Merry Christmas!

We got a new camera the other day, so I am already on the computer checking out our pictures from this morning. Thought I'd share a few here. I'll write more another time.







This is actually from yesterday.

Christmas Eve

The girls are at Miss Lisa's for the morning. I'm working from home. Although, I have received no emails all morning, so I don't think much work is happening!!! :-) I've sent a few, but obviously people are either off or not focused on work.

Just planning to do some last minute wrapping and organizing today. We'll be heading to church for the "family" service at 5:00. It's somewhat short & very kid-friendly. Then, we are picking up pizza from Ledo's on the way home for Butch's birthday dinner. I need to figure out the cake sometime today! It's crazy to get one with all the cookies here. But, a birthday deserves a cake. Maybe I'll just buy a few cupcakes or something.

At some point, I'll head to the cemetery to take the wreath and cardinal mini-flag that we got for mom's grave. I should try to do that early before the rain starts this afternoon.

Since I'm talking about Mom, I thought I'd share an email that she sent to some people on Christmas Eve 1998. I think it went to Aunt Annie, maybe Mike (cousin), Ruby, and Bobbie Jo. It's a very good Christmas wish and reminder.

Hi All, Well, here it is again, Christmas Eve! You would think I was 6 years old. I woke up this a.m. about 5:00 and was so excited I couldn't lay in the bed. Couldn't wait to get up and start wrapping gifts and just look at the Christmas tree. Of course, the most wonderful thing is (after having a treatment yesterday) that I feel so alive! GOD IS GOOD! My Christmas wish for everyone is: I hope everyone feels as good for Christmas as I do now. Just remember this little quote from Victor Hugo - "Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones, and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. GOD IS AWAKE!" Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas.

Love You All, Judy

Fun Christmas Videos!

You have to be patient with these. They take a while to load, but are quite entertaining.

http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/AMRRQ1x0xEjPBd3UXpgW


and


http://elfyourself.jibjab.com/view/k0F2nq3uYPPgZX9Z

Christmas Spirit Award!

My friend, Melissa tagged me weeks ago for this Christmas Spirit Award. And, I'm lame, so just getting to it!

The Rules are simple:

You must be a true Christmas lover to receive this award.

The person to whom you give the award must also be in love with Christmas.

You must link back to the person who gave you the award.

You must list 5 things that you love about Christmas. If you can't limit it to 5 things, then keep going till you run out of space! :o)

Pass the award along to as many people as you like. That can be 1 or 45; it's up to you. But, you must pass it on to at least one person in order to keep the Christmas cheer going!

Let your recipients know that you have tagged them by leaving them a comment on their blog.

And that's all! Pretty easy, eh?


5 Things I Love About Christmas:

~The tree and all the decorations
~Seeing Lacey's reaction to everything
~Cookies (a love/hate kind of thing)
~The music....I love singing along to it all in the car
~The excuse to have such a huge dinner with things you don't eat the rest of the year

Now I Tag:

Raechelle at (My New) Life Out Here
Gretchen at The Shierlock's

December Fun

What else has gone on in December? Lots of shopping. Lots of stress. Lots of wondering how to get it all done. :-)

Miss Lisa was out sick (high fever, etc.) for several days. The first few days (Wed.-Fri.), she couldn't get a backup and had to use her sick days. So, Butch & I juggled as parents do. We thought things would be fine by Monday, but her fever had only gone away for hours at a time. She had a sub for Monday (until 2:00), but I was worried about exposing the girls to whatever she had. And, I was going to NY for the day, so Butch would have needed to leave work early to pick them up. So, Jessica came over & babysat for us. Miss Lisa called on Monday afternoon to let me know she'd been to the doctor and found out she had bronchial pneumonia. Yikes. At least she was on antibiotics then. We went ahead & sent the girls on Tuesday since Miss Lisa had a sub again & promised not to be downstairs near the kids. By Friday, Miss Lisa was back to her normal schedule.

On one of those days with the girls at home, Lacey was in the living room and I was in the kitchen. She yelled "mommy, I see animals". I went to check and there were several turkey vultures out front. Weird. I've never seen them in our yard and they were just wandering around.


One of those days, Lacey helped me bake cookies. I bought the kind that you just have to pick up & put on the baking sheet, so she could do it on her own.

Earlier in the month, I had to go to NY (different trip than I mentioned above). My good friend, Tonya, needed to go as well, so she coordinated her trip to be there the same time as me. I went up a day early & stayed in her room with her. We only had a couple of hours before dinner, but walked around a bit. Then, we had dinner with our corporate attorney - who is much more fun that you might think a corporate attorney would be!


I am late getting Christmas cards out because these children don't like to cooperate for pictures. I could have just used the professional ones alone, but I like to take some in front of the tree, too. Here are a couple that did NOT get used!
I was planning to go to church this a.m., but we had freezing rain. I wasn't willing to head out in that. So, I'm making some cookies. And, I finished the cards (minus a couple I need addresses for). I'm off tomorrow and Butch's vacation starts tomorrow. We're going to look at new cameras. That was our anniversary gift to each other ... and here it is 2 months later .... without the new camera! Hopefully we'll find a good one and get used to it before Christmas.

Off to finish cookies.....and play with Lacey since she's been begging for a bit!

Christmas Cookie Party and a Visit with Santa

Yesterday we had an afternoon of parties! We headed to a friend's house for her annual Cookie Party (a few snacks other than cookies....but mostly lots of yummy cookies)! The kids had fun. It's hard because all of the toys are in her basement and that's where the girls want to be. But, all the adults are upstairs. Butch was in the basement quite a bit since there were only a few people we knew there and they are friends I used to work with.

Then, we headed to my Aunt Marilyn's house to visit Santa. Her brother was visiting from Houston and plays Santa. He starts growing his beard in April in order for it to be nice & long for Christmas. Lacey didn't want to get close to him at first. Leah was happy to see him, but not be on his lap.

In advance - sorry for the blurry pictures. We aren't sure if it was operator error or the camera itself.


Lacey wouldn't look at the camera.

We had gone into the other room when we were done. Santa wandered in a few minutes later and sat down. Lacey walked over to him and started talking again. I have no idea what the conversation was about, but she was very serious - so was Santa.

Thanksgiving

I know, I know.....you thought I fell off the face of the earth. Or at least forgot all about you. I didn't. It has just been so crazy busy these last few weeks that blogging doesn't get done.

We had a really nice Thanksgiving week. Chuck & Nancy arrived on the Sunday before. Lacey was thrilled to see them again and Leah warmed up pretty quickly. Leah can say something that resembles Poppy or PaPa (for Chuck and my dad), but can't do Grandma, so she has taken to calling Nancy "Nana". It will be interesting to see if it sticks.

Tuesday (I think), I took the day off and Nancy & I went shopping. I wanted to get something new to wear for our portrait session on Wednesday. On Wednesday, our appointment for pictures was at 4:00. I thought this was a great time because we could get pictures done, then head to eat at Red Robin while waiting for them to print them. It didn't go that way. We were called back at 5:00. As you can imagine, Leah was not very cooperative after having to hang out for an hour. I had learned from another customer that they wait to even view your pictures was 30 minutes. So....the store agreed to hold the digital pictures for us to view on Friday morning. We headed to Red Robin for dinner, but Leah (and Lacey) weren't exactly thrilled to be eating out and confined.

Thanksgiving was at Dee's house. I had hunted down Butterscotch Brickle from Tastefully Simple and brought that as an appetizer (with apples). Yum-o! We had a very good linner (lunch/dinner) of stuffed ham, fried turkey, oven roasted turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, gravy, broccoli casserole, green bean casserole, corn pudding, mandarin orange salad, and rolls. So good. Even though I ate small amounts of everything, I was still stuffed. The whole reason for linner (at 3:00ish) is so we can let it digest and be able to eat dessert without bursting. We had a choice of 4 pies. Mmmmmmm.

Oh - I almost forgot - Dee burned her hand pretty badly while preparing food. She was planning to put a casserole dish on the stove top to warm a bit and checked to make sure the burner was off. She touched the burner and it was still on. Not the best thing to do. I do it all the time, but wow....she had a bad burn for a few days.

Friday, Butch & I headed out early with the girls to go see the pictures that were taken on Wednesday. We were amazed to see that there were several good ones.
This was an "okay" family picture, but not the best. The better one is on the Christmas card, so I'm not posting it here. :-)And, since Chuck & Nancy were in town, we thought we should get some with all of us.

That night, we headed to "The Square" in Leonardtown (about 30 min. south of us) for the tree lighting. It was nice, but we didn't last for the actual tree lighting. It was much colder than we'd realized and I was worried about the kids. Plus, we'd already seen everything and the lighting was still about an hour away.

After getting home, we got Leah to bed. Then, Butch & I headed out to meet some friends for drinks. We ended up back at their house and playing a drinking game of Uno.....not realizing how late it was. (I blame Butch. :-)) I had told him when we got to M and C's that we needed to keep an eye on the clock and not stay long. Nancy was sort of waiting up for us - to make sure that Brady didn't bark when we got home. Well....we got home around 2:30. And, I was super hungover the next day. So bad. Ouch. I think I got so excited to have a night out (they are so rare) that I lost control. So, Saturday, was spent resting. I felt much better after napping when Lacey & Leah napped.

Saturday night, "the girls" (Nancy, Dee, Kristina, Jessica, Georgia and I) took Lacey to see Beauty & the Beast at the Port Tobacco Players in La Plata. It was really, really good! I don't think I've mentioned to any of those that went -- I found out that the guy who played Lumiere is a senior in high school. He was the best! Lacey managed to stay awake for the entire show (until 10:40) and she really liked it. Afterwards, "Belle" was up on stage taking pictures with kids and surprisingly, Lacey went to her. I was shocked.
Oh - I forgot to mention that Lacey wore her Belle dress to the show. Many people commented on it.

Lacey was really wound up when we got home. I think she finally fell asleep around 12:20.

On Sunday, we got out the tree and Christmas decorations. In the afternoon, Lacey, Leah & I went to a birthday party for a 3 year old from their daycare. It was tea party & so cute!

Whew. I'm surprised I remembered all of that!

A Photo Tour; by Lacey

What happens when you give a 3 year old a camera, you ask?

Redskins vs. Steelers

Many of you know we are a split household here. I'm a Redskins fan and Butch is a Steelers fan. Leah has a jersey for each team. Rather than put her in one of them yesterday, I suggested she wear the winner's jersey today.

She's adorable, as always, but would look much cuter if she were in burgundy & gold. I hope Miss Lisa doesn't kick her out of daycare. ;-)

Halloween Fun

Last weekend, we went to a Halloween party for the kids (and us). One of the moms I met through meetup.com hosted it. They had chili and some snacks, plus each of us brought something, too. It was a gorgeous fall day, so the kids played outside a little. It's nice to get together with other parents. Right before we left, the kids decorated pumpkins, too.

On Halloween, Miss Lisa had a party at daycare. The kids all dressed up that morning and went on a "parade" around the neighborhood. They had lots of snacks and treats through the day. When we picked them up, we got them into costumes so we could go to Dad's house for a quick visit. Dee met us there to see them, too.

Then, we headed back home for trick or treating.


Leah didn't last after the 1st house, though. She didn't like getting put back in the wagon and confined. She's too heavy to be carried and walks to slow to walk on her own. So, she & Butch handed out candy, while Lacey & I went to a few houses. Lots of fun this year!

Doctor's Appointment & Update on the Girls

Leah had her 15 month check up yesterday. She was 23 pounds (50th percentile). I can't remember the height, but it was between 50th and 75th percentile, as usual. She had to get several shots....DTaP, Pneumococcal and Flu. She did awesome. No tears.

Lacey came with us so she could get her flu shot, too. I was amazed. First of all, when I took Leah down the hall to the scale, Lacey hopped on the "adult" scale as soon as we got there. This is the kid who had to be put on the baby scale....screaming....7 months ago because she was so scared. Then, I hadn't told her she was getting a shot. So, when I sat her on my lap, I explained. The nurse told her it might hurt for a second. She didn't flinch. Not when we told her, not when she got the shot, nothing. No tears. Awesome!

I talked to Dr. Jill about constipation & potty training. Lacey only uses a pull up for going #2, but I really want to get away from that. So, I told Dr. Jill I wasn't buying anymore. Her look said it all. If I do that, she will likely become severely constipated again. So....the next step is that they stay in the bathroom and that is the only place she can wear them.

After we left, we went to Target to buy Sleeping Beauty as a prize for the big girl. As soon as we got home, she lounged on the chair to watch her new movie. Not the best idea with the flu shot. Sitting still just let her muscles tighten up and made the soreness worse. She was a mess last night.

Leah....on the other hand...what shot? Seriously. She has always had reactions to the DTaP. This time, nothing. Amazing.

What else?

Lacey is excited for Halloween. She is going to be Snow White. (Thank you, Grandma.) I ordered her some little shoes and a wand to go with the dress and head band. I haven't given her the dress, yet, because I don't want it to be destroyed before Halloween. Leah is going to either be a ballerina or a Redskins cheerleader. Still debating ..... the weather may decide.

A Quiet Weekend

Last weekend was a much quieter weekend than the one before. We really didn't do much of anything other than things around the house.

Saturday morning, I went to Curves to workout. I'm trying to make a real effort at using that membership. I get reimbursed for my expenses through work, but it is still a waste when it isn't used. So, I went twice during the week and again on Saturday. Go me! After I got cleaned up, I took Lacey out for lunch and to the pet store (only for cat food....).

Sunday, we made it to church for a 2nd Sunday in a row! Lacey told me before we'd left that she didn't want to go to Miss Kim's class, so she just went to the nursery with Leah. They both seemed to do okay, however, the nursery person (Miss Karen) said Leah was a little sad. Hopefully she'll adjust soon. I was really happy that the sermon was a good one. It's been a while since I've felt that way at our church. She talked a lot about having faith during these tough economic times and reminded us that it's all going to be okay.

I got out the crock pot on Sunday and made a pot roast. Mmmmmmm. Leah was not a fan. When I put some on her plate, she proceeded to push it all onto the floor. Oh well. What do you expect from a 15 month old?

20th High School Reunion, Birthday, Travel

The whole month of September came & went with no posts from me! So, I'm doing my best to think of the "big" things that may have happened during that time.

My 20th high school reunion was on September 20th! I can't believe that much time has passed. This is a picture of classmates that attended.


It was lots of fun, but the wine really got me that night! I think my adrenaline was pumping it into my body faster than normal or something.

Several of my classmates, as well as friends from other points in my life, have gotten onto Facebook recently. It's a bit addictive, but lots of fun to reconnect with everyone.

Let's see....my 38th birthday was also last month. Butch left that day for a business trip to Seattle, so he wasn't here to celebrate with me. But, Dee brought over pizza and ice cream cake. Agnes had sent a birthday girl wine glass, which I made sure to use. It is now going to be a traveling wine glass since it makes no sense to put it away for a whole year. (I gave it to Dee for her birthday.)

Butch was gone for an entire week. I worked from home all but one day to help with the schedule. (If I'd had to go in each day, I wouldn't have been able to work longer than 6 hours due to daycare hours and my commute.) The week went smoothly, even though I'm used to Butch doing quite a bit around here. It's amazing what you can get done when you have to. When he got home on Sunday, Lacey was thrilled to see him, but Leah was a bit unsure. She just sort of looked at him, wondering.

Breakfast....and Forrest Hall Farm

Well, I'm going to try to do short(ish) posts for a bit to catch you all up on what's been going on. I'll just start with today....

This morning, I got my butt up at 5:55 a.m. to get on the treadmill! It's awful to get up so early on a weekend, but I'm realizing that this may be my only time to get in exercise. I'm planning to try again tomorrow morning and may even try Monday....which means getting up by 4:45. Ouch.

After a 40 minute walk (while watching Without a Trace), I managed to get a quick shower before Leah woke up. Butch handled her & Lacey so I could do my hair and get dressed. Then, we headed to Mom's in the Kitchen for breakfast. I keep thinking I'll try something else on the menu, but their French Toast is so good, I can't help but order it.

We came home and relaxed for a bit. Leah took nap....I was hoping for 90 minutes, but she only gave me 30 minutes. Shortly after she woke up, we packed up the car for Forrest Hall Farm. This was our 3rd annual visit. The girls had a blast! I think we were there for about 2 hours and they didn't stop.