Let It Snow

Today, we had our first snowfall of the winter season. Granted, it only slightly covered the ground and didn't require any work on our part...ie..shoveling the driveway, but it was still snow! Not enough for Kyle to play in, but it was really pretty while it was coming down.

We did venture out in the "blizzard" to buy Kyle a snowsuit and snow boots. John was totally convinced he could use the same suit and boots from last year. I really didn't think it was possible, but I just wanted to humor him. We tried on his suit from last year and I really wish I had taken a picture of Kyle. It was truely a funny sight...the snowsuit was so small and the pants were so short. We didn't bother trying on his shoes knowing they were two sizes too small. It is amazing how expensive snow suits are given the fact he will only wear it a handful of times! Now that Kyle is totally prepared for the first true "blizzard" of the season....bring on the snow!

Holiday Festivities

This evening we went to a Christmas Tree lighting and the arrival of Santa. After the lighting of the tree, Santa was escorted to the festivities on a fire truck. How exciting for all the children...especially Kyle! He had the opportunity to meet and visit with Santa. Kyle wanted to make sure he knew what a good boy he has been this year...LOL! There was a band playing Christmas music and Kyle had a blast showing off his dance moves!

Our weekend festivities have really put us in the holiday spirit. We have a few more outings planned in the next couple of weeks so we are looking forward to more Holiday Happenings in the near future.

Waiting for the tree lighting.

Watching Santa arriving on the fire truck

Kyle spending time with Santa

Santa is saying "Kyle, you want WHAT for Christmas?" LOL

Christmas Traditions Festival

Typically, today is the day we begin decorating for Christmas. Since, we completed our decor earlier this week, we were able to go out and have a little holiday fun. This morning we went to Main Street in St. Charles, MO. for the Christmas Traditions Festival. The festival includes the arrival of Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus, different Santas from around the world, and other fun festive characters. After the introduction, Kyle was able to go around to meet all the characters and receive a card with their picture and description of who they are and where they are from. A few that he was able to meet were....Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, Pere Noel from France, Civil War Santa, Julenisse from the Scandinavian countries, Frontier Santa, Serenity (The Christmas Angel), Mother Goose, Ebenezer Scrooge, Mishka and Mikko (Santa's Elves), The Sugar Plum Fairy, and the Nutcracker Prince.

If you are in the STL area this is such a cute, family friendly holiday outing. For more information check out the link above. You can also get some great Christmas shopping done on Main Street in the many shops located in the area. Below are a few pictures from our morning.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Wishing everyone a Very Happy Thanksgiving!

Enjoy your time with family and friends!

Wordless Wednesday

Our Little Engineer Our Little Truck Driver

Pre-Lit Trees

This is the sixth year having our pre-lit Christmas tree. Unfortunately, since the very first year we have had major problems with the lights on the tree not working. Each year we have to add lights to the tree since there are always pre-lit lights burned out. We always say this is the last year to use the tree, but we LOVE the tree once it is completely decorated...it looks beautiful! (Pictures to come later.)

Just curious what type of Christmas tree you put up...live tree, artificial pre-lit tree or artificial tree with lights you put on yourself? Once Kyle is several years older I really would like to take a family outing to cut down our own tree...I think this would be such a fun and festive holiday outing.

Holiday Decor

Well, I didn't succeed in posting everyday for the month of November! We have been so very busy this weekend and I haven't had much computer time. Today, the weather was perfect so we put our outdoor Christmas decorations up. The front of our house looks BEAUTIFUL and extremely festive! I'm going to try my hardest to wait until The Christmas Tour of Homes to post pictures, but probably won't be able to hold out that long! Tomorrow we will put up our Christmas trees...yes, we are putting up two trees this year! My goal is to have the indoor decor complete by Tuesday evening. It will be nice to have everything complete so we can relax the weekend after Thanksgiving.

We did purchase our turkey and all the fixings today and I'm really looking forward to our Thanksgiving dinner. The turkey and the cranberry sauce are my two absolute favorites. What are your favorite dishes for Thanksgiving dinner?

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Tis The Season

Every year, John climbs on the roof of our house to put up Christmas lights and a wreath on our house. Each year, I'm afraid that he is going to slide off the roof and break every bone in his entire body. I'm happy to say...Not this year! This year, we decided to have a company put up some of our Christmas decor. Two weeks ago, they put the lights along our roof line, lights in the two trees in front of our house, and two lighted wreaths. If anything goes wrong with their decorations they will come out to fix the problem. One of the bows on the wreath is crooked from the wind so I will be calling them to fix the bow as well as a light bulb which is burned out. The remainder of the decorations we will put up ourselves, but it will be much more enjoyable this year knowing that John won't be climbing on the roof!

I'm so anxious to start decorating and turn on the lights! One of my favorite things to do this time of year is to drive around and look at Christmas lights. This will definitely be an annual tradition we will do with Kyle throughout the years.

Home Improvements

We have completed numerous home improvement projects since we moved into our home almost five years ago. A few things we have done: new flooring, new carpet, finishing the basement, painting, new front door, new fence, landscaping, new roof etc. We have taken a break from home projects, but are quickly getting back into the swing. The contractor, who has done a lot of our work, came over last night so we could discuss our next projects we would like to accomplish.

Our first priority is too get Kyle's new "big boy" room complete. We are moving him into a bigger bedroom and will have the room painted, a chair rail put up, new flooring installed, a ceiling fan installed and black out shades on the windows. We are having Kyle's current room, which will be our guest room, painted as well. In the spring we are hoping to have our deck restained and some boards replaced. We also have a hot tub in our back yard which we have used only a handful of times...within the first six months we lived in the house. We are going to have the hot tub removed so we can have some extra play space for Kyle during the spring and summer months.

Another huge project we would LOVE to complete is to remodel our kitchen. Unfortunately, our dream kitchen would require us to win the lottery, which is impossible since we seldom purchase tickets. We can continue to dream about it though! I will be sure to post pictures as we complete our projects in the coming months.

Teacher Gifts

I wanted to share the Christmas gifts I purchased for Kyle's preschool teacher, two assistants, and three therapists. I'm very happy with my finds. The gifts are simple and festive, yet practical and nice. Each will receive a holiday ornament filled with chocholate truffles and a holiday scented candle. I was a little particular and had to mix and match the colors of the ornament with the opposite color candle. The gifts will be placed in adorable holiday gift bags along with one of our holiday cards.

What gifts will you purchase for a teacher?

Bloggy Baby Shower

A fellow blogger, Kelly, is expecting a baby girl in January. A bloggy baby shower is being hosted on her behalf today, so I just wanted to send a few words to Kelly and Scott. They had been hoping and praying to be blessed with a little baby and their hopes and prayers have been answered!

Kelly,

Congratulations on the upcoming arrival of your sweet baby girl, Harper! You have so many fun, happy memories and milestones to look forward to as you watch little Harper grow. Try to journal each little milestone through pictures, a journal, or scrapbook. Enjoy each and every moment with your sweet bundle of joy! One last piece of advice...don't sweat the small stuff....I sometimes did and looking back wish I hadn't stressed so much!

Once again, congratulations and I look forward to reading more of your journey as the days and weeks continue!

Take Care, Lindsey

Sunday Snip Its

Well, I'm to the half way point of National Blog Posting Month. It really is quite a challenge to find blog-worthy subjects to post about each day! So, how does everyone think I'm doing?

Today, Kyle got a haircut so there is a picture below with his new "do". We really prefer his hair short...he looks too cute! Today, we also bought Christmas gifts for Kyle's preschool teacher, two assistants, and his three therapists. Soon, I will take some pictures of the gifts and post for all to see. Since, we have such very small families our Christmas list isn't very long, which takes some of the stress out of the holidays.

Has anyone started their holiday shopping? Only 39 days until Christmas!!

Christmas Crafts

As I've mentioned in the past, I LOVE craft fairs. We have been to several the past few weekends and have found really adorable Christmas decorations. We really enjoy decorating our house for Christmas and craft fairs are a great place to find really unique decorations. I'm getting anxious to put our decorations up, but still need to wait a little bit longer. We usually wait until the weekend after Thanksgiving, but if we have a nice weather day before then we may decorate a little early this year...at least on the outside. I will definitely be posting pictures once everything is in place.

I did want to share a few of our "Christmas Crafts" we have recently found at the craft fairs. Enjoy!

The cute snowmen will be displayed outside

Nutcrackers are one of my favorites...I fell in love with this display A monogrammd candy cane welcome pole

Prematurity Awareness Day

November 12th was Prematurity Awareness Day

This is a subject very near and dear to our hearts. As many of you know, Kyle was a micro-preemie. He was born at just 25 weeks, weighing 1 lb. 10 ozs., and a mere 12 inches long at birth. He was such a little fighter and he never gave up. Looking back at it now it was all quite scary. Kyle has come such a long way in his three plus years and he is doing great! Everyday we read stories of other preemies having long term heath issues and serious daily struggles. We are so thankful knowing things could have been much much worse for us.

We ask that you please take a minute to visit the March of Dimes site to see the Premature Birth Report Card and to sign the Petition for Preemies . Help spread the word about this tragic epidemic. You can also read the MSN article on this subject.

Thank you for your time; we thank you, Kyle thanks you, and the families of preemies around the country thank you.

The Spences

Fun and Entertaining, Yet Educational

Since Kyle came along I have had a toy buying addiction. I must admit, it has gotten much better. These days, I am much more focused on educational toys and games. Especially, ones that will assist Kyle with his speech and language skills. I have listed several items below that are some of Kyle's favorites. As with most children, Kyle goes in spurts with what types of games or toys he enjoys. At the moment (when he's not playing with his train table) he loves flash cards. We use these as a "therapy" game to assist him with saying words, sounds, animal noises, etc. These are items he will certainly grow into as well, since they serve many learning purposes such as counting, memory games, and sorting. These cards and games, by DK, I purchased at TJ Maxx and Marshall's. These two stores have an excellent selection of books, toys, and games. Just a little hint if you are looking for some Christmas gifts for your little ones!

If you have children, what are some of their favorite fun, yet educational toys or games?

We Made The Newspaper

Our local county newspaper, The Journal, posts pictures each week to show where the paper has traveled. On our recent family vacation to Gatlinburg, TN./The Great Smoky Mountains we brought The Journal along. We took the above picture on the ski lift at Ober Gatlinburg, an amusement park and ski resort. A few weeks ago I sent the picture in for publication. We were excited to receive the paper this morning and found our picture was published front and center!

New Dinner Favorite

Do you LOVE pasta? Do you LOVE easy to prepare meals? Do you LOVE Romano's Macaroni Grill? Then, this post is for you!

On a recent trip to the grocery store I discovered these Macaroni Grill meals to prepare at home. Chicken is the only extra ingredient you will need to prepare the meal. There are several varieties available...are super easy to prepare and ready in approximately twenty minutes. Tonight we had the Garlic & Herb Chicken Penne. Since my discovery, I always have one on hand, as well as chicken, if I'm in a pinch to find a meal. For further information click the Macaroni Grill link above.

Bon Appetit!

Recess Guidelines

Recently we received a notice from Kyle's preschool outlining the recess guidelines during the winter months. For some reason, I was a bit shocked when I read the guidelines. Kyle loves to be outside so this won't phase him, plus he will be bundled up with a heavy coat, hat, and mittens. At least he will get some fresh air these four mornings per week since I probably won't be taking him outside to play. Being from the south, I am not a huge fan of the STL winters and tend to hibernate indoors.

• 32-90 degrees - Go outside for normal time of 20 minutes.
• 20-32 degrees - Go outside for 10 minutes.
• Below 20 degrees - Stay inside.

If your children are in school...do they have guidelines for going out in the cold temperatures? If so, what are they?

Ahead Of The Game

What a great feeling!! We took Kyle to Kiddie Kandids this morning to have his holiday photos taken. The pictures are absolutely ADORABLE!! I'm afraid we may have a "mini model" on our hands. (Well, I may be a bit biased!) He was so well behaved during the photo session. The photographer had him pose in "big boy" positions and he followed directions perfectly. John and I were amazed that it was actually our son smiling AND looking at the camera. Since the pictures are so good we had our Christmas cards printed...talk about cute!! I will hold everyone in suspense to see the actual pictures, but I will be posting them in the next several weeks! Now I can begin working on addressing the envelopes for the Christmas cards and then I will truly feel ahead of the game!

If you are looking for a great children's photo studio, I highly recommend Kiddie Kandids. We have been to several studios the past several years and Kiddie Kandids is by far the best! It is a much more laid back atmosphere and much less stressful...plus you get the pictures the same day!

The Greatest Show On Earth!

This morning we took Kyle to The Greatest Show on Earth...The Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus! We had fantastic seats...six rows from the center ring action. There certainly was plenty to keep Kyle's attention, although it was a bit difficult at times. We saw elephants, zebras, horses, tigers, adorable little dogs wearing tutu's and dresses, trapeze artists, and clowns, clowns, and more clowns!

We went with some friends, so Kyle was able to watch with his friend. They seemed to have a great time! Kyle's favorites were the elephants and the clowns. Who knows, he may want to be a circus performer when he grows up. Enjoy our pictures from the day at the circus!

Kyle totally enthralled with the circus!

One of the many tigers...the tiger doesn't look very happy

The adorable dog act...maybe one day Chloe can join the circus! This picture was taken from our seats...we had a great view! Kyle's favorite...the elephants

Fall Comes To Our Neck of the Woods

Fall is such a beautiful time of year. I love the weather, temperatures, and the pretty colors provided by the trees. These photos were captured this past weekend as we were enjoying the weather. Unfortunately, the weather is turning in the opposite direction, as it is rather chilly in STL. I'm so glad I have these pictures to look back on and wish for those beautiful days to return...one can only hope!

Our neighborhood has a large lake with a walking trail where these photos were taken. I have included one picture of the two trees in front of our house at their peak with the leaves changing.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend. We are taking Kyle to the circus tomorrow so I will be back to share all the excitement from our family outing.

Front of our house during the fall season

View of the lake in our neighborhood

Walking trail by the lake

Is It Already That Time?

The day after Halloween, November 1st, we went to a craft fair at a local high school. This is one of my favorite outings to do this time of year and I drag John and Kyle along. Well, lo and behold, guess who made an appearance...you guessed it...Santa Claus! The Halloween costume hasn't even been put away and we have moved on! Kyle was excited to see Santa and to sit on his lap. The picture isn't the highest quality, plus it had to be scanned into the computer, but it was a cute picture of Kyle so of course I had to share.

A Boy and His Dog

Kyle loves his dog, Chloe, very much! It has taken a long time for Chloe to warm up to Kyle, but within the past several months they have become "friends". Kyle has learned how to pet "gentle", but still thinks it's hilarious to pull her ears, tail, and legs. Chloe isn't a huge fan of this type of torture, so she has to voice her displeasure. Their favorite game to play together is chase. Chloe especially enjoys the chase game if Kyle has food in his hand... it is quite comical to witness.

As we were heading out on a family walk a few days ago, Kyle was so proud to have the honor of walking Chloe and holding her leash. Granted, it was for a brief period of time, but Kyle didn't know the difference. Below are a few pictures to capture the special bond between Kyle and Chloe! Enjoy the pictures!