NC McClard's

February...

2012-02-11T13:23:00.002-05:00

A few more photos from "Project Life"...we made a day trip to IKEA to pick up some new furniture we had been waiting to get (it all fit in our new van!). The trip resulted in a living room paint job...love this new color "Whispering Wheat"...it's so fresh and clean!

Emily and Dave headed out to "Daddy-Daughter Date Night" at Chick-fil-a.

Trotting around before bed in his jammies, with his cuppy!

January...

2012-02-06T21:00:00.003-05:00

I started a new project this year called "Project Life", taking at least one photo every day this year. Here are some of my favorites from January...

Most exciting pic of the month is our new van!! Dave found a great deal on it with everything we were looking for and only 55K miles...such a blessing...best part is that we paid CASH for it!!

How we start our mornings...A special treat...Dessert Nachos!I found these silly masks cleaning out a closet...guess I had some kind of circus party up my sleeve?!?!Cheering on our Baltimore Ravens! Hoping they were going to make it to the Superbowl...

Celebrating our 2 year "Gotcha Day" Anniversary!!

This tunnel was one of his favorite Christmas gifts!Playing "Scotland Yard"...finishing the leftover Christmas candy...

Happy 2nd Birthday!!!

2012-01-16T20:36:00.003-05:00

Our sweet boy is TWO!!! Can't believe it...We had a blast at his airplane themed party this weekend...Enjoy the pics!!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-06T08:18:00.002-05:00

We love spending quiet nights in on New Years Eve...and Nathan & Emily love the thrill of staying up til' midnight! We had Grandma & Paw Paw over for dinner, we watched movies, played games, watched the ball drop and were tucked in bed by 12:15!

The kids wanted to have appetizers for dinner...

It isn't New Years without silly hats!

Happy New Year!! (as the confetti fills all the grape juice glasses!)

Merry Christmas!!

2012-01-06T08:02:00.003-05:00

Catching up with some of our Christmas pictures for you... Em and her doll after Christmas Eve church.Grandma always has a scavenger hunt with them after our Christmas Eve dinner. They run around her house finding clues that lead them to a little gift. Sammy was excited to join in on the fun this year!Em and I made this beauty for Christmas morning breakfast. It was a yummy treat to snack on all afternoon!

After all the unwrapping, Sammy had a blast rolling around in all the wrapping paper trash!

Nathan was excited to get a Joe Flacco jersey...Emily made Samuel a special ABC book with pictures of all his favorite things!

A bonnet was one of the things she had been wanting...she was so excited to get one!

Ending the day singing "Happy Birthday to Jesus"!

Candy Cane Cutie!!

2011-12-19T14:54:00.002-05:00

I know, you LOVED those...didn't you?!?!

A peek inside...

2011-12-17T07:48:00.001-05:00

A peek inside our Christmas decor...

Counting Down to Christmas...

2011-12-17T07:38:00.002-05:00

December 1st we started our official "Countdown to Christmas" advent calendar...each day is filled with a fun activity, treat, craft, etc! We've been to a Christmas parade, made this new wreath...Had a candlight picnic by the Christmas tree...and made some puppy chow!

Catching Up...

2011-10-22T21:45:00.004-04:00

Yikes, 7 weeks since my last post...that's a LONG time!! Here's a quick catch up on what we've been up to...for those that are facebook friends, you've probably already seen most of these pictures (they load much quicker on there!). In September we became the parents of a teenager!!! We surprised him with an overnight trip to Great Wolf Lodge to celebrate his special day.

Can't beat their homeschool rate and the kids loved their own "cabin" in the room with bunkbeds!

After a HOT summer the fall weather finally arrived. Samuel LOVES playing outside! He wants to go out first thing every day and cries when it's time to come in.

This little guy also LOVES to eat!! The big boys were getting ready to watch the football game with some Spinach & Artichoke dip and he dug right in!

Last Friday we took a field trip to the North Carolina Zoo. Samuel is in love with all animals right now and was so excited to see the lions, monkeys, giraffes, and elephants!

A long day at the zoo made for a tired little guy...

and finally, a trip to the Farmers Marker for some pumpkins...He wanted a "yittle" (little) one...Big Brother helping him find just the right one!

He was so excited to carry it around for the rest of our trip!

Last days of Summer...

2011-09-03T18:53:00.004-04:00

Enjoying our last few days using the pool before it's time to close it up for the season...

Happy Labor Day Weekend!!

Back to School!!

2011-08-27T09:35:00.002-04:00

Our first week of school is under our belts...woohoo!!Sammy's "back to school" shirt...good thing we love homeschooling...we're going to be doing it for a LOOONG time!!

He knows he's cute stuff!!!

Hard at work!!!

Alabama & American Girl!

2011-08-21T19:59:00.003-04:00

Our last trip for the summer was to visit Dave's family in Alabama! The drive down took us right through Atlanta and we had a VERY excited little girl to stop at the American Girl store! She has been asking to go for over a year!

We spent over an hour walking around the store...Next, we had afternoon tea together in the Bistro...

A few hours later we were in Alabama...the kids had a blast driving around Mimi & PawPaw's mule!!

Taken on their driveway...Emily loved Mimi'a new Yorkie Dolly!For the first 2 days Sammy called Dolly "cat"...he's never seen a teeny dog like her before. He loved chasing her up and down the hallway!

Kids with Mimi (we missed a picture with Paw Paw...we'll have to get one with him next time!)

Back to School TOMORROW!!!!

Pure Religion Adoption & Orphan Care Conference

2011-08-18T19:32:00.002-04:00

I've blogged a few times over the past few months about the Adoption Conference Dave & I had the privilege of coordinating with our children's pastor. The conference was held this past weekend and I am still amazed at all that was accomplished! Seeing something that began as a prayer in our hearts to help others who may be considering adoption come to pass and over 300 people attend was life-changing for Dave and I. We had the privilege of leading a breakout workshop on "Building a Transracial Family...Adopting outside your skin color" Watching my hubby stand before a packed room and share his heart and his love for our son is a moment I will never forget. Our passion for the orphan and the fatherless has been stirred more than ever and we are excited to be serving in this ministry. I'll leave you with a very well-written article from our church's online magazine summing up the details of the conference from one of our attendees.

http://www.colonial.org/magazine_articles/2011/0811AdoptionConference_home.html

Making room for play...

2011-08-17T08:05:00.002-04:00

I've been working on a gradual project this summer of utilizing the space in our bonus room better, in hopes of making a better play area for Sammy for him and I to play in while the big kids are doing school. I started by getting rid of the brown monster desk we bought when we were trying to fill this giant room (which after turning a chunk of it into a room for Nathan, it doesn't seem so giant anymore!). We bought a smaller desk ($20...thank you IKEA) and moved it into the school area.

After the desk was moved I was left with an empty half of the room and turned it into this... the chairs we already had, the TV came from our bedroom (that we watched approximately 8 minutes of news on every night to see the weather for the next day)...my handy hubby hung it on the wall for me...the kids can watch their math lessons on it and Sammy can watch his Einstein DVD's, the cube in the middle holds toys and used to be red,white, & blue, the trees are stickers, the PLAY letters came from the clearance bin at Michael's, and Em and I painted the clouds with random paint from our garage. It turned out to be a fun little space for everyone!

My neighbor gave me an extra little table & chairs. The table was bright blue and the chairs were bright yellow...I gave it a spray paint bath and then modge-podged placemats to the top for easy cleaning. It will be great when he figures out crayons are for coloring and NOT eating!!

The view from the halllway...you wouldn't even know all that schoolroom/office business is going on around the corner!!Be back soon with pics of our Alabama/American Girl store trip!

Last Week...

2011-07-21T21:29:00.002-04:00

Look who turned 18 months old!!! Dave and I find ourselves constantly saying how much we forgot what a fun age this is...every day our Sammy seems to say or do something new. He keeps us laughing all the time!

We took the kids to Monkey Joe's (one of those inflatable bouncy places) last week. At first Samuel was a little overwhelmed by it all, but after Daddy & big brother and sister took him on the slides he loved it!

This guy and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary yesterday!! Grandma & Paw Paw came over to babysit for us and we spent the afternoon seeing a movie, walking around the mall, and having dinner at Cheesecake Factory. It was just lovely!!

We took a day trip to Fayetteville last week to visit with some old friends driving through town on their way to a family reunion. We met at our old church years ago and love these guys dearly!

Me and my sweet friend Kim...

Our kids have grown up together...Nathan and their son Dylan have been friends since they were three years old.They loved this little guy to pieces! He had just learned to say the word "hug" the day before and gave them all a round of hugs before they left!

Animal Sounds...

2011-07-13T19:36:00.002-04:00

Look at this cutie!!!

Kitchen Transformation

2011-06-30T19:18:00.003-04:00

My main project I wanted to tackle this summer was a kitchen makeover of our countertop and cabinets. One of these days I'll remember that big do-it-yourself projects mean a lot of hard work & sweat! We started by taking down the valance over the window and prepping the countertops.

Painting the countertops...

Chipping the counters...

We love how they turned out!The next step was taking down the cabinet doors...Painting the cabinets...

All finished!We are thrilled with how it turned out!

New Windows!!

2011-06-27T16:24:00.002-04:00

We've been talking about adding windows to our living room ever since we bought this house 6 years ago. Our neighbor got some free windows from his job a few weeks ago and offered to put them in for us. Here is the living room before...figuring out where we would like each window to go. There's one...

and there's number two...

Here they are all trimmed out and painted!!

We LOVE them! It's so much brighter now!! Wish we hadn't waited so long to do it!!

Father's Day...

2011-06-21T09:11:00.002-04:00

Any man can become a father, but it takes someone special to become a Daddy! So thankful for a Daddy that works hard for his children and loves them dearly. His Father's Day "Daddy" french toast...

Sammy loves when they read together...Daddy is so tan, he's almost as brown as Sammy!!

Playing Mall Madness with Nathan and Emily!

Painting & Marshmallows!!

2011-06-16T22:04:00.002-04:00

Sammy got to try out the sidewalk paints today!! He was very excited...especially about the paint on his hands!!

By the time we were done there was more paint on him, me, and our clothes than on the driveway!!

I let the big kids raid Daddy's irrigation supplies and make some marshmallow shooters!

They are such a blast and Princess & Sammy have fun catching the ammo!!

Summer Fun!

2011-06-14T08:35:00.002-04:00

Thankful for our swimming pool on these hot summer days! The kids spend nearly every afternoon out there!

Nathan taught Sammy how a suirt gun works!!!

Giant Cookie Making!!

Random...

2011-05-30T23:18:00.002-04:00

Just a few random photos from last week...Nathan & Emily making themselves some Oreo Truffles. Sammy is so proud of how high be can stack the blocks (as well as knock them over!)

We've had lots of playtime in the pool...someone likes to steal his Mama's glasses! I like to call him Stevie Wonder when he does (which spawned into a very lengthy dinner discussion of "Who's Stevie Wonder?" from Nathan & Emily and may or may not have included some singing of "Ebony & Ivory"!)

Sharing some ice cream in the pool!

At the beach...part 3

2011-05-20T09:34:00.003-04:00

Last set of pics at the beach...an attempt to get some family beach pics...

This one is my FAVORITE...we are a very blessed Mommy & Daddy with there three special kiddos!
They all turned out really good...

At the beach...Part 2

2011-05-20T09:15:00.003-04:00

More pics from the beach...We took the kids to the new Wonderworks museum, the month of May is Teacher Appreciation Month so I got in free and Dave & the kids were discounted. I should have changed my camera to a different night setting inside and most of the pics ended up fuzzy...it was still A LOT of fun! Catching some sun at the pool...

The pool wore somebody out...

Nathan & Emily's nickname for years has been "Fric & Frac"...couldn't resist a pic by this sign.

I took Sammy for his first carousel ride! He was a little unsure at first, but was smiling at the end!

At the beach...

2011-05-20T09:04:00.002-04:00

We just came home from nearly a week in Myrtle Beach! We stayed 3 days at Grandma & Paw Paw's condo, then 3 days at a resort on the beach. Lots of fun, great weather, not many people, and cheap prices and the season is not in full swing yet. Sammy and Em having fun on the beach...he wasn't too sure of the sand, but got the hang of it quickly!

Dave and the big kids had fun metal detecting...they found about $ 1.50 in change. :)

$ 1.31 = A "photo-free" fridge!!

2011-05-02T15:58:00.002-04:00

I took this picture out of my living room the other day and had it in my hand walking out to the yard sale pile when I had a thought... I've been thinking of something to do about this...we dearly love all these people & sweet babies but I don't love seeing that mess of pictures & magnets every time I come in from the garage.

So I got white paint (already had), ribbon (already had), some felt for padding (already had), and bought a scrap of fabric for $ 1.31 and made this! It hangs by our laundry room (closet) doors.

and now it holds all our sweet friends pics!

and the side of my fridge is EMPTY!!!

New Braces

2011-04-27T21:21:00.002-04:00

Look what my Nathan got yesterday...he's growing up!! We're excited to watch his smile transform over the next two years.

Happy Easter!!!

2011-04-26T21:03:00.004-04:00

Just some pics of my sweeties in their Easter finest...so blessed to be their Mama!!

My mom put these silly bunny ears in his Easter basket and he wore them the whole time for his first egg hunt!

Birthday "Par-Tea" for Emily

2011-04-25T07:12:00.003-04:00

My sweet Emily celebrated her birthday Friday with some of her very closest friends at an American Girl Birthday "Par-Tea". All the girls brought dolls and had tea and played together. It was a simple party and Em had so much fun. The girls feasted on fruit, strawberry scones, teapot sugar cookies, cupcakes, raspberry tea, and pink lemonade. Kit having tea and conversation with a friend.

All of the dollies having tea.

Grandma made Em and Kit these very special matching dresses for her birthday!

Special presents from friends.

Sammy joined in on the dolls party and stole this dollies hat!!

"BESTEST Big Sister"

2011-04-07T07:40:00.002-04:00

I was looking through some recent photos the other night of Emily & Samuel together to find one to use for her birthday card from him and wanted to share some of these sweet ones with you. These two are so sweet together...Some reasons why we Samuel loves his big sissy... She always shares everything with him...including ice cream! She makes him smile...

She explains things...like the IKEA parking lot!

She is the BEST tickler!!

and she loves to be silly!!

"Children of God" Video

2011-04-02T20:20:00.001-04:00

Seen this Third Day video yet?? It's amazing...especially the ending!! http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V6jO7xhU_Pw&feature=player_embedded

Spring is here!!!

2011-03-24T10:34:00.004-04:00

We've had beautiful weather in the 70's & 80's for the past week and the results can be seen all over our yard... We planted 100 tulip bulbs last fall in our front planter and they are popping up everywhere! I fertilized our Hydrangea bushes and they are going crazy!! Hoping for LOTS of pretty blooms this year!

Fresh cut tulips this morning...

Someone is not so sure about his little barefeet in the thick grass?!?!

HAPPY SPRING!!

A new "old" chair for Sammy!!

2011-03-14T20:34:00.003-04:00

We were at a consignment sale a few weeks ago and I spotted an old little rocking chair just like one I had as a little girl. Sammy was taken with it and how he could scoot his little bum right into it. I remembered that my Mom had saved the chair and we put it up in our attic a few years ago. I had Dave climb up there and get it down for me to makeover...

The before...it's beautiful isn't it?!?!
After a coat of black spraypaint and some new fabric...

It's great for reading his books in...

...and watching Baby Einstein in...

He LOVES it!!!

Playtime...

2011-03-11T09:28:00.002-05:00

What a fun age our sweet Sammy is at...every day he does something new, makes a new discovery, and keep us laughing. He is loving going outside! We bought him this big red ball at Target and it is one of his favorite things! He's learning how to run!!

LOVES bubbles...

and his new $1 yard sale car!!

He had spaghetti for the first time the other night...obviously LOVED it too!!

"Pure Religion Adoption Weekend"

2011-02-21T20:03:00.002-05:00

Back in 2007 Dave & I attended an "Adoption & Orphan Weekend" at our church. We had been praying about adding to our family by adoption but had no idea where to start. It was at this weekend that the Lord led us to Domestic Adoption, we found our agency, and the result was a beautiful baby named Samuel! The Lord laid the idea on our hearts a few months ago that is was time to hold another one of these weekends at our church for families who are just like we were...thinking about adoption but don't know where to go from there. We approached one of our Pastors about our idea, He loved it and dove right into helping us plan! I'm so excited to announce the...

www.purereligionconference.com

We're so excited to see how God works and sets the lonely in families during this weekend! Pray for us as we plan & organize this exciting event!

V-Day gift for my hubby...

2011-02-16T15:11:00.003-05:00

I saw something similar to this on another blog and thought I would copy it for a Valentine's Day gift for my hubby. I started with a 6 pack of Cream Soda...the kids were happy to drink them for me and then I washed out the bottles. Spraypainted the tops pink...

Decorated the box with some Valentine paper...

Bought some of his favorite snacks...

and filled each bottle with goodies and corny phrases like "I'm NUTS about you!"

It cost me less than $10 and it made him feel special!!

My littlest LOVE...

2011-02-16T15:07:00.002-05:00

I caught this sweet picture of my littlest lovebug on Valentine's Day soaking up the warm sunshine...LOVE him SO much!!!

Pajama Day 2010!

2011-02-16T14:51:00.002-05:00

We started a family tradition a few years ago of having a Pajama Day once every winter. It's a fun day when everyone stays in the PJ's all day...we play games, watch movies, and eat yummy treats! Dave and I decided to surprise the kids last Thursday and have our annual Pajama Day. We picked a good day for it as we woke up to this...remember it was just 70 degrees a few days ago!I had picked up doughnuts to surprise them for breakfast from the markdown rack at one of our grocery stores. Can't beat $1.99 for a dozen Krispy Kremes!!

We played board games...

Lots of board games...

Watched movies, had pizza, built a giant fort in the living room, and did lots of snuggling!!!

Spring Sneak Peek

2011-02-04T07:32:00.002-05:00

We were blessed with a BEAUTIFUL 70 degree day earlier in the week and took advantage of it by spending a few hours at one of our favorite parks. This was our first time there since the fall...Samuel wasn't too sure about walking on the mulch, but we all had a great time!

a little LOVE...

2011-01-27T17:25:00.002-05:00

My sweet Emily (who thinks Valentines Day is a national holiday) was worried becuase I hadn't "decorated" for Valetine's Day...I admit it's not really a holiday I decorate for...but to make her happy I made this little project out of leftover scrabble tiles just for her!
I added a picture of my sweeties from last Valentine's Day, hung my heart wreath, and called it DONE!!

"Gotcha Day" Anniversary

2011-01-22T15:36:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was a very special day for our family...the one year anniversary of Samuel's "Gotcha Day"...the day he became a McClard!! I thought I would share some pics of that special day with you!

Our first few minutes together...

Brand new big brother & sister...yup, lots of happy tears that day!!!

Feeding him his very first bottle...

Our first photo as a family of 5!!

...and now for some pics of this year's "Gotcha Day!"

Morning tickles & snuggles in Mama & Daddy's bed...

We took him to Build-A-Bear to make his very first animal!

He chose a soft monkey...which Nathan & Emily have named "Mr. Monk-a-Monk"

Watching the lady stuff his monkey...

Watching Baby Einstein with Mr. Monk-a-monk later that day...

We're so thankful to have had our sweet boy for one year already!!!

"The Heart"

2011-01-20T11:54:00.003-05:00

We're studying the human heart this week in science and the kids made a model using graham crackers, icing, and marhsmallows to help them memorize the locations of the ventricles, atriums, aorta, pulmonary veins, etc. We finished the lesson by studying how many times the word "heart" is used in the Bible...only a mere 762 times...obviously God is trying to tell us something about the condition of our hearts! Here is one of my favorite "heart" verses...

"Love the Lord your God with all your HEART and with your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind" Luke 10:27

FIRST Birthday Party!!!

2011-01-15T23:10:00.004-05:00

Whew, what a fun day!!! Some pictures of a very special first birthday party for our sweet boy...

Happy Birthday Samuel!!

2011-01-12T23:37:00.003-05:00

What a great first birthday Samuel had snuggled at home all day in the ice storm!! He brings so much fun and laughter to our lives and we are so blessed to have him! We're looking forward to celebrating with family & friends at his party Saturday!

One Year Ago!!!!

2011-01-11T07:08:00.003-05:00

One year ago today, a very special woman gave birth to our son...I hope she knows how much we think of her and the special place she will always hold in our hearts. We are so grateful she chose life for Samuel and us to be his family. HAPPY BIRTHDAY SAMUEL!!! You have brought our lives more joy than we ever could have imagined!

and he's off!!!

2011-01-06T21:22:00.003-05:00

I promise I'll get some Christmas pictures up on this blog soon...but in the mean time...LOOK WHO'S WALKING!!!!

More Countdown Fun...

2010-12-23T21:25:00.003-05:00

Stil working on our Countdown To Christmas fun...

Cookie Baking...

Our annual "put on your pj's, grab some cocoa & cookies, and look at Christmas lights" night!

Making one of my favorite ornaments...those little rolled up pieces of paper hold our favorite memories of 2010.

Day 11...Disney on Ice!!

2010-12-15T06:48:00.003-05:00

The kids got a big surprise when they opened the door to Day 11 on Saturday morning! I was able to get them Disney on Ice tickets at a great price with an online discont code and they were so excited to get an early Christmas gift! The show was Toy Story 3 and it was fantastic! Little guy loved it and sat there mesmerized the whole time, clapping his hands when everyone else did!

This Week...

2010-12-10T22:10:00.004-05:00

This week on our Countdown to Christmas activities we...

Made a doughnut tree...
and some soft pretzels to eat while we watched a Christmas movie...

and some puppy chow!!

...and watched a Christmas parade!!

Day 1 - Scrabble Tile Ornaments

2010-12-02T07:32:00.003-05:00

We started our Countdown to Christmas calendar yesterday...it's 25 days of fun activities leading up to Christmas! I have such a good time planning this for the kids...

Day #1...Scrabble tile ornaments (all though the photos loaded in reverse order for some reason???)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!!

2010-11-30T13:00:00.003-05:00

I went a little different on my mantle decorating this year and just LOVE it!! I bought the brightly colored balls 90% off at Target last year and Em talked me into buying that fluffy sparkly thing in the middle of the garland for 39 cents...I'm so glad I listened to her!!

Brothers...and other stuff!

2010-11-17T15:07:00.006-05:00

Watching your children bond with each other is one of the sweetest gifts a mother can receive. I've noticed over the past few weeks as Samuel has become more active and is crawling everywhere and developing his own little personality that we all love so much that he has grown quite close to Nathan. It's so sweet to watch Nathan play with his baby brother and much Samuel lights up when they are together. They were playing on the floor the other night and Nathan got up and sat on the couch, Samuel crawled over to him, and reached up for Nathan to hold him, as soon as he picked him up he curled up on him and fell fast asleep. So precious and so thankful for the bond God has created in my boys!

It's hard to believe our little guy turned 10 months old last week! He weighs 19 1/2 lbs and is 30" long...he's going to be a tall drink of water!! He crawls at the speed of lightning, is creeping between the furniture and getting very sturdy on his feet. It wouldn't surprise me if he walked by Christmas! He's babbling lots of sounds, learned to clap his hands, and loves to dance!

A Perfectly PINK Baby Shower!!

2010-11-07T20:12:00.003-05:00

I had the privilege of hosting a baby shower for my sweet friend Beth this weekend. This is baby #5 for her and her first girl! Needless to say there was a lot of PINK going on!!

Frames I made for a decoration (and part of her gift)
A pink candy buffet for the favors.

Everyone enjoyed filling their boxes with the candy treats!

Napkin Dresses...

Me, Beth (who looks amazing for being due in 3 weeks!), and my other friend Tonja who made all the food for us (she's a former Pampered Chef gal and made us lots of yummy snacks!)

Happy Halloween!

2010-11-05T14:46:00.003-04:00

Better late than never...Happy Halloween from our little monkey, cupcake, and soccer player!

State Fair Day!!

2010-10-26T00:47:00.002-04:00

Just a few pics from our trip to the State Fair last week...It's such a fun day that we all look forward to...and even more so this year that Samuel was here to go with us!!

It seems there is always at least one crazy fair food that everyone is talking about, this year it was the Krispy Kreme Hamburger! None of us were brave enough to try it...

We always have fun looking at all the foods you can deep fry!!

Hill Ridge Farms

2010-10-25T18:24:00.003-04:00

Wow, what a busy month October has been...can't believe it is nearly over!! My hubby turned the big 40 last weekend and we had a great time celebrating with family & friends. Both of his parents were able to make the trip for the party (which I did not take one single photo of!!). Grandpa and Grandma Carol treated us to an afternoon at Hill Ridge Farms before heading back to New Hampshire.

GIANT slide!!!

Gem Mining...

Vote!!!

2010-09-29T15:39:00.002-04:00

Have a few seconds?? Would you click this link and vote for Samuel?? You can vote every day!!! Help us win a Gap gift card!!

http://www.gapcastingcall.com/GapCastingCall/EntryDetail.html?id=19822

Happy Birthday Nathan!!!

2010-09-22T14:16:00.003-04:00

My sweet Nathan turned 12 on Sunday...where does the time go?? He's such an awesome kid...helpful, selfless, kind, caring...the list could go on and on...I am blessed to call him my son! He asked for a homemade ice cream cake for his cake of choice. Growing into such a handsome guy...just like his daddy!

Enjoying his breakfast of choice...chocolate chip pancakes!

Opening some gifts...

Super Double Coupons!

2010-09-21T07:28:00.002-04:00

So I haven't posted one of my coupon excursions lately but this one was too good to not share!! Just came home with all these groceries for a whopping 42 cents!!! I also walked away with $13 of coupons good for my next shopping order...this is my kind of FUN!! Disclaimer: I will NOT feed my husband & children all that Hamburger Helper and instant potatoes...but I will donate it to out church's bumper crop that helps stock a local food pantry!

Funny Guy

2010-09-17T23:58:00.002-04:00

So, Dave and I both admit we had totally forgotten how much fun babies are!!! This sweet little guy has brought more laughter into our home than we ever could have imagined. Here are some funny moments from the past few weeks...

I also seemed to have forgotten how incredibly messy those teether biter biscuits are...
Sometimes lunchtime can be exhausting!!

Swinging outside is one of his favorite things to do!

He really does not like this rug!!!!

He loves to share with Princess...and she doesn't seem to mind at all!

Backyard Landscaping!

2010-09-17T23:25:00.004-04:00

We took advantage of a beautiful (not 98 degrees) day a few weekends and decided to do some landscaping in out backyard...we'll call this the "before" shot...
Everyone got to help...

Sammy supervised from his swing!

My hubby working hard putting in the plants.

These two fell asleep together on a blanket...all the fresh air and sunshine got to them!

After a few bags of mulch it was looking pretty good!

I scored a beautiful set of solar lights 75% off at Target that I added after these were taken and they look marvelous!!!

This Week...

2010-09-17T23:11:00.003-04:00

How is September already almost over??? Can't believe how quickly the days are passing...it's ironic how they seemed to drag on while we were waiting for Samuel yet now they are moving so fast! It's hard to believe we just finished week 4 of school...we studied the Vikings this week and the kids made this model ship. This little guy got to try some Cheerios for the first time and loves them!

He got the hang of them real quick!

He turned 8 months old last Saturday and is BUSY...crawling everywhere!!

Sand in our toes...

2010-09-17T22:53:00.002-04:00

Just a few more pics of our time at the beach last week... Samuel definitely enjoyed his first trip to the beach!

He wasn't thrilled about the water (think it was a little chilly), but he LOVED the sand!

New Family Pictures!!

2010-09-10T13:23:00.004-04:00

While we were at the beach we took some new family pictures...love how they turned out!!

On the Move...

2010-09-04T06:41:00.002-04:00

Look out world...Samuel is on the move!! He's been scooting for a few weeks now but this past week switched to full on crawling and boy is he fast! He likes to crawl over to his jumper and pull himself up on it... He's searching for just the right toy!

He's excited for socccer season to start too...

and loves to swing outside in his baby swing...

Happy September!!

Back to School!

2010-08-21T18:34:00.003-04:00

Our first week of school is officially under our belts...everyone was excited to get started Monday morning! We studied cells this week in science and the kids made an edible jello cell with candy mitochondria, golgi bodies, ribosomes, lysosomes, and a nucleus!

7 months

2010-08-15T18:45:00.002-04:00

Our sweet buy turned 7 months old this week!!! Can't believe how fast his first year his flying by!! Isn't he the cutest thing?? Don't ya' love his orange crocs??

Bye Bye Carpet!!

2010-08-15T18:35:00.003-04:00

One last project on my summer to-do list before we go head back to school...I have been begging Dave for months to let me rip the carpet off our steps...it was old, dirty and worn out. 10 minute later they looked like this...

Then after an hour of pulling out staples and carpet tacks they looked like this...

and here they are after sanding, staining, painting, and caulking!!

I love how they tuned out!!

"Brothers"

2010-08-15T18:32:00.001-04:00

11 years apart and they still let me dress them alike...love it!!

Filling the Freezer...

2010-08-09T17:46:00.002-04:00

We start back to school in exactly one week...so I decided to spend last week getting everything ready and filling the freezer for a busy fall and winter. I made 10 loaves of rosemary bread... batches of muffins and cookie dough...

10 turkey meals...and a slew of other stuff I forgot to take pictures of!

While I was cranking on the kitchen, hubby made us this for the deck...our last set toppled over in a windstorm and 2 legs broke off. This baby is solid wood and isn't going anywhere!!

Now that the work is done this week is reserved for FUN!! Movies, swimming, bowling, and staying up late are all on the agenda!!

Great Wolf Lodge!

2010-07-31T09:15:00.003-04:00

My hubby had to go to Charlotte for a day of irrigation classes this week so we decided to take the kids to Great Wolf Lodge for a mini-vacation before we start back to school in a few weeks. they offer a great homeschool rate that saves you over 50% off the regular rates! We had a blast!

Samuel's Dedication

2010-07-18T23:03:00.002-04:00

We had Samuel dedicated this afternoon in a small ceremony at church. We are so blessed to be part of a church that values family and are so thankful God gave us Samuel (and Nathan & Emily) to raise.

Summer Swimming...

2010-07-14T19:27:00.002-04:00

It has certainly been a HOT summer this year and we have really been enjoying the swimming pool! Even Samuel loves it...he kicks his feet and has figured out how to splash! Of course now he thinks the bathtub is the same as the pool and I am one soaked mama after his bath!

6 months...

2010-07-13T21:13:00.003-04:00

Our sweet boy turned 6 months old on Sunday! The time is flying by so quickly and we are enjoying every minute of him! He is such a blessing to our family!

Look how much his little foot has grown since he was a newborn!

Chick-fil-A Cow Appreciation Day!!

2010-07-11T15:00:00.002-04:00

We love Chick-fil-a...it's definitely our family's favorite fast food restaurant and we look forward to Cow Appreciation Day each year. When you dress up like a cow you get a free meal! Sammy got in on the action this year and Daddy enjoyed his free meal (and not having to dress up himself!)

Happy 4th of July!!

2010-07-07T07:55:00.002-04:00

Just a few fun photos from our 4th!! Enjoy!!

'Adopted for Life"

2010-06-30T23:45:00.004-04:00

I opened the mailbox today to find a strange brown envelope, as soon as I saw the return address I knew it was what we had been waiting for!! In it was Samuel's final decree of adoption which stated that he was "adopted for life!" Aren't those beautiful words?!?! Here are a few of our favorite photos from the past 5 months...I'll be back with more soon!

What this Mom has been up to...

2010-06-05T18:02:00.004-04:00

We are enjoying every minute of our summer break! As much as I love homeschooling, it is so refreshing to wake up each day and not have school be the center of our days. It's been great to tackle some home projects while Samuel takes his afternoon naps.

My first project was to clean out the school room...here it was on the last day of school...it's pretty neat but I had a few fun ideas in mind.
We took a trip to Maryland & DC a few weeks ago I couldn't resist a trip to IKEA. I got a fun new light and some new chairs for the kiddos.

and made a lazy susan for all the pens, pencils, etc...

Next on the list was painting the half bathroom...spray painting all the builder fixtures bronze, replacing the mirror with this one that was hanging in my upstairs hall.

Taking the mirror from the hall was a good idea until I realized I needed to do something (cheap) with the big empty space I now had...I painted some dollar store frames to match this plaque and made a photo collage. These are all from our DC trip and Emily said this should be a travel wall and change out the pictures with each trip we take. I love that idea!

Next was recovering the kitchen chairs...for the 7th time since we have owned this set! I love this black & white damask print...I saw a commercial for Oprah yesterday and she was sitting in a chair covered in the exact same print!! Not that I get my decorating tips from Oprah, but if they are using it for her chairs I must have done something right!

I had a little leftover fabric and decided to cover a lampshade with it. If you are ever in my house, DO NOT look at the back!! The front turned out great, but YIKES the back is awful!! I should have googled "how to cover a lampshade" before attempting this!

Last but definitely not least, we had this old wicker chair in our bedroom that I really wanted to use on my front porch (although now I don't know where my sweet hubby will throw his dirty clothes, oh yeah...the floor). My first thought was to paint it white but I took a walk on the wild side and painted it "Cherry Red" I love how it turned out!

and it makes a great spot to sit & chat on the porch swing!

Mantle Makeover for summer

2010-05-05T18:31:00.004-04:00

Ever since we took the Christmas decorations down my mantle has looked like this...and as much as I love my yard sale lemon trees it was time for something lighter for summer. So I went "shopping" around the house for things that felt beachy or summery (glass jars from the kitchen, starfish from Nathan's room, sand from the kids sandbox, shells from our trip to the beach last year, sign and statues from our bathroom, etc)...I added some "summery" pictures and it ended up like this...

I love it and it didn't cost me a cent!!

Updates...

2010-05-05T18:14:00.003-04:00

Yikes, it's already May...how did that happen?!? We have been working feverishly to finish up school, we did our achievement testing last week and are on track for our last day of school to be next Friday. We are so looking forward to some lazy, summer days...

We had our 3 month post-placement visit last week with our social worker...that was the last item needed for the county to issue our "golden ticket" Final Decree of Adoption and we will be able to post some pictures. Samuel is doing great...growing and changing every day. It's amazing to see him turn into a little person, laughing, smiling, and recognizing who we are. I feel so blessed to be a Mom to 3 on this Mother's Day!

Our garden is doing great and we have been picking lots of...

Yes, strawberries!! I got 2o plants free last year from a deal online and laughed when these tiny seedlings arrived at my door...I remember thinking we would have strawberries in about 5 years...was I ever wrong!! They really took off and we have been picking a big bowl of berries every day! We've picked 4 lbs since Sunday!

I spent a little time on the deck while Samuel was napping watching the kids swim and made this cute pillow with the leftover scraps from our birthday banner. My Dad gave us a hammock we are planning to hang up this weekend and I thought it would be cute in it.

and finally, a pic of this big kiddos swimming...we filled the pool over the weekend and this kids have been enjoying their afternoons out there!

Birthday Banner

2010-04-18T19:34:00.003-04:00

I'm back for my once a month post!! We are all doing great...loving our new little guy to pieces! Samuel is doing great, he turned 3 months old last week. He's rolling over and smiling and laughing like crazy! Our 3 month post placement visit is later this week so hopefully pictures will be coming SOON!!

Em and I worked on a project the other night while Samuel was napping and our boys were at a church activity. I have wanted to make a reusable birthday banner for a while now, something neutral that can be used for everyone's special day. We got out some scraps of fabric and denim, some ribbon and no-sew tape and made this together! It turned out super cute and gets to stay up all week since a special little girl turns 10 this weekend!

Busy...Busy...

2010-03-12T08:50:00.002-05:00

Yikes, has nearly a month really flown by since the last time I posted?!?!? I told you this blog would be on the back burner!! Things have been busy around here...we had company last week from Dave's Mom, sister, and aunt and are getting ready for another visit tomorrow from Dave's Dad and stepmom...everyone is so excited to meet Samuel!! Speaking of which...he is doing great!! He turned two months old yesterday and is such a sweet and good baby. Last week he started smiling at anything and everything and just melts my heart. He is a BIG snuggler and LOVES to be held, which no one around here minds at all. He just fits so perfectly into our lives!

It feels like Spring may finally be arriving after a very long and cold winter. We've had a chance to play outside and take a few walks this week which has been wonderful. Dave's work is getting busy, which is always a sign that warm weather is coming. We just finished up our third quarter of school and are looking forward to our Tapestry of Grace end unit celebration next Friday. We spent several weeks studying Ancient Greece and are having an Olympic Games event.

I have no home projects to show you and have spraypainted nothing in months...and I couldn't be happier about it!! Although, I did paint a dollar tree frame robin's egg blue the other day and it turned out pretty cute! Have a blessed weekend...hopefully we'll be back soon with some pictures!

February...

2010-02-16T14:31:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe the month of February is already half over! My blog is definitely sitting on the back burner for now as we settle into our new routine. I'm sure I'll be back in full force once Samuel's adoption is finalized by the state and we are free to post photos of him. For now we are enjoying every minute of these sweet newborn days. He is doing wonderful! We went for his one month checkup yesterday and has grown an inch and weighs 10 pounds! He is such a happy boy and we are so blessed by him! He was definitely worth the wait!! He got his feet into a little pink ink the other day and made some Valentine cards for all his special people!! We are keeping busy with school, plugging away while the weather is still so cold...we only have around 55 lessons left until summer break (not that we are counting!). The kids have also been addicted to the Olympics and we made this chart to keep track of the medal count for our favorite countries.

SNOW DAY!!!

2010-01-31T12:40:00.002-05:00

We got a real treat this weekend with about 5 inches of snow!!! We have been snowed in since Friday and enjoying every minute of it! Dave has been taking the kids up to the big hill to sled while Samuel and I stay snuggled up inside by the fire. Here are some fun shots of them sledding! Yes, those are pool floats we use as sleds...they work great!

Settling In...

2010-01-26T14:43:00.002-05:00

It's hard to believe that this time last week we were anxiously awaiting the phone to ring to hear news if Samuel would be ours forever and now he is part of our family! We were just saying last night how it feels like he has been here for much longer than just a few days. He is such a good baby and we are so blessed by him! Nathan and Emily have been the most wonderful helpers, I knew that they would be anxious to help but had no idea how willing and helpful they would be. They are doing a great job fetching diapers, helping make bottles, and loving on their new baby brother. They have a love for him that is so deep it can only come from the Lord. Emily calls herself "sissy" to him and Nathan refers to himself as "big brother." It melts my heart to see how much this little guy has increased the love in our house!!

We still will not be able to post any pictures for a few weeks, but if you would like to see our little guy just send me an email and I'll send you a private message. For now our dishwasher looks like this every day...
and we just did our first load of "little laundry"...loving every minute of it!!

Forever Ours...

2010-01-23T10:56:00.002-05:00

He's home forever!!! What a whirlwind last few days...Thursday was a day our family will never forget!! Samuel is beautiful beyond description, he has stolen our hearts and forever changed our lives. I know what you are thinking...where are the pictures???? We will not be facebooking or blogging any photos of him until his adoption is finalized by the state, but he is ours forever!! For now, my blog will sit on the back burner...I may update every now and again but for now there are far more important things to do. We are up to our eyeballs in diapers and bottles and loving every minute of it! Samuel is a big cuddler and needs lots of snuggling!! Pray for us as we bond with Samuel and that he will come to know he is with his forever family. This verse has been on my heart since the moment I first laid eyes on Samuel and held him in my arms...

"I will praise thee for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Psalm 139:14

IT'S A BOY!!!!!!!!

2010-01-20T15:10:00.002-05:00

Last Tuesday night, shortly after 6:00 the phone rang...it was a conversation that will forever be engraved in my mind and heart. It was the director of our agency, she asked me to get Dave on the other line and said the words we will never forget "It's a Boy!!!" Samuel Dalton McClard was born last Tuesday afternoon weighing 8 lbs 2 ozs and 21" long. Needless to say we were bouncing off the walls, crying, screaming, and lots of hugging!! We knew that the next part of the journey would be the longest and hardest part yet as we would wait and pray over the next 7 days that he would be ours forever. We decided to keep the news private and spent this time in prayer for our sweet boy and the birthmother that chose life for him and us to be his parents. We knew that the Lord was in full control of the entire situation and His will would be accomplished! The 7 days has passed and tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM we will see his face for the very first time and hold him in our arms!!

Never in my wildest dreams did I expect this journey to be so life-changing, not just for me but for our entire family. I have seen time and time over again how faithful and sovereign our Lord truly is. The wait was longer than we ever anticipated and now I understand why...hindsight it always 20/20 isn't it??? The Lord knew from the moment our journey began that Samuel would be ours and we would be his parents. I also have to stop and thank my husband for being an absolute ROCK on this journey...I could not (or wouldn't want to) have walked through this with anyone else. He has seen me cry more times then I can count and put up with a roller coaster of emotions for what has seemed like an eternity. During the past 7 days whenever my faith was weak or my emotions were topsy-turvy he would look at me and say "God's got this Hon'...He knows exactly who will be Samuel's parents." Seeing him get ready to be a new Daddy again has made me fall in love with him all over again.

The little clothes are ready, the diaper bag is packed, car seat is in the van, kids have their Big Brother/Sister shirts ready to wear and their is nothing left to do but wait for these last few hours to pass!!!

Still waiting...with Pineapples & Spray Paint

2010-01-09T12:53:00.004-05:00

We're still here, waiting for exciting news!! This week seemed to drag on like molasses...we kept busy with school, cleaning out the closets (again!), Super-Double Coupon trips at Harris Teeter, and Emily learned to make her first... Pineapple Upside Down Cake! She did it all by herself, and it tasted as good as it looked!

The 1/2 can of Miss Berry Pink spray paint in the garage was calling my name... This used to be my desk chair... oops, I forgot to flip the picture

Who knew you could take them apart in less than 3 minutes??

and recover them with leftover yard sale fabric...

and paint the arms and bottom with Miss Berry Pink!!

Doesn't she look beautiful?!?! Dave looks especially cute sitting in her!

Passing the time...

2010-01-01T20:26:00.003-05:00

Some of you know that we are waiting for a call, a very special call that will change our lives forever...we decided that while we are waiting we should have some fun and be productive! We took off school this whole week and played games, took the decorations down, went to the mall, played outside, hit the Target 75% off Christmas sale, and saw a movie with singing & dancing chipmunks! No school meant there was some extra time for a few projects around the house...Mom gave me some of these vinyl wall words for Christmas (she knows how much I love them!)...I put this one in the foyer... and this one in the nursery... :)

I hacked up an old tablecloth and turned it into a runner...

Meet Miss Berry Pink...she is my new friend and way more exciting that Mr. Black or White! My hubby bought her for me at Home Depot...he loves me so...

I picked up this shelf at a yard sale a few months ago for $1 and have been wondering what to do with it...I'm sure some folks find roosters adorable...I however do not!

All it took was a few coats of Miss Pink and some fabric over the roosters and it became a purse rack for Em's room.

I picked up these jars at the Target 75% off sale for $ 1.24...I did not like the green lids...

...but with a little help from Miss Pink they were just right for my craft shelf...

Praying I don't have to find to much more stuff to get myself into!!

Happy 2010!!

2010-01-01T07:12:00.003-05:00

Another year gone...amazing!! Dave and I were talking last night and I both agreed that one word could sum up 2009 for our family...LONG! But we are so thankful for a faithful God that brought us through and excited for the BIG things He has in store for us in 2010. We spent a fun New Year's Eve at home having fun together. The kids were excited to try and stay up until midnight!

We played some Wii and lots of games!

Played a few rounds of Deal or No Deal...Dave and I sold our $ 25 case for $ 400,000! I think our crazy little banker had a little too much chocolate!! Nathan's deal however was not so good...

10:45...getting sleepy...

Princess liked the streamers!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

We made it until midnight, watched the ball/acorn drop, brushed our teeth and were in bed by 12:10. Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Merry Christmas!!!

2009-12-26T18:42:00.007-05:00

Wow, what a day!! More gifts than we deserve...we are truly blessed. We had a wonderful day at home with family celebrating our Saviour's birth! Only one thing was missing, but hopefully he or she will be her very soon! Opening some gifts...

Em got a snazzy new coat, hat & gloves from Grandpa & Grandma Carol.Some cute and funny slipper socks...

Em is excited about her Holiday Barbie from Mimi & PawPaw!

Nathan loves his new rollerblades!!

A set of Lincoln Logs was one of the gifts on Nathan's wishlist...don't ask me why he is 11 and we have never owned a set???

Princess opening her gifts...in her Christmas pajamas!!

My Dad made me this beautiful bench to match my kitchen table and accommodate our growing family.

He also made Em this hutch for her American Girl doll...she showed him the picture in the catalog (they only wanted $98 for one) and made a great replica!

Mom made me these items from my baby "wishlist", a warm cozy car seat blanket and beautiful burp cloths. I can't wait to use them!! Em's stuffed pig is modeling the blanket for us...

We always end each Christmas Day with a birthday cake for Jesus, this was Em's red/green masterpiece!

Hope your Christmas was wonderful!!

Day 24...Birthday Cake for Jesus!

2009-12-24T13:01:00.003-05:00

Baking a birthday cake for Jesus has been one of our family traditions since the kids were toddlers, so it was no big surprise that it was our Day 24 advent activity. Since they have gotten older they enjoy doing most of the work themselves. Nathan does most of the "baking."

and Em is in charge of the frosting...and next year we'll have a new "beater-licker!!"

They decided to make a red/green 4 layer cake...I can't wait to see how it looks when they cut it tomorrow.

Merry CHRISTmas Everyone!!!

Day 21 and 22

2009-12-23T07:05:00.002-05:00

It's a 2 for 1 post today... Our Day 22 activity was to go bowling!! The kids love to bowl and it usually something special we reserve for birthdays, but some free game coupons made it a little more budget friendly. Nathan won with a high score of 101!! Obviously we have fun, but are not very good bowlers!!

Our Day 21 activity was to have roast hot dogs for dinner at the fireplace in our PJ's while we watched a Christmas movie.

With a big mug of Hot Cocoa for dessert...

Today's activity is a trip to see a Gingerbread House Competition and to see a HUGE Christmas light display!! Fun Stuff!! The kids told me yesterday that this will be a Christmas they will always remember for two reasons... #1 it is the year they are waiting for their baby brother/sister to arrive any day and #2 they will always remember the fun stuff we did in this advent calendar!!

Is this why they call it "the most wonderful time of the year??"

2009-12-18T13:03:00.002-05:00

Because the UPS man brings me this... Filled with these!! We're having some yummy breakfasts around here for the next few days...

Thanks Grandpa & Grandma Carol!!

Day 17..."another ornament"

2009-12-17T12:02:00.002-05:00

Another homemade ornament today...because Mom's can never have too many of those for their tree! I love this one...it's EASY and FREE!! Just go out in your yard and grab some sticks and some raffia, string, ribbon, whatever... Cut the sticks into equal lengths.

Then just tie them together at 5 different points.

Done!! Cute and easy...this one literally took 10 minutes!!

something for baby...

2009-12-14T19:53:00.003-05:00

I was looking through our baby stash last week and noticed we were a little low on onesies...it's hard to believe we may be using these in just a few weeks!!! I got a sweet little $10 coupon from Kohl's in the mail last week and picked up these long sleeve solid onesies for FREE and found these adorable iron-on's at AC Moore...aren't they cute?? The sweet pea one is my favorite...

Day 11..."Krispy Kreme"

2009-12-11T16:36:00.002-05:00

Our Day 11 activity was a trip downtown for a Christmas Krispy Kreme doughnut!! While we were there we made time for a few quick other holiday freebies. The Governor's Mansion was having a Holiday Open House this weekend and you could stop in for a quick tour and to see the beautiful decorations.

After the mansion, we made a quick stop into the History Museum for this little girl to see the Barbie exhibit that just opened last week!

Fun times!!

Day 10..."At the Dollar Tree"

2009-12-10T18:50:00.003-05:00

The Day 10 activity on our advent calendar was to go to the Dollar Store and each child buy a gift for every person in our family. We gave them each $4 and they were to buy a gift for mom, dad, brother/sister, and baby. They had such fun picking out their gifts, brought them home, wrapped them and we sat around and opened them together! Daddy's gifts...a musical Christmas tie from Em and a Wii baseball bat from Nathan (doesn't the Dollar Tree have great stuff!!)

My gifts were a scented candle from Em and a vegetable peeler from Nathan, this was very sweet and thoughtful, he was watching me peel sweet potatoes the other night and wanted to know why my 13 yr old peeler was so old and rusted?!?! This one has a built in veggie scrubber, too!!

Emily's gift for Nathan was a 6 in 1 screwdriver set...he is working on putting together his own toolbox.

Nathan got Emily a bag of pom-poms...again he really pays attention, he saw her asking for a bag in the craft store the other day.

They each picked out a cute bib for the baby...

While I was there wandering around waiting for the kids, I came across these things to make a new Christmas decoration. All you need is a little imagination and you can make great things from the Dollar Tree!! A glass vase, candleholder, and pack of styrofoam snowflake ornaments...

I superglued the vase to the candlestick...

Dropped in the snowflakes, tied on a ribbon and made this for the bathroom sink...cute!!

Day 7..."Make a Christmas Craft"

2009-12-07T23:33:00.002-05:00

We chose making snow globes for our today's activity... Start by gluing ornaments onto the inside of a jar lid.

Add distilled water, glycerin, dish soap, and glitter.

We also discovered you can make "snow" for your snow globe by grating bits of a PVC pipe...

Fun project!! Still have a table full of glitter...

Day 6..."Make an ornament"

2009-12-06T17:23:00.002-05:00

The Day 6 activity on the advent calendar was to make a Christmas ornament together. I found this super easy idea and it will definitely become one of our yearly traditions. We gathered up the supplies of paper, pens, ribbon, and a clear glass ball ornament. We ripped the paper into small strips and took turns writing our favorite memories of 2009. Some were silly, others more serious, but they all happened this year. Next, you roll the strips up around a pencil into tiny curls.

Drop them down into the ornament and finish it off with a date and some ribbon. Won't it be neat to open these up in a few years and re-read all of our memories?!?!?