Traditions, Decorations & Preparations

Now that the kids are getting old enough to remember things from year to year, I especially love those few days after Thanksgiving when I start pulling out all the Christmas items. The kids get so excited! Above, the Fontanini nativity scene.
We made gingerbread men and they decorated them with raisins, chocolate chips, and M&Ms.....
The gingerbread houses were kept simple this year and we mainly used candy that we already had on hand to decorate them. The gate out of the peppermint stick was Trip's idea.

Hee hee, it looks like Ruby has a fancy top on her house but that's the playset in the backyard.

We got a new advent calendar this year which the kids really enjoyed and I loved having another opportunity to discuss Christ's birth and the meaning of Christmas with them (This picture was taken Christmas Eve after they opened day 24 and found baby Jesus).

The return of DeWayne, our elf, every December is very exciting. Rex read the story to remind them of why DeWayne is here. DeWayne flies back to the North Pole every night and reports to Santa how they behaved that day and appears in a new spot the next morning.

They both still love the Little People nativity scene which was something I splurged on during Ruby's first Christmas season. I plan to save it for grandkids some day.

Costumepalooza continued

They've pulled out a few more of the bargain basement priced costumes. Ruby posing as Cleopatra and then my favorite, the his and hers gnome costumes!

And while we were outside pretending to be garden gnomes, I got some pics of our outdoor holiday decor. The little live gnomes were a nice touch to the photos.

A Short but Sweet Thanksgiving 2009

We made a quick trip to both Memphis and Heber Springs to see family for Thanksgiving and I didn't take many photos (but made up for it during Christmas as you will soon see). Above, when we were at Aunt Cheryl and Bob's house in Brownsville, TN, Trip had to have his picture made with "Sarge" from Cars.
The little crew: Ruby and Trip with my cousin Tracey's younger 2 children, Emma & Joseph. We've all really enjoyed seeing them play together at family gatherings.
Trip gettin' some lap time with Uncle Jeremy.

In Heber, Trip enjoyed some very slow and steady rides with Daddy on cousin Hunter's rides (I'm a city girl and don't know what those are called. There was a 4 wheeler too.)

Annual Family Pics

A few weeks ago our friend Whitney Loibner took our annual photos and did a fabulous job! Posted are a few from her blog. You can see all of them by going to www.whitneyloibner.com. Find our pics under portraits and the password is "leaves."

Parents Day at Dance

Today was parents observation day at dance class. Instead of waiting in the hall and taking turns getting a peak at them through a tiny square window, we could go in and watch the entire class. Rex even joined Trip and I for the show.

WARNING: You are about to be exposed to an overdose of cuteness which might result in smiles and laughter. Watch at your own risk!

Pumpkin Playdough

This morning we tried out the cool Pumpkin Playdough recipe given to us by YaYa! They took turns adding the ingredients and stirring. By the way there is no pumpkin in this- just flour, salt, cream of tartar, veggie oil, water, food coloring, and pumpkin pie spice to give it a yummy fall scent.

Check out this concentration.....

It made a large enough batch that there was plenty to share with our neighbors.

Thanks for sharing YaYa! We'll definitely try a Christmas version next month.

Costumepalooza!!!

Last week I happened to be at the 1 Wal-Mart in town that had a decent selection of Halloween costumes left when they marked them down to 70-90% off! I bought about 15 costumes, many of which Ruby and Trip will have to grow into, but here are some of the ones that we've already tried on. Trip LOVED his pirate costume and Ruby did too until she saw herself in the mirror. She said that she looked like a boy and immediately wanted to take it off. I appeased her with the very feminine bride costume. When I saw her in this I instantly got a lump in my throat and realized exactly why I'm glad we made the decision to not put her in kindergarten next year- because she'll be going to college one year later and will likely get married atleast a year later.

Of course, I'm biased but I must say that she makes a stunning bride, even at 4 yrs. old and in a $20 costume from WalMart (I paid $4). This will make a cute picture next to her bridal portrait some day. Tear, tear, sniff, sniff

And now on a lighter matter, Rex in a mullet wig. Nope, not a good look on him either.

I think Rex will wear this for Halloween next year and I'm betting Trip will wear it a time or 2 in junior high.

"She's a brick.....house.....da.... da....da!" I learned that brick printed fabric isn't the most flattering of looks, nor are rooftop hats. How many bricks does it take to build a Stephanie?

For the slower ones, He's a "chick magnet." Again, Trip will probably get some wear out of this one in years to come.

Ruby loved playing Dorothy and was so sad when we discovered that "The Wizard of Oz" had been erased from our DVR. Luckily, it's coming on again this weekend on TBS and we're set to record.

Ruby is Sharpay from High School Musical which she's not really into yet but she still thought the outfit was fun.

Doesn't this pic of Trip look so much like Jeremy as a kid? The Thomas costume is a little long but will probably be perfect by next Halloween. ..... I'll share more pics later as we try on the other costumes. I LOVE bargains!!

Crosswalk Trunk or Treat

On Halloween we went up to church for Trunk or Treat.
Trip aka Buzz quickly found his buddy, James, aka Woody.

"The girls"- Alison, Lauren, and Ruby

and yet another friend as Woody, Evan!

Ruby got a butterfly and flower at the face-painting trunk thanks to Shawn. We headed home a little early to do some neighborhood trick-or-treating. Now I just have to spend the next few weeks avoiding those sweetly filled pink and orange buckets on top of my fridge. Ugh!