I wasn’t aiming for some idealist, Kodak winter moment. Just an evening of winter fun with the kids. With the baby dropped off at my in laws, Scott and I set out for an evening on the ice with the big 3. Scott had his reservations and voiced them a few times. But, I was confident we’d be fine.  Once we were all laced up and approaching the rink, my confidence began to waver.

10. watching the Steelers play in Heinz field 9. the blizzard of 2010 8. our annual Labor Day weekend reunion with friends 7. watching my kids play sports (soccer, baseball, gymnastics, wrestling) 6. teaching my son to read 5. Aunt Karen and Eli’s long winter visit 4. hosting my entire family for Christmas 3. Gana’s visit from California 2. our Florida vacation 1. the birth of our son

Ever year it is the same… I beg and plead for just one small Christmas Eve miracle, a picture of my kids in front of the tree. The last few years as they’ve gotten older, it has actually gotten easier, thanks to a slight guilt trip from Daddy (do this for Mommy please, as your Christmas gift to her). I thought it might be fun after sharing this years picture to look back on Christmas’s Past.

A few moments from this weekend which I wish to savor… 1. My son presenting his gift to his extended family. (One nap time he came up excited to share that he had drawn a picture from each scene in Luke 2. On Christmas he gave one picture to each person. He then laid them all out on the floor and recited the story from memory.) 2. Prepping the Christmas Lasagnas with my daughter… it marked a milestone, in which she was truly helpful in the kitchen.

Just a few of my favorite pictures of our fun on Christmas morning! Someone got a lil sleepy waiting up for Santa The grandparents eagerly waiting for the kids to wake up on Christmas morning. Does this capture the excitement of Christmas morning, or what? (I wish knew what had just been opened) This tender moment was brought to you by “Lego Star Wars for Wii”

The week has been full of shopping, cleaning, baking, laundry, card writing, visits with friends, and last minute preparations for the festivities at the end of the week. But, in the midst of all the hustle and bustle, I’ve had a few precious moments which I want to quickly record lest I forget them in days gone by. Monday evening I took my 4 year old daughter shopping for her sister’s Christmas present.

When cutting down a tree, much like when shopping for a dress, there seems to be an unwritten rule of conduct. No matter how fabulous it looks, you simply can’t go with the first one you see. One simply can’t drive to the farm, march down the aisle, and stop at the first decent looking spruce you see. That would be far too easy. Where would the fun be in that?

It happened again…I sat curled up on the couch, reading page after page of Solomon’s Puzzle, until before I knew it, the clock struck midnight. While I didn’t turn into a pumpkin, it did make waking up the next morning rather difficult… especially coupled with nursing a sick baby. Yes, I hold Loris Nebbia, author of Solomon’s Puzzle, strictly responsible for the fact that my son was late for his tutorial twice last week.

I found my 3 yr old like this during nap time today… it seems baby doll has been displaced from her bed.  It reminded me of a picture I snapped a few weeks ago of both on my girls as we found them when we peeked in on them before going to bed. YES… they are both sleeping INSIDE of their drawers! And since I am sharing sleeping pics, why not share a few of my lil man snoozing as well?

You’d think doing this 3 times over already, I would have been prepared. And yet, once again, my breath has been taken away. I have fallen, and hard.   With your irresistible smile, your easy going personality, and your snuggly hugs, I am smitten.  How can it be that 6 months have already passed since you joined our family? In some ways it seems like you were just born yesterday and in others it seems like you’ve always been a part of our family.