That 70s Party

For my birthday this year I wanted to have friends over for fondue.  I decided to make it a theme party, since I love to dress up (remember this?).  What better way to celebrate fondue than with a 70s disco theme.

The fondue was delicious...

 
But the outfits were better!

Thanks to everyone who came, dressed up and danced.  Being under the influence of your friendship makes me one lucky lady.

All About Austin

Tonight as I was rocking Austin before bed I was thinking about all of the things that I want to remember about him at this stage in his life. So here's what I want to remember about my sweet, almost 21 month old.

*  He loves his blanket and his funny bunny and he takes them everywhere he goes.

*  The first word out of his mouth almost every morning is breakfast, pronounced "breck-est".

*  Anything and everything can be used as a gun to find mommy and shoot her.  Sometimes it a toy gun, other times it's his toothbrush, a drill, his cup, his banana, and sometimes even his funny bunny.

(Trevor took this picture)

*  He is sassy and bossy and a complete copy-cat.  His new favorite word is "special", as in "it's special" and he says it whenever someone takes something from him.  (He learned that word from Trevor.)

*  He loves to sing.  His favorite thing to do before bed is to have me hold and rock him while we sing together.  It's heavenly!  (Below is a video of Austin singing to Darren and I before bed last night.)

 

*  He loves cars and trucks and can often be found in Trevor's room stealing cars and hiding them in his room.

 *  He's a hitter and a bitter and a screamer, but with a brother like Trevor those are necessary life skills.

*  He also talks a lot!  (It seems to run in the family.)  Some of my favorite words that he says are "cozy", "amen", "song", "cocoa", "Sye-bee" (aka Simon), "stinky", "tickle" and "hide", which is usually followed by "surprise!"  He also has some 2-3 word phrases that he uses a lot, like "Don't want it", "I get it", "No touching", "Hold me", "I pooped" and my personal favorite "Said no", as in "I already said no, didn't you hear me the first time!"

*  He is fiercely independent and likes to do things his own way, usually without any help from anyone.

* He is nosy, I mean...inquisitive.  If something's going on he wants to be right there to see what's happening.  He's my adorable little shadow where ever I go.

Life would be so much less without Austin.  True, it would be less loud, less messy, and less dramatic, but it would also be less funny, less snugly, and definitely less enjoyable.

Snow Days

Happy Birthday Aunt Cheryll!

We love you Aunt Cheryll!

Crafting Our Kids

For Trevor's birthday my Aunt Cheryll purchased for him a subscription to Crafting Our Kids LLC.  They are a local company that mails your child a craft project each month that you can work on together.  Today Trevor and I did his first project, a 2012 Calendar.

The package Trevor received contained 12 paper bag calendars painted various colors, 12 bags each containing the embellishments for every month, a bag containing 2 metal rings and 1 birthday hat, a sheet of instructions and a newsletter with activites and ideas for January.

Step 1 - Match the colored hole reinforcers with the correct calendar.

Step 2 - Put the hole reinforcers on the front and back of each calendar.

Step 3 - Use glue and tape to decorate each calendar with the embellishments provided.

Step 4 - Add the birthday hat to your birthday!

Step 5 - Show off your hard work, because you're all done!

 

To learn more about Crafting Our kids LLC, visit their website: http://www.craftingourkids.com

Leavenworth Day Trip, aka Mindy's Christmas Present

After the terrible Christmas gift the I got from Darren last year, this year he made up for it by planning a surprise day trip to Leavenworth without the kids.  He planned everything from the childcare to the sleigh ride.  It was a quick, but wonderful trip!

Leavenworth in the winter is charming.  It feels like you've traveled back in time to simpler place.

One of the highlights of the day was a sleigh ride Darren planned for us to go on.  The horses were beautiful and the scenery was magical.

As part of this little Christmas Gift trip, Darren was less frugal than usual and we purchased several things in town, including an adorable headband that was totally overpriced, some taffy, a caramel apple, and a lb of cured bacon.  Dinner was delicious and the company was delightful.

It was the best Christmas present from my husband ever!

Hales Family Pictures

Back in November we had family pictures taken by a good friend.  They turned out wonderful and I feel bad for not posting them sooner.  Enjoy some of my favorites!