Preparing for Christmas

So, this week we started going through the kids rooms in preparation for Christmas. It is amazing how much they both have in their rooms. I have been known to hold onto things that I don't necessarily need to keep. I can find sentimental value in almost everything. So, Jason and Andy handled Andy's room. I made myself turn around as they began to carry things downstairs. Meanwhile, I started on Katie's room. I realized very quickly that I had not EVER gont through Katie's toys. I started with the clothes. I plan to make a quilt one day out of Andy and Katie's clothes, so I did hang on to several of her outfits. I also got rid of A LOT! Then it was on to the toys. I kept a few things since we do plan to have one more child. I have not finished her room yet, but I think she will enjoy it more once it is complete. I also plan to move her furniture around to give her more space to play. It may not look as cute, but it will be more functional for her. It has been fun to walk down memory lane. And you will never believe it but Andy has carpet in his room!

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving is always a nice relaxing holiday for us. Granted, we have a bit of driving to do but we always enjoy the day. Our first stop was to my Mother's house. The kids had spent the night with her due to daycare being closed, so they were excited to see us when we got there. Jason, Andy, and my Dad hung out outside for a while when we first got there while my sister and I looked through the ads for Black Friday. Then it was time for a yummy Thanksgiving feast. After dinner, we celebrated Katie's birthday at Mom's house. Katie was so excited. She got a princess cake, and couldn't even wait until we finished singing Happy Birthday to blow out her candles! Then she got to open her presents. She got a baby cheetah from my sister which she carried around ALL day long! She also got some clothes and books from my Mom and Dad. Mom and Dad also got her princess purse that came with makeup, mirror, brush, sunglasses and a few other things. She carried this purse to EVERY store we went to this weekend :)

After the festivities at my Mom's house, we went to Jason's Mom's house. Of course, the boys watched the football game while the girls looked through ads and talked. Then it was time for another yummy feast. I couldn't eat much I was so full from lunch, but I did snack. Katie got to see her baby cousins (the twins) and she was so excited. We had to keep a close eye on her because she doesn't always understand the difference between her baby dolls and a real baby. But, she was so excited to see them. We spent the rest of the evening just being lazy.

Friday morning I got up at 3am to brave the crowds. Becca and I were at Kohl's by 4:15. This was by far the busiest store we went to. The line to pay was 45 minutes! But, we got some good deals. From there we moved on to Target, then the mall, then Walmart and Hobby Lobby. I got a LOT of my shopping done. Jason stayed home with the kids while i was shopping. I shopped until about 2 and then went home and took a nap. Jason woke me up about an hour and a half later to go shopping for bats. We didn't have much luck though. Friday night was lazy night.

Saturday was Katie's 3rd birthday!!! When she woke up I sang Happy Birthday to her and she was so excited that it was finally her birthday! We spent the morning cleaning up the house in preparation for her birthday party. Then we went to the store to pick up her cake. When we got back I wrapped her presents. She couldn't wait to open them. Finally, it was time for her party and her cousins and friends had arrived. After a few activities, it was present time. She opened them so fast it was hard to take pictures! Then we had cake. She got a lot of Ariel stuff for her birthday. The Little Mermaid is her favorite Disney Princess. She got the movie too. She has already watched it 6 times! She had a great birthday! I loved seeing the smile on her face all day long.

That evening, we had Becca's birthday party at our house. It was basically a typical get together at our house. I spent a lot of time with Katie that night though. Since it was her birthday, i couldn't tell her no when she asked me to watch mermaid with her :)

Sunday was lazy day! I got up and straightened up the house from the night before. Then, I took a nap after Jason got up. We all spent the day lying around the house! It was great!

We had a really nice holiday weekend! It is always nice to spend so much time with family. And my baby girl turned 3! They grow up so fast!