The Firm's Christmas Party

In the six years that Brent has worked at his law firm, we have never been able to attend the firm's Children's Christmas Party. It has always conflicted with Breakfast with Santa at the boys' preschool. But this year it didn't, so we were so excited to be able to attend. And it was so much fun!

The extra large buffet table was filled with a breakfast especially designed for children....doughnuts, sweet rolls, decorated cookies, fruit, Chick-fil-A chick-n-minis, candy, hot chocolate, orange juice, apple juice, and coffee(!). Will was in heaven! And it was soooo good, if I do say so myself. The buffet table was beautifully decorated (I didn't get a pic because I was trying to make sure Will's little hands didn't touch all of the food!) and Will was captivated by the large choo-choo train that was circling all the way around.

There was a stage set up for singing Christmas carols with a very patient man and his guitar. I say patient, because he allowed Will to sing "Jingle Bells" to the captive audience about 6 different times while we were there. He tried to persuade Will to try another carol, like perhaps "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer", but oh no!, only Jingle Bells would do! Jack got to sing "Santa Claus is coming to Town" to welcome Santa to the Christmas party, and he could not have been more thrilled with the honor.

Jingle Bells take 1. Will introduced himself "HI! I'M WILL! I'M THREE!" Because screaming into a microphone is the way to get your audience's attention.


Jingle Bells take 6. A rousing rendition with Jack accompanying on the mini maracas! Will didn't really know the words until he got to the chorus, but he came on strong with "JINGLE BELLS!" Don't you know that everyone was glad when our family finally left =).

Jack took his duet very seriously.

We then moved on to face/hand painting. These designs were beautiful, not your usually freestyle painting. The elves used stamps to put the design on the hand or face and then went back and colored it in with paint and glitter paint. Really nice!

I'm irritated that the picture is blurry, but my camera would just not focus on the reindeer!

Next up was cupcake decorating, because we felt we just didn't get enough sugar with breakfast!

Will decorating cupcakes with Charlie. Charlie's dad, Chad, and Brent are good friends and Charlie is the grandson of the Judge that Brent clerked for.

Do you want a little cupcake to go with that candy?!?

Then it was onto balloon animals. By this time the line was a little long, but we held out for a candy cane and a tiger.



And one last turn at the mic...singing "Jingle Bells" of course!

It cracks me up that each time he had his hands firmly around that mic.

And finally on our way out the door, we stopped to say Hi to Santa and remind him that Jack wanted a fox Webkinz and Will wanted a Diego.

Santa and the 2 wild hooligans. Isn't he such a sweet-looking Santa? Santa asked if I wanted to take another picture. No Santa, the sugar has kicked in, so I think this is the best we are gonna do!

As always, the firm put on a first class party and we are looking forward to next year (if we are invited back!).

Will's New Big Boy Room

If you are still checking in on me, I thank you! I have no excuse for my extended absence other than life...and it has been busy. Because I hope to start scrapbooking again soon and I will use this blog as my journaling, I will try to highlight some of the events that took place in December. But by now it is old news.

A big highlight of the month was transforming the nursery into a big boy room for Will. We set up the nursery when Jack was about 4 months old (we moved into our house when Jack was 6 weeks old) and it has worked perfectly for both boys. I loved this nursery! It was so peaceful and calming and I just loved rocking my babies here.

So here are a few pictures of the nursery (You'll see some prints on the glider's ottoman; those are the inspiration pictures for the new room).



Will is such a happy-go-lucky, funny, outdoors-loving boy. I saw these prints several years ago when we were in New Orleans and my mother-in-law brought them as a surprise for me when she came to visit! They have been aging well over the past several years just waiting for the right place to be used.

These prints are hanging in Will's part of the jack-n-jill bath

The little boys in the prints just remind me of Will and his infectious personality. So I called the decorator who did Jack's room and told her I had an idea for a "modern Tom Sawyer" room; I didn't know how to pull it together, but I thought it could be really cute in her hands. Dawne loves a challenge and was excited to be working with a somewhat "different/non-typical" theme.

Without further adieu, the unveiling of the big boy room (drum roll):


Jane, the artist, painted Jack's big boy room, and I was so excited to have her back for Will's room. I just love her work!

A close up of the tree. Because of the architecture of the room, it looks like the tree branches are growing into the room. The rope swing is so cute!

A close up of the bunny and bluejay. A funny coincidence...both Brent and Jane are originally from New Orleans. As Jane was finishing up, she casually asked what high school Brent went to. I told her Jesuit. She said, "Tell Brent, from one yat to another..." and then proceed to paint this cute little bluejay (Jesuit's mascot) in about 15 minutes. I stood there amazed! Oh, to be so talented!

More of the cute little critters


The window treatment was designed to look like overall suspenders. A subtle hint to the "Tom Sawyer" theme. Dawne wanted the tree to "grow" over the window seat, with the idea being that Will could read his books sitting under the tree.

Isn't this a fun light fixture?!?! Wispy clouds are also painted on the ceiling.


This is my father-in-law's (aka Happy) childhood teddy bear. It was at home in the nursery and I am happy that he is at home (and well protected) in the big boy room. I just love having these pieces of family history. Also, the bed that Will is sleeping in was Happy's bed, too!


Brent's and my favorite accessory, the firefly nightlight. Will's favorite accessory is the big puppy that sits on his bed. He has to sleep with it everynight!

We are so pleased with how the room was transformed. And I know Will is going to love his new room for many years to come!

Now on to California...

Rammer Jammer Yellow Hammer
Give em Hell, Alabama!

The New Fresh Prince

While we were in Best Buy yesterday, we discovered these new headphones called Beats by Dr Dre. Will loves them! He stood there for 15 minutes listening to the thump.
We also discovered that Will loves him some Hip Hop! The 3 white buttons were for a sampling of Hip Hop, R&B, and Rock; Will chose Hip Hop again & again & again. The red button was for LOUD, and LOUD is Will's best friend!

Brent was telling Will that it was time to go. That little stinker just looked at him and shook his head "No". Many times. He would just push the red button. Amazing how they learn as early as 2 to tune you out! He refused to leave.
All the fun came to an end when Daddy had to pick up Lil Dre and carry him crying from the store. Life is hard for a little rapper. Where's the luv?!?!?

Saying Goodbye to the Nursery...

and hello to a new big boy room makes Mommy and Daddy just a little sad. We loved this nursery! It was so calm and peaceful, and a wonderful little spot to rock a baby. Both boys grew up (too fast, I might add) in the same nursery. On the walls, hung baby pictures of their grandparents and great-grandparents, almost as if those that have always loved them, even before they knew them, were watching over them at night. The crib is packed away in the attic and Brent told Jack that we were saving it for his children to sleep in when they come to visit. And the thought of seeing Jack's and Will's babies sleeping in the same crib as their fathers made me smile.

Then we set up the big boy bed. And one soon-to-be three year old was beyond excited about this rite of passage. For months, he has loved crawling into Jack's big boy bed and pretending to fall asleep. Tonight, he had his own big boy bed to crawl into. He looks so tiny in the full size bed, reminded me of how tiny he looked as a newborn in his crib. We read a story, gave kisses, said "I love you, sweet dreams, see ya in the morning!", and turned out the light. And he fell right to sleep. I had anticipated that he would be in and out of bed celebrating his new freedom, but we didn't hear a peep out of him.

The big boy room should be finished over the next two weeks. Of course I am having a decorator help me, because I hope we have established that I have exactly zero talent in the interior design field. I will share pictures once the room is complete. It is exciting!

Delicious! Delicious! Delicious!

I had to go grocery shopping this morning...in the drizzling rain (I am so tired of this rain!). We were out of just about everything except ketchup, pickle relish, and a couple of cloves of garlic, and try as I might, I could not come up with a single recipe for dinner using solely ketchup, pickles and garlic. Since Starbucks is just a couple of doors down from Kroger's, I needed to fortify myself for the mega grocery shopping I was about to embark upon in the rain. I treated myself to this wonderful concoction, and let's just say, I hope it is raining next week when I have to make the groceries!

Starbucks has a new Holiday drink...Caramel Brulee Latte! Oh my, the deliciousness! I haven't met a Starbucks seasonal drink yet that I haven't loved...the Pumpkin Spice latte, the Peppermint Mocha latte, the Eggnog Latte, and now, the Caramel Brulee Latte. Love them all, but the Caramel Brulee just may be my favorite (I'm so sorry, Pumpkin Spice latte). It is rich & creamy, creamy & rich, and I love the little caramel pieces on top.



Have you tried these specialty chicken sausages? They are so good! We've tried the chicken & apple, the Italian sausage with mozzarella, and the spicy mango with jalapeno. The spicy mango is fantastic...a nice combination between the sweetness of the mango and just enough of a kick from the jalapeno! What Brent and I like is that these sausages aren't greasy and heavy like regular pork sausage. And the boys loved them as well, which is always a bonus. For the past couple of weekends, we have grilled out several varieties of the sausages along with some stoplight peppers & onions. So easy and so delicious.


I love a good apple, but am somewhat particular about my apple...it has to be a sweet apple with a good crunch. For the longest time, I was a Fuji devotee and then I discovered Honey Crisp apples. The Honey Crisps are delicious and have been a reliable fall snack, but this year I have discovered the perfect apple...the Ambrosia apple. It is crisp, juicy, so sweet, and very fragrant! It has a faint honey taste. Also, the Ambrosia doesn't seem to brown as quickly as other varieties of apples. I like to core and cut my apple into wedges, and none of the wedges turn brown before I can finish the apple. A nice bonus =). I have found these at Kroger's; see if you can find them at your store and definitely give them a try!


Kroger's Private Selection brand Garden Salsa is one of the best salsas ever! It is restaurant quality salsa. It has become a weekend staple at our house, along with the football and nachos. Truthfully, I could skip the chips and just eat the salsa with a spoon.


I am so hungry now, and it is too late to eat. Well, those are all of my recent food finds...please share any gems that you've discovered!

JPEG of the Week

New Smile

Halloween

Anakin Skywalker

Go Diego Go

Halloween was alot of fun this year. Will understood about dressing up, and wanted to be Diego. Great! Although Diego is impossible to find these days, Jack was Diego when he was 3 years old and fortunately, I saved the costume, so we were all set for Will. Jack enjoyed being Anakin at school and decided that he would shelve Darth Vadar for next year and be Anakin Skywalker again Halloween night. I'm pretty sure it was all about the fact that he couldn't take the new lightsaber with him to school on Thursday, so Anakin was just itching to break it in. All good Jedis would understand.

We started our evening at the neighborhood clubhouse for the annual Halloween party. Because I hadn't seen the Anakin Skywalker costume in the stores, I thought Jack might be one of a kind. Boy, was I surprised; Jack was 1 of 3 Anakins that night! And Star Wars characters were the popular choice by far...lots of Anakins, a couple of Obi Wan Kenobis, Darth Vadar, etc. One of our neighborhood families all came dressed as Star Wars characters...Mom was Princess Leia, Dad was a Storm Trooper, one child was Darth Vadar, the other was Luke Skywalker, and the baby was Yoda!

I got a couple of pictures of the battles that were raging poolside....
...and then Will walked right out onto the pool cover and nearly gave me a heart attack! So I thought it was probably best to put away the camera and actually watch my child, lest he pull another 'Walk on Water' stunt. You understand =).

Brent offered to stay home to pass out candy this year (wouldn't have had anything to do with Miami playing on TV, I'm sure!). Jack went trick-or-treating with the large Star Wars contingency, so that I could take Will trick-or-treating on our street. Will loved the treats! Without fail, he would try to double dip in the treat bowls after the neighbors had given him 2 pieces of candy. We are going to have to work on trick-or-treat etiquette with our little beggar for next year! While we were out gathering our loot, the temperatures dropped and it started to drizzle, so once we had completed our street I dropped Will off at home to pass out candy with Daddy. Will thought it was just as much fun to pass out the candy. He would drop 2 pieces in everyone's bag and then run drop a piece of candy in his own bucket. Very clever, that boy!

I went back out to meet up with Jack's group. They were die-hard trick-or-treaters, spending 2 1/2 hours in the cold drizzle scouring the neighborhood for loot. Finally, Jack decided that Halloween was over when his bucket was completely full, literally. I have never seen so much candy! As soon as we got home, Jack put on warm jammies, had a snack, and went straight to bed. He was exhausted!

Well, I think that pretty much catches us up on October. Stay tuned for new stories and pics.

Halloween Parties

Halloween is a special time for the kindergarteners at Jack's school. They are allowed to wear their Halloween costumes to school and they have a parade, walking all around the school to show all of the other classes their costumes. Jack decided to be Darth Vadar, so we got the costume a couple of weeks early and were all set. Then I get an email requesting "no masks and that the costumes allow the students to be self-sufficient, especially in the restroom." Well, that pretty much put an end to Darth Vadar because the costume is a one-piece jumpsuit, and can Darth Vadar even survive without his life-supporting mask?!?!? So, I found an Anakin Skywalker costume (with a really cool mask...look for it in the upcoming Halloween pics) that was 2 pieces, a long tunic over pants. Perfect! Jack thought it was a great idea...for school, he would be Anakin, and then 2 days later, Anakin would cross over to the Dark Side and he would be Darth Vadar for Halloween.

From the report of the teacher, the parade was fun but exhausting. The children paraded through every classroom, walked over to the church so that Monsignor could join the fun, and then back to the school. Alot of walking for little feet. That afternoon was the Halloween party. We started off with a Jack-o-Lantern Krispy Kreme donut and juice. Nothing like alot of sugar to get ya in the party spirit. Then the teachers took turns dipping their hands in "gooey brains and guts" to pull out spiders, eyeballs, and other equally gross stuff! And finally games! We had 6 different game/craft stations set up, divided the class into 6 groups, and then rotated everyone through the games. I was helping with the pumpkin ring toss, so wasn't able to get many pictures, but here are a few to share.

Waiting patiently for the treats


Make a Mummy station

I think I recognize that cute mummy


Jack the Mummy

Will's class party was a bit more low-keyed compared to Jack's. At this age, the party is basically decorations and lunch with a treat. Jack was out of school that day, so Will was excited that Jack and Mommy would be coming to his party, and made sure that his teachers knew that Jack would be there. I told Jack that I was going to bring a Halloween book, just in case we needed a little activity. Well, Jack got it in his mind that he was going to read the book to the class. I explained over and over that I wasn't sure there would be an opportunity to read the book, that the book was a Plan B, etc., but when Jack gets an idea in his mind....

While the children were at the playground, the mothers decorated the tables and got the food ready. The children returned to the classroom, but the mom who was bringing the plates, cups, and napkins hadn't arrived yet. The teachers asked if we would like to do an activity. Hallelujah, Plan B!! Why yes, Jack would love to read a Halloween story!

Jack reading Peek-a-Boooo! by Marie Torres Cimarusti. A very cute book introducing Halloween to the youngest trick-or-treaters. Both of my boys have loved this book.


Enjoying a yummy lunch

So much fun for our little ghost and goblin!