Guess who's baaaack??!!??

Welcome back, Fred. We missed you. We're glad that you made it back safe and sound. We promise to be on our very BEST behavior because we know that you are watching.

No food fights.

Or hair pulling.

Or body slamming.

Or screaming.

Or pushing.

Or pulling on Wendy's tail.

Or giving Wendy food under the table.

Or blaming Wendy for the mess in the kitchen.

Or sneak snacks in our rooms during nap times.

And we promise to listen to mommy and daddy.

And flush the potty after we use it.

Always.

Really. We promise.

Pinky swear.

What time did you say you leave our house at night?

Love,

Skylar, Deacon, and Peyton

The Elf on the Shelf - it will help keep order (and sanity) in your house.

Seriously, it's the best thing since pumpkin bread after Thanksgiving.

so thankful.

Banner by bekahjennings

I recently saw a quote that says:

"Life is not about the amount of breaths that we take.

It's about the amount of moments that take our breath away".

Life is indeed about those moments. Here are some of mine:

Marrying my husband Chris on June 21, 2003.

We've know each other since we were children.

He is my true soul mate.

Our first born Skylar Elizabeth (October 17, 2004)

Our son Deacon James was born the following year on

December 23, 2005

Our beautiful Peyton Isabelle - our last baby - born on

November 8, 2007

So today and everyday, I am thankful for

being a wife,

a mom

a sister

a daughter

a friend

and my beautiful family.

Thankful to life and the beautiful moments

it's given me.

So very, truly, thankful.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!!!

busy days ahead

I love this sign! Visit Mojo on Etsy

I will be holing myself up in my craft room for the next few days to catch up on some orders.

I want to be able to send out as many packages as I can by Wednesday (before the PO closes for Thanksgiving).

So wish me luck.

Send tons of coffee wishes my way.

WINNER! WINNER! WINNER!

Congratulations to

#20 Badger Momma

for winning the

Paint Me A Picture Giveaway!

Congratulations and enjoy your beautiful Christmas Calendar!

spread the word.

The Famigletti Family (Casey, Regan, Gracie, and Doug)

I met Casey at the preschool where my youngest daughter Peyton attends. Her two year old little girl, Regan is in Peyton's class. Along with Regan, she totes along little Gracie in her infant carrier. Gracie is beautiful - with bright blue eyes and the best demeanor you can ask for in a little baby. So it was weeks when I even noticed that she had on hearing aids and to find out that what I thought was a two month old baby is actually almost 8 months old. Casey told me a little bit about Gracie - born premature at 30 weeks, she spent 2 1/2 months at NICU and is profoundly deaf in both ears. Then just last week, she invited me to join a meeting that she was having at her house to raise awareness on Gracie's condition. It was only this time when I realized what really caused Gracie's condition and how serious it is. And worse of all, how little information soon to be or pregnant women are given on this virus.

It is called Cytomegalovirus (si-to-MEG-a-lo-vi-rus) or CMV. It is a common virus that infects people of all ages. Once CMV is in a person's body, it stays there for life. Most infections with CMV are "silent", meaning most people who are infected with CMV have no signs or symptoms. CMV can be transmitted to the unborn child of a mother with a primary CMV infection. When a baby catches CMV prior to birth, this is called Congenital CMV.

Every year, 1 in 150 children is born with congenital CMV.

Congenital CMV causes deafness, blindness, cerebral palsy, mental and physical disabilities, seizures, and death. It is more common than Down Syndrome, Spina Bifida, and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and yet so many people remain unaware of it and it's effects. Transmission of the virus can be prevented by educating yourself on the risk factors, symptoms, and ways to prevent transmission. This is Casey's goal - to reach out to as many people as possible starting in our area to raise awareness and to educate women who are pregnant or planning on becoming pregnant.

For more information, please visit Stop CMV. To read Casey's story, click here. Reach out to help by spreading the word on CMV.

Ta - Da! Our new art wall!

After months of drooling over this picture, I finally put up our new art wall. Don't you just love it? It was the best $50 I ever spent!. Each of the kids have their own designated "wire" and a number of clips so they have to rotate their art in order to make them fit. It is brilliant.

Ready to do your own? To do three wires, you are going to need 3 sets of these:

IKEA Dignitet Curtain Wire $14.99 each

And a pack or two of these (you'll probably want at least two packs):

IKEA Dignitet Curtain Ring with Clip $4.99 per pack

It was a little tricky to install since it did not come with the wall screws. You have to take the curtain wire set to the hardware store so you can buy the screws that will fit them for mounting. You will also need a wire cutter to cut the wire to the desired length. And lastly, you need to measure your wire spacing evenly and make sure that they are straight. It sounds like a lot of work and it is but trust me, it is worth it! Your kids will love having their art displayed on the wall so fashionably! Let me know if you do it - I would love to see YOUR wall!

ENCORE GIVEAWAY: Paint Me A Picture! (ENDED)

'Tis the season for sharing! 'Tis the season for giving! And you, my lucky, lucky readers are in for a real treat! Lindsay from Paint Me A Picture is back with another awesome giveaway! Do you remember Lindsay from her last giveaway? Lindsay is the creator of these wonderful, original, works of art. Take a look at some of her fabulous creations. And if you weren't lucky enough to get your hands on her artwork the last time, here is another chance.

Personalize Your Design Letter

Original Painting for Nursery

Build a Little Bird

Lovely Lindsay, mommy to Mr. C, created this one of a kind interactive Christmas calendar for your little ones to count down the days to Christmas. Hand painted on an 11 x 14 canvas panel.

Let It Snow Interactive Christmas Calendar

And yes - this is THE ITEM THAT SHE IS GIVING AWAY! Can I please hear some holiday cheers? Merry, merry, yeah, yeah!

Here is how you can enter (please leave a different comment for each entry):

1. Visit Paint Me a Picture on Etsy and choose a favorite

2. Follow Lindsay's blog, Yellow and Blue Make Green

3. Become a follower of my blog (if you already are, please state that in a comment)

4. Grab my pretty button for your blog

5. And for extra credit, tell us about a favorite holiday tradition that you do with your family - we all love to be inspired!

* if you don't have your email on your blog profile, please include it in one of your comments.

Good luck everybody! The winner will be picked through random.org

on Sunday, November 22, 2009.

This giveaway is now closed. Thank you for all the entries!

10 Important Things I Learned as a New Mommy

Deacon, Peyton, and Skylar May 2008

(This post is dedicated to my dear friend Shirley who is about to embark on a new journey called motherhood).

10 Important Things I Learned as a New Mommy

1. No need to set the alarm clock - these little buggers newbies will NOT forget to remind you that they are hungry. As in screaming, squealing, crying at the top of their lungs reminding you that they want that milk. Right now.

2. Do you remember when you were still pregnant and drooling over that cute little outfit for your baby in the store window? Imagine that same outfit on your baby accessorized in spit ups and (gasp!) - not gonna say it - just let your imagination run wild.

3. Sleep deprivation is painful. You should warn your husband that if you get sleep deprived too much, you might just confuse the breast milk in the refrigerator for coffee creamer.

Guys - You. Have. Been Warned.

4. Wipe warmers are a joke. No need to elaborate.

5. Love that 5 second rule. And with each additional kid, I've found myself adding 5 more seconds on top of it.

6. Keep your valuables stored safely away. Or you just might find your 3 year old son trying to give your engagement ring to the family dog.

7. Ditto for designer clothes and such. There are some things that the drycleaner just can't take out. Again, just let your imagination run wild.

8. You wait for that heavenly time of the day when the kids finally go to sleep but after 5 minutes of peace and quiet, you get the urge to wake them up again.

9. Hugs and kisses are important. Even coming from sticky hands and lips smeared with chocolate.

10. Enjoy and cherish the craziness of your life right now. I'm sitting here, typing this post with ketchup smeared on my shirt and hair from my kids' lunch. And I'm watching my 2 year old empty the contents of her sippy cup on the carpet. And the dog vacuuming up the leftovers on the kitchen floor (hey, when it's on the ground, it goes to the hound!). It's crazy. But beautiful. I wouldn't trade a minute of it.

Ornament Exchange

Look at what I just signed up for! This is going to be super fun!

Come join the fun - just click on the picture and sign up!

Thumbs - Up for being Two!

Happy birthday, Peyton Isabelle!

I can't believe that you are two years old today!

Has it really be two years already?

Here is a picture of you and me and your big brother Deacon the summer before you were born.

Dr. H said that you are going to be a BIG baby.

They were right.

One botched up epidural and 8 agonizing hours later, out you came.

38 weeks and a healthy 8 pounds and 20 inches long.

Your cheeks were even bigger than your sister's.

Three months old and already 15 pounds - you gave us your first real smile.

Almost 4 months old. What did I tell you about the cheeks?

4 months old and already a daddy's girl.

You also tipped the scale at 20 pounds!

6 months old and sitting up!

You loved two things - sleeping and your exersaucer. I think the picture says it all.

Memorial Day 2008

Martha's Vineyard June 2008

The days, weeks, and months flew by so quickly.

One day, you were a baby, and today, a big girl.

It is so bittersweet to think that my baby is not a baby anymore.

Look at how fast you are growing!

First day of preschool September 2009.

Abby's birthday October 2009. Look at my little dare devil going down that slide!

Throwing tantrums are your specialty!

I still love this picture of you and me.

Peyton, you have brought so much joy into our lives.

You are my little missy, my little moo-moo.

I love watching your grow.

I love hearing you laugh.

Everyday, your babyhood disappears right before our very eyes.

But you will always be my baby.

That will never change.

We love you.

Happy birthday, missy mo0 moo!

Coming soon... our new art wall

What do you do when your work space suddenly turns into a big jumbled mess? And it's not even your mess - it's your kids'. I saw this post a while back from one of my blog list (I apologize to the post author - but I can't remember which blog it is from) and was inspired to recreate it to give my children's artwork a new home (away from my work tables).

So this is one of my big projects this weekend. I will do another post when it is done so you can do it as well!

Hey there, good looking!

Mommy (drying Deacon's hair after bath time): You are my handsome boy, Deacon!

Skylar (frowning): No, mommy. My daddy is handsome. He is the handsomest! He has nice clothes too. (Mommy rolls her eyes).

Deacon (frowning now too): I'm handsome too, Skylar.

Skylar: No - my daddy is.

Deacon: I'm handsome too because I LOOK LIKE DADDY!

Yep. Arguing back and forth are what Skylar and Deacon do best.

Deacon and Daddy 6/08 Martha's Vineyard

Deacon and his "baby" - baby sister Peyton

Deacon and Skylar