Christmas Time

I could hardly sleep Friday night after decorating my mom-in-law’s tree. By the time I jumped out of bed Saturday morning, my creative juices were no longer seeping, they were marinating! I could not wait to get our decorations up. My desire must have been contagious because Isabelle was begging Christian to get the tubs from the attic.

So we had our own little tree trimming party. The girls were great helpers, strategically placing each ornament on the tree. Never even noticed me going right behind them and moving them to a more ideal spot. And I am proud to say we only had two broken ornaments and two mommy breakdowns. Sorry I am very sentimental with the ornaments. We continued a lovely tradition with the girls, one that my parents started with Matthew and me. Every year they each get a new ornament that fits their interests at that time. For example, Isabelle was really fascinated with trains a few years ago, so her ornament that year was a candy train.

Anyhow, I just love these moments with my brown eyed girls. They remind me how precious my life really is! Once again, my cup runneth over.

Our Christmas Tree!

My topper. I love the Lord of All. He is the reason for the season! It’s important to us that the girls know this.

Love the colors!

Fireplace

  Can’t forget about Wayne, our Elf on the Shelf.

Trim the Tree Party

Friday night at Grandpa and Abuela’s house, we had a Trim the Tree Party. When my sweet mom-in-law said I could do whatever I wish with her decor, I could feel my creative juices seeping out! So my three nieces, nephew, plus my three girls went to town. We had such a great time! Here’s the finished product.

The girls did all the ornaments. Great job!

  Here’s the topper I did. So much fun!

Kind of hard to see, but the mantle turned out really pretty.

Thanksgiving 2010

Can’t believe Thanksgiving holidays are coming to an end! It is such a peaceful and relaxing time. It is the calm before the storm. As soon as the calendar flips, the to-do list triples. So many thanks to God for another blessed holiday shared with family. Check out the girls enjoying their days off.

Isabelle playing chase with her Daddy and cousins.

Julianne loves to pick veggies with Abuela.

  Ah, Charlotte.

Flowers and Blessings

I have to admit I love certain things about the recent time change. Like when I step through my front door each morning, the sun meets my face and I get to admire the beautiful blooms in my flowerbeds. My favorite is the Hibiscus. As its blooms only last a day, it reminds me of its Maker, our Maker, whose blessings are new every morning. What great way to start my day! Here are the girls enjoying the flowers as well.

Big Sister, Big Helper

My problem-solving brother told me a while back, probably after observing an all too common, frenzied meltdown in our home, that as soon as Isabelle starts doing things on her own, my life will be much easier. Well, duh! That made sense. Turn my sweetheart Isabelle into my little helper and my load will be considerably lighter. 

So as Isabelle reaches certain milestones, I teach her how to do the same for her sisters. For example, learning to brush her teeth before bed without our help. (Bedtime at our house is crazy.  Stressed. That might be a good word to describe Christian and me at bedtime. I really don’t understand it. How is it that my girls are plum shocked when I tell them it is bath time? Really? Same time, same place, every night! Sorry, back to my example.) Isabelle began turning on the sink, putting the paste on the brush, grabbing the towel from the rack, etc. on her own, didn’t even need me in the room. So what did I do? I starting making, sorry, asking Isabelle to do the same for her sisters. Of course, she didn’t mind. She loves the responsibility. See Matthew, you do know a thing or two about child-rearing.

 

No Trick, All Treat

So I joined the Blog World and I am finally posting my first one! Blame it on my friend Kate who is my advisor on, well, pretty much anything and everything and I must mention has the hippest blog I’ve ever seen. As a young girl, I periodically recorded my comings and goings, my thoughts, my photos; however, they remained on pretty pink paper, protected with a heart-shaped lock, and hidden in a dark secret place under my bed. But it seems as though those times are gone and internet journaling is the trendy replacement. So here goes…

If you ask the girls about their Halloween, they’ll put on their best pout face and reply, “Halloween is over!” Can’t blame them. This October has been a blast for them. No, not because of the candy or the eerie yard decorations, but because of the costumes, of course. The girls knew what they wanted to be months ago and thanks to Granny, they had exactly what their little hearts desired! They wore those costumes every chance they had. It started with Pappy’s birthday party turning into a dress up themed party and it ended with ultimate trick-or-treating at Abuela’s house. It is not a trick, only a huge treat to watch my darling girls put on smiles the size of Texas and find enormous delight in the simple things of their trouble-free lives. Praise God for my cup runneth over.

Julie Buggie!!

Our Little Mermaid!!

Izzy the Kitty!! 

Poor Isabelle! There was no meow left in this kitty!

Looks like we figured out how to make Julianne smile for a photo!

The mermaid has left the building! Charlotte had enough fun for one night.

I know it’s a bit early to tell if I’m raising the next Betty Crocker, but check out these bad boys.  Way to go, Isabelle and Julianne!