Christmas at Home

We had a wonderful Christmas Day! It was so much fun to wake up at home with little pea, watch him discover all of the gifts around the tree, and to realize they were for him. My parents came over to enjoy the morning and have Christmas breakfast with us. It took Eli about 3 hours to open all of his gifts. He would open one or two, play for awhile, open a couple more, play for awhile, and so on. Santa was very good to Eli this year! What a joy.

The tree after Santa left our house. The ride on toy on the left was a gift from Jason's parents, oma and pop pop, that arrived just in time for Christmas Day.

His stocking with Tyrone peeking out.

Reading one of his new books. Eli got LOTS of new books!

He discovered Tyrone!!
Eli's new baby! Santa found this on a really great site: Dolls Like Me. This baby is so cute and cuddly! He has on little pajamas and carries a bear with matching PJ's. I think this is Eli's new snugglebunny. Playing with his Little People bus. He loves buses and was very excited about this gift!

We went to my parents' house in the afternoon to celebrate with my family. My mom always makes Christmas very special with every little detail. We stuffed ourselves, we laughed, talked, and made a huge mess of my parents' house! It wouldn't be Christmas any other way! ;) I even made Guatemalan Christmas Punch (Poche). Delicious!

Eli's cousins gave him the Little People fire truck and this was a HUGE hit!Mamaw and papaw gave Eli this Backyardigan's guitar.

Christmas family pic at the end of the day. Eli was wired by this point! It was a very busy and exciting day and I think he was asleep the minute his head hit the mattress.

One Year Ago...

We were busy packing our bags to spend Christmas in Guatemala while also reeling from the news of our 2nd kickout from PGN. As hard as that was right before the holidays, we were so excited to be seeing our little pea again and to spend his 1st Christmas together as a family. We had such an amazing trip. We had the opportunity to see more of Guatemala, visit the clinic where Eli was born, and to see Eli crawl for the first time! You can see the video here: CRAWLING.

As I am finishing up some last minute baking, wrapping, and eagerly waiting to see what Santa brings;)...I can't help but reflect on last Christmas while taking a long, deep breath knowing how incredibly blessed and lucky we are to be celebrating Christmas as a family at home this year. For the past few weeks, Jason and I have been really struggling with gift ideas for each other. "Stuff" just doesn't seem that important. We decided it seems really silly to buy each other stuff we don't need just for the sake of buying something. That is not what Christmas is about. We were discussing last night how our adoption process taught us many, many things (and continues to do so)...but, most importantly, that we already have everything we need and want. Of course, Santa will still be stopping at our house, but the greatest gift is being together as a family. That is something we will never take for granted.



Have a wonderful holiday!

Happy Holidays!

Yeehaw!!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

FINALLY!!

The tree is lit and decorated!!! Our tree decorating was delayed by about a week due to all of our sickies, well...mostly my sickies! :( I think we are finally getting healthy after waging war on the germs. We have officially become germophobes armed with lysol, hand sanitizer, and lots of hand soap. Now we are just hoping that Eli's 2 year molars cut through SOON. He has two coming in right now and nights have been a little rough.

But, the tree is decorated, our Christmas spirit has been revived, and I love it! I am slightly ashamed to admit that this is the first Christmas tree we have had in a couple of years. Really, we are not scrooges! But, honestly, we struggled with finding our Christmas spirit last year. And, most importantly, we spent Christmas in Guatemala and didn't want to leave a live tree in our house for a week without care. So, last year, we decided to stick with our little 2 foot table tree as our token of Christmas cheer. This year is a whole other story! It is so wonderful to have a nice, big tree in the house again and even more wonderful to be spending our 2nd Christmas with Eli, this time at HOME. Happy. Happy. Happy.

Of course, I had to get in a little photo shoot to celebrate! Here is my serious boy.Silly boy.
And melt-your-heart sweet boy. This smile can get him about anything. ;)

Getting into the Spirit

Let the season begin! Our weekend started with a visit to santa on Friday evening at the downtown winter wonderland. Eli was very intrigued by all the decorations and the people. And, he had no problems with Santa! Sat right on his lap without hesitation. Granted, he wouldn't look at Santa, but he certainly wasn't afraid. This kid is seriously so laid back and such a social butterfly.

Here is little pea with his cousin, D. They have such a sweet connection. The first time Eli met D, his whole face just lit up! And, D is equally enamored with Eli and so super sweet with him. I just love watching the two of them together.

Sitting on Santa's lap!


On Saturday, we ventured out to get our Christmas tree. It was bitter cold and snowing, but what perfect conditions for Christmas tree hunting! Eli LOVED the snow! He was not phased at all by the cold and had so much fun stomping around in his snow boots. He also quickly discovered that snow is edible.

Getting ready to go! Boy, going out into the cold, snowy weather is quite a production these days!

Daddy and pea looking for the perfect tree.

Ooooooooh

We found it!

Checking out the donkey.
Santa's reindeer.

Sunday was supposed to be our tree decorating party, but we have once again been plagued by the sickies. We just can't seem to get rid of it. Ever since I went back to work and Eli started at the babysitters, we have all been sick with one thing or another. In the last 2 weeks, we have had 3 doctor's visits, one urgent care visit, and loads of antibiotics/steriods. Eli is MUCH better than last week, but this week I got pink eye in both eyes and, to add insult to injury, the flu. Sigh...seriously, this is getting really old. Where can we get some lysol bombs???

Passing on traditions

As some of you may remember from a post last year, I am CRAZY about Chex Mix! I have been since I was a kid. Growing up, we made Chex Mix every year around Christmas time and it is just one of those crazy, seemingly meaningless traditions that is so important to me! It is really less about the actual food, than it is the memories and feelings it evokes. Every year, we would dedicate an entire day to making Christmas goodies. My mom, sister, and I (sometimes my brother, too) would spend the entire day cooking, baking, and decorating cookies. The kitchen would be a disaster with flour, frosting, wax paper, and tiny cookie decorations everywhere! We had so much fun and those times together helped define the meaning of the holidays for our family. And, let me tell ya, my sister decorates a mean cookie!

At some point over the years, I became the official Chex Mix chef and thus began a lifelong, glutinous love affair that only comes around once a year! It is pretty much the staple of my diet from Thanksgiving through New Years. No joke! In fact, I am eating it right now. ;) I especially love it for breakfast! Now, I am talking about the homemade stuff, not that bagged crap that claims to be the original Chex Mix. And, I am a hardcore ORIGINAL Chex Mix recipe follower. None of this bagel chip, mixed nuts, and garlic & onion powder nonsense. I suppose you could call me a Chex Mix puritan or, well, maybe a Chex Mix snob. Call me what you will, butI stand strong and proud by the Original recipe. ;)

What is the original recipe you ask? Well, let me indulge you. Okay, I admit, the recipe may not be exactly like the original, but it is pretty darn close. And, I always double the recipe.

6 cups Rice Chex Mix
6 cups Corn Chex Mix
6 cups Wheat Chex Mix (NOT the multigrain. I made this mistake ONCE!)
1 or 2 cups pretzels
1/2 to 1 cup peanuts (I like dry roasted)
5 tbsp butter (the REAL stuff)
4 tbsp Lea & Perrins Worcestershire (the best brand)
3 tsp Lawry's Seasoned Salt (best brand)

Mix dry ingredients together in large bowl. Melt butter and combine with worcestershire and seasoned salt. Pour over cereal mixture and stir to coat evenly. You can bake it in the oven or the microwave. I use the microwave because that is what I have always done. :) Cook for 6 minutes in the microwave, stopping to stir mixture every 2 minutes. Lay out on paper towels to dry and then ENJOY!!!

So, since it is my turn to be mom at Christmas time this year, I have the huge responsibility of passing on this sacred tradition to my family! And, well, I am so proud to say little pea may be just as crazy about Chex Mix as his mama. Sigh...so, so proud. ;)

Helping mama pour the cereal.

Dumping it in the bowl.

Already can't get enough. He would dump in a cup of cereal and say/sign "more, more, more." Stir it up!

First Thanksgiving

We had a great first Thanksgiving with our little pea. We spent the first part of the day at home watching the Macy's parade, cooking, and just relaxing. We then went to my parents house for the big turkey dinner. Eli thoroughly enjoyed his first Thanksgiving feast eating all of his turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry dressing, corn, etc. I can't help reflecting on this time last year... I have had many of those "pinch me" moments lately thinking of one year ago, resulting in spontaneous tears in the most unlikely places, like the checkout line! We have so much to be thankful for this holiday season, and always.

And, as is tradition in our little family, someone ended up sick before the weekend was over. For the past several years, Jason and I have alternated getting the yucks on Thanksgiving weekend. This year, it was Eli's turn to join in on the "fun." He is now on some antibiotics so hopefully he will be back to himself in a few days.

Here are some pics of our Thanksgiving Day fun.

Beep, beep. Comin' through.

Attack of the boys! Poor Jason...;)

Tryptophan setting in.

Family shot by the fireplace.

Don't try this at home

Litte Pea is crazy about The Backyardigans. The first thing he does when we get home at the end of the day is point to the TV and say "dung, dung, dung." Yep, that's what it sounds like! His foster family told us back in May that this was on of his favorite shows and, well, they were right! Now, I do not recommend you try some of these moves at home, especially going in circles!

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

BUSTED!!! Little Pea was actually CAUGHT sitting still! It was just for a brief moment, but it does happen from time to time. In fact, our babysitter told another parent that, in her 30 years of watching children, she has never had a child as active as Little Pea (hmmm...). So, now you can really appreciate the rarity of this photo. ;)

FFF - For Crying Out Loud

This week's theme is crying (see http://www.kissthefrog4me.blogspot.com/) ! We have seen some tantrums from Eli, but they are usually over within minutes (so far!). He likes to throw himself on the floor or throw other things on the floor when he is mad. Ignoring his little tantrums generally works very well! For the most part, however, he is a very laid back boy.

Not happy at dinner for some reason, but....
here he is a minute later! He can turn it on and off like a switch!

Catch-up

Life has felt a little crazy the last few weeks! I have good intentions to post more often, but...Throughout the day I have these brief moments of inspiration for post ideas, but by the time I get home...POOF, it's gone!

I went back to work about 3 weeks ago and the transition has actually gone much smoother than I anticipated. I believe that having 6 months home with Little Pea made a world of difference. I can't imagine how much more difficult it would have been if I had returned to work after the typical 12 weeks! So, with that in mind, I feel very lucky!

Dropoffs at the babysitter's were pretty rough for about the first two weeks. She literally had to peel Eli off of me as he screamed and wailed holding his arms out to me. UGH. That was awful!When I would pick him up after work, he would run to me crying and just lay his head on my shoulder while I received the daily update. But, alas, for the past week, Eli is running to the toy room before I'm even out the door. Sigh...I suppose that is a good thing! But, I LOVE seeing him run to mama at the end of the day with a huge smile and open arms! He seems to really love being with the other kids, especially one older boy. Eli just adores him. He also seems to have a little arch rival. His first week, he scratched this little girl on the face with a toy and the next week she sought revenge. He looked like he had been attacked by a cat. Terrible scratches ALL over his face. It was quite shocking. Thank goodness it has healed quickly, though Eli has kept his distance from this little girl! Smart boy.

Overall, we're still settling in to our new routine. It makes our evenings and weekends feel even that much more precious. Eli is talking more and more. The other day he surprised us by saying "penguin" when looking at his animal book and today at the grocery store he asked for a "cracker." He also loves to introduce his "da" and "mama" to other people. It's very cute! In addition, he has figured out that his highchair can also be used as a ladder to access higher places. Yea, he pushed his ladder over to the counter, turned on the toaster oven and then opened it. This boy has no fear. Here are a few pics from the last week.

Eli decided one apple was not enough so he also took mine!


Enjoying one of our last nice days! We had our first snow on Saturday. YUCK! Not ready for cold!

In Memory

We said goodbye to my grandmother this weekend. After several years struggling with Alzheimer's Disease, her suffering finally came to an end. As the minister at her funeral said, this time came with a conflict of emotion. I certainly felt a sense of relief knowing that my grandmother is no longer suffering, but the loss that comes with the finality of death is always difficult and she will be missed dearly.

My grandmother lived a very long and full life; her struggle with Alzheimer's was just a tiny blip in her lifespan and it is not how she will be remembered by all of us who loved her. She was born in 1919 and it is incredible to think that women did not even have the right to vote when she was born! She lived through the Great Depression, World War I & II, the Korean War, Vietnam, the Civil Rights Movement, etc, etc. It is amazing to reflect on how much our world has evolved and changed just in my grandmother's lifetime. She is survived by my grandfather, who is 92 years old. My grandparents would have celebrated their 69th wedding anniversary on 12/31. Isn't that absolutely incredible? What an inspiration.

My grandmother was an amazing, unforgettable, and feisty woman. She lived her life passionately and that passion spread to those around her. She worked very hard and she also played very hard! One of her many passions was playing games. She had a closet full of boardgames suitable for all ages. She especially loved to play cards and she was ruthless! She played to win and, well, I think she did always win! This was also a lesson she taught us in life: give it everything you've got and never, ever give up. Oh, and, make sure you are having fun along the way!

Another lesson my grandmother taught me through the way she lived her life was to never apologize for who I am and never compromise what is important to me. My grandmother had very strong convictions that guided her life and she stood strong by those convictions. She never wavered on what was important to her: her faith and her family. My grandmother was especially uncompromising when it came to family traditions, like Christmas Eve. Every year, we gathered at my grandparents house (along with all my aunts, uncles, and cousins) on Christmas Eve and we always had a family service before ANY gifts were opened. This involved gathering together to read the Christmas story, sing hymnals, and focus on the true meaning of the holiday. Of course, as kids we would grumble, but we all loved it and it brought us all closer together as a family, even if for just one night out of the year. These memories are so special to me and such an ingrained part of who I am.

My grandmother and I did not always see eye to eye on various things, but that was okay because through that she challenged me to be a stronger person, to think more critically about my values and beliefs, and to not apologize for them, even if they were not the same as hers. Unfortunately, it took me awhile to figure some of these things out and I did not get the opportunity to thank her for teaching me to push the boundaries of my own convictions. That, I suppose, is the struggle for those left behind after a death. But, my grandmother wouldn't care about that. My guess is she would not want any of us to dwell on regrets because that would just be a waste of time and energy! Get up and do something, she would say!

Thank you, grandma. I love you and will miss you dearly.

A New Beginning

While we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism and doubt and those who tell us we can't, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people: Yes We Can.
-Barack Obama
President-Elect of the United States of America

Visit to the studio

We took Eli to get 18 month photos done. I am not a huge fan of portrait photos, but I think these turned out pretty good! I went into this with the intention of only buying 3 poses. Well, they took 46 shots and how do you choose? We managed to narrow it down to 6. Thankfully, they gave us a disk with all 46 photos so here are a few!