Our Holiday Celebrations

Well it is now the day after Christmas and the house looks like a tornado hit it and that is a good thing! We had a very wonderful celebration. On Christmas Eve, my mom and I started to get a heads up on Christmas dinner and make some of the sides a bit early. The boys, Dave and I got ready to go to my in-laws for Christmas Eve dinner. On Christmas Eve we have an elaborate sit down dinner that is full of delicious food. We start with Shrimp Cocktail, a polish mushroom soup and salad. Dinner consisted of periogis, vegetables, two different kinds of fish and scallops. In a word YUM! Thanks Bob and Kathi for another wonderful Christmas eve dinner.

My sister, niece and mother all spent the night so we all woke up at 7am with the kids to see if Santa had come. The three kids were so excited they were besides their selves. Santa came and got them tons of stuff. If Santa forgot anything Grandma and Auntie Debbie made up for it. Later on my aunt, uncle, cousin and his family came over for Christmas dinner. We had a great time! At the end of the night everyone was exhausted but had so much fun.

The weekend before that was Bailey and Matthews' sixth birthday. Where has the time gone? We had a great kids party at a pizza place where the kids were able to make their own pizzas. Later on my dad, his wife and my baby sister came over before the family party began. It was good to see them for a little bit before everyone got there. The family party was very casual with just cake, cookies and coffee. The boys had a blast and loved everything the got. I will try to post pictures of all the celebrations soon. I have been really lazy about uploading my pictures lately.

We are now two months into our wait for baby Diana. Not a day goes by that I don't wonder about her. I wonder if she has been born yet. I wonder if she is missing her birthmom. I wonder if she feels peace that one day I will be there to get her. So many emotions.....tonight as always I will say a prayer for my sweet baby girl. I will pray that she is safe and that she can feel my love. Diana...Mommy will be there as soon as I can. I love you and miss you!

Bailey's Tooth

Before school this morning...all his teeth are there!
After school: hey there's a tooth missing!

Bailey with a missing tooth, his sticker and treasure chest!

Ok, I get the mommy-of-the-year award for a split second this morning again! The boys are eating breakfast and I'm perched at my computer. I hear Bailey say "Ouch! I bit my tooth!" I tell him to continue eating and stop messing around. He says that he thinks he may have made his tooth loose. I tell him no and to continue eating. He says "Mommy, I really think my tooth is wobbly!" So I get up to prove him wrong and instead it is me who is proved wrong! His tooth is definitely loose.

He proceeds to tell me that he doesn't want his tooth to fall out at home. If you lose your tooth at school you get a treasure chest for it. I tell him that he won't lose it today. I tell him its too soon. Well yet again today Mommy was proven wrong. Dave calls me from home to tell me that Bailey indeed lost his tooth at school today. He got to go to the nurses office where he got to get his treasure chest for his tooth. He also got a sticker that said he lost his tooth. My baby is growing up! He lost his first tooth just in time for his birthday. I just hope that Matthew loses a tooth soon so he can catch up with his brother. Lets see what the Tooth Fairy leaves...With inflation in the past 20 some years...yikes!!! I'll keep you posted!

Secret Santa

All my wonderful gifts!!

Gifts for Diana!

Gifts for me!

I have participated in a Secret Santa Exchange in my Ladybug Red Thread Believers group. We filled out a wish list of gifts we would like and then we chose numbers to determine who we would get. We open the gifts as we receive them, post about them and then guess who it was from. I sent my gift out last week....Can't say who it was or what I got them because they have to guess and we won't reveal until everyone has their gifts.

I got my AWESOME gift today!!!! My Santa sure knows how to spoil a person! I got a set of three candles. One was Orange/clove, one was grapefruit/ginger and the last was olive/sage. They smell wonderful! I got the most beautiful cookbook ever! Its from William Sonoma and its titled "Savoring China". The recipes sound yummy and the photography is incredible. If this was not enough my Santa even thought of Diana! She got Diana the cutest jeans and a matching top. She also got peeka-boo blocks and the littlest barrettes I have ever seen. Also there was a picture frame Christmas ornament. I have already decided I will put Diana's referral picture in it to remind me of my wonderful Santa.

Secret Santa, Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Your thoughtfulness has truly warmed my heart. I can't wait to continue on this fabulous journey with you! I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas!!

Holiday questionnaire

My friend Leslie asked that I do this. It really is a fun one. For those fellow bloggers out there consider yourself tagged. Leave me a comment that you did it so I will check out your answers. Merry Christmas~

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Egg Nog
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wrap them.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? White on the trees in the house, colored outside.
4. Do you hang mistletoe? No
5. When do you put your decorations up? I start the day after Thanksgiving and usually have it finished within a week or two.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Sweet potato casserole
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Me and my sister waking up at 2am to see if Santa had come or not and looking in our stockings at all the stuff.
8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Santa IS real.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We open gifts from in-laws on Christmas Eve
10 How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Tree in family room has all sorts of decorations. Tree in living room is red and silver and clear ornaments.
11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it so long as I don't have to drive in it before the plows have gotten there.
12. Can you ice skate? Haven't tried in years....
13. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Seeing the magic of Christmas on my boys' faces.
14. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? My mom's pumpkin pie
15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Having Christmas day at my house.
16. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Giving.
17. What's your favorite Christmas Song? Silent Night
18. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum? YUMMMMMMY

Winter Fun

Well it was 60 degrees on Tuesday and Thursday night it started sleeting. Sometime in the middle of the night it started to snow. I got a phone call from the boys' school at 7am stating there was no school. I still needed to get to work so I took the boys to the sitter's. I got stuck in the snow twice before getting to work. The commute which takes me typically 10-15 minutes took me 40 minutes! I was at work for about 4 hours. When I got to the sitter's to pick up the boys she said they lasted in the snow for 9 minutes. It was very cold and windy. Upon getting home Dave was shoveling the driveway. It took him 2.5 hours.

Saturday was much nicer and the boys played in the snow for about an hour. They made snow angels, threw snowballs and climbed mountains of snow that everyone created to shovel out their driveways. We came back inside for yummy hot chocolate.

Sunday we went to my brother and sister in law's house to borrow their hill. It is the perfect size for almost six year olds. They had a great time going down the hill on their sleds for almost a half hour. It was pretty cold again so I knew they wouldn't last too long. They were much braver this year with going down on their tummies and even on their knees. After they were done sledding it was time for more hot chocolate.

Needless to say it was the perfect weekend for little boys! Enjoy the pictures!