ChristmasAndSleepovers

Christmas morning...


...starting the morning right...


...mommy got a massage...


...the girls were so excited for daddy to open his presents!...


...daddy and his girls...






...the girls look like they could have used a little more sleep...


Some favorites from Grandma and Grandpa Egolf's...











Our annual sleepover with the Barhydt family...


...hanging out, watching the boys play Super Mario Bros...



...Riley didn't enjoy dress up time so much....



....still buddies....

ChristmasEve&ALooseTooth

Our morning started off with lots of frosting as the girls decorated our "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake!!!....


We headed to grandma Housour's (my step-mom) for lunch and fun with the family....


....grandma even pulled Breck's first tooth out while we were there!


Next, we were off to grandma and grandpa Grimm's (my mom and step dad) for supper and more fun with more family. Kaicee always enjoys time with William (my step brother's dog)....


The girls we sooo tired by the time we got home.....


I was able to get a quick pic of the girls in their pj's before heading off to bed (obviously Taylor would much rather be in bed)....


After a quick read of "The Night Before Christmas".....


....they drifted off to dreamland (all sleeping in Kaicee's bed).


The toothfairy made a quick stop, even though we left the tooth at grandma's house. She left a note on Breck's bed, letting her know that she would check back in a couple days to pick up the tooth :)



Now, I'm off to sew the last of the girls' presents. Nothing like waiting til the last minute!!!

On second thought, they may get the "supplies" for their last gift...and get to look forward to putting them together with mommy and grandma....I just tried to sew them while my pics were uploading and I don't have a clue what I'm doing! I really want to get my own sewing machine and learn how to use it!!!!

HowCouldIBeSoStupid?!?!?!?!

I just realized that I threw away our memory card! 8G, filled to the brim...Breck's first day of Kindergarten, Gatlinburg family vacation, St. Louis family vacation, summer fun, all three girls' year pics (3,6,9 year individuals), the list goes on and on....in the trash! Trash man came this morning.

If any of you that read this blog, have any pictures of our family, I would love for you to send them my way.

******UPDATE********

After a trip to Wal-Mart, I have a new memory card. It may not have my pictures from last year, but I'm armed and ready to capture more memories!...and this time, I'll make sure to back up those pictures better! I'm soo thankful for the pictures that Brooks and I posted on my blog and facebook! I may not have all my favorites, but at least I've got some!...and with that said, my goal is to share more! I plan to actaully blog about the things we do and not just think about doing it!

Here is the first picture on my brand-spankin-new memory card:




My very first ever, made-from-scratch pumpkin pie! Yep!...made it all by myself! Even the crust! I'm so excited about this milestone! We'll find out tomorrow if it tastes any good ;)

Today

The snow if falling outside and I love it!

It's a perfect wintry day!


On this perfectly wintry day, Taylor and I....

~bundled up and walked Breck to school; partially because the battery was dead in my car when I went to start it, but we had such a fun walk!

~stayed out in the snow when we got back, to shovel the driveway

~sat by our Christmas tree and looked at all the wonderful Christmas cards we have received this year; and named each person in every picture ;)

~enjoyed our yummy Candy Canes while looking at our cards

~snuggled on her bed while we read a book and then took a little snooze


Now it's almost time for her to wake up from the rest of her snooze...and the other two crazy girls will be walking in the door any minute. I think we will finish our wintry day off with some hot chocolate for snack. Then it's "goody" making time as we make some yummy Christmas treats and enjoy some warm chili for supper.

What a perfectly wintry kind of day!!!

WhyAreSomePeopleRich?

Kaicee and I started reading from a new devotional book tonight. Here is what we read for December 13.....

Why are some people rich?

"Riches and honor come from you alone, for you rule over everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is at your discretion that people are made great and given strength." 1 Chronicles 29:12

"People become rich for different reasons. Some people are rich because they were born into rich families. Others become rich by working hard, saving, and investing wisely. A few get their money as gifts or by winning contests. Some people get their money illegally-they cheat others and commit crimes. Also, some people who seem rich have lots of nice things but no money. They're so far in debt that they may never get out.

Remember that "rich" and "poor" are just labels. Many people who live in poor countries would say that everyone in North America is rich. They would say you are rich. Why? Because compared to them, you are. You have a lot more than they have.

You are truly rich only when you are content with what you have. If you have enough for your needs and enough to give, and if you're glad just to love and serve God, you'll be the richest person in town."

....why do we worry so much and concern ourselves about things such as this? Will any of us ever truly be rich? I say this not to point fingers at anyone other than myself. Ugh! I see a need for a change of heart!

GoodNews!!!

We headed back to the dr's office today for a check up on Breck's ear. Our doctor was very impressed with how well it is healing...she commended Breck on doing a great job of eating her fruits and veggies which she says was part of the awesome healing. It looks like we may not have to repierce the ear after all!!! We are letting the ear heal for another two weeks and then we can try to put the earrings back in.

Eating her fruits and veggies may have attributed to her amazingly quick healing...but I have a feeling it has a bit more to do with all the prayers that many of you offered up! Thanks to all of you!

Warning:EarringDanger!!!

Well, we had to make yet another visit to the good 'ol doctors office today. We have visited that place so often in the last couple months that the receptions recognize us and laugh when they ask, "Has anything changed?...address?..phone?"

I am happy to say that none of us are sick. However, I think I may prefer that Breck were sick. Our visit today included a shot and scalple (sp?)...booo!!!

Let me back up a bit....Breck got some new earrings for her birthday last week and has been wearing them proudly! I thought it was odd, and a bit annoying to be honest, that she was sooo dramatic and overreacting every time she bumped her ear or had a piece of hair wrap around them. Yesterday, I bumped into her and she, once again, "overreacted" about how bad it hurt her ear.

I looked at her ear and realized that the backs had fallen off both her earrings. No, wait. They didn't fall off....they were inside her earlobe!!!! That's right! She had put on the little, clear, rubbery backs and they were still attached to the earrings but floating inside her tiny little earlobes! No wonder they were so sensitive!

We pulled the earings out of her ears, thinking it would be easier to push the backs back through. I managed to get one of them out, but the other was not budging.

This morning, we ended up at the doctors office. The skin on her earlobe had already grown back over the opening since last night and she had a red streak, from infection, starting down her neck!!!!! She ended up getting a shot to numb the earlobe and they had to cut the hole bigger to get the back out.

Let me tell you....this little girl is A CHAMP!!! She did not cry one time! Yeah, she winced and cried out a little, "ouch!"...but no tears. No fits. Nothing! She is so awesome! The toughest of the tough!

Our next step is now to get rid of the infection and let the ear heal. We have to let the hole grow shut and wait six months to go back and repierce that ear.

If it can happen, it WILL happen to our family!

BlackFriday,Snow,&Brownies

I have done Black Friday shopping. Some of those people get a little crazy when it comes to a good deal...waiting in the cold for hours. This year, I decided to join my cousin and some of her friends for a true "Black Friday" experience. We met at 11pm Thursday night (yep, that's right...no sleeping, no waiting around for morning with these girls) and headed to Wal-Mart to pick up some $1.97 movies and $7 DS games.

By 12:30, we were off to Gap for 50% off the entire store. In addition to great sales I also had a few reward cards to use. I walked out of the store with 2 pair of $69 jeans, two $19 long sleeve thermals, and two $10 long sleeve tee's for a whopping grand total of $2.97!!!! Yep, I paid less than $3 for all that! I'll go ahead and pat myself on the back for you :)

After a quick stop in the Disney store for Taylor's Ariel doll ($8 instead of $24.99), we headed to TGIFriday's for some tator skins....at 3am. We continued on with a stop at Target and Wal-Mart again for some 5am deals. Our final stops were Kohl's and Old Navy. By the time we hit Old Navy at 7am, Courtney and I decided to find a spot on the floor at the front of the store for a quick 15 min power nap while the rest of them waited in line to pay. What a fun night!


On a more current note....


Tonight we had our first "family play night" out in the snow. For whatever reason, every year we always seem to end up playing outside way after the sun has gone down. The girls love sledding down the driveway, into the road...and tonight was no exception. Luckily, we live on a low traffic kind of road :)



ending our night with some super-gooey, super yummy brownies made by dad...

WaitForIt!....

I promise, I will take the time to update all of you on our busy life. I have lots of things to talk about, just trying to find the time to sit and share with ya'll! What's to come soon (hopefully):

Black Friday shopping madness
girls bedroom makeovers
Christmas traditions
pics from girls' 3/6/9 year photo shoot
and anything else I find interesting on our camera.

P.S. GREAT night out last night with some of the best friends in the world!!!!

AllIsWellThatEndsWell

Our day may not have started off the best...but it ended just right!

Last Saturday was Kaicee's birthday.

Today was Breck's birthday.

We celebrated both of them tonight with our family.

I make their birthday cakes every year...my little gift to them. They get mad when I won't let them help but this is something I enjoy doing for them. It may not be "bakery quality" but it's made with love and I enjoy hearing their squeals when they finally get to peek.

I was very excited when I discovered that a friend of mine had a guitar cake pan that I could borrow. Brooks plays guitar and Kaicee is attempting to learn how to play as well. Both of the girls seem to have inherited Brooks love for music so they too were very excited when I showed them the pan.

I attempted to decorate the cake to match Kaicee's guitar...
They loved it and were proud to show it off. I'm so glad they are so easy to please :)
After a busy night with family and bedtimes way later than normal, the girls finally crashed. Breck decided to "sleepover" in Kaicee's room and Kaicee decided to sleep in her new chair from aunt Ne...I'm curious if she'll still be there in the morning?!?

WORSTMomOfTheYear!!!!

Man, was it ever a rough start in the Egolf house! The day was supposed to be pretty uneventful...then Breck walks out and tells me that she is supposed to bring fruit to school today for their "fruit feast" party. A few minutes later, Kaicee walks out and tells me that she has to bring bread to school today for her "breakfast feast". Are you kidding me??!!?! Seriously, couldn't you have told me this last night?!!? Maybe even when I was at the store getting groceries? Or when I made another trip later to get something I forgot? Did it really have to wait until this morning??!?! An hour before they had to be to school?...and Taylor was still sleeping?...and two of them needed to get dressed?...and they all had to eat breakfast?...and they all had to brush teeth and fix their hair? Really? Do we really have to start our morning like this?

Ugh! Obviously, I was beyond frustrated! Sadly, this mom did NOT handle it very well :( Now I need to restart my day..asking for forgiveness from three little girls who had to take the brunt of their moms' frustrations...and pray that I live the rest of my day through they eyes of The One who loves us unconditionally and offers grace to even those of us who don't deserve it!

Mommy'sBoots

Here you have it....my post that was inspired while cleaning! I knew it would happen! It usually does. There is just something about cleaning that usually inspires me. Anyway, without futher ado....

My Boots!...



...that's right! I love these boots! I picked them out while Christmas shopping with my mom last year...and I allowed her to give them to me for Christmas. How sweet, I know!

Well, it was finally cool enough to break them out yesterday. As I was sweeping, I went to move them off the rug and noticed something inside them....



Taylor loves to put her shoes right beside mine when we take them off. Evidentally, this time she decided it would somehow be better to put hers inside mine. I sometimes wonder what she's thinking inside that silly little three year old head of hers. Whatever she's thinking, it's makes me smile :)

This morning, as the girls where getting ready, Taylor comes tromping around the corner...in none other than.....



mommy's boots :)

Man, I love that little Taytor!

IGotNothin!

I guess we have just been plain boring around here lately! I can't think of anything worth blogging about. Maybe something will come to me tomorrow as I deep clean the house...something that hasn't been done in way too long!

HolyHuge!!!!

Our family went to the store last night to get groceries and we came across some yummy and slightly large apples. I went to cut one of them for the girls' snack today and this is what happened.....



....the apples was so huge, it got stuck in the apple slicer! I held onto the apple while Breck pulled on the slicer....it was stuck! After a bit of persuading, the apple decided to slide out and I had to cut it with a knife instead.

Pizza&PJ's

The two really have nothing in common other than that they both made it into the same post :)

1. Pizza. Actually, just for the record, it was Bubble Pizza.
Yesterday, I decided to let the girls make supper....all by themselves!


I typed up the recipe for bubble pizza and let them have at it! They did a great job and had so much fun! The pizza turned out great...even if it did take them almost an hour to make it!


2. PJ's. Donut pj's to be exact.
The girls all love to wear mathing pajama's.....


...tonight Kaicee and Taylor decided it would be more fun to wear each others!

"HereIComeOrNot"

In an attempt to keep the house quiet so Brooks could study and work on his never ending pile of homework, the girls and I had a great time coming up with new hiding spots during our game of hide-and-seek. As I was laying under Kaicee's bed, waiting for Taylor to finish "counting" so she could come find us, I couldn't help but smile as she yelled out, "Here I come or not!" Oh, how I love her goofy little self!

....hope this puts a smile on YOUR face ;) .....

Perfect!

For those of you who know me well, you know that I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist.

Dishes must be cleared and rinsed after each meal.

Everyone needs to bring in whatever they took with them during the car ride.

Shoes are always lined up on the rug; coats and bags are hung on the appropriate hook by the door.

Beds are always made before leaving our room in the morning.

Pillows must be fluffed before walking away from the couch.

Closets are always tidy and organized just as the labels say (yes, the shelves are labeled...aren't yours?!?!). Shirts are color coordinated, short sleeve to long sleeve.

Laundry is done the same day every week.

The house is cleaned the same day every week.

What can I say?...I need my routine or I may throw a fit!!!!

I have been discovering that this may not be what most people would consider "normal". There may be a few, crazy people out there who think the same way I do...and boy do we understand each other well!!!

The last couple weeks have found me trying to relax a bit. Not worrying so much if the house isn't cleaned on Monday or the laundry washed, folded, and put away on Tuesday.

Do I really want my girls to remember their mommy as someone who cared more about having a clean and organized house than spending time and making memories with them?!?

I am pleased to say that I have been doing a pretty darn good job of changing this.

I am discovering that the pile of whatever it is that needs to be put away will still be there the next time I walk by it. I am learning that even a few minutes here and there is equal to a million minutes in their eyes.

We have been playing more, reading more, and just taking time out to sit and enjoy each other.

Paint and play-doh no longer make me anxious as I hover over them to keep the mess from getting too bad...instead, I make a mess with them or allow them to be creative while I work on something else. The mess cleans up just fine when we are all done...and, now that I have allowed them to, I have discovered they can even clean it up pretty good themselves.

I am no longer walking around, picking up after the girls as they set something down. I even allow them to keep the crayons and coloring books out for a day or two, just in case they want to go back to them.

It'a amazing how freeing it can be to let go of some of that silly nonsense and just enjoy all the God has blessed us with!

Here are some things that have made me smile latley.



Breck has been very in to wearing her watch and keeping an eye on the time. Evidently, she forgot where her jewelry box was!




I pulled back the curtains only to find these hiding on the window ledge. Taylor loves to hide things around the house...especially if it's not hers!



Taylor and Breck were playing dogs and left out the water and food bowls in case they got thirsty or hungry again.

Blink

As I'm rushing home from my sister's house the other morning, running late to my next "appointment" for the day, this song is playing on the radio.

I listen for the first time....coincindence that I turn the radio up to hear it better as I am forced to sit and wait for the train to pass? and the chorus is repeating "slow down, slow down"? I think not!

I'm pretty sure this is my new favorite song! It speaks straight to my heart!

Airplanes&Memories

I have pondered all day about what exactly to write...


...what exactly is it that I'm wanting to say today?...


With that said, I have decided to just start writing and follow my heart....


In light of his birthday, I took Taylor and Breck to visit my dad today...


Well, not in the way I would have liked to, but we went to the last place I said good-bye...






Kaicee and Brooks were both at school, so it was just me and the little girls. Sadly, neither of them will remember grandpa Housour...Breck was only 18 months when he passed away and we were plesently surprised by Taylor's upcoming arrival two short months later. Their memories will solely be based on the stories they hear from us.

The airplane pictured on his headstone was his personal plane. Anytime I see an airplane, I am reminded of the flights we shared. A couple weeks ago, a great friend gifted me with this....



I love it and I wear it proudly :)

As we spent time at the cemetary, both girls where intrigued by the airplanes...both on his headstone and around my neck. Whenever I wear the necklace, they inform me that I wear it to remind me of grandpa :) It makes me happy that they have these simple reminders of grandpa, even if they don't have the precious memories that I do.




This is a picture of my dad and Kaicee almost 5 years ago...I love to look at it and be reminded that they shared the same special relationship he and I did.

AfterSchoolPlans

I found this movie at the library a few weeks ago but we never took the time to watch it. Kaicee's teacher is now reading the book to them at school so she has been begging me to get it again. I have never seen it but I have heard that it is, oh, so good...so, after school, we plan to curl up and watch it together :)

***I am soo bummed!...and so are the girls. This is so not the original movie :( If any of you own the original and wouldn't mind letting us borrow it, we would greatly appreciate it! I didn't realize that it is no longer available until I go to looking online. My mom still has a VCR (I know, isn't that crazy?!?!) so we would even be able to watch VHS...we just really want to watch them!

NoteToSelf...

Never, ever...no matter what!...do not ever take antibiotics on an empty stomach!!!!

After some much needed rest and a couple doses of antibiotics, I woke up this morning ready to face the day! Agenda for the day:
finish folding laundry
get the girls fed and Kaicee off to school
grocery shopping with the little girls
Epic meeting
get girls lunch and Breck to school
clean house while Taylor naps

Sounded like a great plan...and it was, until I decided to take my antibiotics BEFORE eating breakfast. Big mistake!!! HUGE!!!! I ended up taking a half hour nap on the bathroom floor after giving in to the nauseas (sp?) feeling I felt in my stomach :( Not good. Not good at all.

One good thing...I sure am glad we decided to put heated tile floor in our bathroom :)

Now that I'm feeling better....I'm off to face my day!!!

OnTheMend?!?

It seems that our family may finally be on the home stretch of this nasty allergy/sinus/cold crap that keeps lingering around here! Breck and Taylor are finishing up antibiotics and are feeling much better. Brooks is on round two of antibiotics and hopefully gonna nip this thing this time around! I have finally given in to the drugs and am partaking in my own dose of antibiotics :( At this point, Kaicee has stayed strong and has been able to dodge any bad germs that may have come her way!

Could it really be that after nine, count them, NINE LONG WEEKS of feeling like poo...our family may be starting to feel better soon?!?!? Oh, how I hope so!

SchoolPictures

We have decided not to buy school pictures anymore. They are so expensive!...and let's be honest, they usually turn out terrible! This is the second year that I have opted to buy only the smallest package possible, allowing me to at least have one to put in the girls' scrapbooks. I decided that I needed to at least have one to put in their albums so we can some day look back and laugh at them :) This year, I have to say that I was plesently surprised!







Another reason we have opted to not buy school pictures...last year we finally replaced our point and shoot with a great Canon Rebel! Our plan is to take some family and individual pics this weekend. Anyone have any great locations you can recommend? I'd love to find somewhere that we can take advantage of all the great fall colors right now!

MyWindow

This is the view from my kitchen window. Nothing too exciting maybe, to many of you, but I smile every time I look out. It's amazing how one simple picture can have so many stories to tell.

Brooks and the girls built our playhouse together this summer...we even let them help paint! It was great to watch them work on it together and now it's fun to watch the girls play :)

The little purple slide makes me think of the summer months as the kiddos hook up the hose and scream as the freezing cold water sprays them while they slide down.

The leaves on the ground remind me that fall is here and it is sooo my favorite season ever!!! It's also just exciting to see the leaves...this is the first year that the trees were big enough to actually produce enough leaves to cover the ground! The girls are so excited to have something to rake this year...all we need is a rake ;)

The bird feeder hanging from the tree makes me laugh. It hasn't had any food in it almost all summer, but it still looks great hanging there. We got this bird feeder last summer and loved watching all the birds that came to our yard. We were amazed by how fast the food went...which is why it has been empty :)

The fire pit(which you can barely see in this picture)reminds me of the times we've sat with friends and talked the night away as the kids run around catching lightning bugs or playing flashlight tag. Sometimes, it was just Brooks and I that would sit and talk while the girls were inside sleeping.

The lawn chair brings memories of our family eating supper outside on those not-so-scorching-hot summer nights.

And finally, the stash of medicine that covers the windowsill reminds me that the season I so love brings with it lots of coughs and snot :(

Oh, how I love my window! :)

Popcorn&Icee's

Yep! That's right! This mom allowed her daughters to have a bag of popcorn and an Icee drink for lunch today! Can you belive it?!? What a terrible mom I am! Well, it was either that or make Breck very late for kindergarten...what else was a mom to do?!?

After MOTT's, I decided to head over to Target to take care of a couple exchanges that needed to be made....and Breck got to buy a book since she missed the opportunity at the school bookfair and Taylor got to buy her foam ABC's she's been begging for since discovering the neighbors'. As we are heading out the door, I realize that we only have 25 minutes to get Breck back in time for Kindergarten!...the biggest problem being that we live almost 20 minutes away and I have not fed them lunch yet! We rush in to the food court, only to get behind someome who litterally took 5 minutes to order a hot dog!!!! Hello!!! This mom is running late! Get out of my way!!!

We opt for the popcorn because it's already bagged and ready to go. The girls ask for Icee drinks so I kindly agree...it's can't be any worse than a fountain drink, right?

So, there you have it...the reason why Breck and Taylor were blessed with a delicious, not so nutritious, lunch of popcorn and Icee drinks :)

Oh, and by the way, we pulled into the school parking lot with 1 minute to spare!

WordOfGodSpeak

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay
The last thing I need is to be heard
But to hear what You would say

Word of God speak
Would you pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your Majesty
To be still and know
That You are in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I'm finding myself in the midst of You
Beyond the music, beyond the noise
All that I need is to be with You
And in the quiet hear Your voice

Word of God speak
Would you pour down like rain
Washing my eyes to see
Your Majesty
To be still and know
That You are in this place
Please let me stay and rest
In Your holiness
Word of God speak

I'm finding myself at a loss for words
And the funny thing is it's okay

Reading&Dancing

Lucky for me, all of my girls have picked up my love for reading children's books!...I include "children's books" because those seem to be the only ones I find time to sit and read ;) It is nothing out of the ordinary for us to sit and read several books together.

Taylor comes to me, with a book in hand, and plops down on my lap, eager to hear her book for the 100 millionth time...and I don't mind one bit.

Breck is starting to read on her own, so she comes with her easy reader books and proudly reads to me...and I see the joy in her eyes.

Kaicee has been reading for a couple years now, but we still love to curl up together with a good book, taking turns reading...and I realize she is growing up way too fast.

As I watch the girls' love of books grow, I realize that there is also a bit of a competitive streak in Kaicee. When given a challenge associated with reading, this girl goes above and beyond! This year, her teacher has challenged them thru AR (Accelerated Reader program at school) and their weekly reading logs. She has worked so hard to have the most AR points in her class and to read the most minutes each week.

Yesterday was story hour day for Taylor. Normally I allow the girls to each pick 3 books, but I was feeling like a nice mommy yesterday. I decided to throw out the "3 books a piece" rule and just let Taylor choose whatever she wanted off the shelf. We picked some books for Breck (who was home with daddy, sick) and I surprised Kaicee with a stack on her favorite's, "Mr. Putter and Tabby".


Homework finished...Kaicee discovered the books and began reading to her sisters. Breck and Taylor sat for nearly an hour while Kaicee read book after book. As the evening went on, Kaicee continued to sit and read....








By the end of the evening, Kaicee had read 27 books, for a total of 150 minutes! She was so proud...and so excited that I would considering blogging about it :)

As Kaicee read the night away, Breck and Taylor decided to entertain themselves in another way. In addition to reading, they also have a love for singing and dancing. I hope you enjoy the video!




What a great night in the Egolf house! I love my girls!