Visit with Santa

The girls did not really like Santa last year. In fact they were scared of him. I wanted a picture with Santa for this year but because of last year's issues I was reluctant. So when I saw that Walmart was having a free Santa I didn't want to let it pass.

I dressed the girls in their Christmas dresses. We actually had to stop by Target first and get new dress shoes since last years were too small. I know why go to Target when I was heading to Walmart. Simple, selection. Teagan got cute black dress shoes and Kaitlyn got ruby red sparkle shoes (I love them the most and so does she).

We get to Walmart and the Santa was very nice. It took both girls a moment to warm up but it helped that he had candy. The key to their little hearts. Although Kaitlyn didn't tell him what she wanted until she was back safely in Mommy's arms.

I know it was free but the Santa was really fake. Fake beard, fake belly. And I think he was around my age. Bummer. Since it went rather well I want to go to see a better Santa but Hubby says no way. Too much of a hassle I suppose.

Here are the girls and a Walmart Santa. Unfortunately you can't see Kaitlyn's shoes!

Merry Christmas!

A Thousand Words Thursday 11-05-2009

It’s movie time. Your kids are nestled in their favorite chairs and you hand them which one of their favorite snacks? Candy? Popcorn? No, cherry tomatoes.

My kids eat cherry tomatoes like they are candy. And even though I love the fact that they eat vegetables and fruit, at the same time it literally turns my stomach. I hate tomatoes. Yes I like marinara and ketchup but those are cooked tomatoes so don’t bother pointing out that they are made from tomatoes.

I can actually feel bile rising in my throat as I hear their teeth puncture through the skin, the juice squirting their tongues and oozing over their teeth and gums, while the acidic pulp is gnashed with the rest of it. So this to me is a thankful and repulsive moment all in one.

Oh and they eat the entire tub of cherry tomatoes in one sitting. And asked for more.

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A Thousand Words Thursday 10-29-2009

This was taken exactly a year ago. It is amazing what has changed in just a year. Some good, some bad, some very, very bad. The one wonderful thing that hasn't changed is the blessing of my little family.Because of them there is a constant din of laughter and joy in my life.

For anyone out there wondering if they should have kids, it is the hardest most demanding job with no sick days, vacation time and the breaks are far and few between. That being said, it's worth it. I've never had less sleep, money or time and yet I've never been happier.

Oh, and I have no idea who that chubby kid is on the left. (Just kidding, that's K-Bear).

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A Thousand Words Thursday 10-22-2009

Remember when I said I did a craft when I was sick. Loopy-dopey? Well here it is, Salt Dough Pumpkins. Aren’t they adorable? On that kindergarten scale? I really love crafts and I when I saw this on Craftbits.com I couldn’t resist.

Here is their original instructions with my thoughts added but please visit Craftbits.com as they have other great projects and run cool contests as well.

1 cup salt

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup water

orange acrylic paint (I had to mix a few to get the right color)
brown acrylic paint
green acrylic paint

paintbrush (medium and small)
acrylic sealer/finisher gloss spray

toothpicks, broken or cut in half

Preheat oven to 250 F. Mix together, salt, flour, and water until a dough is formed. Knead the dough on a floured surface until the mixture is elastic and smooth. If dough is too sticky, sprinkle with flour, continue to do so until stickiness is gone. BE CAREFUL. Do not add too much flour, this will dry out the dough and will cause it to crack before you get a chance to bake it.

Roll dough in your hands to form different sized balls. Line them up on a cookie sheet, touching each other so that they will be one piece after baking. Get creative. I made a few pumpkins lay on their side and mixed and matched the sizes. However work quickly. This dries rather fast. Use a toothpick to draw lines on the pumpkins.

Insert toothpick halves, point size down, into the top center of the pumpkin to create the stem. Be sure to do this step BEFORE baking.

Bake for approximately 2 - 2.5 hours. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely. For best results, allow to cool and dry overnight, or for at least 4 hours.

Paint pumpkins with two coats of orange paint (if needed) allowing to dry in between coats. Then use the brown paint to paint in the lines of the pumpkin to create shadow and depth. Lastly paint the stems green. When dry, spray with a few coats of sealer/finisher. The more coats the glossier. Let dry.

One batch made 10 groups of four pumpkins. I do not advise doing the molding on cough suppressant as everything is in slow motion. However, painting them along side a glass of sangria is advised.

My girls loved the pumpkins. It took me awhile to finish and every time they saw me working on them they would have to sit at the table with me. Kaitlyn would ask over and over “what dis?” as she has not mastered her th’s. I answer “pumpkins.” Immediately followed by her saying “num, num.”

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A Thousand Words Thursday 10-15-2009

As a family we have never had a back yard. Never a place to kick a ball or run through a sprinkler. This is a special time for us as we explore our back yard and the play and fun it holds. Here you see Kaitlyn and Teagan “harvesting” the tree. Their words not mine. The imaginations are running wild in their new play world. After this they dug in the dirt/sand for “buried treasure.” Out of all the things I looked forward to in moving into a house, this I somehow over looked.

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A Thousand Words Thursday 10-08-2009

Led Zeppelin is the best Mommy!

A Thousand Words Thursday was started by http://www.themomjen.com/ and if you would like to participate head on over sign up. Or just pay her a visit to see all the other wonderful blogs sharing their lives through pictures.