Project 365 - Day 363

My crafty kids. They are making themselves id cards for their many dress up pretend worlds. I think these were secret agent cards or something. They are very serious about crafts and pretend. I just love it!

Project 365 - Day 362

I love Christmas cards. I was very dissappointed with myself this year that I didn't make something with pretty paper and ribbon. I did make my very first digital layout (albeit, it was in the size of a Christmas card) but I still made it with papers and frames and layering and all that digital stuff I know practically nothing about. I love getting cards in the mail and seeing all our friends and family. I will have to find a better way to display them though next year because every time the kids would pass by one would fly away, but I do know they will have to be displayed where I can see them because they make me smile and are one of my favorite parts of the holiday season.

Project 365 - Day 361

"The Gas Fairy". My dad is also known as the gas fairy. My parents continue to amaze me at how much they love and support me. They are always doing things and helping me out. The other night on the way home I found my tank "full" thanks to dear old dad. Just one of the little things I love about him.

Project 365 - Day 360

I can't tell you how much I LOVE matchy-matchy clothing, especially at the holidays. The little vest Noah wore at Christmas this year was Nathan's and I saved it knowing I would be able to get another photo op with Daddy's vest someday. But when I found one for Nathan last year and scooped it up on ebay and I felt like I had won the lottery. I had been looking forward to seeing all the boys in their vests for 12 months!

We had a visit with Mike's dad and then went to Grandma Alma and Aunt Pam's for Christmas with my mom's side of the family. I still can't believe my cousin Greg and I had contributed 6 children between our two families and seeing all of them running around is something in my Grandma's house.

The kids had so much fun with their cousins and it turned out to be a wonderful Christmas.

Project 365 - Day 359

It's Christmas Day! Merry Christmas! The kids had a wonderful Christmas morning. They were so excited with their toys.

Some highlights were Nathan getting the Indiana Jones Lego set he wanted. Noah getting his very own chair. Laura had asked for a cough machine because she had been sick like a month before Christmas - I don't know where she gets this from. She was so funny because even though the cough was gone that is what she asked for. So, she got cough drops in her stocking.

The other highlight was Nathan asking Santa to bring his mom a new pot so she can cook. He really didn't ask for anything for himself this year, thus the super surprise with the lego set. I didn't really need new pots but Mike and I decided that Santa had better come through because it might be a pretty sad morning if Nathan's wish wasn't granted. So I will say that even though I didn't NEED new pots, they are pretty slick and I love having them. He is so sweet for thinking of me.

Project 365 - Day 358

So I had this idea to take pictures of the kids with candy canes made into a heart. My friend Dusti's kids did it so perfectly ( http://acupcakelife.blogspot.com/2009/12/christmas-card-photo-shoot.html )the result was so cute on her christmas card I wanted to try it with my kiddos. The result wasn't so perfect but I do love the pictures that came out, there are lots and lots and lots of out takes which I love.

It was a very nice Christmas Eve at my parents. The kids were overjoyed with all their goodies!

Project 365 - Day 357

More little crafty projects. I made these at the last minute for my green friend Donna's birthday. I tried my hardest to think of something unique. I came up with notecards made out of a paper grocery bag. I then used some scraps for the scallop and I even used the straps from the paper bag to make a heart shape (although it looks like a "V" instead of a heart). I stitched around the cards because well I just can't help myself. I even used a bunch of scraps to make a card.

Project 365 - Day 356

We got together with my uncle's family for some holiday cheer. My two cousins are beautiful smart girls who wanted to have some kids around for christmas and we were all too eager to oblige. They had a whole day of fun planned for the kids with decorating christmas cookies to opening presents they can play with and a very yummy kid dinner (to which I still can't make as good as cousin Nikki). It was a great day!

Project 365 - Day 355

I don't think I posted a finished picture of the crayon and colored pencil rolls that I was making for christmas gifts this year. I am really liking the way they are turning out. Now I just have to finish the personalized journals that go with them for each kid. I plan to use the time in the car on the trip to Napa to pull our papers and stickers for each one.

Project 365 - Day 354

The kids wanted to make their OWN lunch today. Okay I say. For some time now I have been cutting the crust off of their bread (partly because they always leave it behind and partly because it doesn't fit into Nathan's lunch with the crust, but I digress). Nathan was so excited to see the heel of the bread left and wanted to use it for his lunch. He requested I take a picture (please ignore the enormous amount of carbs with the chips and pirate's booty - at least there was a mandarin orange).

Not to be out done was little Laura. Although she couldn't decide what she wanted exactly and so you see two sandwiches. One with turkey and cheese, the other with honey and peanut butter. She too wanted two kinds of chips but didn't take as many. She was supposed to eat the mini oreos AFTER the lunch but I was apparently taking advantage of my duties being replaced a little too much and came back to see not only had she not eaten the sandwich but she ate the cookies and not just the cookies only the INSIDES of the oreos. Well, at least she ate the mandarin orange.

I gotta love these moments. They will not last long so I had better remember them.

Project 365 - Day 353

Nathan's cub scout den did a turn of bell ringing at the local Wal-Mart for The Salvation Army red box. They boys were so cute thanking everyone and passing out candy cane candies. Nathan just loves cub scouts.

Project 365 - Day 352

Today I got to work in Nathan's classroom and one of the stations was cookie decorating. Nathan was taking great care to decorate his little gingerbread guy. They got to munch on their goodies a bit later and I was so pleased to be able to share in the christmas joy in his classroom.

Project 365 - Day 351

It's 'Yosemite Noah'. My kids love to dress up and play pretend. I really mean it. They. LOVE. It. Nathan and Laura have roped Noah into the loop and he goes right along with them. He runs after them and tries to keep up and they always have a character for him to play. Today he looks like a daddy favorite looney toon character. I am still not sick of his camera smile face yet.

Project 365 - Day 350

Laura exclaimed she had an email message for Daddy. This little toy phone has a phrase setting and one of the sayings is "I Love You" when you push a certain key. She ran back to her Daddy's office to give him her message. Could that be any sweeter??

A wise friend once explained...

that life is like a circle. you have cycles (circles) of your life. moments. days. years. each circle has it's way up and a top and it's way down and of course the bottom (the way sucky part if you ask me right now) and it's way back up again.

he explains that the goal in life should be to try and make your circle as small as possible because then the downs aren't so down and the going down and staying down and coming out of it aren't so big. when the circle is small you always seem to be on your way up.

i dare you to try and make a circle with your fingers in the air to visualize what i am talking about. make a small one and then make a BIG one.

i am not even giving him enough credit because they way he explains it is waaay more eloquent than i am but this is my interpretation at 5:45 in the morning and i just have to get it out.

that is where i am right now. stuck at the bottom of the biggest circle of my life. i am trying to claw my way out and everyday i just take it one step, one breath, one meal, one diaper change at a time.

i have been meaning to blog and update and focus on the positive. lord knows i do have lots to be thankful for and am blessed to have all that i do have. things could be worse - a lot worse so - please don't take this post as me thinking i have things worse than somebody else out there. i am just trying to keep it real. i don't want my blog to be a fake place but i don't want to share too much either and it be a complaining place.

i just wanted to explain things a bit. i did finish project 365 for 2009 and i think i have all the posts organized so i can update and at least finish that on the blog. i have a few more stories i want to post too so hopefully those will come soon.

i am not abandoning my blog. i need this little on-line journal for myself. i need to stay connected to my little obsessed blog world. i love my friends blogs so thank you all for sharing your lives. i will try and be as honest as i can with mine. i am inspired by my friends lives and so many times i will jump online and click to see what is happening in their little part of the world and i get inspired and uplifted and happy and filled with laughter so i want to continue with mine so i can go back and get inspired and uplifted and happy and filled with laughter with our own little family stories. my three little ones provide lots of entertainment for me so i want to capture those memories for them.

sorry chris for not giving you enough credit and shredding your little mantra to pieces but i will always remember to make my circle small.