This is a little past due but I have to share...

A few weeks before Christmas I got an early present in the mail. Well actually there were 3. I was so excited to open these!
And inside was gold! Well a piece of gold fabric. Those 3 boxes were full of fabric and other goodies. So I actually felt like I struck gold! On Thanksgiving, my Aunt Linda said she was cleaning house and wanted to know if I would give all of her fabric a good home. Well, of course!! At first it was one box, but then she kept finding more and more and it turned into 3! There was also a brownie mix, thread, notions, cute tissues, books and much more! I was thrilled and immediately started thinking of all the things I could make. So here was my first project.....

I always try to make an ornament with the kids each year. I was pretty stuck on what to do this year but then we were driving one day and I noticed all the cotton on the sides of the road just sitting there getting dirty and wasted. And then I thought of all the Christmas fabric given to me. So me and the kids collected some cotton and cleaned it up (don't worry, we did not go to a field and steal a farmers cotton. We picked up what was going to be discarded.) And then I grabbed all of the Christmas fabric and layed it on the table. The kids got to choose a shape, and pick a fabric. Then I sewed them together and they stuffed them with their cotton. They turned out simple and perfect and the kids loved getting involved! Lilly-candy cane, Anders-snowman, Elsie-kitty, Ivy-bird, and Ezra-tree. Thank you Aunt Linda for all of the wonderful fabric and for helping inspire our homemade ornaments this year! I think I might use the rest to make stockings and a tree skirt.

Some other projects in mind: dresses, and craft aprons.

This past week we had the opportunity to watch our nephews Thurston and Atticus. It was a houseful but so fun! They spent the night and the next day the kids decided to give me a break and 4 out of the 5 took a nap (Lilly was at school). Those boys were so cute. They constantly talked about Superman, Ironman, Spiderman and Batman. They even had little jammies that I was coveting for my boys. Atticus was so sweet and just walked around and played with a big smile the whole time. Thurston loved Anders Ironman toy and being outside playing with the kids. They had so much fun together and they slept like little angels at night. I wish I would've taken a picture! Atticus stayed in the same spot but Thurston kept rolling all over him in his sleep, lol. Now of course there was fighting, time outs, and some stress but nothing I couldn't handle. Thurston was a pro at time out! My parents picked them up the following evening and offered to take my older kids with them too. I had no problem sending them off! Aaron and I enjoyed a quiet evening with Ezra and Ivy. Ivy loved being alone!

Such sweet boys! I'm glad they feel comfortable staying with us. They even called me and Aaron mama and papa. Thanks for letting us watch them Kim and Ethan!

Anders turned 5 while they were here. I felt so bad for him that day though. He woke up at 4 am with a lot of pain in his knee. He couldn't walk, go to preschool, or play at all. He sat motionless watching movies most of the day. In the afternoon he finally started to hobble around but I think that was more frustrating because I wouldn't let him jump on the trampoline or ride his bike for fear that he would hurt it more. He looked so sad all day. But we ate cake and ice cream, blew up ballons and wore party hats. And of course presents!

Anders is my good boy. He just recently taught himself to ride a bike without training wheels. I thought teaching them to ride bikes would be torture, but he caught right on, practiced and took off. And he taught Lilly because he made her jealous and she finally built up her courage to practice by herself. He loves when I read him books, I will catch him pushing his sisters on the swings and taking care of them and Ezra. He loves attention and is just like his dad making jokes and being funny. He is very loving and my wonderful sleeper at night! He konks right out! He hates cleaning his room but will do most things that I ask of him.

Happy Birthday my 5 year old!
We love you!