Together

I took Jack for a little walk around the neighborhood after dinner tonight to look at the Christmas lights.

As we walked around the corner, he stopped and stared straight up.

"Yook at all dose yights in the ky!" he said, amazed.

I looked up.

It was a clear night, the sky full of stars.

Then it hit me: he had never seen the stars before. We don't usually take walks in the dark, and even if we did an after-dinner walk in the warmer weather, it's still light outside. I loved seeing him see them for the first time. He turned all around with his head back, taking it all in.

After a few seconds, he started walking again.

"We're walking!" he said.

"Yup, we're walking, buddy."

"We're walking....toGEther!" he clarified.

"I like walking together with you, Jack."

"Yup," he said.

Those 15 minutes just made my week.

My guys

I'm a guy's girl.

The girl who always felt more comfortable hanging out with the guys than with the girls.

I never really had a lot of girl friends. Girls didn't really like me - maybe because I didn't play silly games. I'm a straight shooter. Always have been.

It's no secret that I was really excited to find out that our second baby was a boy. I was a little afraid of having a girl. Afraid she'd like playing pretty princess or putting on makeup and I wouldn't know what to do with her.

(Truth be told, I'm 35 and I'm still not really sure how to put on my own makeup.)

I've never been a girly girl. I'd rather be outside catching bugs or tadpoles or kicking a soccer ball around.

That said, I am really having fun with my two little boys. There's just something about their kisses and cuddles that melts my heart.

Check out these cuties:

Happy Friday!

A few Christmas polls

Patrick and I are both big fans of eggnog, but I have heard rumors that there are people who can't stand the stuff. While I think this is unfathomable - akin to disliking air, or water - I would like to know whether the rumors are true.


Now, fruitcake is another story. I wouldn't touch the stuff with a 39 1/2 -foot pole. Patrick, on the other hand, loves it.


Vote on the right: where do you stand on these two Christmassy concoctions?

I'm it!

I've been tagged by Leighann to give some info about my hubby and me:

Husband's Name: Patrick

How Long Married: Three years and 1 month

Dated How Long: Before we got engaged? 3 months.

Taller: HIM. I am 5'8", he is 6'6" (Have I mentioned how much I love tall?)

Who Can Sing the Best: He'd say him, but I say me. (He has a few pitch issues.)

Smarter: He'd say him, but I say me. (He has a few math issues.)

Laundry: Both of us.

Paying Bills: I pay the bills...he makes the money.

Who Sleeps on the Right side of the Bed: He does. He likes to sleep closer to the door, so if we're in a hotel or at a house where the door is on the other side, he'll sleep there. He's protective like that, and neither of us really minds either way.

Mows the Lawn: He does. He does an awesome job taking care of our little yard.

Cooks Dinner: I do.

First to Admit Their Wrong: We both are pretty good at it. (And at being wrong.)

Who Kissed First: He kissed me. We were on a winter hike in the snow and the timing was perfect, except that I started sinking into the snow and falling down.

Who Wears the Pants: When push comes to shove (and it doesn't often), he does.

I tag Jessica.

A Chri-meh tchree!

Patrick and I put the tree up last night while the boys were in bed, and watching Jack and PJ see it for the first time was just priceless.

Of course, Jack saw it last year too, but he was just a year old and doesn't really remember it at all. He's so excited about Christmas this year, so that means that I'm going to be the one who's too excited to sleep on Christmas Eve...something that hasn't happened since I was a kid.

It's fun being a parent at Christmas, isn't it?

Fortunately, Aunt Devon suggested we might want to catch the moment this morning on video, so that's just what we did.

Here's the question of the day: do you have a star or an angel (or something else) at the top of your Christmas tree?

We have an angel.

Enjoy!

What's your favorite Christmas Carol?

It still doesn't feel all that Christmassy around here, so I've been listening to Christmas music to get me in the mood.

(I think putting up some decorations and losing the pumpkins might help too.)

Anyway, while I like the more popular carols, I tend to enjoy the melodies of some of the lesser-known carols. Bring a Torch Jeanette, Isabella, and the Coventry Carol are two examples.

For you classical music afficianados out there, I also really love Poulenc's four Christmas motets.

I have a hard time picking a favorite, but I think it might be O Come, O Come Emmanuel.

What's yours?

The many faces...

...of PJ!

There are so many times that I recognize I'm not taking as many photos of PJ as I did of Jack. It's just so much harder with two, as I'm sure any mother of more than one child can attest to. I feel like Jack's every move was documented on film....er...on digital whatevers. His first giggles, his first bite of rice cereal, his first walrus-like forward flops that were the precursor to crawling.

And don't even get me started on what's written in their baby books. The difference is pathetic, and the perfectionist in me is constantly at battle with the practical side about whether or not I should feel guilty.

Sometimes, though, when Jack's taking an extra-long nap and I have a little one-on-one time with PJ, I'll break out the camera and do a mini photo shoot.

My camera is far from fancy (I'm accepting donations, if anyone has a high-end digital they're looking to unload), I abhor the flash,

(Exhibit A):

and both boys are the definition of perpetual motion, so catching shots that aren't blurry isn't easy.

But the other day, I had PJ contained near the window in his soon-to-be-outgrown saucer, and thought I'd try catching some pictures of him.

It may just be a mother's love talking, but I think his expressions are just so cute.

So here are a few (ok, a lot of) pictures of my baby, who is growing so fast I can't stand it.

Happy Thursday!

A visit with Santa

Boys, look over here! Look at Mommy! Hey, look! PJ. Peeejaaay. Jack, look at Mommy. Jack! Look! Where's Mommy? Boys! Smile! Boys!

Oh, forget it.

Click.



PJ was in awe.

When Santa asked what kind of present Jack wanted, he said, "A green one?"

That sounds easy enough.




I think we have the cutest Santa.

Er...I mean....I think Santa looks cute when he comes to our town.

Because there's only one, right?

We've been elfed!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Under Seige

I hope everyone had a lovely holiday.

It was nice to see family, but we brought a nasty stomach bug back with us from New York. It's made the rounds and we're anxious to wish it farewell. (As in, here's your hat, what's your hurry?)

Cleaning up "sick" and soothing feverish babies is so hard. Not because it's labor-intensive, but because it's so tough to see your babies not feeling well. I would do anything to take the sickies away from them!

We should be back to normal soon.

Then, I think I'll need to cook another Thanksgiving-esque dinner just so we can try keeping one down.