What have we been up to??

Out with the old...

Who buys white carpet anyways?? in with the new!! Our house has been in shambles!!! We had to move everything on the main level and upstairs into our bathrooms and kitchen!!! And who had the brilliant idea to just stack the books on the floor??? Kate was destroying them everyday! The office before...

and after! YEAH!! Still rearranging and hanging up stuff but I think it looks so much better!!
Below here are the doors before and you can get a glimpse of the nasty white stuff on the stairs and the banisters too...

And then we had the doors stained and the banisters, Love it!!
Nice pose bud. :) I am so excited no more dirty black stairs to clean everyday! So that was our month of November -- also our fav cousin Katie had her cute little baby Claire!! This is the first grand baby for my Aunt Lisa on my Mother's side! Too fun!

Elle, Claire and Traci

And then Elle entered in the Reflections contest at school and won with her Poem called WOW! Great job Elle!!

Then Thanksgiving out in Vernon. I forgot my camera. But it was so lax I loved it! Grandma Olson and Grandpa Olson were in Texas this year so it was an in law year on Rob's side, My side was an in law year too!! What were we going to do??? We got together with Rob's cousin Jason and his wife Reanne and had Thanksgiving with them in Vernon. Their kids are our age and we had so much fun doing it ourselves. No older Matrons to help it was weird! But we did it and it was sooooooooo good! The kids all had a slumber party in the living room with their cousins, we played games, shot the gun at the box targets, and walked around on the farm and fed the cows. Kate loved the cows! So funny the sound she was trying to make for cows. We came back Friday and then on Sat had a fun FHE with my family and ate pies! Yum! Such a great weekend with the fam! Oh yeah and we bought a Piano from Rob's Aunt!! Elle has been downstairs playing on it everyday. So glad to have that sound in our house-- no really I am! I love it reminds me of growing up and just feels homey. :)

Then our kids could hardly stand it, we just had to get the Christmas stuff out!

I was so exhausted I decided to take this picture for those years when I decide not to get all 12 tubs out and decorate! Good night! So much stuff and the lights outside! wheeew! I let the kids decorate the basement. Although it was a ton of work, I still want to get a real tree for the entry way but we will see...

Now it's the Holiday Season and we are excited, My Bday is on Monday. (December is such a terrible time to have kids born, I hate my Bday in Dec!!) LOL Too busy, we already have been to work parties and then the Church parties, school, friends, fam! Ahhh It all starts. But it is always so fun. I like to just plan my own party and make sure I have plans for the whole week of my birthday! Thanks to great friends and my super fab husband it's going to be great.

I am really trying to search for something this year to help my kids have a neat Christmas experience. I want to do something they will remember. Not the toys---some kind of service. We aren't going to get much this year that's not what Christmas is all about anyways. I keep hearing stories of how homemade Christmas's are always the funnest and the ones the kids remember. I will keep on searching... Let me know if you have any ideas.