The stockings were hung....

8:10 pm, Santa must be on his way.  Two sweet girls busy crafting their letter to Santa.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Bath time after the vaseline incident.

It's been days since I posted last.  And what good days they've been.  I've felt peaceful and focused; able to enjoy the little bits of Christmas all around. I love Christmas but honestly by about the 20th my steam is running low.  Too much sugar?   Shopping list too long?  Lack of sleep?  Probably.  I have to admit at least 2 of the 3 hold true this year too.  But my steam is ample.  Christmas feels perfect this year.    What's different? Age, experience, my faith walk?  Probably.  I was also blessed to serve as a co-chair for the Kingdom House Christmas Shop, a volunteer gig which after accepting made me seriously wonder if I'd lost my mind.   I spent last week at the shop which provided new Christmas gifts for 600 very needy St. Louis families.  Even though I run the risk of sounding incredibly over the top, I'll say it anyway.  I'm not quite the same, and I hope never to be quite the same again.  Witnessing the goodness, and generosity that is abundant in our community was humbling.  Being a part of Christmas for families in need has put Christmas into perspective for me...forever I hope.  I helped a mom shop for her son, and watched as she excitedly picked out a pillow, a regular old bed pillow.  She was so happy because he doesn't have his own.   I saw a middle aged man from Kirkwood sit at the bus stop with a woman and her Christmas gifts packaged in trash bags, as the rain poured down, he didn't want her waiting alone.  I found out that jeans are better for little ones than leggings because they're warmer and can stand up to more dirt, and more washings.  I now know that when you live where these families live, a Target gift card is useless because you can't get there. No, I won't be the same.  And thank goodness for that.  My kitchen looks a bakery disaster, I just finished shopping for our fabulous teachers THIS morning (school is out today!) Lucy covered all of her hair and face in vaseline as I was distracted  brushing Emma's hair in a hurry, trying to get out the door on time, which meant we took the girls to school and ran our errands with Lucy looking like an oil slick, with every little piece of everything sticking to her.  It's Christmas and things couldn't be better!  How very, very blessed we are.

On the fifth day of December....

some of us were under the weather so ALL of us (except Kevin) stayed in our pajamas for the whole day.

On the third day of December....

we were in full Christmas spirit!  Our day began with a trip to visit Jolly Ole' St. Nick.   Clearly we're missing someone.  As this picture was being snapped that someone was screaming and crawling up my shoulder in an attempt to get as far away from Santa as possible.   Next year?

After, the big girls and I walked to the Hi Pointe and saw Miracle on 34th Street...the old one in black and white.  We ate popcorn and drank Sprite at 10:30 in the morning, we could get used to that.

In the afternoon we attended the most fabulous piano recital.  Emma's first.  She played a duet with her teacher Miss Sarah and was a delight to watch.

We told Emma we could go out to dinner to celebrate her performance. She asked if instead we could order Jimmy John's and eat it on the living room floor while watching Santa Clause.  Does life get any better?  I think not.

On the fourth day of December....

we got our Christmas tree!  As always we went to Ted Drewes and chose a cute Balsam.  Our best yet.  

Pre Ted Drewes (and custard) we went to Starbucks and Lucy discovered peppermint hot chocolate...she's hooked. 

On the first day of December....

I had the blues, the peace and happiness I so love about Christmas sure didn't feel alive in our little home.

our Advent calendar...can you believe it actually caused a fight, a real pushing, shoving fight?!

On the Second day of December I remembered that when people are the hardest to love they need it the most.

Feeling awfully blessed tonight to be sharing my Christmas with these cuties.
We're off to watch The Muppets Christmas Carol and eat homemade nachos!  

Thanksgiving 2011

It was a fantastic Thanksgiving full of wonderful family and food.  Tonight I feel so blessed.

Hoping not to forget:

Watching-

*My girls delight with their cousins and their cousins loving them right back.  These sweet girls are in high school and are one talented bunch. They spent hours writing songs on the ukulele with Emma and Eleanor right in the midst of it all.  

*My mom and Eleanor leave together on a shopping trip.  My mom and her mini-me.

*Two lovely cousins as a new wife and a (fairly) new mother.  What a lucky family we are to continually be blessed with more!


Feeling-

*As always completely welcomed by my Aunt Kathy and Uncle Ed.   As I helped my Aunt Kathy with a tablecloth she said "I'm not fancy, I've always wanted to be but I'm just not".  Fancy no, perfect hostess, yes.  Martha Stewart is so overrated.  No fancy table setting or new dish can ever match genuine love and hospitality.  I hope someday when my kids come home for the holidays I'll be busy making sure my house is full of love and laughter and not worry one single minute about fancy.

*My Great Aunt Shorty's great big hug.  She's my Grandma's sister and her hug is the closet thing to a hug from my grandma, it has the same tight hold hers had.  The hug is where the reminder ends though.   At 80 something she can still make just about anyone blush with her probing questions and salty language.   I think I'm blushing right now!


*Loved.  We had care packages x 3.  My mom, my dad and Kyra and my Aunt Kathy all made sure we never had any chance of being hungry on our travels.  Thanks to my dad and Kyra for making sure we had a half way stop too.

Hearing-

*Lucy bark at the cats!

*Emma tell me that one of her cousins told her that she hoped to marry someone without a family so she never had to miss a holiday with her own family and that Emma thought that was so smart.  I love these girls!

And as if we weren't already having the best weekend, Eleanor lost her first tooth last night.  

My baby

Lucy with her first and hopefully last shiner.

Lu is now walking, a whole month earlier than her sisters walked.   She's walking and tripping and getting herself into everything.  It is so much fun.  But boy do I enjoy nap time.  Every single part.  The bottle, the rocking, the holding (and of course the sleeping).  It's one time when I can still cuddle her up and listen to her breathe.   It's like my own little magic potion.  I read the following poem today on another mom's blog, such a good reminder.


The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
for children grow up, as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.


taken from ....
 Ruth Hulbert Hamilton, Song for a Fifth Child 


However in full disclosure, after rocking and cuddling I tear out of Lucy's room like my pants are on fire to get a few things done around our house.