Vancouver Love and Belated Christmas!

We were fortunate enough to get away for Christmas and visit with Philip's family in Vancouver, BC. It was so nice there, and I love the area more and more with each visit. It was nice to spend time with family and enjoy the festivities of Christmas together. I can't wait for the next visit.

Summer enjoyed the airplane most of the time, and pretty much colored the whole way there.

These twin little girls are little friends of Summer's. They are her aunt Laurel's nieces. She had so much fun playing with them. Thanks again Candise for watching her.

Of course Summer was so excited to see her cousin Abby. She still says that was the best part about the whole visit was playing with Abby.

Ok, so recently I found out that Kinder eggs are in fact banned from the US. I posted about my mother-in-law getting them taken away once at the border. I never could figure out why until my brother-in-law sent me an article a couple weeks ago. Unfortunately I deleted it after reading, so I can't share it with you.

So, since they were illegal Santa brought this giant one for Summer to open before we crossed the border. They put these out at Christmas and Easter. Below is the picture of the toy capsule inside. It really was huge.

Summer enjoyed some of the chocolate Kinder ball for breakfast. Actually I think that is about all she ate while we were there. She is a true Harvey and has a huge love for chocolate.

It was such a good trip, and we were sad to leave, however it is always nice to be home.

Since we had to pack for a trip we were not able to bring our gifts with us. We left almost everything here. So, Sunday after church we had a belated Christmas and opened up our gifts.

This is a Lego set that Philip gave to Summer. It is so cute because it is a girly one with horses and a house and stuff like that. Philip is so excited about it because he loves Lego and looks forward to spending some time putting it together with her.

This is a little petticoat skirt that I got for her. She was a little confused at first when she opened the mass of chiffon. She looked at me with a confused little face and said "FABRIC!"

She was a little more happy when she unraveled it to find a skirt and not a bunch of fabric.

Summer has been so excited for Christmas this year, and has made it so much fun. I am a little sad it is all over, and that it is almost 2010. I can't believe how fast time goes.

Well, I hope you all had a great Christmas, and that you do have a happy new year.

Songfest with Summer's Preschool Class

Here is Summer with her 3 wonderful teachers. We are so proud of how well she is doing in school. She is always excited to go in the morning. Her teachers are excellent and we are so happy that she thinks so too.

Here is a little clip of some of the songs they sang at Summer's Christmas Songfest.

Summer was not so happy in this picture. She was doing so good until about half way through all the songs, and then she broke down and started crying. The poor thing is just so shy, however, she was so excited about it at the same time. She really did do so good, and I love hearing her sing the songs. I need to get a video of her singing them all by herself.

The kids were all so cute. It was so funny to see the cute actions they had to go with the songs. After the songfest was over the teachers helped the students pass out gifts they made for their parents. We are not to open it until Christmas, so after I open it and return to Houston I will post a picture of Summer's handmade creation.

We are off to Vancouver for Christmas, so I wish you all a Merry Christmas.

Christmas Fun with Summer

This is a brief update on our Christmas festivities. Summer was so excited to decorate the gingerbread house this year. If you haven't ever bought the ready to make ones at the store, you should try it. I think it is great because it comes with everything and it is still fun and yummy for the kids. Our roof kept slipping off, but eventually after about 4 tries it finally stayed with a slit down the middle. Summer did a great job with the candy.
Usually I like to have a cute tree, with the decorations placed nicely. This year, we were given a pre lit tree from our friends who were so generous in passing on it to us. The lights didn't work, and we didn't want the tree to go to waste. So Phil did a great job tediously pulling all the old lights off so we could string new ones on. By the time we finally got the lights on the tree Summer could not stand waiting any longer to put the ornaments on.
So, we let her have at it. She placed them all in one general location near the bottom center of the tree. We decided to just let her keep it that way this year. She has been taking the ornaments off almost everyday and rearranging them. Maybe she will still be doing that when she has her own tree someday.

Well, I thought that if our tree was going to be fit for kids that we may as well get into it more. So, Summer and I popped popcorn and strung popcorn all around the tree. It was fun, and it kept her entertained for a couple days. I actually like the way popcorn turned out.
She loves Christmas, and looks forward to every moment of festive fun. Oh, and whenever we go to the post office she takes a label and sticks it on her shirt. I must have forgotten it was there and never took it off all day. I guess she is ready to be shipped out for Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all of you incase I don't get another post in before then.

Snow Does Fall in Houston!

Summer asked me this morning if it was close to Christmas because it was snowing outside. She is so excited and loves it. It is beautiful, and we are enjoying every minute of it.

Turkey Day!

Well, it is done. I cooked all day long and we have stuffed ourselves. Unfortunately our turkey was a little dry. Next year I will for sure be doing things a bit differently.

Besides the food, today I really do think of all the things I am thankful for. Here are a few:

My family is definitely at the top. Seriously, what would I do with out Philip and Summer? And of course the rest of my family too.

Spending fun time with family

Pumpkin Pie which I will eat later.

Being creative, especially when it is going to make someone happy.

A clean house.

A comfortable bed to sleep in, and fresh air coming through my window.

Trips to visit family.

Ok, I could keep going on, however, I will spare you. Anyhow I just want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving from our family.

Check out my craft blog for my giveaway.

Later

Flower Brooch giveaway!

I am having another giveaway here on my craft blog. Head there to check it out.

There are so many things I have to blog about, but right now it is close to 1:00am and I really need to go to bed. So, come back in a day or two for an update on our family.

Purses, Kitchen Towels, and an Auction

This is what I have been up to in October.

OK, I know I should not be like this with my own work, but I simply can't help it. I absolutely adore these purses, and I think they turned out so fun and cute. I need to make one for myself now. I do need an upgrade from the one I am currently using.

So you may ask why I made them if I am not even planning on keeping one. Well, I have been making them as a donation to some dear friends of mine who are doing an online auction to raise funds for their two sweethearts who both need transplants.

I made the purses and the towel sets. I have also included just a few of my favorites from what is being offered to bid on for the auction. Check them out below, and then head here to see all the other awesome items up for bid.

The auction starts tomorrow November 2ND at 8:00 am and will end November 16Th at midnight.

So if you want one of these adorable purses, or any of my towels, simply check out the auction where they will be up for bid.

Pussy Willow Kitchen Towel Set

Tootie Frootie in Citrus

Cattails Kitchen Towels

Resting Bird Kitchen Towels

Standing Fern Kitchen Towels

Retro Meets Mod Kitchen Towels

www.housetohomeframes.blogspot.com

www.modestmaven.etsy.com

I am not sure who donated this, but I think it is very cute. How fun to have a spiced up wipes container.

http://www.cranberriesandcapers.etsy.com/

http://www.haveaballbaby.com/

Please check out all the items up for bid. They will make great Christmas and birthday gifts and will also be helping out a family in need.

**Halloween**

Halloween was great. I at least had a costume ready for Summer. I repurposed a black velvet floral dress and added a lot of frills to it. She loved it and I loved that she was happy.

We went to the ward trunk or treat and now have a ton of candy. The weather was perfect this year. It was not hot at all, in fact we have had mild weather for the last couple weeks. I hope it stays this way.

So, Halloween is over, and we are ready for Christmas. I started playing Christmas music this morning. Just kidding. I just thought I would pretend to be like the stores. Just wait until tomorrow and they will for sure be playing those jingle tunes for Christmas. Of course the Christmas decor has been out since June.

Here are a couple pictures I took of Summer before her school costume parade.

Summer in Concert

I have been wanting to capture Summer singing all the songs she has learned at preschool. I should have turned on a light since I don't get much natural light, but you get an idea at least. She is singing some Halloween songs and a couple alphabet songs.

Summer loves singing and performing for us at home. She also loves dancing, and playing dress up.

I am grateful for a daughter who likes to have fun and be creative.

Wicked Witches & Giveaway!!

The newest member of the Harvey family is here visiting only for Halloween. Unfortunately she forgot her name, and we would love to name her. Do you have any spooky, ugly, or wicked name ideas?

Summer and I are going to be witches for Halloween. So, we wanted to add this witch to our decor. I love it. Now I just need the cauldron and the witches brew!

GIVEAWAY!!

Ok, this cute little pumpkin could be yours. Enter the online giveaway on my craft blog here, or click on the button in my sidebar for my blog. If you don't have your own blog, you can still enter by making and anonymous comment and then in the comment leaving your name. Go check it out.

Pajama Party!!

So, Summer really hates doing warm-ups at gymnastics. I think she is mostly to shy, and it takes her 15 minutes to warm up to liking warm-ups.

She has also been wanting to watch the new Scooby Doo movie that just came out. So, I used a little bribery and told her that if she would do all of her warm ups and do them without me nearby that she could have a movie pajama party with her dad and I the next night because it would be a Friday.

When we went to gymnastics she hesitated at first, but she did all her warm ups and stayed with her coach. She was so excited to have this party as a reward.

Here are some pajamas that I made her for the occasion. They were super simple and took about 20 minutes. She was a little confused thinking it was a dress. The only other night gown she has ever worn was when she was one. She loved the pjs. Now I will have to make a whole bunch because they are cute, and easy.

Check it Out!!

So, I have been featured on Bright, Bold, and Beautiful. A great blog worth looking at. You can view my feature on her blog by clicking here.

Enjoy.

Disney World 2009

I know some of you have seen these pictures a couple of times. However, my family doesn't facebook, or have email addresses. I am posting this in hopes that they will get to see these at least on my blog.

We had so much fun, and I wish we were still there. It was especially memorable to just spend the time together.

Summer was just the right height with her runners on. She made the 40" mark, and was able to go on all but like 4 rides. We were mean in the sense that we had her go on everything she was tall enough for. For instance below is a picture of her bawling after we took her on the Tower of Terror. I felt bad during the ride because I was even a little freaked out. The only other rides she didn't like was Dinosaur, and the Haunted Mansion.

She was so good the whole time, and most of all it was so enjoyable to watch the excitement on her face when she met a character or had fun on a ride. I really hope she remembers this vacation, because she had a lot of fun.

We ate so much junk, and still she is asking for chicken nuggets. I would think she would never want one again. I had the classic frozen banana that was super good.

Below are a bunch of our pictures with a short caption for each.
Random ride we were on.
Summer and Phil in the 3D glasses.
The Canadian Pavillion at Epcot. Of course we could not pass by without checking it out.
Trying to look like a pirate after the Pirates of the Carribean ride.
Phil trying to look like Jack Sparrow I guess.

The Swiss Family Tree house.
This is a horrible picture of us with the heat and humidity, however, I love how the had the Magic Kingdom all decorated with Mickey Halloween decor.
Mickey and Minnie Mouse of course.
The castle around nighttime.
This was fun to watch. I tried to get Phil to go and dance with them, but he wouldn't.
Another Halloween statue. The place was just decorated so cute.
Summer freaking out before the Tower of Terror because we are in a dungeon.
After the ride she is not so happy anymore. It was a rather intense ride.
The chicken coop from the Hannah Montana movie.
Hollywood Studios
Hollywood Studios again. While it was my least favorite of the four parks, it did hav my favorite ride. The Rockin' Rollercoaster featuring Aerosmith. It was the most intense for me.
In Asia at the Animal Kingdom.
Pocahantas and Meeko
The Lion King show was super good.
Minnie Mouse in the parade. She was my favorite when I was little. I loved Minnie and Mickey. Times have changed, because it is all about the princesses now.
Captain Hook, Melissa, Philip, Summer, Smee
Pluto, Summer, Goofy

It was well worth the drive, the expense, and everything. We actually got an awesome package and kept getting upgraded to nicer rooms in a nicer hotel, so that was a bonus. It was really a blast, and we hope to go again soon.