So I Haven't Written Much Lately...

And that's probably because I have been trying to tip toe around my feelings about some of the things I noticed this holiday season.

I noticed that I tried to start traditions with my young family and felt frustrated when they didn't stick as I'd hoped.   I am giving myself some slack since we're relatively new at this, but I am a little disappointed since I'd painted such a rosy picture of my expectations.

I noticed some feelings in myself that I don't want to continue as a legacy.  I think having Christmas on a Sunday really helped me notice these things, such as how "doing Christmas" meant exchanging gifts.  Like, we did seven Christmases.  Yes, there were seven separate gift exchanges, but I really caught myself calling that a Christmas.  No wonder I felt a little empty after each one.  It shouldn't be based on the presents! Of course I knew that, but now I GET it.

I noticed again how easy it is to feel like a Grinch when you are toting around all that baby STUFF you need for an extended time away from their crib.  Sheesh.  I don't want a bigger car though, because I am sure I'd pack even heavier.

I noticed how inappropriate it is for toddlers to receive more toys than they can carry.  My son got easily thirty presents, and about two thirds of them came at my husband's family's house.  I am so glad we have decided to stick with the three gifts only rule for our house, and I resolved to enforce a rule like this (or even stricter) at other family's homes, too.  It is totally inappropriate for him to have so many gifts under the guise of Santa or "you've been so good this year that you get ANOTHER present".

I have a dozen feelings and opinions about this, but before I write more and offend people who a) gave my son the presents from the spirit of good will and cheer or b) write myself into a corner about how I feel about presents, I think I want to talk to others' about their thoughts.  Specifically, I have a small group of mom-friends with kids my age and similar values and families that I would LOVE to get together to play in my toy strewn-house.  However, only a few of them live in my city.  I guess I'll ask a million questions via text or facebook message.  (Get ready Sara, Tiffany, Hilary, Ann, Chrissy! And if you have opinions about this topic, PLEASE share.)

I've almost culled through the photos from December, so I'll share most of them in a photo explosion.  Wait, not most of them.  There's 1300!

As it happens, I actually DON'T know how to use my camera and tried to do non-auto settings.  Boo.  The images aren't great.  There are some good ones, but all around, I should have stuck to a basic point-and-shoot-flash I think.  Luckily, there were plenty of photo opportunities of my kids opening gifts! :o)

PAP PAP

Definition 1:

  The noise my son makes when he is getting irritable and going to completely come unglued at the supper table.   PAP PAP A PAP means "I am so done with dinner that I am going to start squirming so fierce I will fall out of my chair face first and scream and run over and hit my sister, so either offer a different food like a dessert cookie or get me in the bath tub."

Definition 2:

   A cervical cell test that seems so dramatically UNinvasive after two child births.  And what I had yesterday.

William Henry Haid

This morning I had a thought.

(Since my children are sleeping absurdly and wonderfully later what I've come to expect in the last nine months, I have the chance for plenty of thoughts AND a morning shower.)

This morning's thought was about my son.
I thought up the perfect name for my DHH.
I know, 30 months too late.

Had I been given the opportunity to name my son, I would have chosen to have him be named William Henry Haid.

William Henry Haid the FIRST.
(Not D. Haid the SEVENTH)

 I don't know quite why this thought passed through my mind, but it did, and I wanted to record it.

(Just like I want to have a picture record of my son's reaction to gift giving this year... it was OH BOY OH BOY A KITCHEN SET I WON'T NOTICE ANY OTHER GIFT UNTIL I FIGURE OUT THE KNOBS AND TIMER AND DRAWERS AND COOK UP SOMETHING. OH, THERE'S ANOTHER GIFT? I WILL OPEN IT ONLY IF I CAN SIT RIGHT NEXT TO THE KITCHEN SET!!)

Please Pose In Front Of the Tree for Mommy.

Tonight we "did Christmas", which meant that we tugged our grumpy two year old from the bathwater 

(NOOOOOOOOO! Dee Dee more bathtime!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

 and kept our little girl up a few hours past her ridiculously early bedtime to show them what Christmas merriment is like.

Seriously, they have no idea about Christmas.  

DHH has looked at photos of his last Christmases, but he has no concept of Santa.  Which is totally fine by me since its only the 22nd, I'm not a huge Santa person, and I want him to appreciate that WE, his family, think highly enough of him to rock his world with gifts.

Plus, I am not sure I'm going to do much in the way of Santa-teaching.  

I think I may even say, "Santa isn't real, dear."  

You just might catch me saying that.  

I haven't yet, but I have watched the Santa Claus is Coming to Town with my kids and read Twas the Night Before Christmas, and I have read tons about the pros and cons of telling kids that Santa is Real and Alive and All Knowing/Seeing and interfering with imagination. 

 Right now, I'm kind of leaning towards "santa is a fun cultural icon, but your family buys you presents and you can help select gifts for your family, too (!) to show you love them."

But its the 22nd, so even if we DID make a fuss over Santa, there'd be the additional fib that goes with telling your children that Santa showed up early here, in a house with no chimney, and will also come by the grandparents' house in a few nights.

So after our Christmas feast (aka just Papa Johns - no need for anything fancy since we can't have leftovers around getting funky in the fridge and since only half of the family really could appreciate my cooking)... after our Christmas feast and the baths that followed, we dragged the kids into the living room.  

And they didn't even notice the gifts I'd arranged carefully under the tree.

Really, they didn't see them at all!

We aren't likely to ever have such a gimme-free or expectation-less Christmas gift exchange again.  

DHH will have it figured out next year (especially after the next TWO Christmases he has in the weekend).  EK will be cute and sweet and oblivious again, I 'm sure.

But this year was the year when EVERYTHING was a huge surprise for DHH.  

And for Elsie, I guess it was as surprising as most Thursday nights, since I bet her memory is kind of short.

  It was probably more exciting since there were more items for her to chew and teethe on (like gift tags and a Hot Wheel and a stocking.) 

And so before any gifts were opened (or noticed), I propped the kiddos up on the footstool for a Classic Photo. DHH naturally grabbed his sister in a hug/headlock.

(The idealist and perfectionist in me regrets the mismatched, non-Christmas specific jammies.  But the realist in me knows I'm new at this gig and there's not a budget for holiday sleepwear. The perfectionist finds wearing Christmas PJs in months other than December inappropriate, too.  So... no fancy matching jammies, but maybe next year if I get my act together and get a sale!)

I'm glad I captured this moment of posing in front of the Christmas tree.  Its so Classic Childhood Christmas, and I hope it conveys to my kids one day that they were enjoyed and that Christmas is enjoyable.

I have High Hopes that this will be the Merriest of Any Christmases this year.

I have much more than I've ever had, and I am very aware of that.

Last Minute Target Run and Cute Christmas Photo

It was a success.

(Seriously.)

Another mom told me that we needed some sort of medal for braving it out with two little kids (she also had a 2 year old and infant).

The only non-successful thing was that I had to stoop to a gift card for a gift for a brother-in-law.  I don't love giving gift cards, even though I actually DO like receiving them.  I feel like a failure as a good-gift-giver.

I also picked up a few stockings items for my husband, the much anticipated (and clearance priced) Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Mickey Saves Christmas, and an iced sweet tea from Panera.

It was a pretty good morning!


Here's a photo I haven't shared yet...

It was taken during that disastrous JCP photo shoot in late November.  Seeing the uncertainty and reticent smiles on DHH and the obvious discomfort on EK kind of make it worth it.  It was torture for them, too.  And  a pretty photo to boot.

Happy Christmas Elves From Jib Jab.

Who DOESN'T get a kick out of putting their family photos into a Jib Jab movie?

Click to see it

Especially seeing the husband vacuuming in such a jolly mood.

And the baby being musical.

Do I love this because she's practically bald in real life?

Oh yes, go to that site and jib jab your family, okay? Share the link with me so I can laugh, too.

Merry Christmas Week!

DHH Processing/Learning Observation

Its no secret that I enjoy being a teacher and doing some analysis of my son's brain at work.  I especially enjoy watching him solve problems (struggle to do so) and process new information while we are reading.

this is a photo of DHH thinking, you can tell by the way his mouth is half open.

Today as we read The Snowman before nap, one of the books he's never before read from our Christmas Advent activity, I paused a few times to ask, "What do you think will happen next?".  It was interesting to hear his responses.

The started off like, "Huh." Which is his typical answer to a question that he is thinking about. He says it while he is thinking, like a placeholder in the conversation.

Anyway, I asked him what he thought the little boy would see when he looked at the window, even prompting with some picture context clues.

"Huh."

"Well, what would you see out of your window? Or what would you want to see?"

"Dump trucks."

Of course. In a book about a boy building a snowman in his front yard, he expects to see a dump trucks in the yard at night time. Of course.

I'd recommend asking your children for predictions periodically and giving them time to think and respond.  Its not very effective when you are reading a familiar book, but its a great thinking skill to practice with them on new books. (Or perhaps on commerical breaks? - Sarcasm...- )

Oh, and why yes we are doing a Christmas-book-a-day countdown, but why no, I didn't photograph it.  I'll tell you the story on that later.

Mary Driving The Scoop Truck

Oh yes, this totally happens at our house.
And yes, those ARE wise men in the bucket of the truck.
DHH said, "May-e doin some work, Mommy.  Loading the wise men."

I am certainly getting a lesson on creative play from the toddler boy perspective, aren't I?

I'd fully expect to see a mini Care Bear in a cement mixer or a tractor towing a cart full of jingle bells, too.

Last night my husband made a good prediction... he predicts DHH will use EK's Barbies for farmers with his tractors one day. I wonder if that will be the case, or if we'll have "action figure" (dolls) of his
own to use with his machines?

Ketchup Time! Thanksgiving.

No, I'd never put ketchup on leftover turkey... there are so many more suitable ways to use it!  I made turkey salad sandwiches, turkey and rice soup, and enjoyed it with stuffing and cranberry and mashed potato and gravy stacked on top.

But I do need to play Catch Up to the end of Thanksgiving, when I took some neat photos of our time but left that camera card in my mom's computer for a week.

We went down on Thursday morning, but my son went down with my sister on Wednesday evening.
He went down binky-less, which led to some major drama and tears and major Grandparent Points for my parents (who endured two hours of soothing/sobbing until my sister ran some out to them at 10:30 PM).

My sisters, my parents, my little family spent pretty much all of Thursday together.
The meal was as you'd expect... delicious, double portions, and in competition with the Food Network.

There was Yahtzee.
And pie.
And tractor rides.
And warm weather.

I spent the evening online, monitoring pre-Black Friday sales.  I was actually pretty sick, but I was healthy enough to spot some great deals and make note to shop Thursday night online!  Better deals than on Friday AM even, and we got some good deals from Kohls, Old Navy, Amazon, and Barnes and Noble.

I enjoyed having my family around to tend to my kids (or assist or entertain) because I was so ill that on Friday AM I contemplated driving myself to the ER.  I don't know how I got cured, but maybe it was just extra rest. I was feeling much better by Saturday.

On Saturday, my BFF Ann came to visit with her girls.
At one point, all our kids were napping, so we left them in the capable and kind hands of Nanny and Auntie Rachie, and we got the heck out of there to enjoy a little Panera lunch.

Let me tell you, it was a beautiful long weekend.  Warm weather, full of good company, and lots of relaxation.  It was medicine for my soul and a perfect close to autumn.

We went to my in-laws on that Sunday for a surprise!we're here after all! lunch with some relatives to celebrate a great-grandma's birthday.  I don't have any photos because of the whole forgotten camera card thing, but it was a very pleasant afternoon.  There were nine people with the last name HAID in the same room, which is probably the highest density... its a pretty uncommon last name!  

Merry Christmas Week.

You MUST watch this video.
I promise, its worth it.
The children are wonderful, and I can hardly stand how adorable that star costume is.

Merry Christmas.

I Try To Attain Christmas Card Perfection Instead of Facing Reality.

Case in point: a Christmas dinner hosted by our church.  I think it sounds like a marvelous family tradition to start. We could all wear somewhat matching Christmas outfits and then go look at the lights around town after.

 Here's what happened when I mentioned it driving away from church last week.

Wouldn't it be fun to go to the Christmas banquet tonight?  We could all wear somewhat matching clothes and then go look at the lights around town.

Are you kidding me? Go to the dinner with two sick kids and a wife who doesn't like to eat other people's food?

(Pause.) Oh.

My romanticized version of the evening didn't include the fact that I cannot handle potluck or that our kids had colds and would likely be snotty messes by 5 PM.

This is an unsolicited kiss. No mistletoe around, either.

Do Kevin McAlister. Wait, you are two and don't know that Home Alone reference? Then just mimic your dad and yes, you have permission to shriek in the house if you are doing the Home Alone impression because it makes us laugh and laugh.

A Baby For Christmas

Isn't a baby for Christmas the most wanted gift?
Shoot, its gotta be.
It even comes with a red ribbon!

What is that you say?
The stores are fresh out?
There's a waiting list for a Christmas baby?

Sad news for you. I've got this year's model and SHE is PERFECT.

It seems a bit inappropriate or inadvsible to say out loud, but I
actually DO hope I have a baby for Christmas every single year. In
addition to inappropriate and inadvisable, I think its probably
impossible.

Yes, That Is Correct.

My boy is standing on a chair instead of in his fancy Helper Tower.
He is licking a knife (!) that has almond butter on it.

And

He kept those dino undies dry all morning.
Lots of, "No, mamabethany, not pee time."
And then finally,
"Yes, pee time, mamabethany."

Of cousre, there are many messes, and he seems to like the Mickey
Mouse undies best, over the $15 padded fancy trainers from Blueberry,
which are very accident friendly. But its going.

"No Dee Dee DIE-per mommy. Undies. Dee Dee no pee in undies."
After a year and a few months of potty learning, I see some fruit in
our less than aggressive stance!

2011 Christmas Card

I really enjoy sending and receiving Christmas cards.

(I got a lovely one from my bloggy friend/former neighbor Abbie the other day!)

Here's the card I made for our family this year using cardstore.com.  I think they are great!

I hope to fame our little cards or otherwise display them in our home as Christmas decorations each year.  I have last year's in a frame next to the photo of us as the Holy Family in the church nativity last year.

And last year's.

And the year before..

 

Future (Mandatory) BFFs

My mom really never put pressure on us to be friends with her friends' kids.  There were plenty of opportunities for fun with her twin's daughters who were loosely the same age as us girls.  When we got together we could enjoy the same toys or play in the same imagination world of microphones and making up dances on a stage.  But by no means were we extremely close with them.

I think I am going to put pressure on my daughter (and son, perhaps) to become extremely close with my friend Ann's daughters.

 They are were born less than two months apart.

They have parents who have lots of shared history, like being in each other's weddings or living in the same residence halls in college.

 They are were born less than two months apart.

They have parents who have lots of shared history.

Their dad's did civil engineering study groups together.  They are all True Daughters of Mizzou.

They are all cute.

They have tough to say/spell German last names that start with H.

They read the same literature.

Aren't they just DESTINED to be pals?

I'm just going to put my foot down.  They MUST giggle together.