my.gift

Ok, so for our anniversary this year, Josh says, "I was thinking that we could buy a new table and matching chairs!" Yay! I was so excited as I've been wanting one for a long time. As usual, it wasn't quite in the budget. So, we decided that we would purchase one for Christmas and use our Christmas money from our parents as well. I'm pretty sure that we're still over all of those budgets, but I'm not going to ask for any gifts for Valentine's Day or Flag Day this year....I think that'll do it. :)

So...drum roll please........

old chair.....

new chair.....

old table....

new table...

Guess where we bought it! Walmart...seriously. It is their new line called Canopy. I was a bit skeptical at first, but it is really nice quality. Even the husband is impressed! The best part is that there is a leaf in the center that folds right into the table. You don't even have to find a storage spot for it....love it. We are eventually going to purchase matching bar chairs for the counter, but that was *definitely* out of the budget. Maybe next Christmas :)!

So, I wish my old table and chairs well. Rumor has it that they will be relocating to a cabin to the south of us. They arrived free of charge from a former employer of mine, and we will pass along the blessings!

More Christmas posts to come!

seriously.december 30

Scene: Crying Meredith. Guilty-looking Claire.

Meredith: Claire just bit me!

Claire: I didn't bite her...I was just hugging her with my teeth!

Seriously....it gets better.

Me: Claire, we don't bite people. You know that. You need to apologize.

Claire: Meredith, I'm sorry for hugging you with my teeth.

I laughed out loud. Seriously.

loving.the.season

Oh, how we love Christmas! My mom started a tradition with my kids a few years ago. She brought the little tree pictured above over with tiny nativity ornaments and little stars. They discuss the nativity story as they hang the ornaments and eat cookies and drink hot chocolate afterward! So adorable, and the kids look forward to it every year!

This year, Grandma brought over a new tree with some special ornaments...is this adorable or what? It adds so much to the corner of the kitchen! Thanks mom :)

So, after we decorated the tiny tree and the new tree, it was time to eat cookies and frozen grapes....

And drink hot chocolate (in the special Christmas mugs, of course)....

It was so much fun! Thank you mom for a fun day with the girls. They enjoyed it so much, and they can't wait for you to bring the hot chocolate mugs back for Christmas Eve! Yay for fun traditions at Christmas! What fun traditions do you guys have at Christmas?

elifut

Claire is learning to read in school, so she is naturally trying to write words while sounding them out. Tonight I went back to her room to give her a kiss. She was writing a word in her new notebook.

She said, "Is this how you spell elephant?" It was spelled e-l-i-f-u-t.

I said, "Did you sound that out? That's pretty close!" And I wrote elephant below her elifut and told her how the "ph" makes a "f" sound (which she found very silly...and I would agree).

Anyway, I was a proud mama.

first.hunt

Josh took Claire hunting for the first time a few weeks ago. She was so excited! He had purchased a tent blind so that he could take her. Unfortunately, they didn't see any deer, but Claire informed me that they did see one bird and maybe a squirrel. I asked her later that day what she enjoyed most about their hunt. She said, "I just loved wearing that face paint!"

question.of.the.day

Setup: Claire and Meredith are looking at the newspaper ads and discussing the pictures. Meredith spots an ad that has a product with both Dora the Explorer and Blue (from Blue's Clues) on the front of the box.

Meredith: Look Claire! Dora and Blue on the same box!

Claire: Yeah, they are both on the same box!! Mom, look...Dora and Blue are on the same box!!

Me (not being nearly as excited as everyone else): I see that.

Claire (as excited as if I had told her that there were pigs flying overhead): I didn't know that they knew each other, did you?!!

:)

happy.birthday.aunt.jill

It's my big sister's birthday today!!! Happy Birthday Aunt Jill!

Jill and me on vacation in Oregon in '05:

Oregon again with Claire and Meredith while we were visiting a lighthouse (and watching whales!):

The two of us at Jill's wedding in '05: