Gifts On A Budget

I went to our wards Super Saturday and learned some great new gift ideas that are super cheap and fairly easy to make. I don't know about ya'll but we always have a Christmas party where we have to take a gift to exchange or someone we know is always having a baby, and I'm always in search of new ideas so we can give gifts without it being such a financial burden. I have completed about half of the gift ideas and here is what I have so far.

CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN

Cost: $5 for paper, wooden blocks, vinyl and paint (we already had modge podge and sandpaper)

CARSEAT BLANKET:

Attaches to carseat handle and covers the entire carseat and baby

Cost: $13 for two yards of fabric, 2 yards of ribbon, and 2 buttons

Up Next: wooden cars (for kiddos) and potato bags

Chuck E Cheese Please & The Rest of the Birthday Extravaganza!

Last week was definitely what I call a "Kaden Birthday Extravaganza"! Call us crazy but the Saturday before his birthday, Matt & I took Kaden, Sophie, and three friends (two 3 year olds and one 4 year old) to Chuck E Cheese. We gathered up the kiddos which thankfully all live in our neighborhood and by the end every seat in our van was filled with a carseat! I loved the ride to and from Chuck E Cheese because I got to hear the cute conversations going on in the back seat. Lots of giggling, laughing, and carrying on like they were big kids.

At Chuck E Cheese, the kids ate pizza (of course)
Kaden opened his presents (I loved how much he got into it this year, so eager and excited, and made everyone feel like their present was his favorite.)

And they played LOTS of games!

Sophie even got in on the action!

Yay for Chuck E Cheese and thank you Chuck E Cheese for not making an appearance while we were there. That little ole rat would have really put a damper on the birthday boy's good time.

On then on to Kaden's actual birthday on November 10th. We took him to Brick Oven for his special birthday dinner. He was entered into the birthday club and they sent him a free meal for his birthday. He got his own pizza and drink and a lollipop sundae, which his only response when they brought it to him was "Oh wow!" They even sang Happy Birthday to him, which he loved even though he pretended to be really shy and embarrassed (it was just an act). Then we went back to our house for a birthday party with the family.

The happy party goers with the birthday boy!

Before...

...And after!

The art easle from Mommy & Daddy!

And of course Mommy & Daddy had to have a picture with the birthday boy!

...And of course, not to forget sis!

Happy Birthday Big 3 Year Old!

Putting Our Best Face Forward

Introducing the Tingey Family 2009...

Ever since I found Rusty Bucket Photography, I have been ADDICTED! I love photographs and Michelle seems to capture my family so perfectly. Thanks Michelle for being the best and check out rustybucketphotography.blogspot.com for lots more pictures. We are highlighted on one of her more recent blog entries.

Boo to the Flu & Happy Birthday to You!

"Boo to the flu & Happy Birthday to you!" is definitely our motto today, as Kaden has had the flu for a couple of days and is definitely on the mend (thankfully H1N1 came back negative). On this day three years ago at 3am my little Kaden Alan introduced himself to the world. From that day on, he has been our little man, full of joy and love that he freely gives to anyone who wants it. I have just been amazed watching him grow, especially in this past year as he has really developed a personality of his own. His growth is happening so quickly that I almost can't keep up.

What have we been working on this past year? TALKING...now we just can't get him to stop!; POTTY TRAINING...and boy am I glad that we are done with that one!; BEING AN AMAZING BIG BROTHER...he definitely has grow to love his little sis and really enjoys watching out for her and playing with her despite the occasional push or shove!; SHYNESS...not to say that he is never shy but he is definitely a people person and loves being noticed by others; SINGING & COUNTING...mommy's personal favorite!(as we were walking along trick or treating, we hear him singing "Twinkle Twinkle" to himself, precious!); BRUSHING TEETH...a real passion of his, especially with Nemo toothpaste!; DRESSING HIMSELF...now he comes out of his room after a nap with a completely different outfit on; ANIMALS...as many know, this is a great love of his, maybe a future career, but we have been trying to introduce to many new animals and teach him more about the different animals, we went to the zoo in San Diego and in Fort Worth, we went to Sea World, the Bean Museum, the Dinosaur Museum, and the farm, and we have added many new additions to our animal collection and our book collection; MAKING FRIENDS...what would we do without all of our wonderful friends, and I love watching his friendships grow and mature, we took him a couple of friends to Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday (pictures to come) and it was so entertaining to hear them carrying on converstions in the back of the van like they were big kids; A LOVE OF CHRIST...he loves going to nursery and learning about Jesus Christ, and in a few short months he will be a Sunbeam, he loves reading his Children's Book of Mormon (and I love hearing him trying to pronounce the names of all the prophets, it's pretty entertaining), and I'm so glad that his love for the gospel is starting to grow and develop!

As you can see, it's been a busy year in the life of Kaden! What an amazing boy he is and brings more joy into our home than can possibly be expressed. Happy Birthday Little Man and many more wonderful years to come!

My Little Spooks!

We started off the Halloween festivities before we headed to Texas with a Halloween Party at Grandma & Grandpa Tingey's house. And this is the first cousin picture with new baby cousin, Tate! We ate fun treats, drank witch's brew, decorated pumpkins, and of course showed off our costumes!

Then it was off to Texas for Halloween night! Thanks Sellman family for such a fun night of pizza, hay rides, and trick or treating. We all had such a blast with our family there and here's a recap of our night.

Elmo made an appearance and was like a rockstar to all the toddlers in the neighborhood!

The sweet little ladybug broke hearts left and right. She was quite a hit!

Only in Texas would you trick or treat from a hayride pulled by a John Deer tractor.

Off they go in search of their loot.

Even the lady bug loved to trick or treat!

But the best part of the night was seeing how big my little man is getting! He raced from house to house with the big kids and happily said "trick or treat" or "Happy Halloween" at everyone door. What a wonderful Halloween, and I can't wait for many more to come!

Crazy About Texas!

Well, if you've noticed a lapse in my blogging, our two week trip to Texas should explain it! We went to Austin for a wonderful wedding of my good friend Rebekah and had some much needed Austin time! We stayed with our wonderful friends the Baumiesters and enjoyed the sights and of course the food of Austin. What a wonderful city and it brings back some wonderful memories for the both of us. Matt got to visit with his Mission President and his wife at the San Antonio Temple, where he is currently serving as Temple President there. What wonderful people they are, and it was so fun to see them and introduce them to the kiddos.

And I guess it goes without saying, Hook 'Em Horns...

...And aren't these future Longhorns adorable or what!

Look at this concentration. Mom & Rush took us to the Clay Festival in Gruene, Texas, where Kaden really got into his molding. Is a sculpture in the making?... Probably not, but he sure had fun!

And Daddy couldn't help but get involved too!

After our weekend in Austin, the kids and I headed up to Arlington with Mom and Rush and we finally made it to the Fort Worth Zoo (which we have tried to go to for a while now).

And of course my future zookeeper was in heaven. He loves his animals, and what a cute obsession it is!

And then it was onto cookie making with Ya Ya! Sophie loved to eat the dough!

While Kaden just liked making a mess with the flour!

Thanks Ya Ya, Pop Pop, Granddad, and all of our Texas family for such a fun filled trip! We love you so much and we'll see you again very soon!

Who Says The Fly Has To Be In Front?!?

I think my little two year old just might be starting a trend!

Definitely a sign of indepedence. Dressing oneself just isn't cut and dry for a two year old. Come on mom, who says the fly has to go in the front, I'm just trying to shake things up!