Wordless Wednesday

Mike & his best friend showing off the best things they have ever done with their lives....

G - meet your future husband, C

Holiday Recap:: 2009

Christmas Eve

The day felt a little off because there was no snow. Go figure.

BUT G was ready for this holiday show to get on the road.

ahem. HAIR BOWS!!!!

We visited the in laws. Gianna got some fun stuff to play with.

And by some, I mean a lot.Her grandparents got some cute pictures of their favorite granddaughter.

G went to bed pretty close to her usual time after visiting with her other grandparents, aunts and uncle first.

Mom & Dad got to play Santa!!

Christmas Day

we snuggled in bed for a few minutes, which is incredibly unusual for us.

Since her Laugh & Learn House was (obviously) not wrapped - she discovered it in our spare room previously. So when she saw it out - ready to be played with - she was really really excited. (no, seriously, she practically jumped out of my arms)

She got a few more things - and seemed to really like them. And the paper. Duh.

Then we headed to her grandma & grandpa's to have breakfast and open presents with my sisters, mom and step dad.

Lil lil G hung out with Lil G while we ate and passed out presents. You will never guess who had the biggest pile.....

She got tons of fun stuff. And promptly refused to nap. Because TOYSSSSSSS.

We changed her from her pj's to Christmas outfit #1 and let her play. So she would get tired.
Nap #2 refusal coming right up..... remember, TOYSSSSSS!

Next up - Christmas outfit #2 and hello cute!

more TOYSSSSSSSS. and over stimulation. and BOWS!!!

and more cranky.

and still, no nap.

she went to bed at 6p and we didn't hear a peep out of her until 7a.

her loving father put together a few of her toys so she could play the next day. We got a few things too.... and, I am impressed that people (err, my mom) reads AND pays attention to what I write because I got these books and am really excited about it.

it was a pretty awesome first Christmas for her, and us as her parents. The blessings she brings to our life are incredible.

Day After Christmas

(because this TOTALLY counts as a holiday)

TOYSSSSSSSSSS. EVERYWHERE.

I am pretty sure we can open up our own isle at toys-r-us, or really tick off anyone against the use of colorful plastic, with the amount of toys in our living room.

She seems to like everything. mostly.

the dirt off the floor still gets her attention the quickest though. And her shoes.

The Reason

Why do we celebrate christmas?
Who teaches us the reason for such a celebration and joy?

Hopefully your parents taught you - I know that is where I learned about Jesus and the miracles that came from his birth.

Also, hopefully, someone taught you that it's not all about presents and food (even those things are an added bonus) but about togetherness and love.

that is what I hope to pass on to Gianna - we celebrate this time of year for a very special purpose, and the result of that is quality time spent with family and friends.

We are looking forward to the festivities of the next few weeks - and we want to wish all of you reading this a blessed christmas.

Holidays, they are so sneaky

In case you were wondering, bloggerfriends, Christmas is THIS week. 4 days from today.

When did that happen??

I am 90% ready - one more gift to get, a few more to wrap and an outfit to figure out away from being ready anyway. You know, since I had to fight the crazy people on Saturday in order to get my shopping done because I had done pretty much nothing before that. I did get some good deals though, so it paid off I suppose.

I am pretty excited for the holidays this year - you know, being as it's G's first one. But I don't go all out on the whole "first holiday" crap. I want to get her an ornament but I haven't found any that I like - so I will have to keep looking even after Christmas. That is all she needs really.

We always open gifts at my mom's on Christmas morning - this year will be no different, just slightly later so we can do our own thing at home. And the in-laws finally gave in and are coming to my mom's for dinner that day - Gianna and her nap schedule are thankful for this.

This weekend I have been trying to get our house ready for the explosion of toys that I know we will be bringing home, despite my best efforts to steer everyone away from buying her a ton of stuff. I have just accepted it and now I need to get rid of all the "baby" toys so her "big girl" stuff will have somewhere to live. My problem is, I have no clue how to store these things safely. I have piled them all up in a corner of her room for the moment. Internets - how do you store things like baby swings, play mats and the like?

The reason for the season, however, is not at all lost on me. I want to dedicate a whole separate post for that though.

I am just in shock that Christmas is this week and the new year is quickly approaching.

8 months of amazing

when you are 8 months old - the world is a fascinating place.

when you are the mom of an 8 month old - HER world is even more fascinating.

Some things I don't want to forget about her life right now:

• When she is sleepy she rubs her eyes, pulls at her ears and yawns REALLY big. followed by burying her face into her lovie.
• she can stand up. fall down. stand up.
• this past week she figured out how to pick something up off the floor while still standing. it takes very much concentration.
• her voice is a powerful thing. she says "dada, mama & hi" but not with a purpose
• banging on things is super fun.
• she knows her mom and dad and the excitement she gets on her face when she sees us is overwhelming.
• she is very much my daughter - one of her favorite things to do is to play with her shoes.
• she has given a new meaning to "baby proof" - we really try to use redirection rather than removing things from her reach - but like I've said before, she will make a beeline to the one piece of dirt/paper/crumb that you missed! who needs a Dyson....
• yesterday she was wearing pants that were 0-3m. they fit perfectly in the waist. slightly short, but at least she didn't crawl out of them.....
• she has been playing with an empty Gatorade bottle for the past 15 minutes. toys are totally overrated in her book.

She amazes me daily.

I wish I could bottle her determination, energy, and resilience.

Wordless Wednesday

christmas card photo-shoot out-takes

The 7th

December 7th.
The day the most amazing man in my life went to heaven.
My grandpa.

Thinking about the possibility of moving and leaving my family for a better life is scary. But he did it, he moved from another COUNTRY, alone, with only a few dollars to his name. And he made it work. He made it more than work, actually.

I miss him everyday, but obviously I miss him more on days like this one.
Lately I have been thinking of him, and my grandma, a lot. Gianna rubs her ears when she is tired, so did grandpa. It is adorable.

Christmas was grandma's favorite time of year - every time I hear "Santa Clause is Coming to Town" it brings a tear to my eye because she would sing it to me and my sisters all year long whenever we did something we weren't supposed to.

Those two people loved us and each other unconditionally and it hurts my heart that my little girl will never know them.

But what makes my heart swell is the idea that my mom learned what she knows from them and she has already started to pass on that love and memories to her granddaughter.

I have no doubt in my mind that my mom and step dad will mean just as much to Gianna (and all future children) as my grandparents mean to me.

[donate $7 dollars on the 7th]

Wordless Wed Part 2 of 2

see part 1 of 2 here

One of my very best friends married her high school sweetheart 11.21.09