December Highlights

December always seems to go by in a hurry but this year seemed to go especially fast.

So I figure better late then never, here is what we have been up to.

Macie has been so much fun this year. It is the first year she really understood what was going on. She loved talking about Santa, singing Christmas carols, looking at lights and just doing everything that makes this season fun. So I was really excited about taking them to see Santa. Every other year Macie has totally freaked out and not wanted anything to do with being even kind of close to Santa (and we have the horrible pictures to prove it). But I was really hoping this year would be different. The pictures prove that is was and of course Ren my super easy going baby wasn't even phased at all by being thrown into to the arms of a large man in a bright red suit.






We took Macie to see her cousin Audrey play the role of a baby mouse in "The Nutcracker". Unfortunately we only made it through the first half. Macie loved watching the kids, toys, and mice dance around but once that was done she was done. So we went out for ice cream and Macie got some time just for her with Mommy and Daddy.




Christmas was great! It really is ten times more fun once you have kids and then even more so when they understand it. The big hits this year were Macie's bike which she refused to ride for about three days but now loves. And Ren got this really cute car that he has loved from the second we put him behind the wheel. (Thanks Mom!!)





Hope you all had a Merry Christmas. And Happy New Year!!

Days Like Today

I LOVE days like today!
Outside it is cloudy, rainy, wet, dark, cold and wonderful. It is just really hard for me to get into the Christmas spirit when its still so hot outside in the middle of the afternoon. I am just one of those people who think you should be able to at least wear sweaters two weeks before Christmas. So today I am in heaven...it feels like Christmas time.

There is really nothing better than cuddling up with my two little cuties on the couch all wrapped up warm and toasty in a blanket. With the Christmas tree sparkling and the sound of rain falling all around us. Throw in a mug of hot chocolate and that's what I would call a perfect evening.

Tagged....

I am not sure how interesting this will be but here are 2-7 things you might not know about me.

1. I have a "thing" about cereal. The SECOND the milk touches the bowl I must start eating it as quickly as possible. If the cereal gets soggy, I am DONE. Its actually so bad that if Vaughn pours a bowl of cereal and then starts walking around talking to me with it in his hand I really cant concentrate on what he is saying. I have literally blurted out "aren't you gong to eat that" in the middle of his sentence because i can only think about how his bowl is turning into a soggy mess.

2. I love "organization tools". If you open any closet,cabinet,or drawer in my house you will most likely find some sort of basket, bin, or bucket system. Now, I am not saying that I am the most organized person. I definitely have clutter areas in my house (see number 3). I am just always looking for and trying a new way to keep everything in its place and a place for everything.

3. I love to get mail....I hate to deal with mail. I pay almost all our bills on line now but we still get hard copies in the mail. I will toss tons of mail into a huge pile for weeks before I drag myself to the horrible pile and begin the huge chore of sorting out what we need to save and what we need to shred. Every single time I tell myself that this time I will just deal with it as it comes each day but that only seems to last for a day or two.

4. I cant spell. I swear I have some sort of slight dyslexia. If I get in a hurry I will mix up even the simplest words. I have to really think about it when I am writing or typing. I think that is partly why I fell in love with the Montessori approach. I always felt like I got in trouble at school for mixing up "simple" things. But I think I really just needed a different way to look at it. Hopefully now you all aren't scared about me teaching preschool kids to read and write. :)

5. I am a Diet Pepsi addict. Now let me first state that I do drink water and I drink a lot of water. But most days in the afternoon I am able to find 10 or 15 minutes for myself and I love to check my e-mail, read blogs or flip through a scrapbook magazine...or whatever... while sipping on a Pepsi. It is my time to gear up for dinner and whatever the evening holds for us. I look forward to it and I need it. It is my little treat to myself and I really do miss it if I don't get it.(On a side note I have been feeling bad about this lately because when we go to get any fast food anything Macie will be yelling from the back seat "I'll have a diet" or "I want a diet for me mom". Is it wrong to think thats cute and funny?)

Well that is all for me. Now I tag.....Courtney, Nancy and Aimee.

A week of Halloween fun

Our ward trunk'er treat was the Saturday before Halloween. Then my Mom had hers on Thursday and so by Friday I was really looking forward to just hanging out at home and passing out candy. We got Macie all dressed up and forced Ren into his costume for the third time and took them to just a few neighbors houses so that Macie didn't feel like she was missing out on anything once kids started knocking on our door. And then we waited............and waited. We got FOUR knocks on the door..... the entire night! Honestly, I was kind of disappointed.

My favorite part of Halloween was actually the pumpkin carving family night that has become a bit of a tradition in my family. We have been getting together the Monday night before Halloween for the past few years and I really have come to look forward to it.

This was Vaughn and Macie's pumpkin. It turned out really great. You could even see it from the street really well.

My Little Man

The second I found out I was having a boy, I was extreamly excited about one thing..... BABY BOY SUITS!!

I cant even put into words how much I love to put this little suit on him!! Its a good thing we go to church every week so that I have an excuse for this kind of outfit. :)

I cant beleive how big he is getting! On days like this when we dress him up he looks even more "grown up". It acctually kind of makes me sad sometimes - it just all goes by so fast.

My Montessori Dream

Six years ago when I decided to take the Montessori Teacher training it was mainly because I figured that even if I never worked as a teacher in a classroom at least it would be great information for raising my own children. But as I began to learn more about the Montessori approach and what it was all about I really fell in love with everything about it, including the classroom. Very quickly my plan changed and my goal became having a small classroom in my home.

I feel lucky to have spent a few years at a really great school (Montessori House) with a couple of amazing ladies. And I am truly grateful for the privilege of knowing and learning from Sherie Richardson, and that I was able to be a part of the beautiful school that she has created. I was sad to leave the school but I was sure that I would have my hands full with Ren and transitioning into being a mother of two.

Well everything went a lot smoother than I thought. Ren is such a good baby that I found myself looking for something more to do. And I wont lie - I like being able to contribute at least a little bit to our financial situation. :) So a few weeks ago (with a little bit of encouragement from a friend) I decided I didn't need to start my little classroom under perfect dream like circumstances, I just need to start and allow it to grow into my dream. I have been buying things here and there over the years and storing them thinking I would use them someday. So I pulled out all my boxes, bins, and shelves. Then I did some research and found some pretty inexpensive Montessori materials on line and bought only the necessities. The other great thing about Montessori is that lots of the materials can be made by hand. So I spent a week being creative with my computer and laminator, and now I have my very own little classroom! And I absolutely love it!

I put the word out to some family and friends and now I have five children who come to my house on Tuesday and Thursday mornings. Its really perfect. I get to be "Miss Kindra" and have the classroom time that I crave but I also get to be home with the two kids I absolutely adore.

Mini Vacation

A few years ago we agreed to listen to a time share pitch from a company called Interval International. As we walked in Vaughn and I repeated over and over that we were only here for the free gift and we were not buying anything. We walked out with a week every year at Cibola Vista Resort and Spa that can be traded at tons of resorts across the country. Yep, they got to us. For the next two years we referred to this purchase as a big mistake because we spent so much on our monthly payments and yearly fees that we couldn't afford to use the thing.

We have now decided to change that. We took a "mini vacation" last week to finally check out what it is we bought into. It took about an hour to drive out to the resort so it felt kind of out of town but not really which is one reason I am calling it a mini vacation. It took all of the same prep work as a real vacation to pack up two kids and get in the car but then we didn't have to drive so far, which was kind of nice. The rooms are condo style with full kitchens and living rooms so we still cooked most our meals. That meant I still had to do dishes which is the other reason I only consider it a mini vacation. It was really nice though. We didn't plan a bunch of stuff we just slept late, hung out at the pool and watched movies most of the time. It was really nice to just have some time to be together and not have places to be and things to do.

I am really excited to try out trading our week at another resort too. We have a "real" vacation planned for February in California. We were able to find a resort we could trade at that is not to far from Disneyland and Vaughn's sister Eliza and her family are coming with us. And hopefully more of the family will decide (or be able) to come too. The whole reason we got sucked into this time share thing is because of the beautiful picture they painted of what family vacations could be like. I want those memories with my kids and I am really excited that Macie is getting old enough to really be able to enjoy and remember these kind of experiences.

Blessed

We blessed Ren on Sunday and it was really wonderful. I love the day my babies get blessed. For some reason it makes it all seem real to me. The first few weeks go by in such a rush and blur(what with not sleeping much and all of that). But I feel like blessing him made him a real member of our family. Now that life is finally starting to feel normal again I have had more time to think about how blessed I am to have two amazing children who are perfect in my eyes. And a really amazing husband who is always there for me and for our kids. I love our little family so much and everything feels just as it should be.

LOST

A few months ago Vaughn and I started feeling a little out of the loop among our family and friends because we couldn't talk about what was happening on LOST - since we didn't watch it. We didn't understand what all the fuss was about but everyone seemed to love it. So when Ren was born and we were stuck at home hanging out with our new bundle of joy (since it is unbearably hot outside) we decided to give LOST a chance.

For the past month we have been totally addicted. We love everything about it! We love all the unanswered questions and the crazy twists and turns. Thank goodness for the Hollywood Video down the street and the invention of the "freedom pass". We are now watching season four on the computer and I am almost sad to know that we are close to done and will have to wait and watch the next season once a week on tv like everyone else.

Baby Ren

Big Girl Hair Cut

I have been playing with the idea of cutting Macie's hair for a few weeks now. I am just so tired lately and she is so grumpy when it comes to brushing and tangles. So I asked Tara for some help and because Macie has watched Tara do so many hair cuts she was actually really excited to be the one in the chair. Unfortunately that only lasted for about a minute and then she was done with the whole sitting still thing. We got through it with not many tears and overall I think she did really great and so did Tara. I love the cut and Macie looks so grown up. But the funny part is that I swear she started acting more grown up as soon as the hair came off too. We call it her big girl hair now and I think she really likes the attention she gets about it.