Starting Traditions

Now that Will is a little older and seems to really be getting into the holiday spirit, I've gotten to thinking about little traditions that I'd like to do every year.  First, let me say that I love how he gets out of bed in the morning and the first thing that he wants to know is if it's Christmas yet.  Like we'd let him miss it.  :)

While buying yarn for a baby blanket (not for me) at Michael's last month, I picked up one of those cheapie Advent calendars.  You know the kind--you open a cardboad flap every day to a chocolate surprise.  Not quality chocolate of course, but a little treatsie for my toddler.  Plus, I thought that it would help him continue learning numbers.  He knows 1-10 very well, and can usually get through 12, but when prompted after that I get "there's NO more numbers, Mommy!"  It turns out that he loves the tradition of a chocolate Advent Calendar.  So much in fact, that on the third day of doing it, he sneaked it off the counter and suddenly December 3rd also became December 14, 15 and 23.  Guess there really won't be "any more numbers" after thirteen.  :)

Another day we were in Target and he spied a gingerbread house kit and totally begged for it.  So I gave it, thinking "this could be a fun thing to do together."  My mom saw it on my dining room table one day and strongly suggested that I put it together by myself one night and then decorate it with him the next day.  I haven't done it yet, but I suspect that she is right. 

And of course....the cookies.  We're known for baking oodles of cookies this time of year.  But we've been so busy lately, and with sciatica issues and diabetes, we're really going to cut back.  But, we'll definitely make some roll-out sugar cookies for my little man to decorate! 

What kinds of holiday traditions do you and your family have?

Knitting Party

I belong to a local knitting group that meets at a coffee shop a couple times a week.  We have an annual Holiday Ornament Swap.  There's a theme (this year was stars/snowflakes) and the rule is that the item has to be handmade.  Not necessarily knitted, but handmade.  I offered to host it at my house because Brian and I love parties.  :)  Everyone brings an appetizer/dessert to share and generally a good time is had by all!
I'm happy to say that yesterday's crappy storm did not put a damper on my knitting party!  Though it certainly did try....nine inches of snow, followed by rain and lots of thunder/lightning.  We had tons of delicious food and everyone participated in the ornament swap.  One lady brought her ten-year-old daughter, whom Will absolutely adored playing with!  She read to him and gave him piggyback rides, which he had never done before. 

So anyway, we're all sitting around my dining room table, opening swap gifts.  Such beautiful things....beaded ornament balls, felted stars, little painted chalkboards....so cute!  After all the unwrapping was done and we'd taken pictures and oohed/aahed over each other's work, I noticed that some of the ladies were giving me sly smiles.  What's up, you say?  Then they presented me with baby gifts that each person had made!  Such gorgeous things....a knitted turtle named Sheldon, a crocheted baseball cap, several pretty bibs, and an elephant pacifier holder.  I can't wait for baby to arrive, so he can wear his latest knitted fashions and snuggle with his Sheldon!

Thanks for an awesome time, ladies!  Can't wait for our next swap.

Wordless Wednesday: Santa's Helper

 

The Snowman Band

I find that the closer I get to my due date, the more I think about Will's babyhood and just how much he's grown in the past three years...it really hit home this weekend when we were decorating.  I used to buy these Snowmen musical things at Hallmark every year, they play carols and shake and shimmy around.  He loves them!  He carries them all over the house, setting them up to serenade around the refrigerator, to entertain the dog and usually insists that they all have to play their songs at once.  And dancing, oh the dancing.....he loves to dance to their collective noise.  Sometimes by himself, sometimes with Mommy or Daddy.  I'll admit, sometimes tripping over the "Band" on my way to the bathroom is annoying, but I sure get a kick out of how much joy they bring him!

Just two months old, and already a big fan.  

 

Christmas 2007:  A year old and still loving their tunes

 

Taken last Sunday, age three.  "Rockin' around, the Christmas Tree...."

Let's Decorate!

We're taking the decorating a little slow this year.  Daddy put up our tree last week, where it has sat in the living room, naked except for lights.  (I'll say it again...thank goodness for pre-lit trees!)  After breakfast, we put on the "Sounds of the Seasons" TV channel and set out to make our tree beautiful.

 Daddy is the tallest, so he puts on the ribbon garland.

 

 Hooray for decorating Christmas trees!

 

 Getting a little help putting on the ornaments.

 

 Will found the musical snowmen...and enjoyed dancing to their music.

 

 The finished product.

 

Note the fifth stocking on the end....a Winnie the Pooh one for Baby #2!

When Bees Attack....in December!

Ah yesterday.....a record-breaking day in New England, weather-wise.  It was gorgeous, almost 70 degrees!   Short sleeves to work, leaving the jacket in the car.....so nice!  Well, 'cept for one thing......

I had an appointment with my diabetes doctor in the morning.  I'm sitting in the waiting area, hoping to have my name called soon so I can get to work.  Suddenly, I feel this buzzing around my head.  This fly keeps swooshing by me, and I keep dodging and looking around me.  I'm sure I look a little nuts to the other people waiting, but hey, I'm used to that.  :)  The "fly" makes one more devil pass, and this time I can feel it just sitting on top of my head.  I reach up to touch it and have the sinking realization that it must be one helluva fly, because it's big and it's not coming out of my hair!!  Those that know me know that I am a total bugophobe....and it doesn't take much buggy-wise to get a hell of a reaction out of me!  Maintaining composure (and breathing deeply) I ask to use the ladies' room.  One quick glance tells me that I can't handle this alone.  So, with panic in my voice, I ask the receptionist for help with the monster fly in my hair.  She takes one look and freaks a bit as she tells me that's no fly, it's a yellowjacket!!!  AUUUGGGHHH!!! 

So, she's trying to swat at it, and when it finally unearths from my hair, I run for the bathroom and close the door.  That's when she decides to tell me that it keeps heading for the bathroom.  Double AUUGGHHH!!!!  No way am I opening that door.  What is it about my hair.....do bees like Paul Mitchell shampoo and conditioner?  Finally, it meets a deadly end with a fatal blow with a medical chart.  Meanwhile, I think everyone in the waiting area was ready for me to go into labor and have the baby right there.  Took me a while to catch my breath and keep my heart in my chest, but I managed.  Crisis averted, the bee is dead.

 Apparently, when you have a warm day in December, bees get confused and come out of the hive.  How it wound up in a doctor's office I'll never know!!

"Burping Juice"

The Scene:  A D'Angelos restaurant.  Brian and I had met there after work with Will for a quick dinner before Mommy headed out to finally see New Moon with friends.  (New Moon, BTW, better than Twilight but still...eh.  The kid that played Jacob Black was beautiful though!)

We ordered Will a kids meal with a ham and cheese sandwich.  Kiddo drink options were a bit limited, only lemonade and orange soda.  I already knew that Will didn't like lemonade, so yesterday was the first time we'd ever given him soda.  I brought the cup over to the table, and he immediately asked where his chocolate milk (aka beverage of choice in a restaurant) was.  I explained that they didn't have chocolate milk and that I had brought him an orange soda instead.  "What's soda?"  Knowing that he loves to "pretend burp" and then shout "EXCUSE ME!!!" and giggle, I told him it was kind of like a burping juice.  He was all for it....took a big sip.  And?  Immediately grimaced and opened his mouth, letting orange soda fly out of his mouth and seep into his blue t-shirt.  "Blech!  That's too hot!"  So Will's not a fan of carbonation.

Later on in the meal, I'm sipping my Diet Sprite with my pastrami sandwich, and Will begs for a sip of my "water."  I told him, "it's not water, honey, it's more burping juice."  "Yes it iss.......it's water!" he sing-songs back.  Well....ok buddy, here you go!  One sip and PAH!  Same reaction. 

So I have probably the only kid on Earth that doesn't like soda, and I feel lucky!  (though this obviously may change at any time)   I loved soda as a kid....and have the fillings to prove it!