Christmas at Pawpaw's
Danslen had elf hair.  I love screwing up the girls' hair.

One thing I love about my family is we laugh when we get together.  Someone is always cutting up, and this time, it was my Dad.  They kept squeezing a whoopie cushion in my grandma's ear and Mawmaw just kept pretending she didn't hear the farts (she thought they were real)  Watch the progression of laughter on my family's faces.  Every one of them behind the couch.  LOL

If you aren't laughing, something is wrong with you.  LOL!!!

Christmas at Honey's.
My favorite part was taking the kids on a 4-wheeler ride and on a whim stopping at two houses to Christmas carol.  One house is a coworker of mine.  He just found out he had cancer and as we drove by I tried to come up with something nice we could do to brighten his evening.  I came up with singing.  There was an 8 year old, two 4 year olds, a 2 year old, and a 1 year old, and me.  We got most of "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer" out.  I was crying and losing control of the situation.  Then we stopped at a random house where it was clear they were having a family gathering.  Everyone gathered around the door.  They were crying and again so was I.  They were so excited to have carolers and I was equally excited to be making the spirit bright.  I plan to do this next year in full force.  Get ready friends!

I want to diverge from the usual blog post here for a moment.  Yeh yeh, believe it or not, I DO have a life outside of my kids.  Small, but it exists.  ;-)
I want to talk about being 30-something.  It's great.  I often hear people talking about how they'd go back to being a kid.  Not me.  I'll stay right here where I am.  Wish I could freeze time.  First, I hope some young people read this, because when you set yourself up right and make good choices when you are young, the benefits are more than you can imagine.  I have enough money to be dangerous but enough good sense to keep me grounded.  Lots of people think it's shameful to talk about money.  I don't.  I think it's a necessity and if people talked about it more everyone wouldn't be in debt up to their eyeballs with high car notes and maxed out credit cards.  That life has never appealed to me.  I took school seriously, college nearly killed me (I worked AT LEAST 3 jobs the whole time and graduated first in my class.), and sacrificed a bit when I got married.  We bought land and lived in a trailer.  And it was awesome!  I enjoyed every minute of it.  It allowed us to make some investments that have put me in a position to now have a house big enough for all my hobbies including my kids, HA, and 4 other properties here and there.  I am not bragging.  I just want young people to not fall into the pit of "needing" doodads.  (Italian leather handbags, $100 jeans, manis & pedis, whatever "doodads" means to you).  Guess what?  I shop at yard sales.  Almost exclusively.  I drive an old car.  It's 9.  I hope it makes it to 19.  Guess what?  I paid for it with cash!!  I can have almost anything I want, but if it doesn't come from a yard sale, I probably won't buy it.  So do good, make good choices, and think about tomorrow instead of today.

Soon I hope to be on my motorcycle with my hair blowing through the Spring air.  I wouldn't go back to being a kid again.  I like asking myself, "Hey Mom, can I do that?" then answering myself, "Absolutely girl, you CAN!"  

Love to you all!

Well here we are!  Today is my last day at the office until 2013.  I got a big surprise at work today which only added to my general excitement.  I am totally, 100% PUMPED about Christmas.  This is the first year we've spent any real money on the kids.  Of course Danslen is still getting slightly shafted but her time is coming.  Daniley's Christmas is going to rock and I am just beside myself about it all.  She has never gotten wound up about Christmas, and still isn't too bad.  You would expect her under the tree snooping...but not so.  She told Santa she wanted a new set of dolls.  She has asked for nothing else.  I will have 5 whole days to enjoy before Christmas arrives.  I am looking forward to the time off and to a wonderful Christmas with my sweet family!  MERRY CHRISTMAS!!  I am losing sleep already!!!  :-)

This year's Christmas party was the best ever!  It put me in the best Christmas mood.  I love seeing all the kids and I should have a house full way more often.  Here is a hodge podge of pictures.  I didn't post all the individual Santa pictures in the slideshow, but if you are my friend on Facebook I tagged you in your picture of your kids.
While waiting for Santa, Daniley explained that if she sang "Jingle Bells" Santa would know where to find her.  Suddenly, and without singing thank goodness, Santa emerged from the woods.  The kids began jumping and screaming with excitement.  CiCi, age 6, told everyone they should pretend like they were asleep.  Then another little boy squealed, "It doesn't matter if I'm on the Naughty List."  Breanna, age 6, told Santa that she knew Santa knew her Dad because her Dad had been calling Santa.  Kids don't hold back any secrets from Santa.
Some things are just better in person.  Perhaps those little girls' squeals are just a higher pitch than what the camera can record.  I wouldn't take a million bucks for being able to stand there last night and see all those little kids jumping around like that.  I thought for a minute the floor was going to fall through.  Those kids are precious in every way.

Here are a few pictures.

And here is a picture of Mom with Santa.  This was one of the most fun days of being a mother so far!  We are so blessed and love sharing our home and Santa with all our friends!  Thank you all so much for coming.  We were blessed by your presence and hope to see you again next year!

Alabaster Christmas Parade

Add stocking making to my resume!!

 

I was going to pay a friend to do these because I have so little time.  However, Saturday night Dan and I had arrangements made for the girl and were going to go to a party a friend of mine was having.  Unfortunately, we could not get our crap together, so I canceled everything and we stayed at home.  On the flip side, I found time to make these!  So proud of my first ever stockings!  

How to make a Christmas elf:

I can bench press *at least* 22 pounds and on the leg press, *at least* 52!  

Somebody doing it both at one time...Now THAT'S talent!

Who needs a gym anyway??

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving this year was bittersweet.  Dan and I have spent every Thanksgiving night since the beginning of time (OUR time) with his parents, even before we were married.  We used to (before kids) get up and go shopping early Friday morning.  Dan was building his tool collection so we'd go to Sears in Midfield every year (his parents lived nearby), avoiding craziness around the mall, yet still getting all the tools on sale.  Eventually he had every tool, but we continued our tradition.  When the kids came along, we continued yet....we'd still spent the night....Honey would keep the kids while we would get up early and shop.  This year, however, everything came to a screeching halt when Dan's parents called and stated they were traveling elsewhere for Thanksgiving.  So instead of big family gatherings on this Thankful Thursday, I cooked a nice breakfast, hand rolled biscuits with all the trimmings, for my little family of four.  It was nontraditional to say the least.  First time in my life I didn't have turkey and dressing.  Instead had homemade pizza.  My brother told me the lack of company and good food was a dream Thanksgiving.  haha.  Yes I see the benefits.  It was a nice day that included eating, 4-wheeler rides, and Christmas trees.  Honey still offered to keep the kids but I couldn't stand the thought of being without them on Thanksgiving.  Friday we still got up and went shopping (NOT at 6am), kids in tow.  Despite the late start, I still got everything I wished for.   It's been a nice holiday week...5 days off.  One thing I can surely say I'm thankful for is a job!  Ready to hit the ground running tomorrow!!

On this Thanksgiving, it is a time to reflect on just how blessed I am.  I have a healthy family, a caring husband, a warm home, plenty to eat, good friends, a brother and sister I wouldn't trade for just anybody, and awesome grandparents out the wazoo!  I'm blessed beyond measure!!  Right now I can hear the kids' laughter in the background.  I'm not sure if anything could be a sweeter sound!

 Sweet little precious baby girl.  She's tall and skinny.  Not like me.  She's my inspiration.  "Put on your big girl panties and deal with it."  :-)  Yes, I said big girl panties!!  :-)

2 sweet sisters that fight like a cat and dog, but love each other in ways words can't describe.

This one right here is the party animal.

 

Saturday we watched "the" football game with Aunt Brooke (and Bent!!) and Aunt Jo (and KC).  They love my girls so much and I am so grateful for them being great aunts to my girls.  With Daniley and Brooke and Jo, you just never know what in the world might happen next!  For example, Daniley exclaimed she was the nightmare princess.  "I make all your nightmares come true."  (And we all laughed hysterically.)  We ended up going to eat at Habenero's.  I guess we all had a wild hair...well that, and we were hungry.  We also were playing around with margaritas and daiquiris.  (Ring leader:  Daniley.  Virgin of course).  When we were at Habenero's Daniley got to talking to this random couple in a booth.  I looked behind me and she was sitting up in their booth with them.  LOL.  The margarita came in handy.  LOL. 

And when I've finished all the necessary chores, and crafted myself out, and played outside til the sun went down, and eaten like a pig, and done everything else I "have" to do.....my husband knows just how to call me into the living room to relax:

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Next up:  Christmas!!!

I have been in Vegas.  Everything stayed there.  That is all.

If you're gonna get me......I'm gonna run......
This kid is hysterical. 

Pretty much the first Saturday after Halloween Daniley was ready to put up the Christmas tree.  She had a plan in its entirety.  Put the couches outside, put the tree up, and be done with it already!  ;-)
We decided, instead, to get her a tree for her room.  She was soooooooo excited.  So were Dan and I.  :-D

Sometimes I get a free minute....
Here's my babysitter:

 And here's why I need a babysitter.

TOUCHDOWN BAMA!!!!  Roll Tide Roll!!

Happy Halloween from the most darlin' Little Darlin' ever!!

Whoah!
October has been CRAZY!  In fact, October has been crazy for the past several years.  So I'm now accepting that this month will always be crazy.  It's actually at least equal to, if not worse, than December.  I haven't had time to keep up with the blog.  I am not so dumb to think that you readers are following every detail of my life.  No.  However the blog is a reminder for me, a mother, to remember how we spent our time.  And it's quite handy each year when it's time for me to make the yearbook.  The stories are already written with the detail most of them deserve.
Usually, the lagging of blog stories means Mommy is in over her head.  :-)  Yes, I needed a break.  That's an understatement.  The girls are currently at Honey's. (Dan and I went to a football party last night.  Roll Tide!) It was 9:37am and Dan just called up here to ask me when I wanted him to get the girls.  My answer:  "No time soon."  Haha.  I need to get a few more things done!!

One of my favorite things we did this month was go camping.  We went to Wind Creek, my first time there ever.  I arrived on the scene first, with 2 girls in tow.  I was determined to get our tent setup before the men came.  I'm the better tent-setter-upper anyway.  Daniley helped me and we succeeded without too much trouble.

 

Now before arriving, I didn't do any research.  I just showed up.  So I was surprised to find it on the lake, and we had no swimsuits.  Yes I know it's October, but it was a sunny day and the water was warm enough, so I let the girls go for a swim in their birthday suits instead.

It got pretty cold in the nights.  Luckily, my brother and Dad arrived and Dad has a very nice horse trailer set up for camping.  (Think toilet, bed, stove.)  He volunteered to bring all the firewood and help do the cooking.  He builds awesome fires. 

Here we are gathered around singing campfire songs.

We took our bikes and went for several strolls.

. 

Now something else happened here but I have no pictures.  This particular weekend was their Halloween celebration.  So the campground was FULL.  Every camper had trick-or-treating, and some must do this every year because a few had their camp area set up into haunted houses.  We trick-or-treated and had a rocking good time.  Then that night, they had a hayride haunted trail.  I was really impressed with this.  We waited in line over an hour.  I was surprised to see they had a very dramatic setup on the hayride.  It was worth every minute.  Daniley LOVED it!!!!!!!  That kid, I just love her.  She ain't scared of nothing, even zombies coming out of the woods towards her. 

Now the weekend of our camping here was due to another factor:  our family reunion.  It meets in Alex City every October.  And I have grown to really enjoy it.  It is usually on the day of the Alabama/Tennessee game.  Half of my family is for Alabama.  The other half lives in TN and are Vols fans.  So it is a showdown at its finest.  You are for one team or the other.  Don't bother showing up in your Auburn shirt.  This year, we had a band.  Not just any band either.  The Family Band.  Everybody in the family can play and instrument or sing!  There are two songs we ALWAYS do, Bobby McGee and Rockytop.  I love both those songs because of the memories they hold.  Here we are rockin' it to Rocky Top.  It's not that audible, sorry.  

Here are some other photos from the day.  Yes, we sported our Alabama attire.  Represent it!

Cousin love at its finest!

 

We also went to Boo at the Zoo.  I had spoke to a friend about this, and then I decided I couldn't fit it in.  At the last minute something changed and we WERE able to go.  In a moment's notice we ended up meeting a different friend there.  It was so fun.  We stayed from Open to Close.  The kids had a blast.

Turn your speakers up and press play.  Little Darlin will quickly identify herself, right before her breakdancing floor roll.  haha.

And why do I run myself to near death after these kiddos???  This right here makes every second worth it.

The weekend before Halloween was a very special Halloween party.  We attended this last year, the first year it was held.  We had such a good time, Daniley was still talking about the spooky house there this year.  Some friends from Columbiana turn their garage into a haunted house and it's soooo fun.  It's fairly scary, and it scares Daniley a little bit, but she loves it anyway.  She was not too scared to go in, although she did prefer to have an escort.  I didn't get any pictures from inside because I was busy making sure she didn't trip or fall.  I enjoyed myself immensely just sitting on Ali's back porch and watching the kids.  (Dan stayed home to watch Danslen because she had been sick.)  Ali even let them roll her yard, and despite always up for having a good time, I'm not even sure I would have allowed this in my yard.  haha.

The next day we were scheduled to be at the Pumpkin Patch, but upset stomachs kept us away.  I was a little sad about that but you can only do what you can do.

Finally:  Halloween.  The finale of the show.  We dressed up as..... a farm.  :-)

 

There you have a farmer, his cow, chicken, and horse!  What a fun time.  We met with friends and family at LeLe's.  Sarah Katherine, who joins us every year, and Daniley went for a quick trick-or-treat before they had to go.  Danslen and Bentley rode in the wagon but didn't make the door runs this time.  Even Charlotte Anne got in on the action.

 

 After that we went back to Mom's to wait on James and Eli, but they never came.  So eventually we just went trick-or-treating by ourselves and had a rockin' good time.  Afterwards, we went to Honey and GPaw's to trick or treat at their house and let them see their grandbabies in their costumes.  I love Halloween.  It's about family and fun for us.  It is second only to Christmas in terms of how special it is to me.

And if that doesn't sound like a busy October, then let me see YOUR blog.  ;-)