Projects Upon Projects

I remember when my grandpa used to visit us when I was a little girl. 
We packed SO MANY FUN things into the limited time that he was there,
and my parents always took advantage of his craftiness and handiwork.
WELL...the apples haven't fallen too far from the trees.

Phil's parents are visiting for a couple of weeks, and we are certainly making the most of every day!  On their very first morning here, Phil and his dad went straight to work replacing the serpentine belt on our Toyota.  YEAH!

A few days later they worked on replacing the compressor, or condenser,
or some AC thingy, in the beast van.

That was a pretty complex project, but they saved HUNDREDS of dollars by watching some YouTube videos and figuring out how to do it themselves.  YEAH!

Smiles for a successful project and air-conditioning (a must-have in a Florida vehicle).

While the kids had fun "helping" with the automobile projects, they were more excited about the overhaul on our overgrown sandbox.

The kids "helped" Buddy pull all the weeds, sift all the sand, and replace the wood.  It took them several hours, but we finally have a clean and useable sandbox again!

YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!!!

Just think what we would accomplish if we had family in town year-round.  :)
Thank you for all of your help, Buddy and Grandma!  We love having you here!!!

Fun with Ninnie

My sister came home for Christmas this year, and we were all excited about that.

Over the three weeks that she spent in Florida,

 there were SEVERAL fun memories created!

 Clare and Ninnie built a Gingerbread house together, and Clare indulged on FAR MORE frosting than she would have if the project had been done with Mommy.

Pleased with the finished product...or sugar high?

 Ninnie brought all of her "i" things...none of which we have in our house.  Clare was a pro on the iPad, and Ninnie downloaded special games just for her.

 In fact, Clare never wanted to put the silly thing down.  Ever!

There were lots of crafts completed!

Sidewalk Chalk Creations

 A few trips to Chuck E. Cheese (since Ann bought 100 tokens on the first visit, and she figured that they might as well use them up)...more of which can be seen on Ann's blog.

And BEST of all...Snuggles and Cuddles Galore!

We are SO GLAD that Ann made the 36-hour trio (EACH WAY) to be here for a few weeks.  Phil and I are OVER THE MOON excited to get a glimpse of Ninnie's world when we go visit her in March.  :)

New Camera

Thanks to one amazing sister/sister-in-law/Aunt, Ann/Ninnie, we were the excited recipients of an awesome new camera for Christmas.

 Our fancy-pants, grown-up camera can do just about EVERYTHING...
except miraculously remove the bags from under my eyes.

 There are likely to be plenty more "Clare in the Air" and "I in the Sky" pictures,
but the wee-ones are getting less than wee.

 Clare, at 42 pounds, just doesn't soar the way she used to.

Blue-Eyed Boy

 Hazel-Eyed Girl

 Here's to some fun pictures in our future.  Thank you, Ann!!!!!!

Winn Dixie + Box Tops = Fuelperks!

Saving is Simple:

+

=

 Basic Summary:

1. Go to Winn Dixie - Winn Dixie Website

2. Buy at least 5 items with Box Tops - Box Tops Website

3. Save 10 Cents per Gallon AND Receive 20 Bonus Box Tops

We've been collecting Box Tops for the past two years, and it's almost like a game now.  Phil pretends to throw something with a Box Top in the recycle, and Clare "busts him." 

You can find them on so many products (General Mills cereal and snacks, Kleenex, Betty Crocker cake mix and fruit snacks, Huggies, and Yoplait Go-Gurt are some of the popular ones at our house), so it should be no problem filling your cart with at least five of them.  For simply buying five of those products, you will save 10 cents per gallon on your gas AND earn 20 additional box tops for your local school.  WIN, WIN, WIN!!!

WANT A $25 GIFT CARD TO WINN DIXIE???

Winn Dixie and General Mills want to share an additional GIFT with someone!
Leave a Comment:
How much did you save, or would you save, by taking advantage of this program?
Share some of your favorite products that contain Box Tops.

"Disclosure: The information and gift cards have been provided by Winn Dixie and General Mills through MyBlogSpark."

Verbal and Tactile

Our two little ones resemble the learning styles of their parents:

The Verbal One

The Tactile One

The Cute Ones

Christmas 2012

We are blessed, 

and Christmas was just the icing on the cake of a wonderful year.

Granted, it wasn't always rainbows and smiles.

Clare, our sweet and nurturing little 4-year-old, was equally as excited about giving gifts to her teddy bear as she was about receiving them.  Here they are in matching dresses, and below is a video of Clare presenting Pinkie with a Christmas Gift.

 The whole Durham gang was together, 

and we went to Christmas Eve service together on Monday evening.

 Clare was wiped out and fell asleep right before we left for church.

 Her energy quickly returned when we opened the traditional
"one present on Christmas Eve" gift.

 She opened a really special memory book from her Aunt Marcie and Uncle Brian.

 She LOVED seeing all of the special pictures from our family vacation this summer.

 Daddy and Clare sprinkled reindeer food on the lawn 

so that Santa would know where to land.

Santa had no trouble finding us, and he gobbled up his cookies and hot chocolate.

 CHRISTMAS MORNING!

This was one of the gifts that Clare made for Mema and Papa.

Isaac, who is totally car obsessed, loved playing with his new cars.  He organized them in his new garage, and that kept him entertained throughout most of the morning.
Phil had fun with that too!

After a wonderful day, lots of family fun, and a fantastic Christmas FEAST (salmon, steak, grilled peppers, sweet potatoes, portobello mushrooms, and green beans), we finished the day with our annual BIRTHDAY CAKE FOR JESUS!

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

 

 I've been a huge Christmas fan ever since I was a little girl.  I was ALWAYS the first one out of bed, and I relentlessly tortured the rest of the family until they joined me next to the Christmas tree.  Once again, I was the first one out of bed this year (although our anxious little girl, whose apple doesn't fall far from her mother's tree, wasn't far behind).  I enjoyed spending the first few minutes of Christmas morning in reflection of how deeply blessed we are to have a Savior that was born so that we could live.  My prayer for 2013 is to begin every day with that same profound gratitude.

Just for fun...

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

Legoland

We went to Legoland last Friday, and it was a really fun day (for the most part).

 We had never been there, but Clare has asked about it ever since she saw the first commercial a couple of years ago.  Phil acquired some free tickets (what a blessing),
so we decided to make a day of it.

 The handsome guy in the middle put on a good face for being completely sick the entire time that we were there.  He had a strange case of the flu, mixed with a lingering headache and constant nausea.

Isaac, who was too small for most of the rides, 

was happiest when he was playing in the Lego Villages.

Clare was happy the entire time!

 She LOVED going on the rides...ALL OF THEM!

 She is absolutely fearless, and she rides every roller coaster with her hands in the air.

Jousting Horse Ride

 Isaac stayed entertained with tasty snacks...lip-licking good!

Clare had her first driving experience.

 As you can see, she could use some practice!

The car, behind my brood, is made entirely of Legos.

Overall, it was a really fun day.  Clare has asked to go back at least once a day.  We feel fortunate that we live in America's playground, and that we have access to world-class amusement parks all around us.  We love Florida!