Christmas Part One

Goin' on five years now that my hubby and I have celebrated Christmas with this.






A night out on the town, hand in hand with each other, dinner, movie and a late night desert happy hour. Complete with stayin over down there, lookin' out on this.


Romance for sure.

And our last week has been packed with fun because only a few nights later was this...

A house packed in purple for a little ballin' action.



Despite our smiles, it was a sad game.

And then it was time for Christmas Part One. Our little Ellie is blessed enough to have lots of lovin' family on mommy and daddy's side and with the rotation of holidays, it was the Taylor turn first.

And as any evening with Ellie goes, lots of books being read...

No Ellie doesn't wear glasses; she just plays copycat really well.






Apparently Ellie needed a little lesson in what presents are for.




But she got it eventually...


Favorite.


Think she's excited?


But the problem was the assembly not mentioned on the outside of the box...How many men does it take to put together a doll nursery?

And next was the pickle search in the Christmas tree, so cleverly planted by baby sister, Andrea.



Even little Ellie tried.


But preggo Annie was victorious with the prize.


And then the surprise gift of ITunes cards for the boys. As you can tell, my husband is very serious about everything in life.

And the funny thing is...the real surprise was not the ITunes cards...



It was actually one of those spoily Christmases.



And then gifts for the future babies, with Jonah holding his IPad baby swaddled up too.


And we finished off the evening with my mother's gift to her loving husband, just what he always wanted. A stuffed, pretty much life size tiger. None of us got the joke...not quite sure he did either.

But she was excited. And 'tis better to give than receive.

But receive we have around here...More pictures to come.

My Little Sister Is Having a Little One.

My little sister is Annie. We've been the best of friends, I laid in bed waiting for her while she sneaked out of the house in the middle of the night once only to be caught outside when the door locked behind her. A very few times the worst of enemies, mostly when we were roomates. We've had many, many double-dates, the best of which happen now with our dear hubbies.



This is Annie. When she was little, but big enough to rhyme, she used to sing a song that epitomizes her outlook on life. "Annie's great...she likes to eat chocolate cake." And this is Annie. She loves to laugh, she loves to love, she loves to live.


I actually think little Ellie looks a lot like Annie.

But this past weekened was Annie's baby shower. Yes, my little sister is going to be a mommy. And given her absolute obsession with my own daughter, I'd say she's going to make one of the smushiest mommys ever. Side note - most of these pictures, the best ones, anyway, were taken by dear friend, Audrey, while I wrangled the toddling terror otherwise known as my precious Ellie. In fact, we weren't there fifteen minutes before she shattered a goblet in the middle of the table. There was just so much to be excited about!










So many hugs, so many giggles, so much for Ellie to touch/knock over/shatter.




Oh there is so much she has to look forward to!





But if one gets bored with pictures, it might be fun to count how many pairs of boots were at the shower. It's actually quite amusing. Thankfully I must have gotten the memo because, yes, I did wear mine also.


See what I mean?


Plus, counting boots distracts from counting calories. Heaven knows I did not do that Saturday morning.


This is my dear Annie practicing mommyhood with her childhood friend Riley's baby, Michael.


And by childhood friend, I mean, like, their moms were in LaMaze class together pregnant with the two girls. And Annie's favorite thing in the world for years was to ride Riley's horsies.


Yup, all these ladies were in LaMaze class. And now they are all grandmas together...




Yes, it's time for Annie to be a mommy herself. So we had to get her ready.






While Ellie did this.




By the way...more boots.


And my baby sister, Andrea.




Annie says when she gets really anxious for her little snuggle bug, she'll just go in her baby's room and lay out clothes. I don't blame her.




Oh, Annie, it won't be long until you have one of these. Except wearing pink.

Ornaments

Growing up, I noticed early on that our tree was different. It wasn't quite as crowded, it wasn't always organized, and it wasn't really themed.





I looked around and imagined Christmas extraordinaires gathering together to tediously put together a perfect tree, stringing, swirling, and systematizing the extravaganza that would display proudly, perfectly centered, lit up every evening for weeks before the blessed night of gift giving.



Our tree decorating was different, sporadic and, at times, chaotic.











After his full day of wrestling with ladders, playing electrician with burnt out bulbs and tangling strings of lights, my dad would haul up the blanket covered monster from the basement, swamped in some old quilt that had met its fate too early to some stain or tear. Then, up each step he would tromp, his lined forehead furrowed in effort and frustration with the unbending branches.



Then, my mom would frantically scramble to unearth the Amy Grant album that had somehow found its way to the bottom of the pile, somehow managing to escape the wear and tear of years surpassed by CDs and MP3s and miraculously remained unharmed in its unmatchable harmony. The three sisters would then be sent back downstairs to dig through the musty cardboard filled basement abyss, complete with spiders and webs and other creepy crawlies to find the few boxes of ornaments that had survived the careful sorting of my always practical mother. And then the evening could begin.





In my childhood home, each ornament was to be evaluated, discussed and carefully considered before it found its designation on the tree. A story had to be present, a memory fresh with tears. Perhaps it was mom and dad’s first Christmas picture together encased in a rounded sugar frame, now repulsive as I recall sneaking licks of it just a few years ago to taste the sweetness. Even older still was their ski trip ornament, the ski poles skinny and unbroken through the years. My Baby’s first Christmas ornament, given by Grandma Berigan, the mother of all things beautiful and small and impractical is round and pink, but Annie’s ornament plays a song when twisted. Andrea’s first Christmas ornament is a tiny teddy bear, wearing only a red embroidered bib. More recent now, as of 2006, is my wedding ornament, a beautiful bride head to toe in innocent white, carrying a bouquet of flowers with a pink ribbon streaming from her grasp. This now hangs on my own family's tree. But before an ornament was even hung, it had to make the cut of careful evaluation from each family member, complete with pros and cons and even the occaisional vigorous protest from my mother. And so, each ornament was a story. And if it wasn’t, didn’t incite and excite discussion a plenty, into the ornament graveyard it went, the trash can, perhaps a little cruel, yes, although true.





Yes, our evening was a little different, unusual, as many times, the tree decorating would often turn more into ornament disposal than adorning. You see, even with the magic of Amy Grant singing through the air, the stories that were told each year, every year, for the hundredth time, and the pause of reminiscing silence, and the giggling of secrets not told until that evening, this was the music that truly danced in the air.

And now, with my own little family, our own little tree, our own little collection of just a few ornaments, I realize now that we are truly the Christmas extraordinaires. And that our tree is adorned with memories. And so, although our current budget doesn't include a fresh cut tree however that romantic adventure to a real, live Christmas tree farm really appeals to me, each year we have been married, Chris and I have made it our mission to find the perfect ornament. It must mean the past year of us. It must mean something different from the year before or make us laugh or make us remember or make us somehow remember what a blessed year it has been.



Yes, there are a few silly red and silver globes that adorn our branches and decorate in between these few five memory ornaments but they are just place holders perhaps for the memories still to come.







And, oh, the memories that are being made. It's not really Ellie's first Christmas, but it has definitely been the first year she's been interested in Christmas.



Yes, she is a little girl after my own heart. And I'm lovin' this and loving our season together.