Santa's Favorite Stocking Stuffers

Anyone heard of Just Me Music? LOVE it! My kids go CRAZY when they hear their favorite characters singing just to them! If you're stuck on what to get the little rascal in your life for Christmas... I would highly recommend one (or more!) of these CD's. They are a little pricey, but not when you consider how much your little bonbon shakers will jam out to their personalized tunes. Rather than buying directly from the company, I would recommend eBay instead. (I picked up three for the price of two with no shipping fees.) Wherever you buy them, they are sure to be a hit!

The Great Crash of '07

So we recently suffered a hard drive meltdown of epic proportions. It's amazing how much I have come to rely on my computer. Not having everything right where I put it- a click away- has been so frustrating. It's taking forever, but little by little, all of the photographs, documents, and scrapbooking supplies that could have been lost forever are being returned to me. I would encourage EVERYONE to invest in some hearty back-up for your computers... immediately, if you haven't done it already. We (okay, Sonny) purchased a back-up service plan from Carbonite for $50. It works automatically and there is no limit to how much you can store. If it wasn't for this, I would not have a single photograph after 2003! I feel seriously light-headed just thinking about that. So... in summation... people, I implore you! Back up those hard drives!

happy birthday stevie


(Sorry this is lame, but our computer crashed so I don't have a lot available right now!)

We just wanted you to know that we are thinking of you on your big day!
We love you!

One Little Indian

We went to Ryen's preschool today for a Thanksgiving extravaganza! It was so cool. All of the kids were dressed in spiffy little indian costumes and they put on quite a show! Ryen was totally in her element! After their program, we had a "feast" with all of the kids and their parents. I just love the preschool we chose for Ry. She is SO happy there!

Thanks & Giving

I have SO much to be thankful for. This time of year is such a great reminder to not only recognize how truly blessed each of us are, but also to actively show our gratitude. I owe all I have to a loving Father in Heaven- but there are also many others who I am seriously indebted to. Namely, the men and women overseas who are unable to be with their loved ones this holiday season. Politics aside, these individuals deserve our thanks. There are a lot of ways to show these brave men and women your appreciation. Click here for a list of organizations to choose from online. Click here to send our troops an email. Click here to send a letter or care package to a specific soldier overseas. (This is what our family will be doing.) Let's all give thanks to the men and women who honorably serve our country and sacrifice their lives to protect our freedom.

Her Favorite Best Day Ever

Ryen got a letter from her cousin (and favorite friend) Rozlyn. She was ECSTATIC!!! She hugged the envelope to her chest and proclaimed, "Today is my favorite best day ever!" Thanks Roz!

Budding Artist

Okay, so I know most parents probably think their child is the next Van Gogh, but Ryen seriously blows me away with her creative talents. She is all about using EVERY color these days. Earlier today she whipped up an artist pallet, a rainbow, and a duck. (There is no way I could draw a duck that well when I was 4!) She is such a genius! :)

The Mermaid Pirate

I just had to add this other picture of Madelyn as a mermaid/pirate. She cracks me up!

Princesses & Pirates

Ryen and Madelyn LOVE to play dress-up. I always love to see the stunning creations they come up with. Eat your heart out, Paris! This particular time the girls were princesses and I was a pirate. A "naughty pirate" according to Ryen. (It was easy to be scary with no make-up on.) I was so convincing that I made Ryen pee her pants when I sneaked up behind her and growled in her ear. Oops. We have so much fun playing together! My girls are the best pals I could ever imagine. We keep Sonny on his toes- that's for sure!

She's Got Mail

Ryen loves mail so much! She loves writing letters to people more than just about anything. This week, she actually got a letter BACK! It seriously made her day! (She squealed and screamed and jumped up and down like she had won the lottery.) Thank you Aunt Caity for taking the time to respond to her. If anyone wants a pen pal, I know a certain little someone who would be in heaven. ;)

(Ryen sporting her new stickers)
Love you, Cait!

Aunt Sandi

We were recently lucky enough to have Sonny's sister, Sandi, come visit us for a few days. It was SO nice of her to come and we enjoyed our time with her immensely! The girls had a blast with their Aunt Sandi- so much so that Ryen prayed every night that she would stay at our house forever and ever. It's hard to say what the girls enjoyed doing the most during their sweet aunt's visit but, if I had to guess, I'd say it was building this "tower as big as the sky!!!" :) Thank you for coming to see us, Sandi. We love you!

Click and Chuck

Ryen was so proud when she brought this bright purple birdhouse home from school. I love all of the things she comes home with, but sometimes it's hard to know what to do with everything. I usually let her play with her little treasures until they become old news. Then I take a picture of it and discard it. That way I don't feel guilty about letting it go because I still have the photo, but not the clutter. The really sweet things I hold onto for her. I use the same principle with everything else I own. If it's special, but not being used or regularly cherished, I take a picture of it and chuck it. Seems to work!

He loves me.

Sonny came home from work today with a familiar look on his face. It's one of his faces that I love the most. It's the one that says "I am doing something totally sneaky and I know how happy it's about to make you." It always makes me laugh. I could tell he was hiding something behind his back and before I could ask him about it, he reached out and handed me a bouquet of fiery fall leaves. He knows me so well. It made my day.

Mermaid Madelyn

Madelyn IS the Little Mermaid. ...Or at least, she thinks she is. Every single day she brings me one of her mermaid dress-up costumes to put on her. She HAS to wear her pants with it and CAN'T wear a shirt underneath. (Don't ask me why- I just work here.) It is so fun watching her dance around the house, pretending to swim and twirl and fight off Ursula, the sea witch. Ryen loves her dress-up clothes too and jumps right in as soon as she gets home from school each day. I love my imaginative little girly girls!

Uncle Ben

HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my brother Benjamin! I've always thought of him as everything I'm not. He's got in spades every characteristic that I lack ...and I love him for it. Throughout my life he has been such an amazing example to me and I feel I have learned so much from him. I admire his bravery, his brilliance, his patience, and his kindness. He has a wise and gentle soul that makes him a tremendous husband, father, and human being. We love you, Bean! Happy birthday!

The Lickstache

Before

After

Ryen has a serious problem. She has become a lickaholic. No matter how many times we talk to her about not licking her lips, she just can't seem to stop herself. As a result her upper lip has become more red and chapped than I have ever seen anything! Finally, out of shear desperation, we applied the usual Vaseline to her face and then... covered it with a Dora band-aid. She looks beyond goofy, but for the first time in two weeks she hasn't licked her lip. She is going to hate these pictures when she is older.

A Good Read

I am just about to finish the third and final book of "The Golden Compass". I have mixed feelings about the three-book series. While I very much enjoyed how imaginative and entertaining the books were, I found them a bit disconcerting from a religious perspective. However, if read in the same frame of mind used to read "The Oddyssey" or "Iliad" where Greek mythology rules, it is much less shocking- even downright intriguing. Have any of you read these books? What did you think? Have you read anything great lately? I'm interested to know!

I'm going to start reading chapter books to Ryen. She's still pretty young so it will be interesting to see which of her characteristics wins out... Her love of a good story or her inability to sit still for two minutes at a time. It will be fun to see!

Did you know?

November is the designated month to increase adoption awareness and to celebrate the gift that is adoption. We have been so enormously blessed through the adoption of our Miss Ryen Olivia. I'll be writing more about that throughout the month- as my way of celebrating this incredible part of our lives.