The Birthday Girl

Reflection of the last 21 months
(9 months in, 12 months out):
First there was the pregnancy- 9 months and 40 extra pounds of growing discomfort. Then of course, the short term and long term recovery of my body. There were/are the sleepless nights, the extra time it takes to leave the house, the sore arms from carrying her for extended periods of time, the fun events missed because of naps and/or bedtime, and lastly, the added cost of living.

Of course, these "sacrifices" are insignificant when I think about all that we've gained- our baby Afton. I'd like to think that I would have willingly gained another 100 pounds if it meant having this little girl. That I would be willing to forgo even more sleep and miss out on more activities. I love my children more than I can express. I'd like to think that there isn't anything I wouldn't do to have them.

And what really surprises me are the moments I find the most rewarding. The pats on my back when I pick up this baby. The way her eyes widen and breathing speeds up when she is excited to see me. Her excited squeals. Her growing independence. The list could go on.

Happy Birthday Afton! We think the world of you!

Let it snow!

The above picture shows what I found last week after I put Afton down for her morning nap. It had been snowing all morning, and the boys decided to get themselves dressed so they could go outside to play. They obviously were trying to sneak out, because rather than using one of the doors, they decided to use a window. If you look behind Sam (looking fairly guilty) you will see Luke (still in his footed pj's, without his shoes on) trying to make a run for it.

This was quite the contrast from last winter, when we had a newborn and lived in our 3rd floor condo. Because I didn't want to take the baby outside in the cold, or send the boys outside alone, they never got a chance to play in the snow. This time, however, I was able to bundle those crazy kids up and push them out the back door while Afton and I stayed toasty indoors.

I hope the boys enjoyed it- this may be the only snowfall we get all winter.

Why We Believe

There seems to be a growing trend of parents choosing to tell their children the truth about Santa. I don't want to bash non-Santa believers, but in our household we believe! Of course we teach our children about the true meaning of Christmas (Christ's birth), but we also embrace Santa Clause and all of his goodness.

So, here are my top 5 reasons of why we believe:

5. Santa is unavoidable.
During the holiday season that man is everywhere. He's on TV, in magazines, at the mall and in most homes. To me it just seems easier to go along with the whole Santa story, rather than trying to explain to a 2 year old that "Santa is a made up lie that all adults tell their children. Oh, and be sure not to tell your friends".

4. Santa is an excellent disciplinarian.
What child doesn't stop dead in his or her tracts at the threat, "I'm going to tell Santa!" I can get my kids to basically do anything just by uttering his name. I use this to my advantage ALL season long. I love the song "Santa Clause is Coming to Town", particularly the lines, "He sees you when your sleeping. He knows when your awake". I feel like that song writer and I are kindred spirits.

3. I defer all toy decisions to Santa.
With the gluttony of toy marketing during Christmas it seems that my kids are contiually whining for some new toy. My response? "We'll see what Santa brings you". End of discussion.

2. I love conspiring with my husband.
Andrew and I work together on mostly everything with our children, but making Santa come alive is different. I love keeping his identity a secret. I love making cookies and setting them out with milk for Santa on Christmas Eve. I love setting up the toys and filling up the stockings with goodies after the children have gone to bed. But most of all, I love seeing my children's faces Christmas morning, and then looking at Andrew and knowing that we have successfully pulled it off.

and the #1 reason...

1. Santa adds a special magic to Christmas.
I grew up believing in Santa. I was completely fascinated with the North Pole, elves, Mrs. Clause, Santa's reign deer, and catching a glimpse of Old Saint Nick himself. I think one year my dad even dressed up as Santa, and my mom woke me and my brother up to take a peek. I was half asleep, but I remember seeing him crouched over by the fire setting up something. Before we had a chance to catch on, my mother quickly whisked us away. That is a memory I will never forget.

The Christmas Tree Debate

For years Andrew and I have debated over buying an artificial Christmas Tree (Andrew is pro-real tree, I'm pro-artificial tree). Andrew's main argument is that the smell of a real tree is a major part of Christmas. My argument is that you can get a pre-lit artificial tree and a scented candle. Plus, our trees always seem to die about 2 weeks before Christmas, which forces me to vacuum up mounds of pine needles each day.

Well, this year Andrew won out and I think he may have won for the long run.

Rather than heading to the nearest Home Depot for our Christmas tree, we decided to go to a local orchard and cut one down ourselves. It was wonderful. Andrew was able to pretend he was a mountain man, and I was able to pose my children and take a billion pictures. It really was fun, and the boys loved choosing the "perfect" tree. The weather was spectacular and to top it all off, the orchard market served hot cider, hot coco and donuts.

I think we may have just started another holiday tradition.

Our tree selection, I don't know why I'm smiling at the tree.

Andrew looking very pleased with himself (and his hot coco)

Thanksgiving 2009: a repeat of 2008

One of the 4 tables- it was a large crowd

I was tempted to simply post this title and leave it at that, but there were two major differences between this and last year's Thanksgiving. The first is that this year my wonderful in-laws invited my wonderful parents and sister to celebrate at their home. We felt extremely fortunate to have both of our families together. The second is that I was not 8 1/2 months pregnant. I only mention this because being that pregnant severely limits how much food one can consume. Not that it ever stops me from eating less, it's just that I make myself sick. As someone who LOVES food, I was happy to eat my share of mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, turkey, stuffing and pie. It really was a wonderful weekend filled with delicious food, golfing (for Andrew), black Friday shopping (for me), and best of all, family.

See, 50 really is the new 40 Mom!
(*To save my life I must note that my mom is not yet 50)

The sisters-in-law, doing one of the things we do best- gabbing

Some of the cousins doing one of the things they do best- quietly watching a movie in the basement