Last Blog of the year ...

Well we're ushering out 2008 ... What a year!

Maybe early 2009 I'll pay a homage to 2008, right now I have the end of the year exhaustion hitting the brain cells!

Tonight we celebrated New Year's Eve with Mel and Morgan and auntie Jen.

This morning we headed to the zoo. The kids ran around like crazy, we ran into a family we know from our adoption forum (they are visiting from California ... HI MARLEY!!). We headed home and while Morgan napped in Lucy bed, Lucy and I made blueberry muffins. At dinner time we all bundled up and walked to our neighborhood pizza joint, pulling the kids on sleds, a new year's eve tradition. Everyone chowed down on pizza and then we walked/sledded home. The kids went NUTS. NUTS! Running around, jumping, totally wrecking the house they were totally wound up. Had a friend that I've known since kindergarden stop by for a visit (hi Tara). Got the kids calmed down enough to watch 1/2 hour of Shrek 2 and then Mel and Morgan headed home. Lucy did not complain about bedtime, she was a wreck! I can't believe that 2009 will be the year Lucy turns 4 uggg they grow so fast.

Until next year!

Holy Hoola Hoop

4 crazy hoopers and not a single injury

Bear with me ...

this is TOTALLY worth watching the whole way through ... seriously, even if she wasn't my kid I would think this is the most precious thing ever ....

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She's (1)3 year old!

Holy craptastic brain fry. Seriously, someone, get this kid a sibling because her momma is done played out!

The Christmas guitar

please excuse the mess in the background as Christmas sort of threw up in our house today!

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Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Whew ... this momma is tired! We've had quite the busy two days. This was such a fun Christmas. Lucy is at such a perfect age to really enjoy the activities. She hasn't yet developed any insane need for "stuff", so her joy is not really about the gifts, it's about being with all the people and parties. Lucy shines in a crowd (unlike her momma). Christmas Eve we celebrated with my dad's side of the family. My aunt and uncle have a new house and it held our family quite nicely. We arrived home in time to play with some new toys, have a snack and head out to church. Lucy danced and danced at the rockn' candlelight service. She took her responsibility of carefully sharing the lit candle with momma very seriously. Lucy went to bed very very late on Christmas Eve. Grandma and Grandpa spent the night at our house so Lucy was in heaven when she woke up on Christmas morning. We opened stockings, had breakfast and played a little before heading over to my uncles to celebrate my mom's side of the family. We were a little burnt out tonight and Lucy was a kid on the edge until I got some real (non cookie) food in her! I'm currently on edge a little as my house is overwhelmed with new stuff and packaging but I am trying to enjoy the moment.

Christmas part 2

Tonight we celebrated with Mel and Morgan. We opened gifts, had homemade pizza and homemade oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. If we go by Lucy's outrageously swinging moods today I'd say we have quite a long couple days in store AND hope that someone is bringing Bailey's to Christmas Eve because mommy needs a drink! Once again, I say bring it on, bring it all on ... Morgan and Lucy were precious little angel/demons tonight and although perfect children would be easier, they'd sure be boring and they definately wouldn't be ours! I can't believe how much there is to be thankful for.

Christmas with the boys ...

Every year we get together with the boys to celebrate Christmas. We have appetizers for dinner, open gifts and drive around drinking coffee and looking at Christmas lights. One day, darn it, all the kids will appreciate this wonderful tradition and will refrain from: 1. falling asleep the second we get in the car to look at lights, 2. high pitch screaming 3. yelling at the screamer 4. playing video games instead of looking at lights 5. spontaneosly deciding that she's not going to be anyone's best friend.

didn't matter though, the chaos, the noise, the defiance ... I love these guys and all of the chaos is a small price to pay for the blessings that these four kids bring to our lives and to each others lives.

and they all gave us the gift of eventually falling asleep so we got to skip bedtime routines. Nathan gave us the gift before we pulled out of the garage!

more festivities coming

Saturday

Today we braved the snowy weather to drive the few blocks to The Braid Factory and get Lucy's hair professionally braided for the first time. She was so sweet and so brave.

Sometimes it hurt and she held onto my head for support, I felt really bad.

She sat so nice, and people commented on how cute she was and how well spoken (she gets a lot of practice since she talks from the second she wakes up until the second she falls asleep)

She kept moving her head as far away from the lady as she could.

After the torture we went to Matt's Bar for "Jucy Lucy's". Her hair looks so cute!

This Morning ...

Lucy: momma, MOMMA, MOMMA, MMMMMMOOOOOOOMMMMMMAAAAA!!!!!!!!!



Momma: stumbling in her room, half asleep, sorta limping ... Lucy you have to give me a second to respond!

Lucy: OH were you sleeping momma?

Momma: yes honey

Lucy: oh ok

one more day one more day

one more day until I start holiday break! Two weeks and one day of free vacation time. I love it. Tomorrow is an extra long day, working until 7:30 pm and busy too but it'll make me appreciate the time off that much more. Today with Lucy was practically perfect in everyway. The not perfect part was that she wet the bed last night, but hey, it was the first time she ever wet the bed since going pull-up free about a month ago. She handled the abrupt stripping really well (usually she fights getting out of pj's in the morning). She slept late, woke up happy, and sped through the morning routine in a really cooperative fashion. They reported that Lucy had a great day in preschool. We had a spontaneous change of plans as a friend needed help getting her son from his preschool so off we went and Lucy was compliant about the whole thing. Lucy was really sweet to Nathan when he was sad that his mom didn't pick him up, and the two of them laughed during the whole car ride. We met up with my friend and her other kids at mcdonalds and the kids played hard for a while, Lucy even met a couple new friends there. It was just really nice with no complications and no drama. I think I was her "friend" all night long.

Cyber-Caroling

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Sunday night ...

Heading into the last week before winter break! This year both Lucy and I have the same two weeks off of work/school. Here are some photos from the weekend:

OUR FINISHED GINGER BREAD HOUSE

LUCY WORKING HARD ON DECORATING

JACOB WANTS TO EAT IT!

BUILDING THE HOUSES

OUR SNOWMAN

This morning ...

I witnessed one of Lucy's little preschool friends being mean to her. OMG I wanted to kick that little kids' *ss! I am not trying to pretend that Lucy is a total pacifist when it comes to peer relationships BUT the sad sad look in my sweet girl's eyes brought out the mother lion in me so I turned my back on the little bully and gave my girl
kisses and told her she was sweet and loveable and a friend to all. Seriously this stuff starts when they're 3? Ugggh. Don't mess with my kid people. Don't do it.

Friends ...

It is great when your kid and your friend's kid can find friendship!