A Very Apple Christmas!

Each year we tell our boys they get one thing from us for Christmas. We have a whole closet full of toys that don't get played with. Ever. We are blessed beyond measure! We have a warm house and food in our bellies. So to cut down on the Christmas crap clutter, we buy one big ticket item. We knew as the years went by, their one item would get more expensive. Our ten year old was originally going to get a cell phone, but that idea got nixed after her lost his ipod at a friend's house (long story....we've never found it!). So he decided in November, he wanted an iPad. His argument was that it would not get lost. Ever. He wouldn't take it to friend's houses, he could use it for school work, he doesn't have a computer, and the list went on and on. So the other day at work, I decided Noah would get his iPad. Except it would come in the form of an eye pad! So I taped it to a book about the size of an iPad, wrapped it up in shiny paper, and that it what Noah got to open on Christmas morning. It was fun for about one second, then there was drama! After torturing him for another minute, we let him open his real present.

He was very elated to have a real iPad. He has promised to share with mom while he's at school...really he has no choice!
And the little boys got iPod touches and have been buying Apps like crazy! I think between the 3 boys, we will keep the App store in business.
Angry birds is definitely everyone's favorite game. Moose has the high score so far. And I have become addicted to fruit ninja myself!
Thankfully, they have an awesome dad who is patient enough to sit down and look through the apps and download everything they want to play. Thank goodness there are lots of free apps out there!
*This post was in no way endorsed by the Apple store. I am pretty sure they have never heard of me or my family.*

New Year

I love a new year. A clean slate. An empty calendar. I think the one thing I learned in 2011 is that I am not in control. Imagine that. It took me 38 years to finally get it. My a-ha moment came in July when my son broke his leg. My very rowdy rambunctious son who never sits still for a moment. But we survived and God taught us many lessons. The most important being that He is in control. This is something I have to remind myself on a daily basis. It is God's agenda, not mine.

That being said, I do know what we have planned (I use that term very lightly) for the year 2012....so far!!

*In May, Megan will graduate from college. We just paid the last tuition bill for many years. Yahoo!!

*In June, Megan will marry her Colorado cowboy.

*In July, Dalton will have surgery to take his plate and screws out of his femur.

*On August 1st, the boys will start school. Our district is starting a balanced calendar for the 2012-2013 school year. They will have three 2 week breaks this year.

*In October (during one of the boy's breaks), we will be taking a trek to Disney World in Orlando.

And I am sure there will be many surprises to us along the way. Here's to a prosperous and happy 2012!!

Pinterest

So far I have completed these 2 PINTEREST projects. Here's what I have learned about Pinterest so far:

1. It is very addicting.

2. There are some really creative people in this world.

3. There will never be enough time to do all the things I like.

4. I really don't know what I wasted time on before Pinterest!

5. I wish this had been around when I get married (1997) and had my first child (2001).

Who is going to be the lucky person to get these snowman bag ties?!?

And I have made this delicious Santa party mix twice now. The Santa hats are Bugles dipped in those red melting disks by Wiltons. I haven't had a Bugle since 1994 and now I have consumed two bags of them. Which means I have eaten just a few (hundred) while making the Santa hats. So now I am addicted to Bugles too. Thanks a lot Pinterest!!

Merry Christmas From The Family

For the past 5 years, our tradition has been to sit in front of our fireplace and have Dean Nester take our family picture for our Christmas photo card. It is usually a lot of fun and we end up cracking ourselves up. This year we decided to buck the system for the following reasons:

*we got family pictures taken the end of October and they turned out really good!

*this is the last year that Megan will be in our Christmas card.

*we have a beast of a wood burning stove sitting in front of our fireplace. It keeps the house toasty warm, but is not the most eye-appealing design.

So without further ado, here is our family card photo. Merry Christmas to you and yours!!

20 days after his brother lost his tooth, Devin finally lost his first tooth. It is so funny that both boys let their dad tie dental floss around the loose tooth then yank it out. I'm sure their teeth will be falling out like dominoes now. Devin is so proud of his new smile!

And here is his abstract art Christmas tree. I asked him if they were studying Pablo Picasso in art class and he looked at me like I was crazy (I get that look a lot, trust me!). He was just in a hurry and didn't really care how it looked. I think it turned out pretty cool. It makes a great fridg picture!
And lastly, look what I got in the mail for Christmas today from myself! I have loved the Denver Broncos since 1997 when my now husband and I moved to Colorado. I became a bigger fan when they won back to back Super Bowls in 1998 and 1999. Then I became a huge fan obsessed when they drafted Tim Tebow! So I decided I needed a little Denver Broncos bling this year.

A Global Christmas

This week has been a little different for me. For some reason this month, I've just not been feeling the Christmas spirit. I drug out the decorations and put them up. I started buying a few presents here and there. And then I got a very random e-mail from my brother. He decided this Christmas to do something a little different. He has decided to partner with the organization Hello Somebody in hopes to help a young man in Rwanda go to school, receive a first class education and 2 meals per day. One way to raise money for these boys is to buy a $25.00 watch from the organization.

After I got his email, I read this blog post by one of my favorite speaker/writer gals who I have actually met in real life, Jen Hatmaker. Then I read it again and again. This is some life changing stuff she wrote. Wow! Next thing I know, I am looking for fair trade Christmas gifts. One of the sites I really liked is Trade as One where you change lives with everything you buy. So now I have some earrings from Noah's Ark International Exports on their way to Greenfield, Indiana! My oldest son is named Noah, so that is how I picked which store to buy from. There were so many cool jewelry items to choose from, but I couldn't buy everything.

One other things Jen Hatmaker suggested was giving money to your kids for Christmas to GIVE AWAY. They have to find a worthy cause or person to donate the money to, so this is something I am going to start this year with the 3 boys. I think I am going to give each child a dollar for each year old they are and then watch them enjoy blessing someone else.

So I am starting to feel a little better about Christmas and am looking forward to loving and encouraging my family during this season.

Christmastime is near

Sometime last Christmas season I found Edie's blog. She posted this about her family's holiday season.

This year, this is our Christmas journey.

Less decorating, more living.

Less shopping, more giving.

Less running, more being.

Enjoying all the little gifts along the way.

CHRISTmas is coming. I hope we don’t miss HIM.

After I read this I copied it to a post-it note on my computer's desktop. It has been there for a year. I wanted to remember it this Christmas season. I want this to be my motto. I don't want to get all caught up in the rushing around and focus on what really matters. Which can be kind of hard with 3 boys who want everything they see!