Foto Fridays: Our Year in Photos

This past week my grandma came to stay with us. I know my kids are lucky to have exposure to a great grandma and I wanted them to have her around a bit more. Oliver was leery of her at start but she sure won him over. He would walk up to her and lean in so she could hug him. It was totally cute!

We made meat pies for the freezer for when the baby comes and dipped chocolates and lots of other fun kitchen stuff.






She's gone home now but it was a great week!

10 on Tuesday

1. I have 11 weeks left until I have another kid. INSANE.

2. Never ever ever have I wanted to keep being pregnant. I hate being pregnant... but when I am done being pregnant this time... I'll have another kid. And I'm not sure I am ready for that.

3. Me and the two little boys spent the day yesterday playing. We made a cardboard train.


4. And a classic activity I do with all my small kids - painting with water and black paper. Then when they eat the paint brush... it doesn't matter :) HA!


5. I need to find another crib. I thought I was getting one from someone for cheap but it doesn't seem to be working out. I can not take Oliver out of a crib yet. NO way. But it's my last kid - I don't want to spend much moola on a crib.

6. I had a post for yesterday but I just didn't sit down to type it up. I tried to take a nap instead.

7. I go through these read blitzes. Where I read like a mad woman and then I slow down. Back and forth. I just started the book "Uglies" and I think it might get me into another blitz!

8. It always amazes me how much better I feel when I get more than 4 hours of sleep in a row. It doesn't seem to happen around here very often but MAN do I feel better when I get a real stretch of sleep!

9. Wasn't it sooo nice on the weekend??? I want a few more days of that and then I'll accept winterish weather. (Maybe)

10. And here's the little man, who seems to be getting so big lately!

Oliver's B-Day Party

We had a pretty low key party for little Oliver. With family. It was just right. But I did want to show you how I made his Owl cake. Am I a tad bit obsessed with owls and Oliver? Perhaps. When I get every thing done in his room you will see how true that really is (eek).

Anywho, here is the cake.


To make it... this is what I came up with.

First I used my dome cake pan (that is actually for Barbie dress cakes)


And made a stack of sugar cookie circles to use....


And cupcakes. (Now the cupcakes and the cake are all from the same batch that I made from Martha Stewarts Baking Handbook (which if you've read my blog for a while you know I love!) It's called the Yellow Cake.)

I cooled them all. And made my icing (made a chocolate buttercream.)
First added two cupcakes on the top of the cake. I added a wooden skewer in each just to make sure it was steady.


Then covered the whole thing in icing - making the parts at the top a little pointy with the icing.


Let that dry a bit then smoothed out the icing more. And added the cookie eyes.


Then added some Oreo halves for the eyes, some broken Oreo halves for the eyebrows and one small orange smartie for the beak.


I decorated the rest of the cupcakes too....

A little flock of owls....


All the treats together (had to ice the rest of the cookies too!)


And here is Oliver with his cake... which he touched twice and then cried to be done :)


I'm linking this up here

And at Love Bakes Good and the 36th Avenue

10 on Tuesday: 1 Years Old!

This little man is one.

Can you believe it??
This year has gone by so fast.

10 things about Oliver at one:

1. Only says "dadadadada" and sometimes "babababababab"
2. Is SUCH A happy baby!!! He is always smiling!
3. Loves to wrestle with Eli. (And it makes me nervous)

4. Finally is sleeping a bit better. Only up once a night lately.
5. Cries when anyone goes outside. Whether he knows them or not. He's just sad he didn't go too!
6. When it's bedtime, he is READY for bed and doesn't do well with staying up late.
7. Is VERY loved by his older siblings! They love to help out with him!

8. Has one nap a day (which I try and keep for the afternoon.)
9. Isn't a great eater and makes a huge mess every single meal cause he won't wear a bib.
10. Brings such joy into our home!!

Listography

List 87: Things I love about my son:


Alden:
1. His creativity
2. How comfortable he is with himself.
3. His handsome blue eyes and blonde hair
4. How he helps take care of Oliver.
5. How whenever I am wearing my housecoat he loves to snuggle with me in it.
6. His tender heart.
7. To hear his testimony about the gospel growing.
8. His random knowledge about things (just like his dad)
9. His love of math.
10. His goofy antics.


Eli
1. His sense of Humor!!!
2. His voice. I wish you could all hear it!
3. His handsome blue eyes and blonde hair
4. How me makes up words... like motorbikle... or bazanga.... etc
5. How much energy the child has!
6. How he can NOT put his underwear on the right way... EVER.
7. His ability to get people to do what he wants and they never even notice.... (well I have a love-hate relationship with THAT one!)
8. His fake laugh that he thinks is hilarious.
9. His curiosity about life.
10. His absolute silliness.


Oliver
1. His laugh.
2. How he looks at me with SUCH love and adoration.
3. His handsome blue eyes and blonde hair
4. How he does a slow motion double blink now when he notices he is the center of attention.
5. His sweet little hands.
6. How he laughs SO hard when I growl at him.
7. How his face lights up when he sees me.
8. His tickley spots on his legs.
9. How much his face lights up when he sees his siblings.
10. How hard he laughs when on the trampoline.

List 88: Things to do this Fall:
1. Can some food. (Check).
2. Go on a sans kids trip.
3. Enjoy a fire.
4. Buy a cute sweater? :)
5. Get the kids rooms decorated.
6. Get ready for another baby.

Foto Friday: Our Year in Photos

Month 9 Week 2: Relationships



It never fails... at least ONE child is always being silly....

Funny enough it's often Eli... I think it's his age??!!





Hey look!! They are all looking!!!

Foto Friday: Our Year in Photos

Month 9 Week 1: Rooms in the House


First off, I have literally done NOTHING to my kids rooms yet. They are on the list to decorate, but they are not yet. I have lots of plans and even the paint colors already picked out but actually GETTING to it is a whole other thing!


Alden and Eli share downstairs. And their rooms is ALWAYS a mess. Alden tries blaming it on Eli, but it was a mess before Eli moved in... so nice try Alden :) (look at those goofs showing off....)


Lucy has her own room. And is quite sad about that fact. She keeps asking if when Oliver gets older they can share and have bunk beds. I keep telling her her only chance is if our next baby is a girl.


Oliver just got his own room not that long ago when we moved Eli downstairs. I am so excited about the things I have to decorate his room with. Again it's that whole getting it done thing. I need to hire someone to come in and paint and then I could have is room done in like 2 days. I have everything!! For now it's just plain jane! I haven't even taken Eli's pictures out of the room from when it was his!


You can see all my other entries for this project here

Foto Friday: Our Year in Photos

Let's just say I haven't gotten all the bugs worked out with the new computer so I couldn't do any posting this week.... but I think I am on now.... anyways....




Month 7 Week 2: Front Step

For the second week of each month we'll focus on Rooms of the house. (Actually I noticed that last week I did this weeks and this weeks is last weeks... but oh well here it is anyways :)

My kids on the front step. :) Oliver had just been woken up from a nap and was totally like WHAT in the WORLD is going on around here!!! :) Totally dazed.



I have plans for that front step that I haven't gotten too. I am building something to sit there but first I have to get rid of that big planter. And build my thing. HA!

You can see all my other entries for this project here

I think Brooke is back from vacation now so go check out Brooke's over here!

Foto Friday: Our Year in Photos

Month 6 Week 1: Best Friends

For the first week of each month we'll focus relationships.

My kids have been blessed with good friends wherever we have lived. Really we have been very blessed in our lives in that area! If you ask Lucy right now she'd still say Anise is her best friend even though Anise lives in Calgary for a year (although it's almost done - hooray!) and they rarely get to see each other right now.

PS I can't help laugh at this picture of these two cause they are trying to be serious... but these two laugh ALL day long when they are together. They have inside jokes and are seriously nutty together.

She also has a Raymond best friend named Hadley.



Alden also says KAden (Anise's brother).


Although I'd say his best friend is Kolton from down the street (I need a picture of them together!)
or Ben from his class.



Really overall I think Lucy and Alden are best friends. But whenever I say that they say "she (or he) can't be my best friend, she's (or he's) my sister (or brother)!"



Eli says its Dad. :)

or James Baldry. (and he always calls him "James Baldry" which cracks me up :)




You can see all my other entries for this project here

Go check out Brooke's over here!