The Ballard Bunch

Hope you're all as excited for the morning as we are in our house!

I'm up waiting for Beau to get home from plowing so that we can finish up last minute Santa-errands. He'll have to go out again tomorrow afternoon (Bah-Humbug!), but at least we'll have him for the best part of the day - Christmas Morning Fun.

In the meantime, I had to include a picture I found on my camera that I'd totally forgotten about. Hayden, in all her mostly-naked glory, enjoying Tate's snow boots. They're HUGE on her, so she couldn't walk far, but she sure did try. Gotta give a girl credit where credit is due - she keeps up with her big sister pretty well for a little bug.



Merry Christmas!

I am totally having deja vu posting this, but I had to share. Basically a reenactment of last year's Grow Family Christmas Party and it's subsequent visit from "you know who".

We'll start with the pleasant visits...

Shantell


Braeden


Kehlden


Jakelle
(I don't have a picture on my camera, but she was cooperative and cute as can be)

Hayden


...and the not so pleasant.

Miss Tate


This is the clearest shot I was able to get - she clung to Beau like her life depended on it. Think she'll ever grow out of it?

Late, but at least I'm posting, right?

Here are some pics of us picking out our tree.





And Tatum's new snowboot debut...but her being surprisingly shy about it.

Everyone, go to Steve & Barry's. I SCORED today and got the remainder of my Christmas shopping done (minus various gift cards I need to still purchase). Everything in the store is $8.95 and under. Everything.

The only one I know of in Utah is off of I-215 & 2200 Exit (near Cottonwood High School).

Trust me, it's worth the drive.

Today Shalae and I were crafty girls and made our own version of a "Hooter Hider". In case you are totally baffled by the name, check out the link here. They're basically a breastfeeding coverup with a handy apron-like strap that holds the blanket around your neck. They turned out great and were surprisingly easy to sew. Here's mine...





If any of you are interested, just let me know. I'm happy to share sewing secrets or make you one of your own at a minimal cost. :)

Tagged by Jules…Christmas-Style!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper all the way! There is something extra fun about opening a gift (especially watching your kids tear through the paper in excitement), although I’ve been known to use a gift bag here and there – convenience, mostly. Or, for those odd shaped gifts!

2. Real tree or Artificial? Real all the way. Beau and I totally agree on this one, thankfully. I just love the adventure of going to pick it out, etc. Minus vacuuming the needles every day, mind you.

3. When do you put up the tree? Sometime after Thanksgiving, depending on my mood, but no later then December 1st or 2nd.

4. When do you take the tree down? Usually New Year’s Day

5. Favorite gift received as a child? I can’t remember either – that’s horrible! I should have a better memory than that…

6. Do you have a nativity scene? No, but I do have Joseph and Mary holding the babe on my end table. Does that count?

7. Hardest person to buy for? No one, really. I love the challenge!

8. Easiest to buy for? The girls, by far. They want everything and anything and get excited about it all. I’m still at the stage where I can pick things for them, though, too. I’m sure it’ll change very soon.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail – I love to receive so I make sure to send. Might be a little late this year, though! Oops!

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Can’t think of one…

11. Favorite Christmas Movie? We’re loving all of the holiday classics for kids lately – we have the boxed set w/ Rudolph, Frosty the Snowman, etc.

12. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don’t think so.

13. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? All the neighbor goodies!

14. Clear lights or colored on the tree? White lights on my family decorated tree. Believe it or not, I really and not one for the “formal tree” – there is something so nostalgic and sweet about pulling out past ornaments (and the ones we get the kids each year) and having a story to tell. Our tree has a lot of love, that’s for sure. Maybe as the kids get older and the ornaments grow in number, I might be converted to the two-tree side, but not yet.

15. Favorite Christmas song? I really like Jack Johnson’s version of “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer”

16. Travel at Christmas or stay home? So far, home. It’s just so hard to even imagine the work, time and money it would take to transport us all somewhere to celebrate. But, we’re happy to entertain here!

17. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? There's Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner and Blitzen. But do you recall the most famous reindeer of all? RUDOLPH! (Julie, I sang the song, too!)

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Same also on the PJ’s thing. We open those before we go to Beau’s grandma’s for the Christmas Eve party so the girls can wear them on the way home (in case they fall asleep).

19. Most annoying thing about this time of year? The never-ending list of things to buy. Just when I think I’m ahead, something else comes up that I have to buy for (parties, gift exchanges, etc.) Not that I mind participating, it’s just hard to REALLY plan money-wise towards the week before Christmas.

20. Favorite ornament theme or color? Ours starts with white lights and cranberry sprigs and then is decorated with ornaments from past Christmases. It really kind of follows the red, green and white theme so far, though.

21. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Skip the ham; bring on another turkey, please! I love the whole spread…minus the cranberries. Ick.

22. What do you want for Christmas this year? Tatum to quit pooing her panties.

TAG... Amanda, Jami, Lenette, Chelsea, Megan, Tanya, Yvonne, Kim and Krystal. And anyone I may have neglected.

This is a great little "challenge" I stumbled across on Kendra's blog:

“I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this PIF exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, which is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.”

Not sure if that's her pledge, or one that we all should follow, but I'm copying, pasting and participating.

So come on, ladies...comment away and start to Pay It Forward, too! :) How fun!

Some of you have posted comments asking if my babies, are in fact, as big as I'd indicated in my last post. Here's a quick trip down memory lane...

Tatum Gayle Ballard
March 25, 2005
10 lbs 4 oz - 22 Inches Long




Hayden Ruth Ballard
August 11, 2006
8 lbs 10 oz, 19 Inches Long
(10 Days Early)




Both chubby, cute and full of hair.

Can't wait to see what this little guy will look like!

I can't believe that after tomorrow (technically today, it's after midnight, afterall) I'll be in the single digits until my due date. The nice thing for me to remember is that I'm not going off a due date, they'll take this little guy early, too. We're aiming for under 10 lbs...fingers crossed!

Sorry - I blog-suck lately.

I promise, sometime tomorrow I'll post some kind of new and exciting information about our family. Life just seems to be going by faster than I can manage (especially this time of year) and I haven't had much time to even consider a blog or two.

Wish me luck - speaking in church in the morning and I'm scared out of my mind. Ugh.