A Look Back & A Look Ahead!

A Look Back:

Lots of family time over the weekend.

Let's start with a Christmas craft why don't we?

How about some candy cane ornaments?

Annnnnndddddd DONE.

Even "The Teenager" made one.

Be still my heart.

Glad you got dressed for the occasion, Preston.

The final result!

 I was downloading pics on my camera and found this picture that Carter took...

He took it with his right hand while making
Joseph and a shepherd make out with his left.

Nice.

Should I be worried?

Also, while he was coloring yesterday, he was singing, "boobies, boobies, boo-bies."

I'm scared.

 Sunday the boys wanted to make the mini gingerbread houses my mother gave them.

Once again, "The Teenager" partook.

He had to go to his room midway through the fun for a short timeout

due to MAJOR hyper activity.

It's gets crazy when 4 boys all want to do the same thing at the same time.

Patience please.

 Remember I mentioned they were mini gingerbread houses?

Well, they were so MINI that it was nearly impossible to get them to stay together.

We decided to improvise, and the boys decorated gingerbread cookies instead.
Awesome.

Thanks, Mimi!

A friendly game of Candyland took place between Trysten and Carter.

Well, friendly until Carter got upset over having to move back 8 spaces.

It required a discussion about the importance of good sportsmanship.

All was well with the world after that.

Elfie "showed up" on the clock in the foyer early Friday morning.

He stayed there until Sunday night.

Because he liked it there.

For real.

No one forgot.

We set the alarm, Casey.

It's all good now.

He changed his resting spot late Sunday night.
He kind of creeps me out.

A Look Ahead:

Thursday morning Ryan and I will board a plane bound for

NEW ORLEANS, BABY!!

Cannot wait.

So much fun to be had.

Food to eat, people to watch, drinks to drink,

shops to shop, ghosts to haunt and much, much more.

Can't wait to see NOLA all decked out for the holidays!

Ryan and I decided not to pack any of our Razorback T-shirts.

Might not be a good idea to don that gear in the French Quarter

considering the beating we gave LSU on Saturday.

Maybe we're just switching off winning every other year.

LSU one year and UA the next.

Seems fair, right?

Have a great week, my friends!!

Good Times!

Ryan has been out of town since Monday, so I have been hangin' with my boys. Carter has been eating it up...If you could see what he does when Ryan hugs me, kisses me, sits next to me...jealous! He'll come right in between us on the sofa, or he'll sit in Ryan's lap and say "That's my mama!" with a big smile on his face and that trademark laugh!

Taking advantage of the mother/son time, I decided to take Carter and Preston to Michaels Arts & Crafts for one of their Knack "Make & Takes".  If you haven't heard of "The Knack", check out their website. They have tons of online project ideas, as well as weekly in-store, scheduled arts and craft activities for kids that are DIRT cheap, fun, and linked to the current season or upcoming holiday.

Last night's activity was a Valentine's bag for their school parties!

Carter getting busy... 

Here he is with a few little "friends" he picked up in the dollar bins while we paid for the bags. He eventually lost ALL interest in the art project, opting for winding up the dinosaur instead! Oh well!

Gluing on the eyes!

 Preston's turn!

Come on Preston! One picture. Just hold your bag and smile. He's so over my obsession with taking pictures...

Just one. Hold the bag...

Or not...One out of 2 isn't bad! WTH is that look on Carter's face?

Next stop.....haircuts. Would someone please tell me why kids immediately whine when they hear the word "haircut"? 

Would you guys stand still for 5 seconds!!??

Mom, that's enough!

NEVER a dull moment!

Love my boys!

Life is Good for This Little Family: Weekend Recap!

Weekend, oh glorious weekend...
Where did you go?

How quickly you're gone.

How you do it, I'll never know!

We stayed close to home,

spending all 3 days together.

With a fire in the hearth

to combat the frigid weather!

We made crafty Valentine's cards
and played some fun games
Watched a Harry Potter movie
full of characters with crazy names!

We stayed up late
and then we slept in.
Sat down for the Super Bowl
where we cheered for a great win!

So until this next Friday
when we will meet again,
we'll miss your care free moments
oh, how we love you gloriousWEEKEND!!


There was definitely some craftin' going on at the Casa de Soladay this weekend!

Crayon Valentine's Cards!

A "Be Mine" Valentine's Banner!

"I Love" Hearts!

Each family member has one, and we all took turns writing at least one thing we love about the person who's name is written on the heart.  It's important to let your family know why you love them so much, so what better time than
 "Love Month"!!

{Please excuse the quality of the pics...as I said before, our camera bit the dust, but I am happy to say we ordered a new one over the weekend!}
Austin's

Preston's

Trysten's

Carter's

Ryan's

Mine

It was really neat to see what each of the boys wrote....so sweet!

On a REALLY exciting note, Ryan was able to talk to one of the partners of the company he works for on Friday, and they have agreed to let us use the $3,500 travel voucher he won on our family vacation this summer!!!  I cannot even begin to tell you how ridiculously stoked this made Ryan and I!  The plan is to rent an RV

and take a road trip from here to California with LOTS of stops in between! The ending point will be Universal Studios and Disney Land in Anaheim!   Casey from The Starnes Family has been gracious enough to offer her travel expertise for what is sure to be one of our most excellent excursions!  Some sites to see along the way...per Casey's suggestions and which Ryan and I are completely on board with are:

White Sands......sand surfing (New Mexico)

Grand Canyon (Arizona)
Hot Springs/Glenwoods Springs Adventure Park (near Aspen in Colorado)

Zion National Park (Utah)

Lake Tahoe (Nevada)

Yellowstone (Wyoming)

Black Hills/Devils Tower (South Dakota)

Four Corners (where Arizona, Nevada, Colorado and Utah intersect)

Route 66

Petrified Forest

Travel dates...11 to 14 days...will be the first order of business and then the official itenerary planning will commence!

Life is good for this little family!

Have a great week, friends!

Saturday Morning Crafts!

The boys and I worked all morning on their crayon Valentine's cards, and I LOVE the way they turned out!  The best part is that we had a great time making them!

Time to get to work!

First we had to peel off ALL the wrappers...all 200 of them!  After about 3, I whipped out my craft precision razor and cut down the sides of the crayons while the boys ripped the paper off!

We then sorted them according to colors. What is it about the feel and smell of crayons that makes you want to be a kid again!?

We broke each crayon into 4 pieces:

We then filled up each heart, in the flexible mold, with the pieces, put them in the oven for about 15 minutes, and here is the result!

All packaged up and ready to go!

Have a great Saturday!!

It's Friday!

I AM SO GLAD IT IS FRIDAY!!!!!

This has been a longggggggg week.  Ryan has worked some long hours, and when he does, I realize how much he helps out around the house!  We have a quiet weekend planned with a whole lot of family time.  The boys and I are making their Valentine's Day boxes and cards for next week's parties and a little Love month craft that I came up with!

Check out the cutest Valentines we're making!  I found the idea on How Does She?

Super cute and simple! I am so tired of the "rip apart on the preforated edges" Valentine cards, so the boys and I are venturing outside of the box! 

Have a FANTASTIC weekend!

Fabulous Family Fun Weekend Recap!

This weekend was an absolute blast from start to finish...and technically the fun isn't over since we're going to ICE at the Gaylord tomorrow night!  Friday night was spent at home hanging out, laughing, and relaxing together...time much needed...and Austin was even around to enjoy some family bonding...only because he's grounded. =) 

Saturday started with the HUGEST cinnamon rolls I have ever seen and the boys playing around the house until mid afternoon.  At that point, we loaded up the car not to return until late that night!

We went to see A Christmas Carol in 3D at the Imax in Stonebriar Centre. What incredible cinematography!

Next, a stop at the pet store...a current favorite destination of all 4 boys!

Trysten's request from Santa...a dwarf hamster!

We then drove to one of Ryan's and my favorite neighborhoods, Eldorado in McKinney, to take the boys to see some Christmas lights!  This neighborhood is the epitome of a traditional, family oriented neighborhood...beautiful, mature trees, streets of houses situated on cul-de-sacs, each one different than the other...just like we both grew up in.  Ryan and I would LOVE to live here someday.  Each street decorates with a different holiday theme which makes it fun to go from one street to another.

Remember houses like this from your childhood?

Once we made it home, Ryan cooked steaks and asparagus on the grill, we ate like kings and headed to bed exhausted and happy!

Fast forward to Sunday...

I helped the boys make some ornaments for the tree...It looks like this has become a tradition. =)

Cute little snowmen!

Later that day...We took the boys and the dogs over to Ryan's parent's house in Prosper with a little surprise up our sleeves!

Our basketball team!

Here they are unwrapping the surprise!

A giant, inflatable Giga Ball!!

This thing took FOREVER to pump full of air!

Patience...

They waited...

and waited...

It's ready!

There were a few minor injuries...=(

But overall, it was a blast!

What a fabulous family fun weekend!!!

GOOD TIMES!!