All Pics Blue Snowflake 2010

Noir Stars Christmas

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

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1 Year Old Toy Recommendations

I always hear questions about what to get kids for Christmas, and even moreso, what to get the young toddler crowd that is too big for infant toys and not big enough for older kids' things. I thought I'd share a couple of things that Kadynce got for her birthday that she loves:



My Pal Violet by Leap Frog (My Pal Scout is the boy version.)
*We just exchanged a duplicate toy for this yesterday, and she LOVES it! It comes with a USB cable to connect it to your computer. Then, you enter in the child's name (and correct spelling), favorite food/color/animal, etc. The dog will say phrases and songs personalized for your child. And the dog can say Kadynce so I'm sure it won't have a problem with pronouncing names right. Target has it on sale for $17.99 right now.


Princess Cozy Coupe 30th Anniversary Edition (Red/yellow one for boys)
*My parents got Kadynce and my nephew this for their birthdays, and they both LOVE it. The difference in this one and the one my boys had (fire engine) is the "floor" that you can put in until they are big enough to move it on their own - Elijah used to always get caught under his b/c he would fall off the seat and slide down. There's also a cup holder behind the seat for sippies to fit into. Theres a cut out part on top to be used as a handle to push them - much better than trying to get your arms around the bulky roof! Kadynce LOVES being pushed in hers, but she also likes just sitting in it and going "rooooom!"


Fisher Price's Brilliant Basics Stroll-Along Walker/Brilliant Basics Baby's 1st Doll (Baby's 1st Bear is blue and could be for a boy, but I've only seen the pink stroller)
*Kadynce got her doll for Christmas last year as a newborn and has just started to show a little interest in it. She's so soft and has a sweet rattle inside. (My mom recently gave me my doll like this - pretty sure it's the newer version of it. Mine was pink and white plaid and Mom said it was called Lolly.) When I saw the stroller, I was in love with it (and still am). It's ideal for a first stroller because it is sturdy enough for those not-so-sturdy walkers (like my daughter ). Kadynce loves putting her doll i it and playing with all the little gadgets on it. It's a great walker for her to push around too. All of the other strollers I have seen are not sturdy and would fall with the child, but since this one is more like a walking toy, it won't fall. LOVE it!!!

Anyways, those are my reviews and recommendations. Hope they help someone!!!

Christmas Cards

Since we just entered November, my attention has now turned to the greatest task of the season...dum, dum, dum...Family Christmas Cards!  It has been a tradition for us - almost since Sean and I got married - to do photo Christmas cards.  It gives people an updated picture of the family - though I know they are more concerned about the kids than Sean or I - and in my opinion, is more fun to receive than a simple card with someone's name in it.  So, I already have our photography session booked with a friend in downtown McKinney for next Saturday morning.  The attire was picked months ago.  And so, I have now begun to search for holiday cards with that information in mind.  My first pick was Shutterfly, and I was amazed at how easy it was to find what I was looking for.  I went to the photo cards section and found a preference column along the side to narrow my search.  This was particularly helpful this year because our photo attire is gray and black with Kadynce and I in accents of hot pink.  Obviously, a typical card with brown or lots of red will clash.  Also, I want a card with a spot for a family photo as well as a spot for individual shots of each kid.  As always, Shutterfly delivered exactly what I needed.  While I don't want to give away the final product (which has yet to be created), I can give a preview of the card I found, which I believe will work perfectly for us:

(The name of the card is Snowflake Wishes Noir Holiday 5x7 Photo Card.)

I have ordered a few products from Shutterfly within the past year, and I have been very, very pleased with the products I have received.

If you are looking for Christmas cards like I was, you can visit: http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards .  You can also find more generic, holiday cards at http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards .  As I mentioned, they have a wide variety of cards, and the sidebar to help narrow the search is quite helpful if you know what you are looking for. 

Last year, I ordered my dad a wall calendar for Christmas.  I had so much fun putting it together, and the quality of it was wonderful!  It has hung in my dad's office all year.  If you are looking to do something similar for the holidays, visit http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars .

I guess I'm singing the praises of Shutterfly this year! (Oh and hey, 50 free cards for this blog post isn't too shabby either!)