Merry Christmas!!!

OK, lots of people Harmony has been asking for me to post pictures of my Christmas decorations. Before I show you what our home looks like, I feel I need to point out a few things:

• while not currently sick, this family has been sick most days of the past 5 weeks
• KK is at the age where she refuses to pose for pictures without bribery
• we have a tiny, tiny home
• my photography skills are more of the "creative shot" kind, rather than the "technically correct" kind

That said:

Our Mantel

Our "Skinny" tree

KK trying to stand still long enough so I can take a photo of her decorating the tree

May you find wonder in the little things this holiday season. May your family time be precious. God grant you safety in your travels.

A merry, merry Christmas to you!

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We'll be running here and there for the next two weeks, fitting in Christmas time with our three families, so I'll be blogcationing a little. Unless I come up with something absolutely amazing to tell you... I'll see you in the New Year!

Christmas and Santa Claus

We haven't really told KK much about Santa. We don't plan to teach her that he's a major part of Christmas, but beyond that, we hadn't really come up with a plan.

Then we watched "A Christmas Story" and "The Polar Express" within two days of each other. And we still didn't have a plan... because well, we didn't really think we needed one yet.

Then Peanut-lover took KK to the mall so she could pick out a pink present for mommy (is it wrong that I put some pink items on hold for them to choose from?) They walked into the food court and there in the middle was Santa Claus.

KK: I need to go see Santa Claus.

Daddy (thinking she just wanted the candy canes he was handing out and calculating just how long the lineup of kids was): I'll buy you a candy cane, let's go.

KK: No, I need to talk to Santa Claus. I need to tell him what I want for Christmas.

So they stood in line for nearly an hour waiting to talk to Santa. This is the little girl who is shy with even people she knows, so Peanut-lover wasn't expecting much.

But, she got to the front of the line and had a nice little chat with Mrs. Claus, then climbed up onto Santa's lap. She told him she wanted matching jammies with mommy (I know, right?!) and a barbie (which she later regretted because she remembered she already had one barbie).

Then a shocked Daddy paid $15.99 for the memory and off they went.

And now she wants us to leave out milk and cookies because that's what Santa told her to do.

We're working on a plan...

Break the Pickle

My brother taught me this game that I started playing with the kids a couple of weeks ago. I point my pointer fingers at each other and say "break the pickle". Then when they do, "tickle, tickle". I think it's from "The Love Guru".

They both love it, but JJ especially loves it! All I have to do is put my pointer fingers together and he bursts out laughing. He'll reach to break the pickle and then pull back, over and over, until he can't stand the anticipation anymore. Then he dissolves into the best giggles you've ever heard. He has a really great laugh.

KK and JJ playing "Break the pickle"

Yesterday, he put his pointer fingers together and said "Bri... bri..." He's playing break the pickle with me! Yay!!

JJ's pickle

I love this kid!

TMI: Note to self

Note to self:

Don't get PMS the week before Christmas. Stop time if you have to.

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Ok moms, here's a question for you: After you had your babies, and your, uh, cycles returned, did you find it hard to adjust to the mood swings again? Honestly, I feel like I'm 14 again and completely unable to deal with my emotions 3-5 days a month! I know I felt the same after KK was born, too.

Do these hormones even out again? I was pretty even-tempered before the kids were born, but now, LOOK OUT! I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that I have been pregnant and/or breastfeeding for nearly 4 years straight now. 4 YEARS! I think my husband deserves a medal.

Conversations with KK: a pink what?

This is the first year that KK sort of gets Christmas. And it is so fun to keep asking her what she wants for Christmas. It gives me a little glimpse into what's going on in her little mind. But I really didn't expect this one.

Me: What do you want for Christmas, KK?

KK: It be pink. It be SO pink. (She holds her hands out for emphasis).

Nothing new here, everything she wants these days is pink. She won't wear it, play with it, acknowledge it... if it is not pink.

KK: It be a pink bafroom.

Me: A pink what?

KK: A pink bafroom. Like mommy and daddy have.

Me: A pink bathroom?

KK: Yeah. Like you guys have in your room. Beside your bed. I want a pink bathroom beside my bed.

Oh Lordy, she wants a pink ensuite. God help us all.

Busy Weekend, busy week

It's 2 am and I've been up for hours editing pictures, printing them out, cutting, sorting, dating... and since I'm responsible and intelligent, I'm heading straight to bed...

(ahem)

...right after I tell you about our weekend.

Saturday, we celebrated JJ's birthday. His real birthday is not until the end of the month, but since it is right after Christmas, and I'll be working weekends starting in January, I thought I'd better do it a little early.

I am WAY more relaxed about birthdays now than I used to be... and really all family events for that matter. I still have a long way to go though. Have I mentioned that Peanut-lover comes from a HUGE family? Oh, and I come from a little bitty, teeny weeny family? Well, family events stress me out just because of the sheer number of people there and the unpredictability of it all. But I get better each time. This time, I didn't start hyperventilating until Thursday.

Anyways, the party went well. I never have any pictures because I'm way too busy at the party, but someone else always manages to get some and then I steal them. But, sorry, no pictures to share with you today.

Even though Peanut-lover's family is HUGE, there are only two grandsons (out of 12 grandkids), so everyone loves buying boy stuff. JJ got SPOILED! Lots and lots of boy stuff. And I'm pretty proud of myself because I managed to reorganize the toy shelf to fit them all in. Nothing short of a miracle! My kids have been pretty delighted these last few days, playing with all the new toys. And mommy has had a hard time not joining in... but I need days like those.

Sunday, I'd had a really rough night, so Peanut-lover took both kids to church and left me to sleep at home. Being the responsible, intelligent woman that I am... I laid in bed for about 5 minutes. Then I got manic. That happens when I have lots to do. I spent the morning catching up on stuff instead of sleep. The jury is still deliberating on whether or not that was a good idea.

Sunday evening, we went to a memorial for Con. It would have been her 37th birthday.

Stop. 37. Sheesh. Not fair.

Her husband and kids didn't want to be alone so they threw a big party, complete with more filipino food than you can imagine, and a slideshow of pictures. There were maybe 10 pictures of Con's funeral out of about 200 pictures. But KK can remember, in detail, every picture. Today she dragged around a box with a baby in it, telling me the baby died. Then she wanted us to pose like in every picture of the funeral and even remembered details like the flowers Con was holding, or that we put dirt on her casket.

KK told me that I was going to die soon. I asked if she was worried about that. She said yes, and that she was also worried about the baby that died (the doll). She switched back and forth between real and pretend and try as I might, I can't figure out how she really feels about the whole thing. All I can do is just listen and try to read what she is thinking. It is so complicated.

Anyways, that was our weekend. How was yours?

Who's educating this child? Part 2

KK climbs into bed beside me and announces, "I not like boys everymore. I only like girls."

I ask her why.

"Because boys are gross. And them stinky."

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Where does she come up with this stuff?

I wonder if daddy is doing some education... again? I guess he's been seeing a little too much of this lately!

I think I've crossed the line

Today I was searching for some nutmeg in my baking cupboard. I had to dig around quite a bit because my baking cupboard is highly disorganized. And not because I bake all the time. I'm not a baking mom, but I really wish I was. So I collect miscellaneous baking stuff that I never use.

Before I found the nutmeg, way at the back of the second shelf, I found a single-serve grape jelly packet. How long has that been in there?

I thought all day about how the grape jelly got in there. Finally, it came to me. When I was on bedrest in the hospital during KK's pregnancy, I saved it from one of my meal trays. I figured it was just going in the garbage anyway, so I thought I would save us some money and bring it home with me. That was 2005.

*snort*

I don't even like grape jelly!

What do you think? Have I crossed the line from being frugal to being just plain cheap?

You be Three

Every year, for KK's birthday, we have made up a movie of all the best video clips and pictures of the year, put to music. This year, we wrote and recorded a song for it in our home recording studio. (And by home recording studio, I mean our walk-in closet lined with heavy blankets, a laptop, microphone, keyboard, bass, and guitar)

Here are the words.

You came into our lives
Took us by surprise
Changed us
Redefined us
We will never be the same
We don't want to be the same

You are innocent and free
You dance and you sing
You laugh and you love
You are honest and open
For you life is unrehearsed

You be you
You be free
Be the girl you were made to be
As you grow
As you take on the world
Know you're safe here at home
Forever our little girl

Uninhibited and free
Change for no one else
You'll spend the rest of your life
Trying to find yourself
YOU are who you should be

You be you
You be free
Be the girl you were made to be
As you grow
As you take on the world
Know you're safe here at home
Forever our little girl

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We debuted the song at KK's birthday party, during the birthday movie. KK was sitting beside her favourite cousin and when she heard the song start, she grabbed her cousin's hand and excitedly said, "You know this song? This one about me!" Then she proceded to belt it out at the top of her lungs the entire way through. "You be you, You be THREE..."

That moment in itself made all the hours of work we put into it worthwhile.

NOT a slow learner

This evening, I turned the corner to find JJ, sitting in front of an electrical outlet, chewing on one of the safety plugs.

I thought to myself that someone must have forgotten to replace it, so I quickly took it out of his mouth and popped it back in the outlet.

He promptly removed it from the outlet and popped it back in his mouth.

Crap.

I figured that one must be a little loose because it gets used all the time, so, in a swift the-hand-is-quicker-than-the-eye move, I switched the top one with the tighter bottom one... figuring that would buy me time to find a replacement.

He promptly grabbed the bottom one, and held it out to me with a smirk.

Oh Crap.

At his age, KK was considered a fast learner. One time being corrected and she basically got it. One burn on the oven and suddenly she was the "hot police" warning everyone that the oven was hot. One fall down the stairs and suddenly she was very careful around stairs.

JJ? Not so much. At first glance, he might seem like a slow learner. He keeps reaching for the hot oven despite having burned himself a couple of times. He keeps pinching his fingers under the door when he tries to open it while sitting right behind it. He thinks falling down the stairs is fun.

But I'm his mommy, and I know differently. He is actually a very fast learner. He just doesn't care. To him, enduring the consequence is worth it to have the experience.

And I don't know what to do about that.

One of us may not survive the terrible twos.

Conversations with KK: Naming her kids

KK loves to talk about what she will do when she gets big. I would guess that 50% of our conversations are about "when me get big".

This time, she wanted to talk about her future children.

Daddy: How many kids are you going to have?

KK: Five

Daddy (quite shocked): OH! WOW! ARE YOU SURE? (calms self) Ok, what will their names be?

KK: Ummm... Sheeshee, Jooey, Sheesha, Bee-awsh, and Wonee.

Mommy: *hysterical laughter*

Daddy: Bee-awsh? Are you sure that's a good idea?

(Daddy, having a tendency toward being a bit of a bully himself, is always on the lookout for names that could be made fun of in any way.)

Mommy: *hysterical laughter*

KK (indignantly): yes, BEE. AWSH. That be my little girl name!

Mommy and Daddy: *continued hysterical laughter*

KK (pouting): I not talk at you guys everymore.

Daddy: Ok. Sorry. If you want to name your little girl Bee-awsh, that's ok with me, I guess. What about (insert Daddy's name here)? Will you name one of your kids that?

KK: No.

Daddy: Why not? That's Daddy's name. It's a nice name, isn't it?

KK: I only have five kids, daddy.

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Just in case you think she learned that word from us, we do not say words like bi-atch in our home. No, we spell them.

Christmas Picture Attempts

This year, I tried something risky. I took the Christmas pictures of the kids myself. At home. In a makeshift portrait studio in my livingroom. With a point and shoot.

I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. Never one to hold in a secret very well, I'm showing you all my faves in the hopes you can help me decide which ones to send out to our relatives. (

1. (Actually was a practice shot, but I kind of like his expression)

2.

3.

4.

5.

And just to keep it real, here's what I had to delete a lot of before I resorted to bribery:

Oh, and Daddy likes this one best because the yellow chair annoys him. I'd have to crop it a little, but what do you think?

6.

I'm still working on one of the two of them together. There may be a LOT of bribery involved if I actually get that shot!

Mystery Solved!

Remember back two months ago when there were "stools" being made in our bathtub? No, not the kind of stools that sent Daddy running out, shrieking like a little girl. The kind that KK was making that were red and circular, with a button that went "beep".

Well, I might have finally figured out what she was talking about. For about a month, she quit making them. Then one day, when Daddy was bathing the kids, I overheard her making them again.

She squirted water in the cup, pumped in some sugar from the shower release, and put them on the edge of the tub to cook. Just like before.

Daddy asked what she was making. "I making foonies", she replied. (Foonies = Smoothies)

Ah, yes... now that makes sense. I much prefer foonies over stools, thank you very much.

6 Random Facts

Back when we were sick the first time, my new friend Nina at Juggling Mama tagged me in a meme. I am supposed to list 6 random facts about myself and then tag 6 friends. Ever since, I've had random facts rolling about in my brain and I'm finally ready to let them out! (I hope I can remember six of them!)

1. I reload the dishwasher behind my husband's back. Every. Day. I don't know why it matters, because I usually get annoyed and run it before it is totally full anyways, but I can't stand for the dishwasher space to be used inefficiently. It drives me CRAZY. And I really think my husband knows it and does it on purpose. He likes to torture me like that.

2. I heart crispy bacon... although I'm pretty sure my heart does not heart it. And not crispy like when a menu claims an item contains "crispy bacon" and then it comes and it's all bendy. No. My bacon must not bend.

3. Sometimes I get all frustrated with myself that I'm not doing all the amazing things I remember my mom doing when I was little. Making crafts, having super fun birthday parties, baking all the time. Then I realize that I was probably at least 7 or 8 when I did all those things with my mom. Not three like my daughter. I've still got time. (And please don't correct me if I'm wrong, mom.)

4. I hate the phone. I can't even order pizza without a mini panic attack. If I could do everything online, I probably would. And I probably would wither away and die from lack of exposure to the outside world.

5. I love to read. I especially love to read a book I can't put down. I love falling asleep reading. I haven't read a book since JJ was born. I read magazines by leaving them on the counter in the bathroom so I can read one paragraph every time I pee and maybe half an article when I brush my teeth. Reading blogs by iPod touch is pretty much the only real reading I get to do these days.

6. I love cruises. I have been on three now. Our honeymoon to Baja Mexico in 2002, a family ladies' cruise to the Mexican Riviera in 2004, and my mom's wedding cruise to Mexico/Carribean in 2006. I'm having harsh cravings for another lately.

Ok, so pretty much all the bloggers I read have already been tagged in this one, so I'm going to do something different. I'm tagging some of my loyal readers from the beginning, most of whom don't blog. So just leave your list in the comments if you want to participate. (Leave an anonymous comment if you don't have a google account and then just leave me your name at the end). And I can't stop at six, so...

Harmony
Emily
Hannah Nutwood
Kelli
Allison
Rebecca
Liz of Joel and Oliver
Mom
Dad
Debbie
Jeff

...if I didn't tag you, maybe I don't know that you're here?