Random Moments... Sunday?

I realized last Monday that there was no way I was going to be able to get this post done. Tomorrow looks as if it is going to be just as busy as last Monday, so this week I am giving you "Random Moments Sunday".


It's been snowing. A lot. A couple of posts ago I mentioned that we would probably only get one snowfall this winter. I was wrong. Right before Christmas we were pounded with a couple of feet of snow, and of course that much snow here is crippling. While it was fun to be snowed in, it also made me a little anxious. #1, I don't like feeling trapped and #2, I get nervous about losing electricity. Andrew and the boys were in heaven though (they went sledding and made a ginormous igloo), and the whole scene was very picturesque. Since then, it's snowed two more times and I think I'm done with this whole snow business for the winter (if only mother nature would agree with me).

I laughed till my sides split while hanging out with old friends. Its been nearly ten years since I've hung out with my friends Kim and Jill together. While at my parents' for Christmas, the three of us arranged to have a reunion. For this much anticipated get-together we graced the best diner in town (we don't mess around), and then went back to Jill's house to continue our "remember when" gab session. We also stopped at Jill's Dad's house, who must have thought he was transported back to 1999 by the way we were acting. When Andrew asked me what we did that night I told him "we laughed". I don't think I've laughed that hard since High School. It was fabulous.

We were able to see one of Andrew's best friends from High School. There are very few people who Andrew makes an effort to stay in contact with (Facebook has made this a little better). Andrew's friend Dave is one of those people. Dave and his wife Tracie, along with their 2 year old son and newborn twins, recently relocated back to the East, so over the break we were able to meet up with them and go to the Camden Aquarium. We had a wonderful time and since this is one of our favorite families, we hope we can do it again soon!

I spent 90% of my Christmas vacation with my sisters and I loved every minute of it. I have been waiting for years (and I mean YEARS) for my little sisters to get over themselves and accept the fact that we are destined to be best friends. That day has finally arrived and I am not letting go! For half of our Christmas vacation we hung out at my parent's house and then we brought those crazy girls back to our house. We watched classic movies (The Goonies), ate till we made ourselves sick, saw Sherlock Holmes (I think I liked it) and went downtown. We were all sad to see my sisters go when my parents came to retrieve them.

The picture below was taken during our "lets see who has the biggest nose inherited by dad" photo shoot. Yes, I realize I have no shame posting this picture of myself. At least it wasn't the side profile shot. That would just be embarrassing.

Luke entered Primary. Luke is now rolling with the big dogs and loving every minute of it. I teach in primary (this is where the children go during the 2nd and 3rd hours of our church), so I was able to personally observe Luke during his first week. At one point he started playing with a piece of string, and then was only content when it was perfectly situated IN both of his ears. His teacher turned around and asked me, "Do you see what your son is doing?" My response was a common one concerning Luke: "He's craaaaazy".

and lastly...

Afton is now walking. The little girl has been doing this for a few weeks now, but I still think it is the cutest thing I've ever seen (well, at least the cutest thing since Sam and Luke started walking). She still loses her balance and is by no means fast, but she seems to have forgotten that it is even an option to crawl. She also has added a few more tricks to her growing repertoire. She now can kiss, retrieve her baby doll, and fold her hands when commanded ("Afton, Kiss!", "Afton, Fold Arms!"...you get the point).

Christmas '09

Of the 10 Christmas we've spent together, this was the first that we celebrated by ourselves. We've considered doing this before (especially since we started having children), but the thought of spending Christmas morning away from extended family has always been a little depressing to us. What can I say? We love the craziness that comes with our large families. This year however, Sam requested that we celebrate Christmas at our own house, so we decided to give it a go. Of course, I must clarify that we spent part of Christmas Eve with Andrew's family, and the second half of Christmas day with my family, but the point is, we spent most of Christmas Eve and Christmas morning by ourselves....that's progress!

We spent the afternoon of Christmas Eve with Andrew's parents, three brothers and their families at our house decorating gingerbread houses. I'm sure that more candy was consumed than used to decorate the houses, but they turned out cute and everyone seemed to have a great time.



After we wrangled our kids to bed, Andrew and I (with Santa's help) filled stockings, assembled bikes, set out presents and got everything else in order for Christmas morning. As I've mentioned before, I love this part! Andrew also made some rules for the boys before they went to bed:

1. No one gets up before 6:30 a.m (which is a stretch for our kids).
   
2. The beds must be made before we can go downstairs
   
3. And lastly, Mom and Dad go downstairs first to inspect what Santa left
   

On Christmas morning we heard Sam stirring in his bed around 5:00 am. Fortunately, he has a clock in his room, and like a good little boy he patiently waited for 6:30 to arrive. At 6:27 Andrew heard Sam say, "It's super-duper close to 6:30!!!" And of course, right at 6:30 we had two little boys at our bedside.




Andrew's parents, Aunt Colleen and Peter dropped by later that morning to open the gifts we'd given to each other. Afterwords, we packed up the kids (plus their favorite toy) and drove to my parents' house for our "second Christmas". Three of my siblings were there, which made it even more special.

I think that the best gift this year came from a complete stranger. Over the last year my dad became friends with the owner of several fishing fleets in North Carolina. When my dad was down there a few weeks ago, this man told him that he had a gift for my dad's grandchildren (my kids). He apologized for the gift wrapping (his wife was out and he had to wrap it himself) and then gave the package to my dad. When we opened it Christmas day we found that he had carved a large wooden dog for my kids to ride on. The craftsmanship is beautiful and we were so touched that someone we've never met would take so much time to make this beautiful toy for us.

The kids (and Aunt Ashley) on their wooden dog

It was a wonderful Christmas filled with plenty of goodies, family and fun. The added bonus was that this year was a white Christmas.

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