Our Christmas

It was Christmas Eve.  We had just planned our Christmas menu and were about to head to the store when I started feeling queasy.  I tried to shake it off but I felt pretty bad most of the day.  I usually love setting out all of the presents and getting the stockings ready but it was almost more than I could handle... I was that out of sorts.  I went to bed thinking positive thoughts but then Phillip one upped me by getting sick multiple times in the night.  Come Christmas morning, we were not okay.  I was better off than Phillip, who made an appearance for the present opening but then went back to bed, so I did my best to make sure everyone was having The Best Christmas Ever! when it really felt like The Worst Christmas Ever!  

Ellen basically ran the show, opening present right after present, while Lilly played with the wrapping and tissue paper as it piled up around her.  She had a lot of fun.  They both did.  And I keep reminding myself that they had a great Christmas.

A few gift highlights:

Old Maid

Care Bears (Ellen got Share Bear and Lilly got Harmony Bear)

Pony Royale horses

Mr. Bill poseable figurine (for Phillip but everyone is enjoying him)

Lots of Brave stuff

Princess castle

Charm bracelet

Books

LEGO Friends

Boots!

Peppa, George, Mommy Pig and Daddy Pig figurines

It was not the merriest of Christmases (tears were shed and they were not tears of joy) but good memories were made none the less.

--------------------

Christmas Eve was a beautiful day (it turned cold and rainy that evening and has been that way ever since).  It was a little chilly but nice enough for us to play around on the porch and do a little sweeping.  Ellen was giving it all she had.  She is a good helper.  Lilly, armed with her Land of Nod catalog, enjoyed watching us work from the comfort of the doorway.

Poking and prodding

It is the day before Christmas Eve.  We are at home, just doing our usual kinds of things.  I have been trying to get a good picture of our tree (failed), Phillip is rocking Lilly (and watching football) and Ellen is right here next to me coloring pictures for Daddy.

It is cold and rainy outside but we are all cozy and warm.

Our spirits are high.

[Ellen did wake up feeling crummy this morning but she seems to be doing better now.  The excitement of Christmas is the best medicine.]

For the past several days Ellen has been patting her stocking, hoping to find a little something-something, and messing with the presents under our tree - grrr!  She is like me except not quite as discreet.  She will learn :)

While I am thinking about Ellen, here are two snippets of conversations I want to remember...

Me:  I have a fun fact for you
Ellen:  Make me problem solve

Me:  I heard you kicked Daddy out of your club (a sign she is mad at you)
Ellen:  Just one of them (so she was mad but just a little mad)

Two pictures from today:

Photobombed by Rosie

Lilly is ready for her first Christmas.  She is going to love tearing into those presents.  I can't wait!

Up next:  We're making Chex Mix!  (Pioneer Woman's version)

Sick Day #2

Smiles behind pacifiers are my second favorite kind of smile

So there was a sick day #2.  Lilly and I were queens of the remote on Wednesday.  We didn't watch much TV but if we had wanted to, we could have... and it would not have been Nick Jr. or any of the Disney channels :)  It is finally Friday and everyone is back where they are supposed to be (just in time for the weekend - ha!)

Ellen had Polar Express Day at school yesterday.  She wore pajamas, a bathrobe and slippers (and brought a blanket and stuffed animal), they watched the movie, read the book, sipped hot chocolate, did a related craft and enjoyed a hot dog lunch in her classroom.  She had a great day.  Today is a half day and also her Christmas party (and the last day before a 2 week and 1 day break).  Phillip was able to go and reported back that a good time was had by all.  He even took pictures (our marriage = saved).  And that's not all... she is going to decorate another gingerbread house this afternoon at SACC.

Santa visited The Children's Academy today.  Lilly's sweet teacher sent me a few pictures since we were not able to be there. 

I am working late tonight (switched with someone several weeks ago) and I am working tomorrow.  I think it will start feeling more like Christmas once work is behind me.

In the words of Laurie Berkner (from her Christmas CD)...

I like those J-I-N-G-L-E bells, those J-I-N-G-L-E bells, those J-I-N-G-L-E-B-E-double L-S bells...

Sick Day

Daughter #1 was sick Sunday.  Daughter #2 started feeling bad Monday afternoon.  Today was supposed to be a stay at home day for me and daughter #2 because she isn't allowed back at daycare (fever), but I woke up in the night with a little stomach bug so all three us - me, Phillip and Lilly - are spending the day together.  The timing is never good.  The circumstances are never quite right.  But sick days are usually still good days, full of rest, cuddles and comforting words. 

Breakfast with Santa

Breakfast with Santa was fun but wild.  The cafeteria was so crowded that we ended up sitting in the hallway.  After eating our pancakes and sausage biscuits, Ellen colored a bookmark, made an ornament, bagged food for Santa's reindeer, got her face and hand painted, listened to two of the kindergarten teachers read Christmas stories (Mrs. Smith and Mrs. Fielder) and lastly, we saw Santa.  Ellen was hesitant so while we waited I kept saying "This is such a nice Santa.  He looks so nice."  Phillip stepped in and was all you can't say this is a nice Santa... this is Santa.  Oops!  Sorry kids (I was just so impressed by him (he was great!) and I really wanted Ellen to cooperate for the picture.)  She was happy and Lilly didn't cry so although I didn't get a good picture of both of the girls smiling, the one I got was blurry, it all worked out in the end.

We saw another Santa at Kroger.  Not impressed with the shoe covers but Lilly liked him so I will let that go.

Ellen got a balloon animal while Lilly and I visited Santa #2

Ellen and Phillip went on a little date late Saturday afternoon while Lilly and I did some things around the house.  They had a lot of fun.  She slept until 7:30 this morning which is rare.  Come to find out she wasn't feeling well - her tummy hurt.  She laid around the house all day.  She kept trying to tell me she felt super but I knew better.  We all went to church tonight but she stayed with us in the 3-5 year old Children's Bible Hour class instead of going to her class (K-7).  Hopefully she will be good as new in the morning.

The map is back! (and other news)

I have [cubicle] walls again so the map is back.  We have low ceilings, a dull color scheme, bad lighting and no windows... I sure have missed this map!

"Turn your voices off and the music down.  Lilly is going to sleep." - Ellen scolding us as we were driving home from church a few weeks ago

Lilly has two teeth coming in on top, making a total of six altogether.  She hasn't been sleeping well but hopefully she will get back on track soon.  I love when she grins and shows off those pearly whites!

Nothing beats living with a kindergartner.  Ellen is bursting with knowledge and she continues to say the funniest things.  She is bright, eager to learn, creative and so much more.  What joy she brings into our lives!

Thursdays are typically my favorite day but Fridays before Saturdays I don't have to work are pretty good too.  And I only have to work two more Saturdays - January 5th should be my last.  I will still have to work until 9 p.m. on Tuesdays but at least I have my weekends back.

Ellen is starting gymnastics on January 5th.  She is so excited!

Lilly says uh-oh (so cute!) and she is starting to wave.  She can climb up the stairs, likes taking her socks off, she is eating more solids (still eats mostly baby food), really likes this one penguin stuffed animal of Ellen's (Ellen isn't too thrilled), she still loves taking baths, being held, chewing on stuff (I like how she has to give everything a little taste) and riding in grocery carts.  Like her sister, she is an excellent shopping companion.  She is a very determined little girl.  She is good for Mr. Chris in church :) but she is a handful for us.  What joy she also brings into our lives!

Ellen thinks of 18 as being the age when you can do things.  It's not so much a longing to be 18 as it is just how she thinks the world works.  You know, like when you're 18.

We are still having fun with Rosie, our Elf on the Shelf.  She has been found hanging from Ellen's ceiling fan, on top of our Christmas tree, playing with Polly Pockets on the couch, blogging (Phillip's idea) and driving the car that goes with Ellen's dollhouse.  Mrs. Fielder's elf, Ernie, made an appearance in Ellen's classroom Monday.  He will be with them another week (until Christmas break).

We made our final Enfamil purchase earlier this week.  (Insert squeals of joy here.)  Soon whole milk and sippy cups will replace bottles and formula.  It is hard to believe our little Lilly is almost one year old.

Looking forward to Breakfast with Santa tomorrow morning at Heritage Elementary.  [But in light of what happened in Newtown, Connecticut this morning, it is going to be bittersweet (I thought about Ellen all day)... my heart aches for the families who lost loved ones, the school and the community.]  

Read it and weep

All Ellen wants for Christmas is underwear that doesn't hurt her bottom.  Poor thing!  And a Barbie cruise ship.  The cruise ship idea was stolen from a classmate (we asked) but in regards to the new (and improved) underwear, consider it done.

All of her favorite things

The stars aligned and Ellen had a "one good thing after another" kind of weekend.

1.  Gymnastics

With a little outside help Ellen is going to start taking gymnastics at Let It Shine in Spring Hill (she has been asking for months).  She had a trial class on Saturday.  Now we just need to get her officially registered and buy her a leotard or two.  She is so excited!

2.  Katie Beth

Ellen had a play date on Saturday with her best friend from The Children's Academy.  She had so much fun and now considers herself to be a part of Katie Beth's family.  She invited herself back over for Christmas :)

3.  Cake Pops

Ellen and Katie Beth made chocolate cake pops - yum!  She has always wanted to make them and it is fitting that she got to do it with Katie Beth.

4.  Cole and Savannah

and

5.  Chuy's

Ellen loves Cole and Savannah and she loves eating at Chuy's.  Needless to say, eating at Chuy's with Cole and Savannah was almost more than she could handle, in a good way.  (Thanks again for lunch guys!)

6.  Sitting with a friend in church

Katy sat with us Sunday morning and Ellen loved it!  (Hoping Ellen learned a thing or two about how to behave in church.)

7.  Krispy Kreme

Just because you can doesn't mean you should.  And that is why I don't go to Krispy Kreme every day. But it is a nice treat... especially when you have coupons for free doughnuts.  We highly recommend the limited edition snowman doughnut.

8.  Tricking Rosie

Being new to the this whole Elf on the Shelf thing has it advantages.  One being we get to make up our own rules as we go along because we don't know any better :)  Ellen took a nap Sunday afternoon and considering Ellen very rarely takes naps, Rosie thought it was nighttime... so she moved during the day for the first time (and most likely the last).  Ellen thought it was so cool that she tricked Rosie.  All my idea, by the way.

9.  Toys R Us

We ended up going to Toys R Us twice this weekend (somebody, me, couldn't make up their mind and a second trip was required).  It was a madhouse but Ellen didn't care.  She could play there for hours.

10.  Reinstatement of the iPad

The iPad was becoming a problem.  Feelings were getting hurt, people were crying... it was time for a break.  Last Saturday the words "no iPad for a week" came out of my mouth and there was no going back.  Ellen's world came crashing down but it was the right thing to do (I am just full of good ideas lately).  The iPad is technically back but we are limiting it's use.

I love my life!

Skirt not included

So this is happening.

Operation Elf on the Shelf is in full swing.

Rosie is her name and getting into mischief is her game.  Same can be said for Lilly.

So far Rosie has been "caught" reading Ellen's Highlights magazines, playing with Legos (she spelled out her name), adding candy to Ellen's gingerbread house, rummaging through Ellen's underwear drawer and hanging out in our little ornament tree.

Rosie gets blamed for a lot of things around here.

Where will she show up next?  Nobody knows.

Stay tuned for updates!

Goody Goody Gumdrops

I was so excited to be able to help in Ellen's classroom yesterday afternoon.  We decorated little gingerbread houses (I got in on the action too).  She didn't go candy crazy like I thought she would - or like she could have.  Do you think we had enough candy?  She was a bit more conservative compared to a lot of her classmates (Jack comes to mind - ha!)  She took her time, nibbled along the way (probably her favorite part) and enjoyed the overall gingerbread house decorating experience.  So did I.

My gingerbread house

The best part:  Ellen giving me a big hug when I walked in the classroom (I have been waiting for you all day!)

The worst part:  I ate way too many Twizzlers.

The tree is trimmed and the stockings are hung

We went with our little tree again this year.  Nine years and counting!  Since taking this picture I put several presents under and around the tree.  Ellen can't handle it.  I should have known better.  Causing her to suffer was not my intention but I don't plan on reversing my decision - the damage has been done.  Maybe she will learn a valuable lesson from this.  I know I did.

We are really cutting back this year.  We are not buying presents for our families.  They understand (at least I hope they do) but it is still hard.  Teacher gifts and the girls are the only people we are buying for this year.  Not everyone likes the process of lists and shopping and emailing everyone what you bought to avoid duplicates and wrapping... but I do.  I admit the excitement has lessened over the years but I still enjoy it.  I miss the hustle and bustle December usually brings (we have hustle and bustle but not on the same level).  Even the traveling part - this will be our second Tennessee Christmas.  I will definitely miss not being home.  Sometimes the things you think you will never miss and are kind of glad you don't have to deal with, like road trips at the holidays (especially road trips with children at the holidays) are some of the very things you wish you could do once you don't have the option.  Besides the unloading of the car part.  I don't think I will ever miss unloading the car.  Or unpacking.  But besides those two unpleasant tasks, I will miss celebrating Christmas in North Carolina with our families (the way it should be).

I am still looking forward to Christmas.  It will be different but in a good for us kind of way.

When we were young

Wish these had scanned a little better but I think the cuteness still shines through :)

Lilly alert! Lilly alert!

Lilly alert! is what we call out when Lilly is about to get into any number of things she shouldn't (and most of the time knows she shouldn't).  A warning for the closest person to drop everything and get that baby!  

Despite our best efforts, I regret to inform you that Lilly ate a piece of dog food last night.  You might be thinking to yourself, It was bound to happen.  But no, it was never going to happen.  Phillip simply walked across the room to open the door for me and when I came in the kitchen, there were three dogs feasting at the food bowls instead of the usual two.  She was very happy and if she had a tail, it would have been wagging.

Lilly and I ran a few errands this morning after dropping Ellen off at school (pajamas in public - Phillip would not approve).  I wanted to check out the Christmas ornaments at Cracker Barrel so we stopped in for a few minutes.  We didn't find anything but I let her rock on our way out and rock she did!  She loved it.  I snapped a few pictures when she wasn't in motion.  

 Looking for her name :)

We love this little girl!

A weekend to write home about

We had a great weekend.  And today was especially good (Sundays can be rough so this was a pleasant surprise).  Lilly was in a happy mood and it rubbed off on the rest of us.  She is so much fun.  Usually.  She is starting to bite... so, you know, that never ends well.

Phillip's truck wouldn't start Friday morning but thankfully it was only the battery and he was able to replace it rather easily.  Despite a crazy morning - I had to turn around and come back home to pick everyone up and drop them off at school, daycare and work - we were all able to get where we needed to go and I only missed 2 hours of work.  It could have been worse.

We don't typically do our grocery shopping on Friday nights but while we were out picking up a battery we decided to stop by Kroger to replenish our very bare refrigerator.  Family trips to the grocery store are the best!  [I don't know why this happens but we put off doing a big shop for as long as possible and then end up going to the store several times during the week for odds and ends, never really getting everything we need.  It just doesn't make sense.]

Ellen and I went to a holiday fair/fundraiser at a local middle school on Saturday.  She made a bracelet at one of the booths.  We didn't buy much, three magnets and some hot chocolate, but it was fun.

We also played outside, read good books, watched good movies, snuggled in bed, had bacon for breakfast, sorted through a few boxes of old things (mostly junk) my parents brought with them at Thanksgiving (Ellen kept referring to the little trinkets she found as her memories and was not pleased that I was throwing them away), watched a little football, paid a bill or two, discovered Lilly likes black olives, gold fish and Ritz crackers, put together two small Christmas Lego sets (Santa and his sleigh and a rocking horse), I watched an old episode of The Office and was reminded of how funny it used to be, went to Toys R Us, did a few loads of laundry, worked around the house and laughed and squealed like we didn't have a care in the world.  It was nice.

We only had three little ones in Children's Bible Hour tonight:  Layne, Justus and Elise.  We talked about Hannah and Samuel, families, Christmas, Batman, Elf, Brave, naps, vacations, birthdays, riding on airplanes, the difference between airplanes and jets... we covered a wide range of topics.  At least Phillip didn't have to explain what adultery meant like he did in Bible class this morning... to four first grade girls.

Weekends like this are what I wish every day could be like.