For all those who come to this happy place, Welcome!

 Born December 8th - weighing in at 8lbs. 15oz. (we like big babies, what can we say?) Here I am a little tired (12 hours of labor) out but we made it through. The kids couldn't wait to meet her, but Abbey didn't really care. James & Paige are in LOVE. Abbey took this picture of me... so fun. It made her laugh. James finally got his turn to hold her.  The newest addition to our little family. Isn't she a doll?  This is what it is all about.  Baby loven' 21 1/2 inches long.  I'm so glad I have the worlds best 8 year old helper.  She loves being a big "Sissa"  He just loves babies! Welcome baby Elle.

of course I cried... but even commercials can make me cry when I'm this pregnant.

 I wanted to start a new tradition this year and read up on a few people remember as kids (the internet is full of them), I heard one on the radio a few years back about elves that doorbell-ditch and leave Christmas jammies, which has become one of our favorite traditions... lots of squealing and running (my kids).  This year I was reading about nostalgic adults that had versions of the same tradition where an elf sat on shelf and reported the kids behavior to Santa, what a cute idea. A few weeks later in the bookstore I found a mass produced version of this holiday tradition. I didn't really care for the book, the dollar store looking cheaply made elf, or the price tag... so I decided to come up with my own story and elf. (picture by Annalee Dolls) I considered making my own elf, until I saw these at Marshall's, They are elves made by  Annalee Dolls . They are adorable and completely bendable. I think I picked up a 9' elf for $14. The faces are fabric and painted o...

 Since the kids were out of school for Veteran's Day - we decided to have a Harvest Party. I let the kids invite 5 friends each, but I think we ended up with more, which just adds to the fun.  First we bobbed for apples. Brigham was quite efficient at it.  Maddie didn't want to stick her face in water and just picked a pretty one.  Myla was game for it and got it on her second try, Seth sitting behind her just picked one up and started crunching away.  Abbey at first just picked them out and handed them to me.  Karsyn got one in seconds. She used the stem, smart lil' thing. Same with Tessa. After the kids bobbed out the apples we stuck sticks in them and Jessie doused them in carmel.  Abbey got into the spirit of things. That's my girl.  Reese was a champ. He really liked bobbing. What a handsome boy. Olivia just picked one out that looked good. Kaylee wasn't about to be outdone by these little kids. Chase was so cute, he picked up a...