all of us

Here's the picture I mentioned of us all.

Happy New Year!

Christmas 2008: the recap

Christmas Eve

We decided to go to the earliest service at church (3:00!!) because last year we went at 4:30 and it was so packed that we barely got a space for Rachel in the nursery and we barely got a seat (had to sit in the second or third row, squished together). They were asking people with flexible schedules to go to the earlier one, but apparently, everyone else had flexible schedules too, because EVERYONE was at our service. We got there early enough that we got Rachel a nursery spot and we got some seats, but by the end it was packed to the gills. My friend, Emily, said they had to stand! It was strange to walk out of a candlelight service and have it still be light outside. I didn't like that part. Oh, and the rain. I didn't like that either. It's not supposed to rain on Christmas Eve. But it did. All day. Here's Rachel before we went, all dressed up.


We came home and made our annual Christmas dinner. We always make something special. Last year it was scallops. This year we made king crab legs. They were great, and I've never heard my husband go on so about a home cooked meal. I wish he was always so complimentary! Even Rachel ate (and liked!) some crab.

After dinner we had Rachel decorate her own little Christmas tree, which we decided to call our Santa Tree, the place where Santa would place his gifts, to keep them separate from the gifts from Mommy and Daddy. She had a great time decorating it. We got milk and a snack ready for Santa (we didn't have any cookies, so we left him graham crackers and a piece of fudge--he still ate them and said he enjoyed them in the note he left!) and carrots for the reindeer.

She opened her one present on Christmas eve (PJs--a tradition left over from my childhood) and Daddy read her "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and the Bible Christmas story before bed, also a tradition we started (he even read them to her on her first Christmas eve, when she was only 8 months old--hopefully she'll enjoy them even more with each coming year).


After she went to bed, Santa's Elves got to work and then we watched "A Christmas Story" (on for 24 hours on TBS--we just watched it once!).


Christmas Morning

Rachel woke us up talking around 5:50. This is becoming a trend lately that we don't like. Usually if she's awake before 6, I go in and tell her that it's still nigh-night time, and she needs to go back to sleep. But since we knew we needed to get going, we decided not to do that. We let her talk awhile, while my husband took and shower and got ready to go downstairs to turn the lights on and the video camera ready. Meanwhile, I went into her room and said, "Merry Christmas! It's Christmas morning!" In the last week or so since the presents had been wrapped, she'd ask to open them and we'd say, "Not 'till Christmas morning!" So when I told her, "It's Christmas morning!" she immediately said, "Open 'em? Open 'em?" She knew immediately what we were going to do that morning.

Once Daddy was ready she and I went downstairs. The first thing she saw was the train table. "Ohhhhhh......trains!" she said, as she ran over to the table. She discovered the sounds it made as she moved the trains around the track. We let her play with it for quite awhile, but then tried to get her to come open the gifts and stocking Santa had left under her little tree. It took a lot of coercing to get her to stop what she was doing--and this continued the whole morning. Everything she opened, she was soooo excited about and wanted to play with. She'd play with it awhile, go back to something else she had already opened, and finally we'd get her to come over and open something else.

Some of her favorite things she opened were the tutu I made her (which she put on over her PJs and then later with her new cowboy hat and bandanna!), chalk for her easel, and the Tinkerbell video (which we bought to go with her portable DVD player she also opened--more a present for us than for her, though, since it means she'll be quiet on long trips from now on!!!). But really, she loved every single thing--even the outfit she opened, which most kids wouldn't be too excited about. She wanted to put it on right away. It was just so fun to see her so excited and enjoying everything so much.


She kept going back to the train table, though. I thought this was so funny--her PJs, tutu, cowboy bandanna, and playing with her trains..... This is how she spent most of the morning.

There was a leotard to go with the tutu. After awhile I finally put it on her. She loved it, but kept saying, "Mommy, where's my pants?"My husband and I exchanged several gifts, too. He had asked for an iPod classic, and I was determined to get it for him, but that meant I couldn't get him much else. But I wanted there to be more presents under the tree, so I wrote a bunch of little poems and wrapped them up in boxes. The first one said something about his gifts being under the tree, "but ten push ups you first must do before you get gift number two." Each box had some task he had to complete, like jumping jacks, running up and down the stairs, and things like that. So after he opened the first five poem gifts, gift number six was his iPod. He spent most of the rest of the morning transferring his music over to it. And if you know him, you know just how much music that is! But there's still over half the memory left, so he has lots more room.

He surprised me on a few things (namely a card table, which I really thought was a painting for the wall when I saw it all wrapped up!). I got the new lamps I wanted for our family room, a microwave, which we desperately needed, since ours is on its last leg, a necklace, some gift cards to some of my favorite places, and a few other things.

This is the marble run Daddy made for Rachel. She loves it, especially the marbles. She sat at breakfast that morning and just watched them speed down the track over and over.

After the presents were all opened, we had to get everything packed and ready to go by 11:00 so we could be at my parents' house by 2:00. Rachel watched some of her Tinkerbell movie on the drive up, but she fell asleep after about 40 minutes and slept almost the rest of the way. We were really glad, since last year she didn't sleep on the ride and it resulted in a way too wound-up/overly tired little girl come evening.


Christmas Afternoon

When we arrived at my parents' house Rachel's cousins were there, and anxious to open more presents. My younger brother, Jack, and his wife, Megan, weren't there yet, but my mom decided to go ahead and have the kids open their presents. It actually worked out really well this way, because we all weren't trying to open our own presents at the same time, so the parents and grandparents could concentrate on watching the kids open their presents and help them get them out of the package so they could play with each one (those awful twist ties and plastic wrap are SO annoying!!!). Since her cousins are older and more experienced, they whipped through their presents pretty quickly, while Rachel wanted to stop and play with each one, so her present opening lasted a lot longer. Some of her favorites were her Little People princess castle and coach, Leo's baton (from The Little Einsteins--here she is conducting), and some Thomas trains: Rosie, Lady, and the musical caboose.

She loved pretending she was "Dr. Rachel" with her new doctor's kit. Here she is giving Grandpa a checkup (looking in his ears and giving him a shot).

Grandma wanted a picture with all of the grandkids. Trying to get four children to sit still, smile, and look at the camera at the same time is nearly impossible. Alex wouldn't get in the picture at first, and then even after he did, he was sad.

We also took a group photo later in the day. My brother, Ted, gave us all picture frames covered in slate from the house where we all grew up (the house has since been destroyed by a fire, which is devastating to all of us, but when he went once to walk around and look at the property, he found the slate from what was once our front hall), and he wanted us to get a family picture to put in it. He got the best one, which I'll try to put on here on another post.

My mom then gave us all our presents--we each got a huge box and she told us to open them at the same time. Inside were all of our gifts, so we only had one to unwrap! My brother said, "It's like a goodie bag of all the things I like!"

The rest of the day was spent playing with toys, talking, eating, laughing, and having a good time together as a family. Rachel was as good as gold the whole time and just had the best time playing with her cousins, grandparents, and aunts and uncles. It was a great day.

The Day After Christmas

The next day we got up and went to celebrate with my husband's family. Rachel had a good time playing with her cousins (especially with Ashley's tent, which was a big Tinkerbell tent that went over her bed) and Granny and Papa. There she opened a present that was more than twice her size! Her uncle wanted to know who was getting the coffin for Christmas.... Can you tell what it is?

If you guessed a sled, you're right! It's the biggest sled I've ever seen! When she told me on the phone before Christmas that we could all three fit on it, she wasn't kidding!

After lunch Rachel and Ashley took a nap and the adults were able to play a game, which was fun. We spent the rest of afternoon with them and then headed back to my parents' house, where my aunt, uncle, and cousins had arrived. It's always fun to see them, and we spent the rest of the evening enjoying each other. We all stayed up late playing a game, which was full of laughs.

It was a great weekend, full of lots of food and fun with family. I'm sad it's over, after looking forward to it for so long, but it'll make it all the more exciting when it comes along next year.

odds and ends

We're home again, recovering from the hustle and bustle of the last week. I'm sad it's all over, but it was really, really fun. I'll write a recap with pictures soon, but wanted to get a short post up now. Here are a couple of funny things that happened before Christmas that I wanted to make sure to remember for posterity.

*Daddy was working on Rachel's marble run he made for her for Christmas, and was covered in saw dust. He came in from the garage as Rachel was sitting at the table eating a snack of graham crackers. "Daddy, you eat gwam cwackers too?" she asked, innocently, as she looked at the "crumbs" on the front of his jacket.

*She was feeding me pretend letter cookies, which were actually pieces of her letter puzzle. She gave me the "N" cookie. I pretended to take a bite and said, "Mmmmm, it's scrumptious!" "No, it's N, Mommy!" she replied!


*We went to a very crowded Christmas Eve service at our church. Rachel was in the nursery, which is only for 2 year olds and under on Christmas Eve, so there were lots and lots of kids in the service (hard to believe that next year she'll be old enough to have to come sit with us!). Anyway, there was this little girl sitting on her daddy's lap right next to me. She was probably 3. She had a hard time staying quiet, and was asking her dad a million questions. After the music, when our pastor went up on the stage to give the short sermon, the little girl asked, "Who's that, Daddy? Is that Jesus?"

run, run, as fast as you can...

Yesterday our house was overrun by gingerbread men!

My mom came down to introduce Rachel to the story by making gingerbread men with her.

It started with the cutest gingerbread men matching aprons (which she then gave to me, so now Rachel and I have matching aprons).

And making the dough.

While the dough was chilling, they read the story.

After naptime they rolled and cut out the cookies.

And decorated them with buttons and eyes (some have more eyes than others....you can guess who did those!).

After they cooled, the frosting was added and then they were ready to eat..

Judging by the amount of dough she ate

and the fact that she ate the entire cookie (and asked for more all night long),

I'd say she enjoyed it!

Thank you, Grandma!!

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

It's hard to believe it's less than 2 weeks until Christmas!

Yesterday my husband took the day off because I had a doctor's appointment (still dealing with the headache issues, which I'll write about one of these days) and because he had a day to use before the end of the year. We had decided to spend it doing Christmas things. So after I got home from the doctor, he and Rachel went shopping for Mommy's present while I went grocery shopping. It was so nice to go to the store all by myself! He, unfortunately, didn't have as good as an experience, as Rachel decided to fuss and tell Daddy she was tired and wanted to go home for most of their trip. I guess she really was tired, though, since she fell asleep in the car on the way home! At least she knows what she needs.

During her nap he and I wrapped all of her presents. He grew up having most of the presents under the tree throughout the weeks before Christmas, and that's the way he likes it. He thinks it allows the anticipation to build. It was never that way in our house, so I would prefer to keep them hidden until Christmas morning, but it isn't something I felt was worth arguing about, so her presents are now under the tree. She noticed, of course, after her nap, and wanted to open them right away. I can't count the number of times since then that she's asked to open them. I have to keep telling her that she can't open them until Christmas morning.

Yesterday afternoon Rachel and I made a "gingerbread house," minus the gingerbread. We used graham crackers instead.

She liked making it, but was mostly just interested in eating the candy!

So it's very Christmas-y around here these days!

a fun visit

So we made it! Weather didn't interfere, and though my cold was quite annoying and I couldn't be quite as helpful to Allecia as I would've liked to have been as a result of feeling yucky, I hope that our being there was still a blessing to her (and didn't make any of them sick!).

Sweet Marin was so precious and such a good baby. I had forgotten how light newborns are! And how sweet their little noises are! I enjoyed seeing Allecia dress her up in one of the outfits we gave her, complete with a bow in her hair.

We went to the children's museum for a couple of hours, where I met up with my college roommate and her youngest son (sadly, I didn't get any pictures!....just a few of Rachel playing).She hadn't met Rachel, so it was fun to see them, although we didn't get to talk much, with our kids all running off in different directions.

To help entertain Kaden we made and decorated cookies

played with play doh (over and over and over...and they never tired of it!)

painted, and did some crafts. The kids had a great time. They played hide and seek several times (and each hid in the same place every time....at least it's not just Rachel who does that!) and squealed with glee each time they found the other. Here they are playing horsie....sort of.

I was very sad to leave my friend, not knowing when we'll see each other again. It is nice to be home, though (especially since I won't have to sleep in the same room as Rachel...which resulted in her in my bed on the first night, kicking, singing, and throwing her arms across me declaring, "Mommy, I vewy, vewy hungwy" at 4:00 AM! It was not a good night!). I just wish she didn't live so far away.

(Here's Rachel kissing "Baby Mahwin." She asked to hold her several times and was very gentle.)

my thoughts on winter (and it's not even winter yet!)

Yuck, yuck, yuck.

I can't believe winter technically is not even here yet. I already despise it. Yes, the snow was really pretty the other day. Yes, I'm looking forward to Christmas. But otherwise, winter, I don't like you. Don't bother coming this year, if you please.

Why? The number one reason is sickness. You already read about our "Thanksgiving from hell," as my dad called it many times. (Actually, Thanksgiving was nice. It was the days following Thanksgiving which were less than ideal.) It took my husband and me all week to feel normal again, stomach-wise. And then Saturday night, while on a date together (a once or twice a year event that I had been anticipating for quite awhile), I had a relapse. Ugh. In a public restroom. Not. Fun. At. All. Otherwise, the date was great! Then yesterday I woke up feeling like I was getting a cold. A cold. After just finishing up an antibiotic for a sinus infection less than a week ago! What is going on????

Rachel and I are leaving in a few hours to go visit Allecia, Kaden, and new baby Marin. I've been looking forward to it for months. Now I have a cold (not to mention headache issues, which is its own post for some other day) to contend with. But another reason I despise winter is related to this trip....the road conditions. This trip, like I said, has been planned for months. We knew that after Allecia had the baby, Rachel and I would go visit for several days to help entertain Kaden, cook dinner, and try to help out Allecia in any way we could. But everything has to be dependent on the weather in the winter. You can look forward to a visit forever, but unless the weather cooperates, in the winter, you can't count on that visit. Thankfully, it looks like the weather is going to cooperate for the traveling days for this visit, but sometimes it doesn't always work out that way.

For instance, my mom is planning on coming down next week for a couple of days because she's been wanting to make gingerbread men with Rachel. She got her the story, a stuffed gingerbread man, and even a cute little pink gingerbread shirt, and I've been looking forward to it for weeks (Rachel, I'm sure, would be too if she knew about it....but you can't tell that girl anything more than a couple of hours in advance. I made the mistake of telling her about our trip to see Kaden a couple of days ago and I haven't heard the end of it!) But I can't bank on any of it happening because who knows what the weather will be next week. I really hope it works out.

Ugh. Winter, please don't come. You can sprinkle a little more snow so we have a white Christmas (but please don't interfere with any of our travel plans!), and maybe even play out in it a bit (Rachel really, REALLY wants to build a snowman!!) but then you must go away. Got it?

Note: Yes, it really is 5:40 AM....I've been up since 3:30 with way too much on my mind about this trip--I haven't packed, due to the-worst-headache-in-my-life which I dealt with yesterday. As soon as my husband wakes up I'll be springing into action. Meanwhile, I've been making a list and checking it twice...no, three times.....

kwissmiss time!

Yesterday I spent most of the morning putting up Christmas decorations around the house (all except the tree). Rachel was SO excited and kept going all around the house looking at them, playing with the stuffed animals, and especially with her Little People Nativity set, declaring with glee every few minutes, "It's Kwissmiss Time!"

When it was naptime she asked me sadly, "Kwissmiss over?" I had to try to explain that it's not Christmas day, just Christmas time, and we were getting ready for Christmas day, which wasn't for a few weeks. Time is lost on a two year old.

Today after church we put up our tree, which is what Rachel's been talking about wanting for weeks and weeks, every time we ask her what she hopes Santa brings. We kept trying to tell her that we would put up a tree before Santa came, but again, try explaining timing to a two year old. It doesn't work well. But anyway, she was thrilled today. She was mostly in the way while she "helped," but she had fun trying. We did a little while she was up and the majority of it while she was napping, which made it go much more quickly. After her nap she came down to this

and couldn't have been happier. (Notice her Wonder Pets cape....she wears it almost constantly these days, taking it off only for meals and sleeping.)

comfort

Yesterday was a bad day. Nothing really bad....just lots of little annoying things happened, which, when built up, amounted to a frustrated Weed. At dinner last night my husband was trying to cheer me up, which usually doesn't work, but he always tries, bless his heart.

Then he said to Rachel, "Rachel, what should we do to help Mommy get happy?"

She thought a minute, looking at me.

With a big smile and her two year old confidence she declared, "A KWEENEX!"

I started to laugh, and it was just what I needed to pull me out of my funk. See, anytime Rachel starts to get sad about something, she says she needs a kleenex. Whether she's crying or not, a kleenex always makes her feel better. So what else would she think of to make her Mommy feel better!? Of course! A kleenex brings everyone comfort, doesn't it?

some new sayings

Just in the last few days she's developed some new phrases....



*It's so cute, Mommy! (when talking about her baby dolls)



*Yo-ah kidding! (You're kidding--when talking on her play phone--I asked her where she heard that and she said on Max and Ruby)



*Wisten Kwismiss Moosic? (listen to Christmas music? She says this when I take her in to play in her play pen each morning. She has a children's Christmas music CD that I started playing for her and she loves it)



*Jus 'tend, Mommy (I'm just pretending, Mommy. She tells me this when she makes an animal sound and I say, "Are you an elephant?" Or if she fake cries, and I say, "Are you a baby?")

Thanksgiving pictures

Here are some pictures from our Thanksgiving day--before all of the sickness began.

One of the toys my older nephew and niece enjoyed at Grandma and Grandpa's house was this "Bop It Extreme." My parents have had it for several years and every once in awhile someone gets it out and everyone enjoys playing it a few times. At one point I had the high score, but I don't know if anyone ever beat it.

The kids all love playing with Legos,

and Rachel was finally allowed to join in the fun this year. Up until this year she had been too young because she would've put the pieces in her mouth. I don't think she even tried this time (although there are plenty of times she still does try to put things in her mouth that she shouldn't). She had a great time, mostly pulling the pieces apart (sometimes with help) and making a tower by stacking a bunch of bricks on top of one another.

At dinner time my husband tried to take a picture. Sadly, Rachel was already eating and was in the highchair back in the corner between my husband and me, so you can't even see her in the picture! I'm sad she won't be able to see herself in the future and know she was there, too!

home at last

Two days later than planned, but we made it home this morning around 11:30. I'm feeling much better today after a miserable day yesterday. My husband's still not feeling great, but much better than Saturday, and thankfully Rachel hasn't seemed to catch it.

Today's December 1st, and I had to acknowledge the day with my mom's traditional Dec. 1st song that she used to sing us every year and her mom used to sing her every year.

Oh, December how I love you,
And the joyous sounds you bring.
Winter snow and winter sleighrides,
Hear the merry sleighbells ri--ing,

chorus:
"Jingle, jingle, jingle on the frosty air
Tis a jolly sleighride I de-clar--er--er--er.
Jingle, jingle, jingle all the world is fair,
Jingle, jingle, jingle everywhere.

Hear the voices of the sleighbells
Ringing out so loud and clear
Telling with their merry voices,
"Santa Claus will soon be here---re"

chorus