Christmas

I think most would agree that Christmas is much more fun when you have kids. Mike and I both were really excited to spend our first Christmas with Ashlyn. So excited that we put our decorations up the week of Thanksgiving. I can honestly say that we took full advantage of the holiday season. We listened to Christmas music, watched movies, looked at lights, took Ashlyn to meet Santa, went to an ugly sweater party, built two gingerbread houses, drank hot chocolate, sent Christmas cards, shopped Black Friday AND the day after Christmas, you get the point. Christmas hasn't been this fun since we were kids. 

 Here are the pictures to prove it.

Mike and me at the Ugly Sweater Party.  You can't see it in the picture but Mike is wearing a homemade Dickie.

We made gingerbread houses with our friends.

 

Ashlyn and Olivia sitting on Santa's lap. Ashlyn was traumatized. We literally died laughing.

 

Ashlyn and I made her first Christmas ornament together.  I got the idea from Pinterest.  This almost landed on my "Pinterest Hits and Misses" post.  Let me tell you it was much harder than it looks.  It seriously took 15 tries to get Ashlyn's handprint right.

Christmas Eve

 

 

 

 

 

Ashlyn loved palling around with her cousins, Jaxon and Emmry. 

 

 

We decorated gingerbread houses with the Carney family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ashlyn and Haven are three months apart.  We all get a kick out of watching them interact because they look like two batting cats.  They are always wanting each other's toys and aren't very good at sharing. Ha! 

 

 

Christmas Morning....6 a.m.

 

 

We let Ashlyn sleep in because we went to church at 9 a.m.  She opened her presents around 3 p.m.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

All of the cousins from the McCabe family.

It was so fun to spend quality time with all of our family. It really is "the most wonderful time of the year."  We especially enjoyed attending a church service on Christmas morning where we were reminded of the real reason for the season. It is times like this where we realize what the most important things in life are. If it were not for the birth of our Savior we would not be able to experience the joys in life.  We have much to be thankful for.

Hope your Christmas has been Merry and Bright!

Love,

Mike, Leslie, and Ashlyn 

Hope you had a very Merry Christmas!!! 

We sure did.

 

 

 

 

More Christmas celebration pictures to come.

Pinterest: Hits and Misses

Here is the deal. I LOVE Pinterest.  There are a lot of amazing clothes, DIY's, recipes, crafts, you name it.  People have some serious talent.  Where do they think of these things? It is nice that people are willing to share their ideas so that others can experience the same joy. But I am going to be honest with you, I have tried several things on Pinterest that have been a total FLOP.  Most of them are recipes.  So I am going to share with you my successes and flat out failures. 

Here goes...

I pinned these stockings the other day and HAD to make them. Cute/non cheesy stockings are hard to come by and these were right up my alley.

 

 cottageinstincts.blogspot.com

Here are mine...

 

They are "semi homemade," as I like to call it. I bought the stockings for $6.97 and glitter monograms for .97 cents at good old WalMart. Then I found some red ribbon I already had and stitched them onto the stockings. I made sure to buy a few extra stockings and M and K monograms for our future babies. (We already have names picked out.)
And by the way, I love burlap but it doesn't go with my red, white and silver Christmas decor.

I pinned this darling ruffle tree skirt.  Isn't it adorable?!?

 

mycrazylife-lauren.blogspot.com

Here is the one I did....

 

The cool thing about this tree skirt is you use hot glue instead of sewing the fabric.  I added the ribbon to cover up my crappy cutting job. Oh and I burned myself so many times that my index finger literally has been numb for a week.  Definitely said some choice words, but in the end it was worth it.

And why is it not a craft without at least 3 trips to the store. Am I the only one out there that does this?!? Ugh.

 

Don't these cookies look sooooo delicious and and moist?

chocolateandcarrots.com

Well mine turned out looking like flattened poop. They pretty much tasted like it too.

 

In the recipe it says to add between 2-4 egg whites.  Okay, there is a BIG difference between 2 and 4 whites. Just give it to me straight!  I added 4 and they were waaaaaaay too runny.  Note to self: add egg whites and then assess the batter consistency. 

Flop #2....


Delectable Yogurt Covered Pretzels.

Mmmmmm...

   foodgawker.com

The recipe calls for three ingredients.  Yogurt, powdered sugar and pretzels. Well, when you mix together the yogurt and powdered sugar it is way too runny to stick to the pretzels.  I think whoever posted this is forgetting the fourth ingredient: ALMOND BARK.  Whoever posted this recipe needs to get punched in the face.  I will accept fault for the chocolate cookies, but these....not my fault.

I dipped one pretzel into that watery mess and decided to call it quits. Hence, no picture.

Next time I and saving myself the headache and going to Sprouts.

Well, I hope you enjoyed reading Pinterest dairy.  I sure feel better now that I shared it with you.  All I can do is laugh.   

Ashlyn at 10 months

Mike's mom made her Halloween costume. Isn't it the cutest?!?





 
Brooklyn and Ashlyn


Olivia and Ashlyn



Seriously where is the time going?!? It's almost Thanksgiving and Christmas is just around the corner then Ashlyn will be 1!!! This year is flying by and my baby girl is getting bigger by the minute.  Months feel like weeks and weeks feel like days.

Ashlyn just turned 10 months and let me tell you she is a busy bee!

She started crawling at 9 months and now she is soooo fast.  All I do is chase that little cruiser around the house.  Well actually she follows me everywhere I go, but most the time I am just doing damage control.  I thought I had our house baby proofed but she definitely proved me wrong!

She is also pulling up and walking around the edges of the furniture.  She is going to be walking before we know it. I am trying to prolong that one as long as possible.

The other day she cried so hard she passed out!  You know when kids are winding up to cry and there is that period of silence before the storm??? Well she held that silence a little too long!  When Mike picked her up she turned blue and went limp.  It was scary and funny all at the same time. I guess this is a normal thing and a lot of kids do it. 

Here favorite things right now: cell phones, the dishwasher, books, the toilet (eww! I try and get her away from it as soon as I can), bath time, eating the dirt form the tree in our family room, her piggy paci, other little kids, going on walks in her stroller, fruit, her daddy, and her mommy (when daddy isn't around).

Things she doesn't like: Men with facial hair (particularly men with beards), being alone, getting dressed, and getting her diaper changed.

She has two bottom teeth and is working on her top ones right now.

And......her HAIR is starting to grow in!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

We just love her to pieces and love seeing her little personality come out more everyday!