Merry Kiss'um & a Happy New Year

I can't believe it's already been a week since Christmas. This year was so much fun with our two kids, and all of our families close by. The budget was uncomfortably tight this year as far as shopping went. But when it came down to it...we didn't even miss the extra spending. I guess sometimes it takes outside forces to help you slow down and realize what it's all about.

Christmas was so much fun with Merrick being a little older this year. He loved the snow we had, (and I definitely let him eat lots of it, and stomp in it until his socks were soaked) and he had a great time opening his presents, and anyone else's he could get his hands on.

Tirzah wasn't really aware of what is going on...but apparently gift bows make a great snack, but are infuriating when your mother puts one on your head. Sorry...I had no idea one could be so touchy about gift bows on their head.


The hooligans really didn't need excessive gifts, and neither did I, to enjoy this holiday season. *Although I got some very fun things...like a LensBaby!*

I think it's easier to stop and realize what is important once you have kids of your own. Just being with them, and all of us healthy and close to each other...is present enough. We've had a crazy year...Tirzah's birthday, Merrick's 2nd birthday, a brief hospital stay for Tirzah, increasing busyness at work, lots of traveling for work, various illnesses and other stuff, but...lots of great stuff.

I know one day my sentimental outbursts may make my kids roll their eyes a bit..."Why is mom crying...again? Happy tears kids."...but for now they are blissfully unaware. ;)

I've been so stretched, stressed, refreshed, exhausted, satisfied, taught, and blessed this year. I can't wait to see what the new year holds for our crazy little family.
To quote Merrick..."Merry kiss'um" and a Happy New Year y'all! :)

Plug

What are best friends for? All kinds of things...and making shameless plugs for each other is one of them. ;) So I just wanted to take this moment to do that for one of my best pal's, and fellow blogger, Jessi. Check out her blog here. She has just opened up an Etsy shop. If you don't know what Etsy is check out their site. In their own words it's a place to "buy and sell all thing handmade".

It's got all kinds of cool things for sale, and is a great place to get your things out onto the world wide web for people to see and buy.

My best pal is making the cutest pacifier clips for babies, and sells them in several different styles, and they are personalized. As a mom of an expert pacifier spitter...I LOVE these kinds of things. Tirzah would win a gold medal in pacifier spitting...and it never fails to hit the floor. The dirtier the floor the greater the likelihood that it will land on it. :)

I must say I'm a bit partial to this pink one she has on display on her site...;) Click on the picture below to see more!

What I Go Through...

...for a picture of my kids.

I think I'll have to resign myself to the fact that I may never get a picture of my two hooligans, together, where someone is not crying, or picking the other one's nose, or falling over, or helping the other fall over, or running out of the picture, etc.
Sometimes this leads to alot of frustration and tantrums. And I'm talking about me, not the kids. ;)

I take 50-some pictures and come out with 2 that might kind of sort of work if I crop this out and edit this, and try to somehow...eh, nevermind. Just start over when they've both had naps and lunch.

I realized though, that in the process of trying to get a posed *now put your hand here, and tilt your head just like this, NO LIKE THIS* photo...I got some pretty great shots of my kiddos in the process. And my husband at his finest: Being the great daddy that he is. :) Making our babies laugh and putting up with my budding photography addiction.

This photo shoot may not have turned out exactly as I had planned, both of them sitting still in the chair with their funny winter hats on, but I think it turned out just right all the same. :)

This week at i ♥ faces the theme was "Hilarious Outtakes". We've got plenty of that around here. ;) Check out their site for more great *bloopers*.

One of Those People

If you read my blog you may remember the last little baking attempt with the 6-layer-cake turned 3-layer cake. That wasn't SO bad...I mean, the 3 layers turned out ok. Maybe in the long run my waistline will thank me for only having half a cake anyway.

I decided...after seeing way too many people baking and making presents for the holidays that I was going to take another crack at making something in the kitchen besides a big mess. Don't get me wrong, I can cook pretty well for the most part. I just get really distracted if a recipe takes too long, and also my kids get pretty loud if a recipe takes too long. I used to cook a lot more fancy-shmancy stuff before the kids came along...but Merrick won't eat it, and Billy isn't really impressed with anything that doesn't include grease. ;) I kind of feel like my efforts are wasted, even though Billy assures me that he really likes when I go all out with dinner.

So I came across a recipe on a blog that I really like to read for Peppermint Bark. I don't like peppermint bark. I guess this may come from the fact that, well, I don't like peppermint. I hate candy canes...and frankly even most mint gum makes me gag. I do love white chocolate...but even the chocolate won't make me eat peppermint bark. But...my grandma loves it. This blogger made it look so easy, so I decided I could be one of those people. The ones who actually make Christmas presents. I've always thought those people were so creative...they make me jealous.


I'm happy to say that this little experiment went much better than the last kitchen-related experiment. My sister and I got together and made our first batch of peppermint bark earlier this week together over wedding plans. *She's getting married in March...so exciting!* It was kind of nice because since I don't like peppermint bark...I didn't even eat half the ingredients, like I always do with cake batter and cookie dough. We hope that Grandma enjoys it. That woman has a sweet tooth that can't be satisfied...but she's very picky. I think I'll let her taste it before I tell her I made it myself. ;)

Here With Us

It's still a mystery to me
That the hands of God could be so small,
How tiny fingers reaching in the night
Were the very hands that measured the sky

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Son of God, Servant King,
You're here with us
You're here with us

It's still a mystery to me, oh,
How His infant eyes have seen the dawn of time
How His ears have heard an angel's symphony,
But still Mary had to rock her Savior to sleep

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Son of God, Servant King
Here with us
You're here with us

Jesus the Christ, born in Bethlehem
A baby born to save, to save the souls of man

Hallelujah, hallelujah
Heaven's love reaching down to save the world
Hallelujah, hallelujah
Son of God, Servant King
You're here with us
You're here with us

- Here With Us / Joy Williams -

Merry Christmas!

Tacky

It's becoming something of a tradition for me and Billy, and the hooligans, to go and see the Tacky Light Tour near where we live. We don't have a lot of lights at our place, but both of us love looking at the lights, and so do the kids.

Well, if you'd been in the car you might not believe the kids actually like it...for the screaming. But I promise, they just don't like the car, or their seats, or their coats, or maybe they just don't like that their parents are driving them around in the car in their seats in their coats all at the same time. Sorry kids...but you'll thank us one day.

Did I just say that? ;)

Seriously, thought I don't think they have anything against Christmas lights...Merrick loves them. They just may be a bit young to appreciate the car ride that's necessary to enjoy the tackiness.

I got in a few photos of some of the most done-up houses. The first one was done in a beach theme...with everything from Santa in a Hawaiian shirt to lobsters and a sunshine. And several others are just covered from the shingles to mailbox in lights and inflatables. Some houses' lights were even synced with Christmas music, flashing on and off with the different carols.

About halfway through the trip, I ended up in the backseat. Tirzah was screaming for a bottle and Merrick was screaming so he wouldn't be outdone by his little sister. But once I got in the backseat things settled down a little bit. I'll take being a little cramped in between two carseats any day if it means riding in peace and quiet. ;)
Maybe one day we'll put up our own tacky lights, so that we can enjoy them from our own yard. No carseats, coats, cars, or screaming, required. ;)

How We Do

Over the weekend we all got "snowed in" here on the east coast. Don't laugh if you are reading this and live north of Virginia...I know that this is a mere dusting of snow for many people. But, out here in the woods we aren't used to all this fluffy stuff. Deer in the road we can handle...cows even. Alot of people tend to look like lost cows driving on the roads when it snows. I think that the cause of most of the accidents were the people trying NOT to cause the accidents during our little, ahem, blizzard.

My husband and my sister's brother had to brave the roads, and even scarier, the other drivers, to go get diapers for the hooligans. We decided if we were going to get snowed in, we needed to have diapers. I mean...snowed in with kids is crazy enough. Snowed in with kids without diapers? Well that's a whole different ballgame. They made it, thankfully. I think we have enough diapers now to outlast the blizzard. It's the diet Dr. Pepper I'm afraid we might run out of. I don't do well without my diet Dr. Pepper...or my camera. This picture kind of sums up our weekend: snow pouring down outside, hanging out, eating, and of course me taking photographic evidence.

I guess if I have to get snowed in, these are the people I'd want to be snowed in with. Sure we get on each others nerves occasionally...ok maybe a lot, but we have a great time. When we are together, we spend most of our time, holidays or not, in mom's kitchen. *Mom doesn't really cook...but for some reason kitchens just make a great place to hang out ;)* Some things, thankfully, never change. :)


This week the theme at i ♥ faces the theme is "Holiday Traditions". Check out their site for more great photos!

Cupid

Billy likes to take credit for my sister and her fiance as of last Friday night getting together. But I think that I'm the real matchmaker here. I'll explain that in a second...but here is a picture of the happy couple:

Usually in the summer, my youth pastor husband takes our crazy students to Tennessee for youth camp. This past summer I was very pregnant and thinking it would be any day when Tirzah Shae made her arrival. I didn't particularly want my husband a good 8 hour trip away from me and a frantic trip to L&D. Therefore...I put my hormonal, swollen foot down and told him to find a camp within 2 hours from where we live, since I couldn't go to camp I at least wanted him nearby. He didn't really even want to go to camp and leave me home alone, grumpy and huge as I was, because he was afraid he would miss our little girl's arrival. *She did wait for him to get home, but had he been 8 hours away he definitely would have missed it...labor only lasted about 5 hours. :)*

Anyway...the point of all this rambling is just to say that I take credit for these two getting together. ;) He says its because he picked the camp...I say it's because I was about to have a baby and told him to pick a different camp. I guess this is one argument that we'll never resolve...but at least it's for a good cause.

Here is a picture of my future bro-in-law, down on one knee, asking my little sister to marry him. This was at a coffee shop where he had just played a set of songs he wrote himself. I cannot believe my little sister is getting married, but am totally thrilled for both of them. :)

And of course, she said yes. Like we ever considered she would say no. Not kidding, she has already ordered her dress, and my matron of honor dress is hanging in my closet behind me as I write this. We weren't expecting these two to get married or anything. ;) They are so great together...they are just so darn cute you can hardly keep from smiling at how happy they are. They are one of those happy couples that some people can't stand to be around because they are so in love. Just how it should be in my opinion. :)

I think, even while 9 months pregnant and miserable, I did a pretty good job as cupid. Right Billy? ;)

I'll have a Blue Flu Christmas

So I really am kidding...I hope. I have pretty much bathed my children in hand sanitizer every time we are out in public these days. I am not 100% sure if it really works...but as a hypochondriac I'll try anything to kill a germ. I figure it can't hurt. I'm not sure about when Merrick tries to eat it...that might be going to far. :) At least his mouth is clean.

We went to the mall yesterday for a little last minute tantrum-throwing in public, I mean shopping. *Merrick seems to get a kick out of doing things in public that he never does at home, simply because I think he knows I'll be caught off guard and distracted. Someone please comment and tell me this is normal 2 year old behavior...so I feel a little bit sane?* And against my better judgment I let Merrick ride the swine-flu mobiles in the middle of the mall.

It did let him get out a bit of his seemingly endless energy. Along with his cousin, Chase, he very effectively rubbed his little hands all over every possible surface of the car rides in the mall. He stopped just short of licking one of the cars. He wasn't very happy with me for stopping him...and therefore chewed on his fingers instead. Sigh. I think he was just trying to impress the little brunette that was following him around. ;) Really not sure why kids needs to put their mouth on everything. Except green vegetables. There are some things you just don't eat. Shoes, rocks and bugs are OK...but broccoli? No way.

I do sincerely hope the head-to-toe hand sanitizer bath following this little joy ride will save us from the clutches of the flu this week before Christmas, or anytime for that matter. I'll be praying and fasting, and spraying Lysol. ;) Hope this finds all of you healthy and enjoying the holidays!

Party Dress

I absolutely love everything about Christmas. I make fun of our neighbors tacky lights, but I even love seeing them, in all their tacky glory, when we drive home at night. I love the music, the smells, the crowded mall, the lights. So. Much. Fun.For someone who loves Christmas so much, you'd think I'd have a house done up like Tim The Tool Man Taylor or something. Not exactly. As much as I love the decorating...our relatively new family of four hasn't had a lot of time, or the funds, to accumulate much in the way of excessive decorations.

We admittedly live paycheck to paycheck, despite my death grip on our budget ;). So, we decorate, with all the familiar and well-loved decorations we've got...and I annoy my husband with my Christmas playlists and pine-scented candles. And we have a great time.

These shots have been of a few of my favorite decorations around our place. But it got me thinking about some of the decorations that I don't exactly own, but get me in the Christmas spirit nonetheless. The world outside our little house in the swamp is decorated in the Christmas spirit too.

I don't have to pay a thing for these, or worry about putting them back in musty boxes in the shed when the new year comes. *Or actually making Billy do that, cuz I don't go in the shed, remember? There are bugs in there.*

The world is celebrating Christmas in its best dress, decked out in pine, holly, and snowflakes. If the earth can put on such a show, making sure it looks its best in celebrating our Savior's birth...shouldn't I do the same? Not just in setting up the nativity scene in my house, but in my actions and my heart. I am looking forward to showing my Savior just how excited I am to accept His gift for me...by "looking" my best. I'm sure that's the kind of regifting that won't get me in trouble this season. ;)

Matthew 2:11

On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

This week at YouCapture the theme was Holiday Decorations...check out their site for more great photos and blogs!

You're Fired.

So we've spent a lot of time over at my mom's the last few weeks. We usually do anyway, but especially around the holidays. We were over there a lot of the week of Thanskgiving, since we eat Thanksgiving dinner with my mom's family on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It's one of those family traditions that you really aren't sure how it got started anymore. It does make things a little more relaxing on the actual day of Thanksgiving, though. We just heat up leftovers, play football, watch football, yell at people we are watching on TV who are playing football, etc.

I was in mom's room at one point during the festivities and yelling at the TV, when I came across a note my youngest sister had left for my mom (who is said *Tooth Fairy*) :

"Dear Tooth Fairy, you owe me for three teeth. Love, Ali"

In our family, we never did Santa, or the Easter Bunny, really. We did have the tooth fairy, but we always knew that it was Mom. She's not very good at disguises I guess. ;) In this case, the Tooth Fairy seems to be doing an unsatisfactory job, and needed to be reprimanded.

Mom said she found the note in her room, in a little gift bag, with the three offending teeth, and also the bloody tissue used on the teeth that Ali had included for evidence I suppose. With such a reminder left laying around I think the tooth fairy's moral should improve asap. :)