top 5 "finds" of 2007

so this is a list of favorite new things i found this year. make your own! it can include entertainment (ie: movies, video games etc), clothing, people, recipes, household items...the possibilities are endless!

#5 Force Flex trash bags: i will not use anything except these bags

#4 Vapor-plug: these things are lifesavers (or at least sleepsavers)! there have been many times when May had a cold and she's up 4-5 times crying because she has"too many boogers" 10 minutes after i plug in one of these babies she is down for the count!

#3 Sling: this has been a staple in my daily fight against a clingy baby. we both love it and as of now can't live without it.

#2 Chicken Chili recipe: this chili is SO GOOD! the only problem is that we're entertaining the idea of going vegetarian this year so i'll have to figure out a good substitute for shredded chicken

#1 Cameron Jude: he is such a joy and i'm very happy i found him.

coming of age

i cannot for the life of me picture Cameron with hair...or with teeth for that matter. this week i've been trying to envision him at Maydens age. i take away all the feminine characteristics of her and try to imagine she is him for a second. i just can't wrap my head around it. i feel like he might be a bald toothless 2.5 year old someday.

swinger

so this morning was pretty mild in the weather department and so i got the kids outside. it was wonderful to be outside again. i can't wait till spring! i'm trying out this video option out on blogger so let me know if it works for you.

boogers galore!

it seems as though all the sweet treats and lack of sleep these last few days has impaired our immune systems. we're all starting to feel under the weather today as we brace for cold number 3 of this season...ugh! i hate sick kids. they are so grumpy and needy which is no fault of their own as they are super uncomfortable and really unable to remedy themselves. but i still hate it.

i better get some sleep. goodnight.

Christmas in detail

a more detailed Christmas description is in order. we spent Christmas Eve at Chris's parents house. every year they throw a holiday party so we go to that then stay and exchange gifts. May didn't get a nap that afternoon and we were out late so she was exhausted which made Christmas morning great. the kids slept in until 9:30 (i'll enjoy this for a few more years until they start waking up at 5am) May was so excited and cute about the whole Santa thing. she kept smiling like she must be in a dream every time she got to open another present. Cameron was of course totally oblivious to everything abnormal going on. he did seem to enjoy me opening his presents as he sat on my lap. he's such a happy baby in general so he loves anything and everything. i think he had a good first Christmas.

the best part of Christmas day was the fact that we didn't have to leave the house...i stayed in my PJs (and so did the kids) all day long. my parents and sister came over and we made brunch and then exchanged gifts. the rest of the day was spent reading new books, putting together a new "big girl" bed and setting up "some assembly required" toys. i think everyone got at least one thing they are really excited about. the best part of course was seeing the joy on the kids faces.

Christmas 2007

we've had a great few days of Christmas and we hope you all have too. here are some pictures from X-mas Eve and X-mas day. enjoy!

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

may's new big girl bed

adventures in cooking: Christmas treats

so today inspite of my kids being totally needy (i swear they can somehow pick up on the fact that i have a ton to get done and therefore all of the sudden need my undivided attention...arg!) we got some baking done.

first we made sugar cookies for Santa:

off to a good start...May eating a stick of butter (so gross!)

she shared her beater with meCam playing with some cookie cutters

my mom showing May how to roll dough

the finished product... hope they last till Christmas Eve

next i made these things called Minty Chocolate Treats for our local friends and family. they taste okay (Chris really likes them) but they look really really pretty and that's what counts!

two things i know for sure...

two things i know for sure...

#1) i never want to be pregnant, give birth or breastfeed again
#2) i want more babies!

Dear Cameron, (6mo)

Dear Cameron,

It’s been 6 months since you’ve entered our lives. From the moment I first held you I knew I would have no problem finding a space in my heart for you and you’ve proven me completely right. These last 6 months have been really hard and sometimes very frustrating but more than anything they have been such a joy. The more times passes the more I am in love with you and your sweet little self. The first 3 months of your life were such an emotional roller coaster for me. and while breastfeeding was a huge struggle for us this is not to say that I didn’t enjoy every second with you. Camo, you are such a smiley, snuggly baby boy and I love watching you be happy.

Being able to watch you grow & change so much already has been a true blessing to me. I can’t wait to see what the next 6 months bring.

Love always,
Mama


Things you love:
Mayden (the way you look at her is so funny, it’s like she’s your idol)
Mama
Dada (you two have your own special language)
Being held
Riding in the backpack
Snuggling/ sleeping in the sling
Bath time/naked time
Attention
Your hands
Sleeping with your head covered (i hate it when you do this)

Things you hate:
Long naps
Waking up prematurely
Being put down (although you tolerate it from time to time)
Needles
Sitting in poop (who doesn’t!?)
Wet diapers

6 months of Cameron

3 weeks old

2 months old
3 months old

4 months old

5 months old

6 months old

stress ball

number of grey hairs before Mayden was born = 0
number of grey hairs 1 month after Mayden was born = 2
number of grey hairs before Cameron was born= 4
number of grey hairs now = 10+

i sure hope someone is getting me a hair coloring box for Christmas

clean machine

quick update: we've had 3 "yes nap" days in a row so i think we're back on the nap train...praise the Lord!

i've started to awaken from my "just had a baby" daze (it's about time, i know!) and i am realizing that our house is regularly filthy. the bathrooms haven't been cleaned in who knows how long, it's nothing to go 2-3 weeks without wiping off our table and kitchen counters, in a good month vacuuming happens twice. you get my point....yuck!

well this week i've wiped down the counters & table 3 times!! one out of two bathrooms is completely clean (thanks mom!) & the vacuum cleaner was out of it's closet twice this week! i'm unstoppable. i'm beginning to catch on to the idea of cleaning/ tidying up a little each day so it doesn't become one huge overwhelming task. so this week i'm focusing on doing a major cleaning in each room then small cleanings each day so that this place stays livable. tonight was "clean May's dirty/moldy toys from the bathtub" night .... another exciting Saturday night for Adia Speer.

another no nap day

this is day 6 in a row for May not taking a nap. a few of those days i didn't try because we were out and about. however, some of those days i did try and she still didn't sleep. i'm starting to think this may be permanent... and that makes me very sad.

i can't hear myself think

life is back in full swing. i wake up with a headach and go to bed with one too. throughout the day i have many "oh, that would make a good blog post" moments but then once my kids are in bed all i want to do is jump in bed too. this is my life (for now). maybe i'll get up the energy for a real blog post tomorrow. in the mean time..... GOODNIGHT!

Christmas survey

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I use both, but prefer gift bags....very reusable

2. Real tree or artificial? fake this year, although i do love and i'm used to real ones. but real ones cost too much for just one year of use when a fake one will last many-a-year!

3. When do you put up the tree? usually the weekend after Thanksgiving

4. When do you take the tree down? about the 2nd week in Jan.

5. Do you like eggnog? nope

6. Favorite gift received as a child? probably a Cabbage Patch Kid

7. Do you have a nativity scene? yep

8. Hardest person to buy for? in-laws

9. Easiest person to buy for? hubby, he wants everything...so i just pick the cheapest thing :o)

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? i don't really remember the bad ones, just the good ones

11. Mail or email Christmas card? def. snail mail

12 Favorite Christmas movie? Miracle on 34th Street

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? sometime after Thanksgiving

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? ummm i sadly have to say yes on this one

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? green Christmas tree cookies

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Colored

17. Favorite Christmas song? let it snow, the imagery is fantastic

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? mostly stay home except the in-laws for X-mas Eve (1hr away) and my parents for X-mas dinner (20 minutes away)

19. Can you name Santa's reindeer? yes

20. Do you have an Angel on top or a star? a red paper star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? one on Christmas eve, but save all the rest for Christmas morning!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? grouchy shoppers

Jesus, Mary & Joseph (oh, and Meghan's kid)

Cameron made his acting depute this evening as none other than Jesus Christ himself. he was great at imitating the "no crying he makes" part. Cam got fussy just as we were making our way onstage so i was worried...but thankfully he pulled it together and was a very sweet baby Jesus.

Mayden got a last minute gig as an extra kid. she walked up the isle with Meghan (the nursery attendant and co-director of the play) and her buddy Brayden (isn't that funny....Mayden & Brayden!) anyway she did great too. before the play started all she kept saying was "i want to be one of Meghan's kids"...Chris and i thought it sounded a bit like "Jerry's Kids"....anyway we thought it was funny.... i guess you had to be there :o)