Nothing’s better than celebrating the New Year with your family. Prior years we’ve gone out and let me tell you from experience, IT FEELS SO MUCH BETTER TO START THE NEW YEARS WITHOUT A HANGOVER!!!
We rang in the year with movies, Uno and a little Welch’s Grape Bubbly. It was the perfect night! I got to kiss my babies right after kissing my husband and was happy that we were all safe at home…. together.
Here’s a couple pics and a video of Jayden singing. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
She conked out until the blowing of the New Years horns I bought woke her up
Our Christmas was very peaceful this year. Our Christmas Eve was spent with traditions, smiles, ice cream sundaes and just a good feeling of knowing that this year we are celebrating Christmas a little bit more differently than the years before. This year, we actually have an understanding of what Jesus was put here for, and I’m so thankful for all that he stands for. So, this year was a celebration of Jesus, not just a celebration for presents, and Jayden knew that….. and that made me feel like a great mom!
Christmas morning we ran downstairs to see what Santa had left behind for the kids. They were both REALLY happy, and have enjoyed playing with everything they got ever since that happy morning. Jayden got a handheld Leapfrog Didj, which is a educational video game system….. I’M THRILLED about it. Jayden’s a video game junkie (like his father) and what better than to buy him something that is what he loves, but is educational at the same time.
After our Christmas morning we picked up my brother and headed up to my grandparent’s house to eat a good Christmas turkey dinner. I really expected there to be a ton of people and for it to be hectic like Thanksgiving, but Christmas with the Hurds was actually quite enjoyable. All of my sisters from my father were there. Everyone was happy and I was happy. As dysfunctional as the Hurds family can be, they still are family, and I really got that sense this year.
I didn’t go camera crazy this year, and unfortunately didn’t get much of the kids even…. and I didn’t even get a family picture. But I snapped a few of family and thought I’d share some pics…
Ella and her cousin Ethan hugging – too cute huh?
These are two of my sisters – the one on the left is 16 Year Old Alyssa and on the right is 19 year old Britney
I love this man a lot! It’s my Grandpa 🙂
This, believe it or not, is my step-mom and yes, she’s only a little under 3 years older than me.
This is my dad
This is my wonderful Grandma who is my crafty inspiration 🙂
Ella with her uncle Mitch (my brother)
Isn’t this face just perfect? I love this little girl so much!
Yesterday I took the entire day to myself. I shopped, spent time with one of my sisters (one of the daughters of my dad… the 16 year old) and got my teeth cleaned, checked in w/my orthodontist…. it was a BUSY BUSY day. I absolutely loved every single second that I was out of the house without my kids.
While I was gone Gino had the kids helping out around the house. He told me Ella even had the swiffer and was mopping for him. Excuse me, but why don’t my kids do this for me??!?!?! Why is that my husband can get them to be productive but I can’t? Ridiculous!
Anyways… Gino went into our garage, which is nightmare beyond nightmare beyond nightmare to try to find my stocking that I’ve had since a baby. No luck, but he found a ton of other stuff! One of those talking Elmo’s that Jayden had as a baby that Ella now has fallen in love with. It’s like Christmas for her! So tonight she’s been going around pressing Elmo’s hand so that Elmo will sing Elmo’s World to her. He found tons books and their Finding Nemo movie… little did he know that I bought the movie yesterday for Ella. Now I have to take it back LOL.
I was going through some of the pictures that I took and found this one of Jayden… what the heck was going on with that expression? He is a crack up.
We knew this is what kind of a picture we’d get this year. We already went to see Santa once and Ella was not very happy about him.
So, we let her scream and got the picture anyways…
It’s funny, because we have a framed picture of Jayden’s 2nd Christmas – roughly around the same age take away a month, and we were ALL sitting on Santa’s lap, because Jayden too was not very happy about the situation. Back, then I was a first time mom and wanted Jayden to be smiling and happy, now I’m like…. OH YES! Picture of the baby screaming….. at least we’ll have some good laughs about it one day.
I’m DONE DONE DONE DONE DONE with my shopping!!!! Feels so good. What doesn’t feel good though is the fact that in my garage is a ton of presents that need to be wrapped. *sigh*
I took Jayden in to the doctor’s. Unfortunately, his doctor was gone for the day and Jayden had to see another doctor. I really didn’t care for him. Jayden told him that I was going to take him to McDonald’s to get some chicken nuggets (this is the first thing Jayden has said he’s wanted in days) and the doctor told him that it wasn’t a good idea and he’d probably end up on the toilet. Great! So, Jayden decided to listen to the doctor and not eat. So, I went to Dairy Queen and got him a banana, chocolate milk shake. He hardly touched it and has been sleeping ever since.
Ella’s been quite the handful today. She’s jumped on Jayden and has refused to leave him alone. Then when I’m at the sewing machine trying to practice she thinks it’s her’s. It’s an issue. Tonight I heard Jayden start to moan (he was asleep… still is) and I knew Ella was over there buggin’ him. It actually was so sweet. She had the thermometer and was trying to take his temperature, then kissed his forehead. I love how they love each other.
I started sewing my niece’s quilt today. I practiced and practiced then decided – wth, I might as well just go for it. I did, and so far so good! I’m on the 4th row and pretty proud of myself.
Today is Day 3 of having Jayden home. Today’s the last day of school before his big 2 week Christmas vacation. He still has a fever, and I just feel so bad for my little guy.
Ella’s saying cool now. I guess she’s been saying it for a while, but it sounds so much like cold that I thought she was saying cold when she was saying cool. She still says cold, but about 5 minutes ago I put on Barbie Mariposa and when the menu came up she sat up and looked at me and said, “Cool!” *sigh* where did my baby go?
I’m doing the 15 minute house cleaning tip from Flylady today. I’m going to spend 15 mintues in the kitchen, then 15 minutes in the living room, then I’ll take a 15 minute break and probably head over to Etsy and dream about the day I’ll be able to make stuff like the girls over there. Then I’ll continue on w/the bathroom for 15 minutes then folding clothes for 15 minutes. When I’m done with that…
I’m sewing. And that’s how I’ll be spending my Friday…. sewing.
Yesterday we took the kids up to my Grandparent’s property to get some pictures of them in the snow – so I could finally make some Christmas cards and get them sent off before Christmas. I can’t believe how fast this holiday is creeping up on us. Next week is Christmas and I’m really not all that prepared. There’s not 1 present under the tree (not because we haven’t bought any, but because we have a very rambunctious 16 month old daugher) and it’s weird. Also, this is the first year that Gino and I won’t have surprises under the tree and that’s kinda sad, but I’m happy that we’re both getting exactly what we want. I’m getting a sewing machine! I’ll pick it out and he can wrap it and I’ll act surprised and excited.
Anyway… so, they had lots of fun in the snow. Jayden got sleds and went sledding down the hills on their property, and even sled right into Ella. It was so sad. So, I took Ella inside by the nice fire and had hot chocolate. I finished our Christmas card last night and sent it off to Costco for printing. I’m not going to post it on the blog until Christmas ~ I’d like everyone to be surprised when they get it.
That’s what Ella thought would be a good idea to do yesterday. She’s really obsessed with lathering her hands together and then rubbing her hair ~ she thinks she’s washing her hair basically. Well, she goes around doing this throughout the day without anything on her hands. Her brilliant mother thought it would be the most perfect idea to put her in her high chair with a cut up corn dog and to fill her cup holder with a little ketchup to dip her corn dog…. she’s a dipper.
I’m angrily standing at my sink washing dishes… not wanting to, when I look over at Ella to see her lathering her hands up with ketchup and proceeds to wash her hair with it.
Instead of freaking I grabbed the camera and then after I took my pictures, went back to the sink to continue washing my dishes as she made even more of a mess of herself. At least it was Heinz ketchup – right?
I haven’t had much to say lately. I’ve been sick with a cold for over 2 weeks now. Today’s the first day I woke up w/out a horrible sore throat, so that MUST mean that I’m on the road to recovery…. finally.
Next week is Thanksgiving and my mom will be coming up and bringing my niece, Alana. I am sooooooooo excited to get Alana and Ella together finally. Last year Alana was up for Thanksgiving, but they were just little babies.
I’ve been overwhelmed these past few days and today I’ve got a lot of tackling to do. It’s anti-procrastination day over at Flylady.net and I’m going to stop procrastinating and get some stuff done. I just have to do a nose dive into it all.
ELLA UPDATE:
She says the following now:
What’s that? Who’s that? Love Shoes JJ Jay Jayblah mama dada baba Ben more all done thank you oh wow princess No No Don’t! Mine!
I think there’s more, but those are the ones that are on top of my head. She talks all day long. This girl never stops. She’s climbing up on top of tables, trying to putt drawers out so she can get up on the counters. This girl is one determined and smart little cookie.
JAYDEN UPDATE:
Every night before bed HE reads me a book. He’s been doing amazing with his reading… I’m so proud of him. He’s been working on his Articles of Faith and has #1 done to a T, and we’re on #2 this week. If he can get it down we’ll move on to #3, but I have a feeling we’ll be on #2 for another week. We say it at night before prayers and in the morning before prayers. He’s done with soccer (I’ll get pics and video up soon) and he’s still doing amazing in his piano and is still working hard at Karate (or in his words Kung Foo).
I don’t understand sometimes why God blessed me with the most perfect, amazing, beautiful babies. I’m so lucky and blessed to be able to be their mom.
