Christmas

Our Christmas pics. Mostly action shots.  We had a great times (as always) visiting family in Albany.  We drew names this year, but all bets are off for the kids.  So, we still hauled out a ton of beautiful presents.  Great food and conversation.

This was the first time in my adult life that I was the host for Christmas morning.  Alex very kindly did all the heavy work like mopping, scrubbing and vaccumming.  I did the fluff work and the cooking.  I had it all planned out, but still cut it close on defrosting the turkey.  So I cranked that baby up to 400 degrees.  The pan drippings started to smoke at the end of the cycle, so our mac and cheese had a subtle smoked turkey flavor.  The Caramel Nut Cheesecake (Caramel Nut Cheesecake for the recipe) went over big.  I was too tired to use the Christmas china at the big meal and used festive plastic plates that my sis graciously provided.  I am just too sore and big to care.

I hereby vow that I will honor Christmas in my heart and use paper plates if need be if it means enjoying the reason for the gathering--- being with family, remembering past memories and making new ones.  We did enjoy the Christmas Eve service at our own church.  Christmas Eve and Good Friday services are my favorite all year.  I was choked up at the opening multi-media slides.  Before the Lord's Supper or candle lighting.  So, yes, I enjoyed it.

Here's the pics:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=169284&id=562275959&l=08ba03f94f

What's this?

Jay has spoken his first articulate sentence/question!  He has been saying a babble of "wat dat" for a while, but on the 26th, he was pointing to all the new toys and asking the question "What's this?" and then saying "Wow, wow, wow."

Tonight we had some strawberry shortcake-- that Publix display case at the front of store got me.  Strawberries are fruit.  And fruit is healthy.  Strawberry shortcake is healthy.  Deductive reasoning.  Bam!

Jay keeping grabbing berries off my plate.  So Alex gave him a cake with powdered sugar. 

Thus, he is topless.

Definitely my child.

Breakfast

I'm just glad we had a boy first.  So any ideas of staying tidying would be totally eradicated. Isn't he a handome devil of a boy?  He can now point to and say: nose, ears, eyes, mouth, toes, foot, socks, and shoes.

Fight the Good Fight

AGAINST WASHER MILDEW!


Just discovered how gross the rubber of my front loading washer is. I've attacked it with an old toothbrush and chlorine free bleach, ran the hot cycle, and wiped down the rubber. I've even pulled out the Q-tips to get inside the holes of the rubber ring.

Now, I've got to get chlorine bleach and try again, because it's even close to clean. I'm not a germ freak, but the idea of putting fresh little onesies into the wash to 'sanitize' for my new baby girl is a joke given the present state of my washer.

Girls, to solve this problem and perform preventative maintenance, Martha says:

Clean the rubber seal with 1 cup of chlorine bleach to 2 cups warm water. Wipe with clean cloth dipped in bleach. Fill bleach dispenser with bleach and run the empty washer through a complete cycle using hot water. Repeat every 2 to 4 months. I’d add that wiping down the rubber seal after each use would be a good thing as well.

Let my poor housekeeping be an example to you. CONSTANT VIGLIANCE!

Scrubs and Kisses!

Peccadilloes

Funny little story:
I was giving Jay a bath in the a.m. last week, and since he knows how to climb out of the tub, I hauled him out as soon as possible and placed him on the floor.  He crawls off and finds his big stuffed teddy bear and gives it a kamikaki hug.  I dipe and dress him, and soon notice a big wet stain on the floor.  Then I check teddy.  Wet.  I can only Febreeze the carpet, but I'm able to fluff and fold ol' teddy.  Boys and their territory.

Jay is now in the 91st percentile for height and 85th for weight.  He is around 29 pounds.  He is cutting two more bottom front teeth and can't seem to shake a runny nose and cough.  No runny nose last Wednesday at the doc; wakes up with one on Thursday.  I guess it's the unpredictable weather.

Here's a picture from Thanksgiving weekend.  We went up to Dahlonega to see the Southern Living Idea House and took this picture near his Great Aunt's house site.

I'll include some pics from my sweet shower for Baby Sarah.  It was the bee's knees.  I have the best sister.

I'm gonna get a Santa picture and hopefully a family shot.  Trying to remember that Christmas is about the miracle of the incarnate Christ sent for man, not my need to document a faux perfect family in matching plaid!