Merry Christmas from the Seamons Clan

Home for Christmas

We had an unusual first in our 10 1/2 yrs of marriage this year - we stayed home for the holidays.  All of them.  Hard to believe, but we have never once been in our home for Christmas.  We have always been able to celebrate with family, but this year we had decided to stay close to home when DH tore his Achilles, and it ended up being absolutely delightful! 

A few things we enjoyed:

• A visit from Nancy, Clint, and "Baby DAbid" as Miss M likes to call him for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day
• A visit from Santa Claus - he got a bit carried away, we think, but I've heard he's apt to do that
• A visit from the cold/cough fairies - they enjoyed time with Miss M and Baby S and now the rest of us are hoping they stay far far away
• A yummy Christmas dinner with fun family and close friends - 28 people at ONE dining room table!  Go Sarah!
• A trip to the Crayola Factory and Canal Museum
• A New Year's Eve celebration with super great friends playing Reverse Charades (I'll never talk about the Ten Commandments again without thinking of Rob's flubbing of it) and Dance Central on the Kinect, and eating eating eating!
• Miss M's renewed passion to say all of the prayers - which she starts by saying "Dear Harry Potter" - because that's how she says "Heavenly Father."  I smile every time.
• Our "live" Christmas Eve nativity - complete with a great Joseph (Mr. A), a large Baby Jesus (Baby S), a heavenly angel (Baby David), and a standing Mary (Miss M) because, just as she entered "Bethlehem" and was instructed to sit down, "Got poop" - all caught on video camera.
• Miss M's explanations for why she does something - "Pa-cuz" instead of because.
• Taking Mr. A to black-light mini-golf and the arcade (thanks, Groupon) as entertainment one afternoon
• Making homemade cinnamon rolls 
• After-Christmas decoration bargain hunting/shopping
• Watching the Rose Parade on tv and eating our donuts (even if we couldn't be there in person)
• Spending time together as a family

In 2011 we have much to look forward to - a healed Achilles tendon, a newborn becoming a toddler, my first "baby" becoming a Kindergartner, Miss M starting preschool, many fun memories to be made, visits with family, my baby brother's wedding, and figuring out what life as we know it should really be!  It'll be a great one. 

Goodbye, 2010.  You brought us our sweet Baby S, our Mr. A's tubes in his ears, a wonderful 10 yr anniversary trip to Hawaii, a fantastic 2 weeks at the beautiful S. Carolina coast, 2 crutches, a cast, some reminders that we're not as young as we think we are, and developed patience and growth.  Thanks a bunch!

A Neglectful State of Mind

I really do love me some good Christmas spirit.  I love cookie exchanges and burning pine candles.  I love flurries of snow and well wishers at the store.  I even love the Salvation Army bell ringer standing outside my Acme who helped me teach my two oldest kids the spirit of giving the other day.  I love Christmas programs at Church, constant Christmas music playing in my car, at my house, in the stores.  It is all a joy to me.

This year, however, I find myself feeling like I'm constantly forgetting something - or someone.  I'm so worried that I will be wrapping presents at 8 pm on Christmas Eve and realize that I missed someone or something.  I make lists and run through everything 100 times in my mind, but still!!  Maybe it all has something to do with the craziness that we claim as ours right now. 

DH's achilles tendon is now firmly sewn back together and fortunately was not re-torn in a small tumble in the bathroom last week (to get Windex, no less).  Only a few stitches popped a few days early!  It is solidly in a plain blue cast that comes up to just below his knee and has his "little piggies" sticking out.  He has assured me the dr told him he could put weight on it around the house, but when he goes out he needs to use crutches.  I'm not so sure the dr knew how very little he leaves the house.  :)  I worry, but I try not to nag.  Easier said than done as my DH would tell you.  He probably wishes I would "neglect" him more!  I offered to take him to Target or Costco where he could ride around in the motorized wheelchairs and complete all of his Christmas shopping (my stocking, in particular).  He declined the offer and has been exercising his "Prime" shipping on Amazon.com.  The UPS man shows up at our house at LEAST once a day.  He's got to start wondering. 

I hope my children aren't feeling neglected with all of the pulls and demands on my time.  I'm sure having a lot of fun with them.  Belle, our resident elf, is doing her fair share of watching and reporting and has certainly helped me out a bit.  The kids like to break the eggs and stir the sugar into my recipes.  They absolutely love watching their hot cocoa brew in our Cocoa Latte machine.  And, they particularly enjoy a nice excuse to eat 10 marshmallows at 8 am!  Mr. A has no qualms about sitting on any Santa's lap and telling him exactly what he wants.  Miss M on the other hand, gets close enough to give a "Hi 5" and calls it good.  I feel really blessed to be their mom and need to remind myself of that more often. 

Their innocence kills me.  Mr. A prays every night that Baby Jesus will have a good birthday on Christmas and asks me what many words mean (i.e. dawdling, when I told him to stop dawdling and brush his teeth!).  I never know is he's Mr. A or "Skywalker" and he is a MASTER hider and seeker.  He even likes to play it after he's been let out of his church class and before we can make it to the car.  Ask me how much I like that.  He asks anyone and everyone to play with him.  Miss M is his favorite one because she'll ALWAYS be the counter and he can go hide anywhere. 

Miss M counting for hide and seek: "ONE!  TWO!  FOURTEEN!  EIGHT!  ELEBEN!  TWELBE! TWENTY!"  Her v's come out sounding like b's and it's adorable.  Her new favorite: "OH MY GOSH!  OH MY GOSH!"  She will eat everything in sight (or not in sight currently, but that she has memorized is there once the pantry door opens) and does not miss a meal - for anything.  She loves to tell us how she's been wronged by Mr. A and loves her binkies at bed time.  I was hoping when I took her to the dentist last week that he would chide me for giving them to her for so long and make me promise to get rid of them.  He didn't.  He just said "she's ok for now."  And she loves them so.  And she sleeps until almost 8 every morning and takes her 2 hr nap every afternoon and goes to bed between 7 and 7:15 every night.  Do I really have to mess with a good thing?!  I need to.  But I haven't.  I blame the dentist. 

And, my best for last tonight - my oh so sweet Baby S.  That girl is a dream.  She has been sleeping through the night for months.  If she wakes up before 7 it's a rarity and we pop a binkie in and back to sleep she goes for at least another hour.  And, when she's awake she is so happy.  She is so quiet that many don't even know she's there!  While her lungs have certainly developed as of late (she knows the decibel levels she needs to meet in order to compete with her siblings), it is only when she has pooped, not eaten, or is ready to go to sleep.  The rolls on her arms and legs are to. die. for.  I really wish she could take more of mine and add to hers.  She is content to hang in her pajamas all day and rolls with our punches.  I love love love her. 

And, so, tonight, I'll try not to keep myself up with all of the things I've forgotten to do.  I'm going to focus on the positive.  I got my Christmas cards out.  I got almost all of my packages sent.  I paid the bills.  I swept the floor and wiped the counters.  I did some laundry.  I changed diapers and fed hungry tummies and wiped unhappy tears.  Little victories. 

'Tis the Season

• I have a lot of pictures I'd like to post.  I will do that soon.
• November was a whirlwind and it is over today.  Really??
• With a delightful Thanksgiving behind us (thank you, Veales!) and our first-ever-in-10-years Christmas at home ahead of us, there has been much conversation about a few things:
• Belle, our new Elf (thank you, Elf on the Shelf).  She is watching and going to tell Santa if you are naughty or nice...and Mr. A and Miss M have bought into her 100%.  I love it.  
• Mom, how does Belle the Elf get to Santa and back?
• Mom, how come Belle the Elf doesn't take a nap?
• Mom, if Belle says I'm being nice, will Santa bring me more presents?
• Mom, does Belle fly to Santa's workshop?
• How come Belle doesn't talk?
• While discussing the real reason for the season during Family Home Evening last night, Mr. A came up with some stumpers:
• How old is Jesus going to be?
• When are we having His party?
• What kind of cake does He like?
• Why didn't Jesus have a bed to sleep in when he was a baby?
• Where was his family when He was born?
• Who else came to visit Him?  Animals?  Why were they allowed inside the hotel (how we described the "inn")?
• Miss M has somehow acquired a Southern accent
• "I do it all by ma by ma self" (with a long drawl on self)
• Baby S has got a smile that stretches from one side of the US to the other.  Boy is it contagious!
• She is also my 3rd baby to L-O-V-E the jumper.  And, might I add that I love it too?
• She went to see the dr. yesterday for her 4 month visit
• 13 lbs, 9 oz
• 23 1/2 inches (which basically means she's 26 inches)
• 40th percentile for head circumference (that's all I remember)
• Doing great in every way
• She loves to "talk" to all those who will listen.  Is there anything better?
• Her giggle could get the Queen of England to laugh out loud.  Really.  It's adorable.
• Have I mentioned yet that my DH played in the Turkey Bowl on Thanksgiving Day and tore his Achilles?  In his words, at least he went out on top - scored 2 touchdowns.  That's all that matters, right?
• We'll know more tomorrow, but recovery time expected to be 2 months approximately before he'll work again (since he uses his feet when he flies).  Be jealous.  Be so so jealous.  

That's all I have to ramble about and use bullets for (did I mention that I love bullet points?) for now.  Merry Christmas music season!!!

Grateful

For so many many things.  But at the late hour that has become all too common as of late, I will but capture only a few:

• My Miss M's wish to me on Sat. night: "Mommy, I fly on the airplane and go get Mr. Moon and then jump on him and bring him back down.  That be so silly?" She loves Mr. Moon. 
• Miss M's not so shocking confession on the way home from church: "I like sugar in my mouth." 
• My sweet babies - all 3 of them, but only 1 of them who doesn't (and cannot) protest to my calling her my baby.  The other 2 are convinced that they are not babies anymore.  If only they knew that they will forever be those babies in my mind.  
• My body - it's lagging along and is trying oh so hard to get back to the way it was, but it still lets me get killer workout classes and runs in without too much prodding.
• My almost 4 month old true baby.  She tried rolling over the other day and I confess to maybe gently nudging her back.  Isn't it ironic?  With my first he couldn't roll fast enough.  Hooray!  He hit a milestone!  With my second, I wanted to see how she compared with my first and how the gender differences came in to play.  And, now, with my 3rd, I just want to hit freeze.  Yes, you may continue to sleep through the night, and yes, you may laugh until we are all laughing with you because it's so stinkin' cute to listen to a baby's giggle, but no, you may not roll over, no, you may not grow larger rolls on your thighs, no, you may not try to sit up all by yourself, and no, you may not be so big that you can sit in the jumper all by yourself and be happy there.  Just stay this little.  
• The villagers that help us raise our kids and influence us all for good.  I'm becoming more keenly aware of just how important those influences are on the sponge-like mind of a 4 year old who says to me, daily, "Mom, what does that mean?" when referring to the words, "mean," "obnoxious," and others.
• The Pilgrims and the Indians who took a day to put their differences aside and enjoy a meal together that became a most outstanding tradition.  
• As Mr. A said tonight, "MOM!!  Thanksgiving is in 3 days!!!  Can you believe that?!"

Not So Slim Pickin's

One of the highlights of Fall in the East are the vibrant colors and the delicious fruits of the trees.  We always love to find ourselves amongst the odoriferous apple trees in the height of Fall.  DH's parents came to town to help us celebrate Baby S and we got to spend an afternoon wandering the rows and rows and rows and rows of every apple imaginable!  We got our tractor/hayride in, and we collected an official bushel of delicious apples that allowed me to make an award-winning apple pie! 

Can you say Superman?

I just realized that I don't have any with Nana and Papa!!  Mom, will you send yours STAT?!

BOOOO Bash!

My sister, Nancy, and her husband, Clint, are so kind to invite us to share in the greatest Halloween carnival on the planet - sponsored by a candy company! :)  Thanks so much for having us.  The kids loved it, even though Mr. A's face when showing off the mask he decorated might not quite capture the sentiments! :) 

And, P.S. - Miss M ate her way through the entire day.  She started with the first bag of Peanut M&Ms she found in her "goody" bag and continued stuffing candy in the pockets of her jacket right to the bitter end.  Her mother's daughter!

A Good Day

Am feeling pretty happy right now.  Here's why:

• My kids only went to timeout once - and it was early this morning before Mr. A had even left for school.
• I worked out, showered, and was dressed before 3 pm.  That's a good day.  I may have even brushed my teeth by then.
• Mr. A had a great playdate with his friend, Mr. R.  He didn't want to leave even 4 hours later!
• Miss M and I got to chill while Baby S snoozed the afternoon away (and Miss M had already woken up from her 2 hr slumber).  She took her baby on a walk, put it in timeout, threw it to the ground a few times when it wouldn't stay in its stroller, and had her dogs and Goldfish join the baby in timeout. 
• I made breadsticks for dinner and they were yummy.
• I pulled a Lola Fely special out of the freezer at 4:30 and we had dinner hot and ready at 6. (I had her make me a bunch of frozen meals before she left for my sister's house and I must say I'm feeling pretty darn smart about that right now)
• I got to answer emails.
• I took Miss M to her "gymnastics" class and she was so happy to be there.  Little old ladies literally stop in the halls of the Y, while she waves at them and bounces down the hallway, commenting on just how cute she is.  I try to be demure, but secretly, I totally agree.   
• All of my piglets were in bed by 7:12.  Mr. A didn't come out of his room once.  Just sacked right out.  And, Baby S practically fell into her bed. 

And so tonight, I might go watch some of the Chilean miners come out (it gets me every time), read my "Parenting Breakthrough" book (my new fav), or maybe even do some weighted hula hooping and catch up on Oprah. 

I should stock up.  Tomorrow my kids get their flu shots. 

A Bond Like No Other

I've said it before, and I'm sure I'll say it again - I always wanted a big brother growing up.  You know, the kind that would defend me, tease me lovingly, laugh with me, introduce me to his friends, etc.  Of course, I didn't have that, but my girls do.  And, boy are they lucky.  Mr. A and Miss M spend a lot of time entertaining one another, encouraging each other, driving each other crazy, and making each other laugh - really hard.  I'm so glad they have each other. 

(Well, mostly.  Just today I ran upstairs to take a 30 second shower and came back downstairs to find gobs of ice cream (?!) all over the garage floor.  Apparently they had helped themselves to a snack from the freezer and thought it would be fun to throw it all over too.)

And I'm so glad I have them.

 This little one is ALL girl

 They have spent an insane amount of time on these "bikes" as of late - racing up and down the driveway

They love to watch home videos - and they love their dad

My Baby S

(i'm taking a bit from my miss m, who loves to call everyone "My."  whenever anyone is missing, it's "Mommy, where's my Mr. A?  where's my daddy?  where's my baby s?  where's my BG?  where's my nana? etc etc")

My Baby S was 2 months old last week.  Where does the time go?  For her 2-month birthday we had her photographed, I got my hair done, and she went on a grand tour to meet new aunts, uncles, and cousins.  She was a little wiped out the day of her photo shoot, but I think Lisa still got some good ones.  At her 2 month check up she tipped the scales at 11 lbs 6 oz, 22 inches (we have NO faith in the measuring capabilities of the pediatrician's office nurses - and I mean ZERO - so, she's probably like 25 or 26 inches - ha ha), and a good size head. 

She's settling into a routine - my favorite part of baby-hood.  I love my own routine and, therefore, I love it even more for my children.  She's asleep between 7:30-8, usually wakes up having broken free of her swaddle at around 2:30 or 3, takes a binky, wakes up to eat at 6:30, back to sleep until 10 or so.  She's pretty consistent during the day too and usually takes a long nap in the afternoons (sometimes of the 3-4 hr variety).  Keeper. 

(we are also taking any ideas on WHO she looks like??!!  i had someone say to me yesterday that she looks EXACTLY like DH, but I don't think she knew Mr. A as a baby.  in any event, do share.)