oh what fun

Christmas morning came and Santa's gifts awaited...

Our little sleepy head woke up at 9:00. I'm guessing that won't happen again until she's a teenager. She was pretty excited about her kitchen but also wanted to play with Joseph's wagon. He was willing to share. Joseph wanted Hannah's flashing ring. She was not willing to share... But he was pretty excited about Sophie the Giraffe.

Gamma and Uncle Will Will came to town and brought a grocery cart for Hannah {among many other things}. While she was napping, Joseph played in it. We probably don't want Hannah to see this and get any ideas.

Baby's first Christmas was the typical baby's first Christmas. He wasn't sure what to make of it, but I think he had fun...as long as he had something to chew on.

Hannah upgraded to a bigger chair and Joseph got her old one.

It took about ten tries to get a family picture.

On Monday, Joe's parents (Gran Gran and Poppy) came to town and brought Hannah a tricycle. I love this fashion statement. As usual, all her.

corralling chaos

I recently read that term somewhere and it just struck a cord. It's what I feel like I do at times. Right now we are in post-Christmas mode, with the house in disarray and presents everywhere. {The wrapping paper, boxes, and bags have all been taken out of the house, at least.} Contrary to what I see around this town, I plan on leaving my decorations up for a little longer. Christmas goes until Epiphany, after all. And we are a liturgical family. I admit I get the itch to take down the tree and put the decorations up around New Year's though. {That's a nod to my OCD when it comes to a neat house. As if that can be accomplished for longer than five minutes anyway.}

I will do a Christmas post soon, but how about our kitchen counter?

Little packages were delivered to our house throughout last week by friends and church members. It's tough having all those homemade goodies. No really, it is. I have to exercise a little self control and decide what I want...

merry birthday

We were in Savannah for a couple of days this week to celebrate my birthday with family. Joe and I went out to dinner while my mom babysat and really enjoyed being able to get out just the two of us and talk! Thursday, I had the best day. My mom scheduled me for a facial first thing and a mani/pedi in the afternoon. It was wonderful being pampered. Joe surprised me with a smart phone. {Yes, up until now, I've had just a normal phone. No checking email or uploading pictures to Facebook. I am excited about having such a fancy phone and a bit intimidated with the technology.} And my mom surprised me by giving me my blog - in book form. I was overwhelmed. I usually say that it is hard to surprise me, but surprised I was. Twice.

Thursday night, we went to dinner with family and friends to one of those Japanese restaurants where they cook on the table in front of you. I figured Hannah would love it and she definitely did. Believe it or not, I forgot my camera, but if you could have seen the look on her face...

After dinner we changed Hannah into her elf pajamas and went to see "tacky lights". There is this one we go to every year. It's an older couple who's been doing it for years. They raise money for the Salvation Army and let the kids ring the bell when they drop money into the bucket. I'm not sure I've ever seen Hannah so excited. She was running around the yard, shrieking with delight. So fun to watch. She stood still a couple times...

Friday, before we left town, we went to the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist to see the huge nativity scene they do every year. It is amazing the amount of work that goes into it. You may remember when we took Hannah last year. It's kind of a family tradition.

Joseph woke up in time to get a good view from Daddy's shoulders.

A merry birthday it was. I am thankful to my family, who made it so special, and for all those I heard from throughout the day. I am truly blessed.

eight months

We've been in our new home for half a year already. Joseph is now 8 months old. He's been sleeping in his room for about a month and a half and giving us about 10-11 hours a night of sleep. He's taking two (sometimes three) naps/day and when he's not sleeping he's getting ready to crawl or jumping in his bouncey thing. Or he's being held. He really likes to cuddle. I like it, too. Still breastfeeding...He's a champion nurser and I thank God for that everyday. He nurses about 4-5 times/day and I've not had to supplement at all with him. He's eating solid foods twice/day and doing well with that. He has two bottom teeth and working hard on those top two. We expect to see them any day now. {The teething is not fun...}

{Sister wanted to be in the pictures too.}

Things are going well and we are enjoying our baby boy's first Christmas!

candyland

We had the best time Monday afternoon decorating candy houses at a friend's Christmas party. It was a mom-and-daughter get together, but Joseph was invited too. He was delightfully passed around the room. Ladies man, he is.

Hannah (unlike her mom) was perfectly ok with "over-decorating" and considered the more, the merrier when she got a hold of the gumdrops.

Pretty cute though, if you ask me. And more to snack on...

kris kringle

I just watched "Miracle on 34th Street", one of my favorite Christmas movies. I watched the "new" one, but I like them both. Speaking of the real Santa Claus, I think this could be him:

Hannah's preschool went to see Santa on Thursday. Yesterday, she had her class Christmas party. The kids received presents that their parents brought in the day before. {Of course we delivered a baby doll for Hannah.} We came home with several homemade ornaments from her class tree. Mrs. Connie gave her a pink sock monkey, too. It was a fun and festive occasion, until towards the end when half the class had meltdowns, Hannah included. A lot of sugar + nap time...

'tis the season

brown paper packages and gingerbread men

This year I've done almost all of my shopping online, so the UPS and FedEx guys come to my door every day. It's kind of nice to not have to leave the house. I started wrapping this weekend. I am almost finished...until tomorrow when the next package arrives.

In other news, Hannah has learned about the gingerbread man in preschool. Run, run as fast as you can. You can't catch me, I'm the Gingerbread Man. I think I need to make some gingerbread now. If you have a good recipe, please send my way. And while we're on the subject, here's Mommy's little gingerbread man.

We'll eat gingerbread cookies while Joseph chews on his fingers.

dear santa

Long-time blog readers will remember when I did this post last year. I collected images as I went looking for Christmas presents and then compiled them to make our "wish lists". It took me a little longer this year, as it takes me longer to do most everything. I also had to really work to put a list together for Joe and me. But I managed. That said, Santa listen up!

 a. Shopping cart. Hannah loves her friend Carrie's like this Melissa & Doug one. b. Shleich animals. This one is new, and I'm thinking she would like it. c. Radio Flyer Classic Dual Deck Tricycle. d. accessories for her play kitchen. e. Rain jacket and boots. We love this and this from L.L. Bean. f. Play kitchen (Taken care of!) g. Because there is no such thing as too many white sweaters, and this one is perfect. h. A Tambourine would definitely be a hit in this house. i. Books. Hannah loves story time more than anything else, and it might be a good time to start a Dr. Seuss collection.

 a. White shoes. These from Robeez are super cute. b. Hanna Andersson sleeper. c. mittens attached by a string. d. Radio Flyer wagon. {I like the idea of the classic metal wagon, but Joe has talked me into something more practical and safe since it will most likely be big sister pulling it. It's been purchased.} e. I am nuts about the Menagerie bookends at Serena and Lily. f. Sweater...a necessity. I prefer the gray but the blue is nice too. g. Push toy. This one is Melissa & Doug.

a. Stationery. I've seen cute stuff on Etsy.  Actually, I'd like stationery for Joseph too. b. I've had my eye on this clock for a long time. I'd put it on my bathroom counter. c. Rain boots. I like Hunter, but they are a little over-priced. Sperry makes great ones. d. Watch. Yes, again this year. I like watches, what can I say? I'd like something casual. This one is a Timex from J.Crew, but I this is much more affordable. e. Towels. We need towels and like these Turkish cotton ones best, in white, sandalwood, and light truffle. f. Patagonia Torrentshell rain jacket. g. Baggu bag. I love mine and carry it everywhere. The navy stripe is obviously a trend this year. h. Nike running hat. i. Another Nora Fleming platter. I have the round server, but the candy dishes are nice too.

a. Handlebars for his bike. I just picked an image off Google. I have no idea the specs he requires. If you're interested, I'll find out. b. Running singlet, size M. c. Clothes: he'd like a couple new suits and slacks. Contact me for details. ;) d. Original Volkswagen Beetle. This is his dream. e. Satellite radio for his car. f. Shoes for work. {Note: Santa has already done some shopping...}


PS - I have been told that my links are not showing up on some computers. I'll have to check on that. But if you hover over the words in italics, the links will show up.

we met santa

Last Saturday we had "Breakfast with Santa" at our church.

 

I realize how grown up our girl is when I see her play with her friends.

After last year, Joe and I were eagerly waiting to see how Hannah would react to the guy in the red suit.

She was a little unsure, but ok.

She didn't know what to say when he asked her what she wanted for Christmas. He suggested a baby doll. Ever since... {Guess I'll be purchasing a baby doll, too.}

Meanwhile, the little guy was completely captivated.

The hand, the face. I love it.