she's crafty

My crafting inspiration this season has been Ben's room and creating some fun holiday decor that is still tasteful and that he might like for several years.  I started with some Land of Nod inspiration and ran with it.  I loved these rings at first sight as they remind me of uber-preppy ties and men's wear.

Here they are above Ben's bed....

I also loved this tree garland and it's simplicity but knew after splurging a bit on the above garland that I could make the tree garland myself.

In the end, I liked mine even more than theirs.....

 

Finally, I wanted a small, kid-friendly tree that he could use for a few years that wouldn't take up much space.  I found this inspiration on Pinterest...

 

and came up with these............

  

 

 It's hard to find cute, modern, young boy-friendly fabric.  Ryan surprised me one morning with the stands shortly after I had showed me my inspiration pics and he had been in the shop working on something else.  I tell you what, he's a keeper!

I will keep my eyes open for fabric throughout the year as all three took less than 15 minutes to cut and sew and I'd happily make more if I found the right fabric.

So far Ben has really enjoyed all the "Christmas" in his room and is much more in tune with many of the meanings of the season this year than last.  I hope he looks forward to pulling this decor out in the years to come and that someday they have meaning for him like so many decorations from our childhoods do for me and Ryan.

Christmas came early!!

That's right! Yesterday I got a gift that wasn't even on my list because I thought it was impossible to possess and pow! it hit me and now Christmas can be done.  For months, or maybe years, but certainly since his switch to his current school, we have wondered about what Ben would do his 5th year as we want to start him in Kindergarten right when he turns 6 because his birthday is so early.  Well, it was obviously easy for Ryan not to think about this as it was after-all, years away.  Just after I mentioned to Ryan that I thought about this for hours everyday and that it kept me awake at night, I got the answer I'd been told would not happen.  Our plan was just to send Ben to a private 4 year old preschool class that year but then he'd return to his current school as it houses our elementary school's kindergarten.  I knew he'd survive it just fine but hated that he'd have to leave this place he loves and then come back again. As parents we all want what's best for our kids and usually what's easiest for them to facilitate successful learning.  I had been told each Denver kiddo only got two years in preschool as every kid receives some state funding to attend.  
After speaking to the head of special ed yesterday (Ben's speech therapist's boss,) I found out it's very likely he can stay at the school that 5th year for lots of reasons and we put a plan in place to foster challenges and growth in the next couple of years that all puts Ben's needs ahead of numbers and red-tape and money. I hadn't previously talked to the right people and all the answers I had gotten made me terribly frustrated because none of them seemed to put the needs of the kiddos first.   Our current solution does just that while being flexible and leaving the most options open for Ben.
Additionally I found out he will have a really wonderful teacher next year who I've gotten to see in action this year and who people around the school refer to as "the kid whisperer!"

So, that's that! Nothing makes a mama's heart more warm and full than knowing her kiddo's needs will be met in the best way.  I've been on cloud nine for nearly 24 hours and I will certainly be sleeping better for the next couple of years!! ;)

Disney on Ice

Yesterday Ryan took the day off to join Ben and I on his first school field trip to Disney on Ice.   Yes, they're apparently doing things differently these days. We had amazing seats at a great discount through the school and were even allowed to pack a lunch.  We had guessed the show would be about 1.5 hours but the intermission was nearly an hour in.  The only character Ben was at all familiar with was Mickey who acted as a host for the other acts.  Ben then asked when Mickey would come back through most of the other parts.  The first part was Little Mermaid themed and quite amazing and the second was Rapunzel whose recent movie was I think called something else.  Anyway, Rapunzel was a little less action packed and though Ben might have likely hung on, we departed at intermission.  It was just constant putting him back in his chair and attempting to keep him busy with his lunch.  Ryan and I had had enough as well. We felt we had gotten our money's worth and were ok heading to Ikea where Ben had also begged to go many times throughout the show.  Ryan and I were both really shocked by the amazing skills of the skaters and overall professionalism of the show.  I think Ben's school does this every year so we just need to indoctrinate him with all things Disney in the next year and he might care a little more next time!

We used the rest of Ryan's day off to get some Christmas shopping done and in proof of Christmas Miracles, Ben slept in the stroller for nearly our entire many-houred Ikea trip.  The little prince has a head cold and had been up early so we weren't surprised.  His willingness to go to bed on time was surprising and a sure sign that he's fighting that cold. 

We soaked up every extra minute with Daddy and Basil Doc's pizza,  home-made cookies, and snuggles on the couch were the perfect end to a great day.

thankful

I made two batches of Aunt Mae's wild rice casserole this year. 

One to share and one to keep!

As usual, we have SO much to be thankful for and I was thankful this year to set aside the constant nagging of wanting to capture every moment with a photo.  I think the fact that editing photos topped my to-do list for several weeks going into the holiday season left me, for lack of a better term, "over it!"
I skipped the Turkey Trot this year to join Ryan and Ben at the annual Pigskin classic.  Ben was NOT happy to not be allowed to join the men in their tackle football and made wrangling him less than fun.  In true 3-yr-old fashion, he didn't want anything to do with the field or playing during breaks and half-time when it was his turn.  In those moments he was happy to sit on the sideline and eat oranges.  Needless to say, I'll be trotting again next year. 

The last man to arrive wears the dress and this year for the first time, it was Ryan.

Ben had some fun with Turner and Hailey at a nearby playground

We left football and headed to MeeMee's around noon for snacks and a bloody mary bar fit for kings.
This year Tante's co-worker, Kelly joined us and Ben quickly warmed to her and was happy for the new face and willing playmate. 
Dinner was standardly delicious and a snuggly viewing of The Blind Side ended the day perfectly.
With two families and double-blessings, we got to enjoy another delicious meal the next day with Nana and Papa and cousin Christopher.  We took Papa to Costco for our only Black Friday shopping, a TV mount.

We measured Ben at Nana and Papa's that day and discovered everyone's constant talk of his growth was quite accurate.  3/4ths of an inch in 19 days!!

 

That night was Cole Lineberry's taco bar birthday party.  A taco bar the day after Thanksgiving was nothing short of brilliant and proof that wisdom comes with age. 
Saturday was filled with outdoor decorating and some Small Business Saturday online shopping.

Sunday included the icing on the cake that was a wonderful looooong weekend.  Thanks to friend Wyatt's third birthday celebration, Ben had his first trip to ........drum-roll please............"CHUCKIE CHEEVIES!!!!!"  He must have seen a commercial or two beforehand from PBS kids because he was instantly excited when we mentioned the name and wanted to go NOW!
He favorite part was definitely the creepy robotic singing Chuckie and anytime the music started, he would stop playing and run to watch.  He was also very into a tall climber tube and slide and the basketball games.  He has asked to go back multiple times everyday since.  I'm not sure there's one close to our house but it is a brilliant idea for some cheap indoor energy burning as most of his favorites were free.

The Broncos pulled out a very close and slim victory to end our busy holiday weekend and we were mighty thankful for that, too! That and watching on our new TV thanks to an early Christmas gift from Papa Ken and a holiday bonus.  Our old TV was nearing the end and we were thankful to replace it while hot deals were abound.

***

The many blessings bestowed upon our family regularly are not lost on this mama.  I try to live very gratefully and aware of all that we have on a regular basis but I also love the holiday that hopefully allows most people to feel grateful on a deeper level and really contemplate all their blessings.  Ben's class did a lesson on the book Stone Soup to honor the holiday and learned about the miracles that happen when we come together and pool resources.  It's a lesson we'd all do well to take into the world with us and one that reminds me how lucky we are to have friendly and kind neighbors and wonderful families and friends that work together to make good gatherings great ones. 
It's cliche to say, but I'm very thankful for all who read this blog and share in the great times with our family.  And I promise next year on Thanksgiving I will take the camera out of the bag!