Author: Jodi

First Snow…

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Uncle Darren and Cousin Marina came over for a visit today. We ate a yummy lunch (grilled cheese and chili mac) together; I put all three boys down for their afternoon nap; and we caught up over warm drinks, chocolate chip cookies, and a fun game of Apples to Apples. Jonas and Roman woke up in time to see the beautiful snow falling and were both totally captivated…they couldn’t wait to get out in it and that we did. I look forward to taking Xander out tomorrow too (he took a super long nap today and missed our little outing). We’re all hoping for more snow (especially Jonas…he really wants to throw snow balls and make snow angels and a snow man…haha).

Seyfried Family Christmas…

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(Again, I’m post-dating.)

We enjoyed spending Christmas in Virginia this year and are so thankful that everyone stayed well this time around…pretty amazing with ten adults and thirteen children (4 months to 18 years) living in such close proximity during flu season. Thanks be to God!!!

We always have so much fun hanging out with family and are so grateful to be able to spend so many days in a row together: attending mass, playing outside on the playground and in the woods, decorating cups for the lake trip this summer, doing sticker nativity scenes, painting piggy banks, opening presents, playing with toys old and new, reading books, working on sewing projects, helping cook and clean, visiting friends, going on walks, and enjoying good conversation.

For more pictures, click on the “Christmas 2012” page on the right.

Road Trip to VA…

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(First of all, don’t think that I’m so on the blogging ball that I would be able to get pictures uploaded and thoughts organized into coherent form enough to post this after a ten hour car ride from TN to VA with three little boys under the age of four…haha…I just back dated it for the sake of chronology).

We actually had one of of our best road trips ever to Virginia this year for the Seyfried Family Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa’s house. Thanks be to God for answering all of our prayers for a peaceable trip. I was amazed!!! Before we left, I saw a great idea on Pinterest (yes, I finally joined the ranks…I’m still holding out on Facebook, though)…Road Trip Clips…that worked WONDERFULLY for managing the big boys’ behavior in the car. They did really well reading books, drawing, playing with toys, snacking, and watching a DVD here and there while Roman napped. We stopped off at Warriors’ Path State Park on the way to let the boys run around and burn off some energy which was great fun for all of us even though it was freezing cold (we opted to picnic in the car instead of outside afterwards). We will definitely be stopping there AND using the Road Trip Clips again next year.

Visiting with Maw, Uncle Darren, and Cousin Marina…

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We are so excited to have my brother, Darren, and my niece, Marina, here visiting from Norway for the holidays!!!

We had a great time hanging out with Maw, Uncle Darren, and Cousin Marina this morning. The boys got some good play time in with them before lunch. And I enjoyed catching up with them in a quiet moment outside, soaking up the unseasonably warm weather, while the boys took their afternoon naps.

May Your Days Be Merry and Bright…

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We were so thankful to be able to get together with MeMe and PaPa tonight before they left for Oklahoma and before we left for Virginia for the holidays. We enjoyed a laid back evening with MeMe and Papa, Aunt Jean, Uncle Val and Aunt Heather, Cousins Val and Annabella, and Aunt Beans (we really missed Aunt Julie and Cousins Jordan and Dylan who were home sick…it just wasn’t the same without them). We had a great time just hanging out…enjoying delicious food and drink and playing with the kids and watching them open presents.

Forty-One Weeks…

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In his forty-first week, Roman is: saying “gah” (with much enthusiasm) for “dog”; doing his own version of the sign for “all done” (he puts both of his hands in the air like it’s a stick up…haha); and trying his darnedest to get into all of our cabinets and drawers.

Rainy Day Fun…

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The boys and I decided to spend this rainy Monday morning having fun at home. We all played together for a while after breakfast. Then, after I put Roman down for his morning nap, Jonas and Xander and I talked about numbers. Xander and I talked about the number one with books, puzzles, pom poms, and magnets, while Jonas and I talked about coins (sizes and colors of pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters…he’s really into patterns and sorting right now….so he had fun sorting a bag of coins). Afterwards, I thought it would be neat to try out one of the Play, Create, Explore 120 + Activities for Ages 1 – 4 (Toddler Science: Oil and Water + Food Coloring). It was really cool! Since they love to help me cook, we made some of MeMe’s Oatmeal Chocolate Chip cookies…a great treat that was fun to make and to enjoy after a good lunch.

Mommy’s Toys and Books…

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Tom was cleaning out the garage this morning and opened up a box of my old keepsakes…I was SO excited to see my old Tyco train set, Magical Musical Thing, and two of my favorite childhood books (with what looks like hand-stitched spines)…and the boys were too!!! They don’t make them like they used to…

Breakfast with St. Nick…

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Tom and I took the boys to Breakfast with St. Nick at our church this morning. Jonas and Roman both wanted to meet St. Nick which was really cute. (Xander didn’t so we didn’t go there with him…I totally get it, though…he reminds me of my sensitive self as a child). Jonas and Xander both had fun bowling (knocking over the snowmen bowling pins) and doing Christmas crafts (coloring Rudolph, decorating foam magnet Christmas trees, etc.), and Roman enjoyed checking out the festive sights.

Photo Ornaments…

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In light of the fact that the boys LOVE ornaments (especially the picture ones), I decided to make them a few for stocking stuffers this year. I saw a cute idea online for a photo ornament, using ribbon and the lid of a mason jar…I didn’t have any mason jars but I did find four little plastic magnetic frames in a pack for $2 while I was grocery shopping…so this is kind of my poor (wo)man’s version. I think Roman’s turned out pretty cute…I hope they like them!!!

Jonas and His Lite Brite…

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Jonas is having so much fun lately taking pictures with my phone. His perspective is so interesting, and he has a really great eye (I’m hoping to put his pictures together in a little book and give it to him for Christmas…shh…don’t tell). He has also figured out how to send texts and pictures to Daddy on my phone too (I’m amazed at kids these days and their technological aptitude).

He’s been having a BLAST playing with the Lite Brite that he got for his birthday too. It takes me back to my Lite Brite days…haha. Anyway, here are a few of the funny things he’s said recently…enjoy!!!

“Do you know that four year olds get lots of Goldfish?”

“Mommy, did you know windows are made out of rectangles?”

“Is Texas where the cowboys live? Is everybody a cowboy? Is Mrs. Lizza a cowboy?”

“Mom, I wish we had question mark carpet.”

Lone Anemone…

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After we put together a strand of cranberry popcorn garland, Xander and I had fun playing in the backyard. He is getting so big and wanted to swing on the “big boy swing”. He was checking out the garden while he was flying high (as usual) and said, “I see fowlah!” I looked over and there it was…a lone purple anemone. What a sweet sight. (I think my bulbs are confused…I moved and replanted them probably a bit too early this fall…oh well…it ended up being a beautiful mistake.)

Cranberry Popcorn Garland…

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After we dropped Jonas off at preschool, picked up a bag of fresh cranberries at Publix, and laid Roman down for his morning nap, Xander and I made some cranberry popcorn garland for our Christmas tree. He picked out his favorite cranberries and pieces of popcorn while I threaded them, using my Granny’s thimble. It’s such a natural and pretty holiday decoration, strung with love…and it makes me happy!!! I know it will make the boys SUPER happy to hang it up on our back porch after Christmas and watch the birds enjoy a nice winter’s treat.