All the Christmas Shenanigans!

Ok, so I warned you that there would be a picture OVERLOAD some time this week, and here it is! There is just a MESS of everything that went on between my last post (before Christmas), until sometime last week! So here you go!

My new piece of artwork for the entryway that my lovely husband bought for me for Christmas!
Jack found himself in quite a mess and nearly got his head stuck while trying to get out!

Berkley made a Gingerbread house with Aunt Sara on Monday, the 20th.

Jack was totally excited about shopping for Christmas presents, can't you tell?!

My coffee filter wreath found itself a pefect place on the wall beside the Christmas tree!

Berkley was all ready to get her ears pierced like a big girl (Friday, the 31st)....

And here she is with them done! Don't worry she had a sucker and was totally content after the initial shock of it all! (But I was totally honest with her and told her that it would probably hurt and she wanted to do it anyway)

I went through all of Berkley's clothes that she has outgrown from the very beginning and this was the GIVE AWAY pile for our friends, the Morgans! (No fear, I did keep some special outfits that I would LOVE to see another little girl in someday; if of course I can convince my hubby of it!)

Berkley did some hairdressing before Christmas

Oh my handsome man! (Christmas Eve day at the Meadows)

His little nook under the pool table where his music table was!

I LOVE THIS ONE!!

Berk and cousin Wesson taking a ridei n the laundry basket!

Our pot of beans that I menioned in my post yesterday!

And the rolls have risen!!

And then they were delicately cooked to perfection!

Thad's Dutch Oven MASTERPIECE!

Uncle Coco and Wesson Rhyder!

Enjoying the wrapping paper!

Check out this physique!

Couldn't care less about the presents, just the wrapping paper, bows and boxes!

Bow fixation!

Ok, maybe he cared a little about the cool toys he got!

Trouble with a CAPITAL "T"! (Yes, that is Jack's pacifier that Wesson gladly STOLE out of Jack's mouth...I told you the kid is LAID BACK and didn't care one bit!!)

Berkley using her new "beauty set" to try and curl Wesson's hair!

We couldn't break it to Jack that in the long run, he probably will NOT want to be carrying around a heart-shaped pink mirror!

Future hairdresser?

Sweet girl helping give cousin Cohen a bath!

Didn't get a picture of the tree BEFORE opening the presents, but here is a GLIMPSE into the disaster that followed on Christmas morning!

The three big Meadows cousins! The boys I'm sure will be trouble enough, but with Berk as their ring leader; WATCH OUT WORLD!

All four of the Meadows cousins, take ONE....

An da little better on take TWO!

Berkley playing with her new vacuum that Santa left at Nana and Papa's because Berkley wasn't awake yet so he had to drop it off there! (at least that's the story Berk was told by Papa)

A few additions to her kitchen!! And a Magnadoodle!

High five for the cool football chair that Santa left at Nana and Papa's!

And a big boy to sit in that chair!

Playing with the Nana in the doll house that Santa left at their house!

One day after Christmas, I decided to go take some pictures of Berk....

One of my favorites, unedited...I edited it in Photoshop and made it look "antiqued" and love how it turn out, but will save those posts for later!

Another favorite, unedited

I love this little shadow

JUMP FOR JOY!!

Oh my mischeivous boy!

Straight-haired Berk!

You can almost see his top teeth; oh wait, that's just cracker that my child has shoved into his mouth uncontrollably!

Oh big boy!

Hello BLUE EYES!

Sweetest girl!

Oh the joys of having a boy who likes to put EVERYTHING in his mouth!

Oh those eyes!

Repeat previous comment!

Sweetest boy!

Once again, everything MUST go into his mouth. I guess he thinks that he might miss some INCREDIBLE taste experience if it all doesn't go into his mouth!

Christmas Sneak Peak!

Well Christmas this year was wonderful around our house! My mother-in-law had a hysterectomy the Tuesday before Christmas so me, my sister-in-law and Thad all did the Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve at the Meadows! We made homemade rolls, peanut butter pie, fruit salad, banana pudding, beans, a huge salad and Thad cooked a bunch of "stuff" in the Dutch ovens! I couldn't believe how great it turned out! I have always joked that the first Christmas that we had to do without Lisa we would mail order everything; I am happy to say that I think it turned out just fine! The kids got WAY TOO MUCH stuff and I got a Kindle (the electronic book reader) and Thad got a pair of "new Tony Lamas!" We woke up Christmas morning and did Christmas at our house and then went over to the Meadows for a bite of breakfast casserole and then it was off to prepare Christmas lunch for my family. I made a roast with potatoes and carrots and gravy. My parents and grandparents got to come out and it was nice to just relax after all the hustle and bustle! And of course the kids got WAY TOO MUCH! I know that within the next few months there is going to be a LOT OF GARAGE SALE PILES being made, especially since Jack's birthday is in a mere TWO MONTHS! I cannot believe that he will be a YEAR OLD in two months! The time has really flown by, even faster than it did with Berk. He is still just being as laid back as ever, eating a lot and loving every minute of life. His demeanor is so much like Thad's and I love it; they are both so very laid back and content with whatever! There is not much that makes either of these two men mad! (Berk and I are a breed of our own, I must say!) Berk took another big step towards being even more "grown up" and got her ears pierced last Friday! She looks so grown up with earrings! I will post some more pictures of Christmas later this week! I hope everyone had a very blessed Christmas and are well on their way to have a great 2011!!

Meadows

Christmas Eve at the Meadows!

Totally SMITTEN! I love how they genuinely love each other!

Christmas Day!Christmas Day

Jack is NINE Months Old!

Well last Saturday, Jack was NINE months old! I cannot believe how fast this time with him has gone! I thought that time passed fast with Berk but I now feel like I can barely blink an eye without missing something! At his nine month appointment on Monday he weighed 23 lbs. 14 oz. and is 29 1/2 in. long. To say the least, he is a monster!!! He is in the 95th percentile for his height and 92nd percentile for his weight;she said that when their height percentile is more than their weight percentile that they usually wind up being BIG kids! (I can't say that disappoints me!) We keep saying that by this time next year, Jack will probably be bigger than Berk! But he is a healthy boy for sure and everything checked out good. He did have some places on his face and she said those were beta-caratine spots from all the baby food fruits and veggies and that when he got off of baby food that it would clear up. Well, good news, it has since he is now eating table foods! I think the last few weeks of baby food and pure formula bottles wore him out; he wasn't eating as much and he just didn't have that voracious appetite that he is known for! Well the appetite is back since he trying all new things and last night he ate from 6:45-7:35 NONSTOP! Everything I put on his tray he devoured including a whole piece of bread, cheese, tomatoes and half and can of the fruit cocktail stuff! Needless to say, he is a good eater like his sis! He is also getting whole milk in his bottle now; half formula and half whole milk. I can't say that I am happy that he is still on the formula, but at least it is cut in half now; and he only gets 2 bottles a day so it isn't too bad.

He has four teeth now, is cruising furniture, will let go and stand for about 5 seconds (Berk was walking at 10 months so I don't think he will be far behind that), is getting into Berk's things left and right, is very independent except when mom is around, says "da-da," "ma-ma," and the other night said "ba" when he saw his ball, loves petting the cat, loves figuring things out, can stick his tongue out mimicking you, plays patty cake, plays peek-a-boo, sleeps through the night, loves Berk, is very strong (especially when he doesn't want to do something), loves bathtime with Berk, will crack up at Berk acting silly, has the bluest eyes like his sis, is completely smitten with Berk, carries things around in his mouth like dog, gets jealous if you are holding someone else and not him, understands the word "NO," is very laid back like his dad and has just about everyone he meets wrapped around his finger! Needless to say, we are so happy this little (big) boy is so darn lovable, but are really wishing time would SLOW DOWN so we could take it all in a little more!

Miss Thang (a.k.a. Berkley) is still just the life of the party! She is the sweetest girl and has such a sweet heart except when she gets on one of her tacky tangents! Her vocabulary is out of this world and I can't believe how fast she is changing too! The other day we were coming home from my parents and she saw the star at the top of the "mountain" in Borden County and she said "That's AMAZING!" It was the most sincere thing that I have ever heard come out of her mouth! She is the best big sister to Jack and will do anything to make him laugh; we were coming home from getting dinner last night and Jack was NOT happy that he hadn't eaten yet and was fussing and she said, "Jack's it's OK!" Berkley is also very commonly mistaken to be a THREE year old; I love it but sometimes I just stop and think "WOW that IS just right around the corner, isn't it?!" The girl also has one of the BEST memories I have ever seen; you can NOT pull the wool over her eyes for one minute! For a couple of months now we have been talking about Santa and what she wants him to bring her and she will ALWAYS respond "A computer" to whereas some kids will change their selections periodically, NOT HER!

Well this might be one of the last posts I do before the Christmas holiday but I just wanted everyone to know that Jack is healthy and happy and we are all enjoying this holiday season! I hope everyone has a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS and wonderful New Year!

Meadows

Santa Claus is Comin' to Town (a finished projects)!

Well I got the kids' pictures with Santa made this year at Holiday Happenings just like I did last year with Berk! Well this year's was not MUCH better, I just think this old man totally freaks her out! (though she will talk about Santa non-stop when he is not present)

11/21/10...In both pictures she has that same worried look on her face so I just think I am not going to expect much from Santa pictures year to year!

11/21/10...Jack on the other hand, didn't have a care in the world! (this is his normal look)




On to the crafting we go....Here are my finished Santa hats atop the refrigerator! I love the way they turned out along with the tray that I covered in scrapbook paper! (notice his reindeer on the corners)
And my latest creation began with this....A $1 wreath fixture from Dollar Tree and a $1 package of coffee filters from there also. Add my glue gun, a few glue sticks, a $1 ornament from Wal-Mart, some ribbon from Dollar General and some balls out of two different $2 packages of ornaments from Dollar General and you get this....

Voila! I LOVE THIS THING! It is the perfect wreath and was SO EASY to make! I found it on The Nester's blog and am so pleased with how it turned out. So, if you have some extra time and want a CHEAP ($10) and EASY Christmas present, here ya' go!

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! We are off to the parents again this weekend to see my sister and my best friend from high school graduate from MSU! I have another project I am going to work on while there and we are planning on going to the Fantasy of Lights for the first time with the kids. Jack has his 9-month check up on Monday so I will be sure to post after all the fun this weekend and Monday!

Meadows

It's That Time of the Year Again

Well it is that time of the year again when I (actually Thad) gets down all our Christmas decor and I start to transform our house into a holiday showcase! Last year (our first year in our new house), I didn't really decorate a lot for Christmas, but this year I have got the BUG and I want to do a lot of inside decorating. (The outside is Thad's dept. but I have BIG plans for it too!) So far, I have the tree up and decorated, my village of houses in my hutch (I did have a picture but it was "corrupted?), our stockings hung with care, wreaths on the kids' doors and the big door, a few other decorations and still a few more to go. We have NO presents under the tree yet, but that is nothing out of the ordinary (we procrastinate). I love having a lot of space to decorate but hate the money spent to get started. I know that once I get started then I can put up and reuse every year, but it is the "getting started" par that has been most difficult. (Plus I don't know EXACTLY what i want so I kind of overindulge!) But I have lots still to do to get it where I want it and the calendar is staring at me hardcore! (I think we might leave up Christmas decorations until February!) Anyway here is just is just a little bit of what's been going on at our house and I will post FINALIZED pictures hopefully next week!

Oh and Jack now has BOTH top teeth!!!

Have a great week and weekend!

This is the first ornament I bought when Thad and I started dating in '06. It says "To the world you are just one person, but to one person you could mean the world." I never knew until he proposed (on the 17th of December of '06) and then I married him (a mere 7 months later) that this would ring truer than true.
A red, black and silver tree would never be complete without one of these!

Berk's first Christmas ornament. Look at that wee little baby!!

And her first Christmas footprint!

Her addition to the tree this year: Elmo of course!

Proud of her selection!

My mom had this made last year for us: it is an ostrich egg!

Our first Christmas as husband and wife: my mom also found this one for us!

And my mom got this one made for us too for Berk's first Christmas.

Berk's wreath for her door to her room; she helped make it!

Jack's wreath for his door to his room; Berk helped make it also!

I LOVE these; my four Santa hats (two of which I need finish tonight!)

A vase on our mantle!

Ornaments on some candle holders that Thad and I got on our honeymoon

Stockings hung with care (each has our initials on them)

A candle holder with ornaments that still needs a little work to spruce it up!

And my tree (bad pic with the chairs pulled out, but you get the idea!) I made the topper this year because I wanted something BIG!