christmas is coming

yesterday was such a busy day...mostly fun. i went to breakfast with three of my five sisters, audrey and jj at paradise bakery (never disappoints) and it was especially fun to see laura who had flown in for the twilight premiere. i then ran to the grocery store with mariah to pick up candy for my advent calendar. i got home and got a call from dave that he was on his way home. i gave audrey her tylenol in preparation for her four month shots, put her down for a quick nap and put the candy in the favor tins. watching audrey get her shots was so sad, she was just screaming and tears were rolling down her cheeks. we came home and put her to bed. i then left the house to meet my sister mariah at the theater to watch twilight. we picked up some dinner and went home to eat it with dave (who was so kind to sit home with audrey alone so mom could go out) and watch a video.

when i got home from the movie i was just going to grab something i had forgotten at the house and drop off my car before mariah and i picked up dinner and dave and audrey met me at the door. he told me i had to come upstairs because audrey had something to show me and i knew he had something up his sleeve. i went upstairs and as i turned the corner i saw that he had set up a christmas tree in our living room. a brand new chrismtas tree that was full and tall. no disrespect to our charlie brown tree we have used in previous years, it has served it's purpose, but i have wanted a new one for a couple of years. our tree we've used in the past is just so skinny and short, i have always propped it up on a box and then covered the box with a tree skirt so that it would be a little taller and this new tree touches the ceiling! i was so excited and audrey was pretty fascinated by it too. i will post a picture when it is all decorated though we may need some new ornaments since this tree is so much bigger. here is a picture of our old tree set up last year. it is the only one i could find, guess i better start taking more pictures!

"where there's love, there's room"

growing up with a plethora of siblings, i often heard my mom say, "where there's love, there's room." i specifically remember her saying this when we were on car trips. there were always lots of elbows and legs and complaining was commonplace. i remember driving to my nana's house and trying to fall asleep so that we would get there faster. this is one of those phrases that you have heard so many times that you catch yourself saying when you don't realize it...or if you are me, you say it very much on purpose for comic relief in places with strangers like elevators and restaurants.

when i worked at fidelity investments, i worked in a secure building. basically if you went into a stairwell when your security badge was not activated (which happened from time to time when working beyond your scheduled hours and since overtime was required, it happened fairly often) or you happened to not have your badge with you, you were stuck. did i mention that most cell phones did not get service in this building? suffice it to say, most employees took the elevator...which made for a very crowded elevator and with so many different people working in one building (the chamber of commerce building) you never rode with the same group twice. whenever someone looked annoyed at the last person to run and just make it before the doors closed, i would always say, "where there's love, there's room" sometimes i would even say, "my mom always says, where there's love, there's room" and everyone laughed. i love to make people laugh and i am not a big fan of tension so it worked out very well for me on numerous elevator trips. i have used it in crowded waiting rooms at the doctor's office and at restaurants on busy weekend nights. i sort of fell out of the habit of saying or even thinking about it until tonight. i don't know what the catalyst was that brought it to the forefront of my mind today, but as i was struggling to find sleep i found this all too familiar phrase repeating itself over and over in my mind.

i stopped trying to sleep. it was a vain effort anyway. i started to think about this phrase. i mean, really think about it. where there is love, there is room. where there is love, there is patience. where there is love, there is kindness. i thought about the world that we live in today. how often in life do we find the exact opposite to be the case? where there is room, there is love. or sometimes, where there is room, there is tolerance. if i am bored out of my gourd and you happen to be around then you can use some of my time. if i don't have anything better to do and you have something that interests me, i will put up with you.

it reminds me of something that i experienced today. you learn a lot about yourself when you are a parent. sometimes more than you ever wanted to know. ignorance is bliss, right? you know what else? you learn a lot about other people too. today i met a friend for lunch and i have never had a lunch like that before. audrey was SCREAMING, completely inconsolable. she was fed, her diaper was changed, and out of the blue she went from picture perfect baby to demon spawn...not really, but it was honestly a jekyll/hyde transformation in two seconds flat. i think she is teething. i got up with her and walked around the restaurant and bounced her and took her outside. i whispered in her ear and kissed her cheek and did all the things she loves that usually calm her right down...to no avail. finally, she calmed down (no rhyme or reason to it) and all the people around me that had had their meal interrupted just smiled politely (you know how there are so many types of smiles and some are not polite or kind in the least? these were kind, polite smiles) and everyone who walked by showered compliments and praise on audrey and her mama. i couldn't get over it. how easy would it have been to be agitated that they could not hear themselves think, let alone hear each other with an infant crying and carrying on? instead, they smiled and offered up pleasantries to us. it might sound cheesy, but these complete strangers were so loving. i wondered how i would react in a similar situation. if it were my sister or my best friend, it would be easy to have empathy because i love them. what if it was a stranger? it was a lesson in kindness for me.

i think in the hustle and bustle of life, it is easy to have a "where there is room or time or when you fit into my schedule, there is love" point of view, but what a better world we would live in if we each tried everyday to have more love and open up our hearts to give a little room to those who may need it.

my turn on earth

this was my favorite book growing up. it has been out of print for many years. i found a copy of it online and purchased it for audrey for christmas and i was so happy when it came in the mail today. the cover has normal wear and tear but the pages are in beautiful condition. unmarked and clean, ready to be read and adored by a little girl (and her mother) but some of the pages are a little loose. i would like to rebind this book if possible so that it can be used for many years and many (hopefully at least two) children. anyone know of a book binding place that is reasonably priced? kinkos does a spiral binding for a good price but i would like to use the original hardcover since it is in good condition and will preserve the book better. any suggestions?

husband of the year

have you ever had a day when you are supposed to meet your husband for lunch but you just put your baby girl down for a nap and don't want to wake her up, have tried on a few different things to wear but you still look six months pregnant, break down into tears and cancel lunch because you just don't feel like it only to hear your front door opening forty minutes later to see your husband that took his entire lunch to drive home and drive back to work just to give you a hug cause he knew you needed one? that was my day on wednesday. what a sweetheart.

presenting - the diaper monologues...

posted by dad: princess is beginning to discover her voice and this is a sample of how chatty she's been today. in all honesty, she just wasn't loving what sean hannity was rambling on and on and on about...that's my girl!!

visions of sugar plums

so my little craft project (advent calendar) from last week turned out to be a lot more work than i thought it would be...basically because of all the materials that i had to gather. doing crafts is new to me so my craft cart up to this point has basically just stored photographs.

i was so excited about this project that i couldn't sleep on monday night. i just kept thinking about this advent calendar. i felt like a little kid on christmas eve. i am so excited to put strips of paper with fun christmas activities on them (reading a christmas story and having hot chocolate before bed or baking cookies for the neighbors) in the little tins with a little treat. you know, all the fun things you want to do at christmas that sometimes you just don't get around to unless you schedule them. i thought that i could even put a bracelet or earrings and stickers in a few of them once audrey is a little older. i am excited to establish holiday traditions with our little family and this one seems like such a fun one. i stole this idea from nicole. i saw the one she made on her blog and i fell in love with the idea. it didn't turn out exactly how i wanted but it was fun to make and it will be fun to use.




these are little favor tins fastened to the calendar with velcro that will be filled with candy, stickers, activities or anything fun and festive...

do as i say, not as i do

oh boy, this past week has been hard one. little one has been pretty fussy and has refused to take naps i have been very tired. when i am tired i become agitated much more easily...not so much with audrey but with myself. i find i have a wealth of patience for audrey and her little pains and bouts of crying but it is hard to find that patience with myself. i find i am disappointed because i want to do things perfectly and if i fall short of my expectations (no matter how unrealistic) i feel like a failure. i have thought about this a lot this week. i look at my baby girl and i want to give her everything...i don't mean everything in the material sense but every advantage as far as the intangibles. i want to give her confidence. i want to give her love. i want to give her wisdom. i want to teach her to love other people. i want to give her the gift of knowing how wonderful she is. i want to teach her forgiveness, not just forgiveness for others but forgiveness for herself. i want to give her knowledge. i want her to know that life is a journey, that each one of us is a work in progress and that mistakes are made and life goes on.

when i was growing up, my mom often said, "those things happen" when we would spill milk or break a glass and yet i find in my life when i burn dinner or break something, i beat myself up. i am sure that when audrey disappoints herself on a test in school or drops something i will say, "those things happen" and mop it up and give her a hug and move on but i have noticed this week two little eyes on me constantly. since audrey has been a little more fussy than usual, we have spent more time at home. no matter what i am doing, audrey is watching. she watches me make her bottle, do the dishes, type on the computer, talk on the phone...all the time she is learning about life from what her mom does. it is a big responsibility. i feel the weight of it as she watches me. what am i saying that one day audrey will say? what am i doing that one day audrey will do? i am so hard on myself and that is a problem. no matter how much patience i have with audrey, unless i can learn to be more patient with myself, audrey will learn that in order to be acceptable, she has to be perfect (to me she already is) and do things perfectly the first time, every time. she is teaching me every day about myself and who i want to be. it is becoming that person that is the trick.

two little blue eyes watching me as i snap her in her car seat...

lifesaver

little audrey would not nap today. she took two mini naps of five minutes each (one in her crib and one in her swing) but she would not stay asleep. poor little girl was just exhausted. as long as i was holding her she was calm and happy. out of desperation, i pulled out the baby bjorn and put her in it. she liked it. i unloaded the dishwasher, cleaned the kitchen, made dinner all while wearing my little princess...carrying her around on my belly, it was a little reminiscent of being pregnant. i move more slowly and am very protective of my this baby on my belly, haha. i think she liked being able to be part of the "action" and being near me. it is flattering to have someone want to be with you all the time. i know i should take full advantage of it. the time will soon come where i have to share her...she'll have friends, school, activities...but for now she is all mine during the day and this bjorn is a lifesaver.

when dave got home he gave me a break. i needed to get out for a bit. i went to two craft stores (i know, i am a wild woman) to gather materials for a project i am starting. i love craft stores. i love walking the aisles and looking at all the stuff. although i am not as crafty as i wish i was, i get inspired when i am there. so many possibilities...

i remember years ago someone told my mom that they would give anything to know the scriptures the way she she knew them. isn't that interesting? they would give anything...anything but the time to study them to get to know them that way. i have thought about that a lot throughout my life. you see a concert pianist and it is easy to think, "wow, i would give anything to be able to play like that." a concert pianist doesn't wake up one day playing piano concertos. they dedicate years and years to practicing and developing their talent. i have often wished i was more crafty but shy away from "crafting" so now i am going to take the time to try my hand at some projects. wish me luck!

what a rough life

audrey fell asleep like this in her swing. i had to take a picture.

more halloween pictures

on halloween night we had my brother and sister and their roommates over for some beef stew and pumpkin bars. it was fun to eat dinner and give out candy to the trick or treaters. our little audrey went to bed at five and slept through the entire party...she was actually out for the night! that is what happens when she doesn't get an afternoon nap. it was a little sad. she had a daytime costume and an evening costume and we didn't get to dress her up in her evening costume. i put it on a few days ago and she looked so cute in it. i will have to dress her up in it and take a few pictures. her first halloween was spent in dreamland but we had fun watching halloween cartoons (ichabod and it's the great pumpkin, charlie brown). i can't wait to take audrey trick or treating next year (assuming she will stay up that late).

andy and his roommate brett (dressed up as hook and peter pan)

mariah and her roommate melanie (dressed up as a mime and a boxing champion)

group picture (minus our sleeping ladybug and julie, the photographer)