Smile pretty!

I did resort to candy bribery!

Ellie and Lola

Would my mom have DIED if I'd used this one???

Another busy week for us...I shipped the kids off to my parents last weekend and tried to whittle down my sewing pile. I got quite a bit done, but the pile is still pretty steep. I've stopped taking orders so hopefully after this weekend I will have it knocked out. I honestly think that I am going to have to put Initial Reaction and all my big plans for it on hold until we finish the house at which time my kids will be older! The combination of very very tight living quarters and two small children AND a full-time job just does not allow for a side business. BOO! I enjoy it so much! I will certainly keep sewing for my kiddos and just hope that people still want it when I can find the free time to do it for others.

I went to pick the kids up in Gallatin Sunday morning and Biz and I took pics for our Christmas card in front of mom and dad's tree. LORD HAVE MERCY! Is getting two kids to smile and look at the camera at the same time really that hard???? YES! It really became comic. Between me, Biz and BOTH my parents we could barely get them to cooperate. I think I ended up with about 90 pics and maybe 5 were good enough to use! I considered putting one fairly decent picture and then a couple more pictures of them really showing out on the card so everyone would get a good laugh!

And since I had obviously not had enough, I came home, Ellie and I decorated our tree that Brandon had put up while we were gone and I dressed them up AGAIN and tried to take more pics while Brandon was hunting!!!!! Yes, I am certifiable! Ellie had a blast putting ornaments on the tree. And Mason has not even offered to bother the tree! I even put non-breakable ornaments at the bottom so he could touch them and take them off if he wanted and he totally ignores it. Our tree this year has made me a little sad. We had to trade trees with Biz and Tim because they had a really small tree since they lived here last year. We gave them our nice big fluffy 7 foot tree and took their tiny one. And it's tiny. But a tree's a tree and we will make it this year. Next year, we can have an enormous tree and I cannot wait to decorate the new house!!!!

I had a doctor's appointment in Nashville today and Brandon went with me. After my appointment, we did some Christmas shopping for the kids. We just wandered Toys R Us in search of something to entertain Mason and basically came up with NOTHING. Brandon suggested we ask for a cardboard box that would be FREE. We did end up getting him a couple of things but I think it will be a while before we can figure out what really entertains him.

Mason has decided to talk talk talk. He is just talking up a storm since last week. He is saying : paci, Ellie (but it sounds like Heidi), mama, Callie and dog and he is babbling a lot more and will repeat a lot of things we tell him.

Ellie is doing well. She is so excited about Christmas. Every year seems like more fun as she understands more and more about Christmas. She loves the nativity scene and every day Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus are doing something different. I saw the little people Nativity set at Walmart and I was so tempted to get it. But I guess I will stick with the more decorative one we have and continue to let her play with it all she wants.

Brandon and I have been guilty of a few phone calls to Santa when Ellie's fits get really bad and it really brings her around to think she will only get sticks. How wrong is that??? My mom said "What are you going to do??? Call Cupid then the Easter Bunny, then the tooth fairy????" Hey, whatever works! I have heard about a book "the Elf on the Shelf" that I want to check out. I *think* it is a little behavior motivator. I'll blog about it when I find it. We have to stay on our toes and keep being creative to avoid major meltdowns. Who was it that "when she is good she is very very good, but when she is bad she is awful."??? Ellie Jordan Fields???? HA! I kid. Well, kind of. Ellie is an amazing child and heaven knows I adore her. She's so smart and sweet and kind and FUNNY. But when things don't go her way WATCH OUT. I just want to help her learn how to channel her emotions in a bit more positive way than laying in the middle of the school hallway kicking and crying because things don't go just her way. Can you tell we had a bit of a bad evening??? Oh well, tomorrow is a new day!

Hopefully I will get my sewing done and finish decorating the house and get my Christmas Cards in the mail. Or maybe I will just send New Year's cards! Email me if you want a Christmas card! Unfortunately, I have not created a good permanent card list of addresses. I need to work on that. Add it to my list....