Our Sears Family Portraits 2010

 We seem to get our "official" family portrait once a year but the more kids you add to it the more difficult it gets. We had to schedule around naps and for the most part it went pretty well.


We didn't get any real fun out-of-the-ordinary pictures that I like to have but the kids and mommy and daddy were maxed and I took what we could get. Frankly, I think they are pretty cute. 

 

I think this one is funny because Brad pretty much has

Chase in a "hold" to keep him sitting still and his hands down. 

 

My fav of the boys.

 

We almost lost Callen on this one. They have this HUGE platform that they cover in the background to have the boys sit on. It's about 2ft. off the ground. As you can see Chase is holding onto Callen.  Now this was back in December and Callen wasn't quite steady sitting on his own. 

Well,  Brad and I were being such great, watchful parents and checking out the monitor to see if the picture turned out. It was only but a split-second but as they say, that's all it takes. And as we turned back around to get Callen, Chase being a two year old, just let go of him and Callen went to his belly then rolled right off the platform. Brad jumped and grabbed him by the waist of his pants with just a few inches to spare. It all happened in slow motion. Poor kid.

Using one of the awful, fake backgrounds but they are just too cute.

 

My favorite family photo. 

 

Forget the Joneses Project

I get feeds on my Facebook page from Mommysavers.com and this month they are having a challenge called, Forget the Joneses Project. They've been doing it for the past few years but this is the first year I've heard of it and decided to try it out. The purpose is to get back on track financially, simplify, define your goals and add more meaning to your life.  Daily assignments start Monday, January 10th and run through the end of the month.

So it's the 10th and the first assignment.... Put Your Family on a 21-Day Spending Freeze. You can click on the title to learn more about the project and what the 21-Day Spending Freeze is all about. This shall be interesting. Good thing I made my trip to Wallyworld today to buy my paint, which isn't a need, well kind of if I ever want my bathroom cabinet finished. 

But here is a just a snap-shot of what the 21-Day Spending Freeze is about:

What is a spending freeze? To put it simply: no more unnecessary spending. You’re not allowed to spend money on anything but necessities.  Use up the food you have in your cupboards.  Your grocery budget is now limited to what you must buy (milk and toilet paper, for example).  Think of it as “Mommysavers Survivor” except the only prize at the end of the game is the money you’ve saved.
A spending freeze is not a long-term lifestyle by any means. The main goals of the spending freeze are:

• Get accustomed to using up what you have and making do without, which will help exercise your creative muscle and become more resourceful
• Reinforce the difference between wants and needs
• Practice delay of gratification
• Stay out of the stores thereby reducing temptation and finding other forms of “entertainment”

Why 21 days? Research shows it takes approximately 21 days to make something a habit. During these three weeks we’ll be practicing the following skills:...click link above for more info.


So this is kind of a last minute decision, as in last night last minute, but I think it's what we need to do, well Brad doesn't know we're doing yet though but it's only 21 days so he'll survive. Just no going out to lunch....sorry John.

Week in review...

I can't believe it's the tenth of January already. I know I always seem to say that when looking back but boy does time go by fast. I am very thankful though that my word for 2011, contentment, is already showing. We had a great week and I was content to just be home with the boys, we didn't go any.where.

Callen driving his car.

Eating Chase's Build-A-Car

I had laryngitis all week last week, have no idea how in world I got it, it's so strange how it happens, all of a sudden I just can't talk. Now instead of laryngitis, I have a cold and sound nasal, yuck. And poor Chase has a cold too and Callen is teething. So nonetheless sleep hasn't been happening in this house. Have I ever mentioned that I hate teething? Sometimes I wonder why God just didn't let babies be born with teeth, it would be so much easier and more sleep for me. And this is only the third tooth and how many more do we have to go? Ugh.

Destroying his crib.

 

Destroying his crib, then falling asleep in his destruction.

The Ultimate Sugar High...Marshmallow Snowman

So I was doing some a lot of Googling in the month of December trying to find some fun winter activities to do with Chase and to put in an Activity -n- Coloring Book that we made for Chase's bud Gracie for Christmas.

One of the activities that looked like fun and pretty easy were these adorable chocolate covered Marshmallow Snowman. I found the idea at this blog Speckled Egg, her picture and how she packaged them grabbed my attention.

 

Ok, so yes there is absolutely nothing healthy about these adorable snowmen and if you know me I don't allow Chase to eat a lot of sugar or things with sugar in them but they were fun to make and sometimes that is what's its all about.

They were pretty simple to make and I think they are adorable. I found many different versions and fun ways to dress them up but we just kept it simple. I had skewers and just used those as the sticks. I wished we had stick pretzels for the arms, Chase kept asking where the snowman's arms were.

Now ours didn't turn out nearly as nice and fancy but we had fun making them. We only did five since I really didn't plan on eating them or giving them away, plus I didn't have a lot of white chocolate.

After we made them, I let Chase eat the M&M's and then take one bite and that was it. Can't imagine the evening I would've had if I let him eat the entire thing....tummy ache and jumping off the walls.

Here are some other ideas using marshmallows, not entirely as sweet.

Very Best Baking

Sugar Crystal Snowman

After Christmas Cookies

So as the title states these are "After Christmas Cookies" as Brad called them because we frosted them after Christmas. Well, I do get credit for making and baking them before Christmas, we just didn't get a chance to frost them.

Frosting/decorating station all ready to go.

Frosting the cookies with his own knife.

 

The finished cookie.

"Mommy it's a J!" Actually honey it's a candy cane. "No, it's a J."

"Mommy he's broken, you need to glue him."

And there is no need for concern as all the cookies stayed in our home. In case you didn't notice the "show me your frosted cookie for a picture while you lick your knife."

This too shall pass, I think...

I marvel everyday on how God finds ways to speak to me and encourage me if it be through family, friends, His Word, books, etc.

Today was just a normal Monday, I worked, Brad worked and that was about it, until Chase's bedtime.

Chase from the time he was born has not been a simple child when it comes to bedtime. And now that we are in the 'terrific' two's, it's that much greater, mainly the whole going to bed routine, and a routine we have too.

I've come to realize that Chase thrives on schedules and wants to know what to expect. This is so not me, I am more of a "fly by the seat of my pants" kind of schedule. But I am so learning how to live on a schedule, difficult as it may be.

So to help mentally and physically prepare him for bed, I came up with Chase' Bedtime List. It's long and it takes about 30 minutes to complete, thereabout. We do the same thing every.single.night, but he loves to know and "read" what's next on his list, even though he has it memorized. It's kind of reverse psychology I guess, he's kind of putting himself to bed.

We go down the list one by one until the very end, Brad or I or the both us say our goodnights, turn off the light and walk out of his room. And no sooner do we shut the door does he yell out something..."sing me one more song, I'm hungry, I have to go potty/poopie." It's usually something that he knows we "can't" say no to, you know potty, we can't have him poop his diaper.

Even after I revised his checklist to combat him trying to squeeze in a last try, he still gave it a try. It's that strong-will of his. Well, without going into full details of the night, we let him scream it out even if he woke up Callen, which he did twice. Poor Callen.

Well as I was downstairs listening him to scream/cry, no monitor needed, I was trying to read my devotions. And well guess what the title of today was...This Too Shall Pass.

The entire post was about an exasperated mother who had been up all hours of the night and questioning..."Do children every sleep through the night?"

The devotion was written around Ecclesiastes 3 and "To everything there is a season..." In a nutshell the author spoke how God puts up through all kinds of "seasons" and there is a purpose for every event and circumstance that God allows to enter our lives. And this season I am in seems to be never-ending but as I read, I was reminded..."But through it all--sometimes after it all--you will look back and see that faithful Creator's hand at work. Remember, creating beauty out of ashes is God's specialty. It's all a matter of timing."

Even though this season seems to be forever, I know God has something wonderful at the end and will get us through without allowing the "terrific" two's to rule. And to help me with our gifted child, I am reading "The New Strong-Willed Child" by Dr. James Dobson. It's a great read so far and very insightful.

So what did we do tonight? No, we didn't answer his every cry out, we didn't go back in his room at all, no matter how much he screamed or yelled. Some may say you're crazy....punish him, cuddle him, whatever. But every child is different and this is what needed to be done. In the hour and 45 minutes that he yelled and screamed, we heard...
...sing me another song.
...I have to go potty.
...I have to go poopy.
...something scared me.
...I don't want to be up hear anymore.
...I'm hungry.
...I don't like my bed.
...I want chicken nuggets.
...throwing his drink.
...hitting the door.

And finally, silence.

 I don't know what we accomplished, if anything, it's very frustrating when you don't know if you're doing it right.  One day, hopefully, I will look at this time and laugh, well smile maybe, and know that no one has the right answer or the perfect answer. Every child is different, no matter what and prayers are daily, but I can't wait to see what God has planned for this precious, strong-willed, smart-as-a-whip little boy. Well, I can wait because time goes by too fast and I will cherish every moment, even nights like tonight.

Gingerbread House making

So I am going to play catch up on all the happenings in December starting with our gingerbread house party.

For the past five years my girlfriend Jess has had an annual gingerbread house/ornament exchange party in December. We have a great time. A bunch of us girls get together, usually kid-free, which is funny in itself since when we first started none of us had kids. Anyway we get together and we make gingerbread(graham cracker) houses. There is no right or wrong way to design and decorate your house. It's such a blast as each year I try to think of a new "frame" for my house. 

After our gingerbread house making we play Dirty Santa and exchange ornaments. We are to bring a $2-3 ornament and wrap it. Then we start on one end and work around the room. If you are first, you can pick any gift and you can't open it. Then the next person can either steal the first person's gift or choose their own. And so forth until all the gifts are spoken for. Usually 3-4 gifts get stolen and re-stolen but then someone will decide to end it and pick the last gift. 

Gingerbread house 2010 after some little hands already got a hold of its goodies.

It's a New Year to be content...

I would have to admit that this New Year was the most uneventful New Year's ever, I think. We had such a busy December that we had no desire to do anything on New Year's Eve and having a two and a half year old and seven month old, well it was our year to just veg at home and that we did.

I sat on the computer browsing a new house and/or land while Brad played Call of Duty. Fun. But that's ok there is always next year, right?

Instead of New Year's resolutions for the past two years I have chosen a word for the year to focus on. In 2009 it was WANT and in 2010 PRAYER. I would have to say that I did struggle in 2010 with PRAYER but it did help me grow in my walk with the LORD even if it wasn't perfect.

So for 2011 my word is CONTENTMENT.

I didn't realize how hard it was to be a stay at home mom and I still work two full days. But being home more than not, I can easily be discontent and frustrated with my home, belongings, toys every.where, keeping up on housework. You name it, I have become frustrated with it. So I really need to work on being content, happy and thankful with where I am in my life...raising my two boys in a great home with a beautiful yard. Period.

Merry Christmas Eve, Stop 2!

After Christmas at my brother's we headed on over to Brad's dads. It was about 7:30 when we left my brother's, Callen's bedtime, so he cried the whole way except for the last five minutes when he zonked out, only for him to wake up as soon as we got there. But thankfully he was in good spirits, after he ate of course.

We were the first ones to arrive out of the three kids so Chase and Callen were able to have some one on one Grandpa time. Chase loves his Grandpa and had a great time having him read books.

   

For some reason I didn't get any pictures of the actual Christmas family part but here are some, compliments of my SIL. 

  

CJ's picture efforts

 

And these last photos round out the evening and just for the record, it was 11pm and the kids were 

obviously checked out for the evening, Ella didn't want any part of it, hence not being in the picture. 

 

And....we're done for the night. Love how CJ has the same "smile" in every picture.

And since I had way too much on my plate this year, I didn't get around to wrapping any of Chase's gifts or anyone else for Christmas Day. So after we got home and got the kiddos to bed, Brad and I were up until 2 am wrapping gifts and watching Elf.

Merry Christmas Eve, Stop 1!

Every year Christmas Eve consists of Christmas dinner at my brother's with all my family and the kids.

Getting read to open the presents.

Chase has been on a Thomas the Friends kick and well guess what his Christmas was? Thomas stuff of course.

"Cheese"

 

The look on his face is perfect. He kind of sees what it is but not totally.

It's, it's...

"It's Harold Mommy!"

Callen getting ready to open his.

 

The kids being silly.

Since we are doing something different this year with my parents, each family is going to spend Christmas alone with just them to open their gifts from them. This way we can enjoy the kids opening their gifts from Nonnie and Papa without all the chaos. So at my brother's, my mom got all the kids a bag full of goodies.

 

Ugh, socks! I don't like socks. Yes, that is what he actually said. Such a four year old boy.

 

 

Callen peaking into Chase's bag.  Looks like he's being sneaky.

Nonnie and Papa

The whole fam! Well almost we are missing Uncle Bub and Adam.

 

Now we're off to Brad's dad's house, our second stop for the evening.