LOTS to blog about...

Okay, so it's Sunday night and I've just spent a ridiculous amount of time uploading and editing photos, so I'm gonna post 'em! (just a warning...this post is going to be really long...I don't want to miss anything that we've been up to lately.)



So just WHAT have we been up to?




1. Payton's 4th Birthday







Yes, my baby turned 4 on Thursday and I can hardly believe it. She is suddenly looking so old and so tall to me...such a big girl. She had a fun birthday. Thursday night was really low-key with just the 4 of us. We went to Montana's for supper (I had cleaned the kitchen that afternoon and didn't feel like messing it up...haha!) and then back home for presents and dessert. This was like, the FASTEST little birthday party ever! Payton was so cute...she was just so excited about everything that she couldn't get to the next thing on the list fast enough. She was awesome about letting Gabby help her unwrap her presents, and even offered to give her some of them! So sweet. Then we sang "Happy Birthday", the girls had about one bite of their dessert and they played the rest of night. Serious birthday heaven. On Friday night we met all of our family at Chuck E. Cheese's for pizza and "rides". The girls had so much fun and were totally into it...again, they just zipped around that place and couldn't get from one ride to the next fast enough. I don't think Payton ate at all, she was just so excited and overwhelmed. Fun, fun, fun.




2.Christmas party at playschool







This week was also Payton's little Christmas party at her playschool and it was super special because parents and siblings were invited. I cannot even explain how excited Gabby was to be there! It's getting hard for her to see Payton do all this fun stuff that she isn't old enough to do yet, so she was just beside herself at the party. The girls looked so sweet all dressed up...the kids ate, sang songs for the parents, played with toys, did crafts, and Santa even came for a visit. It was a jam-packed morning, let me tell ya, and I will never forget Gabby saying over and over, "Me too???" in just total and utter shock that she was included. Melted my heart.




3. Santa at the mall







The girls have been very excited to see "Santa at the mall", so on Monday morning we bundled up and headed on over. It was great...no line up and no crying. Enough said!




4. a new Christmas toy




Have you seen this nativity set by Fisher Price? So stinkin' cute. Nana gave this to the girls as an early Christmas present and they have been loving it. I'm excited for them to have a special Christmas toy that only comes out once a year...I imagine keeping it year after year...who knows, maybe MY grandkids will play with this set one day! (scary!!)



5. some new books and magazines I'm reading





I went to Chapters on Friday afternoon and left with a bag full of reading material. I loooove that store! I could spend hours and hours in there, and even more money. Anyways, these were the books I left with, and I'm excited to dig in. And yes, I know Christmas is in a few days and why the heck am I buying myself books...well, I was there to pick up a couple gifts and these ended up being little gifts for me! Hehe! (Actually, the Jon & Kate book was a present from my friend Adria...thank you so much!) I haven't been reading at all lately, and I'm ready to be inspired. I'm so excited to read the Creative Family, and you can never go wrong with Simple Scrapbooks issues. Oh, and since I'm just about in my third trimester, I picked up another Baby Whisperer book 'cause the first one was a fave of mine when I had my babies. Whew!



6. our new fireplace



Ever since we moved into our house a year ago, Graham and I have wanted to do something with the fireplace (I wish I had a before picture) but just have never gotten around to it. Well, this week Gray decided that he was going to get it done, and that he did! I wasn't really sure how it was going to turn out (he kept telling me to trust him) and he definately pulled through. He did it all on his own, and more importantly, he got it done when he said he was going to! Imagine that! (hehe) Anyways, we love it, and yay, it got done before Christmas!



7. a layout





What? A scrapbook page??? When and how did that happen? I've been taking Elsie's 6 week online class and have been totally inspired, and not just to scrapbook, but to do other fun projects as well. This is a lift of a page she shared with us, just something that was quick, cute and simple and satisfied my need to "make something cute". I miss scrapbooking. I miss creating. It seems that life has totally taken over. I need to get back into it in the new year. Maybe that can be my goal for 2009. Start scrapbooking again!



8. Christmas dresses!









Every year the girls get new dresses, especially for Christmas. We got all dressed up this morning before church and they were so excited and I have to say, so cute, too. Even Gray and I managed to get in a couple pictures (yikes!) and we avoided tears till the very end. Glad I got these 'cause I am pictured out!



Off to bed, have a happy Monday!!



Tal :)

sleep is good

Would you believe me if I told you that this picture of my little angel was taken only minutes after having a crazy meltdown? Well, it was. Sometimes when you're tired, you just need to sleep, even if it means on the kitchen floor.




(she slept here without moving for about an hour and half.)




Lots to post, but it's my turn to sleep now. Be back soon!




Talia:)

26 weeks

Before Gray and I headed out this morning with the kiddos I had him quickly take some maternity shots of me before we left...my hair was clean and I had some makeup on so I thought I should take advantage of that. Haha! (I am soooo the typical mom...it hits me now and then that I can't remember the last time I showered...lovely.) I just have to say that out of the 50+ pictures he took, these were the only ones I could bear to look at. I hide from the camera when I'm pregnant and typically only take pictures like these, just to have some proof of my baby bump! So here you go...maternity shots at 26 weeks preggy. And yes, my face is looking down in every one because I couldn't stand the ones of me looking at the camera! Oh, how I love being pregnant! I suppose I'll take some more near the end when I'm REALLY big...you gotta have those ones!








All joking and self-bashing aside, I really AM happy to be pregnant. The "female-ness" in me just takes over when I see pictures of myself, but I am really enjoying my bump and knowing that my baby girl is in there. It truly is amazing what the body can do and I love feeling her kick (she does that ALOT!) and hearing her little heartbeat. (I have one of these.) So amazing. It is starting to become a reality that we are having another one...we've been wondering who she's going to look like, what color her hair is going to be. It's crazy to think that people do this all the time...it's such a miracle and such a long process, I can't believe that some people have 5, 8, 10 kids!!! What the freak.



Anyways, I am blabbing. Maybe you'll see some more pictures of me in 3 months...until then, I think I'll stick with Payton and Gabbs!



Tal:)

and this year's ornaments...

Keeping it simple, as always. When the picture is cute, you don't need much else! (chandelier crystal: Heidi Swapp, red tinsel: Making Memories)



I can't believe how this week has flown by. Gabby's been sick with a cold, fever and ear infection, so that's been keeping me busy. It's hard when one kid is sick and the other one isn't...I've had to drag Gabby all over the place this week as we've been taking Payton to playschool and dancing, but she's been a trooper. She's such a good little girl when she's sick! Just mellow and goes with the flow. Poor baby. Please please PLEASE let this be the last of the "sickness" before Christmas. Aarrggh! It's never ending.



I am tired. At almost 26 weeks, I am starting to feel really pregnant. Just getting bigger and more uncomfortable and stinkin' tired. Just thinking about getting the kids in and out of the car makes me want to take a nap. Graham has noticed how exhausted I've been and booked me a massage here tomorrow afternoon. I seriously cannot wait. Thanks, sweetie!!! You are the best.



Tal xoxo

somthin' simple

If you want to make some simple decorations but don't want it to be too involved or messy, then here's your project! I picked up these cutie-cute mini Jenni Bowlin cards a few weeks ago at the scrapbook store and knew exactly what I was going to do with them. Just punch a hole in the top, and tie some ribbon through. So easy! (The ribbon is Martha Stewart.)







I was looking at my to-do list from my last post and I've done pretty well. I finished decorating my house on Wednesday (?) night so that was nice. I can't believe how many Christmas decorations I've collected over the years. I didn't pull it all out this year, it just felt too overwhelming for some reason, but even so, we have a lot of decorations up! And Graham and I went out last night and finished most of our Christmas shopping so that's a relief. There's something about knowing that I don't need to brave the stores before Christmas that's very satisfying. Whew! And on the to-do list for today...work on Christmas cards and go to our Christmas party at the church tonight. That will be fun. December is so jam-packed, but in a good way. This year has been fun because both of my kids know what's going on and they're just so excited about Christmas. We've been watching all the classic Christmas movies (I love my PVR!) so that's been getting us in the spirit. And yesterday we went to my mom's church and saw all of the nativity displays that they set up every year...it was so nice! Gabby loved pointing out all of the Baby Jesus' and it was just a perfect Christmas activity. Busy, busy, busy times I tell ya.



Anyways, off to work on Christmas cards. Have a great weekend!



Talia:)

winter wonderland

So another crazy weekend is behind me, thank goodness. On Friday night we had our Christmas dinner for all the women at church that I was in charge of, and I am so glad it's over! It went really really well, and so many people helped out, so it was great. Our theme was "The True Spirit of Christmas" and it was just a nice way to bring in the Christmas season and be reminded of what Christmas is really about.


(here are a couple pictures, sorry for the crappy quality! they really don't do the decorations justice!)







And then on Saturday night Payton danced at the Festival of Trees. Remember this from last year? Well lucky for me we didn't have a repeat of that incident, everything went off without a hitch. She looked so darn cute in her costume and did an awesome job. It's crazy to see how far she's come in just a year...I can't believe she's almost 4!





(The video is a bit long, I just put it here for grandma's and auntie's that weren't there! Also, sorry for the crappy video-ing...I was trying to watch her and video at the same time...didn't do so well. Ha ha! Ah, well...it's the memory that counts.)


Now that this weekend is over I just want to start focusing on Christmas stuff with my family. On my to-do list this week:

-finish Christmas shopping (or at least attempt to!)
-bake a little bit
-finish putting up my Christmas decorations
-work on Christmas cards
-watch some fun Christmas movies with my kids



I can't believe it is already December. It feels weird this year because we've had no snow and warm weather. I could deal with a teeny bit of snow, just to make it feel Christmasy. But that's it. Just a teeny bit.



Oh, and in case you're in need of some Christmas inspiration, check out the 12 Days of Christmas from the Goodie Box last year. There's some cute stuff to get you in the Christmas spirit!



Hope everyone has a great week.



Tal:)

christmas stuff and "twilight" review...

Just some Christmas stuff I've been wanting to share.



These advent boxes inspired by Ali Edwards:




I actually made these last year, but I didn't finish them up in time for December. So I was excited to pull them out this year, and I decided to pin them all to a bulletin board so I won't have to put any holes in my wall. I'm so excited for the girls to get a little treat everyday till Christmas. I also put a little Christmas "prompt" in each box...just fun stuff for us to do to really make the most of the season. Some of the prompts are simple like "cuddle under a blanket and a look at the lights on the tree" and some are activities like, "bake cookies and deliver them to someone special." So it should be fun!




The next thing I wanted to share is one of my favorite things on our Christmas tree...my picture ornaments. Every year since Graham and I have been married I've made a picture ornament for our tree, and they're so much fun! I love to see how we've changed from year to year and I can't wait to one day have a whole tree of just our handmade picture ornaments. A fun tradition that you can start anytime! Either start with this year, or collect pictures from Christmases past and make a bunch at once. So cute. Here are ours from 2001 to 2007:














And last, a few of my Christmas cards I made on the weekend. I promised myself that my cards had to made from supplies that I already have on hand...from the envelopes to the paper to the embellishments. It felt so good to whip out 20 cards with stuff from my Christmas stash and know that it cost me zero $$$. And who cares if they're not all exactly the same? That's what makes them fun. (Also, I was brain-dead for ideas so I scrap-lifted my own card from the Goodie Box last year.)







And now on to my "Twilight" review...



So I went to the movie last night with my sister and some girlfriends and I have to say it was alot of fun. The movie itself was pretty good....some scenes and characters were bang on while other parts were cheesy, but we just laughed so hard, in a good way. It was fun to see the book come to life, but I don't think if you've read the books you would necessarily enjoy the movie. Part of what made the movie fun was being so familiar with the story and characters, and really, you just have to take it for what it is. It really wasn't a big-budget film at all...hopefully for the next movies they'll have way more money to make them better, but as for Edward and Bella, they were awesome. We were sitting in front of some teenage girls and they were HILLARIOUS. Everytime Edward and Bella kissed (or got near eachother) they almost lost it, and they just squealed and giggled the whole time. It was so funny. Oh, to be a teenager again...ha,ha! So that's my review...just go with the attitude of take it for what it is and have fun.



My kids have officially destroyed my house so it's time for me to attempt to clean. Ugh.



Tal:)

oh, bloggy blog...

Everyday I have blogging on my to-do list, and everyday comes and goes and my poor blog has been neglected. November has been such a busy month. Honestly, December won't be as busy for me as November has been, and December is supposed to be the busiest time of the year! I've been so busy with my calling in the Relief Society...we've had Christmas activities going on all month, and our big dinner and program is this Friday...after that, I will be able to breathe.



I actually managed to get out and get some Christmas shopping done on the weekend, so that was nice. It was already crazy busy with shoppers...I'm reminding myself not to go out again on a Saturday...I'll have to pawn my kids off on my mom one weekday and just plow through the rest on my list. Thanks, mama! (wink...as if she doesn't do enough for me already!)



Anyways, we've also been busy with re-painting and re-carpeting upstairs...and don't worry, Payton has already puked on the carpet and Gabby's already peed on it (that's another story!). We're breakin' it in early. Oy. Oh, and we put up our tree on Sunday night, and I even managed to make some Christmas cards this weekend, too. AAAaaahh! Like I said, busy-ness. And this week is still jam-packed. I'm just waiting for December to come!



Okay, I'm off to see "Twilight" tonight with my sis, Janna and Sanna-Miina. Yay!



Tal xo