Will is a good sport and says that he will always go see Santa because he knows how much it means to me. He is very thoughtful that way. He brought his list and was quite impressed with Santa's beard. Although he did notice that Santa looked a little thin this year.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Ho Ho Ho!!!
Will is a good sport and says that he will always go see Santa because he knows how much it means to me. He is very thoughtful that way. He brought his list and was quite impressed with Santa's beard. Although he did notice that Santa looked a little thin this year.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Kate's First Movie
Today, I took Kate to see her very first movie in the theater. We had been waiting for just the right princess movie to come out and this did not disappoint. We all (Harry and Will came along to share in Kate's special day) really enjoyed this movie. The plot was a little more complex than her beloved Cinderella but as long as Kate had her Skittles and her popcorn, she was happy. The music was fabulous and the message of this movie is a great one. The stereotypes bothered me a bit but in the end I think the message about what is important in life shines through. Raymond was my favorite character by far!
I was a little teary as I held my daughter's hand and sat next to her today. I know it might sound so ridiculous but it was a dream come true to take my daughter to her first movie today. It is the little things that get me sometimes.
And just to show you that I have always been sentimental about these milestones...here is a (scanned and awful quality) photo from Will's 1st movie 10 years ago!!! I took him to see Stuart Little with my dear friend, Linda and her son on January 3, 2000. He was 2 and 1/2. Can you believe that I lug my camera to the movies to document my children's 1st movies?
I feel really bad but I have no idea what Harry's first movie was. I am sure I have a photo somewhere but those albums are not complete. Sigh. Speaking of Harry though, we watched Akeela and the Bee tonight. Harry has been selected to represent his class in the school Spelling Bee and he has been studying his words. I thought it might be inspiring to watch that movie. The language is a little rough in spots but it is a GREAT movie. Harry has been quite the speller and I have posted about his previous successes here and here. I know he will have fun and do well. Go Harry!!!!
Isn't it ironic that Harry was a bee for his first Halloween?Forgive me for being a little negligent with the blogging. I know I said I would post photos of our decorations but I have not had time to upload all of the photos. And I must confess, I feel a little silly doing so. We have been having such a nice time getting together with friends lately. This weekend we helped a very dear friend celebrate her 40th birthday. It was so much fun. Happy B-day Keesha and thanks for including us!!! The dinner was elegant, fun and delicious!
Then, we wrapped up our Advent Family get together. Each week during this advent season we have been meeting with two other families in our neighborhood and sharing dinner, fellowship, prayer, discussion and advent activities. I have throughly enjoyed it. It was challenging to keep 9 kiddos ranging in age from almost 2 to 12 and 1/2 busy while the adults had our discussion time but somehow we made it work. It was so worth it because it made us stop in the midst of this busy season and prepare our hearts for Jesus.
Last night we had a fabulous time with some friends that live here in town and our close friends who were visiting from Canada. This group of friends has known each other since our oldest were newborns (12 years) and we are so comfortable with one another. The conversation and the laughs flow so easily (as does the wine and good food). Our kids all get along so well too. A few of the kids slept over at our house last night so it has been busy!
Tomorrow we are finally going to see Santa. I don't think we have ever waited until this late. I am sure it will be another teary day for me as I love nothing more than to see my three kids on Santa's lap...and I know one of these years, Will is going to object. He knows how happy it makes me though.
I really hope that you all are spending good time with your family and friends this Christmas Season.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Gift Giving 101
Dave is generally a pretty good gift giver but recently he bought me a dud. So, we have had this conversation about men buying gifts for their wives. I know not many husbands read this blog (maybe none, who knows) but feel free to pass the link onto your husbands if you wish.
The Don'ts
~Don't buy your wife anything utilitarian UNLESS she has specifically asked for it...for a holiday. As in, "I sure would love a new Kitchen Aid mixer for Christmas, honey!" One of my friends husbands actually bought her JUMPER CABLES one year. Yes, you read that right...JUMPER CABLES! I am sure that was not a big hit. Recently, I accidentally dropped my external hard drive and lost everything on it. My beloved bought me a new one as one of my birthday presents. I did not really appreciate it because it was on my to do list. I was going to get one for myself. I just had not gotten to the store yet. To me it was like receiving an oil change. I was going to do it anyway. Women (in general) do not like utilitarian gifts. However, I think men love utilitarian gifts (like tools, flashlights etc). Correct me if I am wrong gentlemen.
~Don't buy us clothes. Unless you are gay (in which case you have fabulous taste but probably should not be married to us), men cannot really pick out clothes for us. A gift card to our favorite clothing store is MUCH more appreciated. One year, I told Dave that anything he bought me from a certain boutique would be great. We were very newly married (like 2 weeks). He bought me gray plaid-ish flannel clothes there. It was the only thing from the entire store I would never have worn. And it was expensive too. He tried. So, lesson learned. A gift card is GREAT!
~Don't try to change us. We do not want a membership to weight watchers or the gym (unless we specifically asked for it). Or as my friend suggested don't tell your wife you'll pay for her to have her spider veins in her legs fixed as a Christmas gift. Now, if your wife is asking for a boob job or some botox and you want to give that, I say go for it. Just make sure she wants the improvement more than you do;)
The Do's
~Do ask you wife's best friend for ideas. We usually tell our friends the things we would like.
~Do take notice of your wife's collections. If she collects limoges or majolica or James Avery charms for a bracelet, go with that! Most women collect something (ornaments, dishes, Staffordshire, pandora, etc).
~Do buy gift cards. I LOVE when Dave puts Barnes and Noble or Starbucks gift cards in my stocking. Now, I don't want a Target card in there (see don't #1) but gift cards for little treats are very appreciated.
~Do give us time to ourselves. I know most Moms would LOVE for you to take the kids away for a few hours on a Saturday or Sunday. And by few hours I mean 4 hours or more. We cannot really relax in 2 hours. We spend the first hour or more straightening up and throwing in a load of laundry so that we can relax.
~Speaking of relaxation... a gift certificate for a massage or pedicure/manicure is always appreciated. Other pampering gifts like scented soaps, lotions and bath salts (these are my favorite in lavender) are great gifts too.
~Do buy your wife a magazine subscription. There are magazines for everything now. Some of my recent favorites are Clean Eating and Living Without. But there are magazines for photography, photoshop, scrap-booking, crafts, interior design, floral arranging, antiques, exercise, fashion, parenting, renovations...you name it! Real Simple, People, Time and the New Yorker are great too.
~For stocking stuffers, be creative. Buy us a luxurious soap from a boutique or a special candle (Nest in Bamboo is nice). We do not like dental floss or batteries in our stocking. Go in your wife's purse and look at her favorite lip gloss. Buy her a new one and put it in her stocking. I guarantee she will be surprised. Dave did this one Christmas early in our marriage. I was so flattered that he thought to see what I liked. He went in my make-up drawer but he pulled out a lipstick that had been a free gift and I never wore. So, just make sure it is one she wears. This works with lotion, lip balms, powder, mascara...anything. Just be sure to write down the brand and color, so you get the right thing. I think your wife's favorite movie candy makes a good and inexpensive stocking stuffer (mine is Sno-caps in case anyone was wondering). Finally, Pier One has some adorable scarves/wraps that look like pashminas for under $10 right now. (I already bought one for me and Kate, honey.)
~Do take the time to look around and see what brings your wife joy. If she loves to cook, maybe a cooking class or a new cookbook would be a great gift. If she loves to read, maybe a kindle or Barnes and Noble gift card would be the best option. If scrap-booking is her thing, subscribe to one of the new scrap-booking magazines. If she is a gardener, buy her some garden supplies or a gift certificate for seeds/flowers. A silver photo frames with a favorite photo is a lovely gift too. If you really think about what your wife loves and really listen to her, you will find the perfect gift. And remember jewelry and gift cards are always welcome. Let me know if you have any questions gentlemen. Oh and what do y'all like in your stockings? Batteries and dental floss?
P.S. Just so you know~ I always buy myself some things that I love and give them to Dave to give me for Christmas. The kids get very upset if we do not have a few things to open. And well, I am kind of hard to buy for.
To review...
Harry's Party
Take 12 or 14 kids a foggy, cold, damp, rainy and muddy day, some silly string, firecracker popper thingies, a football, a kickball and some chips and there you have Harry's party!
It was the most disorganized party that I have ever given. But one of Harry's friends excitedly described it as "epic." So, I guess everyone had fun.
I will never do silly string at a party again. Let's just say there was a lot of clean-up. I invented a contest to see who could make the biggest ball of silly string. They caught onto my motives quickly.
Happy 101
Two posts in one day from me. Sweet Julie from Brown Eyed Belle gave me the Happy 101 award. Thank you, Julie. You made me smile. The rules are to list 10 things that make you happy and 10 bloggers who make you happy.
Things that make me happy.
1. a roaring fireplace on a cold night
2. having my house all to myself for a few hours (but it must be clean in order for me to relax)
3. getting a handwritten letter in the mail unexpectedly
4. a great book
5. really good hot chocolate with milk NOT water
6. capturing a good photo of someone I love
7. getting a good deal on something
8. finding just the right gift for someone
9. hearing my family laugh
10. good champagne and fresh flowers
All my bloggy friends make me happy so cannot pick 10. Many of you have done this already but if not, consider yourself tagged:)
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Christmas Party
Sorry I have not posted these earlier. CLOSE your EYES for this next part Honey --that's you Dave---
but I have been spending all my free time shopping for Christmas presents on-line and spending exorbitant shipping fees to get them here on time. I have also been frantically trying to wrap gifts and get the Christmas cards out. I ordered more of those too and had to have them rush shipped. Where the heck did December go? I am going to be so much more organized next year. Hey, stop laughing. Seriously, I am.
Okay, now onto the parties. Let me set the scene for you....
Monday, December 14, 2009
3rd Annual Christmas Card Bloopers
I need to post about the parties this weekend (and I will) but I am completely focused on getting my Christmas cards in the mail today and tomorrow. I always post the bloopers from our shoot. The BIGGEST blooper this year is that I only ordered 175 cards and my printed list is at about 200. I really wanted to cut my list a bit this year because there are people I never (ever) hear from on it. I did cut it but I did not take into account new friends in our new neighborhood and schools. I contacted Tiny Prints to see if I could order more today. They would arrive on the 22nd. What do you think?
Okay, back to the photo bloopers. They are completely unedited (except for a crop on the last one).
I must admit...Kate was the source of all the trouble!








































































