Merry Christmas!!

Our Christmas Card photo, for everyone who we couldn’t get a card to this year.

Hope your day was full of love and joy like ours was!

(I’ll be back tomorrow with some pictures before we head out to Oregon for 3 weeks!!)

26

 

(First photo at 26)

 

In addition to all of the holiday fun ‘round here, I had a birthday this week!

We celebrated on Sunday, with me sleeping in and waking up to find that Joseph and Brian had made me a cake.

(Strike one against New Jersey: I couldn’t find our traditional rainbow chip cake anywhere?!)

Then we lounged around, I opened up my presents

(Isaac was the best present that I received at 25)

 and we found an INCREDIBLE Italian restaurant with the best pizza I have had so far- and it is 2 minutes from our house.

They make their own mozzarella if that tells you anything.

My favorite moments of the day:

1) Joseph was sooo excited to give me the earrings that he picked out for me. 

His little face just beamed as I opened them. 

Afterwards he said “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO EVERYONE!”

.

2) I told Brian that the kids were hungry and needed to eat before nap.  He said, “How can that be possible?  I JUST finished cleaning up the breakfast mess?”

A little taste of motherhood for the working man.

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3) Isaac discovered that he loves cake as much as his mama does

4) Joseph’s little voice joining in with Brian’s singing happy birthday.

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So, here comes 26!

I am becoming more accepting of my weaknesses, my weight, letting my hair air dry and going with the frizz…

It will be a year free of pregnancy (hopefully), moving (hopefully), and full of adventure and watching my boys grow.

I am old enough to know what I’m doing THE MAJORITY(?)of the time, but young enough to not have to worry about wrinkles yet.

Welcome, 26, we’re glad that you’re here!

Christmas at Our House Day 10

 

3 seconds later, that ball was toast.

Christmas at Our House Day 9

 

(I’ve been taking them but not posting them, so I am playing catch up today)

 

Brian indulged Joseph by letting him finally put the advent calendar to 25.

Joseph shouted “It’s CHRISTMAS TIME!”

and turned with a gigantic smile to stare at the Christmas Tree

waiting for it to…?

Christmas at our House Day 8

 

 

Gingerbread Houses!

One of my favorite childhood Christmas-time memories.

This year, I decided to get a gingerbread house KIT instead of the ol’ graham cracker on milk carton approach.

I realized upon opening the kit, however that these were

a) really hard to assemble

and

b) took hours (and HOURS!) to dry.

After struggling to make it work for a few minutes and biting my lip to keep from yelling at Joseph to “STOP TOUCHING THE GINGERBREAD HOUSE FOR TWO SECONDS TO I CAN TRY TO MAKE IT STAND UP!” I decided that having fun and touching the gingerbread houses is what it should all be about- and I called it quits.

So we decorated the flat house-shaped parts, and ate the rectangle parts while we worked.

And all was merry and bright.

Note to Caitlin at Christmastime 2011:

Go for the ol’ graham cracker on milk carton approach.

Your Daily Dose of Isaac

 

Because I’ve heard that you can’t get enough

 

 

Isaac now officially:

- Walks and walks and walks

- Waves and says “bye-bye”

- Says “Mama” and “uh oh”

- Signs “All-done”

- Smacks his lips for “eat”

- Has 5 teeth

- Nurses at least 3 times a day; as long as he doesn’t bite with those 5 teeth.

(“Is it okay if I stick my hand in the cup mama?”)

Anyone who has this cute of a hand

can do just about anything he wants.

My Wish for the Mothers

 

Thank you, readers, for your kind words about my mothering post the other day.  You are the best!

Here is my wish for all of you struggling mothers like me; in poem form because...well.. why not?:

………………………………………………………………………………………..

May your kids sleep all night,

and be happy all day.

May they always listen to what you have to say.

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May your ears turn off

at every yell, scream, and whine,

or at least may you learn to not really mind.

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May your showers be long,

may the tantrums be fleeing,

may you never be late when the in-laws you’re meeting!

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May healthy meals be eaten,

(and with no complaining too!),

But may you know when a trip to the drive-through will do.

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May it always be water,

and not pee on the seat,

may you never crunch his favorite toy under your feet.

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May you remember the sweet baby,

when your preteen is a snot,

and may your sneaking-out teenagers always get caught!

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May you teach, may you kiss,

may you scold, and then,

may you have the strength tomorrow to do it again.