december snippets

so...my calendar says there is only one week left before Christmas....
...my last blog post was on december 1st...
...umm...where did the past 2 1/2 weeks run off to?

honestly, it hasn't been "busyness" that has kept me from blogging (which is refreshing!). it has mostly been that we have had lots of other things we wanted to be doing...cookie baking, Christmas crafting, snuggling up with books or movies, and, of course, napping (seriously...i find it hard to keep my eyes open during the girls' rest/naptime these days...pretty much impossible most days--which really cramps my blogging habits, since i tend to blog during their naptime!).

perhaps i find it most hard to believe, though, that i am already at the 30 week point in pregnancy...hello third third trimester...where did you come from? that means we are just 8-10 weeks from meeting this little guy...whoa! in light of that revelation mike decided to take the entire day off today (he typically only works half days on fridays) so we could finally work on switching elizabeth and kate to their new bedroom (we basically switched their room and the playroom). the big part of that is mostly completed...with just a few odds and ends to finish up...but rest time arrived, and well, a certain 3 year old was really ready for a nap in that new bedroom!

anyway...what we've been up to...in snippets...and, in reality, mostly for my own sake...this has become my scrapbook and memory keeper. but i am happy to share with you for your own viewing/reading enjoyment as well. and perhaps someday (although, to be honest, i'm not guessing that day is coming anytime overly soon...) i will get back to blogging about things other than way overdue family updates! :)

-okay...so the girls have gotten soooo into "helping"/watching me get ready if i am going somewhere (because, nope, i usually don't do make-up, etc. if we're just hanging at the house)...they LOVE watching me put on make-up (and getting tickled with the blush brush, etc.), helping pick out my clothing, etc. on this night in particular i was heading to a MOPS steering appetizer and dessert night...elizabeth even picked out my outfit...then, since they didn't go to the party they asked if we could at least take pictures together (well...jillian, not so much...but i tried anyway!)

can you see the massive bruise on elizabeth's head...yep...flying sippy cup...ouch!

"mom, i've got places to go and people to see!"...but notice that elizabeth really wants to be in the picture...she wants to be in EVERY picture!

i love how kate gets "shy"...she really wanted to show the camera her silly band

-the theme for december 2010 in indiana seems to be snow, snow, snow, and more snow...seriously, i don't know when the last time was that we had this much snow in december. of course, this week both "snow events" came in the perfect timing to cancel preschool monday and MOPS on thursday...but we rolled with the punches and made fun-days of our own. but let me be honest, i am really looking forward to getting out for flock group tonight...really!


this was jilly's first experience with "playing" in the snow...she isn't a fan. i think that is mostly because she can't move once all bundled up. luckily elizabeth and kate are old enough to go out on their own to play a bit...good thing since my warm jacket doesn't really zip over the baby belly these days! :)


i should mention that we've also enjoyed lots of hot cocoa after playing in the snow...

-and she might not like the snow, but seriously, jilly is hilarious! this girlie has personality, and she is getting so communicative and grown up all of the sudden (she will be 16 months on Christmas eve!). she babbles ALL the time...and especially likes carrying around phones and babbling into them (which is ironic, since of all my children she has seen me on the phone the LEAST of any of them...not a lot of ability to chat on the phone these days!). she so wants to climb on everything and do anything her sisters are doing. she LOVES it when we sing...and last night after our advent devotion at dinner we were singing "Angels We Have Heard on High"...and sweet jilly was swaying and clapping to beat the band. we are so thankful to have her back to herself...that said, this week has been a rough one for her...a cold, molars breaking through, and trying to figure out whether she is a one or two nap a day girl (and honestly, i am okay with either...just need her to pick one or the other already!)


-we've been baking...and baking...and baking. we are about ready to package up all of our goodies and deliver them to some friends and neighbors. so far we've made salty turtles (with pretzels, rolos, and m&ms/pecans), chocolate dipped (and sprinkled--much to libs and katers delight) pretzels, buckeyes, Christmas-doodles (snickerdoodles with Christmas sprinkles), triple chocolate mint chip cookies, peppermint crunch cookies, and mexican wedding cookies. the big girls have had a blast measuring, rolling, scooping, and sprinkling. all three have loved watching the oven as our creations bake! :)


salty turtle making...love that they were able to do just about everything themselves...well, except putting them in the oven...

kater rolling out some buckeye balls

-after several years at a company that didn't have an office Christmas party, mike and i thoroughly enjoyed that his new company has a party...a great party. it was downtown in the OneAmerica building, the Skyline club on the 36th floor...great food, fun to meet his co-workers, and a treat to get to dress up and go somewhere just the two of us. it is the one time a year we actually pay a sitter rather than swapping with friends! it was actually warm enough that evening that we were also able to walk the few blocks to the circle and see the lights after the party. :) did i mention how thankful i was for the maternity dress a friend let me borrow!? i fooled myself into thinking the black dress didn't make me look quite as pregnant...but then as i was headed to the bathroom at one point, one of the servers at the Skyline club said, "honey, when are you due?--with eyes wide like i might drop a baby any moment...umm, yeah...i'm 30 weeks pregnant/look like i might deliver any day apparently. :)


-and we've been crafting...of course. simple crafts...seriously simple crafts. but i've been trying to coordinate a daily craft with our daily advent lesson and ornament we hang on our advent tree. it has really helped the girls get into the advent devotional if we have already talked about it earlier in the day and they've had the chance to do a hands-on activity. we've made stockings and gift boxes, angels and shiny ornaments, and much, much more...so fun! i love watching them do all the cutting and painting and pasting and creating...even if it results in "JOY" signs that are spelled..."YOJ"...its all good, kate can still tell you all about how the shepherds brought "JOYFUL" tidings. :)

gluing and cutting...the keys to kate's heart. seriously, this child loves her some glue...and scissors.

even jilly got in on the action when we repurposed our rolo wrappers from the "salty turtles" into shiny ornaments. :)

-and because i can't resist...this is my sweet frozen blueberry eating monster...seriously, she had blueberry EVERYWHERE!


-and i could surely share much more...if my brain and memory functioned better these days. we did have a delightful afternoon visit from our dear "miss jill" (and, of course, i failed to take any pictures); we've had tons of pajama days; i've found mary and joseph and baby Jesus (from their little people nativity) in the craziest places; i've done a bit of sewing and knitting here and there...finishing a hat for the baby, a stocking for my friends' baby, the baby's special lovey blankies, and lots of reusable snack bags for a MOPS friend; i have far more projects i'd like to work on...someday! :) i have had plenty of stir-crazy, overwhelmed moments...but mostly i have been able to truly relax and enjoy this december more than i can remember in quite awhile...my shopping is finished (and my husband has promised to do most of the wrapping), we've avoided being overly busy, and we are simply spending time together.

and that, sweet friends, is a snippet of our december! :)