Good Ideas

I've been talking to Lauryn about Father's Day and trying to get her opinion on what we can do for Lloyd.  I've been getting some good ideas from Pinterest of things we could make.  I saw an ad on tv that I thought was pretty cool too.  You can send dad gifts from kids with help from Shari's Berries.  That might be more for me and Lauryn though since we both love fruit much more than Lloyd does.  :)

Birthday Ideas

Lloyd's birthday is just around the corner and I still haven't decided what to get him.  I have a few ideas, which I can't share here in case he decided to read this, but I feel like they are just old standby's and nothing new and special.  Someone suggested mens dress boots and that sounded nice but after looking at some, I don't think they're really something he'd get much use out of or even care for that much.  I'm sure I'll figure something out, I just like to have at least a good idea about it by now!

Gifts

It seems this year, I have a good idea of what I'd like to get for everyone.  I'm usually not big on shopping but when it comes to gift giving and actually knowing what I'm getting for everyone, it is a little bit fun.  Lauryn will be a piece of cake to shop for.  She's still so young and hasn't let commercials tell her what she wants.  A friend of mine was telling me about her daughters and that getting gifts for teenage girls isn't as much fun.  I still have a few years before I have to deal with that! :)  I have some pretty good ideas for Lloyd and I think he'll be happy with them because he's all about practical gifts.  I want to get started early, for us anyway, so we can enjoy the holidays instead of trying to rush and deal with crowded stores!

Tis The Season

Our house is looking very festive right now.  The tree has been up for almost a week, there are snowmen everywhere and there's something Christmas-y in every room :)  This is the one holiday that I go all out for.  Looks like we're going to have to get some outdoor lights and decorations if we're going to "keep up with the Joneses" in this neighbor hood!  Most of the house are all decked out already and with nothing going on here, it looks like we're the Scrooges! 

I finished the Christmas cards for the first party we have this weekend.  It took 36 tries to get a good picture of Lauryn to put in the card :)  That's about 50 less tries than last year...LOL  Maybe next year we'll get it down to just a couple!  The one we decided to go with is pretty darn adorable!  Now I just have to wrap the presents for that party and pick up the items I need to make the ham dip wraps and we'll be all set.  I enjoy wrapping presents but I think I go a little overboard with the tape.  By the time I'm done, the person opening the present practically needs box cutters to get to their gift.  I can't help it :)  More tape makes the present look nicer....at least, that's how it works when I'm wrapping!  :)

Gift Ideas

Lloyd's birthday is this Saturday and I'm at a loss about what to get him.  He's no help either!  When I asked him for ideas, he says, "Don't get me anything.  Get something for yourself or Lauryn."  Um, no!  It's your birthday and I want to get something for you!  I'll be making him a cake and his favorite meal for dinner and cards from me and Lauryn.  I thought about getting him some rocawear but that's really not his style.  He's a khaki's and polo shirt kind of guy :)  I'm sure I'll figure something out though :)

No More Baba's

This week we finally eliminated the bottle :)  Yay!!!  I thought Lauryn would have a much harder time with it than she has so far.  She was all about having a baba before bed time and she seems to be doing quite well without it.  No more baba's....Yay!!!  She's been drinking from sippy cups for a while but still wanted that baba in the evening.  We still need to work on drinking from a regular cup, she just doesn't have it down yet but we're getting there too!

Here's a picture I took the night Lloyd came back from his snowmobiling trip:



She was so happy her daddy was home! I don't think I've ever seen her smile quite like that and she stayed that way for hours!!! So precious!

Ever since I got Lauryn that personalized jewelry box for Christmas, I've been checking out other ideas I can give for other occasions and for other people. I just love the idea of giving a personalized gift. I feel like the blankets I crochet are somewhat personalized but they take so long and sometimes my hands aren't up to getting them done in time to give and there are a ton of really neat gifts out there. Lloyd's birthday is coming up in March and I'm trying to figure out something for him....we'll have to see what I can come up with :)