Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Santa Claus

I recently had a mom friend blog a "warning" to her mom friends/family that they are not "doing Santa" in their house.  Of course my gut response was "What??  Why not?"  But I actually had a conversation with an ex-coworker who I respect a lot about this very topic before I even had kids.  Both women said that they didn't like the idea of lying to their kids, that they didn't need a Santa to get the feeling and meaning of Christmas.  I can see how "doing Santa" can seem like lying.  I can see how people wouldn't want a fictional "Santa" taking the credit for all the wonderful gifts their kids got (just a note that neither women used this as a reason, but I have heard it from others.)  I can see from a religious stand point that "Santa" takes away from the meaning of Christmas and what is really being celebrated (by most).  However, this is if you "do Santa" just to "do Santa." In my house, it was always said that if you said you did not believe, then you did not get Santa presents because you did not get the reason behind him.  It took my a while, but I think I figured it out.  I think that "Santa" is more of a feeling or an action, than a person.  You know that happy, bubbly feeling you get in your gut when you think of your happiest memory?  That feeling, to me, is Santa. 

I will be honest that I get caught up in the buying of gifts, and wanting to get the boys soooo much stuff (really, how much does a 6 week old need??)  I get caught up in who's getting who what, and will my gift be good enough.  I also get caught up in how much we spend on people and making things "even".  I get caught up in wanting gifts and hoping that they get the "right one".  But in the end, I just want everyone to get that feeling.  I just want everyone to be happy.  I want my family to be together. 

Will Santa visit my kids.  Yeah.  Because for me, one way I get that feeling in my gut is thinking of the excitement of Christmas morning and waiting for Santa to come.  I want my kids to get that feeling, and I think that knowing they are getting that feeling while be another memory of mine to evoke that feeling. 

Is one way better than the other?  No.  Each family is different, and what works for one might not work for another.  Oh, Santa does visit my ex-coworkers daughter.  And my mom friend is already thinking of ways to keep her son from "ruining" Santa for other kids. 

santa claus portrait (sepia)photo © 2007 Vanessa Pike-Russell | more info (via: Wylio)

Did Santa visit you?  What helps you get into the Christmas spirit?

Thank you Darcie for the info for Wylio, it's super easy!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

First Snow

We had our first snow!  I LOVE snow!  When C woke up this morning, I opened the blinds and told him to watch for snow.  He promptly stood on the couch and looked out the window, it was very cute!  When it started to snow, I pointed it out to C (he had stopped looking at this point) and he got so excited.  He started yelling "I dee dow!  I dee dow!"  (translation.."I see snow!  I see snow!")  He then gave me my phone and said "Daddy, I dee dow!"  He wanted to call Hubby and tell him, so of course we did.  I announced to C and N that we were having a pajama day, and we did not have to get out of our pj's all day!  I wasn't sure if C really understood, but he got very excited and started running around yelling "Dow!  Dow!" 

Right before nap, I decided to be brave and take the boys out for a few min, figuring maybe it would help C take a nice nap (sneaky, I know!)  I guess C did understand pajama day because when I told him it was time to get ready to outside, he refused to take him pj's off...so, sweat pants and coat went on over his pj's!  He had a great time.  We only stayed out for a couple minutes because I forgot the blanket to put over N's face to help keep the snow off...oops! 

I love winter, and cannot wait for more snow!  (Especially when I go back to work and it means a snow day!)





Hope everyone else was able to enjoy a fun snow day!  Maybe next time we will attempt a little project, any ideas?

Thursday, December 9, 2010

One Month!

Just a quick note to say I'm still alive!  I cannot believe Baby N is already 1 month old!  It's crazy and life is moving just too fast.  My life consists of feeding N, holding N, entertaining C...pretty much anything but cleaning the house (which it really needs, especially if we are going to get our Christmas tree up) or sleeping! 

So, here he is...







Saturday, November 13, 2010

Introducing...

I am very happy to introduce Baby N!  N is doing great!  Big Brother C is adjusting well and seems to love N so far!



I'll be sure to give more details soon!

Monday, November 8, 2010

Last Night in Utero

Tonight we will be having a great big family sing-a-long...wanna join!  My sister R and her daughter gave us 3 CD's when C was born, they were all by an artist named Brady Rymer, the songs are very catchy and fun for even adults.  There is one song in particular that we will be humming along to tonight.  I was going to post a video of the song, but could only find this clip


Here is the chorus and my favorite verse!

It's your last night in utero
Gather all your things and let's go, go, go
Tomorrow you'll be sliding
Through your front door
So tonight you better party down

Say goodbye to the bladder
Say goodbye to the spleen
Say goodbye to all the friends
You have made inside.
'Cause tomorrow your mama's gonna give you
A great, big squeeze!

Heehee..I chuckle every time I hear this song!  There are many songs that C loves to sing along to, I'll have to get some video to post! 


Photo

Fall Back

I have seen very little love for the fall back of the clock this weekend!  I have to say that while I understand why some people wouldn't like it...I LOVE it!  It means Fall is well underway and Winter is almost here!  I love Winter!  I love Fall and Spring even more, but there's something about the cold weather and getting to wear heavy sweaters, and having the holidays as an excuse to pig out indulge in food and drink you usually wouldn't. 

One mom on my Facebook said that falling back with toddlers is not fun.  I guess Hubby and I had it really easy.  Sure, C woke up early, but then he just came and cuddled in our bed for an hour while we slept a little, granted we were still out of bed by 7:00, but getting out of bed so early really did equal getting so much done!  The mom also mentioned the sun going down so early....but I say, what about the sun coming up so early!  I hate waking up to dark, it makes it so much harder to get out of bed!  Plus, some of my favorite memories from being little are from playing outside in the dusk/dark right after dinner with my cousins, catching bugs, playing flashlight tag....all while wearing new clothes! 

I have to say that bedtime was so much easier last night.  We didn't adjust C's bedtime any, we just put him down the usual time, but since it was actually an hour later, he fell right to sleep and slept pretty well during the night!  I say that's a win for the end of daylight savings time!

Ready or not....here comes Winter!!!!  (Not that I am ready to say good-bye to Fall yet!  I love the cool crisp air!)

Saturday, November 6, 2010

Almost Done!

Tuesday, November 9 is the big day!  If I don't go into labor before and have this little dude, this is it!  Hopefully the labor will go as quick as it did with C! 

Don't get me wrong, I actually really enjoy being pregnant, up until a couple weeks ago that is.  This baby got big!  I told my OBGYN that I felt like the wimpiest second time mom ever!  I never went through a lot of this pain with C.  He was induced at 37 weeks due to no growth.  He was born at 4lb 14oz, so really small, he never dropped, I never had contractions (that I could tell) until I was started on the Cervidil, I never had swelling to the point of it hurting.  So yes, I was very spoiled my first pregnancy, and I'm sure I have not handled the last couple of weeks with as much grace as I could have.  Oh well, IT'S ALMOST OVER!!!! 

Having a beautiful little boy at the end of this pregnancy will be wonderful, but there are a few other things I am looking forward to...
     *laying on my stomach...oh I cannot wait!
     *being able to roll over in bed without it being a 400 point turn (seriously, not kidding!)
     *only having to get up once, if that, to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night
     *being able to sleep all night (okay, okay...I know this one will take a little while, but seriously, I can't wait!)
     *having a few more clothes to choose between....I don't have a huge wardrobe by any means, but it seems a lot bigger after wearing my maternity clothes for so long
     *being able to play with C a little more...it just takes too much effort to get off the couch and play, sitting on the couch and watching TV is so much easier

I know there's more, but I have little to no brain left after this pregnancy...I guess I can add better memory (hopefully!) to the list of things I'm looking forward too!

I am going to try setting a few posts to post while I am at the hospital, not sure what they will be about, but I am sure super exciting like always :)  But, I do apologize in advance if they don't get set up, I will be sure to post at least a short blog post when I get back with pictures and stats!

I was going to end this post with a super cute picture of me recently, but realized I don't really have one that shows off my belly very well.  Poor second child already, with C we did pregnancy pictures and everything!

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Happy Halloween (really late)!

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween weekend!  Since everyone loves to see kids in costume...here you go!


Our little pilot! 

We couldn't decide what pilot he was exactly.  We thought about Tom Cruise in Top Gun, but he didn't wear a scarf, and loved the look of the scarf on C.  So we went with generic "pilot."  We did try to spike his hair a little, but his hair was too long since he needs a hair cut (hint, hint, Auntie S!)  

We had fun trick or treating.  We only went to 3 houses, but C had fun!  We went to both sets of grandparents and his local great-grandparents.  Too much candy!!!




Hope everyone had a great weekend and fun on Halloween!!! 

Monday, November 1, 2010

Apple Picking

Earlier in the month we went apple picking with C's class and his teacher.  We went to a local orchard and had so much fun.  We didn't leave with many apples, but I think the experience was fun and important for C...maybe a new family tradition!

Here are a few pics...

There was a little girl hanging out who had a pet lamb!  The lamb was very cute and C loved her!

 The lamb kept trying to eat his pockets, C thought she was "so silly." 

I just really like this picture.

Leading the way!

Not about C...but look at that belly!  And that was 4 weeks ago!!

The best apples are the ones right out of reach!



The true sign of how successful an outing is...asleep before we even got out of the parking lot!



Friday, October 29, 2010

Cookies!!!

C and I had a great time a couple weekends ago making cookies.  This was our first big cooking project together. 

We measured...

 and stirred...

 showed off our batter...

scooped...

and baked!!!

Most importantly, we enjoyed!!

 
We made Soft Pumpkin Cookies.  I got the recipe off an allergy email I received.  We used egg replacer instead of eggs, and you couldn't even tell!  The best part is that the recipe told how to make the cookies gluten free and free of other allergens! 

I think C had a good time baking and can't wait to do it again!

Thursday, October 28, 2010

I'm Alive!

Wow!  Once again it's been awhile, sorry about that.  I just wanted to make sure everyone knows that I am alive, well and still pregnant.  Sorry for the confusion the last post may of caused :) 

So, yes, still pregnant.  There is an end in sight though!  I am 37 weeks, which is what I was when I was induced with C due to no growth on his part.  Because of my history of growth restriction, and a few other indicators, my doctor told me today that they will not let me carry past 39 weeks.  That means baby will be here within the next 2 weeks!  2 WEEKS!  I am so ready for this baby, but it makes it much more real to hear something like "We will induce you at 39 weeks if you haven't naturally had this baby by then."  I find out next week the exact date of my induction.  Of course, this is all assuming my last ultrasound tomorrow (Friday) goes well.  I have no reason to think that something is going wrong, but I thought that with C 2.5 years ago also. 

Things have been busy.  And because I am such a good friend who keeps up with email correspondences, I will answer a question a friend asked in my blog instead of emailing her back...I know, best friend material right there :)  Am I nesting?  The short answer is yes!  The long answer is, I want everything ready now and not a minute later!!  Pretty sure I'm driving Hubby crazy with my rearranging, starting projects, shopping, talking about shopping, comparing, and whatever else it is my nesting has decided to involve. 

I have also been soooo tired and suffering from swollen feet.  I did decide that a mid afternoon nap was in order, so I cut my work hours by 2.5 hours.  I am now out of work by 12:30 every day and so far I have taken a 2.5 hour nap every day except one when I met my oldest sister and cousin for lunch.  I have found my mood is better, and I'm able to stay up a little later at night, which means a little more me and Hubby time after C goes to bed. 

We've also had some fun family activities the last couple weeks.  I am going to work on getting some posts together and scheduled to share all the Fall Family Fun we've had! 

Oh, I do have to share the highlight of the last couple of weeks with you.  So, just to prove how cool Hubby and I still are, the highlight is....our double stroller!  Last week at my checkup, I found out I was 1 cm dilated, so my in-laws decided to surprise us with our double stroller!!!  I know, cool personified, that's us! 

So, no promises, but stay tuned for some pretty cool posts about this cool family :)

Our stroller.  The Chicco Cortina Together.  (Nerd, I know!)

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Nostalgic

Last Friday I had another ultrasound, the baby looks great!  This was the time in my pregnancy with C that we thought everything was going great, only to go in in a couple weeks and find out he wasn't gaining any weight.  This baby is already about 5.5lbs, and C was born at 4lb 14oz...so he's already bigger than his big brother!  Seeing the baby and realizing that he's really going to be here in a couple weeks, got my butt in gear and I started nesting!  Woohoo!!!  So excited to have some things done!  Hubby and I had a productive 3 day weekend rearranging our house, cleaning, buying, folding, and arguing discussing.  Pulling out all the baby clothes for C made me very nostalgic though.  The clothes are so tiny!  It was very weird to look at size Preemie clothes and remember how they were even too big on C for the first week or two of his life.  Of course, remembering and looking at old stuff made me look at baby pictures of C.  C had fun looking at the pictures too!  I kept telling him that was him, and I think he got it...he would point to the picture of him and then point to himself.  He looked so proud.  Here are a few of my favorite!






 Copper meeting C for the first time.

Copper watcing over C. 



Hope everyone had a great 3 day weekend!  And if you didn't get a 3 day weekend, maybe you were able to slack a little at work :)

Friday, October 1, 2010

Dear Diary...

Dear Diary,
Hi, it's me, HC.  I know it's been a while, and I am soooooo sorry.  I will never go so long without writing in you AGAIN!  Things have just been so crazy, I don't even know where to begin....

Yup, if you ever find any of my many diaries from middle school or high school, about every third page will start like this!  I was never very good at keeping up with them, but this blog is different, I promise! 

First, let me apologize for the unannounced break.  I was not expecting it, but things were getting crazy!  First of all, everything and everyone is fine.  Unfortunately, I started to feel overwhelmed and like things were getting away from me.  I was exhausted and was feeling like something had to give.  Without realizing it, the blog just kinda stopped.  I did realize the other day that I was missing something, and it took me a minute to realize that it was blogging.  I enjoy blogging and getting ideas out, maybe venting a little, or at least expressing my opinion on things!  Trust me, I would have rather given up work, but that was not an option :) 

So, it might take me a little while, but I will get back to blogging regularly.  I just need to learn to take things slower and not stress so much over the things I can't change.  Right now I'm trying to live by this prayer...


Hope everyone has a great weekend!  I'll write again soon :)

Monday, September 13, 2010

Weekend Recap

Wow!  What a busy, emotional weekend.  Saturday, Hubby and I went to the Virginia Tech game.  I picked this game because it was supposed to be relaxing and easy on me, meaning I should have been able to just sit and relax after the first quarter...yeah, that did not happen.  It was pouring rain and, well, let's just say the team had some issues.  Yes, we lost, and all I'm going to say about it is it sucked.  We had a lot of fun before the game hanging out with family. 

Hubby and I before the game!  Excuse the lack of make up :)
We woke up at 6am to drive 4 hours and then left right after the game, soaking wet to drive another 4!

Sunday was spent relaxing and trying to get over the game Saturday.  A very lazy day until 3:00.  There was a back to school picnic at school.  C had a great time showing Hubby his cubby (but didn't want to go near his classroom!) and playing.  They had a bouncy slide that Hubby took him on, not once, but twice, and a smaller bounce house that C did not want to leave.  We were supposed to have a carousel as well, but the one they delivered was broken, so it turned into what I called the "Photo Op Carousel" and a co-worker called a "Statue of a Carousel."  We all had a lot of fun! 


Pointing out his cubby, also known as where his hat goes :)

Fun in the bounce house!

C and Hubby waiting for the first slide.

Weeeeeeee!!!!

C going down the slide by himself!

So much fun! 

Almost forgot about Firefighter C!

Cheese!

So happy, I love that smile!

And of course, we can't forget how our weekend ended...with a Redskins win against the Cowboys!  Hope everyone had a great weekend and has a wonderful week!