Door Bell Ditchers

With the help of my good friend Karen and her little boy we've been doing the
"12 days of Christmas"
for some neighbors on our street. Karen captured these great pictures of the boys making their "quick" escape.

To be honest, I would be shocked if our neighbors didn't already know who was leaving little treats and preschool crafts

Like these...


on their porches.

Stealth is not a strong point of 4 year old boys. Often times the doorbell is rung LONG before the person carrying the treat is even at the door. But- it has been so fun to do this little semi-secret service project with the kids. I think it's really helping put us all in the Christmas spirit.

Besides, secret or not; who wouldn't be happy to have cute boys like these two ringing your door bell every day?

Did you know that...

1. Marian can find her way to our bed in the dark...at 2 am?
   
2. Marian is quite talkative ...at 2 am?
   
3. She is very happy to touch your nose, lips, and eyes and keep poking them until you answer her questions of "what's that" ...at 2am?
4. She doesn't like to use her own pillow?
5. She likes to use yours?
6. With you!!!!
   
7. I need to do a better job of brushing Marian's teeth before putting her to bed?
   
8. Even while in a deep sleep, Marian is a very strong kicker?
9. If you try to put Marian back in her bed at 5 am she will wake up Jack, they will fight, Marian will cry, and end up back in your bed at 5:30 am?

I knew that. At least I know that, NOW.

Grandma Shari came to town!

My fabulous mom was in town last week and words alone cannot express what a great time we had. Nor could they convey all that she did to help me while she was here. So I've got pictures.

Before the kids even gave her a chance to get dressed...she played memory with Jack...

and painted Marian's nails (pink of course). Marian showed everyone her "pretty nails" all week long.

Then, thanks to Chad, my mom and I headed out on our own and lunched in Concord then went on a tour of the Louisa May Alcott Home.

My mom is so good at doing fun little crafts with the kids. They LOVED making Gingerbread men (and women) cutouts. They also made REAL gingerbread people and decorated them and hung them on the tree. But they disappeared, limb by limb before I could get a picture of them.

If you're wondering why Jack is ALWAYS in his pajamas in these pictures, it's because Jack is ALWAYS in his pajamas. The minute he gets home from school or church he puts his pajamas back on. He would live in sweats every day if I let him!

Grandma Shari also taught the kids the important strategies of paper, rock, scissors. I don't have a picture of it but it's because of all the fun things my mom did with the kids that when we played "spotlight" my mom was chosen every time!

The thing I looked forward to the most was making my mom's Yule Kaka. It's a Scandinavian Christmas bread that she makes every year for Christmas. She showed me how to make it and then helped me deliver the loaves (minus the 3 we devoured ourselves) to my neighbors.

It tasted as good as it looked!

My mom also got to come to Marian's beloved "dance class" and Marian was so proud to show off for Grandma.

My mom also helped me hang a lot of pictures and curtains in our apartment. I'm not ashamed to admit that we both kept saying how glad we were that it was a rental and not my own walls we were desecrating with extraneous holes. We were also glad that Chad wasn't there to see how much jimmy-rigging went on. BUT, the end result is fabulous!


You can't truly appreciate the difference these new curtains and rod make...but the before pictures were too painful. The curtain rod was sagging in the middle and my homemade curtains of which I was once so proud...were no longer making anyone proud.

Thanks mom for the FABULOUS visit! I felt so spoiled getting you all to myself! The kids, Chad, and I keep asking..."When is Grandma Shari coming again?" We love you!