What a wonderful time of year! Family, great food, old friends, reflecting on a year of growth and most important... Baby Jesus' Birthday (as Grace and Todd say). Those first days of December brought on an overwhelming feeling of "Where do I begin?" I had to slow down and remind myself to enjoy this time and the season and the reason for it all. Although I'm usually finished Christmas shopping by Thanksgiving, this year I didn't even make my list until the second week in December. It all worked out though. I got to take a weekend trip with family to go shopping and spend some much needed family time. It's also Cameron's very first Christmas. This year has been so incredibly amazing on so many levels. Our girls are growing so fast. I can't remember if I blogged about this already but wanted to make sure I wrote it down so you may be reading this twice.
Grace's Christmas Wish List:
1. A real Dinosaur
2. A Treehouse "Like the one you have to climb a tree to get in"
Madison's Christmas Wish List:
1. Rudolph chapstick (or snowman if Santa runs out of Rudolph)
2. Hello Kitty Purse or anything Hello Kitty
3. Rudolph stuffed animal
Could we have two more differently programmed children? haha. These two crack me up to say the least.
Dad's Family
This year we did Christmas at Dad's. It was wonderful. We'd gone a few weeks earlier and me, the kids and Brandi decorated a tree Dad bought for us. We even put ribbon on the deer. The house looked great. It was the first Christmas we've had there since mom and dad seperated so it was really special for us. And although I think it may have been a little hard on Dad he was great and put on a happy face for us. All of the family was there. We passed out presents to the little kids and then played Dirty Santa. Aunt Mary made the best fudge and Christmas candy as usual and Aunt Paulette made an okra gumbo just for Todd for his birthday. Nicole and Meagan came and I was proud of them both. I'm sure Meg was a little uncomfortable at first but she did well. Eventually I gave her "Cameron Duty" so she wouldn't have to just stand there but all in all I think they had a good time too.
Mom's Family
We had Christmas at Aunt Kim and Uncle Russell's. This is always a great place for Christmas. ALL of the little kids love it there. Uncle Russ has a huge wooden swing that I swear can touch the top of the tree's and they have a smaller tree swing with a seat for the smaller kids. There's more yard then the kids can ask for and it's always pretty relaxed. I don't know how they do it, each year we add a new grandbaby to the family and soon even their yard won't be big enough for us, haha. I've always admired them for all they do and how involved they are. They really are good to all of us.
to be continued when kids aren't asking for 10 things :)
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Love, passion
is that feeling that you really can't explain. when it's real it sort of comes and goes, especially when you've loved someone for a long time. one day can be full of emotion and passion and yearning and the next day you may wake-up and wonder what the hell you're doing but no matter what, it's still love. you can't help who you love. you don't get to pick them from the tree hearts. and sometimes you even love the person you don't want to love. love is unexpected and crazy and fun and hard and exciting and frustrating. loving another person is hard because just as we change, the people we love change. the person you fall in love with will be a completely different person 5 years from now. i guess it proves that real love is loving a person for many things, not just one. the ability to love a person for their faults as well as the good they have to offer is what seperates love from puppy love. for example: you can't base your feelings for someone solely on physical attraction and call it love because what if that person is injured tomorrow and there physical attraction is no longer there? what will you have to love?
is that feeling in your finger tips when you touch a person. you know that feeling of absolute tingling that you can feel down in your toes? its that kiss they share on T.V. and when it happens you think "wow, i thought that only happened in movies." its a crazy desire to yell out a persons name at the most inopportune times. its when a person puts there hand on your shoulder and your skin warms. this feeling, too, comes and goes. one day a touch can feel like fire and the next it's cold and weathered.
isn't it amazing how we're filled with so many feelings and emotions? i can remember in my highschool and early college years wishing for the cliff notes of life and love. today, I am very thankful that some wishes don't come true. the puppy loves, borken hearts and pitfalls of life really do count. we do need them afterall. every experience, even though at the time I may have wished for them to go away, have rounded me into who I am.
is that feeling in your finger tips when you touch a person. you know that feeling of absolute tingling that you can feel down in your toes? its that kiss they share on T.V. and when it happens you think "wow, i thought that only happened in movies." its a crazy desire to yell out a persons name at the most inopportune times. its when a person puts there hand on your shoulder and your skin warms. this feeling, too, comes and goes. one day a touch can feel like fire and the next it's cold and weathered.
isn't it amazing how we're filled with so many feelings and emotions? i can remember in my highschool and early college years wishing for the cliff notes of life and love. today, I am very thankful that some wishes don't come true. the puppy loves, borken hearts and pitfalls of life really do count. we do need them afterall. every experience, even though at the time I may have wished for them to go away, have rounded me into who I am.
Making a better me...
1. start reading the bible with Grace before bed again
2. wake-up at 5 a.m
3. take vitamins
4. worry less
5. listen to my heart every day
6. exercise
7. eat healthy
8. save more
9. pray for patience daily
10. make a to-do list and actually use it
11. quit smoking (do that thing mom did)
12. stock my fridge with Little Black Dress pinot grigio
13. dance in the rain
14. buy one serving peice a month
15. plan a trip to the beach
16. finish my life letters
17. create a new song list and make a CD for my car so that I can smile every morning on my way to work
to be continued...
2. wake-up at 5 a.m
3. take vitamins
4. worry less
5. listen to my heart every day
6. exercise
7. eat healthy
8. save more
9. pray for patience daily
10. make a to-do list and actually use it
11. quit smoking (do that thing mom did)
12. stock my fridge with Little Black Dress pinot grigio
13. dance in the rain
14. buy one serving peice a month
15. plan a trip to the beach
16. finish my life letters
17. create a new song list and make a CD for my car so that I can smile every morning on my way to work
to be continued...
My day.
Amazing…
Today I took the girls shopping, they got to make a list for the people they wanted to buy gifts for then went and they got to pick presents for the people on their list. They were able to pick whatever they wanted. I only offered advice when they asked for it. It was amazing to watch and listen to the generosity Madison has in her. With each person she checked off, she added another name to the list. Grace, while in the shopping mood and happy about picking out presents, leaned more towards presents that could be shared with her . Shopping with a 4 year old and 5 year three days before Christmas offered a chance to laugh and plenty of opportunities to pull my hair out! I had to remind myself through clinched teeth to breathe and relax. They argued about who got to pick out presents first, which isle had better choices, who was going to check out first, who would open the car door first, etc… Grace was thirsty, Maddie was mad because Grace was taking too long and in the end, we made it to the car in one piece, everyone checked off the list. We stopped for ice cream afterward and few last minute gifts I needed to pick up. We came home and after 20 minutes of hiding in the guest bedroom, I had mustered enough sanity to emerge again for round two so we could wrap presents!
The presents were funny, they range from a whoopy cushion to a very funky diamond studded headband. The best part is the wrapping. Each got to pick their own wrapping paper and had their own tape dispenser. I pre-cut the paper and they went to town wrapping. Now they’re at Cart Ranch with Todd. The perfect ending to a very bumpy and fun day!
My second wonder… Cameron! Belly laughs and rolling around on the floor. That kid can make you smile even on the hardest of days. He’s like a small snowman or a jolly santa clause. You say “boo” and his face lights up like a Christmas tree. I put him to bed about 30 minutes ago. As I got up to lay him in his bed I couldn’t help but smother him with kisses and rub my lips on his soft, fuzzy hair. He’s grown so fast that I find myself staring at him in amazement. I still wake up and put my hand on his chest to make sure he’s breathing. He looks so much like Todd and Madison that it’s scary. He’s got dimples in his cheeks and right under his eyes when he smiles.
Today I took the girls shopping, they got to make a list for the people they wanted to buy gifts for then went and they got to pick presents for the people on their list. They were able to pick whatever they wanted. I only offered advice when they asked for it. It was amazing to watch and listen to the generosity Madison has in her. With each person she checked off, she added another name to the list. Grace, while in the shopping mood and happy about picking out presents, leaned more towards presents that could be shared with her . Shopping with a 4 year old and 5 year three days before Christmas offered a chance to laugh and plenty of opportunities to pull my hair out! I had to remind myself through clinched teeth to breathe and relax. They argued about who got to pick out presents first, which isle had better choices, who was going to check out first, who would open the car door first, etc… Grace was thirsty, Maddie was mad because Grace was taking too long and in the end, we made it to the car in one piece, everyone checked off the list. We stopped for ice cream afterward and few last minute gifts I needed to pick up. We came home and after 20 minutes of hiding in the guest bedroom, I had mustered enough sanity to emerge again for round two so we could wrap presents!
The presents were funny, they range from a whoopy cushion to a very funky diamond studded headband. The best part is the wrapping. Each got to pick their own wrapping paper and had their own tape dispenser. I pre-cut the paper and they went to town wrapping. Now they’re at Cart Ranch with Todd. The perfect ending to a very bumpy and fun day!
My second wonder… Cameron! Belly laughs and rolling around on the floor. That kid can make you smile even on the hardest of days. He’s like a small snowman or a jolly santa clause. You say “boo” and his face lights up like a Christmas tree. I put him to bed about 30 minutes ago. As I got up to lay him in his bed I couldn’t help but smother him with kisses and rub my lips on his soft, fuzzy hair. He’s grown so fast that I find myself staring at him in amazement. I still wake up and put my hand on his chest to make sure he’s breathing. He looks so much like Todd and Madison that it’s scary. He’s got dimples in his cheeks and right under his eyes when he smiles.
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