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!!