Our Christmas in pictures!

This was the best Christmas we've had for as long as I can remember; it was just like the Christmases I remember from when I was little!  We spent lots of time slowly opening gifts, snacking delicious food, and relaxing with family!  It. was. AMAZING!  It was also Poppy Ballerina's first Christmas, so that made it memorable, too!  We spent the day at my mom's house in our jammies...and a full face of make up!  Aside from a few turf wars over new toys, the day was a success!!!

Ladies playing while I bake!

Poppy just looks scared!

Photo shoots are hard!

Poppy -- 7 weeks

Santa's reindeer secretly LOVE puppy food, so we left some of that, too!

Lulu with her new Abby Cadabby

Santa brought a PUPPY for Cam and Alyssa!

Rocco, and australian terrier puppy

Poppy and Rocco!

Our Christmas card this year!

Merry Christmas!

Thankful.

I wasn't going to say anything about the shooting at Sandy Hook because my words cannot do justice to how I feel.  But how can I go on without acknowledging the fact that it happened?  This happened many states away from where I live, and yet, I do feel a loss.  I feel so sad for the parents who lost their babies and for the families who lost their loved ones.  The pictures of the children and women lost make the whole event just that much more real, though, as hard as it was, I'm glad that I went through and read about each victim.  I would want the world to do that for my family member; I wouldn't want them ignored.  It just makes it harder to go about my daily life without thinking about them and how their families must be feeling today.

Then I look around my house and feel so thankful.  We're spending this cold, snowy day inside with french toast scentsy burning and a huge fire in our pellet stove.  Christmas music is playing in the background where Poppy is sleeping and Scarlett and I are making reindeer noses for our neighbors and friends.  Life is so good.  

So What Wednesday

• Scarlett is SO about who is in fact the big sister and the baby sister.  She refers to Poppy most often as the big sister.  And we don't correct her because we think it's cute!  So not good.
• We have all the cloth diapers ready to go, but I'm not ready yet.  I'm a terrible hippie mom and I'm starting to realize it!  I just am loving the smallness of 'sposies!  Once I run out, though, it's cloth all the way...for real.
• Gisele having a baby girl named "Vivian" makes me kinda wish we'd gone with that name!  We were going to spell it with an "e" just like Vivien Leigh from Gone with the Wind, though!  Almost name twins!
• We are going for it -- aluminum tree all the way this year!  Now I just really need to scrounge up a light and a stand...!
• I straightened my hair and did a full face of make up only to realize that I hadn't even washed my face yet.   And I didn't wash it all off and start over.  I waited until after I'd run all my errands!
• I voted for the People's Choice Awards.  I mean, how much free time do I have?!  Apparently, too much!  But I wanted to support Live! with Kelly and Michael!  Oh man, this is sounding worse and worse...I'll just stop here!

Living with a toddler is hilarious!

"Mummy," as she yanks on my ear lobe, "what are all those polka dots?!"

HA!  (I have TWO piercings in each ear, not "all those!")   Silly lady!

SANTA!

We went to see Santa and his elves!  Scarlett is at the perfect age to start our family traditions and get excited about Christmas!  It makes me feel even more festive and DEFINITELY means I have to be on top of my stuff.  Scarlett gets into the whole festiveness of the season; we talk about Santa and his reindeer, read all of the best Christmas books, and we even watch classic Christmas movies!!!   (A bonus for this year is the fact that Poppy is still so little that I can focus on starting our traditions with just Scarlett!)  Next year, we can both show Poppy what is up!   This is going to be so fun!

"May I please have a guitar?"  --Scarlett to Santa this year...I was concerned that she didn't know what a guitar was.  She calls lots of instruments, "guitars."  I asked her what she would do with a guitar and she folded her right arm up and started strumming with her left hand.  Where did she learn that?!  So if she's a good girl, hopefully Santa will come through with a guitar!  ;)

Scarlett's pretty impressed!

This year, we're doing something a little different from the past few years; we're putting up Frank's vintage aluminum tree.  My family always put it up at his house, but then, after he died, I got it.  I was living with Tyler and Mary, so we put it up in our apartment.  The bulbs were so fragile and kept breaking, so to preserve them, we started using a real tree.  I let Scarlett pick -- real tree or silver tree -- and she wanted the silver tree!  Yessss!  It will be the first year that the little ones get to see the aluminum tree!  I stocked up on Christmas Wreath home fragrance and we're setting up the tree this afternoon!   Christmas traditions in the making...!

I just need to know...

OR

Citrus Lane

Is there a difference?!

Baby 3??!

When Scarlett was just a month old, the thought of another baby was terrifying to me!  I couldn't imagine even being pregnant while taking care of Scarlett, let alone actually having TWO children to keep happy and healthy.

Already a grumpster!

But this time around, I feel so differently!  Poppy is an absolute perfect baby!  I had no idea Scarlett was a more difficult baby...I thought that I had it easy because there wasn't any crying or colic.  Maybe difficult isn't the right word, but she was very needy.  And she never slept!  Ever!  She just started actually sleeping through the night a few months ago.   Not Poppy!  My little angelbaby sleeps in 3-4 hour chunks at a time already!  She's even slept from 10pm-4am a few times!  Makes life a bit easier when you have some sleep!

Other than rocking it out in the sleep department, she's just an all-around calm, content baby.  Which brings me to baby 3...that is the big question in my mind these days.

Already putting up with Scarjo "love."

Tyler, before Poppy, was adamant that he wanted ONE baby.  Only one!  He always says, "Scarlett's perfect!  Why mess with perfection?  Let's quit while we're ahead!"  Well, look how that went...!  Now we have two and three just feels like the PERFECT amount of children.  To me.  Tyler is adamant that he wants no more babies!  But I'm twenty-nine.  How can I close up shop before my thirties?! That thought just makes me so sad.

Tyler does make good points.  If we stop now, we'll have time together while we're still young.  It'll cost less money and we can afford to give more to the kids we do have.  That's all true and everything, but my main reason for considering stopping now is just because I don't want my attention stretched too thin.  It was seriously the saddest thing for me when I knew that Scarlett would have to share me.  Knowing that I was giving her a sister did little to quiet my fears and guilt.

So baby 3 is still up in the air...but we have a few years to figure it out!  :)

Liebster Award Nomination!!!

I was nominated for the Liebster Award!!!  How cool is that?!  It's really surprising fun that people other than my sister are reading my blog!  

Thank you, Stephanie -- what a fantastic surprise!!  (Fyi, her blog, And Baby Makes 10, is so fun!)

This award is given to new or up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers...the award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another.

If you receive the award, there are a few rules to follow...

1) Each blogger nominated must post 11 things about themselves

2) Then answer the 11 questions the tagger has asked

3)Blogger must then create 11 questions of their own to ask the bloggers they decide to nominate

4) They must choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate and link them on their blog post

5)Bloggers must be notified of their award!

6) No tag backs!

11 Things About Me:

1. I bake cookies for the dough; the cookies are just a happy consequence!
2. My danskos are an everyday staple in my "mom" wardrobe, but in my head, I still feel like the queen of high heels!  I swear, I'm going to rock the heels again, once the girls get a bit older...!
3. After working in an elementary school for three years, I decided to go back to school for my masters degree.  I completed one class, then I found out that I was pregnant.  When both babies are in school, I swear I'll go back...I can't imagine homework on top of everything else right now!
4. I love that I get to say, "the girls," now that I have two of them!
5. Make up, sunless tanner, and fancy perfume makes my world go 'round, but I'm such a granola mom! Breastfeeding for two years and cloth diapers are how we do things around here -- I had no idea I'd be like this until I actually had babies.
6. Shopping for little ones is way more fun than shopping for anything else--oooh, the cuteness!  Make up is right up there on the list, though!
7. I drive a Jeep, but I'm more of a car girl.  Volkswagon Passat (wagon for the room), please!  
8. I'm an in the closet tanorexic!  Though it's been a year since I've actually gone, I'm starting to get the itch...
9. All through college, I worked at Bath & Body Works.  It was so fun that once the little ladies are a bit older, I'd love to go back part-time to get out into the world a bit!
10. For Christmas decorations outside and for our tree, I'm a colored lights type of person, but I love white lights for accent decorations!
11. I'm a huge lover of books, but lately, the only things that I've been reading are blogs!  The best thing about bloggers that I've found is that it's nice to get a sneak peek into real people's lives/get ideas for things to do with the girls!

(Those were really difficult to come up with!  Now for my questions...!)

Stephanie's Questions:

1. We were considering "Meggie" as a name for baby 2, so I re-read The Thorn Birds.  Way more depressing than I had remembered!
2. Urban Decay eyeliners and a Tarte lippy.  I used my "push present" (gift card to Ulta!) a few weeks ago -- thank you, Tyler!
3. A "congratulations for your baby" gift from Tyler's aunt.  I loooove snail mail, so I'm psyched for the Christmas cards to start coming...!
4. Sylvester Stallone, Dalai Lama, George W. Bush, Nancy Reagan, Frida Kahlo, Tia & Tamara Mowry, and 50 Cent all share my birthday, July 6!
5. Buying matching Christmas jammies with the entire fam and then staying in them all day!
6. Margaret is after Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind, and Karen is after my dad's sister.  I was Meggie growing up from The Thorn Birds.
7. Scarlett giving Lulu kisses!  A rare moment for them!  ;)
8. No idea!  With a newborn, it makes travelling and vacationing a thing for the future...!
9. Twenty-nine!  The big 3-0 is coming next...
10. One.  My sister!
11. Yes!  I love instagram!!!  Megkb76 -- come follow me!

Questions for my nominations:

1. What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
2. If you could travel one place in time, where would you go?
3. Can you tell me about one of your favorite blogs?    
4. Did you buy a Powerball ticket for the $550 million jackpot?!
5. What are your top name choices for your next baby or pet?!  (I probably won't steal them!;)
6. Are your holiday cards ordered?!  Is your tree up??!
7. What's one thing you love about where you are from?
8. What is one of your biggest pet peeves?
9. What is a favorite someecard that you've found??  
10. Recommend a favorite children's book.  (From your childhood or that your kids like.)
11. Where is your favorite place to shop online?

My Nominations!

Quite Contrary -- Mary

Kate As Of Late -- Kate

Boredom Leads to Blogging -- Sarah

  Life as a Seed -- Crystal

 Adventures by Me... -- Kelly

 Once Upon a Dime -- Katie

   Where Your Treasure Is... -- Melissa

Strongly Feminine -- Darci

Charmed Life -- Heather

Caffeine & Cocktails -- Ana

A Coffee Break with Brittany -- Brittany 

It's going by too fast!

Guess who is ONE MONTH old...?!

Little Miss Poppy Ballerina!!!  I can't believe how quickly the last month has passed...

We have had a few changes to get used to, but it has been way less traumatic than I had anticipated before Poppy was born.  Spreading out my attention has the biggest challenge, but I'm getting so much better at it, so it's less threatening for Scarlett and she is working on not being in Poppy's face to give love.  She just wants to gobble her up, and Poppy is not having it!  Things are going so well, and I think that the transition has been so smooth because Poppy really is an angelbaby!

Poppy eats every hour or two, which cramps my social life with Scarlett's daily activities, but I just wrap Poppy in the moby wrap and that puts her to sleep until I can get home/to the jeep to nurse her.  So far, Poppy has been to the library, Scarlett's toddler time and "school" (play group), Governor's Restaurant (a few times!) and Friendly's, Gap, Old Navy, Children's Place, Bath & Body Works, and Walmart.  Lots of shopping and she's always great...as long as I don't keep her in her car seat!  She is not a fan!

To leave the house, we do have to put Poppy in her car seat (obviously!), so the activity has to be pretty important to get us to leave the house.  It must be worth the trouble!  She cries and fusses as soon as she's strapped in.  The only things that can get her calmed down are her WubbaNub and just the movement of the jeep.  Not fun.  But it's the only difficult thing about her!

Smiles!

Her toes poking out crack me up!

Me too!

"I understand why some animals eat their babies." -- Wanda Sykes