We Believe: Christmas 2011

Merry Christmas, Patrick and Tommy! Patrick, we had to wake you at 8:00 so we could open some presents before mass, but you jumped right in. Immediately you started in on Santa's gifts looking for your garbage truck, and your eyes literally lit up when you opened it up. Tommy, you lasted only 30 minutes before it was nap time, and your brother quickly tried to make claim to all your presents in your absence. Sharing is going to be an issue in the coming weeks. Patrick wants to play with all of Tommy's toys, but doesn't want Tommy even looking at his.

Happiness = A boy and his garbage truck

Pap Pap loved his hawaiian shirt with old fighter planes from by brother and sister-in-law.

Even Ollie, Alligator (already off playing with his), and Teddy received presents from Santa.

After church, my mom stopped by and P received another garbage truck! the two garbage trucks were by far his favorites-he has not stopped playing with them. Bonus: Neither make any noise.

For dinner we drove the 2 miles to Tom's parents house. Baba opened our gift - 42 pages of her two favorite little guys.

Tommy received his first pair of walking shoes (we are gearing up) from my mom. The velcro straps are Earnie's hands. Cutest shoes ever, except for...

...these new boots P received from Baba and Grampy. Can't wait to start this boy on riding lessons.

Bliss.

Office Space

Christmas Eve found our family at Tom's work to pick up some papers that needed to get in the mail, so Patrick was able to able to help re-decorate Daddy's office.

Best Pencil Holder. Ever.

Oh, One More Thing

Guess who started crawling Friday?

Christmas Eve 2011

Once again we made the short trip to Tom's Aunt Ellen and Uncle Tippy's house for a Christmas Eve dinner and gift exchange. Things started off a little rocky when Patrick spotted Uncle Tippy (see post below) and burst into uncontrollable tears all over again. The only thing that got him settled down was this huge chocolate cookie.
On the positive side, P actually had fun playing with the dogs, which is great news since I plan on getting a dog sometime in the future. Patrick has always been a little stand-offish with pooches, particularly when they let out a high pitched bark.

Once we were home, Patrick carefully counted out carrots for each of the reindeer. He tried to put out all the carrots in the bag because he told me Cupid liked a lot, but we settled on nine. Then upstairs (I would say to get tucked in, but P refuses to ever get under the covers) for our last Advent chain reading and bedtime hugs and kisses.

Dear Santa,

Please Bring Patrick a garbage truck

(and one for Tommy, too).

Mommy would like a mop.

We returned to our house Christmas Eve greeted by lighted streets, a neighborhood tradition since the 70's. One day I hope to be able to photograph it where the full beauty of the luminaries comes across.

Other things to be thankful for - my dad's wife has been eating a little each day and even became more talkative over the past few days. My dad was able to have this Christmas with her and I am grateful for that gift.

Happy #34!

On top of all the Christmas excitement that had been building, our family celebrated Tom's 34th birthday Friday evening. Lots of take-out from our favorite Chinese restaurant, aunts, uncles, mom, dad, siblings and two cute kids in tow made for a great night.

The only glitch? Uncle Tippy (quite by accident) scared the crap out of Patrick to the point where he would cry hysterically if he saw Tippy or even heard his voice. Tom and I spent the remainder of the night either holding or distracting P.
The grand finale: P made Daddy a new pen holder for his office. In the future I will rethink letting a two-year-old use acrylic paints.

I love you. Happy birthday from your fan club!

A Beginning, an End

While we are ever more looking forward to celebrating the birth of Christ, sadness is also part of our Christmas season. My Dad's wife, who was diagnosed with early Alzheimer's at age 63, had been hospitalized with an infection two weeks ago and was just moved to hospice care yesterday. It was a difficult decision for my dad and her daughter, and I hate that while everyone around them is bustling preparing for Christmas, they are saying their goodbyes. My dad has been to the nursing home every day for the past two years to feed her, hold her hand, and carefully monitor the care she was receiving (which had been less than what one hopes for their loved one). I am grateful I live so close and can be by his side, but I worry for my dad and the road he has ahead.

To anyone going through tough times, may God's peace find you and strengthen you.

Santa Claus is Coming To Town

We are still gearing up for Christmas here-cards still need addressed, lots of presents need wrapped, and Christmas decoration bins are still littering my downstairs. At least my shopping is done. To add a little extra challenge to our timeline, Friday is Tom's birthday and he has opted to have his family come here for dinner rather than just going out to eat. And not just immediate family, aunts and uncles too. And does he want a store bought cake? Nope, he has requested his mom's pineapple-upside-down cake recipe. I don't even have a bundt pan, so I have to go buy one today. It is a good thing I love him so much!

But the kids are at least healthy and semi-cooperative in letting me getting a little done. I can't believe the fun I have been having this Christmas with Patrick-what a difference one year makes in their understanding.

The Twelve Days of Christmas (when I need thirty)

Over-tired

Over-budget

But so over-the-moon for this guy.

Oakmont Christmas Party

The long awaited Christmas party has come and gone and both boys get an A+ for behavior. We have been talking up sitting on Santa's lap for some time, and things were going well-Patrick spotted Santa as soon as we walked in and waved "hello". Santa approached, and Patrick still seemed okay. Then Santa just kinda stopped, and stared. A weird stare. Patrick burst into tears. Later when we took the wagon ride to Santa's staging area at the driving range, Patrick mustered the courage to tell Santa (from a safe distance while I held him) that he wanted a garbage truck. Success!

Why do the Santas always look terrified when they hold my kids??

Tom and his cousin, Katie.

Worth Visiting

Moms,

Have you noticed my new "Picture Me (Im)Perfectly" button at the top right of my blog? When you are feeling crazy, like time is literally running out, like you are losing your hold on organization and keeping things together, visit this friend's blog. She is an amazing, amazing photographer and an even more talented mom with inspiring faith.

Confessions:

My guest room closet is about ready to explode because I shoved half a roomful of belongings in there to clear off the bed that is constantly covered with laundry and stuff that I keep meaning to organize.

My dining room table can only stay clutter free for approximately 12 hours.

I haven't showered today, despite being puked on (well, just my hands which I used to catch the throw-up).

I lost the key to our shed.

I haven't filled in a single page of Tommy's baby book since he was born (gasp).

There are crumbled, sticky cheerios all through the bottom of my diaper bag right now. My diaper bag, or wallet, can only stay organized for approximately 45 minutes. Drives me crazy, but I just can't seem to do any better.

When the sun hits my kitchen around 2:00ish, the amount of gook and fingerprints stuck on my cabinets is enough to scare anyone. Washing down the faces of my cabinets right now though is about as likely to occur as me getting a sense of direction for Christmas.

This past week, in the rush of getting Christmas cards, personalized calendars, and decorations ordered, designed or put up, I parked Patrick in front of the T.V way too much.

I could go on and on, but the midnight hour approaches...

DIY

I love decorating. I love stealing ideas from my favorite home shopping site, Pottery Barn, and then attempting them on the cheap.

I detest broken, bigger-than-all-the-rest shutters who refuse to go down without a fight.

The good news: I was able to finish putting up most of my outdoor decor, despite the constant "help" of a toddler. I am pretty happy with the results (my neighbor donated her bow maker to my cause and it worked out pretty well), although I am unsure how the cheap, shatterproof ornaments will hold up in the snow. They aren't really meant for outdoor use. Hmmm.

The bad news: The broken, bigger-than-all-the-others shutter on the front of my house didn't go down without a fight. Tom had to buy a special ladder just to get to it, and then when he went to put up the correct matching shutter we found in our shed, the correct shutter nearly cracked in two. Turns out shutters are ridiculously expensive. We are tempted to crazy glue the thing together for the short term. Still, I am PSYCHED that the old broken one (not to be confused with the new broken one) is gone! It had been bothering me much more than it probably should lately. Maybe because new neighbors move in across the street from us in another week?

The Best Part

Patrick, Tommy and I finally headed to our town's new library for the first time since it opened in April. We browsed through the books, played at the Thomas the Train table, and climbed on the over-sized pencil and eraser before heading home for lunch. Over lunch, I asked P what was his favorite part about the new library?

His answer: The Fire Station (which sits directly next to the library).

Black and Gold

What a treat-Patrick and Tommy got to see their two uncles and cousin Chase from Virginia two weekends in a row! They traveled back to Pittsburgh to take Chase to his first Steeler's game. This is the day we woke up to (thanks to my brother Steve who chatted with me over coffee at 6:00am while I was up with Tommy)-

(I checked-that is Sprite in Chase's hand!)

Advent

We were a little late, but our Advent chain is now completed and up in Patrick's room. Every night before bed, we will remove a link and complete a reading out of a toddler-friendly Advent book I found. Patrick did all the glue sticking and I connected the links-good team effort.

(This morning at 6:00 I woke to "Momma" being uttered over and over over the monitor. Love it!)

Diaper Rash

Poor Tommy, as a result of his cold, he developed a slight pooping issue-a little bit, a lot of the time. He got the worst diaper rash ever and I had a learning moment as a mom. Patrick never had diaper rash as a baby, so with Tommy, I just kept slathering on the butt creams-Butt Paste, A&D, A&D with zinc, Desitin Max, all to no avail. Tommy would scream when I changed him. I soaked him in baths and let him crawl around without his diaper on (and subsequently cleaned up the poo and pee off of my hardwoods), but it wasn't improving. Finally I called my doctor's office to schedule an appointment and they told me to try Lotrimin cream that is used for athlete's foot. Turns out they were right-Tommy had a yeast rash and it was no wonder he was miserable and wouldn't nap. After just a day on the cream his diaper rash is nearly gone and he is a different baby.

I feel horrible that I didn't call sooner. Sorry, Tommy. In news of the good, I have gotten a couple of "Mama"s out of him this weekend.

Christmas in November

This past Saturday, Tom and I hosted our second annual "Christmas in November" present exchange for Patrick, Tommy and their cousins (unfortunately, this year their Vermont cousins were sadly missed). This gives the kids an opportunity to see each other open the gifts they picked out since my brother's kids live in Virginia and my oldest sister's kids are in Vermont.



It won't be a shock to anyone that my attempts to get a photo of all the kids and my dad (looking at the camera) was a complete failure. I do love some of the resulting images though-this one being my favorite.


Tommy and his cousin Jack

Tommy with his Aunt Karen

Uncle Steve, Aunt Christina and Patrick

The weather cooperated and the kids (and adults) were able to play some ball outside.

Patrick with Uncle David, Aunt Ally, Chase, and Kate

Patrick and Tommy both battled colds since Thanksgiving, but we still had a great time.