Christmas/Holiday Swap Match Up

The swap is on!!! 

Please contact each other within the next day or two and please let me know if you do not hear from your swap partner within a week, I will need to make changes.

1. Living Aloha - Five Great Kiddos
angieonmaui@gmail.com - fivegreatkiddos@yahoo.com

2.  Love, Laughter and a Little Chaos - The Rotella Family
jmhhermon@yahoo.com - DSRotella@comcast.net

3. amy d ...randomly me - Bladhs
amydouglass@cox.net - rosebladh@yahoo.com

4. Team Frisbee - Happy Hodge Podge
 morganolw@yahoo.com - ckiser@chem-cashtd.com

5.  The Buckaroos - Denton Sanitorium
hendi123@hotmail.com - jenny.denton@cox.net

Please remember that all packages should be mailed out no later than the 10th of December. But sooner would be better so the person receiving your package can enjoy their goodies this year.  Also this swap is not limited to Christmas items. It can include anything winter related you'd like. Some great items to include could be hand towels, socks, note cards, decorations, your favorite holiday treats, etc...If you have a fun holiday tradition that is easy to share that would be great to include as well.

Also don't forget to send me pictures so I can post them on my blog for all to see the goodies and get great ideas for the future.

Christmas/Holiday Swap

I'm hosting a Christmas/Holiday Swap

How it will work is you leave a comment with your email address and I will start pairing people up together. I will then let you know who you are swapping with and give you their email address , so that you can exchange addresses, etc... All packages will have to be mailed out no later than the 10th of December. But sooner would be better so the person receiving your package can enjoy their goodies this year. 

This swap is not limited to Christmas items.  It can include anything winter related you'd like.  Some great items to include could be hand towels, socks, note cards, decorations, your favorite holiday treats, etc...If you have a fun holiday tradition that is easy to share that would be great to include as well.  If you need some ideas check out the pictures from a Halloween swap I participated in.

If you don't think you can do it, please don't sign up to participate and then not follow through. Let me know if you DON'T receive your package by the 15th of December.

I think a $20.00 limit is about right.

By the way...everyone is welcome on this swap, no need to be a follower, etc...Just please make sure you are going to commit to it.  Invite all your friends and family to join in on this as well. 

Also please take pictures of the packages you receive and I will post them on my blog so everyone can see all the awesome things that were exchanged. 

Halloween 2010

Halloween has come and gone.  Living in CO the weather is crazy and unpredictable with the exception of Halloween.  I'm a native and you can pretty much guarantee that it will snow on Halloween or be bitterly cold.  This year we had the BEST weather!!!  I was able to take Joseph out Trick-or-Treating on Halloween night in flip flops and a sweatshirt!!!

We went to the Trick-or-Treat Street at the rec center and got enough candy to give out on Halloween night and still have some left over. 

 

They had this cute pumpkin patch at the trick or treat street where every family got to pick a pumpkin to take home.  Oliver enjoyed sitting and licking the pumpkins.  I had to laugh cause I saw a few people taking Oliver's picture.  One guy came up and told me I should enter Oliver in a photo contest. Maybe that's what other people were taking his picture for. If you see him win a contest let me know so I can hit up the winner for a share of the money.


Should I be worried that random strangers are taking my child's picture?  Have you ever taken a picture of someone you didn't know? 
 

Joseph took this picture.  I think he did quite well.

We also raked up the leaves in our front yard and had fun jumping in the pile.  Thanks to big winds earlier in the week we had more than our tree's leaves in our yard. 

Jared also set up a spook alley in our basement for the kids.  It seemed to be a big hit.  I found these videos of it on the camera.  They don't really do it justice.

Halloween Swap

My friend Susan hosted a Halloween swap on her blog fivegreatkiddos.  You made a halloween package and sent it to you assigned person and they sent you one back.  I was assigned amy d...randomly me.  I got my package first and this is what I got:

It was awesome to come home and have a package sitting on my front porch.  Although Jared didn't get it.

Jared: Who is this package from?
Me: Someone from Kansas.
J: How do you know her?
M: I don't
J: So a random stranger just sent you a package
M: yep pretty awesome huh

I then had to explain the swap to him.

Anyway I had to send Amy a package as well and so I went searching for some awesome things.  Joseph helped me make halloween dog treats for her dog Miley and picked out the collar.  All the pictures are taken by Amy.  Somehow she made ordinary things look amazing.  I really wish I had photography skills like her.   

Overall it was super fun and looks like Susan is organizing a Christmas swap as well.  Come and join it!!! You won't regret it!!

Fall 2010

Oliver turned 5 months old.  He continues to grow longer but can not seem to gain any weight.  His doctor is not worried so I'm not too concerned but it is funny to see him next to babies that are 3-4 months younger than him and have them look huge compared to him.  For his five month birthday I finally packed all the newborn clothes away as they were starting to get snug on him. 


5 months old and still only 10 pounds



Joseph often climbs into bed with Oliver.  When I found Joseph he said "look mom I reading walliver a story"
So stinkin' cute I hope they stay best friends for a long time.

We won tickets to see the CO Rapids (soccer team) play.  The game was fun but the best part was we each got a slanket!!!  Way better than a snuggie

I guess if baseball doesn't work out maybe hockey will. 

We went and fed the ducks and geese the other day.  Joseph loved it and laugh every time the bread got snatched from his hand.  Turns out even the ducks in Highlands Ranch are snobby, some of our bread was so moldy even they wouldn't eat it.


 Oliver watched the ducks with interest for a while then decided to take a nap.

 Joe Joe and No No + sand & water = two cute and messy boys



 We went to a little corn maze on Main Street in Parker with Carol, Noah & Lola.  Joseph had a blast playing in the hay and was entertained for over a hour.  Well worth the drive out to Parker.

Watch out Noah!!

Looking for Halloween costumes

We found this at Goodwill and I asked Joseph if he wanted to try it on expecting him to say no.  But he tried it one and was mad when we made him take it off.

Joseph held his cinnamon roll and told me to take his picture.  Best $0.99 roll we've ever had.

That's right I took a picture during church

 We went to our last Rockies game of the year on Joseph's 3rd Birthday.  The swag afterwards was a little lame but it was still fun. It was a little sad eating my last cheese steak sandwich and saying goodbye to all the regulars and our usher Linda. Forgot to take any pictures at the game but here's what Joseph looked like on his way home

Joseph turned 3 on September 29th.  I can't believe how fast time is going.  We went to the Rockies game then came home and met Jared for dinner at The White Chocolate Grill.  We had big plans for Joseph's birthday but didn't get much done.  Life just got the better of us but the good news is Jared didn't lose his job this year a first for Joseph's birthday week.    

Joseph is up to 30 pounds!!!! 

We celebrated his birthday with my family during our monthly family dinner. My mom made this awesome train cake. Joseph loved it and still talks about it.




 We went to Yogurtland many many times. My current favorite is pumpkin pie & cheesecake mixed.

We also went to Andy & Kristen's Wedding.  Fun was had by all and Joseph found himself a girlfriend.

The excitement was too much of Oliver to handle

I have no idea what 3 year old stuck his finger in the cake and then hide behind the dessert table.

I swear his finger is not about to get inserted in the cake



 Joseph has decided clothing is optional.  I often find myself saying "Joseph put some clothes on so I can take your picture without being reported to social services.   At least he decided to wear boots for this picture.