NonCandy Stocking Stuffers for Everyone

1. $5 gift cards (Subway, CABELA’s, Kneaders, Barn’s & Noble etc).( For Hubby)

2. Homemade Crayons

3. Decorative cupcake liners

4. A favorite magazine

5. A Quilt

6. Headbands

7.Homemade Figure Puppets

8. Fuzzy socks

9. Silly putty

10. Homemade Supper man, princess, or CTR cape

11. Homemade Apron

12. Nail polishes

13. Sharpie Pens

14. Chapstick

15. Hair bands

16. Lagos

17. Crayons

18. Body wash

19. Nerf gun

20. Parachute man

21.Bubble Bath

22. Measuring spoons or cups

23. SOCKS!

24. Lip gloss

25. Wilton Baking supplies (fondant rolling pin, frosting bags, tips, fondant flower making kit…)

26. Stickers

27. Sweetlulusweetshop.com( stripy straws, treat bags, treat boxes, cake stands)

28. Deck of playing cards

29. Mini Princess

30. My little pony

31. Hair clips

32. Toddler Cup stacking set

33. Jewelry

34. Batteries

35. Cooking extracts - vanilla, mint, orange etc.

36. Little people

37. Bath Paint

38. Train

39. Stuffed animal

40. Play phone or play remote

41. Play Dough

42. Gift Cards( Ti Pan Trading, Roberts, Hobby Lobby, or Down East Basics) For mom!!!

43. Matchbox cars

44. Memory card

45. Cd's

46. Tools

47. Hunting Stuff

48. A new calendar

49. An orange - to shape out the toe of the stocking!

50. Small digital camera

51. Cookie cutters

52. A good book

53. Gift card to go see a movie

54. Wallet

55. Scented antibacterial or kitchen hand soap

56. Fridge magnets

57. Tickets to go see a musical performance or a show

58. Kid paint set

59. Freezable teether's

60. Set of markers

61. DVD's, TV Show

62. Baby legs

63. Personalized mom bracelet or necklace

64.Camera Lens

65. Perfume/Cologne

66. Cute umbrella

67. Snow hat and scarf

67. Chalk

68. Bubbles

69. Watch

70. Bath toys

71. burp rags

72. Makeup brush set

73. Barbie’s

74. flashlights

75. Recipe cards

76.Cook Book

77. Swiss Army knife/ Hunting Knife

78. Belt

79. Baby toys

80. Coloring book

81. Scrapbooking supplies

82. A handwritten note from Santa

83. Tea set

84. Clothes!!!

85. Rain boots

86. Healthy Snacks( Puffs, rice crackers, and freeze dry yogurt)These are special snacks that I put in my kids stockings. They are low calorie and Savannah and Xander love them! You can find them in the baby isl.)

87. Tooth Brush

88. Puzzle/ wooden puzzle

Our Little Monster

This is why we can't leave our little monster alone for 5 minutes! LOL!
Does anyone know how they squeeze so many baggies into a the box?

Thankful Tree

This is our Family Thankful Tree I saw this idea on Pintrest. Ours doesn't look near as cute as theirs but, the kids had so much fun finding sticks and leaves!

My family is so blessed! We have so many things to be thankful for. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with our family!

First Snow

About a week and a half ago it snowed!!! The kids had so much fun playing in it with mommy and daddy!!!
Court showing Savannah how to make a snow angle! LOL!
We helped Savannah build a snow woman!

Xander kept trying to run down the street.
We improvised and cut eyes and a mouth out of black felt! Our Snow woman even has a flower in her hair!

Cupcake Praty

Nicole's Peach Blush Cupcakes

Servery s
We had a cupcake party with some awesome girls in my ward! It was so much fun!!We each baked a new recipe of cupcakes! They all were soo yummy!!! It was really neat to see how creative everyone's cupcakes were!We also shared our recipes with each other( to be posted!) So, not only did we get to hang out and eat cupcakes, we also got 6 new recipes to try!!!

Jill's Pumpkin Cupcakes

Brooke's Sinfully Celestial Chocolate Cupcakes

Amy's Peppermint CupcakesJennifer's cinnamon roll cupcakesTraci’s Hummingbird Cakes
Mindy's Carmel Apple Cupcakes
Brittney brought some yummy Tarshae cupcakes but, I didn't get a chance to take their picture!
Aren't they all so pretty!

Who Cares If I Get to Italy

This is my beautiful World!

A friend from the Laurence Moon Bardet-Biedl Society

on facebook posted this poem. It is our take (BBS) on the poem

Welcome to Holland.

A mother of a child with bardet-biedl syndrome wrote it.

This is so meaningful and beauitful to me and touches my heart because it is as if this poem is describing my children and my life. My very special children are amazing and beauitful. I truly wish that we could all see the world through their eyes. Who knows? Maybe one day they can describe it to me. For Savannah, I sometimes wonder if that day might not be until the next life. I am wishing and wanting that day to come with all of my hearts desire. When she can look at me with her beauitful blue eyes and tell me how her day was and about her hopes and dreams. I want her to be able to tell me why she cries everyday when she gets home from school.I want her to be able to tell me what is making her sad. One of my friends talked about how Heavenly Father answers our hearts inner most desires, (unsaid prayers) When we witness our special children accomplishing something small but very amazing for them. Like when Savannah first asked for something using a full sentence! It just makes my heart melt. I want to jump up and down and smother her in hugs and kisses!

Today, when Savannah came home form school, when she was crying, I was holding her and I tried to ask her how her day was, just like I do every day, hoping for an answer just like every other time. Then I asked her If she played with her friends at school? No answer. What are you're friends at schools names? No answer. I asked her two more times. "Savannah." What's your teacher's name? The second time I asked I answered for her and she said mommy.What did you learn today? She started crying again. I couldn't even get her to look at me. I was trying so hard to get something. I wanted her to talk to me so badly but I just felt so helpless, like there is an invisible wall between her and me. But, when I read this poem it reminded me that Savannah's world is beauitful, and I love her just the way she is! She gets so excited when she sees a rock, a flower, or letters! I love it when she says, "Oh my goodness!" or " Oh man!" It is adorable, and when she does look at me! I love to just look at her back and soak that rare moment in! I love how she makes us give her "many'" kisses when we put her to bed! I love my two beauitful children and I am so grateful for them and

to be their mother.

Who Cares If I Ever Get to Italy
By Virginia L. Young(a mother of a child with BBS)

My trip to Italy has not turned out as I planned,
but who cares.
My son has taken me to see the most amazing
sights around the world.

I loved those tulips, windmills, and Rembrandts

in Holland. I only had to learn to look at them
for what they are and not what I expected them to be.
I have seen the beauty with every amazing
accomplishment and burst of a smile on his face.

He has shown me the Grand Canyon
in the depth of his determination to overcome
challenges and attain his goals.

He has taken me to the Great Wall of China

as I stand separated from the mothers
of those perfect children who have been to Italy.
And yet we are fortified,
protected by that wall of loving and bonding like no other.

I have seen the pyramids he must climb,
just to do what so many people take for granted,

like crossing the street.
And I have climbed a few pyramids myself.
The view from the top is amazing and satisfying.

The Colossus of Rhodes has stood before me
on more than one occasion.
There is no more imposing figure
than looking up into his unseeing eyes
and wondering what visions he holds from those lofty ideals.

The floods of tears, both happy and sad, we have both cried
Could feed a falls that Angels would envy
And produce more power than Niagara.

The terraces of the Gardens of Babylon
were built with the same effort as his life.
Step by step, to secure and beautify his world
with knowledge and confidence
that will flower throughout his adulthood.

No sculptor could create a vision
more perfect and strong
than the picture in my mind
of how God sees my child.

This view of the world he has given me

is more wondrous than anyone can appreciate,

except maybe the parent of another special child.

We love our world!

Love Family Pictures 2011 Part 2

I think that this will be our Christmas card! What do you think?

Love Family Pictures 2011

I am so excited about our family pictures this year! Usually I am every year but, then I end up being so sad about Savannah not looking at the camera, and the noncooperation.Last year I came to peace that Savannah will always be Savannah. But, not this year! My friend who usually does our family pictures, (who is amazing!) completely captured our Savannah! Savannah was smiling and laughing. As I was looking at the pictures for the first time I actually started crying. Savannah's sweet spirit is beauitful, and I could see it in every one of her pictures!There are just too many pictures that I want to share so, I made it into two post!







Savannah had to have a key so she could open the "castle gate!)LOL

My boys!
So handsome! But, so serious. LOL He was like this the whole shoot.
Yes, I know... the BINKY... (to stop him from screaming)

I love this picture!