Hart Family Christmas

Happy Birthday to Papa Bear!!

I always try to make it a priority to make Nick's birthday special (especially because it is just a week before Christmas). This year it fell on a Saturday so Jack Jack and I had a breakfast birthday party. The best thing you can do for Nick is to make his favorite foods so I made his mom's special biscuits and gravy, and a cheese cake birthday cake. Jack also helped pick out some fun birthday stuff. Later that day we went out with his dad's side of the family for dinner at Iggy's. It was so fun and we had a great day! L O V E you Papa Bear.

Crazy Christmas Time

The Amazing Adventures of our elf "Bobby the Bullet"

We just started using our ELF on the SHELF this year. So our elf watches Jack Jack all day then flies home to the North Pole at night to report to Santa how Jack is behaving. The fun part is every morning we get to find him in a new place in the house. He has also been bringing marshmallows back from the North Pole. So every day Jack comes down stairs calling "Bobby Bullet where are you?? - Oh there you are!". He then finds his treat and says "Thank you Bobby Bullet!!". It has been so fun, and I can't wait to do it every year.

A fun part of the tradition was to name our elf. I kept suggesting names to Jack all day to try to help him find the right name. I was shot down about a million times! Finally before bedtime I said "Jackson is your elf's name Bob?" he says "NO....... Its Bobby.....Bobby the Bullet." It was a riot - he was so serious, and it was great that he actually came up with it himself.

Oh Christmas Tree....

Our "beautiful tree" as Jack Jack would say.

Jackson's "special tree"

This is my favorite tradition that we have done with Jack so far. I grew up with real trees from the tree lot, and love the experience, smell and etc. So we all go to the lot and let Jack pick out his own tree to put upstairs. I have actually done this since he was 6 months old, the first time we went he was in a baby carrier :). I love to let him decorate it with our family and home made ornaments. Nick and I decided to also start buying a new ornament for each of us to add to the tree each year. So this tree certainly isn't as pretty as our other tree, but is definitely more "special".

This years picks. Nick: coke, Jack Jack: Ninja Turtle, Me: Robot (because it's awesome.)

Some treats I made this year. Oreo truffles (Nick's fave), Marshmallow Lollipops, Ginger Cookies

Jack was so funny at the tree lot, he was sad the man cut the lower branches off the bottom of his tree so we took one home and made a Charlie Brown tree.

We had Nick and Erica over for a hot chocolate and Carmel apple cider party. These pics of Jack and Auntie Erica are darling.

This is a cute pic from a photo shoot Nick did with Brandon's family. I love how it shows the craziness! We actually watched the kids while B & B went to Chicago for a weekend in mid Dec. It was wild to go from one kid to five but we managed! We made Christmas cookies, gingerbread houses and played. We love these kids.

Merry Christmas

Natural Remedy

Hallelujah!! doTERRA oil! I would love to try other kinds as well - if anyone else knows about these tell me what other oils are good too!
My lovely tens unit and Salonpas patches

For any of you that may deal with chronic pain - I have a great discovery! My grandma Hart (of course) had me try a doTERRA oil for my back/neck/head aches. It is awesome! I can still feel the hurt muscles but it really helps with the tension! It can be difficult to figure out how to deal with daily pain and not take enough pills to kill a small horse. Which believe me I have experience with (and I have the stomach ulcers to prove it - thanks a lot IB profin.) It is very important to try to use as many natural options as possible. The hardest things for me are: sitting (movies, desk, church etc!), holding babies :( (which I refuse not to do), SLEEPING, and having a headache/backache most days. Yeah, I am pretty much uncomfortable all the time! Things that seem to help the most are:

• "Past Tense" doTERRA oil
• My tens unit!!!
• Exercise, especially yoga
• Salonpas patches (which actually are medicated)
• Ice packs
• Massage and Acupuncture (great but expensive and short term)

I actually don't like to write/talk about my issues that often because I don't want to focus on what is wrong with me - but I hope that if anyone is looking for some good ideas on how to feel better with what ails ya (especially if its chronic) that this might help. And honestly I hate to complain because I have so much to be grateful for! Thank goodness that the more active I am the better I seem to feel. What would I do if I couldn't run around and be able to enjoy life (just on less sleep, and with more pain ha ha) ?? But I see what others have to go through and I am so grateful for the parts of me that are healthy. :)

Thankful

I love it when the weather starts to get cold and I can listen to Harry Potter on my Ipod and make warm & delicious food. Soups are especially fun, I made this French Onion for the first time a few weeks ago and it was awesome! The fresh french bread and cheese bubbling on the top was so gooood.

Sweet JackJack playing in the Leaves.

Making his "stink face" this has been making more and more appearances....as has stinker-ish behavior. My toddler has finally started acting like one. When he is sweet it makes up for everything else though.

My dog/child Trouble who is hands down the most lovable dog I have ever had. He just follows me around all day (and sleeps with me at night). He is so good and obedient. There will be no replacing this one.

THANKSGIVING!!

We spent Thanksgiving at Brandon's with Nick's mom and sisters. We love his family and it was good to see the girls. They are so grown up now and just as cute as ever. We had a great time and actually got a group photo! YES! I made 7 (yes 7) pies for the occasion. I was a pie machine!! I was also a left-over-pie-eating-machine.

My upcoming art show is going to be in

A P R I L !!

Be there or be square.