Thursday, December 17, 2009
Snow and Cold!
WINTER has arrived and it's here to stay! Snow and Cold. Do I love it, NO. Do I tolerate it... I suppose I do live in an icebox.
Enjoying the holiday season!
I have to say that I LOVE the holidays! The craziness of Black Friday shopping at 5AM (yes, I went one week after surgery... I have the BEST Black Friday shopping partner, Mona. It's kind of become a tradition... Caribou starts the day out!)
I LOVE the Christmas music. The only two radio stations I've been listening to for about 3 weeks now are the ones that play non-stop Christmas music. And CD's... gotta love Martina's Christmas CD. And Nece... she loves her Chipmunks Christmas CD. Now, do I love that one... NO, but do I enjoy listening to it with the girls. You Bet!
The Lights! I certainly do NOT love the ridiculousness of some houses. But I will say, I do enjoy driving through the neighborhoods with the kids and looking at the lights. The more the better... according to a certain 3 year old. I do kind of have to agree. We've asked daddy to put lights up outside, and the exact wording of the response was "as soon as you decide we don't have to travel every single Christmas, I will put lights up outside for you ladies." Point taken, and that day may come sooner rather than later.
The shopping! Great deals. You just have to know when to hit the malls and there are no problems! I love to give people my lists and I love to receive lists. It's not that its impersonal and that I don't want to have to think... it just takes the stress away and you know you are giving somebody something they really want. If you give a big list, it's still a surprise!
Baking! I love baking and I love baking with my girls! This year I attempted a gingerbread house with the girls. Nope, not going to do that again... kind of like cut out cookies. My girls will never experience that with me. I did it once, and I won't do it again. We also had a marathon Saturday afternoon/evening of baking. I made cranberry-orange nut bread (yum), Oreo Balls, GingerSnaps (see the 'hot dogs' below), Grandma I's brownies, and Hazelnut cookies with Nutella topping in one day. This past weekend, I made peanut butter balls. YUMMY to all of those.
And you are wondering, what do we do with all those goodies? It has become tradition to give them to our neighbors as their Christmas present. They love the baked goods and I love to get them out of the house!
Santa- Toro hosts a Christmas party for kids most years, and this year was no exception. The kids get a treat, arts and crafts, games and a visit with Santa. This year, I was able to bring Mya along with Mona for assistance... I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
The picture above is Nece informing Santa that she'd like a Barbie Camper...
Giving- I have the opportunity to give bacways throughout the holiday season and it truly makes me appreciate everything that I have. Family, Friends, Health. There are so many people out there that don't have the ability to put a little gift under the tree for their children, put food on their table or don't have families to share the holiday season with or don't have their health. Something so simple, but in many makes you feel so worthy... ringing the Salvation Army bell. This is a tradition that I cannot wait to start with my girls. We will do this as a family as they get older... and I jump at the opportunity to do it every year through work. Truly making a difference. We also try to give every time we go in and come out of a store- teaching the true meaning of giving is better than (or just as important as receiving). Adopt-A-Family... the need is so great this year. This is another opportunity that I'm blessed to be a part of. Once again, through work, we adopt a family and help them provide. The gifts were dropped off today and words cannot even describe the gratitude of these families. To know that I've helped give them presents under the tree for their kids, provided food for their table and to give a mom a little luxury she would never be able to afford. My hope and wish one day is for our family to Adopt-A-Family... give back and bless others with a little bit of what we have. It breaks my heart to see the statistics and I wish I was able to do more... but I know deep down that every little bit counts and just a tiny donation can make a world of difference to somebody out there.
And the season in general... It's so much fun to live out the experiences you remember as a child through the eyes of your child. I look forward to many more holiday seasons with family and friends!
I LOVE the Christmas music. The only two radio stations I've been listening to for about 3 weeks now are the ones that play non-stop Christmas music. And CD's... gotta love Martina's Christmas CD. And Nece... she loves her Chipmunks Christmas CD. Now, do I love that one... NO, but do I enjoy listening to it with the girls. You Bet!
The Lights! I certainly do NOT love the ridiculousness of some houses. But I will say, I do enjoy driving through the neighborhoods with the kids and looking at the lights. The more the better... according to a certain 3 year old. I do kind of have to agree. We've asked daddy to put lights up outside, and the exact wording of the response was "as soon as you decide we don't have to travel every single Christmas, I will put lights up outside for you ladies." Point taken, and that day may come sooner rather than later.
The shopping! Great deals. You just have to know when to hit the malls and there are no problems! I love to give people my lists and I love to receive lists. It's not that its impersonal and that I don't want to have to think... it just takes the stress away and you know you are giving somebody something they really want. If you give a big list, it's still a surprise!
Baking! I love baking and I love baking with my girls! This year I attempted a gingerbread house with the girls. Nope, not going to do that again... kind of like cut out cookies. My girls will never experience that with me. I did it once, and I won't do it again. We also had a marathon Saturday afternoon/evening of baking. I made cranberry-orange nut bread (yum), Oreo Balls, GingerSnaps (see the 'hot dogs' below), Grandma I's brownies, and Hazelnut cookies with Nutella topping in one day. This past weekend, I made peanut butter balls. YUMMY to all of those.
And you are wondering, what do we do with all those goodies? It has become tradition to give them to our neighbors as their Christmas present. They love the baked goods and I love to get them out of the house!
Santa- Toro hosts a Christmas party for kids most years, and this year was no exception. The kids get a treat, arts and crafts, games and a visit with Santa. This year, I was able to bring Mya along with Mona for assistance... I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
Giving- I have the opportunity to give bacways throughout the holiday season and it truly makes me appreciate everything that I have. Family, Friends, Health. There are so many people out there that don't have the ability to put a little gift under the tree for their children, put food on their table or don't have families to share the holiday season with or don't have their health. Something so simple, but in many makes you feel so worthy... ringing the Salvation Army bell. This is a tradition that I cannot wait to start with my girls. We will do this as a family as they get older... and I jump at the opportunity to do it every year through work. Truly making a difference. We also try to give every time we go in and come out of a store- teaching the true meaning of giving is better than (or just as important as receiving). Adopt-A-Family... the need is so great this year. This is another opportunity that I'm blessed to be a part of. Once again, through work, we adopt a family and help them provide. The gifts were dropped off today and words cannot even describe the gratitude of these families. To know that I've helped give them presents under the tree for their kids, provided food for their table and to give a mom a little luxury she would never be able to afford. My hope and wish one day is for our family to Adopt-A-Family... give back and bless others with a little bit of what we have. It breaks my heart to see the statistics and I wish I was able to do more... but I know deep down that every little bit counts and just a tiny donation can make a world of difference to somebody out there.
And the season in general... It's so much fun to live out the experiences you remember as a child through the eyes of your child. I look forward to many more holiday seasons with family and friends!
Auntie Cindy's Visit
The weekend before my surgery Auntie Cindy came for a visit and it could not have come at a better time. It was Marc's second straight weekend of working ridiculous hours, a week before my surgery with lots to do and it had been awhile since Cindy got some good quality time with the girls.
After a fun-filled night at the Mall, we headed to the van to go home. All doors closed, all seatbelts buckled and I put the van into reverse. DING, DING, DING in the most ridiculous high pitched sound you could imagine. Between Cindy and myself, we screwed around with slamming doors, buckling and unbuckling seatbelts, closing the hood, turning the van off and on numerous times and there was NOTHING to stop the DING, DING, DING. So what did we do... drove home listening to DING, DING, DING the ENTIRE time and after the 25 minute drive we were ready to be put in the loony bin. Thankfully the next morning, afer driving back to Bloomington (25 more minutes of DING, DING, DING, I was able to get it into a shop and have the computer on the van reset. THANK GOODNESS.
If you don't know this, here is your lesson for the day- do NOT EVER put your care in anything but Park if there is a door open. It can mess with the sensors and the computer, and it doesn't have to screw it up right away. (your welcome from sending you to the point of craziness)
And while I was a breakfast club and Daddy was working (another 24 hour/close to it) shift, Auntie Cindy, Nece and Franny kept themselves busy with breakfast, lunch, playing and baking cookies. When I got home it was oh so peaceful. But everybody knows that doesn't last long in our house, as our lovely Franny takes cat naps and she was up before we knew it.
So, how did we start the weekend out?!!? Of course by picking her up and going straight to the Mall of America for some good ole rides. Auntie Cindy didn't realize it beforehand, but she 'can't do' the Swings anymore. She found herself white, clammy, ready to get sick and people staring at her. Nece couldn't stop telling us that Auntie Cindy was scared.
After a fun-filled night at the Mall, we headed to the van to go home. All doors closed, all seatbelts buckled and I put the van into reverse. DING, DING, DING in the most ridiculous high pitched sound you could imagine. Between Cindy and myself, we screwed around with slamming doors, buckling and unbuckling seatbelts, closing the hood, turning the van off and on numerous times and there was NOTHING to stop the DING, DING, DING. So what did we do... drove home listening to DING, DING, DING the ENTIRE time and after the 25 minute drive we were ready to be put in the loony bin. Thankfully the next morning, afer driving back to Bloomington (25 more minutes of DING, DING, DING, I was able to get it into a shop and have the computer on the van reset. THANK GOODNESS.
If you don't know this, here is your lesson for the day- do NOT EVER put your care in anything but Park if there is a door open. It can mess with the sensors and the computer, and it doesn't have to screw it up right away. (your welcome from sending you to the point of craziness)
And while I was a breakfast club and Daddy was working (another 24 hour/close to it) shift, Auntie Cindy, Nece and Franny kept themselves busy with breakfast, lunch, playing and baking cookies. When I got home it was oh so peaceful. But everybody knows that doesn't last long in our house, as our lovely Franny takes cat naps and she was up before we knew it.
Now, it was the weekend of November 12... and 2 weeks before Thanksgiving, but there was ONE goal of the weekend. We HAD to get our Christmas tree up. I know, early, but considering the Nov 20 surgery, recovery time and that we always have to travel for the holidays it was this weekend or a really short time to enjoy Christmas decorations. So, early this year it was!
And since early November, we've been enjoying our tree and constantly moving the ornaments around!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
So behind, but not forgotten!
I have a couple posts sitting in the draft mode and I need to finalize them before I publish... adding pictures to these blog posts is not the easiest. So what's sitting there and waiting... leaves, Cindy's visit, and getting ready for the holidays with a visit to Santa, decorating a gingerbread house and a marathon day of baking. Soon, I promise... but the priority this week is getting Christmas cards designed and ordered so they get in the mail.
Two quick things without pictures, so very easy to capture.
Nece... let's just say that we're going through a testing stage. It's constant whining until somebody gets her way. God, that kid is strong-willed. Needless to say, it makes for VERY long days/evenings when she is in this mood. We (or should I say I) know we can't always give in because it'll make it worse. So, Sunday night at dinner she wanted a piece of bread. I had half left and gave it to her (knowing that she'd take one bite and tell me her tummy is full)... oh no, that isn't what she wanted. She wanted her OWN piece. Not wanting to deal with that battle, but not wanting her to waste it, I gave her a piece of bread and told her that she is going to sit at this table and eat the bread even if it's til the cows come home.
She takes a couple bites and looks at me, "Mommy, I don't want the cows to come home."
What Nece?
I don't want the cows to come home... they will scare Hazel and Reggie.
Oh honey, the cows aren't going to come home.
You said they will come home. I don't want the cows to come home, they will scare Hazel and Reggie.
I somehow got out of that one, and she ate 3/4 of the bread I was positive she wasn't going to eat. Whew, that kid surprises me sometimes. And the remainder of the night, I heard 'member, you said the cows will come home. I don't want them to come home... they will scare Hazel and Reggie.'
And Franny... my little climbing daredevil. This kid is going to end up in the emergency room at some point. Anything and everything she can climb on, she does... it's enough to make my heart stop on a daily basis.
But, she had her 15 month check-up last week. She looks great. That little peanut weighed in at 19 lbs 14 oz. Come on Franny, let's break 20 lbs soon! She continues to be in the 5th percentile. She is 30 inches tall, which is also around the 10th percentile and I think they said her head was 18 inches, which is in the 50th percentile. So, we continue to keep plugging away and watch her grow and develop.
Til, sooner rather than later with my updates that include pictures!
Two quick things without pictures, so very easy to capture.
Nece... let's just say that we're going through a testing stage. It's constant whining until somebody gets her way. God, that kid is strong-willed. Needless to say, it makes for VERY long days/evenings when she is in this mood. We (or should I say I) know we can't always give in because it'll make it worse. So, Sunday night at dinner she wanted a piece of bread. I had half left and gave it to her (knowing that she'd take one bite and tell me her tummy is full)... oh no, that isn't what she wanted. She wanted her OWN piece. Not wanting to deal with that battle, but not wanting her to waste it, I gave her a piece of bread and told her that she is going to sit at this table and eat the bread even if it's til the cows come home.
She takes a couple bites and looks at me, "Mommy, I don't want the cows to come home."
What Nece?
I don't want the cows to come home... they will scare Hazel and Reggie.
Oh honey, the cows aren't going to come home.
You said they will come home. I don't want the cows to come home, they will scare Hazel and Reggie.
I somehow got out of that one, and she ate 3/4 of the bread I was positive she wasn't going to eat. Whew, that kid surprises me sometimes. And the remainder of the night, I heard 'member, you said the cows will come home. I don't want them to come home... they will scare Hazel and Reggie.'
And Franny... my little climbing daredevil. This kid is going to end up in the emergency room at some point. Anything and everything she can climb on, she does... it's enough to make my heart stop on a daily basis.
But, she had her 15 month check-up last week. She looks great. That little peanut weighed in at 19 lbs 14 oz. Come on Franny, let's break 20 lbs soon! She continues to be in the 5th percentile. She is 30 inches tall, which is also around the 10th percentile and I think they said her head was 18 inches, which is in the 50th percentile. So, we continue to keep plugging away and watch her grow and develop.
Til, sooner rather than later with my updates that include pictures!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)