Sort n Snap

It's easy to do something fun and educational with one kid at a time, but with both? Well, that usually turns into a fight or pure chaos (meaning Jude attempts to eat all of the educational items).

But, not today! I brought out the Sort n Snap toy, where you sort colors and snap them in to different pictures. It was a hit!

Even Jude matched some of the colors.

But then, real fun called. Maddox went for a ride on the vacuum cleaner.

And Jude decided to sit in the box.

 In the end, things like that are always the best toys.

A Break from the Storm

Welcome to chaos. Though most of the boxes are gone (thanks to my amazing parents who came down here to work their butts off), I am encountering that fun stage of "Where in the world do I put everything?" Andrew has been cleaning the old house (getting it ready for final inspection) while I clean the new house, unpack everything, and try to keep the boys entertained and out of trouble.

I decided to add some play to the work, work, work theme around here. The boys and I made a nativity out of toilet paper rolls and fabric scraps. Maddox colored the nativity and Jude ate the crayons.

And so, life moves on...very, very fast.

Moving On

I smell like Lysol. But, I have a very clean house (which is now mostly packed away in boxes), two children soundly asleep, and parents who are on the way to come help us.

I'm thankful, exhausted, excited, anxious, and stinky...all in one.


Tomorrow, we get the keys to the Nakina house. More cleaning awaits, then comes the big move. No matter how ready you are to move, there is always a little bit of sadness that goes along with it. Maddox did his first flip in the backyard here. We picked oranges from our neighbor's tree, did cartwheels by the patio, spied on Gary zooming away on his motorcycle. Jude took his first real steps in this living room.

But you must always remember, you are leaving just a house (and in this case, a very smoky one). The people and love that made it a home are coming with you.

Mr. Cautious decided to climb his closet shelves tonight. Next time he yells, "Mom, come look! This is fun!" I'm going to be a little nervous at what I will find.

TaTa Gets Older

Andrew turned 27 yesterday. We celebrated at the restaurant of his choice: Longhorn. The meal was topped off with a "birthday sundae." 

I am very thankful for our "TaTa." 

Bad Santa

Santa is the stuff that nightmares are made of. Just ask my kids. At least Jude sat on his lap. Maddox didn't dare get that close. I better not tell them what happens on Christmas Eve.

Homemade Snowglobes

If you have lots of baby food jars hiding out in your pantry and little kids who love glitter, this is for you.

Add a mini tree or any other tiny Christmas object, and there you have it: a cheap, fun snowglobe.

After cleaning a couple jars, I hot glued some mini trees to the lids. 

Of course, Maddox wanted "to shoot the gun too." So, he helped.

(please ignore the rooster on my head)

I supervised as Maddox dumped the glitter (or "snow").

 I think that was his favorite part.

They turned out quite pretty, even though the 3-tree one didn't hold up through all the shaking. 

I definitely think this could become one of our pre-Christmas traditions.

Tomorrow the boys meet Santa. Their friend Ava is coming too. Hopefully having a Santa buddy will help with the trauma.

Something Naughty, Something Nice

Something Nice:
We made the Rice Crispy Trees today at 8am. I was desperate for entertainment and we all needed a little sugar. Even though more M&Ms ended up on the floor (and in their tummies) than on the trees, it was a success. No breakdowns; no fights. We talked about green and red and triangles, and we counted the candies as we stuck them to the trees.

It was an educational moment, but the boys didn't realize it. They just saw the M&Ms and were instantly happy.

Something Naughty:
I found out the source of Maddox's very stinky room. It used to be an orange, but after weeks or months (who knows) of hiding under Maddox's bed, it was black, molded and stuck to the carpet. I think Maddox is still on Santa's nice list, though. Just barely.

I think Santa would approve of these reindeer.