This week

We made another Christmas wreath and peanut butter cookies as part of our Christmas craft-down.  I like polka dots so I chose these polka-dotted ornaments and a glittery red bow.  It is a pretty simple thing, but it looks nice on our door.

Bode had fun making the peanut butter cookies. He had more fun eating them!  (I let him eat two!)  I also mixed up sugar cookie dough.  One day we'll pull out the cookie cutters and decorative sugars and have more fun with cookies.

Gianna is still clingy.  Sunday we went outside and when I wasn't holding her, she was crying for me to pick her up. She would lean into my legs and hug me.  Of course I picked her up.  Who could resist?  Yesterday I was swinging her around and tickling her.  When she laughed, I got a good look into her mouth.  She's got a new (top) molar!  And she has four other teeth making an appearance. No wonder she has been so clingy.  

It has been super cold here.  The babies have had to wear mittens to protect their little hands.  Gianna doesn't like them.  We've tried every pair imaginable on her: big ones, little ones, knit ones, fleece ones, etc. Of course, she doesn't want anything on her hands. Too bad because she has no choice!  Saturday we put Bode's red fleece mittens on her.  She walked around with her arms out in front of her, like she had suddenly grown lobster claws.

Bode is still enjoying all of our Christmas stories.  And, we sing "Frosty the Snowman" about 500 times a day, too.  We listen to Christmas music on the radio while driving in the car.  He doesn't understand why the radio doesn't play "Frosty the Snowman" all the time, and will cry if we get to our destination and they haven't played "Frosty."  I have tried to explain to him that radio stations don't play "Frosty" all the time.  We have a Christmas cd with "Frosty" but he always requests that I play the radio when we are in the car. He just doesn't understand and gets very upset (tearful).  On the other hand, he's learning more Christmas carols.  He knows some of "Jingle Bells" and "Here Comes Santa Claus" and of course, "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer."

I get so emotional listening to Christmas music.  "The Little Drummer Boy" "Noel" and "Do You Hear What I Hear" as well as several others bring tears.  "Do You Hear What I Hear" is not a very popular Christmas song. But for me, it has a strong emotional connection to my Grandma.  When I was little, I used to go to Christmas (midnight) Mass with her.  I have a very vivid memory of standing beside her in the pew and singing this carol (and hearing her voice over all of the other people singing).

Gianna has no idea what Christmas is but she does enjoy pulling the candy canes off our Christmas tree.  Every night, I usually find her with a fistful.

This week, I am: wrapping presents, making cookies, enjoying any quiet moment spent with RWF (not happening since there is so much to do), and enjoying the babies' delight over all things Christmas (especially Christmas lights and store window displays).  

And when I feel overwhelmed by another to-do, or another emotional wave surges because of things that happen to loved ones (i.e., life), I repeat this line from another Christmas song: All is calm, all is bright.  

Happy Wednesday.

xo

Let it snow, let it snow

We woke up to snow today.  Just a little bit on the ground. Enough to make a snowman and sled around our yard.  Bode loves the snow!  He wanted to go out in the snow, first thing (breakfast waffle in hand).

This one, not so much:

She stood in the garage forever, crying pitifully.  I put her on the sled and she quieted down.  But she wore a frown on her face the entire time we were outside!

Bode is really into snowmen.  He loves "Frosty the Snowman" and sings the song all the time. We also have an inflatable "Frosty the Snowman" that we have to inflate, and visit, every afternoon and evening. Right now, he enjoys the Christmas books we have involving snowmen.  So of course, we had to build our own snowman today.

And this one? --she LOVES the snow!  She is having so much fun in her new backyard. I love seeing Priscilla so happy.  She does this funny, floppy-legged run through the snow and rears up on her hind legs like she is a horse (I really think that she thinks she's part-horse).  I love her so much, and am so glad that she is adjusting well.

She looks yellow because she has special medicine on her coat.

We were outside forever. The sun was shining, the snowflakes were big and fluffy, and the trees with their dusting of snow looked so magical. I wanted to snap pictures of everything. I keep reminding myself that there is so much more to come!

Have a happy, warm day.
xo

Santa Claus

Today we visited Santa Claus.  Bode was so excited. Gianna had no desire to be anywhere near Santa Claus.  She clamped her little legs even harder around my waist whenever I tried to put her near Santa.  Who can blame her, right?  And, I am not one of those who enjoys putting a screaming, crying child on Santa's lap just for a "funny" picture.  

Bode enjoyed the alone time with Santa. I did catch this snippet of conversation:

Santa: What would you like for Christmas?

Bode: A book.

Santa: And what else?

Bode:  Umm. A car.

Santa: A car!  I bet you like Lightening McQueen, don't you?

Bode: Umm. Yes.

Santa: And the tow truck, too.

Bode: Umm. Yes.

Santa: What else?

Bode:  Diapers for Gianna. And me, too.

My heart melted when I heard him ask for something for Gianna. But then I laughed: diapers!  And even more funny was that Bode made sure that he got some diapers, too.  You know that Santa probably hears some pretty funny stuff!  Have you visited Santa yet?

xo

Oh Christmas tree

My little Christmas elf is almost as big as this tree!

After a lot (and I mean, a lot) of thought, I decided to just put up our Charlie Brown tree in the play room. This way (I reason), the babies can destroy enjoy it.  Last year, I bought a bunch of fabric ornaments for this very purpose. 

My favorite part is on top, Bode's and Gianna's first ornaments

The Santa hat was in our Christmas box. He put it on immediately and has not taken it off.

This year, I bought Bode two special ornaments that are not fabric.  I warned him that they will break if he plays with them.  I am OK if that happens, believe me. I wouldn't have given them to him if I had my heart set on keeping a red fire truck and a red truck with a Christmas tree in its pickup.  It was enough for me to see him smile when he unwrapped them.  Maybe we'll be able to keep these ornaments forever, or maybe just a few years.  Whatever happens, it will be alright, because we'll just keep buying more.

I am craving a beautiful Christmas tree and a beautiful home.  I wanted everything a-sparkle, everything glowing in warm candle light.  But the reality is, I have two babies right now.  There will be time for the more sophisticated looking Christmas later (or not, depending on how we feel).

And that sparkle? I already know that it doesn't come from twinkling Christmas lights and jingling bells. It comes from the smiling faces of my little ones admiring a homemade looking tree. The joy that radiates from Bode's face when he finds old Christmas friends to play with, and the magic in turning on the Christmas lights.

A beautiful Christmas tree, personalized with our names. One of my favorite Christmas gifts!

Right now, the focus is on family, making our memories and enjoying the holidays together.  What are your favorite holiday memories?  Do you have special holiday rituals and objects?  I hope that you are already having a happy holiday! 

Enjoy.

xo

Gum drop tree

Yesterday afternoon, we were running out to the grocery store to pick up some much-needed gum drops for a craft project.  Our car battery died.  We were stranded in our car (thank goodness) in 34 degree weather for 48 minutes.  We were not in a grocery store parking lot, because I had (stupidly) made a side trip to another remote area first.  I called AAA, and was told it would be 35 minutes before a repair truck could get to us. I  usually put Bode and Gianna in their car seats without their coats on.  So I took everyone out of their car seats and put coats on.  We sang "Frosty the Snowman" several times, and played a car-naming game (or, a CARS naming game).  I took one of Gianna's shoes off to make sure that her footsies were warm.  They were toasty, thank goodness.   The tow truck arrived 48 minutes later.  In 10 seconds, the man had charged my battery up and sent us on our way.  I don't want that to happen again!  The children were so good while we waited.

We went straight home, and I left my car running for 30 minutes to charge up the battery.  I put Bode and Gianna down for naps.  I took Priscilla outside and my hands were freezing!  I need to find my gloves, or buy new ones.  I was so thankful again that we were stuck inside our car, and not outside.

After naps, we went to the store for gum drops.  And this afternoon, I introduced Bode to the fun activity of making a gum drop tree.  

Have you ever made gum drop trees?  My mom used to do this activity with me every Christmas. I used to love it.  I have wanted to do this with Bode since he was a baby. I think he is now at the right age.  

Materials:
one styrofoam tree form
a bag of gum drops (red and green for Christmas, but multi-colored would be festive, too!)
toothpicks

Add one excited child:

Stick the gum drops on the toothpicks for the excited child so that he doesn't poke his fingers (I cut the toothpicks in half) Then the excited child can push the toothpick into the styrofoam form.  Fill the form up with gum drops.  If you're a perfectionist like I am, then you'll want to redo all the gum drops that your child did. You'll want to make nice even rows to form a nice, smooth Christmas tree shape. I resisted the temptation. This time.

Eventually your child will start goofing off with the gum drops.  If he loves hats, like my child loves hats, he will decide that a red gum drop will make a nice Christmas hat.

And then, your child may wonder, "Hmm. Well what exactly is a gum drop?  Animal, vegetable or mineral? Is this sugar?" and decide that he must taste the gum drop. Actually, most children would probably just pop one in their mouths immediately. I know Gianna will, if given the chance.  It literally took this long for Bode to decide that he would try a gum drop.  He is so cautious and just not aware of candy right now.  (Note: when I talked about the project with him, I never stated, "We're going to cover this styrofoam with candy!" I talked about gum drops and never mentioned that gum drops are edible.)

He eventually snuck a taste:

We didn't finish the tree but it will be something that we'll work on over the next couple of days.   Afterwards, I put the babies in the bath.  And Gianna finally gave me a smile.  Please feel free to cut this photo out and paste it onto our Christmas card for your enjoyment. Fa la la la laaaaa!

Happy weekend, everyone.
xo

I am done

Gianna sez: No Christmas card for you!

It's all her fault. She refuses to smile. I give up.

Happy weekend.

xo

Bode: 38 months

Dear Bode,

Yesterday, you were my little Christmas elf and we wrapped some Christmas presents together.  You taped the paper and picked out the ribbon color for the packages.  This is just another example of  how your growth is blowing my mind, every day.   Each month, I think that I'll stop reporting on your growth/milestones because you're 3 now.  But then, every day, you say or do something interesting, funny or spectacular.  And I think, "Oh, I want to remember that!"

You are very active.  You love playing chase when we are outside ("Chase me, Mommy!").  You also like playing "airplanes,"  where we spread our arms out like airplane wings and run around the yard, making airplane noises.  This past weekend, you climbed a tree with minimal assistance from your daddy.  You are climbing on everything you can these days: cabinets, sofas, tables, and trees. 

You still don't have an appetite for much food.  We usually end up negotiating with you for bites of food. You love eating black olives, Goldfish,  pears, and cheese. Every night, you usually request a snack, which is a snack cup filled with Goldfish, raisins or Craisins, peanuts, and Cheerios.

You love going out, and always request to go "bye bye" at least twice a day.  You help me to remember my grocery list when we are shopping. I love asking you, "What else do we need? What am I forgetting?" and you usually remember 2-3 things that I have on my list.

You love puzzles, Legos, and reading.  You also still love cars.  You're more into running and playing with someone else (me) than solo play these days. I love playing with you, but I'm also anxious for the time that you and Gianna can run together, too. You two already enjoy each other so much!

This past month, you had your first nightmare. It was very scary for you.  I hated seeing you so upset about going to sleep that night, and for 3 nights after.  I fear that all the changes and the move have caught up with you.  I worry that all the activity of the movers and the cable guy fed bad things into your otherwise simple, loving conscious. But I guess these nightmares are a normal part of growing up.  And hopefully, you'll recover from them quickly as you did this first time.

When I need to correct something you have said or done (like, pull something out of Gianna's hands), or when I tell you it's bedtime and I'm turning out the lights, you'll start saying, "Wait a minute, wait a minute, wait a minute..." and try to stall me.   You love saying, "You're in a heap of trouble!" (a line borrowed from Sheriff, from the CARS movie).  When we are walking downstairs, I always repeat, "Plant your feet, plant your feet" after each step, to hopefully remind you to take it slow and make sure your feet are firmly on the step.  The other day, we were walking downstairs and you said, "Mommy, you forgot to say, Plant your feet." and I said, "Oh, you're right! Plant your feet, plant your feet..." and you said, "No, you don't say that!"   You love contradicting me, in a funny way. 

Right now, you are up in your room, making a racket.  It is time for you to get up and start your day. I hope it's a happy one.  I'm sure that you'll do at least one thing to surprise/delight/amaze me, like you always do.

Happy 38 months, Bode. 

love,

Mommy

xo

PS Sorry this is a day late.  Yesterday we were busy being Christmas elves, and I was too tired to write during your nap time!