christmas day

Unfortunately, Aron got sick on Christmas morning and was pretty much out of commission most of the day. He was able to stay engaged for gift opening, but otherwise, he rested and thankfully, today he is better. This Christmas was a first in our family--doing our morning entirely alone with just our family and I really loved it. We did Aron's side of the family's Christmas last week and my sister and her family were in town for a week leading up to Christmas and we enjoyed time with them. Alas, my folks were not able to make it out this year and we missed them terribly (although we enjoyed a Skype chat with everyone).

We made cinnamon rolls, read and talked about the Christmas story over breakfast, opened the last square on our Advent calendar, then opened gifts. It was a very low-key day, but truly wonderful to be together and enjoy our day as a family. And it was one of those days where I sensed God's rich presence more deeply. And I felt like I was really able to take it in and not let it pass me by.

Earlier in the week, M playing with cousin Jacob under our tree



Best gift we could get C--a "Home Depot" tool set

Yes, she was pretty much ecstatic about getting Silly Putty!
Kate's 1st Christmas--what a little CUTIE!

Merry Christmas, from our family to yours!

Christmas baking

We made our gingerbread house earlier this month and Mags and daddy had a blast building it. Then, thanks to Trader Joe's, we made their sugar cookies last week and both C and M had a blast cutting out shapes and decorating them.

This time of year is my favorite. And I just LOVE creating memories with my family.

Kate: Month-by-Month

Kate turned 4 months old on the 3rd and she continues to delight our family. Mellow, happy, good sleeper, and a joy-filled, face-lighter-up when her brother or sister are around. I'm so very grateful this holiday season for the gift of this sweet girl. She has given me new perspective on motherhood and helped me slow down and enjoy my time with all 3 of my children. I feel the least busy, the least stressed, and the most relaxed I've felt in motherhood so far.

Stats at 4 months:

Height: 25 inches--75th percentile

Weight: 16 pounds, 2 ounces--95th percentile

Head circ.: 16 3/4 inches--90th percentile

22 months

Really, how is my sweet, energetic, talking-up-a-storm, boy almost 2 years old?!

I LOVE this little man. Our sweet C. Our Munch.

He does everything with great passion, it's already so very obvious. He is incredibly gentle and loving with both of his sisters. To a fault. He plays fairly well alone, but for sure loves, loves, loves to be outdoors, running off excess energy.

What a gift! What a joy he is in our life! Just wanted to take a moment to share.

Blogging insecurity and holiday crafting

I don't know about you, but as a mom, I often go through "blogger's insecurity" when I browse blogs of moms who seem to be crafting all.the.time with their kiddos.

There, I said it. It's been weighing on me and it feels good to write it down.

I really want to do it more with mine, but I don't for a number of reasons. Mostly, I get overwhelmed with all the options out there and want to make sure I make the *best* choice for a future craft. Therefore, I often end up doing nothing because there are too.many.choices. and I feel overwhelmed. I also feel like I don't do grand and glorious crafts with my kids (like so many moms I see) so why bother?

But, I'm learning, albeit very slowly. I am trying to craft weekly with my kiddos (mostly Mags) and I'm learning to just *make a decision* and move forward with said craft. Even if it's a store-bought put-it-together one, or a simple nature walk and to collect leaves and do rubbings, or taking the camera outside and telling her to snap pictures. She knows no different and is thrilled to be creating. That's the key.

This week it's been inexpensive, wooden ornaments ($1 each at JoAnn's Fabrics) to paint and foam crafts to assemble (available at Michael's or Target; I bought last year after Christmas for pennies). Maggie has been having a ball and Curren even got in on the painting.

Crafty McCrafterton: burlap window decor

The title is inspired by my friend Casey, who is quite crafty and inspires me! I made this burlap garland after seeing it on a Simple Mom blog post. I really like how it turned out.

I bought 1/2 a yard of each color (red, green, brown) at Joann's for $1.50 each. Using Google Images, I found this pattern for a stocking and this pattern for a tree (minus the presents and star); of course, you could choose anything you wanted. I reduced them by 50% when I printed them, then traced them on the burlap, then cut them out. I free-handed the candy canes. Burlap is very forgiving.

I strung jute yarn across the windows and used pushpins to secure each side. I also added this fun, sparkling, white, wintery glue to both the candy canes and the ornament shapes. Finally, I secured each piece with a clothespin.

Quick & simple, festive & inexpensive. Love!

happy thanksgiving

Hard to believe another year has passed! It's been a incredible year for our family, so much to be thankful for. I truly love this holiday as we stop to purposely think on our many, many blessings.

We enjoyed a lovely day at Aron's aunt's house in San Diego. Above is a sunset view from her sprawling backyard.

first sledding

While in Bishop, we took the kids about 20 minutes into the mountains surrounding the valley and enjoyed our first ever sledding. It was snowing lightly, too, which made for some awesomely fun memories! Maggie could not get enough of the snow, Jacob was over it in about 15 minutes, and Curren last about half an hour.

Bishop, CA

My bestie and amazing sister, Shannon, and her sweet family live in Bishop (about 5 hours northeast of us) and we spent the 5 days leading up to Thanksgiving with them. It was a blast, though the house was crazy, full of 5 children 3 and under. But, we survived and the cousins had so much fun together! I love that my 3 have 2 cousins that are not only close in proximity, but in age. Highlights of our trip include leisurely mornings with lots of coffee, lounging in jammies, sledding, long talks with Steve and Shannon, alone time with my sister, and lots of cousin play time.

iPad love
Coloring together
Sweet Stella (9 1/2 months months) and Kate (3 1/2 months)
Our beloved fall picture aka: "it-took-a-thousand-takes-to-get-one-where-they-are-all-somewhat-looking-happy"

my first yo-yo's

My good friend Katie taught me how to make yo-yo's and it's seriously so easy, even for someone like me who *wants* to learn to sew, but just doesn't have the time. It's as easy as choosing fabric, cutting a circle, hand-stitching the edges, pulling it tight and closed and sewing a button on top. Voila!

I added my newly made yo-yo's (which, did I mention, took me a total of 10 minute to make, start to finish) to a pair of felted shoes I purchased at Target (clearance, $2.50).

I first saw something like this idea here, then my friend Amy made yo-yo's for hers, told me how easy it was, and I had to try it out. I love it!

Mel, you should be so proud of me.

Green Eggs and Ham

The last couple of years have felt sort-of like Dr. Seuss' timeless children's tale: I offer eggs to Maggie on a regular basis (Curren loves them) and she always refuses. Maybe I should have offered them dipped in chocolate. Anyway, that's beside the point.

She asked to try eggs today. Completely. Out. Of. The. Blue. How could I refuse?

And you guessed it, she LOVED them. Amazing! I'm super stoked I can now get her to eat this great source of protein.

I could have also titled this post "Runaway Bride" as I have served the eggs to her in a variety of ways and so far, she is a scrambled girl all the way--no to hard boiled and no to over-medium.

cowboy wedding

My friend Jessie, from high school, got married on Saturday. She and her husband own a home in Fallbrook that has a saloon in it! So, they went with the theme of Old West and it was really fun; many people rented elaborate costumed (think those vintage photographs where families dress up in flowing dresses, parasols, bowling hats), but most people came in jeans, flannels, and boots. I guess we did OK.

Kate was AMAZING and chill the entire time. Except when this photo was taken. Go figure.

I thought it was time to post a new pic of both my Love and me. :)

Happy birthday to me!

I don't normally shout accolades of birthday joy to myself (although I'm a HUGE birthday lover), but wanted to share the incredible birthday gift Aron gave me. He took Monday (the day after my birthday) off from work, cared for all 3 kiddos, and sent me down to the San Diego Botanic Garden to have a vision/reflection day.

All day.

It was absolutely incredible.

He knew just what I needed, sacrificially gave of his time so I could be renewed, and put great thought and detail into my "agenda" for the day.

It started with having me find a quiet spot to reflect and pray and settle my heart. I chose the above bench under a grove of trees; my soul felt at rest immediately. Aron had me journal and reflect on the past year: what were my greatest joys? My greatest sorrows and failures? I took time to pray and reflect and seek the Lord. Aron allotted a certain amount of time for each activity (ranging from 15 minutes to 60 minutes; I modified as I went).

The meat and potatoes of the day was writing down my *3 Hopes* for the coming year, in great detail and with practical application; this is something I've been really struggling with (possibly the greatest understatement of the century) for quite some time now. I want to DO so much. All the time. I want to be good at EVERYTHING. I want to excel in ALL areas of life. And I cannot. I'm learning to embrace my humanity and my limitations and instead focus on what I AM good at, what I LOVE, and what I want to LEARN.

The poem I wrote on the giant chalkboard above (it was GIANT) summed up my day, despite a misspelling (I loathe misspellings): "Solitude brings chaos and amidst the chaos quiet and hope." One of my activities Aron laid out was to create something; I think this counts?

I walked away with a renewed sense of vision in my life. I really did. I'm forever grateful to my sweet husband.

The day ended with a manicure and pedicure and a delicious Thai dinner out.

(If you are interested in the actual doc he wrote up, let me know and I'll email it to you).

8 wonderful years of marriage

September 29 marked Aron's and my 8 year wedding anniversary. I started this post on the actual day and forgot to post it. Why now? Because I must once again proclaim my deep and profound love for this man; a great gift of God's grace in my life. I am a better woman and mother because of his love for me.