The Holiday has come and gone...

It seems like we've prepared for Christmas for so long and just like that, it's over. We had a wonderful Christmas! The girls (and well, all of us) were over compensated for our good behavior this year :)
Santa made an early stop to our house this year on the 22nd since he heard we were going to be gone on Christmas Eve/Christmas Day. He delivered on the desired Pillow Pets! Along with some large sticker books, Diego reading books, microphones, rainbow streamers, water bottles from the Rainforest Cafe and ugly dolls.

The girls also opened the gifts from Brandon and I that night. They got four room sets for the doll house they would soon get from grandma and grandpa as well as pack-n-plays for their baby dolls.

The girls had made cinnamon ornaments for daddy love and I at school. They were wrapped in paper that they had decorated and they couldn't have been more thrilled to give them to us. They were the perfect gift as I personally know how much love goes into each little thing they create :)
We traveled to Rembrandt on December 23 and much of the time was spent all together: grandma, grandpa, uncle brent, aunt jamie, and cousins caden and kaylie.

Christmas Eve dinner was at Brent and Jamie's followed by Christmas Eve service at the Lutheran church. It just touches my heart the way M&M totally get it this year. The fact that Christmas is Jesus' Birthday, I mean. They reminded me each time we saw a Nativity set up in someone's yard. And they never forgot when we went to Nana and Papa's church to watch the little kids' program and baby Jesus was in the manger when they went up to peek! Of course, they are still 3 1/2 so much of the excitement was in unloading their stockings and unwrapping the presents. But it's so reassuring that we're raising our kids right when we hear them proclaim the real reason for the season!!

Side story: Brandon lost his wedding ring Christmas Eve night as we were loading the van to go to church. Maysen had accumulated some snow on her shoes onthe way to the car and he was being an excellent daddy by brushing it off. Then I heard a colorful phrase and knew it wasn't good. He looked at me and said "my ring is gone." We dig through the snow though we had no idea where it was and church is to begin in about 8 minutes. We had to get going. We head to church still ringless and I could tell Brandon couldn't concentrate on anything else. He felt terrible, though it was a complete accident that he lost it. We went back to Brent and Jamie's to dig some more, but still didn't have a clue which direction it had gone so didn't know where to start. PLUS, cars and come and gone through the driveway so it could have flown anywhere. Brent knew a local cop that had a metal detector, but come on, right, it's Christmas Eve. Thankfully, he offered to come down and help out even though he had family at his house---only in a small town, right!? Meanwhile, I got back in the van to two crying 3 year olds. They wre so upset about daddy's ring--let me tell you....the empathy that my girls have is uncomparable to anything I've ever known! We drove to grandma and grandpas and it took me the whole time to get them calmed down. I told them that it is a sad thing that happend, but that daddy's ring is just a "thing." It's replacable and that we still have what really matters (after Brandon's accident, this is all too clear to me everyday!!). We sat in the van and said a prayer for daddy's ring. We said "Dear God, please help daddy find his ring so he doesn't have to be sad about it. Amen." After going inside for a few minutes, I went back out to the van with a flashlight, because maybe, just maybe it flew somewhere in the van. We had already looked three times, but I thought I'd check one more time. No luck. Totally bummed, but remembering that it is just a thing. I look up an Brent and Brandon are pulling in the drive way and Brandon is beaming....they found it! Hallelujah!! The metal detector found it within 3 minutes, but it was so packed with snow they sifted through the same small pile of snow three times before they actually found the ring. Close to a Christmas Miracle, I say, and I know the prayer definitely helped!!!

Christmas morning, we opened stockings (yes, Santa found us again!!) at grandma and grandpas and opened presents. I've had my big gift for a while--a glider rocker for baby M's room! The girls got their doll house, which is put together, but I don't have a picture yet (we took a lot of video this year, so there aren't many pictures for this post), as well as some new clothes. Ken dolls, Dora necklaces, Ragdolls, fairy and princess forks and spoons, and a lot of other fun stuff was received as well!!

Mid morning, we headed to Lake Mills to Bessa's (my Nana) house. M&M are the only great-grandchildren on this side so they definitely get spoiled. They got the Toss Across game, puzzles, calendars, and lipgloss/nailpolish/funbands. We stayed at Nana and Papa's house that night and opened gifts before we went to bed. More presents: LaughTop (Fisher Price) computers, Dora pillow and sticker books, Barbie Ballerina dolls. Santa also visited us again that night (the girls must have been extremely good this year!!): new fashion boots, sequins shirts, dress up skirts (that don't always limit themselves to dress up).
Brandon and I also got a lot of excellent gifts: new gloves (for texting), scarves, necklaces, basketball cards, gas gift cards, a skinny belt (for when I'm skinny again), Taylor Swift CD, Visa gift card. I know there are things I'm forgetting.....

On the 26th, we headed back to Ames for some family (just the 4 of us) time. This kind of time has been limited lately because of basketball. Brandon took the day off of basketball on the 27th so the four of us could go bowling. We had so much fun! We played one game of bowling (which is more than enough for the girls), ordered a pizza, and then played some arcade games. The girls aren't really ready for the arcade games, but it gives Brandon and I an excuse to do some of that ourselves :) Then the girls and I took a 2 hour nap! It was glorious as baby M is taking her toll on me these days...I'm exhausted!!


Tomorrow, the 29th, the girls and I are heading up to Okoboji for the last few days of relaxation of winter break. We're going to visit the indoor water park up there one day and then head to Lake Mills on New Year's Eve to prepare for my dad's family Christmas on Saturday, the 1st.

Our family is so very blessed to have so many people to love and who love us. Though a lot of gifts were mentioned in this post, the real reason of the season is NOT lost on us!! The Lord blesses us each and every day and we are so thankful for Christ's birth.

My New Fetish

How many of something do you have to buy before it's considered a fetish? Well, in the past month, I've purchased three items with a similar theme. I keep singing to myself: "Some of these things are a lot like the others." For the people who really know me (and my fetish with anything black and white) will not be at all surprised with my purchases.

Purchase number 1: Wrapping paper



I loved it right away! There's something about wrapping presents in paper that represents who I am so the person receiving it knows it's from me before they even open the gift. I loved this paper so much that I also bought it in red (big surprise, right people, since the accent color in my home amongst my black and white is....you guess it! RED!).

Purchase Number 2: Cookie Platter



Both purchases 1 and 2 come from Hobby Lobby at 50% off, and they do match! Sometimes I look at this cookie plate and think 'old lady' and other times I look at it and think 'sophisticated, mature, pulled together.' What's your opinion?

Purchase Number 3: New Bedding



I totally fell in love with this bedding when I saw it in the Target ad this week! I had to have it! (on sale for $59 from $89.99)One of my favorite places in my house is our master bedroom. It has acquired some clutter (thanks to my wonderful husband) since we moved in 5 years ago, but I try to hide it on his side of the bed so it's not visible from the doorway at least:) This bedding makes our bedroom feel 'GRAND'...that's the best word I can come up with. We've been fighting over the full/queen sized comforter that we've been using since before our girls were born, however, we got a King sized bed after the girls were born. This is actually a Christmas present from my grandparents. They usually give us money to spend (I'm being a bit presumptuous that the same will happen this year) and since I don't really have much of a list this year, this was perfect!!

I'm sure this pattern has a name, snappy casual or Hickstionary will probably know what it is, since they are really the trendy ones in my life :) Doesn't really matter because I'm in love with it!!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things....

What is it about being a mom that helps us to really appreciate the little things...again?? When we are little, we don't know any better and we find pleasure in all of the small things of life-how great is that!?!? As teenagers/college students/young adults we want newer, hipper, more expensive things. And they are just that--'things.' No real sentimental value (for the most part), but more status symbols of our time. Having young children has really helped me to rediscover the the enjoyment in the small things and appreciate what life has to offer.

Last night, I stumbled along an unmarked DVD in the camera case. I popped it into the DVD player and my tears started rolling. I was watching my 14 month old girls splash in the tub being able to say no more than 'hi' and wave. It progressed to their second Christmas (age 19 months) where they were attempting to help me decorate the Christmas tree. Their enjoyment came from taking the ornaments off and throwing them for they of course were 'balls'-the only other word in their vocabulary at the time. At that moment I wanted nothing more than to get my girls out of their beds and hold them. I don't want another moment to escape. It seems impossible to me that in their meer 3 1/2 years, there are events and stages that I have already forgotten. Remember the small things! They are worth the time!

Yesterday and today, we finished up our Christmas 'baking' (though we actually did use the oven for one treat today). Peanut Butter Balls, Peanut Butter Star cookies, and Almond Bark Pretzels were the last treats to be made. Whenever I go to cook something (even Spaghettios) my girls want their hands in it. If you remember from my last post, it's a struggle for me to let some things go, but I'm really trying. For one day, my girls won't want to help me and I'll have to do it all by myself in my organized, control freak fashion. We rolled, we dipped, we scooped, we sprinkled. Nana (my mom) usually gets in on the Almond Bark Pretzel action, but the weather prevented her from being able to come down today. They are my least favorite things to make because they are so tedious. It's always better to have help with these. And help I did have!! These are so far from perfect, yet absolutely perfect because they were made with love. It was inching up on nap time so I really wanted to get them done quickly. Instead of dipping each one, I spread the entire bag of pretzels on wax paper and we just drizzled/clumpled/blobbed the amond bark over the tops and then decorated. They are crazy looking, but will taste exactly the same as they do every year, and people will love them even more because they'll know who made them....remember the small things (and over look the things that REALLY don't matter!).

Packing up the cookies and PB Balls...


Decorating the pretzels (you might get a $1000 bellyache (Christianson family story) if you eat one of these)


Yesterday's 'craft' (as if baking wasn't enough) was to decorate gingerbread houses. My friend Jess Kroupa made the gingerbread houses and came over to help decorate. The only thing about decorating gingerbread houses, is that you have to have a place to display them when you're done and I really don't. Oh well, we'll live with the extra clutter (LET IT GO!!) for the next month :)



Saturday afternoon was our friend Myah's 5th birthday party. This girl is all into Princesses and everything that goes along with them! All of the gifts she received were Disney Princess and none of them duplicates of eachother or anything she had! Amazing! The favors were dress up clothes from the clearance Halloween aisle....that Mary is a genious mommy! What Princess can't use a few more dress up clothes!? My favorite story from the party?? The way Myah was totally jazzed that her totally rockin'cake had a '5' AND her name on it (talk about lovin' the small things, right!!!). Check out the cake and Party Princesses below.


Of course a Princess Party isn't complete without a little Pin the Crown on the Princess:)
My Myah had her turn.
Then Maysen, but Myah's head got in the way.


We wrapped a few more gifts. Once again, the lines aren't straight, the tape is crumpled, and and paper is wrinkled, but still absolutley perfect because of the LOVE put into them. There's nothing better than being a mommy to teach you about the small things and how to appreciate them...it's incredible!!!

In all honesty, we were WAY too busy yesterday and I really overdid it. I'm paying for it today, BUT I enjoyed the small things, let a few things go, and got to capture a few of those moments that will all to soon be lost because we'll be on to the next stage of preschoolerhood. It was totally worth it! I don't need any Christmas presents because all of the things that really matter, I already have.

Holiday 'Baking'

Can you really call it baking if you never even turned on the oven? Of course you can....that's my favorite kind of 'baking!'
Tonight, the girls and I got a jump start on our holiday 'baking.' We made Peanut Clusters and Almond Bark with Fruity Cheerio Clumps (don't know the official name for them). Being the control freak that I am, I was a little hesitant about letting the girls do the scooping. You know, I would have them evenly spaced on the cookie sheet and all about the same size....but what fun is that?!?!? Being proud of myself (again!) I let them do all of the scooping (so they really did make the snacks themselves) and they turned out perfect! There are some of every size sure to please every snacker.

Of course, if you're going to attempt cooking with your kids, you have to be prepared for one of these:

Yep! Half a box of fruity cheerios on the floor. I was wondering why I felt God urging me to buy two boxes at HyVee today instead of only one, which I was sure would be enough. Good thing I listened to him! Poor Myah felt so bad about spilling the box. She shed many tears even though I didn't yell at all (I did have to count to ten and take a deep breath, but I didn't yell or get even a little mad). This is something that I would do myself as an adult so how could I really get mad at a three year old? Nothing was ruined or broken so it definitely is a 'small thing' that I'm learning to let go of.
Note: our almond bark snacks are safe to eat....all spilt cheerios made their way to the garbage :)

26 Weeks and Two Little Rudolphs

This weekend marked 26 weeks of my pregnancy, and as my husband so kindly put it, "the belly is in full effect!" It seems that my belly really popped and became 'real' for him this week. Good thing because a little girl is going to grace our lives in just a few short (13) weeks!

It's a good thing that daddy is the one that has to get up early in the morning because us three girls aren't the most chipper beings in the morning:) Maysen wasn't thrilled about getting out of bed this morning even though I let her sleep until 7. Taking a picture was the last thing on their mind....they were way more concerned about what Curious George was doing on TV. The girls sported their completed Rudolph shirts to school today...I think they turned out pretty darn cute.

A Craftastic Day and My Seven Secrets

Heidi dubbed today "Craftastic" as she hosted 7 friends to her house for a craft party she called an {almost} homemade christmas. The event started with a delicious breakfast (egg dish, fruit, muffins and juice). Then we were off to the basement (aka, Rusty's Man-Cave, which he wasn't so sure he wanted used as a crafting station). I used a sewing machine today for the first time since high school. I was very hesitant at first, but loved it and got in the groove with just a few stitches. Here's a picture of my final projects (I tried not to get too close as some of you are getting my creations as gifts this holiday season). I made a:
1. Cake/Cookie Plate
2. Necklace
3. Scarf
4. Kids' Super Hero Cape
5. Magnetic Frame
6. Corn Heating Pad

The crafting didn't stop once I left Heidi's. In fact, the girls and I try to do a craft each weekend, and I didn't have one planned until I went to Heidi's and saw what she made with her niece and nephew. I modified the craft a little bit and made Rudolph t-shirts with M&M. The shirts are borderline too small (which is why they are perfect for this craft since they'll only be used the rest of this month). We put brown paint on the bottom of the girls' foot and put their foot print on the shirt. I then drew in antlers and will eventually sew black buttons on for the eyes and a red button for Rudolph's nose. Simple really, and cute. I can keep the shirts (labeled with names and year) or cut them out and frame the design for the future. Next weekend we're making Gingerbread houses.....check back then!!

I had my wedding ring Rhodium Plated and re-soddered this week so we had to make a quick trip to the mall to pick it up this afternoon. We had a Christmas gift to pick up there, too. Of course, the girls spotted Santa and wanted to see him. This wasn't in the plan, but the line only had 3 other kids in it, which shocked me for a Saturday, and since the picture with Santa at Santa's Castle didn't turn out, I agreed. Here are my elves (still in their jammies) with Santa. Nevermind the photographer's camera in the way.....I wasn't willing to pay their $11.65 today.


A while back, my sister (snappy casual) tagged me to share 7 secrets. I'm having a hard time coming up with them, but here's a try:
1. I love my children will all my heart and soul, but do not have the desire to ever be a stay-at-home-mom. Summer is great and I wouldn't trade that time home with my kids for the world. However, I do tend to miss the adult interaction and conversation that I am engaged in each day at work. Also, my girls have learned so much at their preschool, and I know that I could never have taught then everything they know had they been home with me.
2. I claim to not like chocolate. Actually, there are times when I crave chocolate, and absolutely love it. I love M&Ms and candy bars. However, the kind of chocolate that does not tempt me whatsoever are chocolate cake, brownies, chocolate ice cream, and chocolate milk.
3. I'm starting to get a little nervous about adding a third child to our family. I already love her so much and am also very excited to add her to our family. However, I'm nervous about my capabilities....members of my family call me super mom (I don't really know why), but I'm worried that I won't be able to be "super" and share myself with three kids. I know some families have more than 3 kids, and do just fine. I'm sure things will be fine for us as well, I just get overwhelmed sometimes. This is where my over-organized skills will need to come into play.
4. I wish I had more fashion sense, and cared more about stuff like that. I do enjoy to be trendy. I'm surrounded by some of the trendiest people ever and get jealous sometimes. Sometimes I blame it on being a 'larger size,' which I do think makes it hard to find trendy things, as well as having more bumps and curves to cover. I feel that today's fashions (besides necklaces and scarves) are made for stick-thin people.
5. I don't have the world's greatest self-confidence. It has improved greatly over the last 7 years since I met my husband (he is great at loving, supporting and encouraging me). I worry about passing that trait on to my children because I don't want them to struggle with self-image like I have. I also don't want them to have large egos----how do you find that happy medium and teach it to your kids??
6. I'm a control freak. My house, my job, my kids....everything. In three and a half years, I've only spent 2 nights away from my kids (both of those nights Brandon was home so they've nver gone all night with out at least one of us with them). Reason number 1: I love them so much and consider it my responsibility to be with them at all times. Reason number 2: I parent the way I parent, and don't feel that anyone else can do it the way I do (yet, definitely not claiming that 'my' way is perfect!). Deep down, I know it would be good for all of us to be apart for a night and that my children will live through it (I would be a complete wreck, but they would be just fine). I trust my family members to take care of my kids over night, but feel so guilty about it. I could write about this for days, but will leave it at that.
7. I teach math, but I haven't always been good at it. In 4th grade, my teacher gave us a multiplication table to use until we learned the facts. I took that as....you don't have to learn the facts, just use this. The night before the BIG TEST my teacher (who lives across the street) called my parents to inform them that she was pretty sure that I didn't know my facts. My dad and I sat up (for what seemed like all night) so that I could learn my facts. I did learn them, but would never recommend that learning strategy. Good thing I had involved parents who cared enough to take the time....thanks, mom and dad!! If I knew in 7th grade, which I know now (after teaching 7th grade for 7 years) I would really rock it!!

Addition Edition

***We did get to Lake Mills for Thanksgiving.....twice actually. The weekend before Thanksgiving, the girls and I went up to celebrate with my dad's side of the family. Brandon always jokes that that side of my family is "so big" we have to rent out the community center for Thanksgiving.

***The Saturday after Thanksgiving was with my mom's side. We were all there minus Jaci and Michael (who had special relatives visiting the states (Michigan) so they went there, but we'll see them over Christmas), Sam and Sabrina (who live in California and have to be selective as to when they choose to travel to Iowa), and Ben (who lives in Nebraska--but honestly, I don't know why he didn't come....sorry, honesty hurts sometimes). Many of the cousins went to the movie RED that night. Definitely worth seeing. We all got up fairly early on Sunday to put up mom and dad's tree, take a Christmas picture in our stocking hats because no one wanted to shower and get gussied up, and go to breakfast at Denny's in Clear Lake on our way home. It's a good stopping point to refuel for the drive south. There's also a story missing about the creepy Santa...but that's for another day (but don't let me forget).

Sorry to my family who thought I was purposely leaving them out of the Thanksgiving blog.....it wasn't on purpose.

The Big Monstrosity

Daddy love was home tonight, which was a change of plans. He was supposed to be out scouting a basketball game after practice, but when he learned that it was the 'late' game, he changed his mind and came home instead. He wasn't thrilled about missing putting the girls to bed two nights in a row (he has a game tomorrow night) so it was great to have him home.

We were going to wait until Wednesday night to put up the tree, but since B was home, we got it up tonight. The girls were so excited!! B refers to the tree as "The Big Monstrosity." He thinks it is outrageously big. However, I love it. The extra large tree is a visual of my heart at Christmas time. Big, fluffed, and all lit up!!


It looks great, doesn't it??!! Of course it does because I had my two little elves to help decorate!!



"My name is Kari, and I'm a Control Freak." However, I vow not to touch the clumps of ornaments placed on our lovely tree by the littles I love so much. They will stay clumped in place until the tree comes down in January. The looks on their faces while they took ownership of hanging the ornaments is forever ingrained in my heart. I love them so much!!


The pink and purple trees made it to M&M's room this year. They were pretty adamant to begin with to have them downstairs where they were last year. Once I placed them in the room, though they were excited to have them stay. They make a nice little night light (until I unplug them when I go to bed) when the girls go to bed.

The stockings are hung...

The nativities are displayed...

And a straggly slim jim (looks much better than in this picture)...

are just a few of the decorations in our house. I want to get another slim jim tree for the basement for the rest of the ornaments I have. I'm not typically one to change the decor of my house regularly, but there's just something about decorating for Christmas that I can't get enough of.

I hope your homes are as Merry as ours!