my 2011 finishes

I managed to do a lot of sewing in 2011!  I somehow finished quilts for Austin, Max, Grandma, Stephanie and Ethan.  That's 5 quilts.  Crazy!  It's funny that just a couple short years ago, I stated on this blog that I didn't like to sew!  This year I plan to finish my I Spy quilt,
Anna Maria Horner cathedral quilt, Camping quilt, Farmer's Wife and Katie Jump Rope quilt.  I better get sewing!

Ethan's plus quilt

I finished Ethan's plus quilt just in time for Christmas!

Ethan picked out the plus design and I love how it turned out!  I used a lot of the same fabrics as Austin's quilt and added some new ones. 

 

He really likes it!

I backed it in dark blue Pez that matches the red Pez I used on Austin's quilt back.  I used my favorite wood grain fabric as the binding.

 

Ethan's idea of how to pose with his quilt.  I love this silly kid!

I added a simple plus sign to sign the quilt and used my favorite notebook paper fabric.

 

I love how crinkly it got after I washed it.

Beverly did wavy checkerboard quilting on it and I love how it turned out! 

I'm so happy to have made a quilt for each of my kiddos!  Now I just need to finish the giant I Spy quilt in time for some picnics this spring!

Christmas Day 2011

Christmas morning the kids woke up bright and early.  They were excited to see if Santa found them in Louisana.

 

Santa always organizes everyones presents in piles at our house.  He's cool like that.  Of all the presents they got this year, I'm pretty sure their favorites are the stuffed animal Pokemons sticking out of their stockings. 

The second they opened some new Pokemon cards, they grabbed their books and put them in. 

Santa left a note for the kids in Ethan's stocking with clues to their last present.  After following the clues, they found their presents hiding by the fireplace.

The boys love their 3DS!   

Tatum gave Lauren her old DS, so Lauren has one too!  We got her a new game for toddlers and she loves coloring and putting puzzles together.

 

We had a wonderful Christmas with my family and feel very blessed for all God had given us!

Merry Christmas

Christmas Eve 2011

The kids were still in their pajamas on Christmas Eve morning when they started begging to open Christmas presents.

Austin really enjoyed Tatum's new foot spa.

We did lots of lounging around.



Grandma gave the boys Zombie Lab and they were so excited!

We drank zombie brains, ate skin and created creepy bugs.

I'd say Zombie Lab was a hit for our crew!

Every year we read Twas the Night Before Christmas and open Christmas pajamas.  This year we had a Dirty Santa exchange too. 

Lauren took the exchange very seriously, but wanted to keep every present she touched.  Ethan was less than thrilled when he opened his camo duct tape.

My mom and dad surprised me with a Clarsonic Mia and Eric with a Belgium waffle maker.  Can't wait to test them out!

We played Spoons with plastic forks and the game got violent.  There were injuries and broken forks, but we all had fun.  Apparently I'm more competitive than I thought I was.

That night, the boys told Buddy they loved him and couldn't wait to see him next year.  They had a hard time falling asleep, but were very excited to see what Santa would bring them in the morning! 

our Buddy

 

 

We were so excited when Buddy followed us to Louisiana and can't wait to see him again next year!

A Cajun Christmas week

Wednesday we loaded up the truck and headed to Louisiana to celebrate Christmas with my sister and her family.

Right in time for Christmas, Ethan lost his other front tooth!

Christmas in Louisiana usually involves boudain, dobash cake and alligators, so we hit up ULL to hunt for some alligators.

We spotted a turtle and an alligator!

We took the kids to see Alvin and the Chipmunks. It was pretty cute!

When we got home from the movies, we discovered a cat was stuck in the neighbor's tree. Being the hero that he is, Eric jumped the fence and climbed a tree to rescue the poor cat. Since the cat's hips were wedged between branches in the tree, Eric had to lift the cat out to free him. This is what the cat did to Eric in return for saving it...

Eric had 6 cat bites and lots of deep scratches from a cat that had never had any shots.  After a short trip to the night clinic for a tetnus shot and antibiotics, we were ready for more Christmas festivities!



Our early Christmas

Last weekend we celebrated Christmas early with Eric's parents and sister's family.   We had fun hanging out at the house, eating yummy food and opening presents.

Ethan loved his treasure box filled with cool rocks Gege gave him.

 

Lauren insisted on putting on her new hat, shirt and shoes right away.  Her new Olivia doll never left her side for days.

I made 241 Totes for all the ladies.

Leon and Eric

Sunday we headed to Temple to see Nanny and Papa.

All the grandkids

 

Papa made up a fun game for the kids that involved envelopes and money.  He definitely had their attention and they loved every minute of it!

 

Happy kiddos!

 

Nanny and Papa got to love on Dolly.

These two look just alike!  Abby's baby pictures look so much like Lauren, it's crazy!

We had a wonderful weekend celebrating Christmas with Eric's family!