"'Twas the night before Christmas,

when all through the house

Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,

In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there..."

We hope that Santa finds your house safe and sound, and that Our Father in Heaven finds your heart full of love for those around you. May we all 'Remember the Reason for the Season' (as they say)!

Merry Christmas!

#3 and sibling love

Well, as promised, here's the mini photo session from haircut #3! It's crazy. We pretty much cut Mason's hair monthly. Brooklyn's had one cut in her whole life. But then...I want her hair to be long. Anyway, here's my baby; turning into a little boy. Soon to be 11 months. The time has just flown!

Hobbit or human?
Two handsome guys!

Earlier that day, Brooklyn had a little sponge-curler-action. The curls are always VERY tight all day and then by bathtime they've relaxed enough to be cute. Unfortunately, it's impossible to comb through, so I have to wash it that night. Thus, cute ringlets do not survive to see the next day.

Mason is definitely a follower these days. Brooklyn tried and tried, but just could not play alone!

Finally, I couldn't sign off without a pic of Mason's latest sleeping position. Who needs to breathe right?

interesting

My friend Crystal posted this on her blog the other day. It's an article/email from a talk show host named Glenn Beck. He's an interesting character and I appreciated his take on this holiday season. Thanks, Crystal, for posting this and I also appreciate the way it made me think :). So, if you choose to read it, enjoy!

P.s. coming soon: photos of Mason's 3rd haircut!

more random fun

WE DID IT! We finally survived finals! They're over! HIP HIP HOORAH! It's about time, too...we were about ready to scream over it all! In honor of completion, I thought I'd just do another random modge podge of photos. Enjoy!
Grandma Hibshman sent us this awesome nativity! The kids love playing with it. Brooklyn was a little possesive at first, but she's learned that Mason will chew on the blocks for just a minute and then move on. She seems to be ok with that :).

Nothing like a little sibling love. I'm such a good mom...turn on Sesame Street and see how long it will last.... This is Mason's first venture into "Elmo" world. He watched for a minute. Unfortunately, now Brooklyn asks to watch this video Everyday! You'd think she'd never seen it before!

Another crazy sleeping position. Seriously, I don't know how he sleeps in these awkward positions, but he does. In this particular position, he got pretty upset with me for laying him down. WE just couldn't let him sleep like that without a picture, though!

Ah, the train. We love the train at our house. This is at one of the malls in town. $1 to ride and they go around several times. Brooklyn {hearts} it to the extreme. Once is never enough and she asks again and again if we can. A dollar well spent, I'd say!

Today we went to the mall so she could ride the train. She LOVED it! We're so glad finals are over it was a celebration needed! Now, unfortunately, it's back to work! Oh well, soon it's Christmas (hoorah) and then a little vacation!

Finally, what's a trip to the mall without running out a little energy at the playplace? Mason's learning to love it just as much as Brooklyn does. Today, it wasn't so fun, he's kind of onery. Usually, though, he crawls all over. good times. good times!

alright, alright, I'll post something new!

Lately I feel as if I have very little to blog about. Even though I had a birthday, made a cake, pretty much got iced in, finals continue, Mason moves faster and faster, I went out with the girls (ok, so I did blog about that one...), and the list goes on and on. So, today's post is going to be a bit of a modge podge. If you're not in the mood for a little bit of random, feel free to not read it. Although, I feel that in all fairness, I should mention there are some videos at the bottom :). So, off we go!

The big 2-7. Sorry this is such an awesome picture. Due to being snowed...I mean iced in, Jon's test was cancelled. Thus, I got to spend my bday evening alone while he studied. Yeah, I know, I sure LOOK 27.

Jon got me flowers and a cd the next day on his way home for my bday. The flowers are BEAUTIFUL and I was really wanting the cd! What a great hubby!

This is Brooklyn's version of the singing on "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (the good old Dr. Seuss version). We watch it almost daily these days. She had all of her "children" (a.k.a. Little People) in a circle and according to her, they were singing!
Ah. the ice. What more is there to say. This came off the honda. The chevy was the same. We sure love the midwest! (drip the sarcasm here).




This picture is courtesy of Brooklyn. She hasn't quite figured out that you have to keep your fingers out of the way. She sure loves to take pictures, though and she's actually getting better at it.

I just thought this was funny. He was fascinated with her princess chair! Too bad it isn't sturdy at all and he couldn't twist around in it or stand up to it w/o it falling over immediately! Look how big he is compared to Then:

June 2007

Anyhow, I think that's all the fun pics I have. Now on to some videos. Our little man has become quite mobile these days and must go everywhere we go. This is ok, usually....on rare occasion he kind of gets underfoot. i.e. the kitchen. Dinner is interesting with a 10-mo-old crawling around moving the rugs.

They're definitely having a good time

I think that's all I have. I got a cute pic of the kids at the playground in the mall the other day, but I think I'll save that for a different time. Enjoy!

girl's night out

I had the most awesome time last night with two of my best friends. Dinner, chat (w/o children interrupting, I might add) and a movie. Can it get any better? We ate at Chili's (can't go wrong there) and saw "Enchanted". It was great! We loved the movie! I can't decide if Brooklyn would "get" it, but I totally want to own it! It was great fun! {sigh} I wish we could have nights like that more often! Watch tomorrow, after I have a date with my hubby (hopefully, cross your fingers) I'll be singing a different tune. So, I guess the sum total of it is: I'm ready to be done with finals! They seem to be taking forever this year! Back to the topic: I had an absolute blast last night girls! Thanks for the great time! Sorry there aren't any pictures, someone ({cough} erica and debbi) wouldn't let me take any! Hee hee. That's ok though. I'll remember it anyway :)

shout out

My awesome bro-in-law's band is featured on ae's 77E website! Check it out! They're called the softlightes and they're song is "Heart made of sound" I also found the song on You Tube. Congrats Guys! and keep it up!

a romp in the snow

We had our first playdate with the snow last Friday and it was way fun. Mason looked super cute in his little snow suit and was ok with the whole thing. ...That is, until I sat him in it. But then, I'd probably cry too if I put my hand down in something icy cold!


Brooklyn, was ecstatic about it, of course. Unfortunately for her, with Mason in my arms, I couldn't help her make a proper snowman. Then, Mason got tired so he went in for a nap. I let her stay out since we were just standing outside the door. Still, I didn't want to get colder so no snowman.
She was content to play with her bucket and make snow angels. {sigh} I love playing in the snow!!

lost and found

Hello friends. For those of you who aren't aware, we've ventured into the land of Finals. For some that isn't a large deal outside of everyday life, but here at the Hibshman House, it alters quite a bit. Jon is studying 24/7 to prepare for his 4 hour tests in which ride his entire grade for the semester. We're pretty much used to it now, but it doesn't change the fact that our habits change just a tad. This constant studying and preparation means he his working on his laptop (my usual spot for blogging), well when his laptop is functioning, anyway. It also means that he his locked up in the bedroom, the home of our desktop. Thus, I am left computer-less, internet-less, and virtually unconnected. I am lost. However, it also encourages me. I am found. I am found playing with the kids, actually cleaning my house and catching up on my to-do's. I love the internet, but I am amazed how I can still function without constant access. Don't get me wrong: I have no desire to give it up entirely. I'm just enjoying a little hiatus :).
So to catch up; Brooklyn said the funniest thing the other day. Mason was in his high chair eating, she was in the bathroom washing her hands. Suddenly I hear, "Hi, buddy!" in her sing-song-I'm-talking-to-Mason-just-like-mom voice. Confused I say, "Brooklyn, who are you talking to?" The response? "Oh, my mouth was just talking!" ... huh? ... Right, why didn't I think of that? I couldn't hold back the laugh on that one. Luckily, she was in the other room and didn't witness it. Seriously. The stuff this girl comes up with...
Mason is continuing to master the whole crawl-thing. He crawls on his knees part of the time now and it's so cute to watch him motor around. He is a go-getter. Unfortunately he has a gigantuan diaper rash that we just cannot get rid of. The poor kid screams everytime you change his diaper. It's absolutely heart-breaking. It's been two weeks, so today found us at the dr. She gave me a recipe for a concoction for his tush and we did some stool samples (fun for me :( ) that we haven't heard back from yet. It's possible that all the anitbiotics we flushed through his body about a month ago killed off the good bacteria in his intestines. If that's the case, then there's probably bad bacteria there that we need to kill off. Joy. Seriously. I feel like a new mom again. I'm always at the doctor with this kid. Poor kid. He loves bath time and tonight he cried the whole time. It just broke my heart. First stop tomorrow is at the big W to get the stuff for the butt paste. I can't take it anymore. Luckily he's only fussy when he poops (it hurts). At least we're not dealing with fussy 24/7! Whew!
I've started wrapping Christmas gifts and it's SO exciting! Brooklyn was just dying for me to pull out her Christmas gifts and get busy! She asked about a million times and just couldn't understand why she couldn't help me wrap them? I mean come on! What kind of mom am I? hee hee. I found it amusing. She'll figure it out one of these days! Happy holidays all, and I promise I'll surface every once in a while during this fabulous (due to finals, NOT) time of year!

it's winter time?

Oh YEAH! and we're in Iowa...an interesting combination. We were reminded of this fact on Saturday when Old Man Winter made his VERY apparent appearance. (The first half of this post will be mainly for those who do NOT live in the great midwest...if you're not interested, feel free to scroll down :)).

This is a view from my sliding glass door on Saturday morning. No, it is not professionally frosted. It's au natural!! Talk about divine work! It had rained ice all night, and was obviously blowing against this side of my house! The weather man explained it. We were on the line of the storm where it was freezing (north of here, only snow; south only rain). Plus, higher in the atmosphere it was raining, so...it would rain high up, hit the cold front and turn to ice....THUS you get ice storms. Tricky, eh? (if you didn't understand, sorry! I explain things much better with my hands!)

This is the sidewalk out our front door. Ice skating anyone? Very tricky to manuver. I discovered the grass is much safer. Now, how to get from the lawn to the door of my car???

Jon and I just found this rather amusing. This and the next few pictures we took today (Sunday). Note, the driveways are all sloping down and they are solid ice sheets. Not only does the water NOT drain off because it it so cold, it freezes so smoothly you could probably figure skate on it NO PROBLEM! (well if you can figure skate on a hill, I guess).

Crazy, eh??

On to other things:

This is Mason's nap the other day. I went in to check on him and had to not laugh out loud. In case you can't tell, he's bent in half. He must've been sitting up, decided he was tired and just laid his head down on his Mickey. He was even snoring. It was a hoot!

Maybe we're not quite ready for 18 mo. pants. He crawled right out of them! Who needs pants, right?

And....we're officially 10 months! Holy Cow! Why isn't my waist down to where it was 10 months ago?? (okay, okay, I'll be honest.... 3 1/2 years ago???)

It's officially Christmas time at the Hibshman household! We put up our tree in our freezing cold apartment last night (I'll save that story for another day). Mostly so Brooklyn would stop asking, but also because it's fake so why not? It's not like it's gonna burst into flame...

This is Brooklyn hanging the very first ornament. She sure loves this stuff. (good thing it survived the flood, we'd have really been in trouble then!)

Dad and Brooklyn putting the top on, don't they look amused?

Mason helping me put on an ornament. Probably the only time he won't be taking them off for many years to come....

Last but not least: He's really thinking, "Oooo! Something new to play with! That looks fun! I think I'll crawl over and check it out!!" Not the best time to become mobile, house-wise, but we're not really complaining!

Sorry that was forever long! I hope you enjoy! Happy December everyone! It's the BEST month of the year!

movin' and shakin'

Jon caught this awesome video last night and I thought some would enjoy. So, ENJOY! :)

My kind of worm...a very cute Inchworm!

thanks

Thanks, debbi. I didn't know you could change all the colors. I thought that you had to stick with the basic scheme. No wonder I couldn't figure out how to upload something, eh? One of these days, one of these days....

(K, I'm still interested in your skillz!! :) ).

skillz

Strange, I know. But I'm a little proud of myself today. Brooklyn did build-a-bear in CO and named her bear Belle. Thus, she is a girl bear. So, today we went to the store (looking for something else) and picked up some elastic and ribbon. For $2.29 I made two headbands and one ear/wrist band. with yards and yards of ribbon leftover!

Too bad I wasn't so crafty when Brooklyn was a baby. Oh well...I guess I'll just keep playing with her dolls :).

CHANGE

ok people, I can't stand the dots anymore!! Today (or tomorrow) I'm going to attempt to change it and make it look all festive just like everyone else! If anyone has great ideas or can walk me through it I'm up for ALL assistance. I don't really know what I'm doing, but I found a scrapbook download I like. I have no idea what to do with my header though. PLEASE HELP!! thanks!

forgotten

During my recent recipe swap I had full intentions of including this recipe for my girls. Unfortunately, I forgot. I realized my error yesterday when I made it for dinner. So, to correct my terrible mistake, I'm going to post it here and some pictures from last night. I hope you all like it!

Classic Chicken Pot Pie (courtesy of Pillsbury.com)
Prep time: 25 min; Start to finish: 1 hr 5 min

Crust: 1 box (15 oz) Pillsbury refrigerated pie crusts, softened as directed on box.

Filling: 1/3 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup chopped onion
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (14 oz) chicken broth (i use two bullion cubes prepared)
1/2 cup milk
2 1/2 cups shredded cooked chicken or turkey (this is the easiest part :) yay for crockpots!)
2 cups frozen mixed veggies (I use the "california blend": brocolli, cauliflower, carrots)

Preparation Directions:
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees F. Make pie crusts as directed on box for two-crust pie using 9 in glass pan.
2. In 2-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onion; cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until tender. Stir in flour, salt and pepper until well blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk, cooking and stirring until bubbly and thickened.
3. Stir in chicken and mixed veggies. Remove from heat. Spoon chicken mixture into crust-lined pan. Top with second crust; seal edge and flute. Cut slits in several places on top crust.
4. Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until crust is golden brown. During last 15 to 20 minutes of baking, cover crust edge with strips of foil to prevent excessive browning. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
Makes 6 servings.

I love love love this recipe! Last night I was feeling particularly festive so I added the little tree. It worked out ok, but underneath the tree didn't quite cook through. So, next time, I'll either restrain myself, or make it thinner. hee hee. ENJOY!

Promised Pictures

To Colorado and back....

On the way to Sara's we went across Nebraska. This was early in the day and as you can see we had some happy travellers. Needless to say.... 12 1/2 hours later, there were significantly fewer smiles. It was all worth it though... worth it plus some!

Thanksgiving day.... all I have to say is: Y-U-M! Good food, good friends...great fun!
Day after? We braved the mall. We really didn't shop. Brooklyn got her first Build-a-bear, and loved every minute (sorry a couple pics are sideways...). She named her bear Belle and has her dressed in a princess shirt and pink shorts. Man Aunt Sara, S-P-O-I-L-E-D!
Jon is Missing Mountains...can you tell?
Other assorted fun activities. Aunt Sara was in charge of entertaining kids while I helped clean up dinner one night. Man, books are great. Then, on Saturday night, we hit the bowling alley. What a blast!! Too bad I had a crappy score!
Finally, home. This time we drove across Kansas. As you can see, Jon was in charge of the camera and was fascinated with the Flatness of it all (hello 33 mpg! WooHOO!) and the abundance of oil drills. Who knew we had oil in Kansas? (Gas needs to be $3 + a gallon???).

It was a fantastic trip. We had a ball and felt very much loved. Thanks guys, for a great time, and hopefully we can return the favor sometime!

Last but not least: The car crossed over 5000 miles. (sigh, it seems not long ago it was at 100). Just outside of Des Moines. Hoorah for dependable cars! Oh and notice that it was 33 degrees outside. Welcome to winter!