Thank You

We had such a nice Christmas, from cards, to visits and gifts.  Part of our holiday season is to show our gratefulness by our thank you notes. I try to make this is a fun event. The kids pick out the note cards, we sit at the table together and share a snack and decide how best to express our thanks. 
One child will often write a thank you for a family gift for all of us to sign. Then they write their individual cards too. Its great practice on so many levels: the basic writing skills, the expression of gratitude and appreciation.  Clinically writing a thank you note has been shown to:  give people energy, improve student grades and makes both the giver and receiver happier.
Seriously, have you ever been unhappy when you receive a thank you note? 

Thank you :) 
 

Is this Your House?

The bunny bandits struck last night and had so much fun leaving their gifts to their unsuspecting targets. Ding dong ditching with gifts and notes of appreciation :) .  So much fun that they really wanted to go do more!

Happy Easter!  

Introducing George Our Elf

George our elf came to visit last night. He arrives the first night our Christmas tree is lit with the first gifts of Christmas, elf size gifts of course.  This year I snapped a picture of him to share with the kids. Even though Brendan is to old to believe in George the elf, his response was from that 6 yr old who received George's first gift of Christmas...  "Thats what he looks like!" 

George has been visiting us for the last 10 yrs when he had to arrive early to bring Brendan a parakeet who would not have made the long ride and all the stops with Santa.  He doesn't hang around like this new elf on the block who likes to sit on a shelf. He leaves his gifts as he has much to do to prepare for Santa's big night. Though his visits are brief, the kids LOVE him, sadly I think my kids can be bought.  Glitter our Penquin is Santa's reporter, Glitter play jokes, and likes to spy on the kids but they always find her. I love Glitter she is the best pet we've had!

Tonight she hid from me, as I searched high and low, in cabinets, boxes and through
the garage looking for our little friend. I breathed a big sigh of relief when I finally found her.
 She was hiding in one of those places the kids will never find, but add a year to it and Mom can't find her either!!  Gotta love those mom moments! 

Spooky Dinner

It doesn't feel like fall, didn't look like fall either as I enjoyed watching the kids play on the trampoline and play pool in their bathing suits all afternoon. 

One of our favorite traditions is our spooky dinner party.  Last night the kids insisted we do spooky dinner. I hadn't really planned it completely out..but the impromptu dinner turned out fun. We used some of our crafts we did over fall break as decorations:

Our Spider chandelier

Pinata ghost the girls made

Center piece..the kids loved the dry ice

Dinner Spider burgers

Thier favorite cookies with some friends

After dinner we did the pinata and played some games. My camera died but here they are:
1.  Glow in the dark bug hunt    2.  Wind up halloween toy races
We ended the night with a Goosebumps movie.   Happy Hauntings!

Welcome Home Teagan

Teagan has been enjoying time with her Grandma and her cousins in Albuquerque! She has been gone a week, and I miss her terribly! One of our traditions is to pack notes and surprises in the travelers bag and welcome them home. Today in anticipation of Teagan's homecoming, the sisters and Mom decorated her door!

Welcome Home Teagan! We missed you!

Bunny Bandits

 My little bunny bandits had fun, making and delivering love filled baskets to their unsuspecting special targets!  A friendly fun twist to ding dong ditching!  We had so much fun, this has to be a new tradition!

The Bunny Bandit, prepares to strike!

I wonder what the neighbors thought?

RUN!! 




Happy Easter!  ~ DeAnn