Three Little Words - Spoken!

I had to blog document this because I don't want to ever forget it! Yesterday Colin said "Love you Mama" for the first time. It was so sweet and made me smile all day.

We were all sitting on the couch, and I was giving Monster a big hug and I said, "I love you Monster." Then Colin leaned over and hugged me and said "Love you Mama." I heard it. David heard it. Even Monster heard it. Made my day! :)

5 Highly Inappropriate Elf On The Shelf Ideas

This blog post makes me positively giddy for starting the Elf on a Shelf. Because David and I are really awesome and creative parents, I'm sure we are going to have some fun with this too! These are a few of my favorite inappropriate elf ideas...
Elf on a Bender

Hangover Elf

Crime Scene Elf

Toe Tag Elf

Closet Crossdresser Elf

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

I could not wait to put our Christmas decorations up this year. After all, I haven't seen them in two whole years! Last year I made the difficult decision NOT to decorate in order to protect Colin (and my ornaments) from total destruction. But this year, I was chomping at the bit to bring all the holiday decorations down from the attic. After all, I missed seeing my reindeer statues, snowy villages and those handsome nutcrackers!
To be honest, taking out my decorations, was like opening presents on Christmas morning. As I unwrapped each ornament, I smiled. I had almost forgotten how beautiful they all were and how happy and festive it makes the house feel.

Colin (now 27 months) can distinguish between "toys" and "decorations." And he only needs a gentle reminder 1-2 times a day not to touch (or climb) the Christmas tree. Despite his new found "maturity," I decided it would be best to decorate the house during nap time. And when Colin woke up, he saw our Christmas tree for the first time and said "Awwww, it's boot-e-full"(melts my heart!) Then we spent over 30 minutes inspecting every corner of the house for more new decorations.
It didn't take long for him to find the remote controlled Polar Express Train Set, a gift from his aunt Ducky on his first Christmas. Between the Polar Express and my Snowy Village Train, I think I can safely say that we have delighted sweet Colin with the joy of Christmas (Santa + trains = Colin's heaven on Earth)

And if that weren't enough, I think this is the year to start using the Elf on a Shelf. The premise behind the book and the elf doll is that Santa sends one of his elfs to watch the children during the day. Then the elf reports back to Santa every night on who was "naughty or nice." How cute and clever is that? I'll try anything that encourages good behavior, and if it works, the elf might stick around way into 2012. haha

So it's Christmas time again at the Peden's house!!! And I have a feeling this year might be our best holiday ever. Because what's more special than seeing your child's excitement on Christmas morning? Baking cookies for Santa? Reading Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? Going to the children's service at church? Having kids is kinda like being a kid again. Does that make sense? It's been a long time since someone believed in Santa around our house. Let's hope it lasts! ;)

Quiche

Someone's been baking this Thanksgiving...drum roll please...surprise, it's me! Don't get too excited, I'm not confident enough in my abilities to tackle turkey and dressing or pumpkin pie, but I have been working on a "beginner level" by testing out my skills on a very tough critique...a toddler who thinks that a cracker makes the perfect meal.

This is an easy mix-it-up-in-one-bowl-and-cook recipe. I've found it's a good way to sneak eggs and veggies into a delicious cheesy creation. I highly recommend it to anyone with kids or husbands who think they don't like quiche.

Ingredients:
* 2 cups milk
* 4 eggs
* 3/4 cup biscuit baking mix
* 1/4 cup butter, softened
* 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 (10 ounce) package chopped frozen broccoli, thawed and drained
* 1 cup cubed cooked ham
* 8 ounces shredded Cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a 10 inch quiche dish.
2. In a large bowl, beat together milk, eggs, baking mix, butter and parmesan cheese. Batter will be lumpy. Stir in broccoli, ham and Cheddar cheese. Pour into prepared quiche dish.
3. Bake in preheated oven for 50 minutes, until eggs are set and top is golden brown.

I usually don't take pictures of food (most of my cuisine doesn't exactly live up to a "Kodak moment") but how pretty is this?

Touch-A-Truck

Around our house we "worship" cars and trucks. Just can't get enough of 'em: big trucks, small trucks, dump trucks, trash trucks, firetrucks, the list goes ON and ON. So we decided to participate in Touch-A-Truck this year. I did the logo, collateral and signage, and Colin...he literally touched ALL the trucks!








BTW, if you have a truck-worshiper in the family, this is a book you should buy!

Colin's 2 Year Pictures

Getting pictures of our busy toddler is nearly impossible with the old point-and-shoot camera. So I rely on my friends who own the awesome ($$$$) Nikon cameras to snap pictures of Colin on the move. The only problem was that I didn't have any family photos. It's hard enough getting a solo shot - much less getting a good pic of all three of us. So I called a professional! (And I'm so glad I did.)
Christi Cosper with Candid Chic Photography took Colin's 2 year pictures, and we love them! She was wonderful to work with - and now we have a frame-worthy family photo. Her website is: http://www.candidchicphotos.com

Engagement News

Congratulations to Nancy and Ryan!!! If you haven't heard by now, Ryan is officially going to be "uncle Ryan" and my sister-in-law (Fancy Nancy) has the rock to prove it! David and I couldn't be more thrilled, and we can't wait to celebrate.