HE FINALLY JOINED OUR TRADITION { helping make the cookies }

Last year, I so dearly wanted my son to join our tradition of creating the cookies. He was far more interested in his cars than some flour. This year, there was no way I could keep him away from the dough. It's funny how drastically things can change over the course of just one year. Heck, maybe next year baby sister will be nudging her little fingers into the action instead of contently watching the Bubble Guppies holiday special.



I rolled out the dough & began to cut the cookies per cutter of Daycen's choice. Each time a cookie was cut out; laughter & excitement filled the room.







We focused on making a variety of sizes & shapes in our cookies this year. We actually got to use the miniature cutters that have been sitting in the bottom of the package. & oh goodness! They came out tasting more delicious than the larger ones, & they sure are cute!

Also the perfect size for someone else I know....



As soon as the cookies were cooled enough to be frosted, Daycen was ready. He was more than ready. He had the sprinkles spread across the counter in a buffet style. Ready to create. & create.

AND CREATE.





It was his absolute favorite part of the cookie making process (other than the devouring part.) As for me, my favorite part changed this year. I'd have to say, I no longer love the cutting process the most - My favorite part has turned into seeing this flour faced smile brighten up the room.



I'm so glad he's decided to join me & my mom in this tradition. We now have three generations creating beautiful cookies for our holiday ♥ What a special treat for 2011.

Happy Friday everyone!;

BABY SISTER TURNS ONE { she's not such a baby anymore }

This may be a few weeks overdue, but I still wanted to share baby girl's First Birthday with everyone. ♥ That way, if you were invited & decided that you had something else to do - these pictures just might make you a tad bit jealous. Despite her having an undetected (at the time) ear infection, her vintage couture owl party went fabulous!


owl printables from jinjerup.com. They have some fabulous Christmas ones as well if you have any last minute needs. ♥


The party originally was going to be strictly a Vintage Couture color patterns with lace & doilies, but when I saw this printable set --- I just COULDN'T pass up the opportunity to incorporate it into her theme. As well as the price tag was almost unbelievable! $12.70 for the entire party set & photo frame favors!



The biggest dilemma that came with planning her birthday party was figuring out the menu. Normally the hit of our parties is the large, creative food selection. With Ripsi, it was more about what she would eat (since she is solely a table scrap baby.) So, between making it a brunch setting with tons of eggs or ordering her second favortie food; we chose the easy route...



It sure was a hit for everyone! (except our gluten free friend, who failed to inform us of the new discovery prior to our decision. Sorry, Kait!)



Happy birthday, my gorgeous Aripsemae.
I'm so excited to have gotten to spend an entire year by your side.



She partied hard despite being miserably sick (& sleeping during the opening of her gifts) & enjoyed every minute of her party. Thank you so much to everyone who came ♥ we were grateful to have you apart of our little girl's unforgettable milestone.

Of course, after a big day - every girl likes a little wake me up the next morning in their sweats. ♥


disclaimer; empty cup. she isn't really drinking coffee.

IT'S STARTING TO FREEZE OVER { let's cuddle. }

IT SNOWED!
& snowed. & snowed.

We were literally dumped on a couple of nights ago, & the weather has been cold enough to let us keep it. Winter has officially begun around here, & the holidays are looking to be a bit more festive! In the past couple days it has been warmer, & in parts of the yard you can see the grass peeking through. Not your typical Wisconsin winter - I dearly hope this doesn't mean the snow won't leave to May. I like my Easters where we can find the eggs outside, not them sinking deep into a pile of snow.

Daycen however, is excited about the snow this year. While getting ready for school the other morning, he saw a glimpse of the white landscape outside & squealed with joy. "IT SNOW! IT SNOW!" He's even been a little helper this year...

(please excuse the pink gloves, it's the only pair we could find at Grandma's. He sure does ROCK them though, eh?!)

The best part about the snow, is the rich foods that come with it to make our tummies warm. Various soups, Slow cooker meals, & one of our family favorites - Lasagna.



Fabulously delicious, & easy peasy to make.
My mother seriously makes it the best.
(at least, from what my taste buds have tried.)



I can't wait to try some more tummy warming recipes this year. I have a feeling that stuffed portabella mushrooms will be high on our lists. Anyone have any favorites they recommend? I always love previously tested recipes, it saves us from having to order pizza if they don't turn out!


Winter also means....


FANTASTIC hats; made with love : baby gap

Speaking of Ripsi, she is feeling better. The hat helps keep the ear infection at bay & her medicine is almost gone (meaning, so is the infection!) Plus, lots & lots of cuddling seems to help her progress faster.


Jealous? I sure would be. ♥ She's an amazing snuggler.

I hope everyone stays warm, & healthy in the next coming weeks;
Oh, & since it's Friday;

I love making these, idk why. :)

MOVING ON { we're too young to work this much }

I'm always behind.
I'm never on time.

My family has been hit with the sick bug these past few weeks. It started a few days before Thanksgiving via the hubby bringing it home from work. On her first birthday, she contracted the virus & has been sniffling & coughing since. Baby sister has literally been attached to me since; between fevers, tears, & an ear infection it looks as if things are starting to become a little sunny on our side of town! ♥ Thank goodness, because I really don't know how much more of this illness I could have taken before catching it myself!

I'm just thrilled everyone is getting healthy. I'm just thrilled we are changing things so that WE come first. Baby sister is quiting boutique modeling, as it no longer is "fun". We've become so busy with taking pictures for everyone else, that we no longer are taking pictures for ourselves. So, once she is feeling better -- we are shooting for the lovely boutiques that have booked her, & than taking a long while off to enjoy the simple things in life again. ♥ We've also learned that a lot of the people involved in modeling are not kind hearts that we want to circle ourselves with.

My camera card is full of modeling photos, but my phone is full of love.



& for an extra special treat, here in the week before in photos as well. ♥

OUR THANKSGIVING. { baby sister turns one }

It is December, isn't it? Well - it seems to have turned into a tradition for me to give you our Thanksgiving recap early December. Or at least, it's a good excuse for procrastination.



Each year, my son begins to do a little more with the holidays. This year, instead of just watching, he got elbows deep in the cooking with Grandma. He's been crafting like a mad man, & actually understood what was going on. He even realized it was more than just a holiday, it was also Baby Sister's FIRST birthday.

It was beautiful out. It was fantastic. It was a good Thanksgiving. A fabulous First Birthday.



Considering what kind of dinner I had to compare it to last year, I'd say, we ate like royalty!




♥ I hope everyone's Holiday was as heart-warming & relaxing as ours.

BRINGING SOME MAGIC IN OUR LIVES {thank you Blockbuster}

Right before Thanksgiving, our local Blockbuster Video had their open house/family weekend. Our local store normally goes above & beyond most other retailers when it comes to making that "special" moment. I'll assure you -- this time they topped that scale once again.

When you walked in, their were balloons scattered across the entire store! The strings just long enough for a three year old to reach up & snagged one - or five.



Ontop of the free balloons, throughout the store was free candy & treats! What a ultimate surprise! They even had a free tattoo station that Ripsi took up, & got herself a temporary tweety bird one. ♥



Best of all, the had a MAGICIAN! Yes, a real live, completely amazing magician! I will assure you, my kids were more than thrilled! (I will admit, so was I!)






The main event for the show was cutting the store manager & our uncle Luke in half! ♥! Everyone had a fabulous time at the event! I am lucky to have such a community, family driven Blockbuster store in town. I really encourage everyone to show their support for all the great things they do for our small town. We will surely be renting many movies to help keep us warm during this Holiday season.

After the Magic Show, we continued our family fun Sunday by going out for some Nachos! Which is a fan favorite lately in my house. (well, & a cheesy roll up for baby sister.)







♥ delicious, perfect Sunday.

ANDY'S BIRTHDAY.

In celebration of my husbands birthday, he treated us to a fancy outing as a family to Perkins Restaurant. Since both kids like to be in highchairs (yes, my three year old throws a fit because his sister is in a seat & he wants one too.) they normally seat us at a table. Andy & Daycen on one side with Me & Ripsi on the other. Well, this time was quite different, the lady decided to give us a booth... with both kids sitting on the end of the table, literally elbow to elbow with each other.

Things started out rather nice... almost relaxing. You know, when you stop for a second & go, "Wait! This isn't right!" Just as that thought crosses your mind, your daughter reaches out & yanks your sons menu off the table - causing his orange juice to crash to the ground.

SPLOSH! A moment of silence.

His face turns red, & tears well up in his eyes. He begins the most heart wrenching cry. Next to him, his social crying sister begins to wail.

& WAIL.

Until a new cup of orange juice arrives. Yet, he still chose to sit next to her until she began to grab things off his plate.



After the move, she set her sights on her father's food - that girl sure can EAT!



Overall, I think it was a fantastic family meal, & birthday celebration. Nobody was injured during the orange juice fiasco & we weren't politely asked to leave. Yet, I still have a feeling my husband won't be treating us to a fancy sit down meal anytime soon - take out here we come!

BRINGING SUMMER BACK.

Rain. Rain. & More rain. The forecast predicts that our weather is going to be gloomy at least through Wednesday. I'm okay with warming up to a large pot of pumpkin coffee with my teething daughter snuggling on my lap watching a few Disney movies - Daycen however; he is a bit harder to please.

So, it brighten up this weather for him, we introduce something we like to call, bringing summer back. Despite the 40 degree weather, we grabbed a 99 cent frosty from Wendy's, cranked the heat up just a little to be comfortable in a t-shirt, & turned on Summertime with Max & Ruby.



The pout that had formed on his face when he was told he couldn't play outside faded away quickly. Within minutes he was grinning from ear to ear, devouring that small bowl of ice cream.




This left me & Ripsi to some well needed relaxation. At least until tomorrow when I plan on finishing up my painting... or, at least one more wall.


& because we missed it on Friday due to being crazy busy. Here is a bunch of images taken with my phone last week;

MAYBE SHE'S BORN WITH IT... { or she learned it from me}

For the sake of calling her something, let's name her baby. She was one of the cheapest baby dolls on the shelf at the store, her body completely plush & all she does is giggle when you press her tummy. The doll that most people would pass up because it's lack of stimulation. However, baby made it to our house... only after being rejected by my niece.

It wasn't long before Ripsi fell in love with Baby.



She huggles Baby. She snuggles Baby. She babbles to Baby. But most of all, she loves her.



The thing that gets me the most, is she replicates the same things I do to her - with this little doll. She will hold her up high, & drop her down for a kiss. She'll snuggle her & nuzzle her. She'll hold onto Baby's hands & help her clap. It's her Baby, literally. At Nine months; she already knows simple things on how to take care of another.

Kids are so smart. I love to feed them with knowledge & later see it actually sunk in. ♥ I can't wait to teach her everything ( even if she was born with the instincts. I assure you, I will take credit for it. )

&&&& It's Friday, so here is our dump.

THE VERY FIRST DAY {entering the world of pre k}

This week, my three year old son started school. With that territory, comes riding the school bus. I'll be honest, I was a little nervous all the way up to this week with the idea of him getting on the bus by himself, riding to school, & successfully repeating it as the day ended. However, with allowing him to attend pre k classes, riding the bus came with the total package - I needed to understand this, & so did Daycen.

We got up early, ate breakfast, & went over everything that was going to happen. Daycen was not a fan of the idea. He refused to wear his bus bracelet, he didn't want to carry his backpack, & most of all... he did NOT want to get on that bus.

He screamed. He fought. He cried. "HELP ME! HELP ME!"

& than, the doors on the bus shut & he rode away.



We met him at school to make sure that he was okay. The bus driver claimed he calmed down the second the bus started moving. But, I can't say for sure. But I do know, with each day the passes, this whole bus ride fiasco should become easier.



I know one thing for sure though. It came straight from Daycen's mouth - school is fun. The bus ride however, he won't speak of it.