Twins Birthday Planning & Ronald McDonald House

With my twins birthday coming up I am reminded how fortunate and blessed we are to have healthy children. This is something I never take for granted. When we started planning their first birthday one thought that just kept coming to mind was how could we bless other people. We decided that in lieu of gifts that we would ask our friends and family to instead bring a donation for our local Ronald McDonald. This organization is near and dear to my heart. You get to learn something new about me today.... when I was a child I lived at Ronald McDonald house in Denver, Colorado and in Kansas City, Missouri. I couldn't recall how long or how many times (as I was only around five) but we did. The memories I have are fond ones and when we couldn't be home, we had a home away from home. I can remember getting to go down to the toy closet and picking out a new toy. To a five year old that was awesome! We have been talking about it with our older kids and they are super excited to take a donation down to the house! I think that this will be something we continue even after the party is over. There is a real need and it's easy to grab a few extra things from the store to bless a family with a sick child. The reason I am posting this though is so maybe you might also want to help your local Ronald McDonald House.
Here is what I am attaching to the invites...

Here is a simple link for you to print your own (minus my children's names!). Go HERE to download your copy! You might have to log into Scribd.

Have a wonderful Saturday!!
-Kriss

Twin Corral

The twins are on the move and let me tell you they are fast!!! I would set them on the floor and walk to the kitchen to put something up. I would come back and they would be under a table or a chair (they both headed in different directions too). One day on facebook a friend posted a picture of a blow up pool used as a baby corral. GENIUS!!! So the next time I was at Walmart I found us a $7.00 pool!! Best thing ever!!! They can't crawl over the wall but they have plenty of room to roll, scoot, sit and work on crawling. They LOVE it and so do I!! Now I am not as worried about running into another room for a second.

Saturday Morning Cartoons

First time in the pool! LOL

Easter

Easter was so crazy because we were preparing for so many things. We are in the middle of a build, Brit had Saturday ballet practice for recital, Barrett's MRI, etc etc etc! So we decided to keep Easter simple, no company and spend the day letting the kids play and work on our building. We kept it simple and did hot dogs, chips and fruit. Brit and I did whip up deviled eggs and some cute chocolate dipped bunnies. So I don't have many pics to share!  

STARR

Britney has been super stressed the last few weeks because of STARR testing. We did everything we could do, to help her be successful with this state testing. Since she has a 504/IEP (education plan) I had set it up for her to take the modified version and extra time if needed as well as have the test read to her (that way she could pace herself). We also told her to try her best and that was all we expected from her. I won't lie I was worried because she isn't a good test taker and lots of things were riding on this test. If she didn't pass she would have up to two more chances to pass it (although I would have called an ARD and requested she not retake it a third time), possible tutoring after school, summer school & the diagnostician said she would have to take two math classes as well as two English classes and lose an elective for middle school. Also my kids do not go to school in the district that we will live in and passing these awful state tests is a factor in attending their schools. Especially since she is starting a brand new school this year and I wanted her to stay with her friends. She came home on Thursday jumping up and down because she PASSED the reading part and would know the math on Friday. I asked her how she thought she did on the math? My confident sweet  girl said (with a hand on her hip and a flip of her hand), "I think I did good because I proved my answers!" Well, on Friday she came bouncing in and said, "MOMMA MOMMA I passed the math!!! Whoop whoop!!!! Yay!! So on Saturday she got to pick dinner and dessert out to celebrate her accomplishment!! She picked Mexican Inn for dinner and DairyQueen for ice cream!! 

We are so proud of our bright young lady!! Tomorrow she takes the science part but that doesn't hinder her on anything if she passes or fails. After tomorrow she will have 27 days left of elementary school. Sniff sniff :(( She is growing up so fast!! What happened to my little three year old with the big blue eyes? She is turning into a beautiful young lady and every day she shines brighter and brighter! God has big plans for her! I'm so proud to get to be the one to lead her and teach her things! 

Happy Eleven Months!!

Today the twins are 11 months old! I don't know how 11 months has gone so fast but it has!! This morning we celebrated by running some errands to grab the older B's some things they needed and picked up granny to go to lunch! 

Here they are with a full tummy, dressed and ready to go!! They are wearing the cutest puppy baby leggings! I love love baby leggings because the mornings are cool but as the day progresses it gets hot. The baby legs are easy to remove without removing them from the car seat!! Brennen was talking up a storm! He would switch from mama to dada and then this Loy Loy Loy thing he says. 

The last two weeks have been pretty stressful with worry. At our last well visit appointment our doctor wasn't happy with the size of Barrett's head circumference. It was something we have been watching and charting for several months. He has always had a bigger head then Brennen. Well Barrett's head was no longer on the chart the last three visits and was not following a pattern or curve. Our doctor was afraid he had hydrocephalus. At 12 months the soft spot begins to fuse and if there is water around the brain it has no where to go. If he did have hydrocephalus he would need a shunt put in ASAP. We hadn't noticed any delays or problems but our doctor said he had to get a sedated MRI. Not only did Barrett's head cause concern but Brennen was no longer in the 5th percentile for weight but had dropped below it. I went over the amount of bottles and the homemade food I make them. The doctor concluded that they have an amazing diet but that they are so active he thought maybe they were burning more than they were taking in. He wanted me to add margarine to every meal. When he said that I was so surprised. I told him I would NOT agree to margarine but I would agree to real butter, more avocados, more flax, and coconut oil (I buy hold label from Tropical Traditions). He didn't understand my not liking margarine (artificial fats, yuck) but said butter, etc was fine. We go back for their 12 mth appointment and hopefully he will have gained some fat. Brennen is all over the place so I can see that he burns a lot of calories! He is so much like his dad on metabolism! Having to wait for the MRI was stressful because while in our hearts we felt like he just had a "big" head we weren't sure what we were facing. Also, sedatation is always scary. Sunday night we woke him up at 11pm to give him a last bottle because he couldn't have anything other than water after midnight until 4:30am. Riley took off to care for Brennen. Barrett and I left at 5:30am and headed to the hopistal. 

His eyes are so big and bold in this picture. 

The MRI was about an hour and then they called me into recovery where he was still sleeping. He took a while last time to wake up from sedation (Both boys had surgery in October to repair hypospadia, chordee as well as circumcision while they were in there, can't remember if I documented that or not). He finally woke up and was just a cuddly sweetheart. They said it would be several days to get the results. 

We got home and snuggled with brother and Daddy. He was super sleepy most of the day. 

Our doctors office about two hours later with awesome news!! He didn't have hydrocephalus!!! He just had a bigger head!!! Riley and I were so relieved!! When he woke up from a nap we kissed his sweet big head over and over and told him how perfect he was. Riley held him for a longtime and said he felt a huge rock had been lifted! We both had been so worried. 

God is good!!! 

Painted Candle

When I plan parties I get so frustrated when I can't find what I have pictured in my mind in a store. I'm also very into details and the details are what make a party really stand out. So what happens when you can't find a birthday candle that matches the theme.... You get creative! The Dollar Store is a gold mine of ideas!! Hence this project!! 

The twins theme of course is nautical! What I think about is sail boats, anchors, pin wheels, and water. The colors I picked for this party are navy, red and aqua. So when I couldn't find candles for their smash cakes I decided to try painting candles. I dug in my acrylic paint stash and ultimately picked just the aqua color lightened with a little white. 

I taped off the wicks with painters tape to keep from accidentally painting them. I also made sure my paint was non-toxic. I also don't plan to light them, more so for pictures. 

I painted the first coat and let it dry really well before the second coat. 

Then I let them "cure" a week before doing anything to them because I didn't want the paint to peel from the wax underneath. 

Next, I pulled out my sculpy clay and had fun making pinwheels!! 

I'm so excited how the finished product turned out!!! Ordinary to Fabulous!! 

(I hot glued some sticks to the back for extra stability!) 

I LOVE that is project cost a whopping $2.00 

Have you ever painted a candle? I love how it turned out I see more painted candles for future birthdays! 

-Kriss :)

Freezer Paper T-shirt tutorial

I looked high and low for my older boys a nautical tshirt this year. They either didn't have their size, the color I wanted (red), had a collar or was outrageously priced! I'm sorry but I refuse to pay $30-40 for a play shirt! I also didn't want an appliqué or collar because I wanted a simple wear to bed or play in the dirt shirt. Yesterday at Michaels I discovered all their tshirts were $1.97 and came in red! The wheels started turning and out popped this cute fast t-shirt project!! 

What you will need:

A pattern

Freezer paper

Blade knife

Iron

Cardboard (I save pieces of this for projects)

Acrylic paint

A paint brush 

Fabric Marker (optional depending on project)

T-shirt

I didn't have a pattern so I drew one onto my freezer paper until I got it just right! 

Cut out your pattern carefully so you have a good "negative" left. I used my circuit mat underneath as not to scratch my counter. 

Place cardboard inside the shirt and Iron the negative to the shirt. Making sure all edges are securely pressed and let cool a few minutes

Next mix up your paint with a few drops of water or fabric medium. I didn't have any fabric medium so water worked just fine. I also used a stippeling brush but a foam brush or paint brush works too. 

Next paint inside your pattern. I did mine light because I wanted the washed look. 

I let this dry for two hours before removing the pattern. 

Once full dry I used a pencil to write out the S.S part for both boys and then went back over it with a black fabric marker!! 

 

The possibilities are endless for this craft!! I had all the supplies except the shirt so $1.97 is a great deal!! 

:) Kriss 

Sunny Day

Stopping by for just a few minutes while the boys digest their breakfast and watch a few minutes of cartoons. It's only 9:40 and it's been a busy morning. Riley had an early morning business meeting so he was out the door extra early. Granny came over and picked them up for school so I didn't have to wake the twins. They slept in so I was able to get two cups of coffee down (bliss!), a few chores, dinner in the crockpot (chipolte lime green chili chicken), schedule a dentist appt for Brady (needed this before his orthodontist appt), paint primer on a craft and just sit for a while! Here in just a few minutes going to put on some tennis shoes and take them on a long walk. It's so nice and sunny outside! When we get get back I'll put the boys down for a nap and I'll work on some Shaklee business. I love that I can work when I want too and as much as I want too. I found out yesterday not only did I make an awesome paycheck but my director is sending me some beautiful earrings for exceeding my goal! Whoohoo!!

Over the weekend Riley and I started a very exciting project!! In 2006 we added approx. 1000 sqft to our home. It was the best decision ever (and trust me when I say we explored every thought on moving or building a new home). When we did the addition the only room we didn't finish was the addition (12x12) to the kitchen/pantry/mud room. I'm really glad we didn't finish the room because six months after we did the addition we got Ben. All the ideas for that room stopped because we had a baby, baby gear and adoption expenses. Then 6 years passed and our needs changed. So about the time we started thinking about about doing this room...surprise..more babies! So now babies are here and again our needs have changed. In this room currently is my sewing table, shelving, a freezer and a shoe rack. The plan is to move our washer and dryer to the new location and have custom cabinets built to match our kitchen custom cabinets. Then where our washer and dryer are now will be new cabinetry and we plan to open the wall to make the house more open! Yet, we can't start this project until we move my sewing table. I have NO where to craft. When I do projects I get frustrated because I can't walk away from it and come back to it. I also DO SO MANY crafts with so many different tools and materials. So it ends up being here and there and there... which drives my OCD crazy. Bahahhaah! Since Riley can work from home he wanted a space to be able to work and not interrupt the daily routine with upcoming toddlers. So we decided to build a craftroom for me and office for him. We had to cut down one tree at the back of the property which was done two Monday's ago. On Saturday he started the build!! It will take us several weeks because he really only has Saturday and Sunday to work on it. We also will prob have some raining days. What this means is next spring we will be able to finish the kitchen and it will meet the needs of this big family! Yay!!! Also it means... HELLO TWO DRYERS!! I told Riley my must have is two stacking dryers. Washing doesn't take any time but drying for a big family takes all day long.
Here is the first picture before construction started...

The skunk is our dog whiskey's toy, lol

 

 

Stay tuned for more as we make progress!! Ok, I need to scoot. Time to put on those tennis shoes and get my steps in for the day! Here is a picture of the boys on our walk Friday night. They giggled the entire walk until they passed out.

 Oh and I have to share this little gem. Brennen loves it when his sissy comes home from school. She can't wait to feed him his "milk snack" before dinner.

Don't forget to check out Shaklee's current specials!! Current Special
:) Kriss

Nautical Printable

I have a special treat for you!! I am in major party planning mode right now for the twinlets! We are doing a nautical theme for my two little sailors! I was making some things for their birthday including a sign for the table. I thought, "I should set this up as a free printable!"
I hope you like it!! I uploaded mine to Walgreens and had it printed onto photo paper but you can also print them on cardstock.

 The original is set up as an 8x10 so I wouldn't recommend printing it as a 4x6 because of cropping. I made two signs. One with a number one to celebrate a little one's first birthday. Then I set up another one that you can go onto Picmonkey and add your own number or letter to personalize. Feel free to use them for your PERSONAL use. In order to post the link I signed up with a free account from Scribd.
Go HERE for the Sea1 picture
Go HERE for the Sea2 picture (you can add your own number or letter to this one)
If you use it at your party or hang on your wall, send me a pic to feature on my blog! I would love to see it!

Shaklee April Special

Shaklee has had such great response to the February and March special they made a similar special for new members for April!!! It's a great time to become a member and save 15%! Do autoship on Vitalizer and save an additional 10%! I get asked all the time how I have so much energy.... Vitalizer!! My hubby and inlaws take and love it too!!

Order this weekend (4/4/14 - 4/5/14) and I'll sweeten the deal by offering shipping reimbursement!! 

What I do is once your order comes through I slip a check in the mail with the shipping amount! Sweet!! 

http://journeytohappy.myshaklee.com/us/en/welcome.html

This is my director Bonnie! 

Shaklee paid for her, her hubby, her four children and her nanny to fly to New York to shoot this video!! Bonnie is an amazing mentor and mother! I really enjoy working with her and my team!! She is always so motivating!! Click HERE to watch the video!!! 

Here is the message I got from her last month!! 

I would love for you to join me!!! 

Click HERE to go to Project Dream!

Morning funny...

If you love the movie Office Space this will make you laugh... 

This is my sweetie Barrett. Brennen was still napping. Every time I look at this picture I bust out laughing! 

Later when he woke up I snapped this photo

He was more interested in sucking his fingers than taking a picture. Notice how he sucks his fingers? It's always these two fingers and always with his hand flipped. Can you see Barrett's tiny little hint of a tooth? In this picture it's hard to tell but he has both bottom teeth. Brennen has the same. Their hair is all whompy. Granny came over during bath time and did little curls on their heads. They looked like Cupie dolls! Oh my gosh I'm having the time of my life right now! These little guys take my breathe away many times a day. I've been teaching them sign. Brennen is still working on it but Barrett can clap if you say "patty cake" or "clap" or "yay". He can also sign "more". They both can say "Dada" & "Mama". It's super cute when they wake up because I hear in unison, "Mamamamama". They have to be the happiest babies ever because they always wake up in the best mood. 

Aren't they gorgeous!! 

They are also learning to scoot and semi crawl. Brennen can get anywhere he wants. If he hears the older B's in a different room he will go "find" them! I need to grab a picture of this but Ben has taken to reading them stories! Yes my sweet little six year old is an amazing reader!! So if they don't have any homework Brit and Ben take turns reading to them! I'm so proud! 

Well, coffee and blog time are over. :))) See you soon!