One of my favorite things about Christmas is...

The music! I am not very good at lyrics, but how could you mess up a Christmas song? Okay, okay, I have been know to slaughter a song or two or a thousand with bad tone, but that's it! The music just makes me happy and I love both traditional and contemporary.

My favorite contemporary song is from Wham!, "Last Christmas". Very cheesy but it gets stuck in your head; and well, all day you are singing, "Last Christmas, I gave you my heart but the very next day you gave it away..."

So what's your favorite?

Christmas Time is Here Already...

Christmas time is here already. I have to say that having kids really renews your excitement for the holidays! So many things I want Abby to experience. I just can't wait! Here are some pictures I found filed away recently. I was 5 and 6 when these were taken.

It all started with my cheesecake

I have a great cheesecake recipe that I found last year. It is a very festive dessert that reminds me of the Thanksgiving/Christmas holidays because it uses pomegranates both in the cheesecake and in the syrup over the top.

We had company over on Sunday, so Saturday I made it. We still had some left, so Tuesday rolled around and I didn't want it at the house anymore. Every Tuesday me and a girlfriend get together for a weight-loss club meeting. So I sent her home with two thick slices. :D (Because that is what you do at the end of a weight meeting, ha ha ha). Okay, maybe it's just an excuse to get together!

Well, I got a call from her the next day asking for me to make it for one of her family dinner parties in December. At the end of the conversation, it was agreed that I would cater the whole thing. I know it's really bizarre, but I am VERY excited to do it. So now I have two big events to plan for! I can't wait for the holidays, they can't get here fast enough.

Who knows, if all goes well, it could be more than a one-time gig!

The New Bowling Set

Today, Abby and I went to lunch with some friends who came into town. They brought Abby the cutest bowling set. This evening, Abby got a spare...

Made me laugh!

An Oldie, But A Goodie!

This is the video I meant to publish! I could watch her sign her colors forever! :)

Oh, so little!

This wasn't the video I was meaning to post, but it is cute of Abby! She was so little, once upon a time. Sorry I am so LOUD in the video, Abby didn't have her hearing aids in, so I wanted to make sure she heard me.

The Bully At Our House

So I have a bully at my house. Yup, that's her in the pink "Fairy Dress". She takes toys, and she orders Alex around. Alex on the other hand, is really a push over. Not that HE is happy about the circumstances, but it happens. I am trying to have him "man up a bit", but most days he cries.

As a parent/baby-sitter, what is the fine line in teaching the kids these lessons; specifically, having Alex fight back a bit, and having Abby "get what's coming," for being the bully?

There is just so much "policing" I can do; but the last thing I want is an bully who thinks she is entitled to everything and to watch a boy who lets her take things, then comes crying to me. Did I tell you Alex is three and a half and Abby barely two?

We are returning to the theater!

After a LONG year and a half break, it looks like we will be able to start seeing movies in the theater, again. Yeah, us! Abby and I had a trial run Saturday. We went to the dollar theater and saw Underdog. She watched all of it, which really surprised me. Of course she got so excited during really slow points in the movie, that I'm not sure she followed the plot, but it's a start! I do realize that we will probably only be seeing G Rated movies, but it's more than what we have been doing, so I'm not going to complain.

P.S. The movie was surprisingly cute. Abby thought the talking animals were funny!

XXX (We've got a situation in here...)

So much for sleeping in on the first day returning to Standard Time... Mike woke early for an appointment this morning. He went to check on Abby and came back immediately saying, "We've got a situation in here." Not words you want to be woken up with. Well, before we entered the room, as good parents do, we took a picture first! Once again, Abby tried to clean herself up instead of either calling for one of us or waiting. If you notice, her left foot has poop on it. To answer your question, yes we did have little poop marks all over the carpet. Needless to say, Abby had a bath early, early Sunday morning! I can't wait till we are potty-trained. It will teach us not to miss a night taping her pull-ups/diapers on.

Excited for Thanksgiving!

Now that Halloween is long gone, I have to say, I can't wait for Thanksgiving! I'm not sure if it is because I love to make new recipes, or if it's because I will be hostessing lots of family, or a combination of both. I have found myself running through all the recipes I have, and deciding on sleeping arrangements, card games we will play and lots of visiting we will do. I guess it is safe to say that I love planning these things as much as having these things.

My parents are flying in several days before so we can visit and make the recipes leisurely. Did I tell you my mom makes the best dinner rolls??? I can hardly wait!