twin sister. genuine. funny. compassionate. best friend. sensitive. insightful. intelligent. intense. beautiful. creative. natural. lovable. blessing.

Matty and David received so many wonderful gifts from family. It was Matty’s first Christmas to really appreciate all the goodies. Of course we had to open each item and play with it before moving on to the next gift!

David has been a walking fool! I can’t even count how many steps he is taking!! He walks from room to room. He turns and walks a different direction without holding on. It is the BEST Christmas gift I can imagine! He is pleased with himself, too! From the looks of this pic, you might think he has taken up grocery shopping, too! Should we have chicken pot pie for dinner???

My in-laws have a Target right across the street (I should be so lucky! The closest Target to us is 40 miles–which is probably a good thing!!). So Matty poops in the potty and then the next morning we go over to Target and pick out a treat. 5 nights in row pooping in the potty!!! I think maybe we’ve crossed the threshold into FULL potty training.

I followed David around Barnes and Noble yesterday. He walks right over to strangers and puts his hand on their knee. He’s very friendly! I was trying to read to Matty but kept having to chase David into the next aisle or across the store. I can’t believe I’ve got a little walker on my hands.
It has been so good to catch my breath and slow down. We’ve had some good time with family and lots of time to play and sleep.

Merry Christmas!

not a very original title, sorry! i am THRILLED to tell you that david has been walking everywhere–without holding on! Tonight I counted 37 steps he took down the hall, round the corner and into the kitchen. We are so excited, we can’t contain ourselves. We just sit around and watch him while we cheer him on. Of course, he loves all the attention!

In less fun news, I have a cold. lots of nose blowing and lack of energy. I am behind on emails and paypal so pleeease be patient with me.

it’s time to slow down. sleep more. drink hot chocolate. watch elf. talk with my sisters and mom. eat lots of desserts. snuggle my boys longer. reflect on christ’s birth. celebrate. what’s on your slow-down to do list?

good times with max and matty today. playing in the mud, terrorizing everyone is the grocery store, lunch at appleby’s. gotta love it!

wow. i am feeling the pressure. the house is a disaster, david has a cold, and i am trying to finish up the last orders by tomorrow. so here’s a few things to remind me to be happy…

david’s little boots. it’s raining outside, so it’s a necessity!

matty yelling ‘happy christmas’ to everyone, inluding the lady in the drive thru at mcdonald’s

leftover relish tray from the very fun progressive dinner last night.

first thing i grabbed out of my closet turned out kind of fun. notice i didn’t photograph my hair or face!

and last, but not least! the beckster (my friend cara’s little girl)playing under the highchair.

David has been doing well in his big boy bed. (Matty is fine, we weren’t too worried about him!) We’ve been putting pillows around the sides of David’s bed to make him feel more cozy. The first night (without pillows) his arm got ‘stuck’ in a small gap between the mattress and bed frame. It wasn’t really stuck, but he felt stuck. He seems much happier with his cozy nest.

This is the face of a little boy who wouldn’t eat his grilled cheese sandwich, so he didn’t get dessert. Rip my heart out and throw it on the floor. But then again, it meant more dessert for me…

Speaking of dessert, we’ve been eating a lot of chocolate chip pancakes in the morning lately. So, yummy. Lindsey, I am going to plan a trip to Big Bear just to get a giant chocolate chip pancake! What was the restuarant called?!
All Christmas orders (placed 12/5 or before) are shipping out priority on Wednesday or earlier. I have been working harder than one person should reasonable work and although there have been a couple of meltdowns, I think it will all be finished. Thanks for being patient while waiting for your orders.

big boy beds!

We bought bunk beds and separated them. David’s has a railing all the way around. He should be safe while sleeping. It’s before he falls asleep, when he’s up being silly that might be the problem. We’ll watch him very closely until he adjusts to his new bed. So exciting! My little boys aren’t so little any more.

I found a fun pair of red heels are Target (thank you, Target, you always know just what I need!) on clearance, for a Christmas party Sunday night. Now what else should I wear?!

I am concerned that the number of calories I am burning while making jewelry is no match for the amount of See’s candy I’m consuming. Why, oh why is it so delicious and why did David’s school have a fundraiser that we HAD to support?!

When I picked up my hammer to get to work today it felt so right. It’s like it’s been glued in my hand lately. I might start sleeping with it at night.

Trying to take moments to reflect on WHY we are celebrating and to remember the significance of Christmas. And how I am so grateful for Christ’s sacrifice!

Just a sneak peek at some fun new stuff I’ll be sharing in the new year. Can’t wait!!!

***Just a note, paypal is down–so I am running behind sending links, etc. Will get them out ASAP!