Merry Christmas!

We wish you all a very merry Christmas!!!

 

Merry Penguins

Well Mister Aaron made his acting debut in a class play called Merry Penguins.   He Played an elf named Jingle and he was the cutest elf ever if I do say so myself.

Aaron was not nervous at all and he said he NEVER gets stage fright.  According to Aaron, the only thing that would frighten him is if he was walking behind someone that looked human, but when they turned around they were actually a zombie.  Ha!

When he first came out on stage, we were lucky enough to get a little smile and a wave.

Here's some of my favorite shots...

 
This picture cracked me up.  He kept looking over at his {not so} little cheer leading section and winking or waving every so often.

 

 

 

 

 
In this scene, Aaron did a little ad lib and decided to be a greedy little elf.  I true cookie monster style he gobbled those cookies up! 

 
His teacher {Mrs. Bryant} did a great job putting this together.  It was something that absolutely doesn't have to be done, but the kids, and the parents I might add, really appreciated it. 
She is really a wonderful teacher and person.

 

 

He even has a little smooch on his cheek...I wonder where that came from? ;)

 

 

I know I speak for everyone when I say this...
We are so proud of you Aaron!!! 
You did a fantastic job and we love you to pieces!

Joy-ful craftiness

 Ok, so I am on a serious crafting streak. Here's my latest.

It didn't take long to make and it's really pretty self explanatory.

So here's what you need:
Christmas-y card stock cut into 2-3 inch strips
{You'll need 2 for each letter of your word}
Christmas-y card stock
{cut into 1 large and 1 small circle for each letter}
Glue
Glitter
Staples
Hot glue gun/sticks
Wooden Letters
{or you can print out letters too!}

1. Fold your card stock strips accordion style.
2. Staple the ends together.
3. Press it flat.
4. It may try to pop back up on you...
5. Place something heavy on the top if this is the case.
6.Cut your circles.
7.Add some glue around the edges and dip it in glitter.
{or you can use glitter glue}
8. Use a hot glue gun to attach your center circles.
9. Mount this to your larger circle with a hot glue gun.
10. Use your hot glue gun to attach your letters.
11. Voila!
12.  I made a few extra to liven up last years project...

Remember my Paper wreath? 
Here it is with a new little twist...

 

   You can use any word really and change it up for any holiday or special occasion.  You can also add these little do-dads to anything you already have in assorted sizes and colors.
The possibilities are endless...So have fun with this one.

Breakfast with Santa

Every year Jeremy's office puts together a big breakfast and Santa and Mrs. Claus pop in to say "Hi".  We are SO very lucky that they do this because quite frankly, I don't think I could handle the whole mall scene this time of year.  I keep hearing horror stories of 2 hour waits to sit on Santa's lap.
 Two hours! 
I may sound a little bah-humbug, but I don't really think I could handle that. 
 I know he's a busy guy, so a great big thank you going out to Santa for taking the time to come to our breakfast. Seriously.

Checking out Daddy's desk before Santa arrives

The whole sitting in Daddy's chair has become a bit of a tradition...here they are the first time.

Our little guys back in 2008

We all heard a thumping on the roof and sleigh bells too...then...Santa barges in and I don't know why, but I get a lump in my throat like I'm gonna' cry every time. 
Don't judge. It just makes me so happy to see all this innocence, joy, and happiness. 

The Claus' are immediately surrounded by kiddos.

 

Ty was a little nervous this year.

 

Mrs. Claus.  Not sure if she even has a first name...

Aaron actually had a really long conversation with Santa updating him on everything he's been up to since the last time they spoke.  It was really cute!

 

Finger puppets were a huge hit.

Some spy gear for Agent A.

How cute is this elf???

My little shy guy.

Spy gear for Agent T and the shyness disappears.

 

 

What boy can resist climbing a wobbly tower of pallets?  What parent can resist snapping a picture before telling them to get down?

Another successful breakfast with Santa. 
Hopefully we still have many more...they are growing up WAY too fast! 

 

Tis the season

 One of my favorite things about this time of year is standing back and watching my boys appreciate all that there is to offer.  They take in and notice every detail.  I will admit that I so get in a rush this time of year, but the boys seem to slow it down a bit and MAKE me see what I would ordinarily pass on by...It's so refreshing to stop and see what they see.

Here's Aaron making our Christmas village just right.  He really has an eye for detail.

 

Christmas Craftiness: A Christmas Banner

I just cant get enough of the banners for my mantel lately...so here's another one!
I found the FREE printable banner here.
I put my own flare on it and there you have it!

Now go make one!

Christmas Craftiness: Holiday Candles

I'm sure I'm not the first person to think of wrapping candle with paper, but I thought I would share my Christmas craftiness any way.
I wanted to liven up my candles for the holidays and found this cute paper here  to download and print.

Supplies:
candles
card stock
glitter/glitter glue
paper adhesive
rubber bands
paper cutter/scissors

First you want to print your paper on card-stock or use any wrapping paper, or scrap booking paper you want.  Then you cut the paper to about a centimeter taller than your candle.

Next you wrap the paper around the candle and glue it together.

 

 Wrap it with a couple of rubber bands to allow the glue to dry.  

Apply your glitter glue.  You can dip it in glitter while the glue is still wet for some extra bling too.

Let it dry and voila!

 

You've got yourself a whole new look for Christmas!

I found the printable sheet music and Christmas words at Altered Artifacts. 

Christmas Craftiness: Gumdrop branches

I recently went to a color workshop at Ethan Allen  and learned a few tricks about decorating and adding color and elements to your decor on a buget.  So here's one of those super easy, cheap and crafty ideas.

Grab some branches out of your yard and spray them. {any color you like}
Poke some dots or gumdrops on the ends.
Stick them in a vase, spread them out on your mantel, use them as a centerpiece...whatever floats your boat.

 

So fun right?!?!

Christmas dinner

Our last stop for the festive day was my Moms for dinner. 

Her dog Brownie all dressed up, bu not too happy about it.

Aaron and his mini pillow pet.

Ty LOVES his new alarm clock.

Bill got his new favorite movie.

Khris got some new additions to his wardrobe.

My grandma and Grandpa

We decided to try to get a family portrait...

It took a few takes...

Not the best, but at least we are all looking...

So another Holiday whirlwind is behind us and it was great.  Next year will be here before we know it and maybe, just maybe, I'll be ready ahead of the rush.