Sunday Mornings

I LOVE Sunday mornings.  They are pretty relaxing around here.  The kids play for about an hour before Kel & I wrestle them into their clothes for church.  Then we pile into the car.

But before we head to church we always stop at Starbucks.  We pull up to the drive-thru speaker & my husband Kelly orders.

"Welcome to Starbucks...this is Kelly."

"Hi Kelly, it's Kelly."

"Oh HI KELLY!  What can I get you guys today?"

By then the kids are smiling big because they LOVE Miss Kelly & Bo usually has his window down by now to say hello.  She quickly became a friend to our whole family.  If she is not there...Bo gets a little grumpy & puts his window up.  When we pull up to the window we all chat with Kelly while our FIVE drinks quickly get made up. 

I always get a little embarrassed & wonder what the people behind us think when she hands us all of our drinks AND our usual 1 slice of lemon bread & one slice of banana bread.  I always feel a little like a clown car :)

Rocco grunts & groans until I get his hot chocolate safely into his sippy cup & then...a few minutes of silence...but just a few as the boys don't come up for air until their drinks are gone.

But the second Bo's drink is gone it is back to goofiness.

And almost always a few rounds of singing some old country songs together on the top of our lungs.  Tom T. Hall's THAT SONG IS DRIVING ME CRAZY is a favorite, you might need it off of itunes :)  

Then almost too quickly we arrive at church & everyone piles out & heads their seperate ways. 

I love to walk a step behind the kids as Annie enjoys walking the boys to their Sunday School classes.

Sunday Mornings make me smile.

Girls on the Town

Thanks for all your sweet comments about the fire.  Everyone is surrounding us with love & encouragment so we still had a lot of fun together this Christmas.  The night before the fire was magical!

Annie, my mom & I headed down to St.Paul for Joeseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat & here are just a few pictures from our magical night:

We didn't want the night to end!

Hope you made some magical memories too!

'Twas the Night Before Christmas

December 23 I received a phone call

from my Father-in-law:

"Is Kelly home?"  (Kelly is my husband)

"No...I can't get ahold of him either."

"Well, ok....when you get ahold of him

tell him my house burned down."

"WHAT!!!???!"

Then we talked for about 10 minutes while firemen scambled around him & as he watched his home burn to the ground the day before Christmas Eve.

Picture From Local Paper

When it was through there

was nothing left, nothing.

Later that night our families met together at church for a Christmas service & I held my Mother-In -Law as she sobbed quietly, "My home is gone."  She has been through so much, as last year I vividly remember holding her sobbing, "My baby is gone."  when she lost a son.  I can't imagine the pain in her heart.

Then just a few minutes later we went into church & with only my husband & Bo between us we all sang praises to God.  We worshiped together even as the smell of smoke off the only clothes they owned filled the air and stung me so strongly 3 seats away.  Even the candles we lit as we sang Silent Night were a reminder of the day.

It was a tough night. But in the midst of devestation they turned their attention to the real meaning of Chirstmas. They turned their eyes on Jesus.

So my dear Friends it has been a

busy time but I promise I will visit

you all very soon!

Christmas Card Post

Wishing You a

Merry Christmas!

Short Chain

Our Christmas chain is getting short.

I am getting scared!

The tree is for Christmas Day 

& the star for Christmas Eve.

But that little striped coat is for seeing

Joeseph & the Amazing

Technicolor Dreamcoat

with Annie. 

I can hardly wait for her to see it!!!

The only thing that worries me is that

only leaves one little red loop on the chain for

shopping and I really am not even close to done!

Last night Annie was working on

finishing up her Christmas list.

She worked so hard & she can't wait to give

them to her friends!  Afterschool she is going

to wrap them up herself.  I am planning on

her using at least a roll & a half of tape.  It will

take a lot of self control to keep my hands off :) 

Are you done or are you getting worried too?

Obsessed :)

I have a new hobby...between Christmas pagents & boutiques & all the holiday cheer I have fallen in love...with candle making! 

I asked my hubby for candle making supplies for my birthday & they right on my birthday!  So this weekend I enjoyed the 16 inches of snow as an excuse to stay home & make some candles! 

First, I chopped up the wax.
  
You can buy it flaked but the
only shop around here sells it in slabs.

Then, I wicked the glass & picked some scents.

Then just heat, mix, & pour!

I ended up with the best smelling gifts!!!

And I am making more scents today!!! 

I can hardly wait!

I still have A LOT to learn but I am having so much fun!

Although there is a DANGER...

...little boys lurking about with no supervision.

When I was chopping up wax today, I could see them, but when I was chopping wax AND talking on the phone, Bo knew I was checked out for a few minutes & somehow he managed to walk right passed me with a bag of chocolate chips.

So even though they were "quietly watching t.v."

They were still up to no good! 

P.S.  In my year of blogging I do apprecaite that I only have received one comment about my bad parenting...actually it referenced that Bo was the type of child that would one day be in jail for murder...so thank you very much to the rest of you for being so sweet :)  Even though I show the trouble I do not show the consequences so I am sure it does appear that way :)  I actually think blogging makes me a BETTER mom...instead of yelling & screaming I calm down while grabbing my camera & then can calmly have the punishment fit the crime :) 

Why Didn't Anyone Tell Me!!!

No one ever said a word. 

I was raised with only sisters

& I had no idea...about boys.

Today I was dealing with this:

Then Rocco was screaming & Bo was yelling,

"Rocco needs help!!!"

I looked up to find this:

I guess the "No standing on tables" rule

needs to be reved up a few notches.

 As you can see my consequences really worked

because an hour later Rocco was back up.

I am pretty sure this one is gonna be trouble.

Runs in the family I guess.

Hope your decorating is going

WAY better than mine! 

I am having Kate's boutique here this weekend

so I am super busy, but the second it is over

I will be visiting you all like crazy!!!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Every year at this time Annie is sneaking into my dish towel drawer to make costumes for Mary & Joseph.  She bosses Joseph around and sings Away in a Manger as she stares down at her baby.  This year has been no different.  I was instructed to have a stable ready when she gets home from school today :)

And that makes this the most wonderful time of the year!

My friend Chrissy asked me to guest post today! 

I hope you get a chance to stop by Chrissy's!

Christmas Tradition

Growing up we took a Santa picture every year.  We loved it as kids & hated it as teenagers!!!  But now we are so thankful we have the memories...& our kids love laughing at them too :) 

One special thing my mom did was frame them in fabric from our Christmas dresses or wrapping paper from the times, then she hung them on strips of ribbon. 

I was not the cutest baby :)

Notice all the really bad Santas :)

I love this one with my hands STUFFED full of

candycanes & my big sis protecting me from Santa.

I love the ever changing hairdos.

If you look close at the next one my

little sister Rachael's zipper is down :)

The first good Santa
& he won't even let us on his lap.

When we were teenagers my mom would drop us off at the mall & do a little Christmas shopping while we waited in line to have our picture taken...Oh how we HATED that! to be seen with each other...in line for Santa!!! But now those memories just make us smile...and we can't wait to do it to torture our own kids!

This is our last pic before Kate left for college. 

Only fitting we finally discovered who Santa really is :) 

My Dad!

Hope you are enjoying some

family time this December!

Boutique Time

Hey Ladies

Auntie Cake is having a Christmas Boutique! 

Friday, December 3rd, 9:00am-5:00pm

Saturday, December 4th, 10:00am-5:00pm

If you would like to attend please email me @ libbiedoyle@gmail.com for her address & directions.

Many handmade items, stocking stuffers, & more!!!

Hope to see lots of friends there!