ten smile tuesday

i must admit...it is a gray and rainy day here...and quite frankly, my mood is quite gray and rainy as well. gone is the dusting of sparkly white snow, washed away by the puddles. although, perhaps i will simply put on the girls shoes and take them to splash in those puddles while the air is a bit warmer outside. but really...i was planning to be folding laundry right now but just can't shake the "blahs"...so i thought perhaps my ten smile sharing would move me in that direction! :)

1. the results of my MOPS craft night last week. not only did i have a fabulous time chatting with friends and catching up, but i think the crafts turned out quite nicely as well. tile coasters and post-it note holders!

2. the fact that daddy and the girls had a fabulous time together while i was enjoying said craft night. apparently kate climbed right into the legos and played, happy as a lark, until mike grabbed the camera (knowing blogger mommy would want photo) and she started screaming!

3. gingerbread cookie making. libs and i whipped up the dough in the afternoon, and then daddy took charge of helping libs with the rolling and cutting. since it was Q week we had to cut out a few Q cookies to go with our gingerbread men and women. as for kate...well, she really wanted to help..mostly by crawling under elizabeth's chair and getting stuck.

4. sharing those tasty gingerbread cookies.

5. the simple delight of an empty box....HOURS of entertainment. i didn't catch a picture of it, but my favorite "box" moment had to be watching kate push elizabeth around!

6. decorating for Christmas...i love the sparkling white lights of the tree...our felted stocking (handknit by my mom) hanging along the stairway...the nativity...the advent calendar. what fun we had sharing in the decorating together.

7. finishing up some black apple dolls for the girls...and a couple friends as well! i still need to give them faces, but you get the idea. i was pleased that these were so quick and easy...just a couple of hours total to finish all four! (shh...don't tell the girls i posted pictures!)

elizabeth's kate's

the whole crew!

8. kate's new fascination with the potty...not that she has actually done anything, just that she LOVES sitting on the potty seat. every evening after she stands on the stool at the sink to brush her little teeth, she gets down, grabs the potty seat and wants to sit there for a second. too cute!

9. the incredible cool advent calendars we made as a creative activity at MOPS last week. (i put all the ornaments on for effect...of course, we are really only adding one a day). the neatest part is that it has a devotional to go along with each day...complete with hymns and Christmas carols. we are loving it!

10. an early Christmas present from my hubby....he surprised me with a new microwave today! this is a great surprise since the old one was making strange sounds and taking three times as long as normal to heat anything. bonus that it will eventually be mounted above the stove...giving me a huge amount of counter space that has been hidden for the past 3 years!

11. capturing the silliest of daddy faces while he and kate were playing....love it!

12. a milestone. elizabeth FINALLY realized she could get out of bed on her own to use the potty (rather than sitting and shouting, "MOMMY! DADDY! I HAVE TO GO POTTY!"--which has disastrous results when mommy is in the shower and doesn't hear her!). this morning she got up, went potty, and then came into my room to tell me of her accomplishment. she has been clean and dry and diaperless for some time now, but the actual willingness to get out of bed and go by herself is a big milestone in my book. hooray libbers! after her potty success she climbed into our bed while i was showering and watching some PBS kids....this is what i found when i came out of the bathroom....one little libber-bean who had tucked and snuggled herself all down in the covers...so like any good mom, i decided to snuggle right in next to her to watch a bit too!

13. and one more smile for good measure...but i can't share a picture until the recipient actually sees them in person first! i finished knitting and felting Christmas stockings for my dearest friend jill (and her little family). i'm so happy with the way they turned out...and the reality that i finished them. i was so afraid they wouldn't be finished on time...but they are! i can hardly wait to give them to her on thursday morning when i see her.