Where are you Christmas?

so, i had planned to post a few little things that i made this christmas season, and clearly i never got to them! so before it's valentine's day, i'll post a few pictures. i made a few gifts for my friend, amanda's kids and after i wrapped them i realized i never took pictures of them, so maybe she'll read this and take a pic for me...hint hint...i made my mom a plate sign for in her kitchen that i see i did not take a pic of either! guess i'll have to do that next time we are over! anyway, so, here are the pictures...

i have yet to find stockings for the kids that i really like to have up every year and since this year was tight on money, i found these stockings and decorated them a little for the kids!

then i got this idea from another blogger and thought they were cute and probably easy to do so i'd try it...making the ornaments overall was easy, but getting the tinsel in the tiny opening of the bulb...not the easiest and the glass is not smooth! but they did turn out cute! i might make more for next year! i made one for each nathan and i as well, but only took pictures of the kids'...the theme was the same though, girls got more red and boys got more green!

and this is the ornament that malia made for everyone in the family for christmas. i got this idea from amanda, as she did it with amelya when she was a baby! it's her little hand print with a poem about four snowmen! very cute! i did it for gage's first christmas too on a blue ornament. and every year since gage has made an ornament, except this year. i was really kinda out of ideas and stressed out this year. so i do feel bad about that. maybe we'll think of something for next year!

that's about all i took pictures of this year! actually, i only made a few more things and they were all gifts, but normally, i like to take pictures of everything, so, hopefully, i'll get pictures of those items too sometime soon!

So, where are you Christmas? Just about finally packed up and in a box until next Christmas! praying everyone keeps the reason for the season in your hearts all year not just Dec. 25th!

THREE YEARS and NINE MONTHS...how can that be?!?!

I started blogging when i was pregnant with malia and now she is already 9 months old! time is just flying by her first year! i feel like she's almost one already. i keep having to remind myself that i have three months to go yet. lol it's true though! she is such a happy girl! not a great sleeper, but happy, content and all smiles! she started crawling the other week and within a few days of that started pulling herself up into a standing position against things! gage did not do all that in one week...he was much more content being able to crawl and explore for awhile! she just wants to walk. stand up on everything and try to move from there! with help, she's starting to take a few steps. she got herself up last weekend behind a doll stroller and took three steps across the living! i'm so not ready for this...i want her to be little yet! i'm excited her hair is growing back in finally! we had to do without clips for awhile and just do headbands, but the hair is coming in and although the clips slide out easily, i can get them in! as much as i kinda wanted her to be a little girl, i think she's a big girl. i know she's a little over 20 pounds and this past week i started putting her in 12-18 month clothes...not because they were so cute i just had to, but because they really fit her...not she'll grow into them..they fit! crazy. gage was always a size behind his age so i thought malia would be about that or equal to her age. so i bought a few dresses and outfits on sale last year for spring and summer that are 12 months, i'm starting to think they may not fit come summer...maybe she just had a big growth spurt now though( since in november she was still wearing 6 month clothes) and won't grow so much and will be able to wear those cute outfits come spring and summer after all!

and i don't think it's possible that a week ago gage turned THREE whole years old! how could it have been three years already that i gave birth to my first born? how could it be three years ago in a few days that he underwent almost a 7 hour open heart surgery? and that he survived it? that nathan and i survived it?! all god! praise the lord he has done amazing in these three years, but it still just seems crazy that it's been that long! he's such a cutie and a little smartie! he is just a sponge wanting to soak up everything he can! we are working on potty-training and except for two accidents yesterday we have gone 4 days without any accidents and then today has been great again! so nice to save on diapers!

i am so thankful for these very special gifts from god! he has so blessed me! but i don't know where all that time has gone!

speaking of time...i'm behind on laundry and i gave myself a goal to catch up today...and it's been about 30 minutes now so i need to go fold the towels, put the other load of towels in the dryer, then put another load in the washer! i just might actually catch up by bedtime tonight! yay!

ps-i'm posting without reading over this...so ignore the errors! =)