Winner winner chicken dinner!

I'm practically a four leaf clover today.  I won something!  I've been known to enter a few giveaways.  Aka: Publishers Clearing House, call me, I'm still waiting. But the only thing I've ever won was a Nickelodeon First Place runner up prize when I was 10 yrs old.  A year supply of Dinosaur Chef-Boy-R-Dee. I had one bite and vomited.  Even at 10yrs old I was a food connesuer and that wasn't palatable!  Out of 7 children in my family, not one of us would eat the stuff!  I'm pretty sure they've changed their recipe since then, but I still shudder at the thought of it.

Anyway, moving on to my lucky day.  I won the most cutest, most adorablest, most perfect birthday banner and I'm giddy!  I want it up all year round its so stinking cute!  And the fabric is double sided so it could even be hanging on a wall without the words showing all year round.  I think it would look great in my sons room or our play room.  It's fun and bright and just makes me down right happy!  One of my favorite blogs, 71 Toes, had the give away and it's like she knew how important I feel traditions are.  It couldn't have been more perfect for me.  I think the best memories are the simple ones like a banner hung on your big day.  After all, you rarely remember the actual gifts you opened but you do remember the tradition of the way you celebrated it!

I wish I could give every one who is reading this (aka: hi mom & dad) one of these beauties.  It's absolutely the perfect gift.  But sorry, I can't.  But you can go to Sparkle Power's etsy site and find it her here.

Here's it on my fireplace
                    
Or in my entry....


My photo's don't do it justice, but wherever you put it, it will look adorable!

Here's a better shot of it from her store.

She has lot's of great treasures this tooth fairy pillow?  I suddenly feel trashy with the ziploc baggie under my children's pillow all these years.  I must correct that situation with one of these cuties....

Scallop banner?  Yes please!

Thank you Sparkle Power and 71 Toes!  You both made my week!  And our family will love this new tradition!

Christmas Kindness

As I pulled out the Christmas decorations this year, I came across one of my favorite ornaments. It's a red leather book, that my sister gave me, that hangs on the tree . Every year we write the Christmas fun we had that year. The parties we threw, the parties we attended. Our favorite gifts we received, the gifts we gave. The Christmas Eve activities and the New Years fun. It's all in that book and it makes me laugh when I read about the live mouse that someone gave as a white elephant gift. I almost forgot about it! Great memories all recorded in this cute little book that hangs on the tree.

That book gave me an idea.....I decided to make another book ornament this year. I'm calling it the Christmas Kindness ornament. Instead of writing the fun we had, it will be 25 (or more) random acts of kindness we did for others. It will keep us mindful of serving others for the next 25 days. I'm excited to think of the possibilites. The rush we get from making someone's day brighter. The lessons it will teach my children and most important, the gratitude we will feel in seeing how blessed we are as a family. I can't wait to start our list and keep our minds open to helping those in need this year. I look forward to the future where I can see our list of Christmas kindness and the opportunities we had to serve one another and that we were able to fill this month with service. It will help remind us of the true meaning of Christmas. I'd love to hear of any meaningful Christmas traditions you have! Let us know! I'm off to make my ornament book.....

My advent calendar ideas

I seriously can not figure out what's wrong with me, I'm just not really in the mood to decorate for Christmas this year. Crazy, right?! I usually love decorating, but with a 1 and 3 year old running around the house, the thought of putting out my treasured nativities and a tree full of breakable ornaments seems like a recipe for disaster. So, I'll probably put it off a bit. BUT, one of my favorite parts of Christmas is our advent calendar of activities. LOVE it. You can find my original advent calendar post here. Can't wait to get started with the fun! So I thought I'd share with you my tentative plan for our advent activities this year. Here it is (in no particular order):

Read "The Elf on a Shelf"

Make a paper Christmas countdown chain

Watch Christmas Vacation

Get hot chocolate and see the lights

Get and decorate the Christmas tree

Decorate a gingerbread house

Take treats to our neighbors

Watch Elf

Go to the ward Christmas party

Go sledding

Sing Christmas carols

Christmas book night

Do some secret service

Build a snowman

Go to Arthur Christmas

Make and decorate sugar cookies

Go shopping for brother gifts

Read Snowmen at Christmas

Watch the Santa Clause

Watch The Christmas Story

Read Luke 2 and watch the Nativity movie

Read and watch the Polar Express

Go shopping for stocking stuffers

I guess we'll be busy watching all our Christmas movies. And I'll have to watch the 90's version of Miracle on 34th Street because that's Andrea and my favorite but no one else wants to watch it here:( Womp, womp.

Anyway, hope this gives you a few ideas of things to add to your holiday list! Any other suggestions for fun family activities??

Meaningful Gifts

You know I'm obsessed with finding the perfect gift, right? You know the kind that brings tears to the receiver's eyes when they open it? Yeah, that's what I want every gift I give to be like. No pressure right? The problem is, when you find that perfect gift and it's everything you hoped it would be, everything after that is just a let down. It's hard to just give a gift card after that! Oh the things I stress myself out with :)

So a few years ago I wondered "If I died, would my family know how much they meant to me? Would my brothers, that I don't talk to enough, know how much I adored them, and how much fun I had growing up with them?" So I began one Christmas to sit down and write letters to each of them. I thought it would be hard, since I have 6 siblings and it's tricky to stay close now that we're all grown up and living so far away. But as I wrote, the memories of shopping cart races, dolly bomb fights & glow in the dark tag easily came. And after I had written 6 letters to my brothers and sisters, I had a pretty good history of our childhood. I thought my parents would enjoy them as well and so I wrote them letters as well. Then, I compiled the letters and published the book for my parents to keep. Since I live far away, I don't have a picture of that book. But I did a similar one for my own children and hubby last year, if you remember. From my favorite book publishing site- shutterfly.com It looked like this:




Each child and hubby have a two page layout with a letter from me.

I typed up my hopes and dreams for each of them and of course I had to include my favorite photos of them. Photo's are my favorite gift of all time. They evoke so many emotions when I see they're chubby baby faces or remember how much they loved that particular necklace or always had to have they're hair a certain way.

Here is another way to show how much you care for someone:




The original idea was found here and I just love thinking of how fun it would be to open each letter and relive each memory. On someone's birthday, however old they're turning, you turn over a pen & paper to that many people. For instance, your dad is turning 60, you find 60 friends, grand kids, and family to write a memory of him. Compile them in a book like I did, or stack them in envelopes and tie them up pretty. The idea is simple, but so meaningful! It's the perfect time to start this, since so many families will be gathered together for Thanksgiving!

Happy Un-Birthday!

My lil sister, her two boys & our parents are all visiting Renee & me in Texas! Hooray! What do we do to entertain 7 little children, 2 teenagers & 7 adults? We have a faux birthday party! Since we see each other rarely, we decided that we should celebrate all the holidays we miss together. Today's schedule: Everyone's birthday. We drew names and shopped at the dollar store and a resale shop, the budget was $2 per person. We made cinnamon cupcakes with cream cheese frosting. (they were decadent!) We put up Mandy's fabulous birthday banner, (she made me for my birthday this year!) our front yard party sign, a little dancing music and celebrated! The kids loved it, the adults loved it, and the teenagers even smiled a few times. Winner, winner, cupcakes for dinner! (literally. cupcakes for dinner. that's how we roll.) If it was socially acceptable, we'd walk around with sugar I.V. drips. But since it's not, we fill our purses with m&m's. Wish I was kidding....

Here is some of the fun we had:

My dad had a unique ability to guess everyone's gift BEFORE they opened it. Rich acted surprised by the screw driver anyway. I'm a little scared by his acting abilities, hmmmm....

Some might call what my child is doing in the picture below, pushing. But I like to think he is multi-tasking. He's quite talented how he can play and shove at the same time. That's my boy!

Zeke didn't seem to mind too much and was thrilled to get a ball wrapped in a happy meal container. Martha Stewart ain't got nothin' on our wrapping skillz!

We sang happy birthday and each blew out our own cupcake. Less germy that way! And if you knew Mandy and me, you know we're thinking about the germs almost as much as our next sugar high.....

See what I mean about everyone loving this? The adults got into it as much as the kids!
Stay tuned for more of our mock holidays. I think Christmas, New years and even General Conference might be in the future line-up....

Letters to my family

You remember how ultra (pour on the cheese & pull out the tissues) sentimental I am? I am grateful however, that I'm not a hoarder or this issue could be catastrophic! For Christmas one year I decided to write each of my family members a letter telling them how I felt about them. The letters consisted of memories of growing up, how I felt the day they came home from the hospital as babies, the funny things I remember about them, etc. It was theraputic to relive these memories in my letters. It made me happy to remember how kind my brothers were to me, how creative my siblings were on lazy Sunday afternoons and how thoughtful my sisters were. After I compiled letters to all 6 siblings and both of my parents and mailed them, I then made a book for my dad. I made the book thru a book editor online. It was complicated. It was miserable. It took forever and I would NOT recommend it. While I think my dad enjoyed the book and having these memories written down (I definitely get my sentimental side from him) I thought the book binding process could've been better. I always wanted to make one for my own family but the task has seemed daunting to go thru the process all over again. Then I thought how easy it would be to do it thru my favorite online scrapbook company and complete it with pictures. Because you know how much I love pictures! The finished product came in the mail the other day and I can't wait to give it to my husband and children on Christmas morning. However, I don't think it will be quite the reaction I would want (no one is as sentimentally challenged as me) I think they'll appreciate it in their own way. It makes me happy to know that if something happens to me or my loved ones, I will have told them how much they've meant to me. These letters bring me peace and this book is one way to show my family how much I love them. I used http://www.shutterfly.com/ and here is my finished product.


Each child and hubby have a two page layout with a letter from me.

My Birthday Tradition

I love parties. I love cake. I love finding the perfect gift that makes the recipient hold their breath when they open it. So why do I hate, loathe, sob a little when it comes to my children's birthdays? Is it because I can't stop them from growing up? Or is it more selfish and I can't stop getting older & their birthdays make me realize that? Either way, I get a little sad every time one of their birthdays comes around. This is a tradition that I started when my first was about 3. A birthday letter. It's pretty simple. I write them a letter each year on their birthday going over the funny things they do or events that transpired over the last year and their extravagant party that I sacrificed hours for. (They probably won't remember 90% of all the crap I do for them so I like to document it for them- you know, just to have proof in those ugly teenage years that my girls swear they will never go thru!) The plan is that if they're, oh say....... 30 when they get married, I will give them one of their letters each day for 30 days before their wedding. Cute right? Sentimental right? Ultra cheesy? Um, yeah, it's me remember! My sista Renee and I made these cute boxes and I'm dying to make one for each of my kids to put their birthday letters in. We found unfinished wooden boxes at some Hobby stores and unscrewed the sure-to-eventually-fall-off cheap clasp and E6000 glued on a cute fleur de lis. (sp?) We painted the inside and outside of the box black and sanded the edges. Then we printed a picture larger than the outside of the box and cut it to size. Next step, mod podge the picture to the top of the box. TIP: You must have the picture printed at a store if you mod podge. Home printers and mod podge don't mix- trust me! Another tip: use a light coat of mod podge on the box itself, and a very light coat on the back of the picture. Make sure it dries completely before mod podging the top of the picture or you'll get wrinkles! Let it dry for a few hours and you end up having a super cute jewelry, treasure or letter box! So will I still be sad this week when my baby turns 2? Totally. Will I gorge on cake to dull the pain? Totally. And will his 2nd birthday letter be soaked in tears? Um.... maybe, but more likely it will have chocolate smears on it. I'm pathetic that way.

Father's Day Book

So I'm racking my brain right now trying to come up with Father's Day ideas. I decided to look at my Father's day book that I made 5 years ago, each year I have added to it. Good thing I got it out early because the book is full! I definitely need to make a new one. This book is VERY simple. It could use some flair! The book, ribbon & most of the papers were found at the Dollar Store in the scrapbook session. Meaningful gifts don't cost much people! We have enjoyed pulling it out each Father's Day and seeing how much the girls have grown. Here's a glimpse at this simple 8x8 album from Dollar Tree and what I've included in it each year.

Front of Album: Just attached ribbon and a small metal frame
Title Page & a page where we stash letters to him

When Taylor was a baby we stamped her foot instead of having her draw a picture

Each year the girls answer a survey of the same questions & draw a picture for dad. I make sure they don't read last years answers or hear each other's answers. They tend to cheat!
So there you go- so simple, not much to it, but I'm really glad we have it! I also include pictures of them as well. I try to dress them up in hubster's shirt, tie & shoes and take a pic- not always successful though! Hope you have fun making your (better) version of this!

I'm linking to this fabulous party:

52 Weeks Challenge

Remember when I started my 52 weeks of Photos challenge here? Well, easier said than done! I think this is my first photo attempt with my family. Its difficult to be in photos, I feel best when I'm behind the camera. Then I remembered, black & white is your friend! Photos of my family are so important so I've had to challenge myself to actually BE IN THEM! My little M took these of my hubs and me. Not completely perfect but it's what I love about them. So for this next weeks challenge: Video tape your kids. Ask them a series of questions about when they are older. What do you want to be when you grow up? How many kids do you want to have? What will their names be? Who's funnier, Dad or Mom? I love listening to their answers! What little video I have of my kids, we cherish. And we laugh- watching home videos is our favorite Sunday activity. Ok, it's tied with naps & dessert! So are you up for the challenge? Get chargin' those video cameras, you're in for some laughs! Oh, and maybe YOU should be in it as well!

Mother's Day (should be Mother's WEEKEND)

Lets be honest- some days as a mom you just want to cry along with them! But please don't in public, it's not as cute!


Happy Mom's Day girlies! Have you ever had a bummer mother's day? The kind where your family tried but just didn't quite get it right? Not that it's EVER happened to me! Sunday's are NOT a day of rest when you have 3 hours of church. First we wake up way too early, fight 3 kids to shower, get dressed and brush teeth. Tackling 2 little girls hair do's makes me almost want to go for the Sinead O'Connor look! Our 6 minute drive to church consists of shoving as much food into their stomachs as possible so they don't complain of hunger, as I try to fan myself from the marathon I felt like I just ran getting them all ready! By the time I get to church my perfectly ironed clothes look like they came out of the bottom of a dirty laundry pile and my makeup (what little I actually had time to put on) is smeared & my "dewy complextion" I was going for looks is more like gothic girl with dripping mascara. Pretty, I know. Then I teach TEN adorable 3 yr old children, which I won't complain because I love them, but think of the 2 hour legistics I may encouter with them! :) So no matter how adorably sweet my hubs and children are that day; lets just say that Mother's Day doesn't always feel quite relaxing. That's when I created Mother's weekend. It starts on Friday peeps & by the time Sunday hits, I'm still in my relaxed coma-like-state & oblivious to the chaos that Sunday entails. I plan all the details. Everything I could possibly want to do, I DO IT! In the past I've gone to New York with girl friends (Don't freak out on me, I'm ALWAYS home on the actual Mother's Day). I've planned a stay-cation getaway with friends where we have dinner reservations, shopping, movies and pedicures for two days. And this year I got away. I've passed this mega outlet center on drives to San Antonio and always wanted to stop, but the idea of pulling over and shopping with three children hasn't been too appealing. So I've thought about this trip for a few months and finally decided to do it this weekend. It was blissful! It was relaxing! It was exactly what I needed to feel like a million bucks. So there you go. No excuses for a lame Mother's Day people. Make your own. Make it fabulous. And whatever your lovely children and hubs plan for Sunday is just the cherry on top! This year my hubs slaved away cooking parmesan chicken with alfredo sauce pasta, creme brulee & homemade macaroons. To my lovely hubs, in my best Randy Jackson impersonation, "Check this: Yo Dog! You did awww-ITE !" And just so I don't seem overly self-absorbed, I also plan a wicked Father's Day weekend! And who needs Birthdays, when you can have Birthweekends?

Start Your Garden Earth Day 2010

Tomorrow marks the 40th anniversary of earth day; technically it’s turned into earth week. While I appreciate the reminder, frankly it’s a little annoying that merchants seem to have turned earth day into a money making event to sell “earth friendly” stuff. I prefer the reminder that we don’t need to have more stuff and if we get creative we can use everyday products in new ways.

My daughter loves to plant flowers and when I found this idea in my favorite Readymade magazine I knew my little boys would love to try it too. Kind of like kindergarten all over again. David received a seed packet of wild flowers a few weeks ago from some work sponsored event (random, I know) so all I need were the seedling pots and potting soil. These seedling pots are just strips of newspaper wrapped and tucked around a jam jar for a mold. Once they’re wrapped you slip them off and fill them with soil and seeds. When the plants are ready to go into the ground you just dig a hole and drop them in. Newspapers are biodegradable and the plants roots will eventually grow through them. My cost? Free, I just grabbed newspapers from my recycling bin, it sure beats the seedling starter set I found for $13 at Home Depot.

52 Memories Challenge

So my kids were looking through our last years family album that I did on Shutterfly. And they noticed that I wasn't in a SINGLE picture! Really? Not ONE? That can't be right? Seaworld- not there, Disney World- uh uh, Christmas- apparantly not. Then I remembered "oh yeah, I hate all pictures of myself and try to burn/delete the evidence before someone can see the AWFUL pictures of myself. I am seriously the LEAST photogenic person EVER, I think that's why I prefer to be the photographer! So this is my challenge and maybe some of you mom's will notice as well that you are NEVER in pictures with your kids. Honestly my husband looks like a single dad in our family albums! So every week I'm going to get one picture with either one of my kids or all or even just my hubs and me- now that is really rare! In order to do this post I had to go back 6 months to even find a picture of me (that I would ever allow anyone to see). Thanks Renee for this picture with K! This is completely opposite of my sista Mandy cakes who finds her way into EVERY shot with my kids when we're together. (You think I'm kidding? I've got 100 pics of her to prove it) Occasionally I'll find an amazing picture of myself with one of the kids and I'll get all excited and then upon closer inspection, it's Mandy! Why can she take so many great pictures and I have a creepy Joker smile? I'm seriously the poster child of what NOT to do when having your picture taken. This last fall when it was time to get some family pictures taken I actually practiced my smile in the mirror. I can you hear laughing peeps, but it really worked! So here is everything I know about taking a decent picture of myself- hope this can help some of you out there!

1. Headshots are a girls best friend- Feeling fat, no problem! Cropping digital photos can take an awful picture to awesome!

2. Practice your smile- Make sure you do this in a locked room with the blinds shut or you might find yourself on You Tube! This really helps though!

3. Find your best side and work it! (This is meant for your face & not for other areas, but flaunt what you got!

4. Open mouth smile or a funny pose- This is definitely Mandy's technique and I got to say- it's way better than my creepy smile! Plus you will just feel happier doing it! Funnier is ALWAYS better than creepier!

So are you ready for the challenge? That means a shot every week with you and a loved one, or even just you! Next year I want my kids to look through the scrapbook and say "Wow! When did dad stop being a single parent on all our birthdays & vacations?"

Great Minds Think Alike...My Start On a Quiet Book

Great minds must think alike Mandy. I also struggled to keep my kids entertained during the church service and thought it would be brilliant to make them quiet books that would give them activities to do. Aren’t they adorable? I started them over 13 years ago and they’re still not finished. All four of my kids are now too old but I’m determined to finish them by the time I have grandkids (it’s good to set goals right???).

Over the years there were two tricks I used to keep from spending the entire service embarrassed and exhausted. This will sound crazy but, I found my kids were on better behavior when we sat in the very front row. Seriously, we sat in the very front row that nobody sits in. No toys or snacks came out of the bag until the sacrament was finished leaving about 35 – 40 minutes for the rest of the meeting. If there was screaming and crying etc. I took them into an empty classroom and explained when we were in the service we could have snacks and toys, read books, or color, but if we went outside it wouldn’t be very fun. Then we didn’t talk. I’d ignore the screaming and crying except to ask if they were ready to go back in and have their snack, toys, etc… The hardest part for me is wanting to hang out in the hallway talking to my own friends. When I was consistent it worked the best, and of course it works better with some kids more than others.

Another friend who sits by herself with four young children makes a special treat for her kid that is divided into 3 pieces for each. When one of the kids starts fighting with another they lose one of their 3 pieces. Now all she has to do is hold up her fingers as a reminder.

My youngest has been the hardest. He’s actually really good at keeping himself entertained my only problem is the kid is a “loud talker” he literally has no idea how to use a quiet voice let alone whisper. Anyone have any idea how teach a 5 year old to whisper???

I tried to create some duplicate pages; many aren’t sewn together so I’ll send you what I’ve got. Maybe one of us can finish this project!

Your story, your legacy

Hi, remember me? I'm the super sentimental, sappy sister who's got to make every craft have a personal meaning. Every item of decor has to have a story, every gift has to be hand made and ultra sentimental. Yeah, I know, it's a sickness. But with that in mind, here is my post for today. I found this when I was shopping in a really cute German town with my parents and sisters (so now its even MORE sentimental). I almost screamed when I found these books- they are the perfect gift for me!!! There are two books- one for mom's and one for dad's. They ask questions about your childhood and leave room for you to describe your bedroom when you were a kid. Your favorite relative. Your first friend. First date. How you met your spouse. It's a journal that prompts you to tell your children about yourself. What you wanted to be when you were a kid. Your favorite Christmas memory. The cat that tortured you as a child. (sorry mom, I know you love her but she's a menace!) Your funniest memories with your siblings and boy do I have alot! I jot these memories down when I'm waiting at the dentist or in carpool for my kids to know a little more about me. My kids love it & eventually I'll get my husband to fill out his book too. I thought this was so cute that I ordered some as a baby gift for a first time mom. I researched the book maker and here is where you can get your own. This could be a great mother's day or father's day gift too! Go ahead, get some chips ready for all the cheesy goodness these books will force you to become. And maybe I'll save a spot for you at the Super Sappy Sisters anonymous meeting. I'll make sure to bring cookies from a 100year old family recipe served on a platter that my great great grandma brought over on the Mayflower. :)

love notes

I had a great weekend planned. Totally fun stuff from sunrise to sunset. The stomache bug had other plans for me though. I have been stuck in bed since Friday night and going insane. My TV in my bedroom broke on Wednesday so I'm totally bored! I feel great if I'm laying completely flat and don't move. It leaves very little for me to do since I've already slept 15 hours today! What's a girl to do? That's when I remembered I need to catch up on the kids journals. I've been (badly) keeping journals for each child since they were born. But recently my neighbor shared a fun idea with me that my kids love. I got each of them fun notebooks at Hobby Lobby for $1.99. I write them a note in the book and stick it under their pillow, then they write me a note back and stick it under my pillow. Its been a fun journal because I get to see what's important to them at the time and see their writing improve (hopefully). Here is a fun note from my kindergartner- I'll have to translate: Dear mom, I love you. I am happy because you are letting us get a dog when Kimball is potty trained. Love, Taylor Oh the things we commit to when we are desperate! Taylor was going through a I don't want to go to school phase so I slipped up and offered this in the distant future. I have a feeling she's going to remind me of this every day for the next year!

I also started a notebook for my husband & I to write back and forth. So far its just a letter to him. My pillow is getting lonely babe.... hint hint!

Yay! He's Home!!!

When my hubby has to leave out of town for business, let's face it- I'm a wreck. I don't handle it well when I'm left here alone. It just plain stinks and I miss him. So before he leaves, I pack his bag with little treats and notes to open for each day he's gone. Usually I spend a lot of time making the notes all sentimental, but I rushed to throw this together. I forgot until late the night before he left, so I hurried to Wallyworld and picked up a few treats. Scribbled some notes for each day and threw them into paper sacks with the treats for each day. Don't forget the duct tape, so they're really hard to open :/ I know it's super-cheesy, but it makes me feel like he knows how much we miss him here. And he likes it too, I mean, who wouldn't?!

Spring Break staycation

I was pretty bummed when I couldn't plan a REAL vacation for spring break. With my hubs self employed status he just can't get away. What's a girl to do? Stage 1: Sulk. Stage 2: denial. Stage 3: Tell yourself a staycation is WAY BETTER & make it believable! So I wrote down all the things I hate about a vacation, such as packing, unpacking, catching up on a week's worth of laundry, airports, claustrophobia on airplane, driving for long periods with screaming/whining children, not enough sleep because we're all crammed into one room at a hotel, awful beds, and stomache aches from all the restaurants. WOW! I suddenly don't feel so bad about not going on vacation! (I'm good at denial) But our family definitely needs a break, so what should we do? That's when I decided it was staycation time. Each of us got to plan a day where we choose the activity and a restaurant. I want a vacation from the kitchen too people! First I made some rules to ensure this would actually feel vacationy. Rule #1- No phone! Rule #2 No working. including emails! Rule #3 No housework! YAY for me!

So here is our itinerary and some pics from our first day of staycation.

Day one: Dad's day
Horse back rides and petting zoo. Eat at a pizzeria.

Day two: Morgan's Day
Bike rides at a new park with a picnic lunch

Day three: Taylor's Day
Movie- Alice & Wonderland, ride the carousel & campfire smore's in
the backyard.

Kimball's Day: (is pretty much every day)
Eat suckers, play with a ball, blow bubbles, swing, drink dad's BIG GULP

Mom's Day: Still working on it, stay tuned!

Day one was a success! No whining, no crying, no stomache aches, no headaches! We were able to see a Lamb with her two babies that were just born. We got to see one stand for the first time. It was a perfect moment. I love watching my kids see something new for the first time. This staycation isn't so bad after all! Stay tuned for more adventures in Staycay land! Hmmm, I wonder if I can recreate a beach & maybe a Disney ride tomorrow? :)