Christmas Time Is Here...

I've been super busy over the past week or so. My husband and I are trying to get as much stuff done around our house before the holidays arrive. We have family coming out to visit, making it extra special since this is our first Christmas in our new home.

With Christmas around the corner, and family on their way, as soon as Thanksgiving hit, my husband built a mantle for our 1970's outdated fireplace. Since then we've slowly been putting all our decorations together. This weekend we will be carving letters out to place on top of the mantel. While we wait for the weekend to arrive, I've been working on the garland. I grabbed lots of (FREE!) tree trimmings from Home Depot to make our garland. On Monday, after school, the girls and I collected pine cones, and then popped them in the oven for a few hours to debug 'em. Today I will spray paint them silver and the girls will paint theirs however they would like.

 Things are starting to come together

Now I just need more garland, more candles, and spray paint on those pine cones.

I am also planning on making a burlap table runner for our table and I'm hoping the husband has time to build a center piece box to go on top of the runner with candles and more garland and more pine cones and... Crossing my fingers!

I will post everything when I'm done. Now it's time for more coffee!

Happy Holidays!

I think I'm ready, Hannah.

So here we are, Hannah. You're due, according to the doctor, this coming Sunday, the 20th. But we both know you'll arrive when you want to. You've tricked me once already, as I've been feeling contractions now since Monday morning around 4 AM (over 24 hours ago). Oh false labor, you can be so cruel...

I was worried we wouldn't be able to fit bear's last trip to Disney in before you arrived. I was determined to get there and perhaps my own determination slowed you down. I do not know. But either way, thank you for that time.

Whatever the case I am blessed that bear was able to have this one last moment. We saw the Christmas parade, squeezed in a few last rides, watched the fireworks for the first time, and saw snow! Foam really but you, my sweet bear, had no idea. You thought it was amazing and I enjoyed every second of that flurried snow fall right outside New Orleans Square. Disney really knows how to suck you in, I don't regret the money we spent on our pass one bit! It's made for some really magical times for us and I feel blessed that I was able to spend those moments with you, bear. We'll go again for Christmas time next year and you can show Hannah all the exciting things we experienced at Disney, for the first time, together.

The next few months are going to be rough. A new born is no easy task; delightful, a blessing, oh so exciting, yes. But I know how much I like my sleep so I'm doing my best to embrace the infant induced insomnia that I'm about to experience. The hardest part this time will be taking care of toddler while taking care of new born. But I'm certainly not the first mother to have more than one child; so many out there are taking care of much more than just two. So I will just simply pray and ask for the ability to go with the flow and to remind myself that the sleepless nights will not be forever. Some day Hannah will sleep just as well as bear but it will take time and patience.



Oh, I am so scared yet so excited! Excited to see you, meet you, smell you. Excited to see if you'll look more like me than daddy and maybe if you have some of mommy's quirks about you. Bear seems to share a lot of quirks and qualities with daddy, which are all wonderful parts of her. If you're not like mommy, that's ok. Even if you're just like your daddy, you'll still do it in your very own way.

I can't wait for you to meet your big sister, she's ready to help take care of you too. She kisses you frequently and hugs you tight. She's going to love you very much!

To my sweet Hannah, hurry up... just a little!

'Twas the night of Christmas

Happy 18 month birthday, bear!

Yes, today is your half birthday, which excitingly lands on Christmas day. And not only is it your 18 month birthday, but it is also your second Christmas!

In some ways, though, it felt more like your first, for this would be the first Christmas where you would fully participate in opening Christmas presents. Today was the foundation for all Christmases to come, as you now know more of what to expect next year. The next time you see a Chrismas tree, see Santa, hear a Christmas carol, you'll know what it means.

You were excited when you came out this morning, and although you became suddenly sick yesterday afternoon, it didn't seem to dampen your mood. What a surprise to see so many shiny wrapped boxes! "Open!" "Open!" You sang, passing me box after box; you weren't too sure where to start, and when you finally picked one present and began tugging on it's tapped edges, you quickly changed your mind and moved on again. Perhaps mommy didn't help fast enough, or all the excitement left you with the inability to sit still (as Christmas mornings tend to do that to little ones), either way you just couldn't seem to choose.

Little did we know that it would be a full day affair, as you wouldn't open your last present until just about dinner time...

The bobbing, from one gift to the next, continued for about ten minutes or so, until we finally stuck with one item. Daddy seemed to know the trick and before any of us knew it, there were a pair of galoshes and a princess backpack from Nana and Grandpa P, sitting out before you. And just as we had put your new rain boots on, you suddenly noticed your new pink, retro, kitchen!

You were so excited, I don't think we've ever seen this full expression before, and you knew just what to do! --You turned on the faucet right away! Expecting running water to come out...?...

...."Help!"..."Wash."..."Help!"...

Which I would expect too, if all of the faucets that I had ever seen in my entire 18 months of life had always had water pouring from their spouts. But you listened to mommy, as I told you, "It's pretend" and you followed me in my "bwoo-ssshhh" (pretend water noise) sounds as I washed my hands, in a make believe fashion.

You then checked each knob, crevasse, and door. And before I could sip just one bit of coffee, you had moved on to cooking (the word we heard most today was most certainly "Cook!") And since you hadn't opened any other presents yet (at least not any that contained your cooking toys), you started to wash, cook, and freeze, all of the wrapped boxes, that you could find, that were small enough to fit in your kitchen. But this would shortly stop once you found play food, and cookware from Santa Clause.

What I found so lovely about you bear, was that only when you were ready, on your own terms, would you again move on to opening more gifts (and yes I know this will not be the same for future Christmases to come, so I will hold on to this moment very tightly). It took much temptation (mommy and daddy resorted to pulling the corner edge off the next present) before you gave in and opened another favorite toy-- a teapot from Grammy K., which sang and made pouring sounds, as you played. You weren't quite sure what to do, just at first, but once I showed you, you caught right on, you poured us all some tea, turtle included, and then pretended to eat tea desserts.

You seemed to be most fond of all the toys that had to do with cooking. You played with all of your pots and pans perfectly with no guidance, you've obviously been watching mommy very well. You told me many times "Mama!" "Come! "Cook!"And we cooked away, we made stews on your stove and in your tree tent. We washed dishes and other items, stored your food in the fridge, and made phone calls on your kitchen phone. And before I could blink an eye, the day was done, another Christmas had gone and passed, and St. Nicholas, I'm sure, went home for a long nap...

It was a special day for us all, and even Ms. Acadia got a present from Santy Paws!

Now sweet bear of mine, I hope you sleep tight, for you have quite the cold to fight!

Sweet dreams, my sweet bear.

~Mama