Landry's New Kitchen

Inspired by some homemade play kitchens I saw on Pinterest (like this one), I decided to make one for Landry for Christmas. I wanted it to be small, so I found a side table at ReStore, and got to work. Here is the breakdown:

Side table: $7
Frame: $0 (taken from my home)
Shelves: $0 (taken from my home)
Brackets: $2.99
Dowel rod: $ .95
Hardware: $6
Bowl (for sink): $0 (taken from my home)
Wooden J (for sink): $1.29
Valance: $11.97
Plastic plates (for burners): $2

It may not have all the bells and whistles, but it cost a lot less than the kitchen I originally wanted to get her. The good news is she loves it, and that's the most important thing. Plus, I am just proud of myself that I actually made it. *Note: my hubby did cut the hole for the sink, so I did not do it completely on my own. :)

More Fun in Kansas

We had a great time catching up with old friends on our visit to Kansas. It is such a blessing to have these ladies (and their families) in my life!

Below: the Crawford kids are taking down the big boys. Look out!

Christmas in Kansas

Harrison was pretty excited about this gift!


Landry loved opening presents and it was so fun to watch her excitement.

The race car track was a big hit with Harrison and Daddy.

Landry and Uncle Brandon enjoyed it too.

Christmas with the Hogans: we Skyped with Rachel and David. Landry kept bringing things over to show Aunt Rachel. It was really sweet.

Thanks Gigi and Papa! Harrison was super excited about his Razor scooter.

Landry checking out the lady bug she got from David and Rachel. I love how you can see Rach in the background watching her. Modern technology is so amazing!

And after all that, we still had Christmas morning...he finally got his Zurg Blaster.




Tea party with Papa and her penguin.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Party

Justin's company had their Christmas Party at the Oklahoma Aquarium. The kids were excited to see all the sea life, but they were really excited about Santa! Well, Landry was excited about seeing Santa right up until the moment I left her on his lap, but she tolerated it for the picture.


Both the kids really enjoyed the aquarium. Below they are in awe of the jellyfish.

Thankful

We have much to be thankful for this year. We went from living 18 hours from our closest family member to being only 4 hours from our family. We were delighted to be able to host family at our new house for Thanksgiving. This was my first time to host a holiday at my home, and I was excited, but a little nervous about the cooking part. Unbelievably, I managed to cook a ham and a turkey for the first time ever. Of course I had tons of help from all the other ladies in the family. Everyone was so helpful!

Here I am posing with my first turkey. The lovely lady with me is Channing. It's hard for me to believe she was the flower girl in our wedding! Now she is a beautiful young lady and I really enjoyed spending time with her.
With family around, I was actually in some pictures. Thanks Michelle for taking this!
Harrison loved having family here and especially loved wrestling with his cousin Colten - and he has the black eye to prove it.
Family game night.


Granny and Pa were surprisingly good at Apples to Apples.

Happy Halloween!

We are really enjoying being so much closer to our family. Grandma and Grandad came down to visit the weekend before Halloween. And my mom was able to come for Halloween as well. We went to a Fall Festival at a church near our house. The kids had a blast!



This was Harrison's Halloween "Parade" at his preschool.
The big night. As you can see he could barely wait for it to get dark.
Landry was a little confused at first, but after receiving candy at the first house she figured it out.

The Hood

We are really liking our new house and our new neighborhood. We live on a little cul-de-sac and our kids have already made friends with the neighbors. The weather has been gorgeous, and we have been outside enjoying it. We are wearing summer clothes in late October!

Harrison was thrilled to have another boy his age to play with and luckily they share a love of super heroes.

The Pumpkin Patch

It was beautiful weather this weekend so we decided to take a trip to the pumpkin patch.

Checking out the pigs. He thought they were funny.


Landry wasn't quite big enough to ride a horse, so she intently watched while Harrison rode.

Leaving PA

It is definitely bittersweet to be leaving. We are excited to be closer to our family in Kansas, but leaving all the wonderful friends we have made in State College is very hard. I am so grateful for the opportunity to live here, and we will always remember our time in Happy Valley.

My friend Jen organized a little going away play date. It was great to see the kids get to play with their friends one more time.
Harrison with his friend Jeremiah.
Landry and Dylan. They are too cute together.


Making pizzas with the Black family.
Landry giving Addison a hug.
There was a much better posed picture of the two of us, but I like this one because it makes me laugh. I will miss Jen!
Harrison enjoying the hotel room the night before we left. There is just something about hotel beds that makes you want to jump on them. He was such a trooper through out the entire moving process. It was easy to keep a positive attitude with him making fun out of every situation.