Thanksgiving 2014

I figured with Christmas literally three days away I better write about Thanksgiving before I forget all the details!!

This year the kids and Riley had one full week off!! I was super smart and made just about everything ahead of time and froze it. I made cornbread dressing two weekends before, sweet potato casserole (it's so good with bacon, molasses and marshmallows) and pie dough one weekend before, and two nights before my cranberry jello mold. All I had to do on the actual day was stick our vegetable sides in a crock pot and make tea (my in laws brought homemade rolls and some pies). Riley and his dad fried two turkeys, one to eat and one to freeze (which I also froze extra stuffing and sweet potatoes to go with it!!). Freezing everything ahead of time also let me do special things with my kids since I wasn't so busy!!

Brady LOVES spiced peaches and has been eating them since he could walk.  Unfortunately we can't find them in the store anymore so I decided we would make our own! I even bought a jar so we could make our peaches every year! They turned out amazing and I had a very happy child!

Ben chose to help me make a pumpkin pie

We had fun making the flowers for the pie. He said he wanted flowers and no pumpkins lol

Brit wanted to make a cherry pie. I got to teach her how to lattice the top! This was before it went in the oven.

These Trader Joes water packed cherries were amazing!

Using Ree Drummands pie crust freezer trick made rolling out dough easy!

Brady's 10th and Ben's 7th Birthday

I'm a little late getting to this, lol. November FLEW! I can't believe I've been a mom for ten years! If you had told me ten years ago I would have five children I would have thought you were lying. I always kinda of consider Brady to be my first born because I got him first and I had him for two weeks before getting Britney.  I won't lie, going from no children to two children at once and the next month my husband having emergency surgery was prob. one of the scariest adult moments in my life. Much of that time is a blur trying to keep up with CPS, our agency and attorney's plus just learn how to mother and bond with an older child. These last ten years being Brady's mom has been amazing! I love that child so very much and he is the most tender child I have ever met. I see him with the twins and my heart melts a million times over because he loves them so much. His new thing is to pick them up and just cradle them in his arms and kiss all over their heads when he comes in from school. Talk about melt me! They let him too, lol.  He completely understands too that he is adopted (but very much wanted) and the babies came from my tummy. He talks about it often and loves to hear the story of how we got him. I always say, "You were born in my heart and the babies were born from my tummy and thats how God made us one big happy family." He smiles so big when I say that. I also can't believe my little Ben is now a big Ben at seven! One of my favorite things to do is cuddle with him while he sucks his thumb (only at night when he really really tired) and holds his favorite stuffed Applejack pony. He always closes his eyes and he has the longest lushest eyelashes.

For their birthdays we had decided to surprise them with a "camping" trip. We usually camp for their birthday but since the twins had been born we hadn't been able too. Since we weren't able to book the trip until later in the month we went ahead and through them a small home birthday party with pizza and a cake! They came home from school and I had the dining room all decorated! I spent a couple of days making most of it!

Walking in from school and seeing it all decorated (sorry it's blurry)

Bird nest cake!

Riley always gets their favorite breakfast with a candle on their birthday

Ben's favorite breakfast

They LOVED their party!!  Then two weeks later we went camping at Jellystone Park in Burleson! WE had so much fun and our cabin was awesome!!

I honestly didn't get that many pictures because we were so busy riding firetrucks, running around, swinging (my kids love to swing), making smores, and bounce houses.

I'm going to say that they had an amazing birthday!! :)))

It's Beginning To Look Like Christmas

Oh my goodness I can't believe Christmas is in 9 days. Time has just flown!! I haven't even had a chance to write about the boys birthdays or Thanksgiving. I will have to come back and cover those fun days when the kids are on break.

Everyone is doing great!! The twins are walking everywhere and learning so much every day!! They have to be the best babies though because they are just always so happy and easy going. Yesterday Riley and I had a sitter for them but unfortunately she got a stomach virus and had to cancel. So we just took them with us to Christmas shop, Sushi lunch and then out to shop for new iphones. They just rode in the stroller so happy and fell asleep during lunch. The older kids are doing good too! School has been hard this year (expectations, amount of homework, struggles) for all three kids and they are looking forward to a break, as am I. Despite the struggles every single one of them has made honor roll but it's taken lots and lots of work and time. Riley had a four day weekend and went back to work today. He will work until Friday and then be off until after the 5th of January. I can't wait to have him home and just enjoy doing NOTHING!

So what have I been up too? I million and one things, lol!! So right after before Thanksgiving I started working on Christmas. I like to do a good mix of bought and homemade gifts. I have a lot of fun making things! As well as I took sign orders for friends (I design the photos and then I send them a link to get it printed anywhere). Here are some of my projects to date....

Hand painted pony shoes for Brit

Pony Pillow Case for Brit (made a few extras and gave to friend children's)

This was Brit's first sewing project with mom. She sewed down all the strips before we pieced it together. It's a rag blanket for her granny.

Brady wanted to give his granny birdseed as a gift so I made a custom tag

Made my older boys and my nephew some pajama pants

Made some friend some hanging towels

Heres another with a custom label

From Brennen and Barrett are their curls for their granny. She likes pink so that's why it's not a blue frame.

Teacher gift with custom tags

Made a kitty pattern for a friend and filled with flax and lavendar

Made a few to sell and they are all gone!

Whew!! I still have a few last things to do and then I'm done!! I can only sew during naptimes mostly. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and I'll be back to write up the boys birthdays and Thanksgiving!!

Dresser before and after

I finally have time to show before and after pictures of the small dresser in the twins room. I've had it done a while and it is wonderful for holding diapers and wipes! 

Here is the ugly before: 

I decided to paint it a neutral gray with an orange accent on the inside.  I made a chalk paint using latex paint and plaster of Paris. It painted and covered so nicely with no priming. I did two coats and sanded the edges so it would look old and not perfect. Once dry I used a soft wax to give it a shine and protect the paint. 

Close up of the knobs:

Halloween 2014

Last night was Halloween!!! I've been working for weeks on the kids costumes! Ben asked me to make him a bad piggies purple vampire costume. I was like what the heck is that?? Turns out his iPad bad piggies game had Halloween piggies, lol. He also specified he wanted to wear ALL purple because it's his favorite color. Brady then came up and said he wanted a bad piggy mummy. So a little craft foam and felt later we had masks. Britney said she wanted to do another costume with the twins!! We decided on Cruella Deville and her captured Dalmation puppies. The twins shirts are some I got Hobby Lobby and then sharpied spots on it. The red shoes were a splurge but they will be their Halloween. Christmas and Valentines shoes! Their little hats will be their winter hats too. I love multi purpose halloween costumes!! Some of Brits I was able to repurpose from her Fancy Nancy party a few years ago! Every year we trick or treat with my best friend at her parents house. The kids got lots of candy and had a blast. Brennen was the only one not happy. We ended up carrying him for half the trip but he was so cute, warm and cuddly. He "talks" so cute and was very vocal last night. Half way through I realized Brady was telling jokes to people who opened their doors after they handed him candy. What a ham he is!! 

Earlier in the day... 

Updates

Looks like a month got away from me. The month of September just flew and I can't believe we are entering the holiday seasons. September was about getting into new routines and the kids have done fabulous. We had some issues with Britney's school that kept me on the phone for several days trying to sort out (they weren't giving her her accommodations and modifications on her education plan) but once that was sorted things were good. I felt bad that she had to have her schedule changed twice but now that's she's in the right classes we've had no problems. We decided to do a quick room redo for her so she would have a spot to study without four boys interrupting her. She has decided she is tired of her pink and brown accent wall (she wants aqua) so I still need to paint but she now has a new loft bed with study area. She is LOVING it!! 

Loft bed is from Ikea and it's the Stuva collection

I love how it really opened up her room! Now she has lots do room to dance at her ballet bar. 

Brady is doing good in school to. He is so focused this year and is liking fourth grade. We love his math and science teachers but his ELA/social studies teacher is not our favorite. We are making the best of it. I can't believe that in a month he will be 10. It seems like yesterday we brought him home. I can't wait to see his face when he discovers we planned a weekend getaway for his and Ben's birthday. Riley took off on that Friday to help me pack their getaway bags. Then Saturday we will take off and they will just think we are going to lunch. We rented a cabin for the weekend while Riley's parents stay with the twins. Fishing, hiking and s'mores are on the menu! Brady is the sweetest, most giving and loving child. He LOVES his baby brothers so much! He is always loving on them and right in the middle of it all. 

Babies just woke up.... To be cont..

School Organization

Every year my kids come home with a million papers. Some to keep & some to turn in at a later date. With three In school it gets overwhelming sometimes! Last year I was the most unorganized person ever having just had twins three months before school started. I was determined not to repeat that this year!! While at the The Dollar Tree this summer I saw these folder clip boards. I KNEW instantly I had to have them! In the teacher supply section they had large bus magnets that came three to a package. Perfect to stick in the back and who can beat a dollar?!? 

So with a little Gorilla Glue and some printed personalization we had this.... 

Here's the inside (I covered up some private information)

Add a little $1.00 Dry erase board and we have total organization!  

Now mama is organized and maybe just maybe I can keep up with everything!! 

Adoption Anniversary!

Friday August 29, 2014 was our 9th and 6th Adoption Anniverary!! Since the kids had school and Brit had ballet right after school we celebrated Saturday! 

We took them to The Cheesecake Factory for lunch. We were all so stuffed afterwards we all decided to take our cheesecakes home. Ben was so full he was crying in the booth that there was no way he could eat cheesecake. We promised we would package them up for later and it was a fun treat we all enjoyed when we finally weren't dying lol! Brit got an Oreo one, Brady got peanut butter cup, Ben got Hershey's, Riley got peanut butter and I got a chocolate tuxedo. 

Afterwards we headed to Target to let the kids spend their summer allowance money. Then to Babies R Us to look at new convertible car seats for the twins. We didn't like the options and decided to go home and order them. After months of looking we finally decided on the Evenflo Triumph LX in Darby. My SIL's cousins (they are twins. One is a NICU dr and one is a pedi nurse) that I'm friends with suggested Evenflo. We found a great deal on them and we got two for each car. We hate changing out car seats!! 

We ended the day swimming and hanging out!! I can't believe how big my children are getting and I can't wait for the babies to understand how special this day is.