Merry Christmas Eve, Stop 1!

Every year Christmas Eve consists of Christmas dinner at my brother's with all my family and the kids.

Getting read to open the presents.

Chase has been on a Thomas the Friends kick and well guess what his Christmas was? Thomas stuff of course.

"Cheese"

 

The look on his face is perfect. He kind of sees what it is but not totally.

It's, it's...

"It's Harold Mommy!"

Callen getting ready to open his.

 

The kids being silly.

Since we are doing something different this year with my parents, each family is going to spend Christmas alone with just them to open their gifts from them. This way we can enjoy the kids opening their gifts from Nonnie and Papa without all the chaos. So at my brother's, my mom got all the kids a bag full of goodies.

 

Ugh, socks! I don't like socks. Yes, that is what he actually said. Such a four year old boy.

 

 

Callen peaking into Chase's bag.  Looks like he's being sneaky.

Nonnie and Papa

The whole fam! Well almost we are missing Uncle Bub and Adam.

 

Now we're off to Brad's dad's house, our second stop for the evening. 

Our Family Christmas Card

On a whim I decided to do a family Christmas card, well not really on a whim I guess. I planned on doing one with our pictures from Sears (soon to follow) but we didn't get them in time. So I canned the idea of a Christmas card, until they all started to spill in and I decided I did want in on the action and memories. 

The Sunday before Christmas I set up the camera out on our front porch and immediately after church we ran outside, I hit the 10 second timer and Viola! Our Family Christmas Card. It took just one picture, the boys are well-trained.

Now if you did not receive our card, don't feel entirely too bad since it was last minute and I still have about five in my purse that never made it out. Sorry. Maybe next year.

Merry Christmas!

Have a blessed day 

with your loved ones today!

A little reminder to...

Keep a Cheerful Attitude

(taken from The Most Wonderful Time of the Year, 101 Inspiring Ways to Enjoy Christmas)

You'd think that a happy holiday would make it easy to stay cheerful. But people register their highest levels of depression during the Christmas season.  Between short days and long lists of things to do, you have to decide to cultivate a cheerful attitude.

One way to stay positive even when negative things happen is to step back from stressful situations, giving yourself time to regain perspective. Another is to take good care of yourself. Then you'll have energy for cheerfulness. Let prayer reconnect you to a sense of God's presence so you can see that everything is a blessing, even when in disguise.

Perspective
Take a brisk walk outdoors. Don't forget that daily exercise energizes you and raises your spirits.

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." ~Proverbs 17:22

This is just what I needed today especially after a long but memorable day and still with a long list of things yet to do.


"Chase"ism for the day...

Brad was playing with him and playfully asked "Who do you love more, mommy or daddy?"

Chase: "I don't know how to answer that one."

Smart boy.

Snowbound and lovin' it...kind of

Oh my we have been hit hard with snowstorm after snowstorm already this winter. It started the Sunday we got our tree and it really hasn't stopped. There was one day when it was warm enough that the snow became rain and so now we have ice underneath all the snow.

Last Tuesday and Wednesday it had been snowing non-stop and windy. Since we have such a wonderful driveway, (sarcasm) I didn't even attempt going anywhere unless absolutely necessary. Plus, whatever it is, it wouldn't be important enough  for me to risk driving in it with two little ones. So we made ourselves comfortable with our cozy fire and a little bit of everything...baking peanut butter blossoms, gingerbread men or babies(explain later), gingerbread-graham houses, lego towers and more.

Unfortunately neither cookies really turned out that great. The peanut butter blossoms have been an on-going joke since they were just about as hard as rocks. I knew my oven cooked fast but goodness not that fast. At least I can laugh at my "failed" baking and that's just because I know I can bake. :) Looks are deceiving because they look delicious but that's where it stopped.

And then Chase wanted to make gingerbread men, well a gingerbread baby to be exact. I gave him a Christmas book about a gingerbread baby and he loves it. So he was excited to make his own. Well, I ran out of ginger and we made a cocoa gingerbread dough instead of the original. He helped me roll it out and cut out the gingerbread babies and gingerbread mommies.

Then it was time to taste the cooked ones. He took a bite and gave me this look and said, "These are yucky, I don't like them." and put it back. So Chase. I told him we needed frosting and he said, "yea I will like them with frosting." Well we never did frost them because I wasn't thrilled about their taste either. But at caroling tonight someone had brought some absolutely adorable decorated ones. I gave him one and he was so excited. I made it "run" across the table and yell....

"I am the Gingerbread Baby,
Fresh from the pan.
If you want me,
Catch me if you can!"

He started giggling. It was so cute. 

Then he attempted a gingerbread house which was kind of a flop too because we really didn't have what we needed for an awesome gingerbread house but we had fun making our ghetto house as I called it. Yes, I know not politically correct but I am not political so a ghetto house we made.

In the meantime Callen was enjoying some puffs. I love watching him learn how to pick them up and make it to his mouth. I couldn't believe how fast he ate them, well until I went to get him out and saw a pile of them in his lap that didn't quite make it into his mouth.

Finding peace and contentment and that perfect will of God...

For the past two weeks I've just been feeling overwhelmed and discontent, not really discontent just burdened I guess. I don't know what it's been, the change in weather, unfinished projects, stress of the holidays. I mean, don't get me wrong, I absolutely love this time of year but then I also don't like what Christmas has become. Or hasn't become with making this time of year politically correct and calling it "Happy Holidays", "Holiday Season". Yes, there are many more religions besides Christianity but that is the history of Christmas and I find it amusing that "they" want you to refer to it as the "Holiday Season" but celebrate Christmas and get/give gifts. Ironic. Even though it is really ALL about Christ's birth and not gifts. Yes, we do celebrate with gifts but you know what I mean.

But I want more for my family than just opening gifts and being done. And yes, I know it's what you make of it and your family traditions but it also saddens me for those families, moms and dads or grandmas and grandpas that may not have a lot of money but feel "pressured" to have to buy something.

Pastor had a great message this morning about remembering what this time of year is really, absolutely about...not gifts, not caroling, not family, yes not family, but rather....Christ's birth. No, we don't know the exact date of his actual birth but it is the day that has been set aside to celebrate his birth and for a birthday, don't you celebrate that person's birth? Not Christ's. Instead it has turned into a big birthday for everyone else, gifts for everyone but HIM.  

I have headed up our Angel Program at work for the past three years working with local charities to help get their "angels" adopted for the Christmas season. We put a tree up in all our branches and announce to our members to adopt an angel. Our department always goes in together to adopt 2-3 angels. And when I adopt an angel I always read the tag and look for true "needs" like pajamas, shirts, books etc., not someone asking for a PlayStation game. I absolutely love going to the store shopping for this little angel and imagine the look on their face on Christmas morning.

Such as a story I was told the other day from one of the charities. It is a charity that works with minorities and mom's that have been abused, they help them get back on their feet. She was telling me about one of the mom's who has asked for help. The time had come and past for the mom to get her gifts that were waiting for her but the agency was unable to get in contact with her. So on Christmas Eve, one of the workers remembered where she worked and drove all the gifts to her job hoping she'd be there. Since it was Dunkin' Donuts she knew they'd be open late at 10pm. When she arrived and asked for the mom, she told her who she was and that she had a car full of gifts for her children. The mom just started crying and through her tears she told this dear worker that all day she had been running in her head over and over what she was going to tell the children when they woke up on Christmas day with no presents. I just about started crying right their in my cube. I can't imagine that having never been there. The poor mom was desperate to give her children a Christmas, as most children don't understand it's their parents that give the gifts and not Santa.  Heartbreaking to say the least but with a happy ending.

After all this though I digress. I've been stressed, I think it's a mommy/wife thing. I try to do so much and be so much and it's just not humanly possible. I would love to be that perfect mom with perfect kids and a perfect home but you know what? I am not. We should all have goals and strive for a clean and tidy house, obedient, respectful children but the reality is no one is perfect. I think I just try way too hard sometimes and then just deflate.

I beat myself up because I am not at the fitness level I want, so when I don't work out, I feel bad. Or if I failed to read my Bible and devotions or pray...a daily struggle. Or if I wash the dishes instead of playing trains with Chase. I need to stop looking at my faults and weaknesses and start to look at what is good. Chase is a good boy and obeys, most days anyways, well he is two so...

My house isn't filthy just not tidy. It's not unfinished projects (the stairs or bathroom cabinet) but rather upgrades to the house that take time and this would be time away from my boys, the whole reason why I stay home. It all comes down to priorities and keeping to them. I have never been a schedule person, never, but I am coming to realize that children thrive on schedules, throughout the entire day not just at bedtime. I am sick of feeling frazzled and stressed. And of course it doesn't help having a very strong-willed little two year that showcases his "terrific" two's lately. It stresses me out which makes me for a not-so-lovely mother or wife. This too shall pass with prayers and training.

And as I sit here, I have the TV on a Christmas special, "The Christmas Clause" a made for TV movie. I just put it on because it was a Christmas movie and I take every advantage to watch a Christmas movie. But you know what the entire movie was about? A mother who is burned out. It starts out with her at the mall with her three kids, trying to do this and that while the kids are whining and acting up. She wishes for a another woman's life, who looks like she has it all...money, happiness etc.

Well, as movies go, she got that wish and woke up in that woman's life. A successful single woman who has a beautiful house etc. But she wasn't liked very much as she was all about herself and things. She needed to find her true self and what she was really important to her....her family. And in order to get that life back she needed to find that out. And in the end as she is talking to "Santa" about getting her family back she quoted this line...."I'm missing the stuff that matters along the way. How can I get so busy that I am actually missing my own life? I thought I wasn't doing enough, my problem has always been trying to do too much." "Balance is important." Santa says. Once she realized this, she woke up from her over-exhaustion induced coma that she was in for two days.

It's so simple but so true, as I sit here exhausted and overwhelmed.

What's important to me...

Impromptu family Christmas photo

December 19, 2010

I want to cherish this time as it shall pass way too soon. I love this time of year and plan on getting over this "slump" and making wonderful memories with my family and finding the TRUE meaning of Christmas.

Homemade Baby Food...again

I am little bit late in the game this time but I'm attempting to make homemade baby food for Callen too. I wasn't sure if Callen would have the joys of mommy's homemade baby food like his brother did since time just doesn't seem to be on my side with two little ones. However, I am purposely trying to make time for what is important to me, hard yes, but I can only try. Last Sunday while home from church with a sick baby, I finally just did it. I put every other household chore on hold, as always, and starting making him his food. Not only is it less expensive but I can get a little more creative than store bought.

I bought some squash, sweet potatoes, and apples awhile back and finally today I cooked the squash and peeled some apples. I put the cooked squash and peeled apples in my good 'ol faithful Grandma's food processor and hit start. I added some cinnamon for more flavor and then decided to add oatmeal too. I put the squash/apple puree aside and put some oatmeal in the processor to grind down. Then I put the squash/apple mixture back in the with the oatmeal and processed a little more. Now it was time for the ice cube trays. It sounds pretty labor intensive but it's really pretty simple, I actually enjoy doing it. Callen seemed to like it too.

 

In addition to baby food, I made granola bars and some other homemade goodies for gifts, can't go into detail on those just yet. The granola bars turned out delicious, they are actually "energy" bars and oh so yummy. I have quite the list of homemade goodies I am attempting, definitely should have started earlier but that is ok, the house will just have to wait and the kitchen will be a baker's mess, no biggie it's Christmas, isn't that what a kitchen is supposed to be this time of year anyway? 

Getting our Christmas tree...but not as planned

I've been waiting since the day after Thanksgiving to get our tree and today was finally a good day to go. We always buy a fresh tree that we cut ourselves. We trudge through all the trees to find that perfect one. I was so excited for this year knowing Chase will have a blast. We would've went yesterday but I decided I needed to change the living room. It hasn't been changed in two years, way too long for me and since I am home more often than not, it was driving me crazy...literally. There was no fung shai and I was getting claustrophic. If you knew how small our living room was, you'd understand.

Anyway since we spent all day Saturday rearranging the living room, we didn't have time to go get our tree. Frankly when I woke up this morning I didn't think we could today either. It had snowed in the night and was still coming down. So after church I figured maybe the wind and snow would stop just enough so we could go get our tree after the kids got up from their nap. Well, Chase boycotted his nap, just one of them days and well, Callen only slept for 30 minutes.

So after looking outside and seeing we had a snow lull, we got the kids bundled up to go pick out our tree. I made sure I had the camera and room on the memory card and off we went to get our tree. I was so excited, we put the truck in 4-wheel drive and off we went.

We had our very own tree farm to go to, a friend of ours have many trees on his land and we were the only ones there to pick our "tree". Usually I am very picky and takes me forever, according to Brad, but this year it was going to be different. I just wanted a small, skinny tree to fit our new living room arrangement.

So we arrived about 15 minutes later and turned around to get the kids and both of them were zonked out. Figures. I was so upset but I couldn't rationalize waking them for my selfishness of wanting a memory. I knew they were both very tired so I snuck out of the truck to find the "one".

 

As I entered the forest I noticed one in the very first row, it was actually the very first one I saw but I kept on walking for a feet. Nothing. So I turned back and treaded through a six inches of snow to the truck. Quietly I got back in and pointed to Brad the tree and off he went with chainsaw in hand.

 

He threw it in the back of the truck and off we went, both boys still snoring away in the back. They were snuggly warm in their seats all bundled up in their snowsuits, apparently for no reason at all. 

Thankfully we managed to go before we got hit by another storm. Not the tree cutting experience I imagined but that's ok, we can still decorate it together.

Happy SIX months Callen Michael

Ok, so I feel horrible this is the first month anniversary I've posted about my littlest man, Callen. I haven't recorded his months milestones and feel guilty. They say it can happen with the second but I didn't want to let it but here it's already six months. Well, better late than never right?
I actually started this on your six month birthday but as you can see it's taken me a few days to finish.

So my littlest man you are now six months and growing way too fast. You are so tall and trying to get your little legs and arms to work together to start crawling. You get your knees and arms up and start rocking back and forth but that's it so far. Way early I think, but you want to keep up with your brother.

Right now as I type you are up from your nap and happily playing in your crib. You usually play yourself to sleep and then play for awhile by yourself when you wake up. You definitely like your "me" time. Rarely do you fall asleep on me unless you've been nursing, then sometimes you will. Otherwise you fidget and toss and turn your head until I lay you down in your crib.

Your first two teeth popped through about two weeks ago without hardly a teething issue at all. And your top teeth are on their way, you have the constant runny to nose to prove it.

I forgot how much babies put things in their mouths and you quickly reminded me of that. I have to constantly look around you at least within 4ft. to make sure there isn't' anything you can't have. It's a little different than when you brother was little since we only had baby toys. Now we have two year old matchbox cars, trains, blocks, you name it (my shoes) and you want it in your mouth.

And of course you are fascinated with your feet and especially your toes when you manage to pull your socks off. As soon as the socks are off, your eyes light up and in go the toes. I guess they look tasty and fun to chew on.

You are a good eater and love your baby food. Your initial first foods was of course freshly made butternut squash , the same first foods as your brother. But I do feel guilty though because you haven't had as much home-made food as Chase but I have about 20 jars that were given to me so I have to use them. Some of them are pretty nasty such as the ham, turkey and chicken. Yuck and plain. You seem to think the same so they get mixed with the cereal and a veggie. I don't think I ever gave those to your brother because they looked, smelled, tasted so nasty. That's probably why he is a such a picky eater. Stink, I hope not. Anyway you're eating them and I am going to make it myself as soon as the jars are empty. I plan on adding some spices and herbs for you, another miss with Chase.

 

You have already expressed your temper, you especially love to arch your back. It kind of makes me laugh sometimes when you get really mad. You throw yourself around, you're too young to be starting that already. You've never really cared for your car seat and now that you are aware of your surroundings, you express that dislike even more. Such as arching your back just about every time we put you in. This is a trait you learned very young. The other day you decided to act up when I was putting you in your seat at Nonnie's, well Nonnie heard you fussing and came over and in her stern voice said, "Callen that's enough. You stop it. No, Callen." You stopped in mid arch and looked right at her and just stared. Then you looked at me and of course I was smiling because it was too cute. Such a bad influence. I told mom I don't remember Chase showing his temper so young but I'm sure he did.

Not sure on your weight and height since you haven't been to your six month check up yet. I've been behind on those, not really into the shot thing and it's a lot harder with a two year old too.


You still are not sitting on your own. Not sure what's up with that. You really don't try and just throw yourself to your belly or arch your back and flip backwards which isn't so great on the head. We've been practicing and soon enough you'll get it.

You absolutely, positively adore your brother. You love to climb on him and always go for his hair. He always brings a smile to you. Just tonight he was making you laugh in the tub while he did raspberries on your belly.

These six months have surely flown by and I can't believe how fast you've grown. It always concerned me about "sharing" my love with two and how could I love two just as much. I don't know how but God created a mommy's heart to grow with each child and love every child just as much. And boy is that true.

What's this? It sure looks interesting.

Hmmm...these look yummy.

 

I'm going to do it mommy so don't try and stop me. 

Told you.