This Christmas season, I have enjoyed being crafty with Ethan. I don't normally get too crafty, but sometimes the mood hits- and good things come as a result. Last year, Ethan and I did our first Christmas craft together, and they turned out so cute. We gave one to each set of grandparents, and of course kept one for ourselves. The grandparents loved them so much, we decided to continue the tradition this year.
Here is last years hand print craft-
And this years foot print craft-
In addition, this year my mother in law did a craft with Ethan as a gift for Evan and me-
In preschool Ethan and his teachers worked on some very special treats for the parents- I mean, seriously, how adorable is this?!?! I felt like this piece completed my Christmas tree this year.
Lastly, last night we went to our annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Party. We have friends that host this get together every year, and has been going on since before I married Evan. Everyone brings a pot of soup to share, and then after dinner the kids (and adults too!) decorate Christmas cookies. We were excited this year that Ethan was old enough to enjoy the tradition...and I would say by the looks of the pictures...he enjoyed it!!!
Cookie decorating is WAY more fun when you eat everything.
His cousins Lucas and Shane are pros.
Look at all that cookie decorating stuff! Icing of every color, and every type of candy you could imagine. Who wouldn't enjoy that?! Evan and I did. :)
I cannot believe that Christmas is just a few short days away. I sincerely hope that every one of you enjoys the week! Merry Christmas!
This past Sunday we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at the Angus Barn with my parents, sister, and her boyfriend. This has been our second year in a row going to the Angus Barn around Christmas time.
Going to "the barn" in of itself is a treat, but going at Christmas time is even better. They really go all out. From the amazing decorations, to the carolers, and the home made ginger bread cookies when you leave...its a great overall experience.
Evan and I LOVE "the barn". Of course, with it being as expensive as it is, we usually only make it 1-2 a year. So this was a great treat.
I requested a table in the main dining area. I was so excited that my wish was granted...we had never sat in one of the stalls before.
I ordered the North Atlantic Salmon, which I had never ordered before- accompanied by a fully loaded sweet potato. It was fantastic. The salmon had a butter garlic dill sauce- which was outstanding. Evan, of course, had a steak with a twice baked potato. The man is a sucker for a good steak. Since I cannot eat red meat, it is never an option for me. The meals are always served with a large salad- which in my opinion is one of the best salads I've ever eaten. The dressings are always home made. THAT is what makes a good salad- oh and the home made croutons too! :)
At the end of our meal, the gang surprised me with a cake for my birthday...which was a nice added treat. "The barn" knows how to make a good pound cake.
You know what makes all of this even better? We get to go again next weekend with Evan's family! :)
Every year since having Ethan, we have been included in a private sitting with Santa. This Santa takes time out of his "busy" schedule to come to a friends house and spend one on one time with the kids. Each family gets a 30 minute session of private time with Santa. There are a handful of families that are included, so it is nice that it remains an intimate event. We look forward to this every year. Our nephews have been doing this tradition long before us, so Ethan was excited to join them in the fun.
I keep waiting for the "fear" to set in. But with each passing year that we see Santa, Ethan seems to be more and more comfortable around him. This year he was very excited about seeing Santa, and walked right up to him with no problems. He was talking to him like he'd just seen him yesterday. He got right up in his lap, and said "Santa I like your truck". (Santa drives a big red pick up truck with "SANTA" on the back of it) He proceeded to ask him for a soccer ball, and trucks for Christmas.
Does it get any cuter?!
Cousin time!
We are truly enjoying Ethan at this age- what fun it has been to see Christmas in his eyes. I cannot wait until Christmas morning this year. I know that with every passing year, it will only get better.
I hope that your family has been enjoying Holiday traditions!
I can't believe Thanksgiving has come and gone, and it is now December 1st. My goodness, I can't even keep up.
Our Thanksgiving was wonderful. Great food, great company...great food! We spent the day with my parents this year since we alternate years between families. Ethan was very excited about Thanksgiving. He kept asking "mommy when are we going to eat the big Thanksgiving dinner?"
I went over to my parents early to spend some time with them and my sister. Evan and Ethan joined later after Ethan's nap.
This years menu included:
Turkey (of course)
Ham (my favorite)
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Green bean casserole
Spicy corn casserole
Steamed broccoli with hollandaise sauce
Deviled eggs
Rolls
Pineapple casserole
Sweet potato pie
Key lime pie
Apple pie
We had enough left overs for Evan and I to eat for 3 straight days, lunch and dinner. It was such a nice treat not having to cook. I'll be honest, that is something I do not look forward to each day.
Papa is busy playing with the boys!
The boys loved the kids table. Much to my surprise Ethan actually ate some turkey, green bean casserole and corn casserole. And of course a roll...that's a given!
Thanksgiving came and went...just like that. So, you know what that means? Christmas is in full swing. The 3 following days after Thanksgiving were spent from sun up to sun down decorating, cleaning, and getting organized and ready for Christmas. It is a lot of work, but Ethan is so excited this year. Talking up a storm about Santa, and what Santa is going to bring him for Christmas. He was even really into helping us decorate. So, I guess that makes it all worth it! :)
A blogging bum...yup, that's exactly what I've been these days.
So, sorry about that.
This past Thursday was Evan's birthday. The big 32. He had a week long of celebrations...lucky guy. Wednesday night, I cooked Evan's special dinner request and my family came over. We had steak on the grill, salad, mashed potatoes, and rolls. His birthday dessert you ask?...a cookie cake of course. Cookie cakes are his favorite. I learned a little lesson about cookie cakes this year. Stop going to the cookie store for cookie cakes. This year I ordered a cookie cake from Harris Teeter and let me tell you...it was WAY better than from the cookie store, and cost WAY less. Lesson learned!
Michael and Ethan getting some snuggles in
Ethan loves to help open gifts!
His birthday week continued with two more days of fun. Friday night his entire family gathered at his mom's for another special request...hamburgers on the grill. Do you see a trend here? Of course another cookie cake was in order. Then Sunday, Evan's dad and stepmom took us to PF Chang's (yum) for dinner. I will never complain about a free dinner just because it is someone else's birthday! Sadly, the celebrations must come to an end at some point...right? That's because it's time to make way for my own special birthday celebrations! :)
Saturday morning...bright and early... we went to the Raleigh Christmas Parade with Evan's sister, her husband, and Ethan's two cousins. Yes, it was cold. But, we made the best of it. We got there early enough to get a close parking spot, and a good spot on the sidewalk. The boys were able to sit up close and personal on the curb. We brought plenty of blankets, hot chocolate, and Bojangles biscuits. What more could you need? The parade was great, the kids had a blast- and naps afterward were amazing. (myself included :) )
It was a busy, but fun week! Happy birthday to the man I love more everyday. You are such a blessing in my life!!!
"World's Best Potato Soup"- a recipe we tried this weekend while in the mountains (Boone) and really enjoyed it.
It was perfect soup weather, since it was pretty darn cold. We took Ethan with us this time, and Evan's parents watched him while we went to the App State football game on Saturday afternoon. We were very thankful that they were willing to watch him for us. They had a blast while we were at the game.
App State played Louisiana Monroe, and ended up being one of the closest App State games we have seen in a very long time. It was back and forth the entire game- neck and neck. App State won by a filed goal putting the final score at 31-29. Aren't you impressed with my wonderful game recap? You should be since I really don't know that much about football...I mean lets just be honest. :)
I didn't really go crazy with the pictures this time- but did manage to get a couple cute ones...
After a walk outside Saturday morning (it was cold!) we had to make a grocery store run!
His Mimi took this picture while we were at the game. They managed to find a patch of snow leftover from the day before.
Okay- so onto the recipe. I hope you enjoy it. I will say, it is very heavy and makes the perfect comfort food. Perfect for the upcoming colder months. It tastes just like a loaded baked potato, just in soup form. (recipe from allrecipes.com)
In a large stock pot combine potatoes, onions, celery, bouillon cubes and enough water to cover all ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer on medium heat until potatoes are with in 15 minutes of being finished.
Add half and half, bacon, cream of mushroom soup and stir until creamy. Add cheese and stir until completely melted. Simmer on low until potatoes are done. Serve with sour cream.
"Trick or Treat, Trick or Treat, give me something good to eat!" Yes, that was the phrase my 2 year old learned very quickly this past week!
Halloween night was lots of fun here in the Boutwell home. We had a full house- my mom, Evan's mom, my sister, her boyfriend, my cousin Beth and her husband, and their son. We ordered pizza for dinner and enjoyed some down time (well as much down time as possible with 2 year olds running around!) before hitting the road.
Ethan wanted to be the "working man" as he calls it for Halloween. AKA- a construction man. His cousin Zane was a train conductor. Trying to capture pictures of these two- well, lets just say it took an entire group effort! Goodness gracious that was hard work.
"Hey man, how much candy do you think were gonna get?!"
When one is looking, the other one isn't!
...And even after all that hard work, you would think would could have managed to get one decent picture!
We pulled this kids around in the wagon, and everyone had a great time. Our neighborhood is huge...and really goes all out for the holiday. I have never seen so many decked out houses for Halloween before. Music, lights, blow up figures, haunted houses, strobe lights, fog machines, you name it. All I can say is our neighborhood knows how to party.
The first thing out of Ethan's mouth on Saturday morning was "can I have a lolly pop now?" All I can say is that candy "went away" really fast! :)
I hope all of you enjoyed the day with your little ones. I loved seeing them all dressed up!
