Christmas time!

We had to wait for Daddy to come home from work before we could open any presents on Christmas morning and it was so great! We looked in our stockings and then read from Luke 2 and then we sang Christmas songs and then watched a movie about the birth of Jesus Christ. It was such a pleasant way to start our Christmas day. Then Daddy came home and the present opening began. Here are some of the pictures that were most fun from that morning.

 Cape made by Grandma for Sullivan.

 The kitty Eleanor wanted from the Glaittli's.

 High Heels!!!! for Penelope from the Glaittli's.

 Sullivan's own tool set. A dream!

And make-up for Penelope from the Glaittli's. I didn't get a picture of Penelope's make-up job on herself but this one of Eleanor gives you an idea.
Oh What Fun!

Re-do

On our way to Glacier for my birthday, my friends and I stopped to explore a consignment store in Cut Bank. I had never been there before and I was amazed at all of the goodies to be had. I saw this table top that was all beat up and decided it would be a perfect coffee table in the basement where it would get beat up some more. :) So, I bought it and refinished it and Aaron added legs for me. It is a great little coffee table and the kids really enjoy jumping off of it onto the couches. Not the prettiest coffee table in the world, but oh so fun. 

Well, after I told Aaron about the never-ending prizes to be had, we made a trip together to the consignment store. This chair was one of our purchases. I think we paid $20 for it.

And this is what it looks like now. I loooove it! I have the perfect place for it. . . . once the other projects are finished in that room, that is.

What a before and after! I can't believe how different they look.

Don't you just love making things new again?

"Gingerman House"

We had a fun time making gingerbread houses for FHE on Monday. (It always seems that I only have pictures of my girls scantily clad but they love dress-ups and wear them most of the day. I don't think Eleanor would ever put on regular clothes if she had the choice.)

 Sullivan had so much fun making his "gingerman house."

 And isn't it beautiful?

It seems Sullivan likes to dress-up too. These are his new "fog boots." He loves them and wants to wear them all of the time.

Girls Room

A couple of months ago we decided that we would move the girls downstairs because we needed to do some work in the closet in their room upstairs. So I have been slowly fixing up their basement bedroom. I didn't think it was that different until I looked at these photos that we took before we bought the house. I removed the wallpaper. (So glad they primed before they put the wallpaper on. Removing it was a so much easier.)

So here is the room with the wallpaper removed, walls a neutral color and the closet doors and trim painted white.

And now with the girls' stuff in it. Aaron made the beds a couple of years ago and we really love them still. We don't have to have a dresser in their room because the baskets under the bed hold all of their clothing and shoes and decorative pillows when not in use. I made the little signs over the girls beds with their names and my sweet friend, Colleen, made the tissue paper flowers for the girls. The little picnic table was once outside and multicolored but it was getting pretty weathered so I sanded it down and gave it a nice new coat of "berry blush." The carpet is still not my favorite but it is in good shape and will stay put for a very long time.

The girls have adjusted well to sleeping in the basement and they love their new room.

What number am I?

All day on her birthday Eleanor asked me, "What number am I?"  Don't know why 4 was so hard to remember. :)

I usually let the kids pick what they want for their meals on their birthday but I try to persuade them to have pancakes for breakfast so I can stick a candle in it. As you can see, breakfast burritos won out for this birthday girl.

"This is the best present ever!" 

 Oh the joy!

 More joy!

 Doubled over with excitement.

She had other presents to open still but they had to wait for 5 minutes of jubilation. 

I had no idea a kitty purse would make her so happy.

Love my 4-year-old!



Halloween

The kids had a great time carving pumpkins with Aaron. I couldn't quite believe that Sullivan just dug right in and started cleaning out his pumpkin but he really enjoyed it. I didn't get a picture of the finished jack-o-lanterns but they were great. Aaron burned the edges of the eyes, nose and mouth on Sullvan's pumpkin and it was so scary. So scary, in fact, that I had to turn it around to face the wall every night that Aaron was working. Hee Hee. 

Yes, he is naked. I thought it best to not have his clothing smeared with pumpkin but he was actually really clean afterwards. Incredible!

Sullivan really enjoyed trick-or-treating. Each house we went to he would just walk right inside and start looking around. It was funny. He also kept saying "fun" every time we would get back in the car. He didn't really enjoy his costume, however. The minute we walked in the door he took it right off.

It was a struggle to keep Eleanor in her costume too. She refused to wear the ears after about 2 houses so no one knew what she was. But she really enjoyed trick or treating too. I wish you could have heard her squeals of delight when we were in the car. Aaron and I kept giggling because she was just ecstatic.

Penelope was Little Bo Peep. Her costume was cuter in person; I couldn't get a good picture of it. She loved her costume and she loved trick-or-treating. She wasn't happy that we only went to 7 or 8 houses. I think she could have gone house to house for hours and been perfectly content.

Projects

There was a house, a project house, where everyone was busy. . . .

Aaron cut down the overgrown honeysuckles that were off of the back porch and so now we can enjoy the view!

We have an amazing amount of storage space in this house so we were able to use the under the stairs space for more important things. Aaron used some old carpet remnants and covered the insulation in the walls so now it is a cozy little playhouse for the kids.

Aaron hates to throw anything away, so he put these old, worn out light switches to good use by putting the kids in charge of some pretty important stuff.

He also used some old wood scraps and faucets to make a sink and a shower and a bench. The little cabinet was given to us by the people who rented this house before we bought it. We love other people's "junk". :)

This is their little "bed" in the playhouse. I started making a quilt eons ago and decided I didn't like it so I never finished it. Well, Aaron had some pillow stuffing from somewhere and asked if I had any fabric to make a pillow with. Well, yes, yes I do. So he made this pillow too. Such a handy man to have around.

I told Sullivan to go over and take a shower for the picture. I wish you could have heard his sound effects too.

This is the other project we have been working on. This is our entry way. The people who built this house were so smart! We can shut the door between the living room and the entry way so that no cold air will come into the house. Absolutely brilliant in a place that is so cold and windy most of the year.
Anyway, these windows had some special yellow blinds on them, so we replaced those and I painted.

We used to have this bench out by our shed in our old house so it is weathered and perfect for this space. I made the pillows out of some fabric that I have had forever and have never had a place to use it.

Aaron built me the shelf/coat rack to my specifications and he did such a great job. I love it! I am still waiting for the store to get more hooks in stock. The old window was given to my by my friend, LaDonna. I think it was from her Mom's house and it was a really bright yellow. At first I thought I would just leave it yellow but then I decided to go with orange. So I painted it and then antiqued it a bit. I should have gotten an up close shot. It is the coolest window ever. Aaron found the ancient post with the sign on it and the barb wire out in a field somewhere and the box on the floor was my grandpa's. It was an orange juice box back before they started using cardboard for packaging things.

I still have a few things to do in there but I love it! Pictures don't quite do it justice. Many, many more projects to do. I love projects and luckily my husband does too!

6 Years Old

Penelope's birthday was yesterday. I can't believe she is 6. On Saturday night as I was tucking her in to bed I told her "This is your last day of being 5." She loved that idea and immediately told me "And tomorrow will be my first day of being 6." After I wrapped her presents on Saturday she saw them on the table and was so excited that she ran up and gave me a hug and I thought she was going to cry she was so happy.

We started the morning with a stack of pancakes and a candle. (She let us sing Happy Birthday 3 times that day.) I remembered the melting candles of last year and actually let the pancakes cool a bit before I stuck the candle in. :)

As soon as Daddy woke up, Penelope opened her presents. Sullivan and Eleanor were happy to assist.

I decided to do cupcakes instead of a cake this year. She loved it.

And she got to take cupcakes to school today and requested spider cupcakes. One of the benefits of having your birthday close to Halloween I guess.  

I asked Penelope if she had a good birthday and she said yes. But then she added "But my best birthday ever was when I was turning 5 and Ma'am and Papa were here." So sweet!

Jerusalem Rocks

This is Jerusalem Rocks or as the Border Patrol Agents call it "Little Jerusalem." Aaron had told me about this place but he had never taken me there so when Morgan and Katie came to visit this weekend we decided it was a good time to go. It is right off of the Canadian border, so about 30 minutes away from us and it is so beautiful and interesting. I could have walked around for hours.

Penelope was in school, so it was just Sullivan, Aaron, Eleanor and I in this picture.

 Morgan and Eleanor.

Eleanor was really nervous at first when we started hiking around on the rocks but she gradually became a good little hiker, even while carrying her little puppy and his "leash."

 Aaron and Sullivan

There were so many gorgeous formations and holes in the rock. I guess wind is good for something after all.

 Katie

 The Thinker, otherwise known as Morgan.

 Isn't this amazing?

 Sullivan climbed this rock all by himself. He really thinks he is just as big as everyone else.

 We thought this looked like an elephant. What do you think?

We had so much fun with Morgan and Katie and were sad to see them go. I guess we will just have to go to San Francisco for a visit.