Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a spectacular Christmas! We had a nice couple of days! Finley really enjoyed opening gifts! His grandparents in Scotland sent some money for us to pick out something for him. One thing we got him was this "Go Green" tricycle. It is made from recycled plastic. He loves it!

Inside his stocking was an egg shaker, claves, and a "coffee cup." He knows not to touch mommy and daddy's coffee so now he has his own. ~When he wants one of us to get up with him in the morning he says, "Coffee?"~


~"Wow, my very own coffee cup!"





What are these? Fleece pillows! A perfect open ended toy!

He really loved pulling off the paper!

A hat!

Monster Feet!

And of course- books!
and puzzles!
Helping dad open gifts!


I have so much more to tell- so little time! More soon!

Eureka!

So, remember my rant-almost exactly a year ago- about EVERYTHING being made in China? I searched high and low for Christmas cards and ornaments made in the USA. My only success was finding cards at a little flower shop with super ridiculously expensive cards but darn it- they were made here. So I bought them and here they sit because I decided to get much cuter photo cards made at the last minute. Anyhow, today I was browsing in Family Dollar. I went to buy gum drops to make a garland for our tree. I saw some cards- 10/$1- and was curious where they were from. Made in the USA!!! Chicago. If you are reading this then it's likely you will be getting a card from me so I won't show them but they are pretty. Family Dollar rocks!

20 months old

Hello again!

These are days of mishaps and messes. It's going to be a long road of cleaning.

It all started with a lint roller in the dish washer. I noticed a horrible smell. Then I found this.
Then, just a small mess- something similar to this happens several times a day.

He's like- someone should really clean this up!
I have to admit- it was me that kicked over the smoothie. But he left it in the middle of the floor.
What was I thinking? I know better than to let him play with glass. I told him to stay on the carpet. This Santa has been making an appearance in my family since 1977. Not anymore. I was going to try to glue it but Kevin threw it away. (Sigh)
Chillaxin with Uncle Ryan
Helping make muffins



I can never get a picture of his front. He's always on the go! And looking to his left.

These were all taken at the Science Place. We went with Kam and Vin.

Seriously- what's up with him looking back?!

Picking up eggs with Vin.


These were at Kam and Teri's today. They had a Christmas party for us girls and the babies. We ate a lot. A lot a lot.


I wish this picture was clear. He just kicked back on the floor and read a book.

.
All the babies together- Liam, Welsey, Trevor, Finley, Vin, and Sienna.

.Hey buddy!

The Tanner-Brown, Molina-Stapleton Thanksgiving Extravaganza!

This year for Thanksgiving, we decided to spend the Holiday with our dear friends- the Molina-Stapletons. Lourdes and I both really enjoy food and wanted to make everyone happy so we came up with an extensive menu to satisfy every one's holiday meal desires.

On the menu:
Turkey (duh)
Nutty Cranberry Relish
Cornbread and Sausage Stuffing (One minus sausage for L and babies.)
Smoked Gouda Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Parsnips
Corn Casserole
Green Bean Casserole
Brussels Sprouts w/ Parsley Caper Sauce
Carrot Coins w/ Maple Balsamic Browned Butter
Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel

One thing we forgot was the guy's request for a trifle- a scary layer cake with angel food, custard, jello, whipped cream, and sprinkles on top. The sprinkles are very important apparently- they add crunch. But we forgot. Dessert was out of our hands anyway. Kam, Teri, and Vin were going to stop and bring some dessert. Wednesday, Kam brought over 2 pecan pies (made with pecans from her own yard- which she and Teri slaved over cracking!) and Paula Deen's amazing Sweet Baby Jack Carrot Cake! Luckily she brought them over the day before b/c little Vin didn't nap well and they didn't ever make it over. So after our huge dinner, we stuffed ourselves silly with Kam's baking magic and the pumpkin cheesecake my cousin brought over.

I am feeling pretty proud of myself and Lourdes. We managed to take the kids to 2 stores in order to get the best deals.

Here we are in Newflower Farmer's Market where we bought onions, eggs, pimientos, broth, and wine (the main reason for the trip- Marcus James 3/$10!) The sunglasses were necessary for entertainment purposes but it only worked for about 2.5 seconds as Sienna really wanted Finley's glasses and he was quite set on keeping them for himself.





At Whole Foods they were able to sit next to each other in the rocket ship. They were entertained briefly by stirring water in little cups.
They were hungry so Lourdes gave them some yogurt.

Finley loves Sienna. Every day he says, "Friends, Sienna, friends, Sienna?" And walks around the house singing her name. Here he is rubbing her head.
Lourdes kept the kids entertained with stuffed animals and toys while I ran around throwing stuff in the cart. Total spent for the dinner was $148.00. All that food plus 6 bottles of wine- I think we did well! No cans, no boxes, everything fresh, mostly organic, and so delicious!

So fast forward to our meal. We forgot to take pictures of all of our food but here is my mom- eager to begin her meal. She said the rest of us were too slow. We were! Kevin and Jamie were in the kitchen having a lengthy discussion about Scientology with empty plates in their hands?!?
I think the kids filled up on dinner rolls.



Finley with Uncle Ryan
The kids dancing
Hayes and Finley thought it was great to each put on 1 of Lourdes' high heels and trot around the house.


The chefs!
Everyone minus my mom and brother. My cousin Reed, his wife Heather, and son Hayes recently moved back here from Seattle. We are so glad to have them home!
The kids were not interested in preserving the moment!
I hope your Thanksgiving was as lovely and memorable as ours! It was the perfect start to the Holiday Season- my favorite time of year!