We were home for Christmas

This really was the best Christmas to date. I LOVED living it through the eyes of my daughters. You guys, they were bouncing off the wall the entire day not knowing which toy to play with or what piece of candy to eat (ok, they didn't have a problem choosing candy, they just wanted it all at once). It was amazing. Josh's parents gave them bikes and they played with those the first half of the day until my parents came and gave them wood blocks that my dad and brother made. They played with those pretty hardcore and then switched off between those and the bikes for the rest of the night. Notice how I didn't mention anything *we* got them? Yeah, that's because they didn't care. I'll admit, we went a little simple with gifts because we knew they were getting awesome things from other people and sure enough, they did and they really didn't care too much about the puzzles, play food, books, movie, v-tech laptops and stuffed animals we got them. They did like the candy though... ;) I'm thinking maybe once the hype of the bikes and blocks wears off they'll notice they got other stuff too? We'll see. Ha! 

The first batch is all black and white because the lighting was THAT terrible. Sophie was (and still is) sick) but she was a trooper and was still so excited about everything. And I realized after looking at these pictures that I probably should have brushed their hair and clipped it back or something. Oh well, latchkey kids it is...

 This was them all morning long.

Sophie not only had her blanket wrapped around her bike, but she stuck her Cracker Jack box in the wheel. Doesn't get anymore "kid" than that, I don't think. 

Like I said, my dad and brother made these blocks for the girls and they loved them. Lillian is curiously good at making towers and she got this one about 3 more block high before she knocked it down. 

Seeing my dad play with the girls was probably my favorite part of the day...

It was also kind of a big year for me because I hosted Christmas dinner. Josh was scheduled to work the graveyard shift on both Christmas Eve and Christmas (yes, I cried multiple times when we found out...last January...) so we had planned for Christmas dinner to be at our house in the few hours that Josh would be awake on Christmas. By a Christmas miracle (aka a very, very, VERY kind gesture from one of Josh's coworkers) he was able to get both days off! We didn't feel like changing the plans at the last minute, so Josh's family spent Christmas Eve at our house (and we had a delicious "Famous Dave's" style meal thanks to my mother inlaw who is a wonderful cook) and then my family came up on Christmas day. I strangely didn't take any pictures on Christmas Eve (probably because it was so dark and we mostly just ate dinner and watched Moonrise Kingdom) but I made up for it the next day. We laughed a lot, teased my little sister a teeny bit (like always) and FaceTimed with my older sister who now lives in Ohio. It was a really, really good Christmas.

And if you're wondering what Josh and I got each other, I got the most delicious smelling perfume, some pants and a beautiful pearl ring. Seriously guys, I've hardly taken it off my finger since I got it! 

 

What did I give Josh? Stupid stuff. A mandolin book, some shirts, the Batman trilogy on BluRay, etc. NOTHING that compares to this ring or that perfume. I really wasn't expecting those two things at all. Joshua Ronald outdid himself this year. Yes, yes he did. It was kind of ridiculous.

Hope your Christmas was magical and that you got to spend it with those you love. Christmas was a million times better than it ever has been now that I have kids who got excited. Seriously, it was the most magical day and I loved every minute of it. 

and now for an outtake...

 

:)

Post Christmas goodness and a winner!

Thanks to those who entered the giveaway! Becky's actions really are great and her talent blows me away. I chose the winner using random.org and it chose so congrats!!

 #7 Kaia Riane 

{and lovely blog, by the way. You just gained a new reader. :)}

Email Becky at rebeccah.louise@gmail.com to claim your prize! 

And remember, Becky's actions are on sale through the end of the year, so check them out! 

Hope everyone had a great Christmas. I can honestly say that this year was my greatest Christmas yet. I realized how thoughtful my husband is and was able to see the magic of Christmas through the eyes of my two year olds. Christmas really was amazing with them this year and I have over 500 pictures to prove it (I wish I was kidding...!) Here's a sneak peak!

And they're still just as excited about everything this morning. Now I'm off to go hide all the candy... That's all they've wanted to eat! :/

My huckleberry friend

Silly me forgot that I had already written up a post for our anniversary a few weeks back. Well, I started one, but didn't finish it and then I completely forgot about it. So here it is. The anniversary post that never was. 

 Four years seems so fast yet at the same time, four years feels like my whole life. I'm just hoping that four years means we're no longer rookies at this marriage thing. 

Josh and I make a pretty good team. We are opposite in most of our personality characteristics. What I lack, he has and what he lacks, I have. He {obviously} knows me quite well. Well enough to know that I'd rather have an awesome burger and some sort of chocolate than flowers. But he also knows me well enough to know that I really like flowers, so he gets those for me too. He mops floors because he knows I hate it. He always checks the mail because he knows I'll let it go for days and days. He gives the best back scratches. He supports my bacon loving habits and doesn't say anything when I eat an absurd amount (in fact, he cooks it for me!) He grills cheese for me because he knows I love it {no, not a grilled cheese as in the sandwich, grilled cheese as in actually cooking plain cheese in a frying pan. It's the greatest thing ever} and he lets me vent about whatever is annoying me at any given moment. He puts up with a lot from me and he usually doesn't get any credit for it. He is dedicated to whatever he puts his mind to and isn't afraid of what others think.

I'll be honest, this year has been challenging. Very challenging actually. Josh works incredibly hard for our family and *I* haven't always been an overly supportive wife. Schedules have changed, lives are adjusting and we're still trying to figure out what's normal in just about every aspect of our lives, but through it all he's still my favorite. He always has been. I still remember the first conversation I had with Josh. He intrigued me. He was a man of few words, quirky hobbies, an extreme lack of interest in sports (something I really admired) and wasn't like any other guy I knew. He was different and I love him for that.

Found this oldie while browsing old folders on the computer. I sort of love it.

 Here's to four years and many more.

Oh and Merry Christmas Eve to you and yours.

and if you have photoshop, don't forget to enter the giveaway for your chance to win Becky's honeybee actions!

Honeybee giveaway!!

Say whaaaat? Yes, it's true. We're having another giveaway. These things just sort of keep falling in my lap, and I'm loving it! Today's giveaway is brought to you by my friend, Becky. If you didn't know, Becky is a mom of twin boys, a talented quilter, sewer, chef, and photographer. She's basically everything I strive (and fail) to be. Becky has a set of Photoshop Actions that she sells, and this weekend, she's doing a giveaway for YOU! I know it's Christmas, so many people might not be checking blogs much, but the giveaway is open until Christmas day and the winner will be announced the 26th! Becky's actions normally retail for $35, but until the end of the year, she's selling them for $25 AND you get 5 additional bonus actions. 

I really like that you can adjust the actions to make them as bold or as subtle as you'd like. You can see a lot of examples of the actions on Becky's blog, but here are a few of my photos I've used them for..

So, if you've got photoshop (it only works for photoshop, not elements or any other editing program)  and want to win the entire set, all you have to do is visit Becky's blog, take a look at her examples and then come back here and let me know your favorite action. A few of my favorites are My Only Sunshine, Morning Light, Brown Eyes, and Softly. And If you've already purchased the actions, Becky will refund your money!  So, if you've still got someone on your Christmas list that you need to buy for, this is a good opportunity to get them something awesome with the chance that you could get reimbursed for it. How awesome is that?

Just make sure to enter this weekend and the winner will be announced the 26th.

Hope you all have a great and relaxing weekend before Christmas! Thanks to online shopping, all we've got left to do is wrapping. It should be stress free and for that, I am grateful.

Four

5 (and a third) years of knowing each other, 4 years of marriage, 3 addresses, 2 kids and 1 trip to Disney World later and we still kind like each other. 

photo credit

I'm glad I convinced this guy to marry me. 

It's been a great four years.

And the winner is...

Thanks for the huge response with the giveaway. I'm glad others are as excited about The Little Green Pouch as I am! They really are amazing and we use them every day. I used random.org to generate a winner, and comment #22 won! 

Congratulations missamandaber!

  Send an email to maggieandmelissa@littlegreenpouch.com to claim your pouches! 

And everyone else, be sure to check out their shop and place your orders. I promise you won't regret it!

  

Hope you all have a warm and happy weekend. Ours will be warm if I can figure out how to force the girls to keep their gloves on...






And on a more somber note, I'm sure most of us are still in a state of shock after yesterday's tragedy. I think we all feel like we wish we could do something. Well, my friend Sharon started a project called Letters Of Love To Newtown. She's collecting pictures, letters of hope, letters of love, and letters of comfort to those who have lost so much. You can get the information on her facebook page and simply send a letter. The girls are currently working on their pictures and I hope to have them in the mail this afternoon. I think we all feel helpless right now and this is something that will let that town know that they have support. So join us, send a letter please?

Typical

Some days Most day they look like latchkey kids. And some days, they play with food in their {very unused} potty.

  

  

 

We're keepin' it classy over here.

Little Green Pouch Giveaway!

*You guys, do you ever have those mornings where everything goes wrong? Terrible lighting (aka crappy pictures). grumpy children, photoshop crashing, and your memory card breaking? That was this morning. It's a miracle this post is up! Anyway...

Back in October, I was browsing Pinterest when I came across something I got really excited about. It's a company called Little Green Pouch and the product was just that, a little green (BPA free), reusable pouch that held baby food.

 It seemed like fate because Josh and I were just talking about how annoyingly expensive those pouches of apple sauce are for kids. I mean, they're only about 50 cents each, but when you have two toddlers who can pound them in 3 seconds, that can add up quickly. Plus, I bought an entire case of apple sauce a few months back because the girls love it so much. I hardly ever pulled it out as a snack though because of how messy it was and my girls almost always insist of feeding themselves. So, I had a case of apple sauce, but was still paying for the over priced pouches. 

At first, I didn't order the pouches because I wasn't sure if they would be worth it just for apple sauce. I saw the value in using them for baby food for a 6 month old, but we're past that stage, so I just wasn't sure. The next day, I'd talked myself into them and guess what? They were sold out! I was a little heartbroken that I didn't act on it when I found them. Josh searched and searched for a comparable product, but there's nothing else out there! I got on the waiting list and patiently awaited my email saying that they had more in stock. 

A few weeks later, that happened. I literally ran upstairs shouting "Josh! They're back in stock! We can order them!" He may have mocked me just a little for my enthusiasm... When they arrived at my door a few days later, I instagrammed them. Can you tell I was excited? This is an amazing idea that I want everyone to love as much as I do!

 

The pouches have a twist on lid, can be used in the dishwasher, put in the freezer or fridge and are perfect for on the go toddlers. We've used them for applesauce (obviously) yogurt, pureed peaches, sweet potatoes and thicker smoothies. I didn't think I'd use "traditional baby food" with them at this stage in the girls' lives, but they're are typical toddlers and if they see food on their plate or in a bowl, they're not always interested, but if the food is in the pouch... it will get eaten every time. 

 

 I love that they're reusable, so I can use them with any future kids we have. My girls get excited when I pull them out and I love how easy and mess free everything is. No more buying expensive, processed baby food and no more messy bowls of apple sauce, yogurt or uneaten veggies. 

So what does this mean for you? I contacted Little Green Pouch and asked about doing a giveaway. THAT'S how much I love these things! They obliged so now one of you will win a 4 pack of pouches! There are 4 ways you can enter.

Like Little Green Pouch on Facebook

Follow Little Green Pouch on Pinterest

Follow Little Green Pouch on Twitter

Share this giveaway on facebook, twitter, your blog or in some other way. 

They're always sharing recipes, ideas, and adorable pictures on their social media venues, so you won't regret it! Plus, I really like their personalities and sense of humor. I had a huge smile on my face as I was reading "the story". I feel like I have the dorkiest girl crush right now... 

Anyway, leave a separate comment for each entry and you have until Friday at midnight to enter. I'll announce the winner Saturday morning. Until then, check out their store and fall in love with these pouches like I have.

And you know how I said we had terrible lighting and grumpy babies this morning? Don't believe me? This is what the majority of the pictures from this morning's shoot looked like...

Yikes! Little grumpy pants!

Play date with cousins

We are really lucky to live so close to the majority of our family. All of our siblings except two live within an hour of us (wait... I guess 3 if you count the one at college, but there are 7 siblings between the two of us, so that's over 50, right?) A couple weeks ago (yes, I'm behind) we headed out to my Sister-in-laws house for the afternoon. We played at their house, picked my niece and nephew up from school and then headed to McDonald's for lunch. And of course, I was the freak snapping pictures... 

  

 

 

   

I love little day trips and I'm not sure why they don't happen more often!

Oh and wanna know something exciting? They'll be a little giveaway 'round these parts tomorrow. 

Want to know what it is?  

Here's a hint. 

See ya tomorrow!

In beauty green will always grow, through summer sun and winter snow.

*Warning: This post got kinda long. I apparently am a sentimental sap when it comes to Christmas trees. You have been warned...

Let's talk about Christmas trees, shall we? The first year we were married, we had no Christmas tree. Why? Well, we got married 6 days before Christmas and got back from honeymooning just in time to celebrate with our families. A Christmas tree would have been silly. You want to know what else is silly? This picture of us just a few days after we were married in front of Josh's parent's tree. Oh my goodness, I look like I'm 11 and Josh's shirt?
 Priceless. 

Our second Christmas, we were terribly poor. Terribly. Our uncle, Larry, had given someone (Josh's sister? Dad? Mom? Somebody?) a gift card to Smith's, but since they had no Smith's in their town, it was passed down to us. I knew what we were going to do with it. Buy our Christmas tree. I think we maybe spent $10 of our own money, but we ended up with the most plush and *almost* too tall tree for our apartment. Our ornaments were from our wedding (clear vases with blue and brown ornaments in them) so it was really sentimental and I loved it. We didn't have a tree topper, so Josh brought out Walter, our FAO Schwarz bear he bought me on our honeymoon and placed him on top. It was perfect.

Our third Christmas was the first with the twins. We were still pretty poor (but not as terribly poor) but we didn't have a lot of space. Our new apartment had been taken over by baby stuff and for one reason or another, we settled on this tiny tree and used one of the girls hats they were given in the NICU as a topper. Also, I'm not sure why there were no wedding ornaments? I think maybe I added them later along with the white icicles? I really don't remember.

Last year was our fourth Christmas together. We went Christmas tree shopping with our neighbors and came home with this bad boy. By this time, we also had invested in a tree topper and had to use a little table and the bench from our kitchen table as a barrier to protect the tree from two little trouble makers.

  

This year, we did something entirely different. Instead of going to some parking lot for our tree, Josh decided he wanted a fresh tree. One that we could actually cut down ourselves. We found a tree farm in Alpine and zipped on over right before they closed to pick out and cut down the perfect tree.  

       

 

  

 

 

  

 

 It was really, really fun. I was a *bit* stressed while we were there just because two toddlers running in opposite directions between rows and rows of evergreens is chaotic. They could fit into nooks and crannies where I couldn't and I was convinced we were going to lose them. Don't worry though, as I was told by one of the workers, it's all "fenced in". Umm...you think I care, buddy? There are THOUSANDS of trees here and dozens and dozens of families. Sure it's cool you have a fence, but that provided minimal reassurance. 

Anyway, we ended up finding a tree unlike our previous three. We didn't realize exactly how tall it was because compared to surrounding trees, it was actually on the shorter side. We chopped it down (i.e. someone came and did it for us. I kind of wish they would have let us do it...) and loaded it in the truck.

  
(although I should make a point that we SHOULD have realized how tall it was. The stick Josh has? It's 8' long...)



 
I love how tall it is. I love that we have vaulted ceilings in our living room to allow us such a tree. I love that it looks like a tree you'd find in the mountains. Imperfect, with big gaps between the branches. I love how our collection of wedding ornaments only covered a 1/4 of it. I love that it's the first thing you see when you walk into our home. I have fallen in love with it and get sad when I think about how temporary having it in my home is. I love the way the girls admire and talk about the "Chrisnis tree". I'm hoping it makes it way past Christmas since it was still growing in the ground not even two weeks ago. Josh said his Grandma had a tree that was freshly cut and it lasted until Easter. EASTER! (which by the way falls on my birthday this next year and I think it would be awesome to still have a tree up)

I love Christmas and I love having a live tree. Definitely worth the effort to have that fresh pine smell in our house all month long.