas about an hour from here. We got tickets for Greg, Myself, Taylor, and Zack! I will admit Taylor and I were less than thrilled about it! But, we went and were going to give it our best shot. Well, I don't have any photos of the day since I was more worried about staying in an upright position than anything. We spent the majority of the day on the Magic Carpet! Which is a little slope that you get back up by taking a moving walkway. The best way to describe this hill is about like a driveway! Not much of a slope. We tried it about 3 or 4 times and then Taylor took off her skis and sat down on the ground off to the side. She was done!! The rest of us carried on and Zack did really well. He was determined no matter what to do his best.



We told Taylor that she had to take the lesson with us and then she could quit. We took the lesson and we did pretty good. We were supposed to learn how to turn and stop! That sounds pretty easy. Well, it has been a little warmer here the past few days and the snow has turned to ice. Stopping on ice is not easy!! We did our best and when our lesson was over Taylor said she wanted to try the lift up to the big hill. I gave her the benefit of the doubt and expained to her how we were going to get on the lift and off the lift. When we got to the top, she panicked a bit and then got back on her feet! She was amazed at how beautiful it was "way up there". Once she got her confidence under her we started to go! Well once again we were on ice! We got going pretty fast and to put it in Taylor's words, she choked. She totally bailed onto her butt!! Well that trip ended with me getting her going again and then getting in front of her, and then, I hit a huge patch of ice and wiped out!!! I injured my finger!! That is right, my finger. I am going to have it checked out tomorrow because i am pretty sure the fact that my knuckle is twice as big as any of the others and I can't bend it is a bad thing. I am pretty sure that in the next day or so almost my entire left side will be bruised!!



The synopsis of the whole event!! Greg and Zack want to go back. Taylor and I have checked it off our list!! Done!!!



I am really proud of Zack! He fell quite a bit and he never gave up. He had a great attitude all day and really showed improvement all day. Way to go Zack!

Taylor's Birthday

This year was a big year for Taylor! She turned 12! She was so excited to get her cell phone!! She chose to wait until the end of the month for her party!

We wrapped her phone up and then called it. She seemed confused at first. Then as this picture shows, she was so thrilled!!

She got a kids Betty Crocker Cook Book from Gram. She enlisted the help of her brothers to make several of the recipes in it. They were pretty tasty.

Taylor chose to have her party this past Friday when the Jonas Brothers 3D movie came out. She invited a few of her friends from school and church to go. Mom was so blessed to get to chaperone that trip!! Taylor and her friends were so happy. Me on the other hand, wondering how i can possible get that hour and 25 minutes back in my life!!

Her friends and her were able to come back and have a sleep over! It went pretty good. Better than any of the sleepovers I ever tormented my parents with!

Too many Brothers?

So, Maddie has been wanting to go on the potty quite a bit lately. She told us yesterday morning "potty" so we told her go ahead and I will come and help you. When I came around the corner this is what I saw. At one point she was on her tip toes! She had her nightgown pulled up in the front and was trying to do it like Chris! (He is the one that breaks the rules and stands!!)

We get so many laughs from her every day!!

Some random funny pictures!

So here are some fun photos of Tim and Maddie!! They are just funny things I caught the kids doing mostly when they think no one is looking!!

I walked into the family room and saw Maddie up on the little window seat praying!! I am not sure what she was praying about but it was about the cutest thing I have seen!!
So apparently you never know when you are going to be sitting on the potty and a terrible snow storm is going to kick up and snow you in. Around here that is certainly a possibility!! Maddie has been trying to go on the potty! She has a lot of different outfits that are suitable for the occasion apparently.

This little pajama concoction was so funny. Tim decided that dinosaur and spiderman were a perfect match! The funny thing was that no matter how dizzy it made us when he walked in, he was so proud of himself and saw nothing wrong with the whole thing!!

Ever since Maddie started going to church here in New York, she has developed a sticker fetish!! She gets one from the singing lady during her nursery class. She found a sheet of stickers at home and peeled every one off. When she got up and turned around this is where she was putting all of them!! Of course she wasn't smiling so much when we had to take them off!!

Taylor had her birthday party this past Friday so she could go to see the Jonas Brothers 3D movie. She brought home her glasses and of course Maddie had to try them out!!

Samurai Maddie

So Madelynne decided that she was going to seek some kind of revenge on the helium filled latex balloons from her birthday party!! When she woke up they didn't float quite as high as the day before and they followed her around the house thanks to static electricity. She decided to take out her revenge on them with this Ninja Turtle Sword.

It was very important to keep some distance as she was not particular as to what she hit.
She never did pop any of them! Thank goodness because when she realized what happens when they pop she was devastated!!

Madelynne's Birthday

Madelynne Turned 2!! Here is the Birthday Princess!

Maddie and Daddy in the your must wear it to get cake hat!! The hats weren't too popular with the older kids!(or the dog!)

Maddie was more excited about the cake decorations (Elmo's world) than the cake. She wasn't too cool with blowing out the candles either!!

She didn't seem to have too much trouble figuring out the gift opening!! She was so happy to get her little princess dolls with the horses.

A Mom's Proud Moment

So today at church the little kids talked about their parents and what each of their roles are. After their little lesson, the kids were given the opportunity to write a little not to their parents about what they like to do with them. Timothy brought me his note after church and it was so sweet! It made me smile!

Of course after such a cute note, I asked the other two boys if they had a note for me. Zack told me he didn't have time to make me one but he did make Dad one. And Chris (in true Chris fashion!) had one for me. As you can see by the note posted below, not one of my prouder moments as a mom!!

All I could think about is a lady who lived in Ankeny when I had Christopher. Deann Cox. When I told her what I had named my cute little boy, she got this odd look on her face. She told me she wished I had told her that is what we were going to name him. She said her Christopher was "naughty" so much but so loving at the same time. I have had more moms tell me the same thing in the last 6 years!! Hmmmm? Is there really that much to a name!! Seems so as of now!!