Christmas Eve Day

Yup, that's me. Makin' some squash casserole. You didn't know I could cook did you? Well, I make one heck of a squash masher. I think it's the best job Mommy has ever given me. And let's not leave out my sprinkle skills. That was my job for Jesus' birthday cake. I asked Mommy if Jesus would be there for His party. She said yes, He's always here. That's great. I just don't quite get that though. I mean, I can't see Him. But nonetheless I was thrilled to help make His birthday cake for Him. I even took a little taste. Grant wasn't too happy about that. He didn't help. No lick for him. Sorry Buddy.

Our New Swing Set!

Can you believe it? Grant and I got a new swingset! Well, it's new to us. Mr. Matthew's neighbor was going to throw this baby away. Thankfully, Mr. Matthew had us in mind and rescued it. It needs a few boards replaced and some staining (thankfully Daddy is in the staining business) and it will be good as new. Although, Grant and I could care less about that. This was an early Christmas surprise for us (and Mommy and Daddy). Thank you Mr. Matthew and Mr. Chris! We'll play on it all the time!

I'm a Big Girl

I'm a big girl. It's my new favorite phrase. So, imagine my delight when I could use it once again. Last week, Mommy took off my bedrail. That's right, I'm sleeping like a big girl. And, I've proven to Mommy that I'm just that. I haven't fallen out of my bed once! Mommy said this will help us keep my room looking neater now that we can make my bed. But, I haven't seen Mommy make my bed yet. Oh well.

Christmas in the 'Hood

Remember the Christmas tree Mommy and Hannah (and I give her minimal credit) did? Welp, this gingerbread house idea came from one of the toilet paper rolls. You know, the place where we pull the ideas out of? However, it didn't go as planned. Thankfully, I can take credit for participating to my fullest. Hannah cannot. She was more interested in eating the candy than decorating with it. Okay, so I enjoyed a little eating as well but at least I humored Mommy a bit and placed the candy onto the house before plucking it off to eat it. But, let's be honest. The whole house was a disaster. DISASTER. I'm realizing why Mommy never pursued a degree in architecture, or anything related to math of any sort. The poor house was falling apart even before we could add some bling to it. And folks, we're not talking about a structurally difficult house. We're talkin' gingerbread crackers. Mommy had to pull out her back up icing (again, couponing saved our day, thanks to free icing with a coupon). Hannah quickly lost interest. I did too. I just didn't show it. I added some candy to the ill-fated gingerbread house...for Mommy's sake. She needed some pictures. She needed this memory. And then, while she salvaged what she could, I ate off of what I could(distraction can work wonders for a sweet tooth like mine). In the end, we'd like to call our house the Ghetto Gingerbread House. And a new show: "Flip that Gingerbread House," will be coming to your homes next Christmas season. Our's will be the series premiere.

An Early Christmas in Birmingham

So, we've decided to bombard you with posts tonight. Mommy is eager to start posting pictures with her NEW CAMERA that Daddy surprised her with Christmas Eve! I have never seen Mommy so excited to receive a gift. But, we can't leave out these special pictures from the old camera. The weekend before Christmas we all headed over to Birmingham to celebrate with everyone. I'm always up for a trip to Birmingham. There's never a dull moment. Thankfully we arrived in Birmingham on a Friday night with no illnesses and having only experienced a minor amount of traffic. The weekend was filled with good food, fun presents, and most of all, many of my favorite people and some new ones! My great Aunt Deborah came, that's Papa's sister. She's great! So, here we go. I'll start you off with some good times opening presents. And, Grant, loving on Allie.

The Kids' Table

I'm proud to say I'm an official member of the kids' table. Grant didn't make it this year. Probably because of his maniac-ness behavior often occuring while dining (maybe next year buddy). Therefore, he sat really close to Mommy in a high chair. For a minute. However, Allie, Kyle, and I enjoyed a delicious meal made by Grandma at the kids' table. Our top food pick of the year: pink salad. Mmmmmm.

Lovin' Our Papa

I had a great Christmas at Grandma's and Papa's. Though I still didn't totally get the whole gift thing...it was a lot of fun! Grant really enjoyed his time as well. These next few posts he'll share about his time at Grandma's and Papa's. Of course he and I both loved our Papa time and of course, our Grandma time. Grandma, you're always working so hard to make everything perfect that we don't get enough pictures with you. But we love you and thank you for making our Christmas in Birmingham special. Take it away Grant....

A Little "Brookie" Time

Brooke and I just chilled some together at Grandma's house. Now that I'm not the youngest grandchild anymore, I feel I have a lot to offer this young grasshopper. Like, how to fashionably wear a headband. I make it look good.

My True Colors

It seems lately I'm a bit more emotional. Maybe it's the time of year. Maybe it's my age. Or, maybe, it's my true colors. This picture tells it all. It's not something I'm too proud of. You see, I can be so calm, cool, and collected. I was just "peeking" out of the blinds here, however, according to Mommy, I was on the verge of breaking them. Therefore, the stern words, "No Grant," came out of Mommy's mouth. And you see, I don't do too well with those words. Let's just say, I lose it when I hear those words. It's like someone telling me I'll never eat another chicken nugget again. So, I fall apart. I fall to the ground (quite dramatically I must say, perhaps I'll make a good thesbian...or not...my dad would kill me...you gotta know my dad) and scream. And, this is when I pull out my signature move. If hardwood is available, and here it was, I scoot all over the floor on my back while screaming at the top of my lungs. I'm known to bring quite the attention to myself. Again, I'm not proud of this. I think this will be the point where Mommy explains to me why I need Jesus. I've heard her talk to Hannah about that. And, if any of my actions would signal my need for Jesus, this my friends, would be it.

Quality Time

I spent some quality time with Aunt Ash, but I still had my eye on those presents that were ever so tempting under the tree. Ash and I bonded last weekend. She's my number two pick to go to when Papa isn't around. Don't worry, Grandma. You're also my number two pick. I just wanted to give Ashley some lovin'. Don't take it personal.

Helping Papa

I helped Papa do some serious business on his special phone. I showed him a few tricks. My street name is Techie.

"Hand Band"

Do I look like a big girl? It's the "hand band." Trust me. Last week at Publix Mommy bought me a pack because, you guessed it, she had a coupon. Well, I was blown away by this gift. Here's how it went down:

Mommy as she handed me these beauties: Hannah, do you want some head bands?

Me: Oh, Mommy, yes! Thank you so much! I love them (with lots of hugs).

A few aisles later,

Me: Oh Mommy, thank you thank you! I love you (and more hugs)!

And a few aisles later,

Me: Mommy, can we go buy them? Thank you!

I think Mommy was surprised at how much I loved my new "hand bands." It's all I could think about. I truly was grateful for this gift. In fact, I showed more gratitude for my "hand bands" than I have for anything else. Hair accessories are crucial to style. And these are some awesome hair accessories. I mean, just look at me. Already, I look older and more mature because of them. Those are some powerful hair accessories if you ask me. Thanks again Mommy for these treasures!

What?

I don't know what the big deal is. I'm messy. It's fun. Can't a boy have a little fun? I know I gross Grandma and Aunt Ashley out pretty badly by my poor manners. Sorry. I'm sure it is disgusting from the other viewpoint. But seriously, what's the big deal? So I look like the loser in a food fight after I finish. And I change my clothes a few times a day. I'm not ashamed.

Get Your Praise On!

Thanks to Mrs. Mary, we've been able to get our praise on lately. It's like our own revival up in here. Grant and I have been known to "get jiggy with it" and this song allows us to do just that. And now, we have a trio. Yes, Ada has joined our revival. She contributes some special moves. It definitely adds to the production. And, we've also added some special flair. Ada is sporting Mommy's tutu from long ago. Mommy adjusted it to have suspenders. This allows it to stay up on little Ada. And me, well, you know what I'm wearing. It's my beloved pink ballerina dress. As for Grant, well, poor guy, he's got quite a cramp in his style. And, it's not his lack of flair I'm talking about. No, you guessed it, it's his hair. I'd like to let everyone know as of last night, he has a nice clean cut. Even Mommy was embarrassed by his out of control locks that she forced him to wear a hat when we went out in public. Luckily, Grant hadn't a clue. But enough of fashion talk. Let's get back to these awesome moves.

Mrs. Tutti, this larger font is for you. And for all those out there who've been squinting to read the blog. Hope this gives years back to your eyesight loss that may have occurred due to excessive squinting and straining.

My Snowman

So, we told you about our Advent Tree. It's been a lot of fun. One day Mommy and I made this snowman ornament. Unfortunately, it hasn't survived our eager hands. He is still waiting for Mommy to fix him back up. But, let's be honest, we all know it's Grant who messed him up. I mean, come on, do you think I, the most loving child in the world, would try to pull his body apart? If anyone has been around me at all in the past month you would KNOW I am more tender hearted than cruel. The words that most often come out of my mouth these days are, "I love you (fill in the blank)," and "(fill in the blank) you're my best fwiend." Or, if you happen to be Mommy, "Mommy, you're my best fwend, eveaw." Somehow though, I am discovering I may use these phrases too often because they seem to have lost their "wow" factor. But, all that to say, do you really think a gal like that who has expressed those words to snowman, would pull his body apart. I don't think so.

Thanksgiving Day

We know this is a bit late. However, we wanted at least one picture to document our Thanksgiving Day. And what a day it was. Mommy, Daddy, Grant, and I drove over to Birmingham on Thanksgiving. Grant was sick. It was a replay of last year's Christmas trip to Birmingham. Poor guy was miserable. Bad cough. Low grade fever. Runny/Stuffy nose. But, we perservered. I'm not sure Grant was too thankful that day. But, I was! I got to see my Grandma and Papa, my aunt Ashley, Maggie, and ALL the Sandersons. Here we all are "togedder." Though we didn't get much sleep thanks to an old, loud humidifier, a crying Grant, and a sensitive me we had a great time. The trip ended of course with me going home sick...fever, cough, runny nose. It was inevitable. I mean, Grant, Mommy, and I all slept in the same bed. Not because we had to, but because we wanted to and needed to (I'm speaking for Grant and myself...NOT Mommy...I think if she had it her way she'd be sleeping kid free). Daddy got the best end of the deal. He had to go back home Thanksgiving Day because he had to work. I'm sure he got the best sleep ever. We're just crossing our fingers that our trip to Birmingham next weekend will be sickness free. PLEASE. LET. IT. BE.

Mommy's Moment: My Newest Swagbucks Endeavor

Well, most of you saw on the blog awhile ago that I got almost all of Hannah's and Grant's Christmas for FREE because of wonderful Swagbucks. So, what's my latest Swagbucks endeavor? Well, I was storing up enough bucks to get Grant's birthday for free. This isn't until May. And, thanks to my adventurous sisters who braved the Black Friday madness at 12 am, I got the starter kit for GeoTrax for $14. So, hopefully by May I will be able to get a little something else to add to his beginning GeoTrax collection.

I had $10 in my Amazon account thanks to Swagbucks. Then, I saw a GREAT deal on my favorite blog, http://www.moneysavingmethods.com/. The two items listed above were on sale for $4.99 each. They are regularly $20 and since this morning have already returned to that price. I like to follow the blogger's advise from the above website and make purchases at a 75% discount. So, I snagged these two items for $9.98 which technically was free because of my $10 credit. I also had free shipping thanks to my free trial of Amazon Prime. I will miss you Amazon Prime. The animal one I will save as a gift for Hannah maybe for Valentine's Day. She's my animal lover and will love this gift! The other I will keep on hand as a birthday gift for a friend or family member.

My account should be replenished soon with $10 more and hopefully I can make a steady climb to around $40 to get one more piece to add to Grant's birthday gift.

So, have you joined Swagbucks? It's so great. Anyone who's followed this blog for a bit of time knows how much I've gotten just for searching the web. I've probably made close to $250. All you do is use them as your search engine. Every few searches you make, you earn Swagbucks. You trade these babies in for great prizes. Mine, of course, is the $5 Amazon gift card. It goes for 45 Swagbucks. The way you can earn more is when you get people to sign up under you. Then, you earn their Swagbucks too...up to 100. Thanks to all my friends who've signed up under me. It's been a tremendous help! If you want to join, click on my link below and start savin' up!

Oh, and did you hear about the $.50 Mr. Potato Heads? If you go to coupons.com and print out the $2 off coupon for Mr. Potato Head and then grab a sales flyer from the Dollar General that has Mr. Potato Head on sale for $2.50 and take the coupon (not taken by The Dollar General) and the sales flyer to Walmart or Target (they price match) you'll get it for $.50! I grabbed two last night easily and only spent $1.35. I keep these in my gift closet to give as gifts for birthdays or Christmas gifts!

While Mommy's Away...

So, as a previous post stated, Hannah and I can get into a little trouble while Mommy is getting ready. Today, well, today was one of those days. Mommy continues to underestimate my abililties. You see, we had a special treat this morning, cinnamon roll pretzels. So, imagine my surprise when I noticed one lone pretzel still sitting on the cookie sheet on the stove after breakfast. So, what did I do? What any caring, sweet loving, HONGRY boy would do. I grabbed a chair. I scooted it to the stove. And, voila, I grabbed that pretzel and began to munch. Then, Hannah had to go and ruin it. There she ran, up the stairs to tell Mommy. "Mommy, Gwant's eating a pwetzel!" Of course, Mommy caught me red-handed. I froze. I waited. But, to my surprise all she said between chuckles (I am a funny guy aren't I) was, share with Hannah and go eat it in the kitchen. Sure thing!

But, it gets better. After Mommy returned to dry her hair. I refused to share with Hannah. So, what did she do (not one of her proudest moments I'm afraid). She took the FAKE candy cane that I had pulled off of an ornament days ago. And.she.ate.it. Yes folks, she bit the crook right off. Mommy took a picture to document it. Hannah proudly told Mommy she ate a candy cane. Mommy knows we don't have any candy canes. So after Hannah reminded Mommy of the candy cane I pulled off of the unfortunate snowman she raced downstairs to hope to be proven wrong. Sorry Mommy, I witnessed it with my own two wide eyes. I couldn't believe it myself. So, whose the crazy one? Hey, at least I ate something that is actually edible.

What can I say, while Mommy's away...Hannah and I will surely play....again.

Oh Christmas Tree....

Finally, Mommy brought back out the Christmas tree. I love the Christmas tree. I don't know why we can't leave it out all year long. After it was up and all lights working, we all joined in to decorate this baby. Being the caring, compassionate, sensitive gurl I am, I grouped all the ornaments Mommy gave me "togedder" so they could all be with their fwends. Grant did a great job handing me or Mommy the ornaments that Daddy handed to him. Other that that, Grant was no help at all. Boys. He did, however, find great delight in my duckie ornament. So much so, that Mommy had to eventually move him up high. But that didn't stop Grant from getting his hands on other ornaments. In fact, he enjoyed seeing if the glass balls bounced by taking them into the kitchen (hardwood floors) and dropping them. So, now, we're down two glass ball ornaments. And now, most of the glass ball ornaments have moved to the higher end of the Christmas tree to seek refuge from "The Giant (have I ever told you that Ellie and I refer to Grant as "The Giant")". Grant, I never had this issue. I always obeyed. But, to help him, I remind him often that we only touch the ornaments with one "fingaw." However, Mommy does remind me that I don't always follow this rule myself. Oh well.

New Friends

Well, since the house next to us is a rental, we've been known to get new neighbors quite frequently. We loved our old neighbors and thankfully "Mrs. Becca," as I call her is just down the road, so Mommy says. I'm so glad because I really like her. But I think these new neighbors will work out just fine too. My new friend, Chloe, is my my age too. She likes to dress up. I like to dress up. I think this is the start of something beautiful.

Mommy's Moment: Christmas Time!

Surprisingly, I am almost caught up on our blog. I'm still a week or so behind but I'm almost to where I'm posting pictures that accurately depict what's going on right now! Phew. Part of that has to do with the fact that I've totally slacked off taking pictures. However, I'm sure the Christmas season will motivate me to get back into the habit.

I'm excited about Christmas as the children are getting older. I feel like now that Hannah is out of the toddler stage and better able to understand things, we can begin to start some family traditions. One tradition I've carried on from my childhood is giving the kids ornaments each year. I love this tradition. Since I was little, my mom has always picked out an ornament for me and my sisters every Christmas. Now that I have my own tree, I get to put my ornaments from childhood onto our tree. Each one brings back memories. So, I began that with H and G. Then, one day when they decorate their own trees with their families they can say, "oh I remember this..." and a story unfolds. And, there first years of marriage or just having their own place...they don't have to look at a bare tree! Thanks Mom for this great tradition!

Also, I remember doing an Advent Calendar with my family when we were little. I loved opening up the doors to read about the story of the birth of Christ. I definitely wanted to carry this along into our family. I want my children to get excited about Christ's birth and what that means. My growing collection of Christmas materials does not yet include a nice advent calendar. But, I found a great and easy one to make in the Disney Family Fun magazine! I have it pictured above. It isn't the fanciest, but it works. I cut out 24 windows from magazines and a door and put them on my cardstock. Then you just cut slits to make the windows open. In each window I included a verse regarding Advent. I found these on the internet. Each night, we read the verses and then a little book about a bear traveling to Bethlehem to see baby Jesus.

Lastly, thanks to my friend who shared this great idea, I made an advent Christmas tree out of toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls. Hannah helped me glue the tissue paper on. That lasted oh, five minutes, before she was done with "that game." In each roll I have a slip of paper with something fun to do that day. There is also two pieces of candy. Hannah gets it now and asks each morning, "what are we going to do today?" That's fun. So far we've made an ornament (pictures to come), played a rousing game of alphabet bingo, watched Cars (sort of), decorated her room for Christmas (and Grant's), and today we will be sipping on some hot chocolate.

So, all that to say, it's fun to begin making traditions in our family. I would love to hear more ideas!! What do you do as a tradition in your family? What do you hope to start? As the years pass on, I know many traditions will change and some will stay. But it's fun to build anticipation and excitement in our hearts and our children's hearts as we join with those long ago who waited upon the birth of the Messiah!

Say "Cheesburger!"

Mommy needed some pictures of us. I can't say why. It's a secret. But she did. However, these did not make the cut. Thankfully, Mommy can consult with Uncle Tim for any photography advice. Had she not in this case, there would be disaster on our hands. Okay, so I'm being a bit dramatic (Mommy says I'm good at that). At least they make for a good blog post right? I mean, I'm sure everyone is on pins and needles each day wondering if we will add a new, enlightening post.

If you are looking for a superb photographer....you need to check out Uncle Tim's work. He's quite the photographer. So, if you're in the Atlanta area and need some awesome pictures taken...check him out. His link is on the left hand side of the blog. Hopefully Mommy and Daddy will get their acts together soon so we can get a few shots taken of us!

Leaves

Mommy, Grant (well, let's be real, Grant doesn't have much of a clue past a few words regarding what our conversations are about), and I have been talking about fall. On car rides you may hear me scream, "Look Mommy, the leaves are changing!" We also play I spy. I say, "Mommy I see somethin' red." Mommy says, "Is it the leaves on the trees?" Man she's good. She ALWAYS guesses the right answer: the leaves on the trees. We even collected some leaves, though I'm not sure what happened to them. I thought we were going to do a leaf activity. However, I never saw those leaves again. But, I did get to see these old, crunchy brown leaves. I raked and jumped in them. Okay, Mommy did the best of the raking. At my pace, we would have had a leaf pile big enough for a rabbit to jump in so Mommy took the reigns and created this pile. It was fun. I'll put that on my "to-do" list for next fall: rake and jump in the leaves.

Southern Living at Home Sale

Okay, so I'm going to take advantage of my blog for a moment to encourage you to buy Southern Living at Home. Sorry. It's just a great way to reach people. I promise I won't do it often!

Here's the deal:

It's the Winter Sale. Great Deals. Many things (for those of you who are bargain shoppers like myself) are discounted 75% off or more. I try to follow that rule of thumb when to purchasing something. With Christmas right around the corner, what a great way to stock up on some nice, cheap gifts.

So, check it out. Here's how:
Go to my website: www.southernlivingathome.com/jessicaharman

Click on Winter Sale (will be up shortly) to see all the items on sale or email me (harman.jessica@gmail.com) and I'll email it to you.

Do not purchase via the website. Email me with your order. This is because by doing that, I will take care of the $29.95 purchase so you don't have to in order to qualify for the sale items.

Hopefully this serves you as you Christmas shop and also try to save money at the same time!

Thanks!
Jess

Jess