Christmas Part 2

Okay, so it's mid-January and I'm still finishing my Christmas post. I know, I know, wrap it up Bonaldo. So, as I said, Christmas was pretty special this year, and not just because it was the first Christmas where Ella really understood all the magic and whatnot, but also because we had Mike's brother Tony, his wife Lisa, and their almost thirteen-year-old daughter Madelyn with us for the whole week. You may remember them from the blog post "Sweet Home from Alabama" way back in August of 2011 when we went to visit them in Alabama. Well, this time they came to us, saw our house for the first time, met most of my extended family and friends, and got to spend the craziness that was Christmas Day with us. We'd never had house guests before, so I was a little nervous about how things would go, how Ella would react, how I would get my house cleaned in time, etc., but everything ended up being pretty effortless (well, not the cleaning part, but everything else). We had a great time hanging out, eating lots of food, drinking a lot of wine, and marveling at the ridiculousness that is Ella B. They got such a kick out of her, and it was great for them to be here long enough for her to get comfortable with them. The only down side was that poor Madelyn had the flu and spent almost the whole week sleeping. We couldn't even wake her up to see the snow, and Ella kept asking, "Where's the girl from the couch?" Luckily, she was able to pull it together to head to New York and see Times Square and Rockefeller Center for the first time. That and the Taylor Swift tickets she got from her parents made her Christmas pretty awesome, anyway.

After everyone left, we cleaned up the house, threw out the leftover Christmas food, and got back to reality. It was nice to have a (somewhat) quiet house again, but I have to say that it made me realize how much I love a house full of people and laughter and food and noise. It was the first year that I was really bummed that the Christmas season was over, and I really am looking forward to many more years of that fullness.

PS- I totally want to add a bunch of pictures to this post, but for some reason, blogger is letting me. I'll try to figure it out!

Oh, hello again and Christmas part 1

Wow. One blog post in December. And it was a real downer. Sorry about that guys. Between work and the holidays, I just couldn't make this whole blog thing happen lately, but I'm back, and I am glad I had at least one blog post in December, because as bad about blogging as I can be sometimes, in almost two years, I've never missed a month, and that sounds like a pretty good accomplishment to me.

So, where do I start? I guess I'll start with Christmas and fill you in on the rest later, or, on second thought, it's almost 10, so I might have to break Christmas down into multiple parts. Let's just get started and see what happens, shall we?

So, this was the first year that Ella was old enough to really get excited for Christmas. Once the old-school holiday specials started playing on the T.V. and it seemed like everywhere we went there was a Santa (like even at the diner), she started to get that Christmas itch, and, I have to say, I got a little bit of the itch, too. I loved watching Frosty the Snowman with her and talking about what she wanted for Christmas (Spiderman slippers- the only thing she asked for was Spiderman slippers). It was the first time we did the Elf on the Shelf, and the first time we put cookies under the tree for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. We even sprinkled some special reindeer magic dust on the lawn and spun around three times and made a wish. When I asked Ella what her wish was, she said, "Mommy, Daddy, Ella, Nene, PopPop." I figured that sounded like a pretty good wish.

On Christmas Eve she went to bed knowing that Santa would be arriving soon, and I can so remember that joy and anticipation. It was always so hard to sleep that night, but something in the air just felt so good. I remember how my parents always put those fake candles on all the window sills, and I would go to sleep by that light and feel so warm and happy. This was the first year I got to see that joy in her eyes, and I realized that it means I get to live that feeling all over again. Once you grow up, but before you have kids, the holidays can become this tedious time of shopping and cooking and cleaning, but then, when a little person in penguin pajamas asks you if Santa came last night and her eyes are all sparkly and sleepy, the holidays become something else entirely. This is the first year in a long time that I'm really bummed that Christmas is over, but I'm so looking forward to all those fun years ahead.

Well, I barely told you anything, but I have to go to bed. Stay tuned for more Christmas stories later. Oh, and here is a video of Ella singing her favorite song, Frosty the Snowman.

Elf on the Shelf: Creepy or Cool?

So we've started the Elf on the Shelf tradition for the first time. For those of you who don't know, the elf on the shelf is a manipulation tool to keep your kids from misbehaving...I mean, a cute holiday tradition to last throughout the years!

Basically, you read this story called The Elf on the Shelf and it explains how this elf will come to your house and watch you and then report back to Santa every night about whether you were naughty or nice. Each morning he flies back and reappears in a different part of your house.When you first see him, you have to give him a name, and you can never touch him or his magic will disappear.

So, we read the book, and then Mike and I chose a place to hide the Elf after Ella went to sleep. The next morning I said to her, "Let's go see where the elf is hiding!" to which she replied, "Does he have really sharp teeth?!"

When we found him, she asked if she could wave to him. I said yes, and then she said, "He's not waving back," all annoyed. She also wanted to know why he didn't talk or walk or move. She even made a creepy smiley face like the elf and said, "Why he go like this?"

When all the questions were over, I told her we had to give him a name.

"What do you want to name him, El?"
"Um...chair."
"Chair?"
"Yeah, chair."
"Well, chair's not really a name, buddy. What about something like Pedro?"
"No, his name's chair."
"Okay."

Luckily, she kind of forgot about the whole "chair" thing and ever since he has just been "elf." Most of the time, I think she knows he isn't real, but if I say, "Wait until I tell Chair what you did!" she just about loses it. "No, Mommy! Don't tell him!"

So, yeah. That's a thing that's going on in our house.

Thankful Tree

This year we decided to create a thankful tree that everyone in the house could add a "thankful" leaf to. Some people wrote funny things like, "The Walking Dead," and others wrote more serious notes like "I am thankful for my girlfriends and the men who love them" (my favorite by far written by my girlfriend Alex after an amazing old-school friend brunch). Nathan asked Ella what she was thankful for, and it was adorable watching him try to explain the whole thing to her. How does a seven-year-old explain being thankful to a two-year-old? I guess the same way that anyone does, by telling her it means the things you are happy about. It got me thinking about how well Ella understands this idea. How thankful is she for all the things she has? I know there is so much in her life that she takes for granted, just as there is so much I take for granted in my own life.

One day a few weeks ago, she and I were leaving a store and I had her put a dollar in the Salvation Army can. She asked me why we did it and I tried to explain that other people don't have all the things we have.

"They don't have toys?" she said, incredulous.

"Nope. Some people don't have toys, or coats, or nice shoes, or anything."

"Why they don't have anything?"

"Because not everybody is lucky like us."

"Like us?"

"Yeah, some people don't have any nice things."

"Why don't they get them at the store?"

This went on for quite a while, and I did my best to explain the harsh realities of life to a two-year-old. I feel so lucky that having a difficult life is something I have to explain to her because she wouldn't otherwise know about hardship. I want her to appreciate the things she has, but how do you teach a child to appreciate? How can she "thank her lucky stars" unless she understands that others don't have any stars to wish on?

Of course I want her to be thankful, but I also want her to hold on to her innocence as long as possible. I want her to think that the world is full of rosebuds and lollipops for at least a few more years, and then, when she does learn the truth, I hope she'll be the kind of person who wants to do something about it. But the only way that will happen is if I show her that I'm that kind of person, in little ways everyday. Right now those tiny acts of kindness and giving might not mean anything to her, but someday, when she understands, hopefully it will have sunk in anyway. And then she'll know that being lucky is the kind of gift you are meant to give away.

Thanksgiving 2012

Hey, so about that November blog challenge, well, the thing is...November is probably the worst month (other than December) to ask someone to commit to blogging every day. I was doing really well, and then this little thing called Thanksgiving came up in which I had to cook for twenty people, and then well, I just got a little busy. So, I'm trying to decide if the challenge is officially busted, or if I should start fresh today and finish out the rest of the month. I guess you'll find out tomorrow.

Anyway, we had a lovely Thanksgiving, but I was so busy with turkey cooking and gravy making and whatnot, that I didn't have any time to take pictures. We were lucky that it was one of those beautiful November days so after dinner the kids all went outside and my Aunt Kathy took a bunch of pictures, so we'll see how those turned out. Here is just a smattering of pics from our day. It was full of food, family, and fun. I hope you all have as much to be thankful for as we do.

Happy Thanksgiving!

A picture of a picture on the front porch- Ella and the boys

My sandwich-making helpers- Nathan and Jacob

My sweet potato cupcakes with salted caramel sauce and embellishments thanks to Amy Miller

Our thankful tree that everyone left a message on

My Hero (all over again)

I'm reposting this blog entry from last year because it pretty much sums up how I feel. Happy Veteran's Day, my love: 

Today is Veteran's Day and for those of you who don't know, my husband is a veteran. It sounds like a funny thing to call someone who is 31 (almost 32). Growing up, veterans were old men like my grandfather who wore military hats and talked about a war that happened a million years ago and didn't matter all that much anymore. Being a hippy pacifist myself, I never expected to be married to someone who was in the military or who had actually fought in war. And I never expected to have to explain to my daughter what it means to have a dad who is a war hero. Of course, she is too little to understand today, but one day, maybe on a day like today, I will ask her why she has the day off from school and if she knows what it means to be a veteran.

When you think about raising children, you think about how honest you want to be with them. You want them to trust you and to make them feel connected to you, but you also don't want to tell them every last detail about high school, either. You want them to hold on to their innocence for as long as possible, but to also educate them about the reality of life outside of their safe little bubbles. So, the discussion of war is a tricky one then. What does it means to be a veteran? It means that you have fought in a war. And what does that mean, to fight? There is the Hollywood version of war we're all use to, of course, but what does it really look like? It means things like- sleeping in the dirt, carrying an enormous pack for hours on end, writing letters to loved ones, sitting around doing nothing sometimes, being afraid, being tired, and it also means a lot of other ugly things that we don't like to think about.

So what do I want Ella to know about her daddy, the veteran? I want her to know that he did something harder than I could ever imagine. I want her to know that he is brave and strong (though she already knows this). I want her to know that the experience of war changed him, as it changes ever single person who experiences it, and that it isn't something to be taken lightly as I took my own grandfather's service for so many years. I want her to know that being a veteran will always be a part of who he is, but that it is only one part of the man who is her father. And I want her to know that I'm proud of him.

A Super Girl

For the second year in a row Halloween came with a huge storm that threatened to thwart all those long awaited trick-or-treat plans. Last year Halloween was moved to November 5th, but this year our town was lucky enough to emerge from another super storm relatively unscathed, so we had Halloween on October 31st, just like in the good old days.

Last year Ella was only one and a half on Halloween, so she basically sat in a wagon with her friend Violet as we paraded around the neighborhood in the dark. I think she spent most of the night wondering what the hell we were doing and why we were such irresponsible parents.

What a difference a year makes. This time, she couldn't wait for "Pumpkin Day" to arrive and decided on her costume months in advance. Well, she decided on a costume months in advance. Since September she's been telling me that she would be a princess for Halloween. She told her teacher, Miss Meghan, my parents, and even her classmate's mother Kate that she was going to be a princess. Then, all of a sudden, she said she was going to be a ballerina. Fine, whatever. I hadn't bought a costume yet, so it didn't really matter. She stuck with the ballerina thing for quite a while, so as Halloween approached, we headed to Target for some tights and ballet shoes. Somehow we ended up in the Halloween aisle, and that's when Ella spotted the "super girl" costume. She fell in love immediately and said she wanted to be super girl for Halloween. It only cost $18, but I know how fickle toddler/preschoolers can be, so I didn't want to waste the money if she was never going to wear it. We must have stood in that aisle for ten minutes while I asked, "El, are you sure you want to be super girl and not a princess or a ballerina?" until I finally bit the bullet and bought the costume. When we got home, she couldn't wait to put it on and proceeded to wear her costume all day and night. I was pretty sure that we'd never be able to get that costume off. Of course, while having breakfast with my parents the next day I asked her to tell Nene and PopPop what she was going to be for Halloween. Her reply? A ballerina.

Luckily, she forgot all about the princesses and ballerinas by Halloween morning. That afternoon, Mike, Nene, and I went to watch the Halloween parade at school. Then, we headed over to Arlo and Violet's for some Halloween treats, including a witch's brew filled with God knows what and marshmallows. It was a great way to start the evening before we headed out around 5:30. We were definitely the first ones out, but others soon followed.

This year, Ella walked around the block all by herself (mostly) and couldn't wait to ring the doorbell. I had to nudge her a little to say "trick-or-treat," but she did it, and even mumbled an obligatory "thank you" now and then.

We collected a fair share of candy and Michael and I made sure to snag a few peanut butter cups for ourselves. We even got some pumpkin vodka and chocolate liqueur from our very generous neighbors. Before she went to bed, I had to wrestle her candy bag out of her hands. We decided to hide it in the guest room, or "Auntie Jessica's room" as Ella calls it, so "nobody takes it." Unfortunately, somebody did take a few pieces after she went to bed. How many years are you allowed to steal Halloween candy from your children?

Hope you all had a "super" Halloween!

Memorial Day

 For people who didn't make any plans, we sure ended up having a pretty nice Memorial Day. It all started at the Bethany Memorial Day parade where we parked ourselves in front of the old firehouse and ate fishies and juice. Well, some of us had fishies and juice and others had coffee. On the way there, Ella was getting all excited over this whole "parafe" thing, but once we got there, she couldn't understand why everyone was sitting by the side of the road and clapping at old cars driving by.

 For a while, she was more interested in stuffing herself inside the concert chair bag and calling herself a mermaid.

 Then Pop Pop gave her a better view and she got more into it. When the horses made their way down and she got to pet a pony, she started to really like the "parafe."

 After a good nap (for baby and Dad while Mom graded, per usual), we headed over to Jessica's house for a barbecue and a good soak in the pool. The only fit she threw all day was when we tried to get her out of that pool. She was loving it and kept telling Mike to let go of her. Sorry Beezer, but you don't know how to swim.

We ended the visit with a good ride on Jessica's old tricycle that her dad dragged out of the barn and cleaned up for us. Needless to say, Miss B slept well that night. What a fun day with family and friends.

Wordless Wednesday: Cousins

Happy New Year

Like everything else, holidays like New Year's Eve are a little different once you have kids. The days of all night parties and drunken debauchery have been replaced by quiet nights at home with good food and good friends, and I couldn't be happier about it. Sure, it would be fun to get all gussied up and actually get to linger over a meal without wondering who's drawing on the couch (it was Ella B in case you were wondering), but honestly, wouldn't you rather enjoy that food in your sweatpants and slippers?

This year, we rang in the new year with a few of our favorite peeps: Christina, Jeremy, and Loreli from love.reverie.life and our neighbors turned BFF's Andrea, Steve, Arlo, and Violet. We made some awesome (and gluten free!) food, tried to force our children to eat it, and finally gave up and stuffed our own faces instead. At around 6:30, we donned some party hats, pulled out the noise makers, and did a traditional new year's countdown before all the kiddies were reluctantly hauled off to bed. As with every other holiday this year, Ella watched our countdown with both amusement and trepidation, like we were some primitive culture in the African bush. Sometimes she even seems to be taking mental notes: (Okay, so on the eve of the new year, you are supposed to eat and drink so much that you feel sick the next day, wear stupid hats, count backwards from ten, and make resolutions for the coming year that you will give up on in two weeks. Got it.)

Perhaps my New Year's resolution should be to try to make it to midnight next year, not because I really care, but because my husband was pretty annoyed with me (i.e. really pissed and trying to force me to stay awake) that I fell asleep watching Fringe at around 11:00. The upside to falling asleep early and sober is that you have enough energy the next day to go for a nice hike with your cousins. So, we spent our New Year's Day on top of the world with Tom, Sam, Nate, and Jacob and it only required a little bit of huffing and puffing and complaining, the former mostly from Michael who was carrying Ella on his back, and the latter from Nate who apparently doesn't really like hiking all that much.

Overall, it was a lovely New Year's Eve and Day spent with people who make us really happy. So, I resolve to keep doing a whole lot of that in 2012.

PS- Ella B said "Happy New Year!" too.

Christmas tree, O Christmas tree

So today was Christmas tree day. Ever since I can remember, my family has cut down its own Christmas tree and there is no doubt in my mind that I am a cut-my-own-tree kind of girl. There are a lot of holiday things I don't do. I don't spend lots of time decorating the house, and I'm pretty terrible at buying presents, but this moment- finding that perfect tree and dragging it home- that is the beginning of the Christmas season for me.

The best part is getting to help cultivate a tradition in a little person of my very own. Although she is still too young to really understand Christmas, Ella B was there with us braving the cold and the rocky terrain to find just the right tree. I won't forget how her eyes lit up when she realized that we really were "shopping" (one of her new favorite words) and that we would be taking this tree home to live in our house! Traditional times of year like this really make you think about how strange our traditions are. At no other time of year do we drag trees inside our homes and cover them in lights and knick knacks. It is also the only time of year that we encourage our children to sit on strange men's laps and share with them all their hopes and dreams. Only through our children's first experiences do we get to reflect on the sometimes funny, sometimes poignant nature of our own lives. Seeing the world through her brand new eyes is a pretty remarkable experience and I'm looking forward to Christmas morning in a whole new way. Happy Holidays everybody!

No, thank you!

So, I know it is a little late, but I just wanted to share a few more Thanksgiving pics of the people we are most thankful for, our little kiddos. The first picture is one of my favorites of all time. It is Ella B hugging her favorite cousin Nate. She spent the majority of the day following him around yelling "Nate! Nate" and holding his hand. When she wasn't with him, she was being pushed in a tiny baby carriage by Nate's brother Jake. The day after Thanksgiving, we got to spend the day with my sister and her kids, and Mason and Ella spent some time coloring in between meals.

My cousin Brian commented that Ella B spent Thanksgiving day doted on by one man after another, and it is definitely true. If it wasn't Nate or Jacob, it was my father holding her, or Mike's dad playing with her, or my Uncle Tom teaching her how to jump off the couch (thanks for that one Uncle Tom).

It's true that we are so thankful for the blessings of our kiddo, but I know that even though she doesn't have the words for it yet, Ella B is just as thankful for all the love she is surrounded with every day. So, until she can tell you herself, I will say thanks from Ella B. She loves you lots.

Thanks!

Dear Ella B,

Yesterday was Thanksgiving, and while I meant to write this then, I was so full of turkey and love that I couldn't lift a finger to the keyboard. So today I will tell you a little story about what I am so thankful for today.

Of course I am thankful for your very existence, and I try to remind myself how lucky I am to have gotten pregnant so easily and to have had such a healthy (albeit grumpy-to-the-max) baby. You have a father who adores you, a million people who dote on you, a home, a backyard, two strong legs, and all of that. These things will be easy to remember, but I started thinking about all the little things I am thankful for that will become fuzzy in years to come and I started to write them down.

So here are a few little things I am thankful for this holiday season that are all thanks to you Miss Ella B:

1. Your dinosaur "rawr"
2. Your Happy Birthday song "Happy day daddy"
3. The way you love to talk about boys, especially Arlo and Nate
4. Weekend morning snuggles in between mommy and daddy in our bed
5. Your post-bath naked craziness on our bed when I am trying to lotion you
6. The way you always say bye to people after they've already left, but never before
7. The way you hold out each body part so I can rinse you off after your bath
8. Your belly- dear God your belly
9. How you always want me to draw cats for you
10. And once again, that dinosaur "rawr" cause it just kills me until I'm dead

Thanks for giving me so much to be thankful for Ella B. I can't believe I get to be your mom.

From Ella with love

Dear Dad,

Hi. It's me, Ella. I know I should be in bed, but I didn't want to go to sleep without telling you a few things on this very important day. First of all, I love you. You rock. I love when you wrestle with me and tickle me and chase me around. You can make me giggle more than anyone else. You are very silly and know how to have a good time and I appreciate that. Thank you for bringing me to school in the morning and for making me a waffle even though I hardly ever eat it. Thank you for putting me to bed at night. Sometimes I cry when you put me in my crib, but it's only because I love spending time with you, and I like that we get to have that special father/daughter time together at the end of the day. Thank you for always reading me the story "Marley and the New Kittens" even though you don't like it, and thank you for letting me watch "Wow Wow Wubbzy" over and over again, even though you are pretty sick of it.

But most of all, thank you for doing your part to keep mommy happy. She can get a little overwhelmed and frustrated sometimes (whatever those words mean) and you are always the calming force that keeps her grounded. I know that she'd like to think that she could do this without you, but you and I both know she's wrong sometimes. And don't tell her I said this, but she told me that she loves you to the sky and back. And guess what? So do I.

Thanks for being you, Dad. No one else could ever fill your shoes.

I love you. Happy Father's Day.

Love,

Ella

Ella B, Ella B, Ella, Ella, Ella B

In case you don't know, Kristy, Tommy, and the boys wrote a song and recorded a music video in honor of Ella's first birthday. It was definitely the most thoughtful and awesome present anyone could have given her. For those of you who haven't seen it, and those who would like to see it again, Kristy posted the "Ella B" music video performed by the Black Eyed T's to you tube. I'll warn you, it is pretty addictive. You won't be able to get the song out of your head.

Beezer's first earache

So, it finally happened. Beezer got her first earache. Now, I know I am lucky to have gotten to thirteen months without one. If my sister ever read my blog (which she doesn't) she would surely tell you that Izzy practically came out with an earache and had them on and off for the first two years of her life until she finally got the tubes. But man, earaches suck. For two days (including Mother's Day) she was a miserable wreck and wanted nothing else but to be in our arms, intermittently switching back and forth between us, hoping that one of us would finally have the cure to her pain. She slept in our arms all day on Sunday and then barely slept Sunday night. Mike stayed home with her yesterday and every time I called she was crying in the background. When I got home at 3:30, he had her in the Baby Bjorn (just like old times!) and he had that look on his face. The same look I had for my five month maternity leave.

You remember that look, don't you? The one that says, "I haven't slept, washed my hair, changed my clothes, or eaten anything in five months and if you don't take this screaming child out of my arms, I am going to send her down the river with a note pinned to her shirt." Michael proceeded to tell me how difficult the day was and then passed out on the couch. I hope he understands now why I was such a basket case last summer. You see, it is one thing to have a bad day like that when your baby is actually sick, but my baby spent months crying and wanting to be held and NOTHING WAS WRONG WITH HER! And, at least he wasn't also nursing her about twelve hours a day and trying not to cry out from the pain of his nipples bursting into flames every time she latched on.

This whole experience just reminded me how far we have come in the past year. Even though she is still a "spirited" young lady, she is sooooooo much happier than she was a year ago. These past two days I have missed our silly little nugget so much.

Finally, just before bed time, we saw a little glimmer of the old beez poke through. She started flipping over her Princess chair and playing peek-a-boo with her daddy, she was splashing in the bathtub, and giggling while we chased her and tried to get her diaper and PJ's on. She seemed okay this morning, so we sent her off to daycare. Hopefully she will be her old self by this afternoon.

So, we've almost survived the first earache and I am looking forward to having the old Ella B back.

You're still a mother on Mother's Day

Today is Mother's Day, and in case you forgot, I am a mother (wierd, right?). So, today is my day to relax and enjoy the fruits of all my hard work being one serious mother. I told Mike that I didn't want any presents/cards/what have you, I just wanted to sleep in (until 7:30- crazyiness!) and I just wanted Mike to be in charge of Beezer all day. So, basically, on Mother's Day I just didn't really want to have to be a mom. Is that wrong? Well, before you judge me, it didn't work out that way anyway. Beezer ended up getting sick and spent the entire day either crying or sleeping in either of our arms. I felt pretty bad for my little nugget and for us. I guess there really is no day off for moms. So, today wasn't as great as it could have been, but I still get to be the lucky mom of the cutest little nugget on the planet. I'm also pretty lucky to have such a great mom myself. And happy birthday tomorrow, Mom!

Yesterday I was also lucky enough to spend time with my sister and her family and my cousins Kristy and Jacob. We played outside, ate pulled pork burritos and chocolate cookies, and walked to the park. Who's better than us? (Hint: no one). So, there were some ups and some downs, but I guess that's what being a mom is all about.

Happy Mother's Day, everyone. And Happy almost Mother's Day to the prettiest pregnant girl in the whole world, Mrs. Christina Allen!

Happy Easter!

Today was a good day. First, it was Michael's day to get up with the Beez, so I got to sleep until 7:30! Then, Nene and Pop pop came over for a lovely brunch and then Beezer took a nap in her crib for the first time! She slept for an hour and a half and Michael and I hardly knew what to do with ourselves. Then the sun came out and we did a little gardening until Candy, Izzy, and Mason showed up. We all played outside and ate Chinese food and cupcakes. Best Easter ever! Here are a few pics of the totally relaxing day.