Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label holidays. Show all posts

Thursday, January 8, 2009

What we did over the holidays part 1

(In no way can I capture the absolute brilliance of what I lost in my earlier attempt at posting this, but this will have to do.)
Well, I guess I'm not leading the pack of holiday bloggers. Oh well. I've just been trying to draw out the suspense. Aren't ya just chomping at the bit? Anyway, the weekend before christmas we began our holiday festivities. I sent the boys out of the house to go meet up with Santa at his favorite hang-out. Yes, the local Krispy Kreme doughnut shop. Carter took Santa a piece of wrapping paper that "fell out of his sleigh", his personalized Christmas adventure book (very important to a two year old) and a Spongebob Squarepants sponge (this one's an odd choice). Meanwhile, Betty Crocker (Moi) was at home baking food for our day trip to Jackson. We were heading there to celebrate Christmas with some of Kevin's side of the family. Carter was totally excited when he got home after meeting the fat man.

Being from Michigan I'm prone to dressing for the holiday season, ie., courdoroy, sweaters or at least long sleeves... However, I forget that Mississippi is is about 17 miles away from the firey gates of Hell and here you generally need to attire yourself in tank tops and shorts. Hmm, do they even make holiday wear for the tropics? I must look into it. So, I know you can't tell from this picture but it is about 70 degrees out and my poor, stubborn child refuses to change out of his overalls. He loves him some overalls, especially when him and Santa were wearing matching outfits just that very morning. Good grief. Anylooo, my Funny Guy is seen above immersed in the local culture of 4-wheeling and football.


So the day after, we had a giant Christmas cookie making session planned. I honestly thought starting out that we wouldn't be needing aprons. Yes, I am very smart. Flour was everywhere and those cookies tasted like crap, lemme tell ya. But hey! That's not the point. Carter got to cut shapes out and decorate them with bright, sugary icing, jelly beans and sprinkles. He was on toddler cloud nine.
(Let me just say that I have no idea what is wrong with blogger or picasa but these postings with pictures have been looking like crap. I have no energy to try to fix it. Also, I am tired now and will do part 2 tomorrow. I swear I will get these all posted by Easter.)
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Monday, December 15, 2008

The holiday season and weekend getaways

The last few days have been such fun! Well, at least Saturday and Sunday have been.... Friday was just bad. Very bad. Mental patient bad. I could have used a Whiskey I.V.


Buuuuuut, Saturday I woke up excited because Kevin and I were going to the Coast for his work Christmas party. I was viewing it as a Romantic Getaway of sorts (with our 2 month old). Hey! At least I didn't have to argue, barter and finangle my way through another weekend with my 2 year old; he was staying at home with Grammy & Papa. Oh joy!

(note: I missed the hell out of my youngster despite all the hoops he makes me jump through on a daily basis)

We had a hotel room at The Grand so we loaded up our mini van and a Uhaul for one night away with ourselves and our 2month old baby. Just kidding, of course, about the Uhaul but our mini van was packed full of crap. Why do kids require so much stuff when traveling?? I guess it's more me than anything. I like to be prepared for any situation.

Anyway, we checked in and got situated and it was so......quiet. I mean we were staying in a casino hotel but I mean it was quiet; in a way only a mother of two who left the older chatterbox at home, could understand. :) I could actually hear my baby coo gently and Kevin and I could hold a conversation from beginning to end. It was weird.
We got ready to go to the party and headed out. I had bought a pair of larger dress pants on the way down because I was unwilling to wear maternity clothes but I opted not to get a new shirt. I figured my red sweater would be stretchy enough to fit, and it was....but it fit a little too well, if ya know what I mean. Unfortunately I spent most of the evening self consciously tugging at the form fitting waist of the shirt trying to pull it down over my odd shaped belly and camel humps. Ah well. I got through it.
So we are dressed nicely (Kevin was quiet dapper) and we are toting our 2 month old along. He was so amazingly good. I nursed him at 6:30 or 7:00 and put him in the stroller with a little blanket tent and he was good to go. (note: he ended up sleeping until 3:30 that morning, even with being transferred to carseat and then to bassinet in hotel room) During the Christmas party I got the mix of looks and comments from people ranging from Why would she bring her baby to a party?! to Ahhh, I wish I brought my little one along.... I can't please everybody but survival is key and I neeeeeed to be able to hang out at social functions now and again. I just do what I have to do.
Mommy got to have a couple of cocktails (yum) and didn't even need to use the back-up breast milk. Yeah!
After a lovely night sleeping in the most comfortable bed in the world and not getting kicked in the head, we went to the breakfast buffet. It was relaxed and fun and it totally recharged me. Mother's guilt set in sometime between the walk from the room and my made-to-order omelette. Sigh. So we stopped off at the overpriced gift shop for a Pwesent for Carter. I knew since I said I'd bring him one that he would remember. The days of him forgetting things like that are long gone. He has a memory like an elephant and he'll call you out on things you tell/promise him. It was an agonizing decision, "Hmmm, 20 dollar penguin or 20 dollar alligator....". :) The alligator won out and has since never left his side. He was pleased. I live to serve.
After we got home and attacked our youngster with kisses like we had been gone for weeks, we lazed about all day until dusk when we all loaded in the car again and headed out to see some awesome Christmas lights.
For all of you non-locals, the Lewis Lights are THE place to get some Christmas cheer. This family out in bfe starts decorating in October and by December 1st they are on from 5:30 until 9:00pm every night until New Years. They are amazing. You walk along a path that is strung back and forth across their property and covered with some 15,000 lights (I think that is what they said...is that alot? I dunno). Plus, it's free. Free fits our budget very well, I might add. They take donations to cover the exorbitant electric bill, though.
I'm so glad there is something like this for the little ones especially. Carter absolutely loves it and we try to go a few times each season. This time he grabbed the camera and took a picture of every display. I will have to post some of them because I was pretty surprised how well he did lining them up in the frame and all....maybe he will be a famous photographer. Look out Ansel Adams!
Check some of these out, and keep in mind, he's two...... and we are obnoxiously proud parents... and this is my blog and I can post whatever I want. :)


















Well that was our weekend.
Last night I got to the Wrapping of the Presents. *sigh* I never thought I would get sick of seeing the same wrapping paper. Remind me next year to buy more of a variety....and to organize all of my wrapping supplies. Egads! It's a mess.
Christmas is fast approaching! What happened to December being soooooo long that it was actually painful. I remember thinking that Christmas would never come. Haha. Time flies when you get old.
(I have no idea why blogger won't let me alter this last paragraph so it's not right on top of those pictures but whatever....looks sloppy. stupid.)

Monday, December 8, 2008

Gettin' in the Spirit

We are going a little light on decorating this year as we had many broken things last year. Carter will slow down and actually hear the word "No" one of these days, right? Anyway, we still have our Christmas Spirit! So join us in a few Carols!

To the tune of Jingle Bells:

Ahem. MeMeMeMe Meeeeeeeee. (throat clearing)

"Jingle Bells, my house smells,
Will someone vacuum, please?
The Christmas Tree is under siege,
and I still wear Mat-er-nity... Hey!"

To the tune of O Christmas Tree:

"O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Thy branches plucked and pulled constantly.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Thy ornaments mashed and bent awkwardly.
My laundry Pile rivals thee,
it's stacked up high in wrinkled glo-ry.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
thoust beauty drowned in laun-dry."

Carter has just ordered me to "Stoooooop Singgggging". Scrooge.

Wednesday, November 26, 2008

The Holidays

Well, hate to be a Debbie Downer but I'm not much of a fan of Thanksgiving these days... I think I've felt this way ever since November 26th, 2003 when my mother passed away. So today marks 5 years of life without her. I suppose I should feel thankful that I had 26 years of my life to know her and love her. :)
Thanks Mom, for all you taught me, for all the love you gave me, and for all the wonderful memories I have to revisit in my head. Miss you everyday.

Anyway, holidays make me miss my family all the more. Woe is me, right?

Well, Christmas is officially around the corner! It's my favorite holiday (as it was my mother's). I become totally bipolar and my emotions begin to fluxuate between extreme giddiness (because deep down I'm still 14) and despondency whenever I think too much about missing my mom or the rest of my family. I'll put on Christmas cd's and I never can tell how they will affect me. Will I start crying because the memories are flooding in? Or will the warmth and joy of the season just flow over me. *shrug* It's a crapshoot. Coockoo.
Anyway, as it stands right now, I'm excited to get Thanksgiving over with and Christmas started.
Now I just have to find the time to wrap presents.... aww hell.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Candy hangover

Hope everyone enjoyed the pics from Zoo Boo! and Carter's first time Trick-or-Treating. He did just enough (about 8 houses) to get into the spirit of things and to bring home some edible loot for mommy.

Anyway, the last two mornings we have been sleeping in. It's amazing that a mother of a toddler and a newborn gets to sleep in until 10 a.m., isn't it? Today Kevin and I got up and started breakfast and coffee while the kids slumbered on and on and on. So weird. Carter finally got his butt out of bed around 10:30....nursing a candy hangover, no doubt. :) Crazy. It's kinda like he is already becoming a teenager. When I moved him into his bed last night I was shocked to discover that he now weighs a ton and is all arms and legs. What happened to my chubby little munchkin that curled into my arms? Now he just flops all over the place. Oh man is he growing!

His new thing is "This?" and pointing to everything. So all day long I'm saying stuff like "That's the door. That's the fan. That's a nail. That's dirt. That's another door. That's a leaf. Argggghhhh!" He knows what all this stuff is but is now insisting on an inventory of every room we're in and every picture he sees. Tedious but cute.

Friday, August 29, 2008

Batten down the hatches!

Lawd! I'm so tired. Thank goodness I decided long ago not to have a party at my house. It would have totally stressed me out.
As it stands right now...it took me 35 minutes to drive 6 miles back to my house from Sam's Club. Carter's dinosaur cake had to be redone because they didn't do it right the first time and even now I am laughing about the redo (kinda looks like the 2 dinos had a big lunch and pooped all over the cake...must post picture of it later). It looks more like it's supposed to now, though, and it smells divine. I love Sam's cakes.
Hmmm, you want more bitching and moaning, you say?! Why certainly!
I have a headache. I am having a lot of contractions. It's 97 degrees. Everyone in this town who has a car has decided to go for a drive on the main drag but with a sense of panic. Finally, I still have no idea what this holiday has in store for us.....are we leaving? staying? buying automatic weapons?
Anyway, I just can't wait for my baby's birthday tomorrow. He will be so excited. He saw his cake already and keeps yelling "Peazzz, mama? Me? Piece?? Peazzz? Mine? Rooooaaaar!!!!" He loves it. Funny guy.
Will I survive this weekend? :)