Thankful Tree

Since Reese is out of school all next week, I have been searching for fun activities/crafts for us to do in honor of Thanksgiving. One thing I came across was a thankful tree. I can't even remember where I found it, but it caught my attention because 1)it was FREE and 2)it involved hunting, cutting, writing, and thinking! Because it is somewhat of a decoration and a craft we can continually work on each day leading up to Thanksgiving, I thought we'd get started on it right away!

So, first we set out hunting for sticks!



Reese thought this was so cool! We walked around the area behind our house and also the open field next to our neighbor's house.





Everlee enjoyed the scenery!



Once we had collected enough sticks, we headed back inside to put them in a vase (which was another attraction I had to this project - no watering to keep anything alive!).



I drew squares on the scrapbook paper for the kids to cut out. Another part that Reese loved and Cru, well, he just loved the fact that I actually let him hold a pair of scissors!



Once we had several squares cut out, they began writing what they are thankful for on them, then we hung them on the branches!





Everlee kept herself entertained!



Reese has gotten really into it....yesterday morning she wrote that she was thankful for pop tarts because she got to eat one for breakfast only because we ran out of milk!



I have really enjoyed doing this with the kids! Reminds us how truly blessed we really are!



And speaking of thankfulness, I am SO THANKFUL for a potty trained little boy!


Also thankful for being able to play outside shirtless in mid November!

Last week, something clicked! Big time! He totally gets it now! He has been accident free for quite some time INCLUDING POOP!!! This is huge! He actually poops int he toilet! We are so proud of him!

And one other thing I'd like to note since this post is about Thanksgiving......last week the Thanksgiving Fairy (aka - my parents) left a surprise at our house!



Apparently, she shops at Pottery Barn....haha!

She brought the kids a fun Thanksgiving book.....



and stuffed turkey.....



that we have enjoyed reading and playing with during these days leading up to this wonderful holiday!

Pinterest ♥

I'm sure all of you have heard of a little website called PINTERST! Oh me, oh my!!! How wonderful/insightful/addicting/inspiring is it?! But a few weeks ago, as I was "pinning" I thought what good is this site if I don't actually do something with all these amazing ideas! So, I got to it, and now I'd like to share a few of my creations.....

This is my 4th of July wreath, which I did not find on Pinterest, but I knew once the holiday was over (despite leaving my wreath up til September - I acted like it was for KU), I'd want to use it for another holiday.



Fall yarn wreath



A little know fact that I had forgotten about....if you put a wooden spoon over a boiling pot, the contents won't boil over.



I've used this trick several times since Pinterest refreshed my memory, but last night it totally let me down :( Guess it doesn't always work.

Paper towel holder for bracelets



There's a million hair-dos I've found, however, most of them are for long hair, which I don't have, but lucky for me, Reese does! This is the waterfall braid, kinda. I think the pieces I pulled from the top are supposed to be pulled all the way thru not braided down (if that makes sense), but I still think it turned out unique. We've done this a few times now.





Lastly, this recipe is to die for! Chicken enchilada pasta! Amazing! It's very simple, however a little time consuming, so for me it's more of a Sunday dinner recipe. But I highly recommend!


Not my picture, I got right to eating mine before I could snap a picture :)

I'm sure a lot of you are like me, and as you pin you think you'll get right to that idea tomorrow. Then you realize tomorrow has come and gone. So, even if you pin a nail polish color, take the time to follow through with using it! You'll be happy you did. Plus, you can tell yourself all those hours spent pinning was actually worth it!

I'll keep you posted on all my future pinning adventures!

9 months

I'm having a hard time wrapping my mind around the fact that in just three short months, our lil' Evee girl will be 1!



She's wearing mostly 9 month clothes, still can squeeze into some 6 month, and starting to fill out some 6-12 month.....growing girl! She's also still wearing size 3 diapers. Her nine month well check is in a couple weeks, so we'll see then what she actually weighs, but she sure does feel like a load!



She's got seven teeth! Yes, seven!!! Four on top and three on bottom.



Still naps twice a day - short morning nap and long afternoon nap.



Still doesn't sleep through the night. As she neared turning nine months last week, I thought we had a break through, but I guess it must have just been a fluke. It really doesn't even phase me any more.



Last week, Chet had her showing off.....actually standing on her own! This girl!! She's the greatest baby, but I have a feeling she's going to be our busiest!



She literally puts EVERYTHING in her mouth! I know all kids do this, but she takes the cake. The minute we set her down to play, she b-lines it to our eating area and eats whatever she can find on the floor. And if she can't pick up the tiniest of crumbs with her fingers, no worries, she just puts her whole mouth on the floor and licks it up. Ewww!



I think I said last time that getting an eighth month picture was impossible, well I spoke too soon. This time 'round, she was all over the place - crawling in and out rooms, climbing in her crib, on me, on the fan, on her car seat, and pulling up on the furniture and walls. I was sweating trying to just get one stinkin' picture.



The holiday season is amongst us, and this year, our family is going to have a blast with Evee joining in on the festivities! And you know what they say, time flies when you're having fun, so a first birthday party will be here before we know it!



And Everlee isn't the only one growing up around our house.....





All my babies are getting so big! Yes, it's sad, but it's also so much fun!



Happy 9 months, Everlee! We love you!

Guess who's 9 months?

Full post coming soon!

LIFE

Wow! So, I'm not even sure where to begin.....so we're going to do this bullet point style!

• Pre-K Dress Up

Reese got to bring her Cat in the Hat costume to school last week and had fun dressing up with all of her friends!


Penguin (Mallorie), Cat in the Hat (Reese), and Captain America (Carter)

• Trick-or-Treat down Main Street

This happens every year the week of Halloween. The kids get to dress up and go trick-or-treating to all the down town businesses. Back when I was a kid (wayyyy back when), we used to parade down the street before trick-or-treating.....wonder what happened to that part of it? There's also a carnival and costume contest, but we usually avoid all that because there are SO MANY KIDS! My mom did remind that the year I was Little Bo Peep, I won the contest! That was also the year that I screamed and cried and threw the biggest fit when my mom used her eye liner to draw freckles on my face.....guess the torture paid off!




I seriously died laughing at Thing 1 all night....I could not contain myself seeing him in that wig!






She was just so stinkin' cute!

• Cleaning Lady

Wow, what a wonderful treat to have your house cleaned for you! We walked inside, and Reese said, "Holy cow, what happened to our house?! That cleaning lady is awesome!!!" It smelled and looked A-MAZING! But go figure, minutes after returning home, Cru peed ALL over me and the bathroom, and Miss Evee left her finger prints where ever she pleased!

• Un-fall-like-weather

We have been spending as much time outside as we can soaking up this lovely, lovely weather!





Along with playing, we've also enjoyed being able to still attend Aunt Cheyna's soccer games!

• Just Because.....

• Everlee's Baptism

We are so thankful for our little Evee! God brought her into our lives a little unexpectedly, but He knew exactly what He was doing. What an amazing gift she is!


This dress is so special to our family - my Grandma Reese, who was such an amazing woman, made my mom's wedding dress, and unbeknownst to my mom, she saved some the material then made and surprised my parents with this christening dress when I was baptized. Reese wore it when she was baptized, and now Everlee. And hopefully, it can continued to be passed down.

We named all of our siblings as Everlee's Godparents....how blessed is she?!







Everlee looked like she wanted to just dive right into the water, and Reese giggled the who time at her; it was priceless!







Then she was sealed with the cross and marked as a child of God FOREVER!







We are so thankful for our wonderful families who shared her special morning with us. Unfortunately, Uncle Ty was sick and Aunt Casyn had a basketball game so they were not able to be with us.












Pinky ring from the Buchmans....Reese has one and also wore it when she was baptized.

What an awesome way to spend a Sunday morning!



Then she was out!

• Halloween 2011

I LOVED how the kids' costumes turned out this year! I was able to make them, except for Reese's hat. And the best part, they were comfortable! Less whining!



Except for the wig! That wig! Cru pretty much refused to wear it Halloween night.....



But when he did, true Thing 1 came out.....



That wig seems to bring out the Thing 1 in everyone.....





We took the kids to visit Great Grandma Mary.



Then, we went to Grandma Linda's. Grandpa had a little something better to do.....go to the Chiefs game!



And finally, our last stop of the evening was Grandma Cheryl's! The kids had a blast handing out candy and seeing all the different costumes!



A lot going on! But I am so grateful for all the crazy chaos that I call LIFE!