De-Christmasing

I remember being a small child and dreading the day we took the tree down- I wished we could keep it up all year long. The tree for me was a symbol of all things good. All things happy. All things exciting. I would walk by it and be filled with anticipation.

And next to the tree, lined up perfectly in a row, were 10 homemade red felt stockings. My most favorite stocking? Well, it was mine of course. It was a patchwork angel of sorts with blond curly hair and a glittery halo. It was the caboose to that long line of stockings. The stocking was one of my favorite parts of Christmas. I was always excited to find what small treasures awaited me there. Everything was wrapped right down to the candy bars and yummy treats.

The day would finally come in late December where brown mismatched card board boxes littered the family room floor. It was time to de-Christmas. It made my little heart feel sad each time an ornament got placed back gently into its box...

Fast forward 20 some odd years, the de-Christmasing time has come (and gone). But this time it's a little different. I don't mind taking the tree down or even the stockings... in fact it actually feels kind of good (gasp!). I love December. I love the excitement and all the anticipation, but I welcome January with open arms (insert Journey's Open Arms). It feels so good to pack up Christmas and kind of start all over again... it's a fresh start to a new year- a new year, full of new experiences, new challenges, and new goals.

Now don't go and get me confused with someone who makes new years resolution... because that I don't do. But, what I will do is find my word for the year. It is very hard to find just one word for one year, but I think I managed...

Enjoy! (It was a really close running with my other word idea looseweight). The word enjoy encompasses all aspects of my life... enjoy motherhood. enjoy being a wife. enjoy the little things... just enjoy. And maybe, just maybe, even enjoy cleaning the bathroom and doing the laundry (but perhaps that's being a little too optimistic).

So, what's your word? I'd love to know. Maybe I can steal it for next year. ;)

*Disclaimer: I reserve the right to revoke my word if at any point in time I hear the phrase, "But honey, I thought your word for the year was ENJOY" out of my husband's mouth. I do not want to be reminded of the word enjoy when I'm complaining about cooking dinner, putting the kids to bed, or cleaning pee out of the carpet.

. . . . .

I call it improvising

We're out of milk today...

But chocolate milk we do have.

Or my fall back plan,

a little bit of water and a couple scoops of baby formula.

Or if I was still nursing,

my fall back-fall back plan....

(Just think of all the added nutritional value.)

Cheerios & chocolate milk,

the breakfast of champions

or a breakfast where parents are well on their way to raising obese children.

You decide.

PS- I'm totally kidding about the breast milk...

or am I?

. . . . .

"You want your Christmas Card? Here's your Christmas card!"

Tree down... Check✓

Stockings packed up... Check✓

Christmas books put away... Check✓

Ornaments back in there boxes... Check✓

A little added Christmas poundage... Check✓

Christmas cards taken down...

I.Just.Can't.Do.It

They're one of my favorite things about Christmas.

They make me happy each time I walk by.

They're new friends. They're olds friends.

They're family. They're neighbors.

They're people I love.

It just doesn't feel right taking them down.

I'm not quite sure when they'll find their way off my pantry door.

So for now, they'll remain exactly where they are...

one of the lingering signs that Christmas was here.

. . . . .

Sadly, I did not send Christmas cards this year.

I wanted to save you the heartache of having to take mine down.

. . . . .

And then,

The first week of Christmas break went a little something like this...

The girls had their very first dance recital.

They were so cute and so very sparkly.

And then, this little boy turned SEVEN

He informs me that he is now just THREE years away from turning TEN.

And then we officially got snowed in.

And then they cancelled school.

So then I thought I would culture the kids a little and we watched a Doris Day movie.

But then the power went out and I thought how am I supposed to entertain the kids with no TV.

Then I pulled out a puzzle for the kids to play with, but apparently puzzles are too old school for them.

So then I just left them in the house to fend for themselves and I went outside to shovel the driveway for two hours.

And then I lost 5 pounds.

Then I prayed for more snow to shovel so that I could lose another 5 pounds.

(that snow came today)

Then the power came back on and I was thankful that I didn't have to live like a pioneer...

a pioneer in a nice home with a gas fire place and a gas stove to cook food on.

Then Christmas finally came!

And then, like every year before this, Nate & I look at each other and wonder why we got the kids as much as we did.

So then I secretly hid a few gifts that the kids haven't played with and I plan on taking them back to the store.

(I'm pretty sure Santa's gifts are exchangeable/returnable at Target.)

(Because I'm pretty sure there's a Target at the North Pole.)

And then, when the cashier hands me my money back, I will be oh, so happy.

And then I thought it would be fun to end this post with a little Christmas mooning...

. . . . .

I dig a man with facial hair

He calls it his SOUL PATCH.

I call it his flavor saver.

I asked him to grow a goatee,

which he reluctantly did.

And then that goatee turned into

a fu manchu.

And that fu manchu turned into

what you now see today.

It is the the life cycle of Nate's facial hair...

the only problem is that phase 3 of Nate's facial hair is lasting a little too long.

The soul patch has over stayed it's welcome,

it's unpacked its bags and made itself at home eating my food and sleeping in my bed.

I'm not sure how long it's staying,

but I have a feeling it might be around a while.

. . . . .

4 Months of Eden

(let us pause for a moment to enjoy this oh, so sentimental picture)

4 kids & 4 months

and life has finally found a new sort of normal.

Things are good, just the way they should be.

Eden is beyond loved in this house

with two sisters and a brother

to make sure she gets all the lovin' and attention she needs.

We are finally on a little bit of a schedule

and for someone who's not much of a schedule type person that's saying a lot.

She's up by 8:00 am

and down for the night by 7:00...

and she does some eating, sleeping, crying, playing, and pooping in between.

We tried apple sauce for the first time...

she's not so much a fan.

So I'm thinking we'll go straight to the good stuff...

chocolate.

She's not rolling over yet,

but she's close.

She has yet to make any sort of sound resembling a laugh,

but she has an awesome squeal and gargle that she does like clock work every morning.

She's sweet and perfect and everything a baby girl should be.

And to add to all that,

she is entirely and completely edible...

(now let's pause for a moment to just bask in her cuteness)

We love our little Garden.

4 Month Stats

Weight: 13 lbs 11 oz.

Height: 23 & 3/4 inches

. . . . .

BOOM BOOM, firepower!

Just in case your entertainment needs have not yet been fulfilled this fine day...
Kaleb, the child weight lifting prodigy
(I do realize his pajama's are about 3 sizes too small)

I've been feeding Kaleb full of protein powder, creatine, and steroids
and sitting him in front of the TV to watch endless hours of So You Think You Can Dance reruns
in hopes that some day I could exploit his muscular/free style dance talent.

And also,

I've neglected to mention that Kaleb won the turkey gobble competition for his school.

The Grand Prize? A frozen turkey, about half the size of Kaleb.

It was priceless watching Kaleb walk through the crowds of kids screaming his name while lugging that giant turkey in his little arms. Just priceless. He walked up to me grinning from ear to ear and with excitement in his voice exclaimed, "I did it, Mom! I gobbled the best!!". And even though I joke about having proud Mom moments from time to time, this moment was truly one of them. And right then and there I couldn't have been more proud.

It is absolutely rewarding as a mother to see your child succeed

even if it is something as silly as a turkey gobble...

and being a novice bodybuilder.

. . . . .

• 12/25/10 •

Christmas is getting close, people.

.Real close.

Like I-haven't-finished-my-Christmas-shopping-or-done-any-of-the-Christmas-y-things-I-wanted-to-do close.

How do I know it's close?

Because the expiration date on my milk carton says it's so.

And the milk carton does not lie.

Ever since I was little I've gauged important events around the expiration date on my milk carton...

it's so much better than say, a calendar.

Where's the excitement in that?

Thanks Jason for inspecting & stamping my milk with care

and adding into the mix a little pre-Christmas anxiety.

. . . . .

I must be needy

I've been at my computer tonight trying to finish up my last 3 photography sessions of the holiday season. I decided to take myself a little break from editing clients to edit a couple personal pictures.

I edited these two pictures that caught my eye from Abrie's little impromptu birthday photo session. I'm reminded of just how lucky I am to be given exactly what I need...

A big girl who wakes up in the morning willing and eager to take the baby out so that I can sleep an extra 15...

okay, maybe 60 minutes.

A girl who takes the bathroom garbage out without being asked...

most likely because she was sick of waiting for her Mom to do it.

A girl who will give up her spot next to me during family prayer just to play peace maker...

because the world could very well come to an end if NOT everyone gets to sit by Mom.

What else can I say? I'm loved. Some times a little too much.

A girl who writes endless amounts of cards letting me know how much she loves me...

I should be more like her.

And while we're on the subject...

A boy who helps me to learn patience.

A little girl that teaches me to pray...

that the exorcism like tantrums are just a phase...

and will some day go away...

with out the assistance of a priest.

A sweet baby that teaches me to speak soft, smile always, and do my laundry more often...

I've found it's harder to re-wear clothes when they reek of baby vomit.

A husband who turns a blind eye to the uncontrollable clutter,

who has trained himself to acquire a taste for grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner,

who's kind enough not to ask me when the last time I showered was.

Being surround by things (but mostly people) I need...

It makes life goooooood.

. . . . .

Hello.

(This is not a turkey induced coma. In fact, this is not an anything induced coma. This is just Nate... asleep... underneath our makeshift computer desk. Totally normal, right?. At least I didn't find him spooning the kitchen cabinets again.)

I was just thinking it was time for me to check in.
My absence in the blog world has not been because of the lack of blogging material.
Actually, it's quite the opposite.
I have lots of things I could blog about...
problem is I just don't have the time.

What I really need is an invention that reads minds.

Something kind of similar to a Word Perfect program, but for mind reading.
So all I would have to do is just think it and then BAM!

it would appear in a blog post all neat and tidy

and ready to read for your blogging pleasure.

And then, perhaps, after they figure out how to create a Word Perfect mind reading program

they can invent a similar device for husbands who struggle in the mind reading department.

(I'm not going to name names,

but the one who spoons with cabinets could possibly benefit from that).

And life would be perfect... almost.

Especially if there was way to clean your house by just thinking about it.

(Have I mentioned that if I were to have a super human ability it would be the power to make things happen just through thought. I'm getting close to perfecting the art. Right now I can change the channel on the TV just by thinking about it, but it only works if I have the remote in my hand.)

Speaking of super powers, have you heard of the Superuseless Superpower blog?

It's pretty funny.

. . . . .