The First...

LEON??

Emma Layne likes to rearrange these letter. She likes to see how many words she can come up with. And then, she leaves them, like this...

What a cutie patootie!

My kind of crafts!

My favorite crafts are the one's I don't have to do. We don't do  a lot of "crafts" around here b/c frankly, they are not my thing. Earlier this week the kids wanted to "make crafts" and I said, "yes, as long as you can do it by yourself OR get your daddy to help you!"

Emma Layne did pretty well on her own. She sweet talked her Daddy into helping tape  her "elf" hat together. She did the most on her own.

Baur wanted an elf hat to, but Daddy said he'd make him something "really cool for boys!" I think this was some kind of Star Wars mask. It made Baur happy and fit around his head!

Libby wanted something a little more "Libbyish." Daddy decided she needed a crown. Now I will say I contributed to some degree. Not only did I take pictures, I let him use one of my REALLY nice paring knives to cut out that crown.

It was a hit. Princess Libby got her crown and I got my knife resharpened after all the cutting was done.

 Now, this little guy was just hoping no one was going to catch him with the OPEN glue bottle, and we almost didn't. He did get about  a tablespoon squirted onto the floor before we got to him. Another contribution by Mama, cleaning up wet glue.(one more reason why I'm not crazy about crafts...)

Doesn't this look like a fun night? The kids had a great time, and don't tell anyone, but their daddy did to!

Super baby Food

Lately Lightsey has been eating a lot of these...

Avocado's are one of THE best babyfoods out there. They are  high in good fat, which is great for brain development, they are very filling, and best of all, the preparation is CRAZY easy! Cut it in half, scoop  the seed, scoop out the flesh, mash with a fork and you done. Feed your baby in his highchair licking his lips! I like the quick and easy part. I can get two servings out of one avocado and depending on your baby's appetite, you may  be able to get more. Right now, I can get one for about .89 at the commissary, so it cost about the same price as two jars of food. Lightsey has been on "real" food for  a while but still loves these. Instead of mashing you can also cut into cubes and let your little one feed himself. In this home, my little one likes to run his fingers through his hair, so I still feed him this myself

You can start this super babyfood as young as 4 months. For me personally, I wait as LONG as possible to start any kind of solids with a baby as long as they are gaining weight. But for whenever you do start, give this uncommonly known babyfood a try. Your baby will thank you!

I recently found one of these "avocado keepers" and I LOVE it. Keeps the half you are not using very fresh without the pain of plastic wrap.

We're not that far...

From the Garden of Eden. Just for instance, we have a rule that our kids can't watch any t.v. in the morning. They can go down into the basement (where the t.v. is), play with any number of toys while waiting for siblings to wake up ( or mommy to wake up...) or breakfast to be ready and start the day. We've gone over this several times as they haven't always listened. And usually they do great, no TV in the a.m. Well, this morning, Philip gets back from PT (physical training) and sees a bluish/green hue coming from the basement windows.  He comes inside, goes downstairs and discovers the TV and lights off and a particular 8  year old hiding. Does this sound like any story you've heard before? You know the one, "you can eat from any tree in the Garden but THIS one... Adam, Eve, where are you??

So ours is a little different and EL has not been banished from the basement.  After he discovered her hiding behind a book shelf, her loving Father handed out her discipline ( loss of all "screen" activities, computer and TV for several days) forgave her and restored her. But really, we're not that far from where sin all began.

my favorite sifter

This sifter reminds me of my Grannie. She had hers for years. She would dry it in her oven after she washed it so it wouldn't get rusty. I do that now, just don't leave it in too long... When I first got married, I had one that you had to  shake back and forth. It KILLED my wrist.  "New" is not always better. So I found this one at Publix for about $5. I LOVE it. My KIDS love it. Its fun to use and super easy. Makes sifting extremely easy. If you don't have one, get one.

Libs is 6!!

So our Libby turned 6 this past Saturday. We had a fun day of opening presents and having a super fun party! We LOVE her dimples and infectious smile. She is always trying to make us laugh and usually succeeds.

She loves her perfect petzzz kitty from Grammie. She named her Seraphina. She is another wonderful addition to our family!

Libby asked for a strawberry cake with white icing. She loved blowing the candles out and licking off all the icing. She never touched the cake!

We had a wonderful time with all her friends. We made a Rudolph ornament for the kids to take home. Because as much as I don't care for "crafts" I REALLY don't care for birthday party games! I personally think they were a hit! I forgot to take pics of that but all in all it was a great party!

(This is what happens when you give kids too much refined sugar...)

We love you Libby!! Happy Birthday!