Merry CHRISTmas and a Happy New Year!!!

~ Words to the Wise, Wednesdays~

~ Words to the Wise, Wednesdays~

~ Words to the Wise, Wednesdays~

~ Words to the Wise, Wednesdays~

~ Words to the Wise, Wednesdays~

Yes, We are THOSE kind...

We are THOSE kind of  people that do NOT allow commercialism to dictate when we are going to start celebrating the holidays. We are THOSE people who choose to take each holiday and celebrate them one by one.  We decorate for every major holiday.  We are the Griswalds of Halloween. We go to the max with Halloween...flashing bats and Halloween lights on the house.  Stakes with different sayings lining the sidewalk.  Bones lying on fabric on the front porch. A huge Frankenstein hanging from the ceiling of the porch. This year our friends let us borrow a projector and we had Halloween images projected on the house.  We don't do gory or scary...we do fun and kid like decorations.  We decorate for Fall and then decorate for Thanksgiving. We refuse to listen to Christmas music until Thanksgiving has come and gone. 

It will be once we have gone to the last family's house to celebrate Thanksgiving that we will then come home and get our Christmas decorations out and appreciate putting up each and every ornament.  We get new family ornaments each year and they are meaningful.  We also have some from when Ryan was a child and our oldest daughter, Sadie Bug was younger and has made and some that Lulee has made. Looking forward to making some with Brynlea, our baby, this year. One special ornament is the one where we tricked Sadie Bug into thinking we didn't get her a cellphone by getting her a cellphone ornament that was hung on the tree.  It was called her 1st cell phone, soon followed by her real 1st cell phone that she unwrapped shortly after.

We have ornaments from all our first's....1st Christmas as a married couple, Baby's 1st Christmas, our Family ornament that we have added each child throughout the years.  Very sentimental.  Our ornaments aren't just your typical red and green or blue and white shiny balls...ours have heartfelt meaning...most every single one.

We are THOSE kind of people who also enjoy each season as they come.  It is amazing to see God's beautiful work in each season.  The new buds and blossoms in the Spring filling the colorless winter trees and plants with beautiful lively colors, the full blooms and hot swimming pool weather in the Summer, the beautiful colors of the changing of the leaves from green to the golden, red, autumn colors in the Fall and having the leaves fall into piles that the kids can play and have fun in, create childhood memories... to the wonderful Winter.  Winter is awesome in itself...when we are lucky enough to get snowfall it is so beautiful. There is nothing like having everything gleaming an awesome white color and going out to play with our children, bringing out our inner child building snowmen, making snow angels and snow cream.  It's great and simply Gorgeous.

We are THOSE kind....who appreciate it all, but take the time to appreciate each season and each holiday in it's own.  With it's own special magical feel and beauty in each.

~Words to the Wise, Wednesdays~

A good deed is rewarded with a good deed...

~Words to the Wise, Wednesdays~

In the rules of fighting fair: 

The one who talks the most is probably the one making the least sense.

~Words to the Wise, Wednesdays~

 

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.

~Words to the Wise, Wednesdays~

Faith must be enforced by reason. When faith becomes blind it dies.

~Words to the Wise, Wednesdays~

                                                              

Never miss an opportunity to tell someone you love them.

Hubby's 33rd Birthday and Easter Celebration at Grandma & Grandpa's

 

Happy 33rd to the SWEETEST Hubby and the BEST Dad, Ryan!!!!

Brynlea with the pink bunny in Grandma & Grandpa's sunroom.

Sadie with the pink bunny.

Lulee posing with the pink bunny and for good measure she threw in a yellow duckie. ;)

Sadie and Daddy Ryan playing air hockey....Ryan was playing more like battle air hockey...he's a little rough.  He's one of those kids that probably got kicked out of games as a kid for pushing and hitting...Ha-ha!!!

My Wolverine Hubby!!!

 

I love my Hubby and Family!!!!

 

Lulee reminding us what Easter is all about :)

 

Sadie posing as a British girl drinking out of
"The Queen Mother" Mug. :)

 

I was a little late on getting a pic of the Birthday cake, don't you think??? It was really yummy though, It was a white cake with white icing (of course after food coloring it wasn't too white ;) )with almond flavoring added to it.  It was delicioso if I do say so myself.

Here she is, the lady herself, the one responsible for the partaaaaay!!!!  She and her Hubby that is. ;)

Ryan's Mom.

 

Sadie Bug testing out the jello before the feasting began. She takes after her Mama showing her food like that.

 

Here's Lulee following her Mommy and Big Sister's lead showing her food, hers was ice cream. :)

Grandpa with the two younger sweeties, Brynlea and Lulee.

....and the videographer was none other than Sadie The Great Cornholio :)

Here's the Birthday Boy sporting his present sent by his sister Em and Hubby Matt.

Ryan reading his sweet sentimental Birthday card from his Parents.

Daddy hugging his Little Lulee as she gives him the homemade playdoh presents she made for him.

Brynlea Boo with Grandma's glasses on.....I seeeeee you!!!!!!

Here Grandma......you want a tulip????...it sure is pretty.

Daddy helping Little Brynlea find Easter eggs.

Lulee is a pro at this....age 4 and you can spot an Easter egg a mile away. :)

Yeah Brynlea!!!! You found one!!!

Mommy's turn to help the Brynster...where are they Brynlea???

I found one, found one...

...in the basket it goes....getting really good at this. :)

Grandma with Grandpa in the back helping Lulee and Brynlea see where some more eggs were...Sadie could handle it herself.  At age 15 she's a pro x's 3 plus 3 years. ;)

Oh look what beautiful baskets the girls got from Grandma and Grandpa Chambers' Easter Bunny :)

 

The Birthday Boy and our little Brynster were worn out and fell fast asleep.

A Hippity Hoppity Easter Party

We went to Lulee's preschool Easter program/art exhibit/Easter egg hunt/party the other day and had a really good time.  Each child was to bring 13 eggs filled with goodies, ours was filled with jelly beans.  We had also signed up to bring cupcakes.  I made yummy funfetti cupcakes with vanilla frosting and 3 jellybeans on each.  We saved some for Lulee's friends that she has playdates with and brought them over to their houses along with jellybean filled eggs.  We also gave some to our neighbors to wish everyone a very Happy Easter.

 

I made these matching Easter shirts the morning of the party.  They are of their hand prints that we dipped their little hands in pink paint and shaped them into bunnies.  Brynlea had just gotten out of bed to have her hand put right into paint and onto a shirt...her eyes still trying to open from being asleep.  She was a real trooper though.  Didn't cry or anything.  She actually thought it was rather amusing.  Lulee was wide awake, however, and absolutely LOVED it.

Press play to watch and listen to Lulee play with the drumsticks in this portion of the musical program.

Here is the group doing their musical program...Lulee is on the end with her head down.  She enjoyed talking a lot with the girl next to her, but they all did such a great job and it was so much fun watching them.

Daddy took a picture of Mommy and Brynlea playing while waiting on Lulee's next performance. :)

Here's Lulee and her friend that she calls her boyfriend/husband, showing off their artwork from their class at the school's art exhibit.  Look how good they did and how proud they are.  Ryan and I  went around the whole room and took pictures of everything...this summer we will have lots of fun crafts and artsy things to do with the kiddos. :)

Here is the yummy food we had for the Easter party.....we are all about the food. ;)

 

Lulee is so excited about all the eggs she has in her basket.  The hunt was originally supposed to take place outside, but the weather didn't allow it. The eggs were hidden throughout different classrooms instead and the children were able to hunt 13 eggs each.  They were so excited and it was so much fun watching them.  Lulee and I counted hers over and over to make sure she had hers, because she still wanted to hunt. ;)

Big Sister Lulee loving on her little sister in their matching Easter shirts and hairbows.