Adventures in Mommyhood

what I've been up too...

2012-01-16T14:37:00.003-05:00

Ok, sorry for the lack of blog love these days. I am off today and enjoying a few minutes of quiet time around the house so thought I would share a new area of interest (ie passion, ie time waster of mine!) It's called Pinterest. Oh "she" is a gem, a gem which hosts your internet quandaries and searches and keeps it all in a nice little spot for you. You can then come back and search for that new recipe you saw or that organization tip or craft for Valentine's day, etc, etc.

This kids bedroom (above) looks oh so cute. This website had step by step instruction on how to create it.

And this recipe...Parmesan crusted Tilapia, sounds delightful. I actually did a modified version of this last night with chicken breasts. So yum!
This was one of the first pins I made in my "My Style" board: a great DSLR tutorial. I learned some stuff and sent it on to a few people I thought might enjoy learning something too about shooting in manual mode.
I made these "7 Up" biscuits last week, had sprite on hand, and they turned out so incredible! And were oh so easy!
And I have saved tons of photo ideas as well. Like this one, so cute!

So come on join in with me in this super fun Internet adventure...it's not quite as bad as being hooked on a Francine Rivers book...well...not...yet at least!

a year in pictures...

2012-01-01T00:07:00.000-05:00

January...

February...

March...

April...

May...

June...

July...

August...

September...

October...

November...

December...

From our family to yours...A very Happy New Year!!

at the playground...

2011-12-30T20:47:00.000-05:00

Thankful for the warm sunshine today and a play date with friends.

Christmas collage...

2011-12-30T20:42:00.000-05:00

A Christmas cinquain...

Christmas
Fun had by all
Yummy Food and Family
Celebrating baby Jesus
Christmas

Say Cheese!

2011-12-28T15:23:00.000-05:00

Santa was good to me (see above) I got a new lens... a 50mm! So pumped as this lens although tricky takes unbelievable pics! So I decided to try it out on my kids...of course!

Oh blue eyes...actually some what blue/gray these days!

Can you tell where we are yet?? What room of the house rather?

So cute, Ollie got a kids Camelpak from Aunt Sarah for Christmas, needless to say he has been well hydrated lately!

Not sure what was so funny, they are all about entertaining each other these days!

So very...

hydrated! Thanks Aunt Sarah, what a fun gift! Thanks Santa Matt for a great new lens to capture moments like this...in the bathroom!

looking forward...

2011-12-17T18:16:00.000-05:00

...to spending some quality time with these two guys this week and next week. We just have to make it until Wednesday afternoon, I think I can!

Hoping your days are being filled with all things MERRY!

this little guy...

2011-12-17T13:58:00.001-05:00

...made his entrance into the world just 4 short days ago.

Welcome Sweet Baby Ben!

So excited that I got to snap a few pictures of my friend Jacki's new baby yesterday. Oh my look at those cheeks!

Ollie's first school program...

2011-12-11T15:49:00.000-05:00

Ollie has his first school program this past week at school. The kids in his class were so cute! Most of them (although Lainey doesn't look like it) had a great time. They sang Jingle bells with musical instruments!

Here is Ollie's pal, Jordan, rocking it out, so cute!

Then they sang "I'm getting nothin' for Christmas!" Started the song with much pouting, so funny!

More pouting!

It was a fun evening, hard to believe he's old enough to have a "performance!" We are enjoying the holiday time and are looking forward to our big Christmas break real soon!

pictures??

2011-12-11T15:41:00.000-05:00

Sorry, technical difficulties!

Christmas parade collage...

2011-12-07T20:27:00.001-05:00

It's been a while since I've put up a collage! We went to the GSO Christmas parade this past Saturday with our neighbors. Ollie and Molly had a blast, ate more candy than should have been allowed and even got to see Santa. SC wasn't real sure about all the loud noise but she was glad to keep an eye on her favorite babies, Ben and Jack, who were wearing Christmas matching outfits! It was a fun day!

Christmas card outtakes...

2011-12-04T21:22:00.000-05:00

Merry, Merry!!! I took the kids over to Bicentennial Gardens the other day for a "photo session." Here are a few of the pics that did not make the cut. Note to self, although the candy canes where cute and Christmasy, they made a giant sticky mess! Wow, can Ollie make some funny faces!

Sunshiney shots...

2011-11-14T20:40:00.001-05:00

...silly face!

...thinking pose!

...if you're happy and you know it!

...sweet Sarah Claire!

pics from previous post...

2011-11-05T09:33:00.000-04:00

The Halloween Journey...

2011-11-04T21:42:00.002-04:00

Greetings! Happy Weekend...we've just finished a very long week in the Hannam household...more on that in a minute. Our Halloween journey was a super fun one. It started a few weeks ago when Grandma Cheryl (who SC now calls "Maw Maw") came down for a visit. The kids put on thier costumes for a little preview. At that point Olls was planning on going as Batman. Fast forward 3 weeks to our neighborhood Halloween party which was this past Sunday afternoon (have I mentioned lately how much I love our neighborhood?) Ollie decided the size 7 (from a consignment sale) Batman was just too uncomfortable in the chest area. So last minute costume change to a "Virginia Tech Cowboy." Sarah Claire woke up on Sunday from her nap with a slight fever, so she did not make it to the party. Everybody was feeling good on Monday so off to school the tiger and the cowboy headed. We went trick or treating with our neighbors that night, got loads of candy and had a great time. I made another Animoto video highlighting these oh so fun events you can see it here.

Monday night, sweet baby girl woke up coughing, a lot in the middle of the night. So I decided to keep her (and her brother for moral support) home from school and take a trip to visit our doctor. Poor baby had "walking pneumonia" yes, so crazy. Thankfully, the dr. said it sounds worse (sounds horrible) than it really is. So she was put on the baby version of Z pack and told to rest and heal. Maw Maw thankfully came down to our rescue to take care of the sick patient while we went to work. It has been an eventful week with long nights and reactions to the meds in a throw upy kind of way. This picture was taken yesterday. But she is on the mend. She was much better today and we look forward to a full recovery over the weekend. Feeling thankful tonight for healing and the Great Healer!

Go Hokies!!!

2011-10-23T21:14:00.000-04:00

Ben and Julie

Matt and Whitney

With "Miami Vice" guy at the tailgate! (might have had to be there!)

My very first cheek turkey (Hokie.)

We had a blast this weekend in Virgina. We made the trip on Friday to let Olls and SC stay with the Gramps for the night and day and Matt and I headed to Blacksburg to go the Virginia Tech game on Saturday. We tailgated and enjoyed being together, the weather was absolutely beautiful. Guess we are officially Hokie fans after all these years of going to games with Professor Hannam!

Mountain Glory Weekend!

2011-10-18T21:00:00.002-04:00

Untitled Project

So we've been busy beavers around here this fall. But much fun has been had for all parties involved. I heard about Animoto at school today and thought I would try it out. So here is a highlight video of our trip to the mountains a few weeks ago with my parents! (you must click where it says, "Untitled Project"...guess I missed the memo about naming it!)

Happy fall!

Saturday snapshots...

2011-09-24T21:40:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since we've had a Hannam update...here a few snaps of what was happening around our house today. Matt and Ollie worked on the benches that will be on the back and the side of our new deck. Ollie was very serious about helping and did a good job.

He is really loving his new class and almost as if magically has discovered a love for letters, words and writing the past 2 weeks. They work on this a lot at school. I have to say that this makes my heart really, really happy! I even down loaded a few apps for my phone to help with this new love of all things phonics! I got him a new bigger bike at a consignment sale a few weeks ago (for $7 I might add!) So he's been into riding that a lot and he's taking soccer "lessons" at school so he's been enjoying that as well!

Sarah Claire figured out how to go down this little slide we have in our yard this week. She is so cute and every time when she gets down she says, yay and claps for herself! So cute!!

She is also into words these days, speaking them that is. It's been so encouraging as it has helped with her being so frustrated at times! She says basic words we use daily, shoes might possibly be her favorite word, she says that one a lot, she likes shoes a lot! I heard her say, No and Mine for the first time this week, not so excited about those but it was bound to happen. She is a cutey pie and on a side note, the majority of her hair is pulled back into a pony tail in these pictures, it's getting long!

Happy Saturday from our fam to yours!

blue eyed boys...

2011-09-12T20:52:00.000-04:00

This is Grant...he lives around the corner.

And this is Conner...his big brother.

I had a fun time taking some (about 500) pictures of these guys this past Saturday. We set out only to get pics of baby Grant but pretty soon Conner wanted in on the action. My friend Heather was great, switching props and outfits and making that oh so sweet blue eyed boy smile!

The more pictures I take the more I wonder if I ever might want to do this you know...as a side gig?! In the meantime I am still having fun snapping away!

more girls at the beach...

2011-09-11T07:37:00.000-04:00

so super sweet, wishing they would stay like this forever!

boys at the beach...

2011-09-11T07:31:00.000-04:00

A few shots of the fun these guys had over Labor Day weekend. Oh Boys will be boys!

just one more...

2011-09-06T21:55:00.000-04:00

Whew, my blogging marathon has come to an end.

We headed to the beach this weekend with 12 friends from our small group both little and big! What joy these two girls have on their faces! Hopefully I'll be back sooner rather than later to share the rest of this oh so cute beach photo session!

Goodnight!

pink and blue...

2011-09-06T21:34:00.000-04:00

Had been a while since the girl had been adorned in a tu-tu. So I put it on her in the yard the other day. This 1.5 year old is keeping us on our toes these days. She is a "drama mama" as they say in her class (side note other drama mamas also in her class they say.) She is just all girl, were figuring out maybe not quite as easy going as her big brother. BUT we love every moment (well almost) as we walk day by day in figuring out how to parent this sweet cheeks! She is really into babies and baby dolls, pushes hers around in a baby stroller and has mastered saying many words but the sweetest one is "Daddy" oooh weee she loves that guy!

Ollie in blue loves to throw the "life saver" into the lake when we walk down to it. Yes he is adorning a Piggly Wiggly shirt, SC has a pink one. It's part of my heritage, you know! We switched to a new day care a couple of weeks ago. It's about 3 minutes from our house which has made life so much simpler these days. Ollie seems to LOVE his pre-K class. He has had a few projects to work on and even has a writing journal. Man he's growing up!

Loving all the pink and blue in my sweet family!

in the classroom...

2011-09-06T21:18:00.000-04:00

day 1 of 180, whew do they look excited!

It's been a good start in Room 24 with 24 kids total! I am enjoying getting to know all of these lovely faces!

I took these pics on the playground for my work display bulletin board. May I introduce you to:

Anna, Kamaria, Elmer,
Lin, Bum, Hannon,
Evelyn, Lauren, Courtney,
Jayna, Elijah, Brooke,
Terrence, Jacob, Flinn,
Maggie, Destynee, Andre,
Thomas, Madylin, Blen,
and Logan. (sorry the grid repeated, and ZiYa and Jeremiah were absent this day!)

Pretty cute and way smart looking, don't you think?!

347...

2011-09-06T21:02:00.000-04:00

347...the number of pictures I just uploaded to my computer. We've been busy as usual and back into the swing of things fall here in the Hannam house!

The weekend before school started the 4 of us hit the road for a "last blast" together. We went to a town off the Blue Ridge Parkway called, Little Switzerland. The fun fact is that my family used to go visit this beautiful mountain spot, so many memories were on my mind as we toured around the town. We had a good time at the Switzerland Inn, at the pool, playing shuffleboard, hiking a wee bit, going to an apple orchard and even going to Linville Caverns.

August so far...

2011-08-20T07:45:00.000-04:00

My apologies for not keeping thing up on the blog here lately, we've been super busy trying to cram in HUGE amounts of fun before school starts back.

So in my effort to catch you up here is a mega collage and I will update left to right, top to bottom:
1. Matt found a treadmill on the side of the road, we've had much fun and "hope" to have much exercise on this super awesome freebie1
2-4. My friends Carla and Terre from college came to town for a visit, we had a ton of fun and even tried to get the 4 kids to nap at the same time, tried is the key word.
5-6. We put a bowl of free tomatoes out by our mailbox...free tomato day was a huge success.
7-10. Steffany and I took the kids to the children's museum. Those twins are getting so big and cute!
12. Ollie and Molly swinging in the backyard, we've hung with this sweet family from 3 houses down, once sometimes even twice a day this summer, so fun!
12.Ollie in the swing, just loving the freedom!
13-14. Major backyard playdate with some neighbors and friends this week, 10 kids in all, Kristen even created a baby pool fun course.
15-18. Kristen and I took our kids and met some friends at the Asheboro Zoo for a last blast day of summer, John started Kindergarten the next day, whew! For a close up of #17 see below for the super cuties (had to enlarge that one.)
19-20. Our neighbors across the street have an "end of summer redneck party" this was last night and here are two pics of some of the festivities. It's actually quite fun, people dress up, bring pork rinds and play games and such.

Ok, think you're about caught up. Yesterday was my first work day back at school. The kids went back to daycare, side note, we switched them to a different school this year, more on that later!

I've got work days, open on house on Tuesday night and then back to school 2011-2012 on Thursday. All in all, I am pretty sure I can say that this has been one of my favorite summer's ever!!!! We had so much fun together as a family and with friends!!!

I am really excited about the school year as I have a ton of super sweet kids (and parents) in my class! Go Pirates!

the hand...

2011-08-13T13:37:00.000-04:00

So very thankful that...the hand...the big strong hand that once was mine to hold is now so very special to the little hands in my life!

Happy 65th Birthday, Dad! I love you...we all love you!

boy bands...

2011-08-10T22:12:00.000-04:00

(Heather, Sabrina, Steffany, and Me)

"Remember when we said, girl, please don't go and how I'd be loving you...forever, taught you 'bout hanging tough, as long as you got the right stuff, didn't we girls...ooh, didn't we girls, ahh!"

The weekend before our beach trip I was super surprised when I got a call from a neighbor saying that she had an extra ticket to see NKOTBSB in concert that night!!!! For those of you not up on your boy bands NKOTBSB=New Kids + Back Street Boys! Here are a few pics from that really fun evening out!

For all of you Glee fans, Matthew Morrison opened up for the boy bands...sooooo good! That guy's got skills!

The whole crew on the rising stage together...pausing for the gasps!!!

BSB! They actually did a great job and I think more fans cheered for them!

NKOTB...all in all it was a spectacular girls night out with the boy bands! It was much, much better this time around than when I saw them a few years ago!

...just because

2011-08-05T15:06:00.000-04:00

Just had to share a few more beach pics of our girl...love this last one, the care free spirit of this wee one is contagious and beautiful!

b is for beach...

2011-08-03T14:46:00.001-04:00

...brother Wes!!!

...big boy Ollie!!!

...itty bitty sister Sarah Claire!!!

We spent a week at the beach last week with my family. It was tons of fun. Ollie mastered boogie boarding, tried his hand at surfboarding. SC loved the water and waves and ate lots of sand. I have major raccoon eyes and am still catching up on my rest, so funny how that happens! If you're interested here are all my favorite pics from the week!

time with friends...

2011-07-20T14:46:00.000-04:00

This summer one of the things I've been most grateful for is...time with friends. We've had lots of great hang out time with our good friends, the Loflins. We had a sleepover the other night and here is a pic of all the kids, around 6:30 am in the "big bed" as we call it. Please note that Abby already has on her shoes, that girl loves some shoes!

Matt and I got brave and took the kids (all 4 of them) to the pool. Here are the two cool dudes! They are about 14 months apart in age but you wouldn't really know it.

Scooba John!

The girls, discussing I am sure whether or not to share the mermaid doll baby. SC is getting some long hair these days!

Abby does a great job at "cheesing" for the camera! She is a blast, talks up a storm and loves being in the water.

Sarah Claire showing off her pink frilly bathing suit...all in all we had a great time! So thankful for time with friends!

Yosemite!!!!

2011-07-17T15:43:00.000-04:00

Ok, I've edited and narrowed down the some few hundred pics to my favorite 55 shots. You can view them here!!! I tried to upload to my blog but it's just not happening.

I wish I could have put captions for all of them as well, but if you have questions just let me know...we had such an incredible time. We rested and played and enjoyed being in each others company. We wondered why we waited so long to do an extended trip like this. We did several hikes over the week, most of the pictures are from those hikes. We saw some incredible wildlife...3 bears, a mule deer, wild horses, snakes, lizards, a really big bull. We walked on snow, stayed in 3 different locations and had...no...idea...how big the park was and how very long and curvy the park roads would be. We had no cell service for most of the time. We were amazed at how many non-Americans there were...all over. One day I heard more languages not in English than in English...weird!

Matt surprised me with a BEAUTIFUL diamond anniversary band!!!! We got to have our 10th anniversary dinner with Matt's sister Sarah and her man, Wes, by the river, steaks...yum! We drove about 400 miles in 8 days in our rented Sebring convertible and flew, oh a lot more!

We missed our kiddos like crazy, but recommend getting away without them! We are praying that this trip helped us to set the footprints for a 110 year long marriage! Happy Anniversary, Matty, may we always remember...ahh Yosemite!

there and back...

2011-07-13T14:22:00.000-04:00

Matt and I made it to Yosemite National Park and back! I've got tons of pictures and memories to share but in the meantime as I still process and savor, here is a picture of what we've been doing a lot of since we got back!

lollipop, lollipop...

2011-06-27T15:14:00.001-04:00

Recently I saw on a friends photography blog a very cute idea to use lollies as a photo prop. Quite honestly Ollie doesn't like me to take his picture much anymore...sigh...it happens a lot! So I pretty much bribed Ollie with a lollie...you know for good measure of course!

Both Ollie and Sarah Claire enjoyed their treat as we walked around the Arboretum this morning. Sarah Claire was a doll baby of course and the pink dress was oh so twirly!

I am still having the most fun with my oh so sweet children this summer...big things are happening at the end of the week...kids are going to Grandparent camp and Matt and I are setting out on a 10th wedding anniversary adventure!

new kids on the block...

2011-06-26T21:39:00.000-04:00

My neighbor and friend Steffany had her twin boys about 3 weeks ago. Benjamin and Jackson are the cutest, tiniest little things I've seen. It's been so fun to be a part of their lives thus far. Molly is loving being a big sis. I was super excited to get to take some shots of them this morning...it was a lot harder than I thought it was going to be. I took about 400 pictures in about an hour...of those about 20 are pretty good...these are some of my faves.

Ben and Jack...welcome to the block sweet boys!

girls in the gator...

2011-06-21T14:15:00.000-04:00

...keys in the ignition.

...not sure what's next.

...say cheese Abby!

...good horn honking Sarah Claire!

then and now...

2011-06-20T15:51:00.000-04:00

Asheboro Zoo, June 2010

Asheboro Zoo, June 2011

We took a Father's day trip to the zoo yesterday...dad requested it! Both of these pics are taken in the Aviary, Ollie's favorite spot in the whole zoo! SC loved every minute of it! Ollie soaked it all in too and gave us many facts that he had learned throughout the day!

home grown...

2011-06-20T15:28:00.000-04:00

...tomatoes, cukes and zinnias a-plenty around these parts! mmm-mmm, summertime good!

I've got a handful of new recipes I'm trying out this summer...stay tuned for a few "What's Cooking" blog posts!

school's out...part 2

2011-06-17T15:44:00.001-04:00

I would by lying if I said it was an easy transition from 3rd grade teacher to stay at home mom. I also wouldn't be lying if I said that I really think that sometimes it is easier to be with 24 nine year olds all day rather than 2 very rambunctious siblings.

I've been very thankful to try and ease my way back into the swing of things of summertime Whitney...she's very different. I'm already praying and reflecting as to how I be more like this during the "other" part of the year. I know its only been 3 days. I've learned tons of things about my kids and am amazed at how much Sarah Claire is into full on toddler mode.

She and her brother love to draw and be creative, so we had a good time yesterday with our craft paper. Look at how she has her nose into her work...she also will stick out her tongue when she's very determined. I am pretty sure SC is going to give her big bro a run for his money this summer, she is or wants to be into every little thing he is. SO very curious. She has a bit of a strong will...always has...and Ollie is learning how to truly be a big brother both the good and bad. And I am learning how to parent siblings both with the love and the rivalry.

We've been to the pool almost every day, Ollie is taking swim lessons (a bit timid of them at this moment in time, hope that changes) and Sarah Claire will already jump off the side.

school's out...part 1

2011-06-17T15:30:00.000-04:00

My parents came into town last Friday to hang out and then watch the kids while I had teacher work days this week! It was fun having them around. Obviously Ollie and Sarah Claire loved every second of it!

My dad and Matt always have to work on projects. You can barely see it, but way back in the yard is a brand new Grandpa built, Matt assisted sand box under the play fort! It's been tons of fun these past few days.

What you might ask are they working on in this picture. Why some shade of course. It is about 150 degrees in our back yard without any shade most of the afternoon and evening. These guys pulled out our old sail boat shades and rigged up a contraption to help block the sun! The deck is looking good, almost done!

aspire...

2011-06-06T21:45:00.000-04:00

Ok, no secret...I love taking pictures! Love the way it makes people feel when they say, "oooh I want a copy of that one!" Not sure if my hobby will ever turn into more than just that...a hobby. One of Matt's clients PhotoBiz...a photography website hosting company gave him a free site membership. So I've been playing around with it for a few days. Thought it would be fun to have a place to host some of my favorite shots...remember just a hobby!

You can check it out by stopping by here! Disclaimer this website is set up for the real deal photographer...bookings, calendar, testimonials etc. They only part I am using is the photo galleries. Enjoy!

just because...

2011-06-04T21:56:00.001-04:00

Sort of feels like this 4 year old gets less and less love on my blog these days! Ollie Hannam is truly growing into a little boy before our eyes. He still loves to play in the water, and tell stories and is really into "making collections" of things, like rocks or old screws from Matt's work. He continues to fall more into the roll of big brother, even had a moment of complete empathy and sadness for his little sister when she had to sit in time out the other night...ahem for throwing her food at dinner, :).

He is soooooooooo excited for summer vacation, counting down the days even more than I am. Almost every time Sarah Claire cries, he says, "she's just ready for summer vacation, Mommy." He is so very independent these days, he went to a cook out with me tonight, just us and it was so easy, just took the boy...we ate, we visited, both of us had a great time. He still likes to cuddle every once in a while and I will always give him band aids...as long as he asks for them. So very thankful for such a sweet gift of having such a incredible son!

in the yard...

2011-06-04T21:41:00.000-04:00

Remember this...a few weeks back???

Now take a look at the garden, it's borderline out of control!! Pulled the first 2 zucchini out today and counted about 20 tomatoes still growing. The sunflowers are almost higher than our fence! Wowie wow, wow! Special thanks to Grandma Phrona for the super fun octopus spray toy for endless summer fun.

And...Matt's almost finished with our new deck! Doesn't it look great?! So much fun going on...in the yard!

camping...

2011-06-04T21:31:00.001-04:00

We headed to Rock Castle Gorge, VA last weekend for a night to go camping with our friends the Clarks. We are super excited that they are back from living in Uganda for 2 years! Here are the two little people in our families. Sarah Claire was born in March and David was born in June, almost one.

Ollie and Bryan are only 11 days apart in age. Here they are in time out, well actually only Ollie was but sweet Bryan sat with him!

Brothers!

The beautiful valley...

The boys running wild on the hill, man Ollie looks like a big kid!

Group shot...minus the kids! It was a fun time, we could have done with out the torrential down pour that took place on Friday night while we were in our tents and the lack of sleep of our kids, but all in all it was a pretty fun trip.

15 pictures...

2011-05-31T21:34:00.000-04:00

From March 1, 2010 to June 1, 2011...Can't believe our little princess is 15 months old already!

curls...

2011-05-31T19:21:00.000-04:00

The evening sun was perfect and the curls on these girls were oh so sweet as I snapped these shots at a neighborhood cookout a few weeks ago. Molly and Addison...your daddies better watch out!

lemon cake dreams...

2011-05-25T21:05:00.000-04:00

I made this cake for a cookout celebrating my friend Steffany's birthday a few weekends ago. It was a Lemon box cake mix with butter cream icing...garnished with strawberries and mint from our garden!! It was really, really yummy!

Making this lemon cake gave me a glimpse of things to come very, very soon! That's right its time for my end of the school year, looking so forward to summer blog post! In 11 more school days and 2 work days I'll be at home chilaxin' with my little people. I feel so blessed to get a break every year to be with my kids, to hang with my friends...to slow down and hopefully rest!

When not resting I hope to be spending my time...baking (already tagging recipes in cookbooks,) swimming/ sunning at the pool, gardening, teaching (hope to work with Ollie some each day with basic reading skills,) exercising (yes, I said it...I need to pump it up,) taking pictures of my kids and friends kids (new born babies are plentiful in my hood) and sewing (yes I have a machine and I want to figure out its odds and ends!)

Sound ambitous...maybe...but until then I'll just hang onto my lemon cake dreams!

It's official...

2011-05-17T19:44:00.000-04:00

Sarah Claire is now a walking machine!!!! So cute!!

garden tour...

2011-05-09T20:32:00.000-04:00

We've loved having something to get our "hands dirty" in lately!!!

Here's what's growing: strawberries, sweet mint, sweet potatoes, sunflowers, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, lettuce and basil. Not pictured but growing...zinnias. Also pictured our "adopt a pet" we call her/him "Oso." It's our neighbor's cat and she usually come and gardens with us most nights. A super sweet kitty, Sarah Claire even says: cat-cat, when she sees Oso!

The happy gardeners...

The silly girl...who's brother put the water spout in the dirt and then she decided to lick it...a lot!

Easter bunny...

2011-05-09T20:16:00.000-04:00

Matt was cutting the grass last week and he found this tiny little guy in our yard. We loved on him for a while, then put in a blue Tupperware. Ollie gave him some snacks, of course. He was a cute little guy or girl...so fun! Should also mention that the same night he found a black snake...it's sitting the red cooler on the table, no pics of that...it was an adventurous night!

pics...not again, Picasa!

2011-05-09T20:10:00.000-04:00

Wintergreen...

2011-05-09T20:06:00.001-04:00

Matt and I celebrated his birthday together 2 weekends ago in Wintergreen, VA.

This is what a ski resort looks like without snow...shout out to Matt's Aunt Becky who hooked us up with a great deal on a place!

We headed to the local farmer's market...oh how I love a good farmer's market on a Saturday morning.

There was this really cool old guy who made homemade wooden crafts...like the walking man.

And some pickin' of course.

And tons of delicious homemade goodies to be sampled and bought! We ventured into Charlottesville for a lunch and even made it to Monticello for a bit. It was good to get away with the birthday boy!

33 words...

2011-04-27T05:56:00.000-04:00

...for the birthday boy!

You captured my heart some 13 years ago. You've held it in a special place since then! You are an amazing husband, dad, son, brother, boss and friend! I love you today and forever!

Happy 33rd birthday, Matty!

Easter...

2011-04-25T21:02:00.000-04:00

Happy Easter! Here are some shots of our after church "photo session" in the back yard, sadly did not get a picture of the 4 of us! The kids had a picnic and then had a little water play...an almost daily occurrence in the "boat/pool."

Favorite shot of my girl, in daddy's arms! What a sweetie, she took a few un-assisted steps last night! So fun!

We had our small group and all their kids over for a big Easter dinner last night, of course we had an egg hunt... and more water play...Ollie stayed in that outfit all day long!

Love these girls...all three!

Little sister...

2011-04-22T08:43:00.000-04:00

She is my mom's little sister...she's was born 11 years later. She is one of the kindest people I know! She loves my kids in an amazing way! Because she's much younger than my mom, I sort of like to think of her as my older sister...you know fun to pretend! Hopefully she can teach this little girl the ropes about being a little sister!

Today is her birthday...Happy Birthday, Aunt Mary...we love you and send you birthday greetings from NC!

My kiddos...

2011-04-21T15:27:00.000-04:00

Ollie 13 months and Sarah Claire 13 months!

I was looking back today at some old pics and found this one of Olls. There are a few things mainly hair color that set these two apart, but wow don't they look similar?! So cute the cheeks, the space between their front teeth. The flip out in the back hair do! Precious!

Sweet SC did great with her tubes today. She actually had another double infection, which sadly we didn't know about. So we're super thankful that we the tubes will help clear all this up! Thanks for praying!

Baby Shower...

2011-04-20T13:53:00.000-04:00

My neighbor and friend, Steffany is having twin boys in a few months. This past weekend I had the honor of helping to throw a shower for her. Twins...whoa!

My first attempt at making a diaper cake!

The theme blue, yellow, green and ducks!

We LOVE our neighborhood and our neighbors! 7 of these lovely ladies live in my hood! It has been so incredible to get to know them (and their kids) this past year...looking forward to the babies being born and the memories that will continue to come!

Sarah Claire's Dedication...

2011-04-19T20:50:00.000-04:00

Our blue eyed girl (please note the matching blue eyes of her grandaddy) got dedicated at church two weekends ago.

Here she is "all smocked" up!

Silly banana brother!

Sweet one resting on Grandpa Hank's shoulder.

Our family up on the stage with all the other dedicating families. My parents and Matt's parents were able to come which made it a special time!

spring break...

2011-04-19T20:41:00.000-04:00

All together now, deep breath...now that feels better! Spring Break is finally here! Looking forward to spending in the back yard with these guys!

We actually filled these boxes with horse manure courtesy of Grandma and Grandma H this past weekend and planted tons of veggies. We get about 10 hours of sunlight back there so we thinking we might have a road side stand by mid summer!

Yes that is a chicken wing! This girl continues to eat most of anything you put in front of her and will quickly push it out of the way if she doesn't want it. Thursday morning Sarah Claire will be getting tubes in her ears. We'd love prayers for a successful surgery and a speedy recovery.

Sorry for the lack of blogging the love/ hate (mainly hate) relationship between Picasa and Blogger continues as of late. I've tried to blog several times but got frustrated and stopped. I have to lots to post about so hopefully I'll get all caught up these next few days.

Technical difficulties...

2011-03-29T21:26:00.002-04:00

Blogger and Picasa are not working so well together tonight!! Here are the pics that should have been with the previous post! :)

Check ups...

2011-03-29T20:34:00.001-04:00

8 shots, 8 band aids, 2 finger pricks, a few rounds of crying without breathing or making a sound, a sticker and a hand full of m and m's...we survived Ollie and Sarah Claire's one and four year checkups today. Whew!!!

His stats:

Weight: 40 1/2 pounds

Height: 43 1/4 inches tall (puts him in the 97th percentile..still) Dr. Keiffer thought his shirt was ironic!

Eyesight: 20/30

Hearing: good!

He's a tall, lean and growing machine. Who is totally into letters and sounds, says ____ starts with _____ all the time!

Her stats:

Weight: 22 pounds 1 oz

Height: 30 inches tall (50-75th percentile...honestly thought she'd be taller.)

Ears: ok...actually she had another double ear infection on Friday...still weighing the option of tubes, praying that spring would push them out of the picture all together.

Eyes: beautiful blue

She's growing into a passionate toddler right before our eyes. And I mean passionate in good and bad ways, we've seen a bit more personality lately. She's still not walking but cruising every where.

All in all we are so thankful to have such healthy kids.

the other kids in my life...

2011-03-25T21:12:00.000-04:00

We had a "photo shoot" for the yearbook the other day on the playground. I don't think I've posted pics of these guys yet this year. They're pretty awesome and very smart...and so very ready for a spring break...alas its still about 3 weeks away!

Alana, Eleanor, Sara, Niheira, Sarah Worth, Avery, Jillian, Azahria, Isabelle, Valerie, Tiet, Elizabeth, Merissa (the girls) and Tilden, Tanner, Hi, Mring, Ymon, Alex, Nolan, Mason, Israel, and Adonijah (the boys) bring me joy, laughter and the occasional migraine headache.

But all in all this year has been a fun one. I really like 3rd grade. Its oh so different than 2nd, not sure that I like it better or worse, but I like it. The school where I am at this year is in a different part of town, in fact if we hadn't moved last year (it'll be a year on May 17th) I could've walked to work (could've.) The PTA is such a strong supporter of our classrooms and they sponsor many events through out the year, which is so neat. I have volunteers in my room every week. Its a neat little spot, well I say little, think we have over 700 students!

I can say that the older Ollie gets and now SC I am seeing the worlds collide a bit, I'll catch myself saying things like "have a happy heart" to my 3rd graders or telling Ollie he will loose a "pirate buck" if he doesn't______! (fill in the blank) Seriously though, I still walk away every day knowing that teaching is a calling...one I'm glad I got called to!

Sarah Lou Who!

2011-03-16T21:00:00.001-04:00

I picked up Sarah Claire from school today and her teacher had adorned her hair...with pigtails!!! So cute!!! Amazingly she left them in all day! Unfortunately getting them out was not as fun as I had hoped! Oh Sarah Lou Who!

pink...

2011-03-07T20:10:00.002-05:00

Pink birthday dress from Grandma L...oh so sweet blue eyes... please note the slight bruise...a gift from a friend a school.
Pink chair from Grandma H, what a fun gift for a one year old! I tried to do a photo shoot yesterday of this birthday girl, but she was just not feeling it. I think she gave me half a smile one time, oh well she's still cute!

After we changed back into our everyday wear...she seemed a bit more relaxed in the pink chair. Settled in for a quick read...oh my goodness, love this girl!

dishes and baby jaguars...

2011-03-06T20:58:00.005-05:00

One of SC's favorite past times these days is to help me "un load" the dishwasher. She will pull out all the silver wear and then hold it up for me to grab. I say "thank you" and she tries in her best way to mimic me. Don't get me wrong only a moma would understand this baby language. But I've been working with her a lot lately on mimicing words. I heard her say "ish" for fish today and a very cute version of "uh oh" when she dropped something. All of this is after I say it to her, not on her own. Still pretty fun!
Today it was rainy and a bit chilly, Ollie built a jaguar bed, he called it, on the floor. We all played "jaguars."
Sarah Claire really, really digs her brother these days. She just loves to be where he is. It is so neat to see them start to really "play." This blog post has a lot of "quotations!"

New swing set!!!!

2011-03-06T20:46:00.002-05:00

The last few weekends Matt's been in the backyard working away on this oh so fun project for our fam!! A new swing set! He and Ollie have dreamed up a really fun design. The roof and sides of the "treehouse" part got put on yesterday! So excited for the fun times that we'll have this spring and summer in our back yard!

How about those tie dye shirts?!

Her BIRTHday...

2011-02-28T21:15:00.002-05:00

A year ago tomorrow we left our house at 5:30 in the morning to head on over to Women's Hospital. We stopped by Steak and Shake so that Matt could get a coffee, it was the only place open that early. I had a scheduled induction one week before my due date...this baby was going to be big they told us. We shuffled our way into the waiting area and checked in. I remember this part being very different than last time, guess it was because it was so early, there was only one other couple there.

Once we got settled in our room, all the vitals checked, the glorious outfit adorned for the day, the nurses went to putting my IV in. Wowzers, my veins roll or something, seriously it took 3 nurses and about 4 tries before they finally found a vein that would cooperate. They got the Pitocin rolling and the day began. I must say that I had very high expectations that this birth day would be different than the first one I participated in. Ollie's was long, too long, about 28 hours to be exact and I was a nervous wreck. So about month 5 of this pregnancy I started to think, dream, pray and believe that this day would be different. I wanted music, magazines, texting, emailing...etc.

The morning kind of dragged on the Pit was working my contractions were coming pretty regular, my pain tolerance was much higher this time around. But I wasn't dilating any more than I was at 6:00 when we arrived. So we walked up and down the halls, did "couchy/ doorsies" as Matt called them, walked from the couch to the door. Then I guess about 1:00 right after my family, Matt included decided to eat a delicious gormet (Elizabeth's Pizza) lunch in the room right in front of me. I do think I snagged a chip or two...my doc decided it was time to break my water. I was a bit scared about this because with Ollie the next 30 minutes before my epidural came was some of the worst pain I've ever felt in my life. So I knew pain was coming.

But this time it was different...not too much pain, in fact I think I went about 2 and half hours, contractions increasing but still not progressing. I texted with friends Matt updated the blog, I read Real Simple. We discussed the mere possibility that we maybe just maybe could be having a girl baby...threw out a few names (we didn't know remember) and then I decided I was ready for the epidural. The needle man came in and got me set up. At first it felt like sweet relief, but as the next few hours passed I realized that the pain was increasing and not decreasing. I felt nothing in one leg or side of my body and then much, much more on the other side. I guess it only took on one side. My dr had said we'd have a baby by dinner...I kept wondering what time she ate.

Fortunately pain and all the epidural helped me progress and fast! I remember Matt was on the phone with his brother about 5:20 pm and he said oh I think we'll probably have a baby by 8 or so...wishful thinking, he might have added. I on the other hand felt much pressure in the area that needed pressure to be felt and growled something to Matt like, we're gonna be pushing this baby out by 6 o'clock!

Sure enough they checked me a little before 6 and I was fully dilated! We did a couple of practice pushes and I remember the look on the nurses face like I might be delivering this baby if your doc doesn't hurry up and get back to the hospital. So about 6:05 or so my doc rolled in put on all her gear. And 4 short contractions later...a girl! A sweet baby girl.
Sarah Claire Hannam entered the world at 6:15 pm, weighing 8 lbs and 8 ounces. I shook with adrenalin for about 2 hours. A girl...a sweet baby girl! A sweet birth day. And the rest as we say is blogging history.
Sarah Claire Hannam...we love you oh so much! Happy 1st Birthday sweet baby girl!

"For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord. Plans to prosper you and to give you a hope and a future." Jer. 29:11

Crafty shots...

2011-02-27T13:43:00.000-05:00

More pics...

2011-02-27T13:40:00.000-05:00

Tie Dye Birthday Bash!

2011-02-27T13:32:00.002-05:00

Words cannot describe how much fun we had yesterday at Ollie and Sarah Claire's big ole birthday bash! Since their bdays are 4 days apart we decided to celebrate them at the same time. Super Duper props to my Sister in Love aka big Sarah for taking all these delicious photos of the big day. She is a rock star.

We tie dyed shirts...it was crafty and fun...the teacher in me kicked into full gear and had it pretty organized. Thanks to the Hannam family proper for being the tie dye crew! We had a light lunch and lots of chocolate cake! Can't believe my Super O is 4 and my sweet SC will officially be one in 2 days!

Four!

2011-02-25T06:54:00.002-05:00

One, two, three, FOUR...
Oliver Clayton Hannam, I am not sure that we could love you any more!

You bring us joy and laughter and fun and an oh so sweet love for life!
You'll always be our baby, Olls! We love you so much!

Slipped away...part 2

2011-02-21T21:20:00.000-05:00

I got the priviledge of spending about 24 hours with these lovely ladies from my small group this past weekend. We hit the road to Seagrove, NC and then ended up at one of my ultimate favorite B and B's the Blair House.

Thank you Sammie for showing off our guest quarters. We relaxed for a while in the afternoon before heading to the big ole town of Albermarle for a Sushi/ Thai dinner. It was excellent! We stopped back by the Food Lion for some after dinner treats and then the PJ party began!

One of the best parts of the Blair House is that every room is a suite, so we hung out in this room till wee hours of the morning watching Pride and Prejudice and enjoying the gas logs and reading every magazine we had brought and borrowed from downstairs...just b/c we could. So fun to get to know these ladies more...you should head on down to the Blair House, sadly the innkeeper/owner said this might be their last year open due to rough economy these days! So thankful to get to slip away.

First class party...

2011-02-21T21:09:00.000-05:00

This was the smile I got from Sarah Claire on Valentine's Day when I came to assist her teachers in their party. Of course she wore her V-day onesie!

Look at all those cuties dressed in red. Addison and Sophia are twins, Henry (the 7th, seriously,) Kyle, Braedon, Grace all had a grand time eating iced cookies, cheese cubes and cheese puffs. Most of them having sugar for the first time. Ahem, our daughter on the other hand was a pro at this.

By far the class fave was the cheese puffs! Its been so fun to see these little tikes turn into toddlers so far this year. Can't believe this little girl will be ONE in 8 short days!

the circus...

2011-02-21T20:56:00.000-05:00

We headed to the circus at the coliseum the night before Valentine's day with some friends. Sorry these pics aren't the best. Overall, all the Hannam's had a great time. SC danced and danced and really seemed to enjoy the show. Ollie liked it as well he just kept asking for the seals...sorry pal, no seals this time.

Slipped away...

2011-02-21T20:52:00.000-05:00

Wowzers, I've been MIA on the blogging scene. Life just goes fast around here, we work hard and play hard in between so rarely do I get a moment to sit and type. But tonight...I am! A few weeks ago my parents came up to keep the kids for us so we could run away together for a weekend. It was much needed and so much fun...and oh so relaxing. We headed away to Galax, VA to Fiddler's Roost cabins..again. We went there about a year ago right before SC was due to make her grand appearance. These cabins are super and very reasonable.

It's amazing to spend un-interrupted time with your sweetie...these moments are few and far between lately. I highly recommend a weekend away with the one you love!

Happy Valentines...eve!

2011-02-13T20:58:00.000-05:00

Here are the rest of the pics of the Heart day sweetie...promise to post pics of Ollie soon!

Happy Valentine's Day!

"And these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is LOVE." 1 Cor. 13:13

Cheese!

2011-02-07T20:45:00.001-05:00

A valentine's smile and her brother's Thomas toothbrush, gotta have a prop...or a distraction if you will!

Speaking of teeth, her 8th tooth popped through last week and her 1 year molar in the back is making its way to the surface as well, fun times!

Speaking of ears...little SC was diagnosed with her 5th ear infection this weekend which has deemed us a trip to the ENT in a few weeks. We were hoping we could make it through the winter without needing ear tubes...we shall see what the dr has to say. Oh the joys!

Speaking of speaking...this girl can say hi and hey and wave bye bye...excited to see what words we will hear in the next little while.

Speaking of eating...SC will devour almost anything you put in front of her...so very different from her brother! She even likes olives!

Happy February!

2011-02-01T17:34:00.000-05:00

It's the month of love people! My mom sent this uber cute onsie for Sarah Claire for Valentines day...we had a "photo shoot" in the yard this weekend. There were so many adorable photos of this little lovey. I can't wait to share them all. February is a big month...the countdown is on to Feb. 25 when the Ollister turns 4, then only 4 short days later his little sis turns...1 year old. Whew, so hard to believe! Ps..yes that is a ladder...not to many good props in our back yard.

Blue eyed beauty...

2011-01-31T21:51:00.000-05:00

...she's our...blue eyed girl!

cupcakes on a Thursday...

2011-01-31T21:46:00.001-05:00

The boys decided to get their baking on last Thursday..."cupcakes, really?" I said...they were yum and they had a great time baking together. Don't you just love my sweetie in his "sweet" apron!

In the backyard...

2011-01-16T20:57:00.000-05:00

The snow and ice are finally melting around here. The sun was warm and the brown grass was inviting this afternoon as the kiddos and I headed to the backyard for a snack. It is mostly fun to see these two together these days...the amount of "brother/ sister" interaction both good and bad is alive and well! He puts goldfish on her head, she reaches for his milk cup full of cow's milk, he gives her a kiss, she fusses when he takes the cup away. You get the picture, :).

But mostly she looks at him like this. So sweet.

Sweet until he does tricks like this...oh the joys!!!

Besties...

2011-01-11T15:58:00.000-05:00

(Abby, 13 months and Sarah Claire, 10 months)

...well at least we hope they will be super duper friends for life!

Love the facial expressions and love how much of their big brothers I can see in each of their faces!

Flashgun...

2011-01-11T15:51:00.000-05:00

Matt got me a Bower, SPD290 for Christmas...a sit on top flash if you will. I've been playing around with it some...it's a bit tricky. These are some snaps from a play session in the foyer the other night. There was very minimal light in the foyer...so the light that you see was from the flash...love any tips on this!! :)

Please note that SC is into everything her brother is into or doing now...he's having to learn patience with her new found freedom of movement and will power. Please note also that Ollie was drawing a space ship that had a shower and a bathroom and he plans on taking it to the moon one day!

New years eve nap...

2010-12-31T15:52:00.000-05:00

Look very closely in the corner of the pink and lime green...it's Sarah Claire. No, she's not playing hide and seek, she's sleeping! Ha!! It's been a really big week for this little girl. She officially started crawling, is pulling up like crazy, goes from laying in her crib to sitting, which prompted the crib mattress to be moved down last night and another tooth popped through bringing the total to 7!

She was fussy and sleepy around 10 this morning so I gave her some milk then put her in her bed. She played and laughed and talked and probably crawled and stood up...times like these I really wish we had a video monitor, but we don't. Then about 30 min later, it got quiet and when I went in to check on her...this is what I found. A sleeping babe...sleeping sitting up with her head in her bumper. Don't worry she was breathing fine. I wanted to move her but Matt said "never move a sleeping baby" or something like that. We kept checking on her, eventually her arms dropped down, but she slept this way for 1 and half hours!

Thanks to Kristen and bestie, Abby for the Baby Legs...so fun! Can't believe this paisley pink princess will be 10 months old tomorrow!

One snowy day...

2010-12-28T21:09:00.000-05:00

One snowy day...Ollie's Grandaddy took him up the hill down around the corner.

Down the hill they went, snow flying everywhere...one snowy day.

One snowy day...crash they went and flip and turn.

One snowy day...Ollie and his Grandaddy got "all snowed up" and had the ride of their lives (well for a while at least.)

Angel sugar cookies...

2010-12-28T20:40:00.003-05:00

Ok, it's been a year of Sundays since I posted a recipe. Since I am a stay at home mom this week, I have time to do things like...cook, clean, organize, rest, love on my kids, husband, etc.
My Matty got me this cook book for Christmas...quite possibly might be my favorite gift. I really LOVE to cook, you know when I have time. I visit this gal's blog every once in a while but mainly enjoy her recipes and photographs. So I was super excited when she released a cook book this year.

I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of sugar cookies...I honestly prefer my cookies or well anything with chocolate. But I decided to give this recipe a whirl tonight and they were a big hit in our house.

I give you Angel Sugar Cookies: (via Ree Drummond, the Pioneer Woman)

You'll need:
2 large eggs
1 c. canola oil
2 sticks of butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar, plus extra for the tops of the cookies
1 c. powered sugar
1 tsp. pure vanilla
4 c. plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cream of tartar

Directions: Mix first 6 ingredients in your stand mixer, cream them all together nice and fluffy. Then add in the last 4 ingredients, mix well, then refrigerate for 1 hour. Then pre-heat oven to 350 F, using a cookie scoop or spoon drop balls onto an ungreased cookie sheet. This is the fun part, take a glass and smear butter on the end then dip into sugar. Use the glass to flatten the balls of dough, dipping again into sugar each time. Repeat until all are flattened, then bake for 9 to 11 minutes until the cookies are just barely turning brown around the edges. Allow to cool before eating, you know if you can make it that long!!!

She says it makes 18 cookies, not sure what size she was making but ours were about 3 inches wide and it made 40!!! These are so much lighter than normal sugar cookies, light and fluffy and yum! Enjoy!

Christmas jammies...

2010-12-27T15:05:00.000-05:00

Just because I could...I did...bought my kids matching Christmas sock monkey jammies...sadly not a single pic was taken of them together in a posed fashion...but you get the idea!

Christmas Eve...

2010-12-26T17:05:00.000-05:00

The Hannams came down on Friday to beat the snow to spend the day with us. We had a great time, opening presents, eating our Christmas dinner a day early, hanging out, decorating giant ginger bread sugar cookies. We went from zero pets to 4 pets in a matter of minutes as our house now owns 2 pillow pets and 2 zhu zhu pets! What fun! I got a cool fish eye lens for my camera...excited to figure out how to use it!

The extended fam...right before bedtime!

Merry Christmas!!!

2010-12-25T20:02:00.000-05:00

Ollie's 1st Christmas...2007...notice the outfits...

Last night...Christmas 2010...Sarah Claire's first Christmas. Not sure why I look so sleepy?!

I pulled out the above pic yesterday to show our family and look at how similar and cute our two babies look. Then noticed that my sweetie had on the same shirt that he did 3 years ago. So I quickly grabbed my green sweater and then we snapped a few pics. My how we've grown as a family in 3 years. Perhaps it's time to hit up the after Christmas sales at Old Navy for some new shirts!!!

Merry Christmas friends and family...thankful for the birth of our Savior!

Promise to post more Christmas and SNOW (about 4 inches on the ground as I type) shenanigans...very soon!

Christmas card outtake...

2010-12-12T21:05:00.000-05:00

We had a "photo session" if you will first thing yesterday morning. This is pretty much how it went! I think I was able to get a few good shots but man it was tricky! Thought to myself...this is why people pay big bucks to have someone else make their family look perfect.

Seriously, thanks for hanging in there with me on the Shutterfly post. I was able to create our family's photo card for free this year (yes it is my year for the card) b/c of that post. It was a $100 value...can't wait to see them. Until then, hope you enjoy this outtake!

You can fly with Shutterfly!!!

2010-12-10T16:28:00.003-05:00

Merry Christmas season...I am super excited to tell you this afternoon about all the incredible deals and showcase some of the fabulous products that you can get and/ or give to your loved ones this holiday season from Shutterfly. Three years ago we gave my dad a really cute photo mug with Ollie on it...when he was about Sarah Claire's age. My dad loves this mug, it is totally one of his favorites. We need to get him one with the princess on it. If you or someone you are close to is a coffee drinker this is totally a gift you might want to consider giving.
Another great gift is the photobook. This one is totally a classic. Matt gave me one of these about 5 years ago. It is so sweet, it highlights our adventures on our old sailboat, The Water Weasel. I love this book...I just re-organized our home library in our new house a few weeks ago and I was so excited to be able to "display" this book on our shelf. We look so young...and a few friends have looked at it since I've had it out. These are such a great way to preserve photos with a flair of a book. Maybe someone in our family will receive one of these for Christmas.
The third Shutterfly project that everyone these days is working on is the photo Christmas Cards. We have already received 3 of these in the mail and I love displaying them on the pantry door. They have so many cute cards this year. I've got my eye on a few that I absolutely love. Like this one "Joy and Love"...certainly fits our life this year.

Thanks for "listening" to me talk and share about some of my favorite Shutterfly products. Hopefully you can find just what you're looking for...I sure did!

The evergreen and snow...

2010-12-06T20:38:00.000-05:00

Due to the 20 plus ceilings in our new house we decided to get a huge tree this year...oh my it is a beauty!!! Love looking at it...we had a super fun time decorating it this Saturday as the snow was falling outside our windows.

Snow...yes it snowed like 3 inches here on Saturday is was a precious suprise for all of us...Ollie enjoyed it oh so much. He's going to be a pro with the snow before winter is over. The snow is going away slowly but man the wind is whipping tonight and lows in the teens...burrrr! So thankful to have a warm home...hope you are enjoying the Christmas season!

Christmas cutie...

2010-12-06T20:30:00.001-05:00

Moving on to the good stuff...SC was uber cute as we picked out our Christmas tree on Saturday. So excited to see this little girl enjoy opening presents in a few short weeks. She is so fun these days: starting to finally scoot and move, says Olla and Dadda, a lot... and now has 6 teeth. She loves big people food and is a pro at blowing bubbles with her mouth. We love our 9 month old!

Thanksgiving re-cap...

2010-12-06T20:25:00.000-05:00

Oh my...a destination Thanksgiving was our plan this year. We hit the road for Pigeon Forge, TN. Sadly, Ollie got the stomach bug on Monday. We decided to keep on trucking on Wednesday thinking he was better...what a mistake. We made it there barely...Ollie and his mom got sick in the car.

I'll spare you the "juicy" details, but everyone ended up getting sick, I mean everyone. We're looking forward to a holiday re-do this Christmas...praying you and your family do not get this yucky bug, whew!

We managed to make it out of the house on Thanksgiving day for a short while to Gatlinburg to a mtn stream and to ride the Sky Lift...but soon back to the cabin for more rounds in the bathroom. Yikes a Bee...hoping your turkey was better than ours!

this boy...

2010-11-21T21:50:00.000-05:00

here are some recent Ollie stats just to keep you updated...

~He is learning his letters hard core...starting to sound things out...just a teensy bit. Please note I tried to teach him these this past summer and he just wasn't ready...but he is now, they are all about it in his class at school!

~He is learning to be inquisitive and empathetic and can read between the lines: conversation the other day:
me: Hey Olls does your throat hurt a little?
olls: No, yours does Mommy?
me: yeah buddy
olls: I'm sorry, Mommy.

~He is super tall still, he's grown a whole inch according to our May and November markings on the door frame at our new house. His 4T pants are almost too short, should have gotten 5's I guess.

~He is super excited about any and every little thing these days...gets that from his Mommy. We're headed to the Mtns for Thanksgiving with my family and he wants to eat literally on the side of the mountain.

~He is still a super sweet brother, although he has had to sit in time out a few times recently for being too "rough" with SC. It was bound to happen.

~He has a wicked cowlic (sp.)...might have to start going uber short at the barber.

~He is turning into a boy...right before our eyes!

Happy Thanksgiving week!

A hiking we will go...

2010-11-21T21:36:00.000-05:00

Last Sunday we hit the trails and "hiked" a little around lake Brandt. SC's first time in the hiking backpack...she loved it...fell asleep in it...and then fell out of it...yikes...but she's ok. Olls had a great time finding sticks and such, throwing things into the lake. He got a bit tired of walking by the end, but overall did a great job! What a beautiful day!

school picture day...

2010-11-08T20:19:00.000-05:00

Last Wednesday was school picture day for the kiddos. Of course I had to snap a few shots of the kids in their fresh, fabulous fall outfits. This girl is just growing up too fast, 8 months old now!

The boys and their sweaters...so cute!

Ollie was not feeling the photo shoot at 6:40 am, I can't wait to see how their pics turned out...they took them together and separate...of course!

a pirate and a princess...

2010-11-07T08:23:00.000-05:00

Not sure what they were looking at...had to snap the shot while they both were sitting. SC was originally going to be a bear "Sarah Bear" but it was warm that afternoon and her costume was very fluffy, so we had a costume switch at the last moment. Maybe she'll be a Christmas bear!!

Halloween 2010 was a really fun event for our family. We had a neighborhood party with games, pizza, candy and of course trick or treating. Sarah Claire was the smallest baby at the party although there are many babies yet to arrive...we are so glad to live in an area with so many fun families!!! Can you figure out what Matt was???

catching up...part 2

2010-11-02T21:49:00.000-04:00

Not sure what we were thinking planning back to back weekends of family visits but...we headed to Charleston this past weekend to visit my fam. It was a fun trip a short trip...the best and favorite part was our trip downtown to the battery for picnic and play time. Charleston is such a gorgeous place to visit.

Christmas card picture outake???

Chompy the pumpkin!

2010-11-02T21:37:00.000-04:00

Please note: Ollie was the creative mastermind behind our pumpkin carving this year!

catching up...

2010-11-02T21:30:00.000-04:00

2 weeks, 247 photos snapped...not counting the 100+ I deleted already...we've been a busy family.

First, two weekends ago we headed up north to visit Grandma Cheryl and Granpa Hank for a night. Ollie tried his hand in many things for the first time...he loves being at this place!

Highlights: jumping over horse jumps, watching geese with Gma, retrieving Daddy's arrows, playing in the rock pile, playing (for the 1st time) in the hay loft, tractor rides and just having fun.

This girl was there, but for some reason she wasn't in many of the pics. Can't wait to see how Sarah Claire learns to love being at this special place! Check out her 4 teeth!