Gingerbread House

The boys decorated their gingerbread house and had a lot of fun doing it. Gambit ate a lot more candy than he put on the house. They are so proud of it and love to pick off the candy to eat.

Fun with Cousins

It's a lot of fun to put all the empty toy bins in the pack 'n play and jump around in there. Who needs real toys anyway?

Painting

I've always wanted our front entryway painted so it's warm and inviting when we come into the house. We finally got around to it over Thanksgiving week. Painting 17 foot high ceilings is no picnic, but I just let Antonio take care of that part.

YOU can make a difference!

I have a friend, Bianca, who is an amazing mother to three beautiful daughters. Her youngest, Linden, was born last year with Down Syndrome. She is such an adorable and wonderful little girl and her mother gives 110% to all her children.

Bianca has set a goal to raise $20,000 for Reece's Rainbow, an organization that helps find international children with special needs (particularly Down Syndrome children) forever families.

If you want to make a difference, if you need a charity to give to, or if the stories of these children just tug at the heartstrings a bit, please consider giving whatever monetary donation you can afford. The lives of these children could be drastically altered, for good or bad. Around age 4 these special needs kids are moved from an orphanage to an institution. Where, unfortunately most die within the first year there. There doesn't seem to be a shortage of families who are willing to adopt these children, but international adoption can be very costly, and with the cost of medical needs of these children as well, it can be too much.

Check out her blog and progress (and a link to Reece's Rainbow) at http://www.joeandbianca.blogspot.com/.

Canned Butter

I stumbled across directions on how to can butter on the internet a few months ago. It sounded like such a great addition to our food storage and the process didn't seem too complicated. I finally got around to actually doing it and the results are 12 pint jars of canned butter! It really was very simple, just somewhat time consuming. It took me about 2.5 hours to get these canned, but it was also my first time. I've been feeling a big urge to work on beefing up our food storage. We've got a great start, but I really want to get an organized stash going with more than just the boring staple foods.

Ninja's 5th Birthday!

We had a party for Ninja to celebrate his 5th birthday! This kid is just awesome. He's smart, funny, articulate, and loving (when he wants to be). I'm so proud of the little man he's become, and I'm excited for what the next 5 years will bring. Happy Birthday, Ninja! Daddy and I love you so much!

It just feels good....

I just feels good when you are 13 weeks pregnant and you still fit into your jeans purchased from the Girls section of Target. Boy, what a self esteem booster.

This weeks cravings: Egg McMuffins and Grilled cheese with that fake american cheese.

Dentist Visit

The boys went to the dentist recently to have their teeth cleaned. It wasn't their first appointment, but I forgot the camera last time. They both did great and the hygienist kept commenting on how wonderful they were. We love our dentist and so far the boys get excited when they have to go.

Ninja was rockin' the awesome glasses.

Gambit thought it was funny when they "tickled" his teeth.

All clean!

2009 Blazer Season Opener

We bought season tickets this year with some friends and split them up. Antonio and I decided to take the boys to the opening game. It was so much fun! The boys were great (thanks to a bit of bribery with cotton candy) and the Blazer's won. We are very excited for a great season!

Pumpkin Patch

It was wet and muddy at the pumpkin patch this year. Even so, the boys had a blast. Uncle Gee joined us with Snooks and Buzz, and Mammie brought her preschool crew, of course. I didn't get many pictures because it was raining so hard and I didn't want to ruin my camera.

Worms!

Uncle Gee and Baby Buzz

Finished products

Tacoma Trip - 2009

Antonio has a client in Tacoma, WA, so the boys and I decided to take a spur of the moment trip up there. We drove up one afternoon and joined Daddy for dinner. The hotel is in a beautiful part of the city in Point Defiance and right on the water (literally). We enjoyed walking around the area and seeing the amazing colors of fall. The boys and I visited the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium while Daddy went to work the next day. My mom, Uncle Gee, Snooks, and Buzz drove up to enjoy the day with us also. This is such a wonderful zoo. They have a great variety of animals, and it's always so quiet there. Not like the bigger zoos that get a lot of traffic.

Our hotel is built out on the water. Our room was on the back corner so we had a great view.


The love of Gambit's life....for now.

Basilla, the blind walrus, who spent the afternoon basking in the cool, crisp air.

Triage

Ninja tried cutting an orange by himself today and this was the result. Good thing I love medical stuff and don't get grossed out (I was oddly excited to clean and dress the wound). But, with my novice expertise, no stitches necessary. And yes, he still refuses to wear clothes.

The Family Comes Home!

My parents, Jules, and Winsk arrived back home from their around the world trip a few days ago. We all were very excited to have them back and to welcome Uncle Gee, Aunt Bee, Snooks, and Buzz to the area (they just moved here).