Yard art in the burbs

Elf Alert:
He is traveling! Friday morning he landed on the wreath above the fireplace and this morning he was found on the Christmas tree! I think he likes the prickly feel of the greenery...hehe!
The girls and Jerrod are on their camping trip so it's a one girl, two boys kind of weekend- Jackson loves that part. I can't wait to post about their trip- they are thought of often.

Later in the day, we are planning to attend a cookie exchange/yard art party at the Hill's. Everyone is bringing plywood and paint and Stephen will be cutting out shapes, etc. for each family to paint. Then, everyone takes them home. FUN! I think we will pass on the cutouts and paint since Jerrod is gone for the weekend, but none the less we will have fun. Of course, I'll post pictures from that too. Here they are: I love the burbs...we had a ball! Awesome neighbors.

Olive the Other Reindeer

Sing it with me, "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, had a very shiny nose, and if you ever saw it, you would even say it glows...All of the other Reindeer, used to laugh and call him names, they never let poor Rudolph, join in any reindeer games"- it just makes you smile doesn't it?! I love this song and I love the book I am sharing on Jennifer's "literacy thursday" blog. The book is Olive the Other Reindeer and is written by J. Otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh. We just happened to buy the deluxe version which includes flaps to lift, scratch and sniff and a POP UP grand finale!!

All of my kids love this sweet story about a dog who didn't hear the words correctly to the famous song mentioned at the beginning of the blog. What Olive hears is, "Olive the Other Reindeer, " and becomes confused since she thought she was a dog. When she discovers that she is really a reindeer, she heads to the North Pole to report for duty and quickly makes friends with Comet, the biggest reindeer. Olive was tied tight to the sleigh, but the other reindeers were so amazed at Olive that they weren't watching where they were going and CRASHED! Of course, they got back on track and continued to have mishaps along the way.The end of the story is so sweet. After all the presents are delivered, Santa needs help getting out of the dreadful fog at the North Pole to make it home in time for breakfast (Ms. Claus is cooking and it smells great) so he calls Olive to the front of the sleigh and uses Olive's great sense of (dog) smell to get them right home in time! Once they get back to the North Pole, they open presents and just guess what Olive receives??? His own pair of REINDEER ANTLERS! But the best part...after all the presents were opened, they all went out to play reindeer games! Yeah!!Our book has a fantastic pop up at the end and my children love to get to that page! Look for the "deluxe" version if you want all the extras (pop up, scratch and sniff, etc.).

I suggest this book for all ages. It was introduced to me last year by Emma's first grade teacher, Mandy Casey at Campbell Elementary. Ms. Casey is a favorite of Emma's and one of mine, too!! It will be enjoyed for many years to come...I am certain of that!

I purchased mine at Barnes and Noble, but I have seen it at Target and I am sure it can be found almost anywhere books are sold. Enjoy!

Scentsy

I have decided to sell Scentsy candles. I was introduced to them while in Amarillo and had never heard of them before. Paula's house smelled wonderful, the warmers were beautiful and so I was off to buy myself one. When I got back to Sugar Land, I couldn't find the replacement bars from anyone locally so I decided to sell them myself.

They really are the perfect candle- the candle is melted by a 25 watt light bulb so there is NO flame, NO smoke, NO soot and the wax never gets hot enough to burn your skin! This makes them perfect for homes with small children (especially the ones that are fascinated by candles or just like the idea of blowing the candles out), the mom that always worries that she'll forget to blow out the candle before leaving home (ME!), homes with pets and they are perfect for at work where candle's aren't typically allowed!

There are over 40 warmers to choose from (each are $30), plug in warmers that are night lights (super cute and the perfect gift for just $15) and over 80 different scents! When your candle stops smelling or you want to switch, simply pour the wax into a paper cup, wipe the warmer with a paper towel and start over with a new scent! How cool is that?? I leave mine on all day...

I took my stock to a holiday home show tonight in my neighborhood and they were a big hit! Everyone loved the warmers, the scents and went to buying....it was great! I burned the "sugar cookie" candle in the warmer and that one sold out. All my friends had so much fun smelling the scents and picking their favorites! I sold what I had and then I placed a large order tonight. I hope they really enjoy them as much as I do. I am sure they will! I've even got a website- www.scentsy.com/ClaireSmith

This morning I went to my last MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) meeting for the semester at Riverpointe Church. Jill and Becky did a great job leading this semester! I enjoyed making new friends, reconnecting with old ones, and having an opportunity to fellowship with other women going through the same issues and joys all while raising a young family. This morning we decorated tables using different Christmas themes. Our table picked "Diva Christmas" and here's what ours looked like.
Here's my table from this semster. We had so much fun together! I think it's imperative for Moms to connect with other Moms- we need each other! MOPS has been a blessing to me for the last four years...I have met some great women that love the Lord at MOPS. I am thankful for each of them.

Iron Cross Gymnastics

Elf Alert:
Tiny Timmy landed on the picture in the dining room this morning. The girls were the first to find him right as they came down the stairs to eat breakfast and pack their backpacks. "He looked nice and comfy", they said.I have posted about Jackson's gymnastics and how much he loves to go see his coach, Jeremy at Iron Cross Gymnastics in Richmond. His coach is crazy...he climbed the walls today at practice and then jumped off the ceiling to land on a large cushion. Now I know why Jackson thinks he is so super cool. Hmmmm...could this explain why it was that the first time I met Jeremy- his leg (or foot) was broken?! Look at Jackson watching him like the perfect studious student!
Of course, I have to post some shots of Jackson flying like Spiderman (look at his fingers). He just loves this place!! It's my boys dream come true.

The Man in the Big Red Suit

Elf Alert:

Tiny Timmy landed on the top of the desk hutch. Thank goodness he was out of the way of touching hands...I just don't think I could take another day like yesterday- holding my breathe and all that he would survive! He is in good spirits and has had nothing but wonderful things to report back at night. I really can't think of any "bad" reports- but the season is still young. My friend Melanie Miller photographed the boys with Santa one Saturday at the end of November. The girls were gone for their weekend away with friends to Nacogdoches so we took the boys over for pictures (I am so sad the girls aren't in them). While I wait for the originals, Melanie sent me a few copies to post on the blog- Thanks Melanie!! Here they are:Teague did good, huh? He didn't even think anything of the man in the big red suit! Wow, I was surprised!! I was also surprised how much Jackson talked to him. When Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas, Jackson told him and then some. I don't think he ever stopped.

Tomorrow I am involved in Jennifer's "Literacy Thursdays" as part of her blog. Check it out...and you can participate too! I haven't decided on a book to share so any suggestions would be appreciated!!

Those GLORIOUS aisles and up and down and around AGAIN!

Elf Alert:
Tiny Timmy landed on the stairs this morning! The girls were a little worried since hands could touch him in this position- I assured them that I would make sure that neither Jackson or Teague placed their hands on him. Emma just had to sneak in the picture with him...

Jackson had some fun today going to his favorite store. Most kids beg to go to Chuck E. Cheese- mine begs to go to Walmart. (and Target is not far behind!) It all started 2 years ago when we went to look at Halloween costumes. I remember that day like it was yesterday- he had so much fun and since then, he has always wanted to go... He used to ask me to take him there so that he could look at costumes- even during April. I think he gets it now that the costumes are only there during October (well, as early as August now) but none the less- he loves to go and wonder those GLORIOUS aisles!! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!!!

Today I told him he could look at toys and I would add them to his list for Santa. He was such a good boy for me...waiting patiently as I got my shopping done first. When we got to the toys, you would have thought he just drank a liter of COFFEE! He was so excited...and so cute!! I got all fancy smancy this year and whipped out my iphone to take some snapshots. He would say, "take a picture of dis, take a picture of dis too, and mawwm, did you get dis??" I just don't want to forget our Walmart escapades!

When we got home, I told him I wanted to "rest" while Teague slept. I was exhausted just watching him go up and down those aisles. He wasn't having any of this...he wanted to make cookies and it didn't matter how many times I told him, "we will do it later"- he wanted to do it right when I wanted to "rest". Here's our creation- notice the evidence on his face. He thought they were pretty tasty! Teague enjoyed them too. His first cookie...his MeMe and Nanny have slipped him plenty of good stuff but this was the first cookie to polish off all by himself. What an accomplishment- hehe. All thanks go to Jackson! Then, we were off to paint. WHEWW! A full day and the girls weren't even home yet!

AND THEN, the girls got home and Jackson and I dug through toy chests, drawers, baskets (Teague even started to dig when he saw us) and were frantically looking for his Nintendo DS. It's lost and I told him if he didn't find it- Santa wouldn't bring him any more toys. I discovered quickly that that was the wrong thing to say to him- because we couldn't find it anywhere!! Now, what to do? What to do? Teague was sure to be in the middle of the clean up and I watched him get on the toy chest, climb on the bed and then jump off the side- it must have been 10 times in a row. My brain was tired from all the work so I decided too late to video his fun...up and down and around again! In the beginning, he would fall down when he landed and kick his feet in the air to get up. By the time I got to him with the camera, he had mastered his landing. Here is a video of the tail end of his fun, but it's what I got:

By the time Jerrod got home from work, I was brain dead. I ordered pizza and called it a day! Wiped out! I also happy to report that Tiny Timmy survived another day in the Smith household. Yeah. Where will he be tomorrow?

It's official...I'm a blog-a-holic

Tiny Timmy landed on the top of the refrigerator last night. When we got up this morning, he was sitting hunched over and the kids were so scared he was going to fall over and lose his powers. I was sure to just a gentle touch to nudge him back up tall and straight. They were relieved... Let's just see where he ends up in the morning!I am thrilled with the new layout for the blog. I hope you like it too! I wanted something for Christmas and have to give all credit to Leelou blogs. I am just getting into all this blogging but it is quickly becoming an obsession! I can think of a billion posts everyday as I am hanging out with the family.

I am just about ready for a custom border/template (a great Christmas gift Jerrod cuz I'm already busy thinking about what I want it to say exactly) and am going to be adding "buttons" to the site soon. Sounds like jibberish, right? Just about a month ago, I would have agreed!! Start your families blog sometime soon- you won't be disappointed! Thanks Jenn for getting me started!