12/3/11

Today, we did a whole lot of nothing! It was wonderful!

My mom offered to take Olivia for the day/overnight, and after the way she was acting this morning, it was a VERY welcomed offer. That girl, I swear, I don't know what gets into her some days. She just has such a horrible temper, and Amelia usually feels it the most. And, I swear, if I hear the word "no" come out of that 2-year-old's mouth one more time, I just might lose it! Like I said, it was a very welcomed offer.

So, my mom picked her up right about nap time. I put Amelia down for her nap, Christian headed over to help the neighbor fix her snow blower, and I folded some laundry and bonded with the DVR for a while. We ordered some Thai food for dinner and spent some quality time with Amelia. She is so much more relaxed when she's alone, it's nice to be able to give her that break once in a while. After a relaxing evening hanging out, Amelia was off to bed, Christian and I settled in and watched "Hot Tub Time Machine" - which we both really liked - very funny. Another movie night with the hubby, can't beat that!

Today I have a random set of photos to share. Amelia in her new favorite spot, under the tree. The girls, on "their" computers...two peas in a pod! Buddy the Elf noticed Olivia was away from home, so he snuggled up in her bed for the night. Amelia eventually spotted him, and he was her little rag doll the rest of the night :) We also got a good amount of snow today...everything is white and glittery again - and the snow just makes the lights on the house look even better! Love it.

12/2/11

Friday - you never get old! Today was my Friday home with the girls. It was a rough morning in our house. The girls were up pretty early, fought with each other non-stop, all morning, didn't listen to a word I said. I was getting really frustrated, really fast. We ate some breakfast and I did everything I could to keep them from killing each other, or hurting themselves. They will not stay off the dining room table, no matter what I do. I seriously think we're just going to have to get rid of the chairs for a while at this point! I can't tell you how close they've each gotten to falling off the table, and it's a LONG way down....

Nap time came at just the right time. I was hoping to get some cleaning up done around the house while they napped, but I was so warn out, I couldn't do anything. I settled in with the computer and the DVR, and thankfully, the girls took a VERY long nap. Christian arrived home from work shortly after they woke up. I felt so bad, knowing he'd worked a long had day, but I had to basically pass over the reins to him when he got home. We ended up putting Amelia down for bed a little earlier than usual...the chaos of the day, mixed with the hell that is teething, took it out of her. It did give us a little time with Olivia, and she's always much calmer when she's on her own. It was a much more relaxed ending to the day.

Buddy the Elf was found hiding on top of the TV. Silly Elf, like it would take long for Olivia to spot him there!

12/1/11

It's DECEMBER!!! Wow, I seriously can't believe it. Another year, so close to coming to an end. It's truly amazing, and scary, how fast time goes....

Today was a very productive day in my world. I managed to get our Christmas Cards, and Olivia's Birthday Invitations addressed, stamped and in the mail. I posted some more stuff on Craigslist (and REALLY hoping it actually sells...), I sold the last of the baby stuff we had up for sale, we started the girls' "Elf on the Shelf" and their Advent Calendars. Olivia named their Elf "Buddy", and she found him hiding in their room, with a plate full of yummy cookies! Christmas just gets more fun and exciting the older the girls get. They are so into everything, and watching their pure joy, by everything and anything, just warms my heart.

So, all in all, it was a pretty fantastic day. Here are some pics of Buddy and his goodies, and the girls starting their advent calendars.

11/30/11 - "November"

Today my final "30 days of Thankful" item is, November. Such an amazing month. It brings along a change of season and the spirit of reflection and giving. The chance to reflect on everything we have, all of the good, the gifts we have been given. It's easy to wrapped up in the things we want, the things we're "missing", but there is something about the Holiday season that makes us forget all of that. Remember the less fortunate, remember those that are suffering, and needing, rather than wanting. So, yes, November, Thank You.

I had another pretty productive day. Today's major task was booking Olivia's birthday party. We decided that didn't want to cram everybody in to our house any more for her party's. It's too cold to get outside, I'm not in a cleaning/preparing the house kind of mood this year, so I've been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do for her party this year. After the party we went to this past weekend, and seeing how much fun all of the kids (and adults for that matter) had, we made our decision! I officially booked her party at "Pump it Up", and I'm working on her invitations. I feel kind of dumb sending them out so early, but it's such a busy time of year, I want to make sure people get it on their calendars. So, I felt very accomplished, another big thing, checked off my list!

Tonight we finally used up our Turkey leftovers, and made our annual platter of fried Turkey taquitos. SO GOOD! I seriously drool just thinking about them! Our neighbor gave us a few Christmas lights she didn't want any more, so Christian hung those up anymore. It was a pretty random night all around.

Finally, to end today's post, I have to wish my Dad and stepmom a very Happy Anniversary! Love you guys!

Here is a picture of Olivia, so in love with her puppy.

11/29/11 - "My Dad" and 16 Months

First and Foremost - HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD! It may have seemed as thought I'd left my dad out of my "30 Days of Thankful" list all this time, but I really didn't! I was just saving him for his special day :) So, my "30 Days of Thankful" item today is, my Dad! We don't get to spend nearly as much time together as I would like, and we never have, but the little time we do get together has always been cherished. He looks to big and tough, but he's always been a pretty big softy. It's so great to see him with my girls, he's even more of a softy! He's the dad that knows everything, and is such a funny guy. Hopefully life will slow down a bit, and we can see him more than once a month pretty soon!

Today was a pretty low key day. The radio station I listen to does this thing called "Christmas Wish" every year. People write into them about family's that are in need, and the station grants their wishes. It's such an amazing thing to listen to. Every year, to kick off the Christmas Wish season, they do a "wish-a-thon", and grant a wish, every hour, all day long. It's amazing to listen to...it definitely opens your eyes up to how lucky you are in your own life, and it's really touching to "witness" the kindness in people all around...from the station for doing this, to the people who nominate families for help, to the listeners that donate money. It's incredible, a wonderful start to the holiday season, that's for sure.

We didn't do much today. With the chaos of the weekend, I didn't get a chance to get a picture of Amelia and write up her monthly update. Amelia is still the sweetest, cutest little thing in the world. She learns more and more every day. She still "talks" all day long, but still doesn't actually say a ton. She's learning to feed herself, and actually does a pretty impressive job. She has the fork down pat, but she's actually even getting the hang of her spoon...even cereal! It's crazy, she's growing up too fast. Her teething has been pretty out of control. She has 12 teeth, including her first molars, and is working on her eye teeth already. Poor thing, she's never taken well to teething, I just can't wait for it to be over! She seems to grow more and more every day. We'll soon be packing away her 9-12 month clothes soon, and moving her up to her 12-18 month stuff. Really, she's already worn a few things. They seriously grow too fast!

Here is Amelia's 16 month photo.

11/28/11 - "My Cats"

Today, my "30 Days of Thankful" item is, my cats. I was never much of a cat person. They just seemed, well, useless. When I moved out on my own, I decided to break down and get a cat. We found Chloe, 6 months old at the time, at a local shelter. Not long after, we decided that Chloe needed a playmate, so we got Rico. Well, Chloe pretty much hated Rico. Other than a few random snuggles over the years, that never really changed. Shortly after buying our house, we decided to get another cat, Frank - who got very sick earlier this year and had to be put down. While cats really are pretty much useless, they are also sweet, and warm, and do bring their own kind of joy to a family. We sure do love our kitties, as crazy as they drive us some days!

I haven't been much in a holiday, celebrating kind of mood lately. I think I get overwhelmed with money issues, budgets, planning and the overall chaos of life that I can't focus on just relaxing and enjoying everything. Today, it was like a switch went off. I did a little cyber Monday shopping, I ordered our Christmas cards (and picked them up, Walmart is FAST!), I left work a little early, stopped into Target for some grocery and post-Thanksgiving shopping, and by the end of the day, I was DONE Christmas shopping, and basically done shopping for Olivia's birthday as well. After shopping, I spent the evening putting up all of our indoor Christmas decorations. It was a festive, productive, very cheerful day, and just what I needed.

It's kind of old, but here is one of my favorite pictures of Chloe and Rico.

11/27/11 – “Birthday Parties”

Today, my “30 Days of Thankful” item is, birthday parties! I LOVE going to birthday parties. It’s such an important event in a child’s life, and I love being a part of it. And, just getting the chance to spend time with family and friends makes them even better. Kids are so innocent, and so full of life. Watching them experience a birthday party, not really understanding how amazing a birthday REALLY is, touches my heart. Surrounded by love, everybody that cares about them, fun and presents, they don’t have a care in the world. They don’t realize just how significant that day is, what an amazing gift that day is – especially to their parents. I don’t think I realized the true significance of a birthday until I had kids. Every year, on their birthdays, I’m brought back to the amazing day they came into this world, and how those days have transformed our lives completely. Yes, celebrating life is one of my favorite things to do!

We started today off in a bit of a whirlwind. We were off to a 4th birthday party for my cousin’s little boy. The party was pretty early, so we were rushing around like crazy getting ready and out the door. They had the party at a place called “Pump it Up”…the place is full of inflatable slide and jump houses – for kids AND adults to play in. It was SO much fun, and the girls had an absolute blast. Before we knew it, the party was over and we were on our way home with two very exhausted little girls. Christian and I talked, and are definitely going to check this place out for Olivia’s birthday. It was so much fun, for everybody, and it looked like their employees were very hands-on and helpful, which was nice. Yes, we'll definitely be looking into this place.

The girls went down for some nice, long naps. I did some laundry, and we did some chores around the house. Just the usual end to the weekend really. After naps, we watched some TV, played and just hung out. This was an amazing, long weekend, and I’m pretty sad to see it come to an end.

Here are some party pics to share.