Weekend

What a wonderful weekend we had!  It started off with water park fun on Saturday...

Sully + Santa does not equal happy.

This is my FAVORITE pic of the weekend.  Sully and Papa...

Sully and Gamma in the water park...

On Saturday, we went back to the water park for about an hour and then after watching the Packer game, we headed to my brother's house for our family Christmas celebration. 

Sully and cousin Jerry...

Jingle boy...

4-wheeling fun!

Sully and his cousin Jack, Aunt Gina and Uncle Jesse (full house style)...

Jack is completely mesmerized by his work bench that my dad built for him.  He spent most of the night organizing it over and over...

Jerry opening one of our gifts for him...

Sully and cousin Harlie...

Our Harlie girl...

Jack using the nail gun we got him to "fix" his present...

Such a happy baby...

Gamma and Jack...

2 year old + 1 year old= impossible to get a decent cousin pic...

All and all, it was a wonderful weekend with my family.  I did not escape the weekend without injury though.  I stabbed my hand with a steak knife trying to get one of Sully's toys out of the packaging.  Yes, I totally know better.  But why does everything have to be zip-tied into the boxes, is that really necessary?  I think not.  Fortunately, I am pretty sure I will live so it is all good. 

Now I am going to enjoy my week off.

Magic of Christmas

Today starts the first of several Christmas celebrations this year.  We will be headed to MoTown for Christmas with my mom's family today and we will be taking Sully to the waterpark at the Lodge.  He is going to just love it, can't wait! 

Now, I am aware that Sully is not "getting" the whole Santa thing and probably won't until he is a few years older.  But that is not going to stop me from pretending he does and going through all the rituals of Christmas.  I tell Sully all the time about Santa.  We inherited a Santa reciting part of the Night Before Christmas from his great-grandma Neva.  Here he is...

My Santa, what a nice beard you have...

Would you like a few bites of my Werewolf block?  Look at that little sweetie, sharing already!

There really are only so many years where Christmas is magical and so very special, through the eyes of a child.  I am soaking it up.  I have waited so long to experience the magic of Chrismas again and it is wonderful! 

So we will be leaving cookies and milk out on Christmas eve.
We will be waking up to gifts from Santa for the whole family on Christmas day.
And it will be just a little magical...

Gift

I would love to get the perfect gift for all of Sully's daycare providers.  But how do you do that when he has like 8 fantastic daycare providers?  How do you thank them for taking the best care of a piece of my heart each day?  How do you really show your appreciation to others who care for your baby as if he were their own?  How do you express how wonderful it is to have not a care or concern in the world when I drop him off as I know he is in loving hands? 

In the spirit of the season, I would love to get each and everyone of them a diamond ring, a piece of gold, a star.  Anything that would equal my gratitude or appreciation for what they do and how much it means to me. 

For caring for this little bug...

In the end, I chose a special ornament for his Grandma Subes which Sully gave her a few weeks ago.
For his caregivers at his daycare, I chose a small JOY ornament and holiday scratch offs (of course) in addition to a sincere handwritten letter of gratitude. 

I don't know.  Maybe it is not enough, maybe I could do better.  I hope it is perfect.

On

I tell ya, some weeks I am so on my game. When I am on my game, stay-at-home-mom Monday goes great, I make dinner at least 3 nights that week, the house is pretty clean and I even get some projects done.

Exhibit 1:

cookie baking

Exhibit 2:

This would be a pic of the house warming present/art I made the Shagers but since they have not seen it yet, you will have to wait.

Exhibit3:

A happy boy playing independently for 15-20 minute stretches of time=me getting some stuff done!

Exhibit 4:

This would be the tacos I made tonight and the chicken curry crock pot meal I made up to make for tomorrow.

Yup, feeling pretty good about myself right about now.  I will try not to break my arm as I pat myself on the back.  It is going to be a good week...

Holiday Fever

I have Holiday Fever.  Everything I do, hear, see, eat has to be holiday oriented.  My car radio is set on a station that only plays Christmas songs, I made the family watch Elf this morning, I am patiently waiting for the Christmas cards I ordered to get here, I whipped up some sugar cookie dough for cut outs tonight (thanks for the recipe Teresa!) and I will bake them tomorrrow.  I even have my own signature holiday drink...

Fricken' delish...

I like mine room temp but the hubs likes his heated up and with cinnamon, either way, it is fab.

My cookie cutters and some sprinkles ready for tomorrow...

I got around to replacing the burned out light bulbs of the star my dad crafted for us and the hubs hung it up tonight...

 And viola, the house is Christmas-ized.

My shopping is basically done and I only have this week of work before a nice 10 day stretch off.  Life is good.  In fact, life is great.  I don't know how I got so lucky.

We have a tree at work with names supplied by the Coalition for the Elderly so that some people who normally would not get any gifts can get a gift for Christmas.  Having the life I have had, I truly have a hard time imagining anyone who would not have anyone- no family, no friends- to spend the holiday with.  Of course, I know that the reality is, it is more common than I would like to think.  In many cases, there is a simple lack of resources from which to attain basic necessities, much less a gift of any sort.

I am fortunate to have all of the above, family, friends and resources.  I am happy I am able to make someone else's holiday a bit more merry...

James got a pair of flannel pajamas,

Genece got a fuzzy white robe and

Henry got a George Foreman Grill.

I am eager to share this experience with Sully.  He will be able to pick some names and we will go shopping for someone else for a change.  I can't wait to teach him to be giving and thoughtful of others.  I can't wait to have his heart fill with the warmth of purpose and responsibility.  We have so very much to look forward to...

St. Nick

So St. Nick came to our house the other night...

I am so glad he brought the Wheels on the Bus book, now I finally know the words to that song.

And Sully is so happy he finally has a toothbrush he likes.

Did he stop at your house?  What did he bring?

December

Happy December! 

Sully has been busy cutting molars (3 for sure and possibly all 4 but he won't let me see or feel without throwing a fit).  Poor kid, he is attached to me as he is just not feeling so good.

But the celebrations must go on...

We headed to Milwaukee for a night with the Wadzinskis.  There was cake, and cake and then more cake and after that, Christmas cookies.

What?  Don't your friends make you a boob cake when they know you are coming to town?  Normal...

These little frogs were for the birthday boy!

 And of course, he loved it.

And my favoritest pic of the weekend...



Looking forward to my shopping day tomorrow!!