The kids and I really, really enjoyed the beautiful day. Cooking, Christmas music, playing outside…it was just so lovely and perfect!
Though we missed being with our extended families, it was nice to stay home and have a cozy little Christmas. Uncle Michael was able to join us, which made it even better! The kids adore him!
Gosh, the month of December flies by. It can be tricky to find a balance between getting everything done while simultaneously soaking up every single minute. I think we managed just fine, but now I’ll (hopefully) be better prepared for next year! In any event, the kids seemed to love it!
She made a pillow fort with the outdoor couch cushions.
Enjoying his sister’s breakfast and princesses.
Gigantic panda from Uncle Michael. She named him “Jello.”
I have many great Christmas pics to share, but Eliza has decided to boycott bedtime, so I won’t be able to post them tonight. Tomorrow night, hopefully!
We had such a wonderful visit this past weekend! Man, these kids sure are blessed…two beloved sets of grandparents who visit them regularly. They are spoiled in the best possible way!
Pappy and GaGa were treated to several viewings of Frozen. Though I’ve seen it a million times, it actually doesn’t get on my nerves too much. It’s visually impressive, the story is pretty good, and the songs aren’t terribly annoying.
Jed enjoyed showing off his new tricks (pulling up everywhere, rapidly crawling, taking Eliza’s toys, etc.) He spends his entire day trying desperately to do whatever she’s doing, and he spends his entire night trying to con me into sleeping in the recliner with him because that’s his FAVORITE thing. We really need to begin cry-it-out in earnest, but I just haven’t had the strength yet. But it would be really, really awesome if he’d finally start sleeping through the night!
Also, he reminded me today that he can open cabinets. I turned around for one second to make myself a bowl of cereal, when I heard something shatter. He had pulled the blender out of the cabinet, and the pitcher had fallen to the ground! I’ve been slacking with the childproof locks because Eliza lost interest in the cabinets long ago. I won’t make that mistake again!
But with the challenges come enormous rewards. Tonight, for example, Eliza climbed in the chair with me while I was rocking Jed, and she softly sang her favorite songs to him as he drifted off to sleep. It was one of my favorite moments in life thus far.
Eliza is teaching GaGa how to do the “Let It Go” dance. Man, these songs play on repeat in my sleep!
Sweetness. He’s still the cuddliest little guy.
Crafting with Pappy! We made Frozen snow with baking soda, shaving cream, and glitter. Elsa and Anna seemed to enjoy it.
Sprinkling snow on Olaf.
She wants to wear this nightgown around the clock.
Adorable!
Grandbabies!
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A friend of mine shared this video yesterday, which I found absolutely hilarious! If you have littles in the house, I’m sure you can relate!
My favorite quote–
Instead of saying “Good night,” we just say, “Good luck.”
Everyone at school wore their jammies today, including the teachers. I’m told that everyone took marvelous naps, too!
She’s more interested in the accompanying CD than the book itself at the moment. But Liam Neeson is narrating, so who wouldn’t be? He has a particular set of skills, which include infusing Christmas with magic and wonder.
I realize I haven’t been doing the journals lately, so here’s one for today:
What do you find irresistible?
Oh, lots of things. The first thing that comes to mind is a loaf of freshly baked French bread at HEB. When it’s warm and smells so good…hands down, the best way to spend $1. I have been known to eat most of it a tiny, reasonable portion in the car on the way home from the store.
Poor little Jed! He had several bad nights in a row, plus a fever, so I spent all Saturday afternoon at the urgent care clinic with him. Turns out he has an ear infection. With the help of some medicine, he’s doing much better now, thank goodness.
I still can’t believe he’s standing up everywhere!
Once she discovered it was edible and ate half the roof, she decided the Wiggles might like to move in:
She removes ornaments from the tree and wears them around the house as bracelets.
Oh, siblings. They alternate between fighting over toys and chasing each other around the house. Never a dull moment!
Bathtub Christmas village! She played with this for over an HOUR. Thanks for the idea, Highlights magazine!
Poor Jed couldn’t sleep last night, and tonight isn’t looking any better. Anyone have any stuffy nose solutions for an 8-month-old (besides Nose Frida and saline drops)?
Oh, well! No sleep for me again! And I caught the cold myself, of course. At least Jimmy’s been able to take a couple sick days to help me out, thank goodness. Because everyone knows that moms don’t get sick days!
Eliza has a cold also, but it’s clearly not getting her down:
Sing Songs, Bring Sweets 