Gingerbread Houses finally!

Alright, we finally did them!!

From start to finish, they took about an hour and a half.  That included me putting the houses together (I used graham crackers...who has time to actually make the gingerbread????), trying to find stuff to put in them (I mentioned in my previous post how, like my mom used to, I put little gifts inside the houses before I glue on the roof) because I was apparently unprepared and didn't have anything really small to fit in them (I ended up putting two little bags of skittles and some cute markers I had found at Target...Barbie ones for Izzy and Dora for Addy...that's all I had!!), and finally decorating/eating all of the candy decorations.

The girls had a big time.  Especially Izzy.  She kept saying, "I want to do our gingey houses."  I guess that was her nickname for the gingerbread houses.  She had been wanting to do them for a few days....because I kept bringing it up and not following through.  Such is life as a mom.  *Sigh*

Wow, look at all the awesome candy they got to use.

Christmas Cookies

Remember when I started a blog?

I vaguely remember... Well it has obviously not been on my priority list. I'll try again.

Christmas is a little over a week away and this past weekend I felt it was time to make some Christmas goodies, since next weekend we'll be in Northwest Arkansas doing Christmas with my parents and Jared's mom and brother. I remember growing up how mom would make a bunch of candy and cookies and stuff around Christmas, and I always wanted to make that a tradition with Izzy and Addy. With mom we would make fudge, peanut butter balls, turtles, homemade almond joy thingies, and all kinds of cookies (I'm sure I'm missing something). There were enough sweets to eat and gain 10 pounds in a week.

So, what did the girls and I make over the weekend you ask?

What a week

It has been one of those weeks. 

It may have started with the baby that I babysit, or with a couple of the kids that Izzy plays soccer with.  Either way, we got sick.  Except for Jared, maybe his flu shot paid off.

Izzy woke up with a fever on Tuesday and spent most of the day in bed.  I found out that the baby that I babysit had been sick over the weekend and was getting over it on Monday, so maybe that's where it came from (the baby got it from his dad).  Or she may have gotten it from a couple of the kids she plays soccer with; they were kind of sick last week at practice.

Then Wednesday the other little boy I babysit woke up with a fever.  They still brought him over because he wasn't acting too sick or anything, and we figured Izzy already had it so that didn't matter, and Addy would probably get it anyways.

Hiking at David's Trail

Alright, I'm finally posting again!  This has already proven to be a tough task to find time for.  Even though I'm staying at home now, and not having to worry about getting ready for work and getting everyone out the door each day, and lesson plans and grading papers and classroom discipline and parents, in addition to raising two kids, life still feels hectic at times.  I am very thankful that I get to be at home with Izzy and Addy, but that doesn't mean it's always peachy and easy going around here. 

Anyways, we had a pretty busy weekend.  Saturday morning I took the girls to the library and we went to storytime there.  The lady reads 4 or 5 books, then the kids color, and do a craft.  The girls really enjoy it.  Then that afternoon we went to Izzy's and Addy's cousin, Hadlee's, birthday party.  They had a lot of fun, they love to play with Keilee and Hadlee, and that took up pretty much the whole afternoon.  Sunday we went to church, came home and rested, then when Addy woke up from her nap we got ready to go hiking on a trail called David's Trail, which runs next to Norfork Lake.  We were wanting to go do something like that before it gets too cold, and I wanted to go when the leaves were changing color.  So we did that, but didn't get out there until after 5:30.  We wanted to enter the trail where it's close to the lake so we could actually look at the water, but because of the government shutdown, the area was closed.  Jared wanted me to take a picture.  The sign says "Park Temporarily Closed."

Here we go!

So, I don't really know what I'm doing as far as a blog goes, like how to make it all pretty and functional, but I thought it might be neat to start one. Mainly for family so that they can know what's going on with us and the girlies. I'm not going to guarantee that I'll post a lot or keep it very up to date, but I'll do my best!

Here's what's going on with us...