A Visit With Santa

We went to the Mall and saw Santa Saturday morning. Hunter was very excited to see him and tell him what he would like for Christmas

Hannah, not so much
She was, actually, fine as we were in line and as we watched Hunter with him. But when it was her turn to sit on his lap, she freaked out. Although not the outcome I would have liked as much, I found this picture to be priceless. I have a picture of the kids with Santa every year in my Portrait Scrapbook album and this year was going to be no exception. I know we will laugh over this picture for YEARS to come.

(I asked Hunter if he was mad in this picture and he said, "No, I was just a little irritated by her crying")
)Hope you all have a wonderful Christmas week. God Bless!

More Cruise Pictures: Our Stateroom

Just wanted to share some more pictures of our Cruise. This is our stateroom, right as you walk in. There was a door for the restroom and another door, right past, for the bathtub, shower and sink. On the other side, was a closet with a safe on one side.
This is where we slept and Hunter slept on the couch, which pulled out to a bed. Hannah slept in a pack and play right beside him. Every day, they made our bed, cleaned up a bit, and left us a Navigator to tell us what was planned for the day. At night, they pulled our bedding back, and left us a Towel animal and chocolates on our bed. We were spoiled! Shortly after getting on the ship, there was a mandatory Coast Guard Drill. Don't we look cute? Hannah cried when we took hers OFF!

Just doing a little relaxing before Dinner..

We loved our towel animals. A Swan, an Elephant and a Monkee. We went to a class too to learn how to make them. FUN!

More to come but that's it for now. Busy week. Dinner at our House this Saturday for about 14. I can't seem to find my mojo for some cute homemade Place Cards so if you have any cute ideas to share, I'd love to see them! And a little more Christmas shopping to finish.

Have a Happy Hump Day =)

Home Sweet Home

Just wanted to share just a few pictures of our Cruise. We all wore matching t-shirts that we decorated. Mom added the iron on fabric, I cut the Mickey heads out of material with my Cricut Expression machine and my Mother In Law offered to sew them on for me. (after we ironed them on) They both did such an awesome job....Thanks so much!

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We saw Minnie Mouse in the Port Terminal right before going on board and Mickey was there to greet us as we ate lunch by the pool. It was beautiful! We had so much fun...Hope to go back again in a couple years.

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Well, more pictures to come later but that's it for today.

Have a wonderful Monday =)

Finally...

Well, It's Saturday, December 5th and we're off for our Vacation. Can't wait. Just want to relax. We're going to Florida for the Disney Cruise and to Universal Studios one day. We're celebrating our TEN YEAR Wedding Anniversary . So, I'll see you in a about a week or so. God Bless and See ya Soon =)

December 1ST..It's beginning to feel like CHRISTMAS

We visited Santa Claus Sunday afternoon on the way home from Church. Hunter was SO excited. Hannah was a little tired and NOT so sure. She grabbed my leg when I took her out of the stroller but was fine in his lap. Just NO smiles =)

My Christmas tree is almost done but while I gave it time to settle, I did a little Vinyl Wall Art. I still need to add some stars to the kids scene and some holly with my Seasons Greetings. It was so easy and I really like it. I just need some red and white vinyl and some more transfer tape before I can do more.

Hope everyone has a GREAT December 1ST. Tonite, we'll finish the Christmas tree and clean up all the boxes. Then, I'll post some more pictures. LOTS to do before we leave for our Cruise this Saturday! Thank Goodness I'm off on Friday

Prayers Please

I found out this weekend that my next door neighbor had a Brain Aneurysm and passed away some time Friday. She was a wife and mother of four girls. I just ask that you remember her family in prayer right now. I know that they would really appreciate it and will need them in the days ahead. It's so sudden, such a shock. It's just a reminder that our lives can change in a second.

Thankful

I saw this on Linda's Blog and had to share. it's what Thanksgiving is all about.

I'm thankful for all my friends and family, God bless you all. I love you very much!

FIREPROOF

Mike and I saw this movie tonite and I have to say, it was awesome. It had an amazing story and we hope to get the book that is talked about in the movie, The Love Dare, this week. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did. God Bless You!

"E-Votional" from Ed Young

My Husband gets Daily "E-Votionals" From Ed Young and he thought this one was very interesting. I have to agree with him. I guess we've all been in a place like this before but I feel like God has laid it on my heart to share. Life is really so short and yet, it can change in an instant. We may not have tomorrow to say what we wished we had said today...


"In your anger do not sin": Do not let the sun go down while you
are still angry, and do not give the devil a foothold.

Ephesians 4:26

So often we equate anger with sin. And as we look at this verse, we
might assume that Paul is telling us to avoid sin. But anger itself is
not sin. Righteous anger, in fact, has a place in the Christian life.

The key is not allowing your anger to cross the line. Keep your anger on
the right side of the fence by not allowing yourself to gossip about the
situation you're angry about. Stop talking about it to everyone except
the person you are angry with. Also make sure you don't obsess about it
in your mind. It's so easy for anger to take root in our hearts and
fester, causing more damage than the initial act that made us angry in
the first place.

Follow the advice from the Scripture and do not let the sun go down on
your anger. Speak with the person or people involved and rationally talk
it out. Even if you can't find common ground, it is better to amicably
agree to disagree, than to let the evil one use your anger to damage a
relationship that could be used by God.


A Prayer for Today


Dear God, I know that there will be times in life when I am talking with
someone I completely disagree with. During those times, help me to
remain calm. And if I do become angry, help me to not hold on to that
anger but instead resolve it as quickly as possible, so that I can
continue to bring honor to you in all that I do. In Christ's name I
pray, Amen.

Ed & Lisa Young

Next Steps


* Take an inventory of your heart and mind, identifying any
unresolved issues.
* Pray for the opportunity to calmly talk about it with those
involved.
* Ask God to help you better manage and resolve your anger.

Proverbs 3:6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart

and lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge him

and he will direct your paths

Proverbs 3:6

Happy Thursday!

My Hannah is OBSESSED with my Bath and Body small lotion bottles. I have some in a small basket on my basket tree, as well as some small candle tarts that she loves too. Well, she goes and get the bottles and takes them to Mike or me. She has NO problem getting her point across that she wants him to give her some lotion on her hands.

We tried to get a picture of the two kids in our rocker but Hannah had other plans. She thinks it's funny too! What a silly girl! Hunter has no problem modeling for us. He looks so grown up here after his bath.

I got some goodies in the mail from a RAK (Random Act of Kindness) last week. I LOVE Eyelets, and there are some really neat ones in this stash! I couldn't wait to organize them in my tackle box, and of course share a snowman eyelet with Hunter. I put it on a piece of card stock for him and he loves it. Maybe he'll be my future scrapbooker ;) I just love happy Mail days! Thanks so much, Laci!

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The weekend is in sight and I hope it's COOL Fall temperatures. My babies will be out for Halloween and I'm hoping it's not too warm.

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We had a conference with Hunter's teacher on Wednesday and got a GREAT report. He's not only excelling on almost everything but he blew his teacher away with his reading!! He's probably reading somewhere on a Second Grade Level. We were SO proud. We need to work on his handwriting a bit but that was her only suggestion for us. She said it is obvious that we are reading a lot at home. We are SO proud of our Love Bug!!

Early Morning....

Another Early morning....I have an 8:15 meeting today at work. I was up early yesterday too for a 8:05 ENT appointment. It went OK. I do have a blockage on the right side of my Sinus so I really need another Sinus Surgery. I have several Polyps and some scar tissue that has developed from my previous surgery and previous infections. He's just going to remove the Polyps and clean the Sinus out a bit. He thinks it will be a big help. I'm having Surgery November 13Th, which is on a Friday and he said I may be able to be back at work on Monday. He expects I'll have some Sinus pain for about a week. I'm glad that, FINALLY, I'll have some relief. I'm looking forward to getting it OVER with so I can move on. After all, my Disney Cruise is coming up quickly. We're making some final plans and I am getting so excited! I've been doing a lot of Christmas shopping too. I hope to be completely done before I go on my trip. I want everything done. Christmas cards, Christmas tags, presents wrapped and under the tree.

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Hunter was better but now his fever is back. He's supposed to go to the Pumpkin Patch today but he's not able to go. He got sick on the way home yesterday in Mike's car. Not sure if he was car sick or not since that was the only time. But his fever returned and he looks weak. I STILL don't think it was the Swine Flu, though. He crawled in bed with me this morning when his dad left so I didn't get much sleep after that. It's OK. He's SO worth it. It's a messy morning so even if he went on his field trip, he would be a mess. It's been pouring rain all morning so I can imagine what the Pumpkin Patch looks like. Hope everyone has a great day =)

TGIF

Looks like my plans for the weekend have changed! Hunter has the SWINE FLU! He was fine this morning but got a call from the Clinic he had a 102 Fever. Mike is home with him today. He took him to the Pediatrician and he tested positive for it. He was supposed to get his Swine Flu shot today! WOW...how fast things change! So, we're staying in this weekend and resting. Poor Guy! Hunter assured me that he wasn't sick....He said he's just cold because he has a fever=) He NEVER complains...he's always pleasant. Bless his heart :( I think it's a good weekend to watch movies and maybe we can make some crafts together. He loves to be creative.

Well, here's some pictures of my kids to share....

Hannah has decided she is NOT too big for her swing..she LOVES it! She LOVES that thumb!

Just want to share some pics of my babies last Friday. We went to The Living Museum for a Halloween Party. The kids had a BLAST! Hunter is Batman and Hannah is a Bunny Rabbit! But she was so tired when we got home!

Out Cold!

She loved her freedom..

Hunter as Batman

Have a great weekend and God Bless!

Happy Birthday to my WONDERFUL Husband!!

My Wonderful Husband and our beautiful family!

I love you so much, Mike!These are two cards I made this week. One, for a friend who lost her mother. And Bosses Day was Friday so I made these for our Bosses at work. What a wonderful day! We brought in breakfast, lunch and gave them Gift Certificates to Olive Garden.

Hunter wore his Woody Cowboy Hat to Toy Story 3D and Hannah is wearing her new headband that Grandma made her. She made a bunch of them in all different colors. These kids LOVE to model for Mom and her camera..

Hunter, at Opening Ceremonies for Soccer. This is the Banner we made for our team. We hang it up at every game

Have a great day! I'm getting ready for my 8:15 Apmt with the ENT.

Behavior Stop Lights

Instead of using Hunter's behavior charts, I decide to use something MUCH more fun. Stoplights, like they use at School. They are glued to the Popsicle sticks and then stick on each color with Velcro. He loves them and it was HIS idea to make one for his sister too. He's worked really hard at home and school to stay on green.

Hunter's PrinceHannah's Princess

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I have a TON of pictures to post but I'll have to start a little at a time. I've been so busy with the kids and playing with my new Gypsy. I LOVE it. It's amazing how much I'm using it.

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I'm still coughing and much worse now. I have an apmt with the ENT Doctor on Wednesday at 8:15. I'm sure he'll schedule me for another CT Scan since I'm not getting any better. I could use some prayers...I'm hoping for no surgery but whatever it takes to get better, I'm game

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Have a great Tuesday =)

Saturday!!

We got to sleep in...until 7 this morning. 12:00 Soccer Game and then a little visiting before cleaning up and going to see Toy Story in 3D!! YA!
Anyway, have a good day and I'm hoping to have LOTS of pictures to post tonite. Have a wonderful day!!

October -Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Have you ever know anyone touched by Cancer? I'm sure we all have. I was reminded today to stop and remember how SHORT life really is. We need to think about all our loved ones, friends and people around us who have been affected by Cancer. I was very touched by Amy's Blog as she shares some beautiful memories of her mother who she lost several years ago to Cancer. Please take a moment to read it today. What a beautiful sentiment

Amy's Blog

Busy Couple Days...

I haven't COMPLETELY forgotten about my blog. I've just been busy. Hunter is playing Soccer now, we're trying to get rid of LOTS of stuff in this house/our attic and of COURSE, I've been busy playing with my new Cricut Gypsy. I love it! It's definitely a hobby that I LOVE. I've made Hunter a new stoplight for his bulletin board with a Prince Paper Doll and I also made Hannah one. Hers has a Princess Paper Doll. He loves it. Right now, I'm trying to design some Vinyl art for Autumn for my Living Room. I'll post pictures soon. My laptop is almost gone so I've been using our Desktop computer (Mike's computer) alot lately. it's OK though...hopefully getting a new laptop next year with our tax return. Just wanted to say hello and say, hope you have a wonderful week =)
Hopefully, next time I'm here, I'll have pictures of some things I've created with my new Gypsy!! God Bless!

Got It From HSN...WOO HOO!

I got my Gypsy bundle from HSN! That was more work that I'm used to. I'm going to pay for this in the morning ;0
It was so worth it...I was able to order about 11:45 PM. I spoke to someone over the phone that confirmed I'd avoid sales tax if I ordered online. I also got Free Shipping. The only extra price was for a 3 year Warranty. I'll be stalking the UPS man next week...THAT'S for sure.
have a good night, or um, day. I'm headed to bed, IF I can sleep =)

The Bundle came with the Following Information:
The Gypsy with -2 loaded cartridges (Gypsy Font and Gypsy Wanderings)
-Black and Pink Cover
-Stylus
-AC Adapter
-USB cord
-Cartridge Connect Cord
-Instruction Start Card

BONUS Items: -Black and Pink Carrying Bag (Exclusive to HSN)
-Car Charger
-Don Juan Cartridge (usually only available with Cricut Create machine

All for $299...which is the retail price for the Gypsy alone!

Win A Free Cricut Gypsy

That's righ, Folk! You could WIN a free Gypsy! Here's How...

http://www.cartridgehelper.com/



Don't Forget to Watch HSN September 24th for the Premier of The Cricut Gypsy... 12:01 A.M.

A New School Year

Hunter lost his FIRST tooth Saturday night! He was so excited! (and surprised it came out so soon!)

Hunter didn't get a temporary Name Tag at Open House. They told us that he would get his name tag on the first day so I made him one with his important information on it.

(some info blocked for Internet Privacy) I was kinda proud of it...

Hunter said a couple kids asked him where he got that name tag ;)

Hunter with his new sneakers, outfit and backpack on the FIRST day of School

He got a Marvel Heroes Backpack

It was pouring down rain the entire morning so we drove to the bus stop. He was so excited, he ran right out of the car and forgot his backpack. He was just so excited to be going to School and riding the bus! Posing on the bus for the FIRST time

There goes the bus

My baby is on the bus...Here comes the tears..

Talking with his new friends from his bus
Headed Inside Walking to the Auditorium to get in lineSitting down, waiting to go to his ClassMy baby is all grown up...

It looks like he had a great day at School. He was definitely more tired by the time he got home. It's a long day for a little boy! But I'm excited for him going to Kindergarten. He said he really had fun and liked buying his lunch, getting to pick out what he wanted.

I hope everyone has a great First week of School. We're praying for all the teachers, staff and administrators. I know they have a hard job, especially this week!