Merry Christmas from the Family

I am sure you are all tired of Christmas music and I know Christmas has come and gone. BUT, we still have to celebrate with my family this coming weekend. To keep me in the mood, I had to listen to our family Christmas theme song.

Cheers!!

Christmas Fun

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and looking forward to a wonderful New Year.  We have enjoyed time with family as well as some down time at home this year. It is definitely going to be hard going back to work this week. I am trying not to think about it and enjoy my last few days off.

This was Matilda's second Christmas but first time getting to open gifts. She was a bit unsure at first but with an early Christmas with Ethan's family and birthday gifts she was a pro come Christmas morning!!  I don't think Greta understood the whole Christmas and Santa thing although we talked about it a lot. When asked what she wanted for Christmas she would usually tell me "Apples!". I think after leaving cookies and milk for Santa and the the gifts in the morning, she finally made the connection. Next year should be twice as fun. We also plan on starting the elf on the shelf next year which should result in good behavior for a month! Right?!?  Maybe I should start it now!! Could it work for a whole year?

Here are a some pictures from the past week.

Sledding fun. Greta was a bit nervous at first but realized soon that she loved it!

Uncle Ty taking his turn.

Cute snow picture :)

Greta on Christmas Eve. I guess she thought that Santa may bring the cold in with him.

Matilda started right in on the gifts.

Greta enjoying her "big ipod" as she calls it. 

Sweet Sleep

This my friends may not be exciting for you but for this mom it is priceless!!  That sweet birthday girl I gushed about a couple days ago, well you will notice I wrote nothing about how much I love the way she sleeps or rather the lack of sleep during the day.   She will nap at daycare for HOURS, nap for grandma with no problems, but for her mom she does not like to nap regardless of how tired she is.  But today she did!! I laid her down, she fussed for a minute and then silence!  Yes, not exciting, but oh so sweet.

Then I was crazy enough to sneak in and take pictures!!

Note: I started to write this blog two days ago, little stinker woke up before I had a chance to finish. Maybe now you will understand why my blog posts are not as often as I had hoped.  I would still like to get my Christmas post up before New Years, but I wouldn't hold your breathe!

Matilda Rose

To my baby girl Matilda Rose:

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since I welcomed you into this world.  I loved you before I had even laid eyes on you. At that first cry you had me wrapped around your finger.  For you my sweet girl I will do anything.  You bring a smile to my face daily.  

I love your silly faces.

I love your dimples (on all cheeks!).

I love the way you love your sister. No matter how much she has picked on you this past year, you still think she is the funniest person you know.

I love your big blue eyes. 

I love your giggle.

I love the way you love music.

I love the way you dance.

I love the way you give kisses.

I love when you get shy you cling to me like a little monkey.

I love that I am your favorite person to cuddle with because I know that you will most likely outgrow cuddle time way to soon.

I even love your temper tantrums when you don’t get your way.  They are still cute coming from such a little package. (Ask me again when you are two if I love your tantrums.)

I love everything about you.

I'll love you forever,
I'll like you for always,
As long as I'm living 
my baby you'll be.

Happy 1^st Birthday my sweet Tillie Rose.

Love, 
Mom

Snow Day!!!!

I like a good snow as long as I don't have to go out in it. Today was one of those days. Work was canceled, leaving me home all day (and night) with the dogs and the girls.

Our snow day adventures.

Pancakes followed by washing dishes. She washed dishes probably 4 times during the day, too bad she didn't wash the ones piling up on the counter! 

Christmas Tree ornament theft

I guess a snow day with mom can be kind of boring!

Mirror Fun!

This is pretty much what the dogs did all day. They wanted nothing to do with the blizzard. 

Making and eating cookies. Say Cheese!

Bed jumping, making messes and dancing

Last but not least. Happy Anniversary to my husband. Its been a great 6 years and I look forward to many more.  Six years ago today we were enjoying the sunshine in Mexico together, today we "enjoy" a blizzard apart. Oh well, we always have next year. Hopefully we can celebrate in Mexico again or at the least in the same house!  Mexico sounds so nice right now, a girl can dream.

Heartache

My heart hurts for all of those affected by the tragic events that went on yesterday at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

As a mother I can't help but to "go there" and think about what it must be like. It is really unimaginable.

I find myself crying whenever my mind wonders back to yesterday.  I have hugged and kissed my girls extra over the past day. I am grateful they were home with me yesterday.  I am glad they are so young and I don't have to explain to them that although rare, bad things happen in this world. How do you comfort those children so young that heard and saw something so horrible?   As young as my girls are I think they knew something was going on yesterday.  I think they felt my mood as they both kissed and hugged me more. I know not to take a day for granted but life gets busy and sometimes you forget, then this happens.  Cherish every single moment.

My prayers and thoughts go out to all those who had children at the school, to those who don't have a chance to give their kids that extra hug, to those teachers who showed amazing courage in an unthinkable situation.

I grieve for you. I pray for you.  My heart literally hurts for you.

Toddler Talk

This is an older video of Miss Greta but still makes me giggle!

Camera

I bought a camera for myself. Merry Christmas to me!  I know nothing very little about photography but would like to teach myself enough to have some frame worthy photos to display.  Hopefully the quality improves along the way. Regardless if that happens, the most important thing is that I am taking more pictures. In the past I haven't pulled the camera out enough. I really want to be able to look back on these days when the kids were little.  Before long my family will get tired of looking at my face with a camera in front of it.  Here are some of my favorite pictures from the past couple weeks. 

Abe and Tammy