Listening to Her Big Brother Again

As we drove by a small lake one evening, E grabbed our attention by frantically shouting, "Daddy!  Daddy!  Daddy!"

Steve quickly responded, "What, E?"

She asked, "Is that the Platte River?"

Simeon

We finished reading about the birth of Jesus in our children's Bible and kept on going.  When we read, "God had told Simeon he would see the Savior before he died, "

and saw this illustration,

J exclaimed, "What did he die from?  Is he sick? 

Because if he's sick, he should not be holding that baby!"

Merry Christmas!

Behind

Just a couple of days until Christmas and I still have hundreds of FALL photos to sift through.

After my brief look at these, I'm excited to see what other ones are tucked away in those files.

Maybe next year.

I Don't Like the Sound of That

Calling her by both her first and middle name, I gave E an extra squeeze while snuggling and said, "E.L., you are my big girl." 

She sweetly replied, "You're my big mama."

Sarcasm

Recently, J asked me what sarcasm is.  I tried my best to define something that is so near and dear to me and then offered a few examples.

Jump forward to the very next morning...

E sleepily walked out of her room with untamed hair (oh, our sweet Nick Nolte look-a-like).

J took a quick look at her and in the best sarcastic tone I've heard in a while said, "Nice hair."

Such a quick learner he is!

Cry

I'm not much of a crier, but as I type this, I'm sniffling with a few tears rolling down my cheeks. 

As I was preparing our Christmas cards earlier tonight, my thoughts were jumping around.  I found myself remembering that on the night of December 16, 2003 I was doing the exact same thing, preparing Christmas cards.  I only remember that seemingly unremarkable task because today, December 17th, marks the seventh anniversary of my Aunt Kathy's death.  Many of the details surrounding that event in my life are still so vivid.  One thought led to another and then I found myself re-reading the series about her here and hence the tears.

It's unexplainable.  How can something feel like it happened centuries ago yet just like yesterday?

One would think that after seven years there wouldn't be anything more to cry about.  But I still miss her, and my heart breaks for her children.

I'm thankful that the piercing pain fades with time so life can go on.  However, I'm also thankful that the pain hasn't disappeared completely so life can go on in a noticeably different fashion to ensure she will never be forgotten.

Request

Guess what they are playing?

J is Steve.  E is Teri.

Any guesses?


Answer:  The Crocodile Hunter

I figured our wanna-be-herpetologist would be fascinated by the late but great Crocodile Hunter, Steve Irwin.  We spent hours viewing YouTube clips, and now J is running around the house attempting an Aussie accent while shouting, "What a beauty!". 

Even on eBay the videos carry a rather hefty price tag (ah, crikey!), so if anyone out there would like to share Crocodile Hunter episodes on DVD, we'd have one happy mate.

Somebody's Been Listening to Her Brother

E:  Guess what I'm wrestling!

Me:  What?

E:  A reticulated python.

Discovering Snow All Over Again

Finally

Finally, two of us were feeling well enough to make the trip to meet the newest and so perfectly adorable addition to our family.

Finally, we were able to give her the boots I made for her... 

complete with fuzzy bottoms...

and suede soles.

Finally, my gentle boy was able to proudly hold his cousin.

Finally, I have a real newborn to model my hats.

Finally, we were able to examine every bit of her beauty...

right down to her delicate fingers...

and lovely toes...

and squishy baby face.

And I love squishy baby faces!

  

Finally, she's here! 

My Husband Makes Me Laugh Out Loud

After some serious playtime tonight, Steve looked at E and said, "E, you look like Nick Nolte when he got pulled over for DUI." 

We better start saving for her therapy now.

Keep It Coming

December 9th and the temperature reached the mid-50s. 

My dear husband grilled outdoors for supper.

I ran in a short sleeves and lightweight capris.

No layers. 

No hat. 

No gloves.

Hey, Old Man Winter, keep this up and I just might not hate you as much.

Rest

Me:  J, you should really take a nap today.

J:  Why?

Me:  Because you're sick.  You need rest when you are sick.

J:  Why? 

Me:  Rest and sleep help your body and white blood cells fight off germs when you aren't feeling well.

J:  Nah, I'll just eat healthier instead.

St. Nick

I’ve never held myself to high standards when it comes to Christmas decorating, and this year that’s especially a good thing. 

I’m not bothered by the tree being naked on top. 

Nor am I stressed out about the random selection and clustered placement of ornaments…

…many unsophisticated…

...some downright scary.

One tradition that we do take much more seriously than most is St. Nick’s Day. Many delightful childhood memories of mine took place on the morning of December 6th. Naturally, I wanted to pass this tradition on to my family. We’ve taken it a step further than a stocking (some families use shoes) filled with fruit, peanuts, miniature Hershey’s bars, and a small toy or office supply. Office supply? Yep. My mother, the St. Nick’s Day procrastinator, had to work with limited shopping opportunities in the rural community where I was raised. If you are wondering how exciting office supplies are to a preschooler, give a three-year-old a paper puncher and a glue stick and he’ll be happy as a lark. Really in a pinch? Four or five-year-olds are fascinated by clipboards.

Anyway, Steve and I have chosen to not only allow St. Nick to make an annual visit to our home in the middle of the night, but this guy gets to deliver the bulk of our children’s holiday gifts. They still get one package on Christmas, but the mother load (have I ever mentioned that my kids are ridiculously spoiled?) arrives via St. Nick.

We love the early arrival of new toys and clothes. This allows plenty of time for the holiday present hubbub to fade so we can better focus on the one true GIFT of Christmas.

Daddy's Girl

'Tis the Season...

...for snotty noses,

sore throats,

full sinuses,

soggy tissues, 

and barky coughs.  

It isn't the symptoms that are making this virus unbearable but rather the timing.  This auntie has a new baby to meet but will just have to continue on enduring the agonizing wait.  

UUUGGGGHHHH!!!

Salt

Me:  What did you have for lunch today?

J:  Hot dogs, but I only had one bite.

Me:  Why?

J:  I remembered what the doctor said.  I didn't want to have too much salt.

Blessings Galore

So exhausted from the holiday weekend, I haven't even had the energy to blog.  Now, that's exhausted!

I love Thanksgiving.  It's such a pressure-free celebration...at least for me.  Those preparing the integral components of the feast may beg to differ, but for me it's all about taking a moment to take a closer look at the abundance of blessings that surround me while my loving husband carefully prepares the fruit tray I volunteered to bring.  Oh,  and of course, the most delicious of all foods are brought together for one glorious meal.  And glorious it was.  It's not like I didn't earn the one day gluttony pass.  I did run a 5k that brutally cold morning (I had icicles on my eyelashes as proof), so that trumped at least one dumpling...maybe.

Eating until my little heart was struggling to keep up content was not the event of the weekend that left me without energy.  That I will completely blame on the Black Friday extravaganza.

Shopping is one of my least favorite activities in the world.  Laundry still tops my Activities-that-Suck-the-Most list, but shopping is near the top.  So why would I choose to participate in the most ridiculous consumer gimmick of the entire year?  To spend time with my dear cousin and whomever is crazy enough to join us (this year that luck lady was M, and I'm certain we've turned her off to Black Friday forever) without our children.  Yep, that's right.  It's not about the shopping at all, but our lives seem to be so hectic and a babysitter is so difficult to come by that we have to stay up all night just to get in a little quality time.  Pathetic, indeed, but the laughs are completely worth every dollar I spent and then some despite the four days it has taken me to recover from the sleep deprivation.

My husband, who loves a deal, rejected the offer to join us but instead went his own shopping direction to snag a few doorbusters.  We met up in the middle at our house to recover and spend the night alone (this hasn't occurred in our own home since we became parents).  I sold the idea to my mom by saying, "Would you be able to watch the kids overnight on Friday?  When it comes down to it, you'll be caring for them even if we are at your house because we'll be worthless parents after staying up all night."  Nice, huh?  I don't think it was my smooth proposal that she went for but more likely the opportunity to hang out with her grandkids. 

E, who reportedly didn't whine the entire time we were gone, retaliated against us and the perceived abandonment by making the next 24 hours nearly unbearable with her whining and extreme neediness.  There's always a trade-off.  Still worth it though.

We topped off the holiday weekend with another family gathering and more eating and then the new movie Tangled with four of our favorite people. 


Delicious food.  Lovely company.  Quality time.  Shopping done.


Blessings galore!