Christmas 2008 Summary

I hope you all had a very nice Christmas with your families! We did. Christmas Eve and Morning was spent at our house. Shelby and I made frosted sugar cookies and milk for Santa. We set out the reindeer food. Adam read 'Twas the Night Before Christmas to the girls. He also read of Jesus' birth. Shelby woke us up REALLY early on Christmas morning. She had already peeked in the living room to make sure Santa left the gifts. The girls tore into their presents in a matter of seconds to reveal their goodies. Shelby's favorite gift was her hot pink MP3 player with Hannah Montana headphones. I think Bethany's was her Dora the Explorer ride-on car. We watched a bit of the Disney Christmas parade and then off we went to Grammy and Pap's where we opened presents and ate a yummy lunch. The next morning we got in the car again and took the 6 hour trip to visit my sister/brother-in-law, niece and nephew and mother/father-in-law. Shelby and Katie played so much. We barely ever saw them! Bethany does not have the "nice" concept down yet. She tackled Charley and whacked him on the head several times. Poor Charley! Bethany loves her cousin but she had a funny way of showing it! Amanda and I went to go see a movie, which was a lot of fun. We decided we were going to make that a Christmas tradition. Cory, Adam, Katie and Shelby played laser tag. This was Shelby's first time to play. I'm not sure she liked it too much because she said the music was really loud and it was dark! She stayed with Uncle Cory or Daddy the whole time. I have to tell you Adam and Shelby's names for their game...Adam was the Bubbanator and Shelby was the Shelbinator! HaHa!
Pictures are coming soon. Right now I'm getting last minute things together for another trip. Today, my mom, Shelby, Beth and I are going to visit my Grandad and Aunt and Uncle in NW Texas. Poor Adam will be all alone. I told him to watch all the "guy movies" he can stand while I'm gone! He'll be working on getting our bathroom back in order, too. (We're remodeling the bathroom in our bedroom.) I'm excited to see what all he's done while I'm gone. I think all that should keep him pretty busy! We'll sure miss him though!!

Happy 2009!

Merry Christmas!

From Adam, Jennifer, Shelby and Bethany!

One, Two, Tree...

Bethany Tidbits

Bethany's 1st Pigtails!!
18 months

• Bethany has declared her favorite food as I CEAM (ice cream). Every time I ask her if she is hungry she insists on I CEAM.
• She is learning how to sing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star in her own little way.
  
• The other day she brought me the TV remote and said giggles (Wiggles).
• When she hears music she stops and twirls.
• She still adores her gankie (blankie) and has to have it every time she gets sleepy. She has just recently been asking for a baby when she takes her naps.
• She loves saying her name, "Dethany."
• If you're not careful when you open the refrigerator, you'll get plowed down in an attempt to get to the GAPES (grapes).
• Her answer to everything, regardless the question, is either K or NO.
  
• When asked what Santa Claus says she heartily replies, "Ho, Ho, Ho!"
  

It's a Teddy Bear Christmas!

Shelby's getting ready to say her lines...

Ugggh! I forgot her glasses!

Last week Shelby performed in her very first musical at school. It was called A Teddy Bear Christmas. She was to be a Grandma bear so we fixed her up with some glasses, an apron and some beads. She was adorable. A little girl from her class was sick and couldn't be in the play so Shelby had to say her line and the other girl's line as well. Her daddy gave her a rose after her last performance yesterday. She was super excited!

Sorry the camera was shaky! I was holding Bethany and trying to film!

"Daddy, thank you for my rose!"

Snowman Overalls for the Girls

I just had to share this picture with you. Grammy (my mom) made these adorable overalls for the girls. They turned out so cute! I told her she needed to start selling them.

BTW, the buttons on Shelby's snowman are from my Great Grandmother so it makes it really special.

I'll post some pictures of the girls with their new overalls at a later time.

Christmas Dresses

Miss Priss

Shelby was telling everyone at church last Sunday that her little sister looked like a ballerina in her dress.

Bethany was not enthused with the photo session.

Shelby said she felt like a princess in her dress.

Leaves, Leaves, Leaves

Last weekend we decided to tackle the multitude of leaves that our trees so generously dumped in our yard. Usually it takes us 3-4 weekends of back-breaking raking and bagging. This year?
It took us about 4 hours altogether between Bethany's Saturday and Sunday afternoon naps. Adam got a bagging system for his lawnmower last summer which made it tremendously easier to get the job done. Our poor garbage collectors had over fifty big bags full of leaves waiting on them this morning!

The tooth fairy paid Shelby a visit last night!

Now you see 'em....

Now you don't!



Shelby has lost her first set of teeth! Well, yesterday the dentist pulled her first two teeth. She had a permanent tooth growing in behind her two baby teeth and her baby teeth didn't seem to want to be moving too well, so they had to be pulled. She was pretty scared to have them pulled but she was actually very brave. (I think Adam and I took it harder than she did!) She went in the dentist's office with a smile and came out with a smile so I'd say it went well. When they pulled her little teeth (I couldn't watch!) and they put them in the tooth fairy box and I finally saw them, I cried and Adam told me I was making Shelby afraid so I quickly tried to put on a brave face. After all, that was my baby's first baby teeth to lose!



We have been telling Shelby that when she loses her teeth the Tooth Fairy will come while she's sleeping and leave her some money. We told her the REALLY GOOD kids will get a golden coin for every tooth. Sure enough, Shelby awoke to TWO shiny, new golden coins. She was excited!

Here's what the Tooth Fairy left!

Shelby's Reading!

Sam is fit. Fit Sam.
Tim is fit. Fit Tim.
Sam sat. Tim sat.
Sam is fat. Fat Sam!
Tim is fat.
Fat Tim.
Fan Sam! Fan Tim!

From a very young age Shelby has been very interested in books. Not too long after she learned to talk, she'd sit down with her books and tell a creative story from the pictures on the pages. Now she doesn't have to do that anymore! She's reading! I can't believe how much she's learning every day.

Thanksgiving 2008

Jen and Beth
Cameron, Grandma and Billy
It was so hard for Bethany to keep her hands off of Abby. Poor Abby!

Sweet hugs from Grandma!

We had a really good Thanksgiving! I hope you all did as well.
We traveled 8 hours to get to our family in West Texas. Adam's Aunt Vinita and Uncle Scott hosted and we had a lot of fun. Vinita made it look so easy. She and Cindy had everything prepared by the time we arrived at 11:30! Everything was so good! Yes, Uncle Scott, even your turkey! Yum! Shelby practically lived outside playing ball with cousins Cameron, Jeff and Josh. Bethany ran around EVERYWHERE! The adults visited and had a good time. Adam tried to deer hunt, with no luck. We got to see Grandma Dorman. We don't get to see her very often, so it was good to see her. We all had a really nice time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

MySpace Graphics & Free Myspace Layouts

Thanksgiving

Today my friend Amber made a list of the things she is Thankful for. It inspired me to do the same. God has blessed our family so richly that it's going to be hard to narrow everything down. I need not only be thankful during this time of year, but all year long. I seem to get bogged down with all the negativity and I need to stop and be grateful for what God has given me on a daily basis, not just at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Togetherness: time with Adam, Shelby, Bethany and all my family and friends.

HOLY Word of God/Bible: God's instruction manual.

Adam: my high school sweetheart, the love of my life.

Necessities.

Kindness.

Shelby and Bethany: my two beautiful daughters.

Good news.

Imagination.

Victories big and small.

Innumerable blessings.

New life.

God's abounding love and saving Grace.

Everyone, have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Tree Trimming Time

Patches found a new napping spot underneath the tree

We are going to be traveling for Thanksgiving so we decided to get the tree up early this year. I have never put our tree up this early before. We listened to Christmas music and sang along as we trimmed the tree. Bethany even got in on the action this year!

Which is Which?

Now that I have cut Bethany's bangs (for the very first time!) I can see that she looks even more like her big sis. It's uncanny! Can you tell which is which?

Shelby's Birthday Party

Gabby, Miranda, Shelby and Annabelle

When: Saturday, November 15, 2008

Time: 3:00

Where: Shelby's House

Shelby just HAD to have a Hannah Montana themed birthday party this year. She requested a rainbow birthday cake. I made lime punch (Sprite and lime sherbet), pigs in a blanket and green grapes. Shelby invited 3 of her closest friends. She had a sleepover following the party. I wasn't sure how the sleepover was going to turn out with there being 5 girls with ages ranging from 17 months to 6, but it went well. We rented Kung Fu Panda (which didn't get watched, except by Adam), the girls played and played and played and then requested to watch Cinderella III before going to bed. That seemed to settle them down. They were all actually asleep by 9 pm! Can you believe it?

Bethany Update

Since the rash scare (allergic reaction to penicillin), Bethany's been one sick little girl. She's been throwing up and having runny diapers for about three days. I know, TMI! After talking to Dr. Beights, (our beloved cousin who's a chiropractor) she suggested that her illness could be due to her body trying to rid itself of the penicillin or she could have caught a virus after being on antibiotics. I tend to lean towards her body ridding itself of the penicillin. None of us have caught anything (thank goodness!) I just wish she would get better soon. She's not eating very much but I'm trying to give her as much as she can drink. Jen also told me she needed some probiotics so I'm getting some yogurt to give her and hopefully that will help.

Beautiful Six-Year-Old

Six years ago...Monday, November 11, 2002...10:12 pm...beautiful Shelby Lynn entered the world and our hearts forever! She weighed 7 lbs. 3 oz. and was 19 1/2 in. long. She had a head full of dark brown hair and the prettiest dark blue eyes you have ever seen. She didn't make a peep at first, just kind of looked around and checked everything out. As soon as the nurses started poking and prodding, the most beautiful sound to our ears could be heard: Shelby's FIRST cry! Adam and I were so happy! She was perfect and better than anything we had dreamed! Now our precious daughter is six today. I can't believe it. People have always told me to treasure every moment because they go by way too fast. Well, they were right. She's in kindergarten now and flourishing. She's the sweetest, most compassionate little girl I have met. She's always got a smile and positive attitude (except when she's tired) and she is crushed when she feels like she has disappointed Mom or Dad. It has been a WONDERFUL six years so far and I can't wait for what the coming years hold. Shelby is very much loved by Mommy, Daddy and Sissy! I hope she has a great day today!

Scary RASH!

What started out to be some small dots on Bethany's face had quickly spread over her whole entire body yesterday. I could not figure out what was causing the rash. It was horrible. It made her cheeks look really rosy. There were red bumps covering her whole body. To be on the safe side we decided to take her to the ER last night. We were afraid it could affect her breathing since the rash was spreading so quickly. The doctor concluded that she is allergic to penicillin (which she had already been on for 5 days.) What a scare!

Party Pinwheel Recipe

I made these Party Pinwheels for a baby shower for a friend of mine . It was my first time to make them and I thought they turned out pretty tasty. Here's the recipe:

8 oz. sour cream

8 oz. cream cheese, softened

1-4 0z. can green chilies, well drained

1 c. grated Cheddar Cheese

1/2 c. chopped green onion

Garlic to taste

Seasoned salt to taste

5 or so 10" flour tortillas

Mix all the filling ingredients together thoroughly. (I used a mixer for the sour cream and cream cheese to make it really creamy and smooth.) Divide the filling and spread evenly over the tortillas; roll up tortillas. Cover tightly w/ plastic wrap, twisting ends; refrigerate several hours. Unwrap; cut in slices 1/2 in. -3/4 in. thick. (I used a serrated knife so they wouldn't get smushed.)

Costume Cuties

Bethany the Ladybug and Shelby as Hannah

Sing it!

"I'm about to take this hat off!"

Miley and Fairy Princess (Gabby). Aren't they so pretty?!


Those are some cute ladybugs!
Zoe and Bethany

We had a fun trick-or-treat night last night. We loaded up and collected goodies at the Rec. Center, Trunk-or-Treat (at our church), and family's houses. Shelby started out as Hannah Montana but later ended up as Miley because she couldn't stand to wear the wig! Bethany wore Shelby's first Halloween costume, so she was a ladybug. She didn't want to keep her little antennae on! The girls got lots and lots of candy...lots of chocolate! Yay!

Perfect Attendance Award!

Shelby at the Awards Assembly on Friday

Shelby had perfect attendance at school for the first nine weeks. She received a free pass to a high school basketball game! YAY, Shelby!!

My New Favorite!

Have you tried these Candy Corn Kisses? If you haven't, please do! If you like white chocolate and candy corn then you will love these! I can't think of a better combo!

What A Day

As I sit at the computer, I'm smelling a mixture of burnt-something, Lysol and pear-caramel scented candle. Why? What happened? Ugh...I let the water boil out from under the squash I was steaming. Yuck. I cut my homemade pizza that was hot and fresh from the oven only to almost ruin it by accidentally dumping what seemed like half of the contents of the grated Parmesan cheese on top. Oh well--it scraped off. Steamed squash and pizza? I know...what a combo...it's just that both of these things happened to sound good so I put them together (I didn't put the squash on the pizza though--don't worry!) I'm TIRED!!! I don't feel like doing much of anything. I know I need to but my precious 16 month old kept me up most of the night. I have yet to figure out why. She was warm, dry, hadn't had a decent nap all day. She fussed when it was time for nap time this morning. I hope tonight is better than last night. I need some SLEEP so I can have a better day tomorrow!

Autumn Recipe

Here is a really good sweet bread recipe that I got from my good friend, Kyndra a few years ago. I love making it this time of year. It just seems to kick off the holiday season.

Pumpkin Gingerbread
3 c. sugar
4 eggs
1 (15 oz.) can pumpkin
1 c. oil
2/3 c. water
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. Allspice
2 tsp. ginger
2 tsp. soda
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Grease 2 loaf pans. Combine sugar, oil and eggs. Beat until smooth. Add water and beat until well blended. Stir in pumpkin, ginger, Allspice and cinnamon. Combine flour, soda, salt and powder. Add dry ingredients to pumpkin mix and blend. Bake at 350 degrees for 1-1 1/4 hours.

Little Chick-a-dee

I don't know why, but it seems like the last couple of times I've served Bethany corn to eat, rather then grabbing the pieces and putting them in her mouth she bends over and "pecks" at them like a chicken! She only has done this with CORN! It is the funniest thing! I'm glad I captured it on film so you all could see for yourselves!