It's that time of the year...

The time where I post my first version of the kid's Christmas list lol. Yes, I already have it all planned out. Hey, I mean, it's less than four months until Christmas! A mama's gotta be prepared :p

So, for Grace, I have:

• A guitar - I already bought this when it was on sale for $15! 

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• A huge Dora puzzle - This wasn't really on the list, but I already have this as well because I got a good deal on it.
• A kid's umbrella. Grace is dying to have an umbrella lol.
• A baby doll diaper bag
• A baby doll stroller
• An ice cream playset

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• The two picture scrapbooks I am making on walmart.com
• An app card for her LeapPad2, which I ordered last night for her birthday.

For Brentley, I have:

• Books - I already have several because I got a good deal on some.
• A bubble machine - Already have this as well because it was in with the summer stuff, and I didn't figure it would still be around at Christmas time. 

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• A tricycle. They constantly fight over Grace's tricycle. He needs one of his own!

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• A toy guitar
• Tonka trucks
• The Hungry Caterpillar. I think I'm going to do his next birthday in this theme, so he needs to have the book! Lol, yes I plan things wayyyyy in advance.
• A kid's umbrella, only because I know they will fight over it if there's only one. 
• Disney's Cars (the movie)

And for their big gift, we are getting them this...

It comes with a pot and a lid, a pan and a lid, two cups, two plates, two forks, two knives, two spoons, salt and pepper shakers, a phone, and a pull out drawer. 

Plus, I have some play food that I got awhile back that I'm going to give them. 

They love playing with the kitchen that my mom has like this one at her house, so I figured it would be perfect! 

I'll probably add a few more things here and there, but these are the main things I definitely want to get them!

Party, party!

My sister's party is this weekend. She is having a rainbow theme, and I am going to make her cake! Here's to hoping it turns out well! I'll post pictures of it if it does lol.

Grace's birthday party is two months from tomorrow. We're still planning on doing a Candyland theme, and I am so excited about that! 

We decided that we are going to get her a LeapPad2 as her only present since it costs $100. Then she will have the party, and we'll take her to the Discovery Museum.

As for the party itself, we already have almost everything we need for it! When I bought Brentley's plates, cups, and table clothes, we bought some for Grace's party too, then we had a bunch left over that weren't even opened at Brentley's so we don't need anymore. I bought a 72 ct. bag of balloons for his party, and we only used like 20, so we have plenty of balloons for her party as well. And I'm making all the other decorations, which I have almost everything for as well!

Here's what I'm going to make...

We have TONS of construction paper, so this will be easy.

I have the plastic wrap. I don't have poles like that though, so if the plastics wrap weighs the balloons down, then we'll just have regular balloons.

I've been saving all our toilet paper and paper towels rolls. I'm going to wrap these in gift wrap and then in the plastic wrap, so they'll look more like the balloons above.

I'm also going to make some decorations the same was we did our fall craft that was featured in the last post.

I'm going to make a cake like this...


I'm going to be bigger around, and I'm going to change a few other little things, but this is the basic of it.

We're also going to have activities this year. There's going to be a cookie decorating session, and I'm going to do a drawing for the goody bags. I'm going to make it so that everyone will get one. I just thought it would be more fun for the kids that way.

I found these at Wal-Mart the other day, and I thought they were perfect for the girl goody bags!

I'll probably get some Hot Wheel's for the boy goody bags. I'm not really sure what I'll put in the ones for the two or three babies that will be there, but I'll figure something out.

The only things we have left to get is whatever else I'm going to put in the goody bags, some tissue paper, and her present!

Oh, and her invitations. Which I am only going to be sending out to about 12 different people/families. I'm not going to waste money sending invitations to people who don't even bother to say they won't be coming. 

Our first fall craft!

It's September! I know it's not technically fall yet, but it's close enough!

The main things you'll need are:

• Clear contact paper (this is found in the housewares section. It's actually made to line your shelves with). 
• Construction paper
• Tissue paper
• Scissors
• A template to cut around (optional)

This can be done for any holiday, season, etc., but we're doing it for fall, so I found a pumpkin and two different leaves online, and printed them out. If you are really good at cutting free hand, then you don't have to have a template. Just cut away. I'm not good at free-handing, so I used the pumpkin and leaf to help me.

Just place your template on a piece of construction paper, and cut around it. 

Then, discard your template, and cut out the center of the shape, like this...

Cut a piece of contact paper big enough to cover the shape, and lay the shape on it, like this...

Tear up some pieces of tissue paper, like this...

Let the little ones have some fun sticking the tissue paper to the sticky contact paper.

When they're done, write their names on them if you'd like, then cut another piece of contact paper big enough to cover the shape, and stick it to the other side, so that all the construction paper and tissue paper is covered, like this...

Cut off the excess contact paper and display them! I put Grace's and Brentley's in the window because I like the way the light shines through the tissue paper.

Brentley's is on the left, and Grace's is on the right.

We're going to do the leaves too, but I don't have anymore brown construction paper (which is what I want to use for the outline), so I'll have to get some more, then we'll add leaves to the window as well! 

This was a really neat little craft, and it was easy enough that even Brentley could do it, and they both seemed to really enjoy it :)

UPDATE: We made the leaves too :)