Shhh...Christmas presents

(I'm scheduling this to post after Christmas, so it shouldn't spoil any surprises.)

scarf for Kellie

nativities for Josh and fam, Stephan and fam, Grammy and Gramps, and Grandma and Grandpa

dishcloths for Miriam - these are actually the ones I made for myself, but hers are the same concept

Post Christmas, I plan to crochet a scarf for Michael, make some mittens and hats for the boys using felted wool, and sew some more aprons and capes for the Joy School kids.

Christmas Countdown Days 16 and 17

Make gifts for friends

(tutorial here)

Make gifts for teachers

(recipe here)

The best part about the quick bread pictured above is that the bottles can be returned to an area grocery store for a bottle deposit refund. Love it!

cole blogs:look at me

This is Cole talking.I made Christmas cards for my friends.I had to make 40 of them.18 for my class,19 for Eli`s class,4 for rylans class

Oh yeah, Rylan had a birthday too.

I like to keep birthdays pretty low key around here. With the older two, I give them the option of having a bigger party or having more presents, but for Rylan, I decided just to have a small party (and we didn't get him many presents - it's tough being the third!)

He decided that he wanted to invite his friend K over to play Wii, but then K ended up taking a nap right at the time of the party!


K's mom and brother J came over, and we played Mario Kart. Rylan loves anything to do with cars. This is the kid who will take a toy car to bed with him like some kids will take a teddy bear. (He's also the kid that loves princesses.)




We got him a Matchbox car Lightning McQueen set, and my parents got him a Lightning McQueen Duplos set. Rylan is one happy kid.

Rylan Says...

Me: Time to get dressed. Go get some new underpants.

Rylan: Underpants?

Me: Yes, underpants.

Rylan: But there's only one of them. Not two.

Pink

After two years of insisting to Cole and Eli that there are no such things as "girl colors" and "boy colors," my feminism was tested this week when Rylan picked out...

Minnie Mouse slippers and...

Disney Princess boots

I swear it's not so much the "girly" factor that bothered me about letting him buy these as much as the fact that they are SO PINK. I hate pink. Blech!

Christmas Countdown Days 2, 3, and 5

Shop for Holiday Magic Angel present

Decorate the Christmas tree
(Rylan only managed to break three ornaments)

Make Christmas cards

For last year's cards, we did potato stamping with great success, but this year, I decided just to provide them with a bunch of materials and let their creativity go wild. The cards are turning out very interesting...

The week I'm having

Washing machine breaks

Rylan, Eli, and Cole catch the stomach flu

I clean up vomit in the middle of the night for five nights in a row...without a washing machine

The highlight of the Great Stomach Flu of 2010 is when Cole throws up while climbing down from the top bunk and then runs to my room (instead of the bathroom) leaving a trail of vomit across the whole house

Boys stop throwing up...things are looking up...Michael leaves on a business trip...I wake up with the sniffles

I finally make the pumpkin pie that got nixed from Thanksgiving dinner...Eli takes one whiff, it reminds him of Thanksgiving, and he throws up all over the playroom

Apparently the last thing he ate was blue

This Year's Christmas Countdown

Along with some very lousy pictures. Obviously I have no idea how to take pictures of lights. (Tips are welcome)

But I did catch Rylan's funny face - even if it's blurry.

Christmas Countdown

1. Read a holiday book.
2. Shop for Holiday Magic Angel present.
3. Decorate tree.
4. Attend state Community Christmas Celebration.
5. Make Christmas cards.
6. Celebrate Rylan's birthday.
7. Paint nativities.
8. Read a holiday book.
   
9. See the lights at Lake Myra.
10. Attend ward Christmas party.
11. Daddy picks dinner.
12. Make secret elf gifts.
13. Deliver secret elf gifts.
14. Eli picks dinner.
15. Read a holiday book.
16. Make gifts for friends.
17. Make gifts for teachers.
18. Joy School Christmas party.
    
19. Momma picks dinner.
20. Cole picks dinner.
21. Go carolling.
22. Watch a holiday movie.
23. Travel to Miriam's.
24. Christmas Eve.
25. Christmas Day.

Each of these activities is written on a piece of paper and slipped inside the cases on the tree pictured above. We used Maya's tutorial for a toilet paper advent calendar. Choosing what to do on each day was a little difficult this year with Young Women's, so there are lots of nights where we're just reading a holiday book.

May the countdown begin!

Cole Says...

Cole: Momma, are there more days or nights in December?

Me: There's the same amount because after every day, there's a night.

Cole: No, there are more days. There are no nights in December. There are no swords or helmets or fighting. Get it?

Me: Oh, you mean knights.

Cole: Yes, I was being funny...with homophones.