A reminder of the importance of blogging...

So I have been a terrible blogger lately I'll be the first to admit it. I want to be better I really do and sometimes it just takes a kick in the rump to do just that. Today I was checkout another ladies blog and I saw all the pictures of her kids from over the years and instantly I knew I had just gotten my kick.

You see I started this whole blog as a way to scrapbook our life that our family and friends could see. As to start off I want to catch you to a little bit of speed in our life. We enjoyed an amazing little Christmas break I was able to be home with the kiddos from the 15th of December until January 3rd. It could not have been more amazing, thinking of Christmas break home with my kids is what gets me through the hot long summer hours of my job.

We enjoyed sleeping in late, going on lunch dates, making Christmas ornaments, playing board games and pretty much just being together. These pictures are a small look at the fun we had.

The Christmas tree and the baby met became friend and nearly came face to face as he nearly pulled it over.

A little snow occurred which called for snow angels...do you think she possibly needs new snow pants???

RaRa came home that's a happy pair right there.

And she brought Christopher, Conrad is finding him to be a ok.

Snuggle time reading the night before Christmas. Please don't mind the Hubs creepy facial hair.

Christmas morning joy.

I got many wonderful gifts this year at Christmas more than I deserved but this one was my favorite. Hand selected and made by my sweet daughter. She knows me so well, inside that wrapping paper...a peanut butter cup, that's the way to momma's heart.

This year was the best, I'm pretty sure I say that every year but each and every year I feel more and more blessed to lead the life I do. Thanks for sticking with us and continuing to read.

Christmas Break Fun...

I used to think that Christmas break was the most amazing thing ever as a kid then it became even better as a college student. But I will say that the best Christmas breaks I have ever had are since becoming a Mom. Spending two weeks with this little one with very few plans and lots of fun to be had is amazing. Thank you in advance for understanding the lack of blogs during this time. I really tried to focus on our family and living in the moment, so there are some events that I didn't take one picture! Whoops! 

First and foremost I must show you what the hubs completed the first weekend of Christmas break. Look at those gorgeous wood floors! Oh I am so happy I have never and will never understand why people put carpet over such beautiful craftsmanship! So thanks to the hubs for making me love our little house even more. 

Now on to the wild and crazy time we had over our two weeks off! Ha!

Our Aunt RaRa taught us the term deuces, and of course now we use it quite frequently. And on this night daddy needed to take a picture with her to send to RaRa.

Christmas Day was family filled and the above photo is the only one I have of the three of us. Yes Charlot go an American Girl Doll for Christmas. It was actually my doll when I was little so it is pretty special. 

After having Christmas at our house we headed out to my parents for brunch and gifts. It was such a nice and relaxing time just enjoying each other. And hum not a single picture did it take there!

Next stop was at the Hubs grandma's for Christmas with the family. This year they decided to have an ugly sweater contest, so fun. I actually brought a sweater to put on but once I saw my father-in-law I realized there was no point in trying he was taking home the crown.

That's a chair full of love and maybe a bit jealousy Charlot isn't a huge fan of sharing Christopher's attention.

After Christmas at Grandma Zella's we headed up the road to my in-laws to open presents. Lots of fun was had from a paper fight to throwing packing materials all over the living room to several fun filled games of twister.

I'm pretty sure Charlot decided twister was much easier to sit down and play by yourself.

There were many lunch dates with this lady.

Break even consisted of a few dates with this guy! Here we are celebrating my parents 40th wedding anniversary. My brother and I hosted a little dinner out for them. Such a nice night to honor our parents who have taught us so much about love, commitment and marriage.

We helped daddy feed and load cattle and yes if you look closely the hubs is sporting my headband! Ha! It was sleeting so hard it was pelting his ears a bit harder than he preferred.

A trip to the American Girl Store was needed as well. I think her Aunties got quite the education about American Girl while we were shopping that day.

It's quite possible that she conned someone into building Lincoln Log houses with her each and everyday.

The hubs introduced Charlot to the joys of lunch at the sale barn. I'm pretty sure she may never let him go by himself again.

And we closed it all out with our first litter of baby pigs. Man was she excited! 

I am so thankful for this time off these are memories we will cherish forever!!!

Random Acts of Kindness Recap- Week 1

As we begin a new week and begin getting closer and closer to Christmas, I want to share with you our activities from the last week of counting down to Christmas in our house. The above picture is how I have her daily envelopes displayed at her level and easily accessible for her to go grab one each evening. We are loving this activity even more this year and I really hope it can become a loved tradition in our family.  

Day 1-we taped candy canes to the ATM's at our local bank, with a care wishing people a very Merry Christmas.

Day 2- Charlot colored pictures to send to someone she loves. She chose to color two one for Grandma Linda and one for Grandma Jones

 

Day 3- She had to pick out some of her toys to donate to her schools toy drive, this was a little hard for her but she managed to find a few that she didn't need.

 

Day 4- We left some yummy Christmas cookies for our sweet mail lady. The top picture was quite successful (HA) it was a little early and she thought the that flash was a bit bright.

 

Day 5- We paid for the person behind us in the drive-thru line, we asked the lady at the window to give the person this card. Charlot was so excited to do this she loved it when the guy shouted THANK YOU out of his window.

Day 6- I didn't get any pictures but we passed out Candy Canes and Hugs at Church yesterday. I know she spread lots of love around the church.

I hope each of you are having an enjoyable time preparing for the Christmas Season. And we would love to hear about any of your Christmas Countdowns!

Cookies and Cream M&M Cookies

I had to have cookies to take to Charlot's school for the Christmas program last night. I asked Charlot what kind of cookies she wanted...her response...Dairy Queen ice cream. Thanks kid that's a real practical cookie. Then it was almost a challenge for me how could I make these cookies remind her of her favorite DQ treat. Basically I decided to chuck it full of her favorite blizzard toppings and I will say they results were awesome! I will admit at first I threw a whole bunch of M&M's into the dough and the resulting cookie was way toooooo sweet and chocolaty for me. Plus I decided that topping each cookie with 5 or so M&M's resulted in a prettier cookie because you could see the pretty candy. But you do as you wish these cookies are flexible. 

This would be prefect for a Christmas cookie exchange or whatever your holiday needs. I know that both young and old will enjoy this sweet treat!

1 Cup Butter (2 Sticks) Softened

3/4 Cup Sugar

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

2 Eggs

1 tsp Vanilla

2 1/4 Cup Flour

1 tsp Baking Soda

1 tsp Salt 

16 Oreo Cookies Crushed

Mini M&M's for topping

Pre-Heat oven to 375. Cream together Butter and Sugars until light and fluffy, add eggs in one at a time follow with vanilla. In a separate bowl stir together flour, soda, and salt, gradually add to the butter/sugar mixture until well combined. Fold in Oreo's. Drop TBSP size balls of dough onto a greased cookie sheet top with some M&M's. Bake for 10 minutes. ENJOY!

And those of you who are wondering yes I am drinking my milk out of a stemless wine glass...who said milk and cookies wasn't classy.

Our Countdown to Christmas...Random Acts of Kindness Style

Ok I know I have not been a faithful blogger the last month or so. Frankly it just hasn’t been on my heart and I seriously wasn’t in the best place emotionally after my Papa’s death. But time and rest can bring about renewal, and a vacation in Colorado sure doesn’t hurt, (another blog this week). So please accept my apologies and please know that I still love this little blog and I sure hope it touches a few people!

Today I wanted to talk about what we are doing for a countdown to Christmas again this year. I continue to want to show my kiddo that Christmas is about so much more than the big guy in the red suit coming to see her. I want her to know that reason for the season and to try to live her life more Christ like. We started the Random Act of Kindness Countdown with Charlot last year, and it was quite a success. So we plan to do that again this year.

Same deal as last year each night she will open an envelope that tells her what her RAOK for the next day is then we will help her get the needed items and help her pull off the act the following day. But the decision is hers  as to when, where and who is the recipient of her RAOK. I hope to continue this tradition with her each year and grow it from there so that hopefully she will just look for opportunities throughout the year to show kindness because frankly kindness costs nothing.

We would love it more than anything if you and your families would like to join in with us please share your stories with us. Each Friday I plan to do a recap of the weeks activities so each of you can follow along. Oh and if you happen to be local and see some of her RAOK's she would love to know about them! Below are the links to last’s years ROAK. 

ROAK-Explained and Week #1
RAOK-Week #2

ROAK-Week #3

Please note Charlot knows all about Santa and she very hopeful he will be coming to see her. We just choose to not focus on him. Also know I have nothing against families who choose to countdown to Christmas with the Elf it just isn’t for us. 

What in the World We've Been Up To!

So I didn’t leave the blog forever I know that all of you were hanging on by a thread! HA! But I did decide to make a conscious effort this year during my TWO WEEK vacation over the holidays to live more in the moment. I didn’t take a ton of pictures the ones on here are pretty much all I have of Christmas. I really just wanted to take it all in and enjoy the time off with the hubs and Charlot. It was kind of nice to unplug and not be connected every minute of the day.

Daddy reading the "The Night Before Christmas"

Oh Christopher she loves you!

Our Christmas started off on the 22^nd and didn’t conclude until late Christmas night. But we had a ball at each and every celebration. Charlot loved playing with her cousins and Christopher well he probably topped the list of Christmas faves for her. Here are some shots of what Santa left for her!

Showing pap how to skate

Uncle Zach and Lauren hit the ball out of the park
with the books they gave her!

Who knows about these two

She forced Zach to hold her baby and crib!

The Monday after Christmas we headed out with my parents to spend a few days at a condo in Branson. It was so much fun to just get away and relax with little to no schedule. Charlot told me the best part of the trip was me making the couch into a bed; apparently sofa beds are popular among the three year old crowd. We all enjoyed the pool, some shopping, and of course the Dixie Stampede. Thanks again Mom and Dad for taking us!

Ready to go!

When we returned home the hubs and I started some DIY home projects! Please pray for us and our marriage as we make these changes over the coming weeks. I will keep you up to date as we go! That’s all for now Happy Monday!