Pictures on the cheap

OK so I need to share this amazing website for pictures.  I don't know about you but our photographer charges a lot for professional prints.  I LOVE professional prints but at $22 for an 8x10 I usually only splurge on 1 of each child.  However, I found an awesome website and could not be happier with the prints.

They look professional and trust me I compared them to the professional prints I had on hand and could not tell the difference!  They arrive very fast and only cost $2 for an 8x10. Anyway, check them out!!!  mpix.com

Merry Christmas!

Let me just let out a sigh of relief that it's over.  Ok that felt good!  It was wonderful even with all the sick bugs we had.  And boy did we have a lot: pink eye, stomach flu and colds.  And it was a green Chirstmas which is a bummer.  Favorite gifts: Steve his vest, me the house with lights, Brady a kiddizoomer watch, Pierce his vacuum and Reid I would guess his airplane.  We went to my aunt's Christmas Eve and then we had Christmas Brunch.  Placzak, breakfast casserole, apple-rasin bread pudding, fruit salad and coffee cake.  Then we went to Aunt Sandy's for dinner.

I can't wait to take the tree down. The first reason being so I don't have to say "Don't touch the tree again" and so the boys have more room to play with their new toys.  It may go today!  but the best part of the Holiday was snuggling with all the boys (especially the hubs) every night and watching Christmas movies.  I don't want that to end!!  

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!!!

Getting close!

To Christmas that is.  Who's ready????  I am trying to wrap up the few final details.  Our Christmas cards were sent and shared on facebook.  Gingerbread houses were made.  Cookie exchange at work done and no more cookies to show for it either.  And almost all of the gifts are here.

 Does anyone else panic the closer it gets to Christmas and start buying chocolates?  Sponge candy specifically to fill out presents or put with gift cards.  Meatball loves Sponge candy, its a Buffalo thing.  I like it but people go bananas over the stuff.  Hard to explain what it is so I will post a picture.  The best stuff is from Parkside Candy.  I hopped into there shop and picked up 4 bags.

My dad came over on Sunday to wrap.  He likes to wrap, me not so much.  He volunteers every year and we gladly take him up on it.  I set him up in the garage (its heated) with a table, the necessities and it works out perfect because we store all the present in the crawl space above the garage.  Brady went to papa's for a bit and the babies didn't know he was out there.  They are way too busy being mini Christmas tree terrorists anyway.  Then we watched the Bills lose and ordered pizza and wings. 

Brady is off of school for 2 weeks!!  Thursday was Brady's Christmas concert at school.  I admit - I cried.  I just can't believe how big he is now and it's bittersweet.  Here's some shots:

Walking in.

Front row 3rd from the left

The babies were Angels throughout the performance!  And my handsome little (big) boy had a glass of punch waiting for me in the cafeteria afterwards.  He is SO sweet.

Oh and then there is this!  I may have mentioned to the hubs how much I love Christmas Lights.  And I have never lived in a house with them ever.  Well, I came home from work today and didn't recognize our house!  Steve left work early and came home and made this happen:

I swear I don't need another thing.  This exterior illumination has made me SO happy.  This Christmas is going to be awesome.  We are incredibly blessed over here and can't wait to see the boys faces :)

Tree Time!

We are decking the halls over here!!  We got our tree Saturday night and then went and had dinner at Brady's fave place: Pasquale's.  And praise Jesus, all the boys were really well behaved.  They are slowly getting easier to eat with.  Although I admit I am guilty of knowing exactly what we are ordering before we even park the truck.  Yup I will google any restaurant's menu, pick out what we will be ordering and be ultra prepared as soon as the waitress comes over to get our drink order.  And then out come goldfish, crayons, tic-tac-to, etc. to keep these meatballs entertained.  It also helps that mom and dad can eat quick, in between helping the kids with their meals and we always get the check as soon as possible.   Typing all of this has me thinking: Eating with babies is super fun, isn't it? 

Ok here she is:

Brady doing the star.  Not sure how many more years Steve will be able to pick him up!

No fake trees for us - we keep it real!!!  Our house smells naturally amazing right now and I love it.  After the smell fades we will be burning my 2 faves from Yankee this year: Snowflake Cookie and Magical Frosted Forest. 

Now I just have to keep the kids from touching the tree all the time.  Oh yeah and vacuuming up those pine needles but it's worth it! 

Here we are making cookies or just making a mess:

Is it just me but why do I seem to buy myself so much stuff at this time of year?  I don't know if its because I am out shopping or looking at so much stuff for everyone else online.  But at some time during my shopping I decided I need blue pumps.  I went to my usual piperlime and they didn't have what I wanted but Zappo's came through! 

I plan on wearing them with a new black dress I ordered.  I promised the hubs if he got an A in his class that I would take him to Rusell's.  Best food of your life at that place!  Looks like I have to put my money where my mouth is!  He has 1 more test in lab and lecture and has been doing awesome all semester so that A should be his in 2 weeks.  Steakhouse here we come!   

Organizing or at least trying

I like to look at Pinterest and see the good ideas people have for organizing and storing stuff.  I feel like never in my life have I ever had SO much stuff!  Here were some good ideas I saw.

I love to be organized but all the hard work it takes I don't have time for.  But when I do attempt to organize (after I look at Pinterest) I usually order baskets or bins and sort my booty off.  I ordered these baskets a LONG time ago from pbk for our front closet. 

And they are just now getting some serious heavy use because of all these little boys hats and mittens.  Now I need to order some for my closet!  I was thinking maybe belts, scarves and clutches?  I have no idea how to store infinity scarves so I fold them. If someone has a better way, please fill me in. 

Some of you may have saw this pic on fb. 

That's just us living the suite life at the Bills game.  The CEO of the company we work for gave a few of the construction guys tickets to the game to sit in their suite for their hard work moving corporate offices around.  Let me just say this suite was right up my alley to watch a Bills Game.  Stocked fridge with beer and all the food you can eat!!  Who doesn't love a Pizza Log?  Or pizza, wings, chicken fingers, shrimp, spinach/artichoke dip.  OMG we were full and happy.  Our view of the game was awesome and they won! The bad part is I only want to go to a game if we sit in a suite again :)  Poor meatball.