Goodbye 2007

Welcome to my last post of the year. Phil & I are watching the ball drop with Sarah & Emily tonight, and then it's straight to bed so we can get in a few winks before Katie wakes up in the morning.

Tomorrow will be the first day of the BAMs Blogging Contest. A few ladies from my moms' group and I are going to be competing to see who can blog everyday for the entire month of January. Whoever lasts the longest wins. If more than one person is still blogging daily at the end of the month, the contest will continue until there is only one person left. I intend to be that person, so expect to hear a lot from me next year.

Simply Having a Wonderful Christmastime

I really wasn't looking forward to Christmas this year. After the Thanksgiving Day from Hell, I really wasn't interested in being around certain family members. Of course, I knew that if I didn't go around those particular people, I would also be missing out on spending time with the family members that I enjoy being around, so I had to go. And I guess it wasn't so bad.

I was worried about our lack of funds this year. The girls and I had been pretty sick for nearly a month, and between doctor visits and prescriptions, we spent over $300 that we really could have used for Christmas. I was also having a difficult time figuring out what to get for Emily. Sarah and Katie were easy (although finding Katie's gift wasn't - thanks, eBay!), but Emily is at that age where she likes clothes but she also still enjoys toys. After giving up on trying to figure out what she would want, I finally asked her what she would like for Christmas. Her first answer was a laptop. Once I explained to her that we couldn't afford to get her a laptop, she told me that she really already has everything that she wants or needs, which is the love that we give to her. She is so sweet! Of course, that still didn't help me.

In the end, everything turned out just fine. Katie got a plush rocking horse that talks and sings from Santa. Emily got an 18" Madame Alexander Mia Bella doll from Santa. Now her American Girl doll has a friend. And since Sarah got a new cell phone for Christmas, Santa brought her some accessories for it.

Phil and I also got some clothes for Sarah, a Princess See-n-Say for Katie, and a pink portable DVD player for Emily. The girls also got their annual Hallmark ornaments that they opened up on Christmas Eve. Katie got her Child's 2nd Christmas ornament, Sarah got a Cell Phone Christmas Tree ornament, and since Emily discovered her love for Gone with the Wind this year, she got a Rhett and Bonnie Blue ornament.

Of course the girls also got tons of gifts from all of the relatives, including several gift cards that we went shopping with yesterday. Sarah and Emily each had $70 in Old Navy gift cards, plus $30 each in cash. Emily blew all of her money pretty quickly since only the two pairs of jeans she got were on sale. Sarah still has quite a bit left to spend since everything she chose was on sale. Katie and I are waiting for the new season of clothes to come out before we use her gift cards.

Oh, and I almost forgot... Phil and I bought ourselves a new oven for Christmas. We also got some accessories to use with it, like the new pots and pans and roaster that Phil's dad got us, and my new cupcake pan and carrier that Phil got me.

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas, too!

He Admitted It

A couples of days before Christmas, Phil went out to the grocery store to get some food for our Gift Exchange lunch with some friends of ours. When he came in the door, he said, "Baby, you're right."

Me: Well, duh, but tell me what, exactly, is it that I am right about this time?

HIM: You're just right.

Me: Of course, I'm right. I'm right about everything. But, I must know what you are talking about. Tell me exactly what I am right about this time.

HIM: The speed limit on Providence IS 35 mph between here and Publix.

ME: Really? Well, exactly what made you realize this?

HIM: The cop that pulled me over while I was going 50 in a 35.

ME: HA-HA!! See, I told you so!

HIM: Yeah, I know.

Luckily, the cop didn't give him a ticket. That's one of the advantages to having a commercial driver license. Cops don't tend to give you tickets for little things because they know it affects your livelihood.


Oh, and I will upload pics and post about Christmas later. I bet you can't wait...

Visit with Santa

We took Katie to see Santa at the mall yesterday. I know, I know... I shouldn't have waited so long to do it, but I really didn't want to take her all by myself, so I had to wait until Phil could come with me. And since he started his vacation yesterday, that was really our first chance to do it. When we got to the Santa place (I can't really think of the right word here... Land? Exhibit? Habitat?) it was just about 3:30 and they had just closed the line so that Santa could go to dinner at 5:00. They told us they would reopen at 6:00 when Santa got back from dinner. Phil and I decided that it would be best to just go ahead and get in line so that we would be the first ones in line when Santa got back from dinner a mere 2 1/2 hours later.

Phil and Sarah kept our place in line while I took Emily and Katie with me to go rent a stroller (because I forgot to take mine out of my trunk when I took my car in to the shop). Of course, the mall was so crowded, and apparently no four-year-old child in this town has the ability to walk through the mall on his own two feet, that they were all out of strollers. So, I had to carry my 20 1/2 pound daughter through the mall to Children's Place to shop for a couple of last minute Christmas gifts for my cousin's live-in boyfriend's daughters who will be joining the family for Christmas this year.

Anyhow, on my way back to the Santa place, I stopped by the stroller place to see if they had any yet, and they did. And my tired arms thanked them. When we finally got back to the line, I found that Phil and a couple of people in line behind him had been let into the "before dinner" line, so we only had about another 30-45 minutes left to wait in line. Here is how Katie's picture turned out:
Katie wasn't quite sure about Santa. We had been trying to get her used to him by showing her pictures and letting her play with a Santa stuffed doll so she wouldn't be terrified and screaming like a lot of children this age are. And she wasn't terrified and screaming, but she did get very shy. Maybe she was just in awe of him. Sort of like when you finally meet your favorite rock star and you lose your ability to speak and just stand there staring at them. Just look at the cute little face she made. This was as much of a smile as she was willing to give us.
So, anyway, now we have that all taken care of, it's starting to feel a little more like Christmas. But I still have so much to do, and there are only 2 1/2 more shopping days left before the big day. And the gifts that I have already gotten all still need to be wrapped. Yay!

Greatest Thing Ever

Whoever invented toe-socks is a freaking genius! I can't believe I've never owned a pair of these before. Seriously, could there be anything more perfect in the world? I can actually keep my little feet and toes warm while simultaneously not having to give up my flip-flops to bind my feet up inside suffocating tennis shoes.

My mother bought these things for me for Christmas, and besides the fact that my feet look like they belong to the Incredible Hulk, they are just the coolest things ever. (She actually got me two pair of these, the other pair not being quite so "unique" looking as these.)

P.S.
No comments about how freakishly long my toes are, please. Thanks.

The Truth About Santa

I've been debating whether or not to finally tell Emily that there is no Santa Claus. She's ten years old, and most of her friends already know the truth, so I figured that maybe she was ready to know the truth, too. This morning, I decided to go ahead and tell her. Here's how it went...

ME: Emily, I need to talk to you about something.

EMILY: Yes, Mom?

ME: Emily, there's no Santa.

EMILY: Yes there is. There's no Santa at Mema and Grandaddy's house, but there is a Santa here.

ME: Emily, Santa's not REAL.

EMILY: You're lying to me, Mom.

Can you believe it? I finally get the nerve to break my child's heart and tell her the truth about Santa, and she refuses to believe me. I guess all of those great, logical explanations of how and why Santa was real that I gave her over the course of her life have really stuck. She's completely convinced that Santa is real and that I was just trying to mess with her by telling her differently.

Look What I Found

Phil came home last night so he could attend Emily's Chorus Winter Concert. Since he had to be back at work in Port Charlotte at 6:30 this morning, he got up around 4:00 to get ready. Katie decided that she wanted to be awake then, too, which meant that I had to get up with her.

Since I have a difficult time waking up at 4:00 am, I decided to try to catch a few winks on the couch while Katie watched Yo Gabba Gabba. I guess that at some point I fell asleep and Katie fell asleep on me. At least, that's what I can surmise from the photos I discovered on my camera when I was moving pics to my computer.


Isn't she adorable? Even in her sleep, she looks like she's posing for the camera.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, Emily was our photographer this morning.

Addict

Katie is an addict. This kid eats, sleeps, and breathes Yo Gabba Gabba. Seriously, the first thing she asks for in the morning when she wakes up is, "Yo Gabba." If the television isn't currently showing Yo Gabba Gabba, she finds and brings me the remote and asks, "Yo Gabba?" Sometimes when I am sick of watching Yo Gabba Gabba, and I refuse to put it on for her, she starts screaming, "YO GABBA!!!" at me.
If you've never seen the show, you should check it out. It is so cute, and it's perfect for parents and little kids to watch together. There's lots of singing and dancing, plus some great guest musicians, like the Shins. Some episodes feature Mark's Magic Pictures with Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo fame, as well as Biz Markie with Biz's Beat of the Day. Seeing your 16 month old beat-boxing is the cutest thing ever!

Christmas Photos

I don't know what I was thinking, but when I went shopping for Christmas cards this year, I decided to buy some of those add-your-own-photo cards. I figured it would be easy to just snap a cute pic of the girls, and then upload it to Walgreens to have printed 50 times.

Since Katie and Emily have been sick lately, I have been putting off taking the picture because they really weren't looking very well. But today, after Katie's bath, I decided that it was time to take the picture. We really couldn't wait much longer to do it, since I still have to assemble the cards, address them, and mail them out.

This is the picture that we decided to use for the cards:
Although, I really considered using this picture since it is a much more realistic portrayal of my girls:
What do you think?

I'm back

Hi. Remember me? I know you haven't heard from me in a while, but I'm back now, so you can stop worrying.
While I was away, I had a birthday. The day before Thanksgiving, I turned 34. Since I am so old now, I decided to stop fighting my gray hair and just embrace it. So, instead of coloring my hair to cover up the grays, I decided to just get my hair highlighted so the grays will blend in better. After my birthday dinner with Phil, we went to the mall and I got my hair done. The hair stylist commented that she didn't think that Phil and I were married until she noticed our wedding rings. She said that most husbands wouldn't stick around while their wives got their hair done, so that was why she thought we were a newer couple. I didn't tell her that he only stuck around because it was my birthday and I asked him to.
Then there was Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving used to be my favorite holiday. I loved that the whole family got to be together without all of the commercialization and pressure to buy gifts. But this year, Thanksgiving turned out to be the worst day of my life. I don't feel like sharing all the nasty details, but I am still reeling from everything that happened, and I don't know when or if things will ever be the same again.
So, anyway, I've been dealing with a lot lately, which is why I haven't blogged in a while. But, hopefully, things will be getting back to normal (or as close to normal as possible) soon, and I'll have some fun stuff to post about.
Congratulations to Julie on a successful NaBloPoMo. I'm glad you were able to stick with it all month. Maybe I'll try it out next year.