Changes

Baby Nora laughed her first real belly laugh yesterday and it was the sweetest sound. Her big brother was doing a silly "toot dance" and it just cracked her up. Go figure.
She will turn 6 months old tomorrow and we have officially entered my absolute favorite baby stage. She smiles all the time, blows bubbles, babbles and now laughs...she does not run away from me, drag out toys or talk back yet. I love her.

Meanwhile, GoGo is cheering for boys basketball and just loving it. If any child were born to be a cheerleader based superficially on looks and charm, it would be this girl (and no I am NOT biased in the least).

My sweet Dominick is enjoying his last week of school at Antioch Elementary before moving. I don't know if he fully comprehends the move and all that it entails but we toured his new school last week and he seemed ok with it all. He is so friggin' cute though that I am certain he will not lack for friends, even if they are girls.

All three of them are changing so much and we are about to embark on a major wave of change with this move-I can't wait to see where we end up a year from now.

Unoriginal Post

TOTALLY copied Ali's blog but couldn't resist...


1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? - Wrapping paper-no matter if it fits the gift appropriately or not. And ALL gifts are wrapped in our house, none of this just sitting out in plain view stuff.

2. Real tree or artificial? - REAL-every year of my life I have had a real tree and there is no way I will ever change that.

3. When do you put up the tree? - The weekend or week after Thanksgiving usually, but this year it won't be until next Sunday. :(

4. Do you like eggnog? - Nope. Never have and never will.

5. Favorite gift received as a child? - Remote control Barbie corvette or Merlin game.

6. Do you have a nativity scene? - A few of them.

7. Hardest person to buy for? My inlaws-they have everything and if they don't, they will buy it themselves.

8. Easiest person to buy for? -My kids.

9. Mail or email Christmas cards? - Mail.

10. Favorite Christmas movie? - Show- Charlie Brown- for sure. Movie-a tie between Miracle on 34th Street and It's a Wonderful Life.

11. When do you start shopping for Christmas? - November and usually can't wrap it up until right before Christmas. I have been one of those nuts out on Christmas Eve morning.

12. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? -Honey Baked Ham-LOVE it and it is the only time all year I eat ham except for maybe Easter.

13. Clear lights or colored lights on the tree? - used to be only white but the kids insisted on the giant 70's lightbulbs I had as a kid last year so I use those on our big tree and white on the smaller one.

14. Favorite Christmas song? - The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole version) and the entire Charlie Brown cd.

15. Travel or stay home at Christmas? - Stay home, although this year we are doing Christmas dinner for the first time at my inlaws instead of our house. :(

16. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? - yep

17. Angel on tree top or star? - Star-my dad made an enormouse one out of cardboard and wrapped it in gold paper (70's here, people) and it rocked. I wish I could find one like that now.

18. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? - Everything Christmas morning. The last 2 years I have woken the kids up because I was so excited.

19. The most annoying thing about this time of year? - absolutely nothing.

20. What I love most about Christmas - Everything-the music, smells, decorations, anticipation and mostly the happiness on my kids faces.

Giving Thanks

I am so thankful my kids can run and play like this...



















I am thankful my sweet baby girl is baptized and now "official".




I am thankful I have so many memories of childhood holidays...
- the way my grandma's house would be boiling hot from the heat of the oven and the steam heat combined
- how she always made pistachio pudding with tiny marshmallows in her green tupperware jello mold
- the smell of turkey and homemade pumpkin pie from my other grandma's house
- slightly burnt chocolate chip cookies once she got too old to see what she was doing.
Both of my grandma's houses are gone in that they no longer live there and sometimes I would give anything to hear and smell the familiar again-an almost physical want that is overpowering this time of year. The further removed I am from it the more I miss it, which is true of so much in life.

I pray my kids know that feeling when they get older because that means they will have a head and heart full of memories to last.