sugarplums

Well friends, Christmas is right around the corner!  Payton reminds me daily how far away it is.  It's nice, because I know how much longer I have to get everything ready and wrapped.  We are done shopping, but not wrapping.  I'm pretty sure I am done wrapping.  I think I have wrapped everything that's under the tree.  And, there is a pillow under there.  Has anyone ever wrapped a pillow?  Because, it sucks!  It's soft, not flat, and just rather difficult to make perfect folds!  But all in all, I think we have everything done.  We decided to make our own gift tags this year.  I saw something on pinterest and was like, Let's do this!  So we did, sort of.  It makes it a bit of a longer process, but it's totally worth it because they are super cute.  I haven't been able to get a picture yet, but I will soon!

Over the weekend we didn't really do much.  Both the kiddos had taken ill.  Lucas with a high fever and an automatic drip and Payton with an ear infection and a nasty cough.  However, they seemed to have tons o' energy!  I don't know where they got it, but they were both bouncing off the walls!  It's cute though.  They love to play together and Lucas just laughs and laughs at Payton, and she thinks he is the weirdest thing ever (aside from dad of course).  She always says to Shawn, "Dad, you are the weirdest dad ever!"  Haha...I just laugh because it's true. 

Speaking of Shawn, he is finally done with school!  I am so proud of him!  He is now an MBA Grad.  I can't wait to see what the future holds...ideas are being tossed around, but it's break time for sure.  He has been burning himself out for two years.  I don't know how he has done it.  It's amazing!  Love you sweetie!

Lucas is obsessed with the iphone.  He loves taking and looking at pictures of himself.

My husband knows me so well... I LOVE lilies!!!

Love this man of mine :)

Lucas learning how to play, 'Silent Night' from his dad.

Payton trying so hard not to smile...

The other day I walked up the stairs and this is what I found.  Lucas had pulled  himself up in this chair, grabbed a book, and began to read.

I Couldn't Resist

Have I mentioned that I am a total sucker for marketing?  Well, I am.  Anything that  is cute or seasonal, I am totally head over heels!  While at the grocery store the other day, I came across these little tyrants...

Cute and Festive. 

And, if you notice, there is an Evergreen candle off to the side.  Bath and Body Works is a killer when it comes to seasonal smelly goodness.  I love it when they have a nice big sale on their candles and soaps!  I must say, everyone should always invest in the lovely fragrances of the earth.

All things Bright & Beautiful

Hello!  We had a fabulous weekend!  December has started which means, party time!  We had our first one with Shawn's side of the family.  Potato bar and a white elephant game.  It was actually pretty fun!  There was one unhappy 7 year old.  She kept getting things she did not want.  We still aren't sure what she wanted, but talked about if we play the game again, we should separate the kids gifts. 

Yesterday we decided it was time to decorate for Christmas!  Bring on the Nutcrackers!  We have a collection (from Shawn's grandma).  Payton loves to arrange and play with them, so that is what she did most of the time.  Shawn serenaded us with Silent Night on the harmonica, Lucas helped (take off) the ornaments.  Sadly, I did not photograph any of it...

A few months ago my real camera broke.  I dropped it in the sand a couple of times, and sand is a killer for cameras!  It worked for a while, but one day I tried to zoom in on Payton and Lucas playing, but the camera had a freak out and just stopped working.  I asked my father-in-law to fix it, and he broke it even more.  So I am out a camera for the Holiday's.  It makes me rather sad.  I am hoping to maybe get a new one?  Santa?  I'm sure if you look at my recent photos, you notice that they are all from instagram...

I tried to get him to look...he is way more interested in the tree.

Late night/after the after party shot.

Love Birds :)

He is still my beautiful 'gap' baby. 

P.S.  I made these really delicious Soft Almond Sugar Cookies.  Try them...they are moist and delicious!

Chuck and Chancy

Lucas LOVES to color.  He even says, COLOR!!!

I'm on the phone mom, leave me alone...

We think he might be a pirate...

How adorable are these kids?.  (If you look closely at the tie, you will notice skulls + crossbones.)

Today...

I sat in a salon chair for 6 1/2 hours while sweet Lauren did this...

It was so much fun!  We gabbed our lives away!  It will take some getting used to (for everyone)...but I love it.

Happy Friday!!!

It's Possible

A couple of weeks ago my mom said, MVHS (she works there) is putting on Cinderella, would you like me to get you some tickets?  And I said, yes!  I love Cinderella!  She has to be one of my favorite princesses.  She is so meek and elegant.  So, I took Payton to see it this last weekend.  We had a lovely time!  It was a really cute musical.  She liked the prince the best.  She told me she thought he was cute.  How awkward it is to be a teenager.  They all looked so young, and I don't think you realize it until you have been out of high school for 10+ years!

Rodger's and Hammerstein's Cinderella.  I didn't take my camera, so no real pic...sorry!

About a month ago my mother-in-law sent out and email to the daughters (in-law) and said, I want to do this little crafty for the holiday's.  So, last weekend she said to come on over for soup and crafts!  So we all went to her house, ate some soup, gossiped, talked about baby names for Hilary and Abby's upcoming arrivals, laughed until we cried, and I personally made this...

It makes me smile!

Shawn and I have decided that it's time to make some new crafts this year.  We haven't really done anything new with our Christmas decor for the last couple of years, so we thought, let's change it up a bit.  Get some new colors.  So I had an idea for a craft...frosted pine-cones and ornaments in a large vase!  As we getting those items, we stumbled across some frosted apples, holly berries, shrubbery and mossified pine-cones.  It was love at first sight!  We picked it up and thought, let's add this to the mix, and use another vase.  So this is what we did late last night...

These are marvelous!  I love the way they turned out!

I have been looking for some more/new throw pillows lately.  I feel like we need more/different ones.  I feel like there needs to be a change.  Even though this pillow will only last a month, I couldn't resist...

Peace on Earth.

I love the Holiday's!!!  For me, it's about family.  They are my life.  I love them all so much.  I wouldn't trade them for anything else in this world!

Time for the hustle and bustle to begin!  Good luck to everyone in all their Holiday endeavors! 

stagnant hair

For the last few years I have kind of done the same thing with my hair.  From Red to Brown to Black.  I think it's time for a change.  I had a bit of red ombre going on during the summer, but it was like red into orange.  Which actually worked!  I decided in September I wanted to do auburn.  Well, I have come to the unconventional conclusion that I am going blond!  I think it will be quite the process, and I am just doing it in pieces.  Example.  I was looking at pictures of Jessica Biel and I thought, I want that!  So, I kind of did it...

I'm not sure whether or not I like it, but it's there, and I am not going to get rid of it.  I am going to let my hair heal for a few weeks, and then I will put some more in.  My goal is to get to this...

I have been blond a couple of times before, and I don't totally hate it, but the last time I did it was like 6 years ago, and it was really short.  So cross your fingers and think what you want, but I have to do it!  Mostly to prove a point to my husband...

Sleepless Nights

Are blood shot eyes contagious?  I'm starting to think they are.  This morning as I was putting on my makeup I told my husband that his eyes were really red.  At the time, mine were just normal.  Well, I just looked in the mirror, and they are red now too!  Was it something I said?  Or could it be the fact that we think we need to party all weekend?  Oh wait, that's Lucas.  Lucas and Payton share a room.  Before Payton started first grade, and was at our house more, bedtime was a piece of (cheese) cake.  Well, for the last 2 months we have had MAJOR sleeping issues.  Lucas thinks he needs to talk, laugh and run around in his crib while Payton tries to sleep, which in turn has Payton telling us that she can't sleep because of Lucas.  So we get Lucas out and try to rock him, but it's just party time, still.  He just laughs and wants to play.  Payton falls asleep, so we put Lucas back in his crib, and he cries and cries, and then Payton comes and tells us, Lucas is crying, so once again, we get Lucas and try to calm him down.  By the time 11 rolls around, he is tuckered out.  Mind you, we put these kids to bed at 9.  What is happening!?  And then,  Payton will come into our room around 3 am and tell us she can't sleep.  Which in turn, we will tell her to go back to bed.  There have been times when I hear her come in, but not say anything.  There was one time when she went back and forth 7 times in like an hour without a word.  Shawn seems to think she's sleep walking.  I know this transition has been really hard for her.  I don't know what to do with either one of them, which makes me so irritable.  I am not a crazy mean person, but lack of sleep is a total mood killer!


We didn't do anything to incredible this last weekend.  Payton lost another tooth on Friday, the tooth fairy came again, so she wanted to get a Lalaloopsy.  She got another Candy Shop, Twist E Twirls.  She laid them all out in a row and Shawn was like, whoa sister!  Do you have enough?  And she was like, no, I am going to collect them all!


We went to a birthday party for Savannah, Sadie and Jack, because all of Abby's kids are born the end of October, beginning of November.  However, her new little (no name) girl will be born in March :)


And then we just made some more cut out cookies and decorated them.  So like I said, nothing amazing, but that's because I came to a hault in my activity planning!  However, I told Payton that we can go to Michael's and get some stuff to make a cornucopia next weekend, so that will be fun!

The Dutch Braid.  If you are used to The French, Dutching takes some coordination.

As we were walking into the chapel on Sunday, this was the cover of the program we were handed.  Payton was so proud that she is starting to write a chapter book about missionaries, and what a better way to write than to ask Grandma, the Author, to help?

And this is what I walked into Sunday night...Elton Luke!

The Waterfall Headband Pony, it sounds more complicated than it really is.

Lucas loves to squat when picking up objects from the floor.  Yesterday, he was grabbing handfuls of popcorn and shoving it into his mouth.

When asked which jammies he wants to wear, Lucas says, monSTER, with total intonation at the end!

 

Heads Will Roll

Dance 'til you're dead...that's pretty much what we did last night!  Lucas was old enough to go Trick or Treating, and so we went to Shawn's work and everyone was loaded with candy.  I went thinking only like 3 people would have candy, so i just got this little felt bag at Target for $1.  Needless to say, by the end, we were overflowing!  It was a lot of fun though.  Lucas loved it at first.  Putting the candy in the bag, eating the candy, saying the word, candy.

We then headed over to the in-laws for soup, rolls, cake, pumpkin pie and ice cream!  Party time!  We got to see all the cousins, all the trick or treaters that kept trying to ring the broken doorbell, and had some laughs.

Cruella De Vil and Dalmatian puppy.

Olivia, The Little Mermaid, so CUTE!!!

Cooper, Thing 1, and Lucas.  I love Cooper's blue hair!

Sadie..no one last night knew what the name of this CareBear is, do you?

This is my attempt to channel Cruella's evil eye.

Sea Wolf

The other night we ventured Downtown to see Sea Wolf.  They are like under the underground.  There weren't many people there, and maybe because it was a Monday night, and it didn't even start  until like 10pm, but that was just the opening band.  Who I actually was kind of into.  Their band name is Hey Marseilles, they have 7 people in the band and they are Mumford and Sons-esque.  Plus, they have an accordion! 

Sea Wolf finally came on stage at like 11:30.  They were amazing!  It was totally worth the 1:30am bedtime.  I love concerts and can't wait for the next one (whatever that may be).  Unfortunately, we left our phone in the car, so there are no pictures to document.  Luckily, YouTube exists!

 

WitchCraft

It has been another successful weekend at the Hancock house!  By the time Payton came over, Lucas was napping, so we couldn't really start the festivities until pretty much after dinner.  So, we watched My Neighbor Totoro and painted Payton's nails.  This week we did jack o' lanterns on her thumbs and big toes, and then the rest we did spider webs.  It's a little tricky to do designs on such little nails, but we manage to make it work.  I am thinking about investing in polish pens, it would make my life a little easier.

After dinner we ended up going to the WitchFest at Gardener Village.  I have never seen so many witches in my life!  Cackling, shopping, dancing and dining.  They were all over the place!  Payton wanted to do face painting, and then we wandered around and did some dancing and shopping ourselves.

Yesterday we decided it was time to carve pumpkins.  I mean, there are only a few days left until Halloween, right?  We pulled out the guts and drew a couple of typical patterns to follow, but Payton felt the need to do something complex.  She did have the largest pumpkin, so why not?  It's a kitty and turned out totally awesome!

After much contemplation I decided to cut off Lucas' mullet...It made me a little teary, but it was getting to the point where it was a little ridiculous.  Shawn wanted me to do like a modern rat tail thing,  which I'm not totally against, but I just did a shape up.  He was moving way too much to do anything more than that.  I might do it in stages?

Beware...the Witches...

Pretty Butterfly

I couldn't help but capture this moment.

Dancing in the Moonlight

my hot sexy shawn

Princess Lea style, but not really...

Lucas' Pumpkin is winking!  And isn't Payton's (cat pumpkin) so freaking cute!?

Lucas, his puffy coat, and his mullet.

First Haircut...yes, I am a professional :)

Pink Grapefruit and Gum Drops

This last week we were lucky enough to have Payton for a couple extra days (thank you Vegas).  She came over Saturday and brought her Zombie Cheerleader costume.  We got all grotesquely dolled up, and then headed to the Halloween Hoot at Tracey Aviary.  It was a rather warm day and they sent us on a scavenger hunt.  There were trick o' treating stations, lots of cool and creepy looking birds.  I felt like I was in the nightmare of a daydream.  We watched a bird show, Payton got to feed an emu, and the owls were probably my favorites!  Later that night we made mummy face pizzas and spider cookies.

Payton lost her first tooth!  She has teeny tiny teeth, and it came out while she was eating potatoes.  Which may or may not be a weird combo, but she was so excited.  I heard about it for 3 days.  So of course, the tooth fairy came, and I told her that we could go to the Disney Store to spend her money.  We went, and surprisingly she couldn't find anything that she wanted.  I was like, but what about all these princesses?  Na...she wanted a new Lalaloopsy.  We ventured to Target and found Sugar Fruit Drops.  She's super cute and made entirely of gum drops.  Plus, she loves pink grapefruit....two of my loves!

And of course, we had the perfect opportunity to visit Mrs. Yancey at Challenger School.  Oh how I miss that place.  Mrs. Yancey has moved to first grade, so if Payton would have gone there, she would have had her 3 years in a row!  Mr. Jordan...he told us how much he missed our little family, mostly Shawn ;).

Yesterday morning I took Payton to school, and last night Shawn had school, so it was super quiet at our house...well, Lucas kept screaming, so it wasn't that quiet.  He missed sissy.  He loves her, she loves him.  He mostly follows her around like a little puppy dog and she makes him laugh.  They are really cute together!

She has her Zombie look down!

My cute little Dalmatian.

Is it just me, or do those creepy bird looking things in the background look like the creepy creatures in "The Village"?

 

 

Spider Cookies!

 

In my last post I mentioned I would take more pics of Payton's hair and I have been failing...but at least I captured this messy zig-zag frenchie!

Bed Time!