Silhouettes

Thank you http://sotorrifictwins.blogspot.com for this fabulous idea!  I'm actually doing my second post of the day.  This is the gift for my mom.  I was thinking of doing a scrapbook, but I just don't have time.  This is such a great idea and so quick too.

Michael, Eva Rose, and Thomas

Michael (Excuse the flash)

Eva Rose

Thomas

I think they came out really good, and I know my mom will love them!

Happy Holidays!

Amy

Sleep and Christmas

Hopefully by writing this, I am not jinxing myself.  Michael has had almost 1 week of sleeping through the night (with a little of going in and rubbing the head or the back but only 1 out of the bed nights).  The only night that he woke and was uinable to be quieted in his bed was the only night that I didn't go in and check on him.  In the past he has always fought having a blanket on so I haven't been putting it on him figuring he's like his dad and tends to like to sleep on the cooler side.  He has since started letting me put the blanket on him and it seems to make a huge difference.  Yeah, I know, bad mom.  I should have figured this out sooner, except like I said he would always kick the blanket off almost immediately.  I have to admit that the one night that I had to take him out of his room, not only did I have an upset stomach, but he sounded like he was going to get sick also (we've also been fighting sickness in our house as well as a lot of stomach things going around).  Let's hope that this continues and we all get some good much needed rest.

On another note, Christmas is 12 days away.  Can you believe it?  This will be our second Christmas as a family of five.  I think the kids are going to love getting presents this year.  I'm not sure that they are going to get Santa, but gifts should be much more fun.  This year, we are giving them some new toys and some recycled toys that were given to us.  Given that we got so many toys given to us, they are getting a ton of things.  They would not be getting nearly as many things as they are if we had to buy everything.  We are getting them some new toys.  I got 3 Mr. Potato Heads.  Mainly, I got these because I am trying to get gifts that will help with their speech so I was looking at getting things that EI (early intervention used) and also the Potato Heads are from Toy Story, which they love!  I also got them some puppets, some blocks, and a doctors kit.  I am making them some things also.  I had wanted to try to make sure that they got something handmade every year, but this is the first year that I am able to do it.  I have started on some felt food.  So far I have eggs and farfalle pasta.  I want to make a few more things (even though I asked for play food for Christmas).  I also want to make aprons for the kids and maybe even some kid sized scrubs if I can get around to it.  I am trying to have a somewhat handmade Christmas this year.  I am, as usual, last minute susie here, but I know that the things I want to make for everyone, can get done by Christmas.  My friend over at http://firstcametwins.com/ has inspired me to get my butt moving and make things.  I need to stop stting and vegging out at the TV.  I can hand sew things, make my scrapbooks, do my clay, even set up my sewing machine if I have to all while I watch TV.  This way, I can be rpoductive rather than just a lump doing nothing.  Plus, it's way better for my mind!  I never watched TV growing us and here I am as an adult and I am wasting precious time in from of the TV.

Happy Holidays,
Amy

Handmade Christmas Gifts

I am attempting to make a few handmade gifts for Christmas this year.  For my sisters and my sister in-law and their husbands, I am making a wine sack and thinking about adding a handmade bottle stopper to the gift as well as a store bought bottle of wine.  I think my mom is getting an album of the kids in 2010.  No idea for my husband.  But the kids are definitely getting some handmade felt food.  After I read a post from my friend over at http://firstcametwins.com, I was reminded that this was a project that I wanted to make for the kids.  She had a couple of post about a couple of handmade items that she made for her twins for Christmas.  She made the most adorable aprons, which I have to attempt as well as some fabric food.  After making my apron for my swap, I decided that I want to make the kids an apron also.  I had also seen a ton of felt food on multiple blogs that made me want to make some.  So far, I have made a few felt bow tie pasta.  When I asked my husband to tell me what I was making, he knew right away.  How awesome it that!  I also have a few egg shapes cut out that just need to be sewn.  The next step is to pick out a few more food items and make them to put under the tree for Christmas.  I figure, I can always make more after the holidays are over and there is less pressure to get things done!  My other goal is to make at least Eva Rose a baby doll.  I may even try to make the boys a doll also.  I did ask for both the play food and dolls for Christmas gifts, but you can never have too many dolls or play food right?  Now I just need to get my butt in gear and get moving so that these gifts actually get made and it is not just another idea that never comes to fruition.

Happy Holidays!
Amy

Father's Day

So, I have been thinking about what to do for father's day and I had thought that I would do some sort of mug and I still may.  I have been looking at clay stores to do this.  But, now, my twins group posted about father's day gifts and I love their idea.  They took pictures of their kids with letters spelling out DAD.  Since I have 3 kids, spelling out DAD will be perfect.  So I may end up doing 2 gifts.  the best part is that I get to do something creative for father's day.  The other thing that I am planning on trying is a cement stepping stone with hand prints of the kids and let them decorate it.  I bought a kit last year, but never used it.  I guess having a 15 month old and 5 month old twins was just too much last year.  This year, the kids are so much more independent.  We have a garden and I think it may be the perfect thing to make.  Well, Dad is going to get plenty of gifts this year, and I can't wait to make them!

I'll post pictures when I'm done!

Amy

Christmas

We had our second Christmas with Michael and our 1st with all 3 kids.  It certainly seemed that Michael got Christmas a little bit this year.  He certainly didn't get Santa, but he started to unwrap some of his gifts.

This was the first year we hosted Christmas breakfast.  We got up before the kids and hoped to have some time to clean up before they got up and also get some of the food prepared.  Unfortunately, the kids were up before we finished and we started opening gifts.  The kids seemed to really like all the toys and we videoed the kids, but id not get any pictures of them opening their gifts.  The favorite for all the kids seemed to be the refrigerator magnets.  Eva Rose got her first doll and stroller and the boys got legos.  All 3 kids love dumping the legos and Michael and Eva Rose seem to like playing with the doll stroller.  Unfortunately, at first, Michael did try to get in it himself, but now he just pushed it around the house.  Eva Rose has definitely been puling up on it and starting to push it just a little.  Thomas just likes to play with everything.  after opening and playing, we realized that we were pushing the limit and really needed to start getting food together.  Everything pretty much went off with out a hitch and the only draw back was that I ended up in bed with a migraine.  Things got better and we travelled to Maine and had a great time at my sister -in-law and brother-in-law's house.

Michael's absolute favorite gift is Thomas' sock monkey in the box.  He laughs every time it is played and blinks his eyes just before the monkey pops up!  He's so cute to watch; laughing and getting excited waiting for the sock monkey to pop up.
All in all it was a great Christmas!

Christmas Eve 2008

Michael Christmas 2009

Eva Rose Christmas 2009

Thomas Christmas 2009

Hope everyone had a great holiday and many wishes for a fabulous new year!

Amy

Christmas shopping

We finally went out and shopped for the kids' Christmas gifts.  We totally spent way more than we expected to and got more than we wanted to, but when you have 3 little ones so close in age, I think that it seems like you got too much when in reality you didn't go too over board.  I am so happy that we gave in and bought Elmo Live for Michael.  I think that he is really going to go crazy when he hears Elmo talk to him.  We got Thomas big lego type blocks with a wagon to cart them around in.  Little miss Eva Rose got her first doll and carriage.  I was so excited that I found a doll carriage for her age group.  All the ones that I saw were for 2+ or 3+ years and since she will be 1 a month after Christmas, those just didn't work.  I can't wait for Christmas.   Even though I know that the kids probably have little to no clue about Christmas and presents, I think that they are going to enjoy at least some of their gifts, or at least I hope so.

Stil need to get the nieces and nephews their gift, but otherwise we are done!  Tom and I have decided not to exchange gifts this year.  We decided to save money and space.  There really is nothing we need, and I would much rather buy for the kids in the family than get something stupid for each other.  I would like to do something small for Tom though.  Any ideas out there for something that doesn't cost anything yet means a lot to someone you love?????

Oh, and I did get things for some of the adults, just not store bought.  I hope they like them!