Decking the Halls

Mason is starting to recognize some of the elements of Christmas this year, and it has been so much fun. We asked him if he was excited for Christmastime, and the answer was a resounding yes. We asked him what Christmas means, and his first answer was "Lights!" We're working on the actual meaning of Christmas now! However, his excitement prompted us to take first things first-- and put up our lights. As you can see, we aren't too elaborate with it; we put up something simple and then drive around to see the more elaborate displays.

We also invested in a 7 1/2 foot tall pre-lit Christmas tree. This was only a disadvantage after we started decking the tree out and I realized I only had enough decor for a 4 1/2 foot tree. We're making it work! I have scaled back on my Christmas decorations a bit. I used to do the whole living room, but Mason loves to play in there, so we seem to have reached a truce whereby I get my space to decorate if he gets his space to play. As a result, I have the tree and the one table ready to go. My mom purchased a train that is meant to circle the bottom of the tree for Mason; we might put it up if he'll stop playing with it long enough. But his other newfound love is The Polar Express, which is also the name he's bestowed on the new train; I'm thinking this love will carry him through the new year.

Little Chicken Pot Pies

This is what we had for dinner. For this and some of my other brave attempts, check out my recipe blog, The Unpampered Chef. Because we had most of the items on hand, this cost me less than $5 to make, and I was so very excited about that.

Wordless Wednesday: This Time Last Year

Mason was so excited to help dad shovel snow. We'll beat the chore-related excitement out of him yet (okay, not really because chores are necessary and we will benefit when he does them). 2Dec07 For more Wordless Wednesdays, see Nicol's blog when she has a chance to start posting again or 5 Minutes for Mom.

New Daddy

My mom and I took Mason out to lunch this afternoon, and he was chattering away as usual. Some of what he says is nonsense (like he just barely told me "When the sun comes up, we can have popcorn!"....), but if you pay close attention he's pretty funny sometimes.

Much to our surprise, he turned to my mom and said that we were "waiting for new daddy." During questioning, he said "old daddy is at the fire station" and that "new daddy is going to come sit right here by me."

When asked if he knew new daddy's name, he said yes. "It's Papa!"

He calls my dad Papa, so we were relieved that he wasn't calling my virtue into question; we're just trying to figure out Papa's "new" name. Anyone have any ideas?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is probably my favorite of the major holidays. I really love to bake and spend time with family, so it goes without saying that I would love a day centered around good food and loved ones. Especially with my side of our family, it's a rare opportunity for everyone to get together and I don't take that lightly. But even further than that, I have so many things to be grateful for and today gives me a chance to pause and really focus on that. Suddenly, the stomping hissy fit Mason is in the middle of seems so minor compared to the "big picture". So here in no particular order are the things I'm grateful for; they mirror a lot of lists my friends have already posted.

- My family. This is a huge one, and encompasses so many different things. My husband who is a smart, hard worker and encourages me to stay home with Mason. Mason himself, who has taught me so much about myself and life in general. Even though right now he's going through a fit-throwing phase that makes being home seem like a chore, when he isn't throwing a fit or having a hard time, he is such a sweet, smart, and funny kid. He loves to learn, laugh, and play. He has a way of cutting through all the pretenses that a lot of adults have built up and is just himself all the time. He always lets me know where I stand with him; I think he gets that from his dad, and it's such a good thing most of the time. I'm grateful for the baby on the way, but more on that later! I'm also grateful for in-laws and parents who are always there for us and very supportive. The relationship I have with my mom, especially since Mason was born, is leaps and bounds above what I ever thought it could be and I'm so grateful for all of her support and encouragement. I've been lucky in a way to have a close relationship with Alan's mom, who is also supportive and helps me complete projects and do things I never thought I would or could do. And the dads, who are always standing by protectively to help me out with whatever Alan can't accomplish when long work hours take him away. Our family is crazy and imperfect, but they are perfect for me and I love them all.

-My friends. When I need a little bit of sanity or girl power, there is a solid group of friends I can turn to. I have had a lot of disappointment with friendships in my life, figuring out which ones were healthy and which ones weren't hurtful. It's so nice to be in a place where I can count on my friends and I feel like they can count on me. Heather, Joey, Amber...my week isn't complete unless I've at least talked to you all. Even though work, kids, and life in general don't always allow us to spend a lot of time together, when we do get together it feels like no time has passed. And I also have an extended circle of friends that I am lucky to have, who I also appreciate. These three are my core friends, though, and one of the bright spots in my life.

-Stability. Alan and I have been very blessed with a stable life in a lot of aspects. First off, we both are relatively healthy. I've been especially grateful for this strength when I've been pregnant. So many people have hard pregnancies or deliveries and I have been very lucky in both these areas. We are both extremely relieved to have stable jobs, especially with all the economic difficulties surrounding us. We joke that stupid people are our job security; it isn't quite like that. Really, it's people needing help that are our job security, and there will always be people who need help; there will also always be a few nuts mixed in. I'm grateful we both have jobs we love and do well at to support our family. I'm also grateful for the flexibility that allows me to have the best of both worlds and to be at home with Mason most of the time.

So with that, I've got about a hundred things to do today so I'd better jet. But if you haven't had a chance to pause and think about it, I would love to know--what are you thankful for?

Taking it all off...

Wow, I just realized what that title must look like to those of you who follow via feed or email and just see the title. Hmm. Oh, well. You all know how I am by now!

So last week, after 45 minutes of effort with and end result of hair that still looked like I hadn't bothered, I decided I was sick of the long and it was coming off. That it did!

Some of you may remember when I was in high school and my hair never made it past my shoulders. For those of you that don't, this is even shorter than it was then! Heather, my fabulous haircutter, showed me where the 10 inches required to donate would fall and I was like "Hey, why not!" It seemed like a shame to be within an inch or two of donating and not going the extra. Besides, I'm taking pre-natal vitamins; my hair might have grown out that much by Thanksgiving. Probably not, but likely by Christmas.

Plus, when the "oompa-loompa" purple wears out (Alan can be very kind, can't he?!), it will be a more dramatic shade of red than I have tried. I like to think of myself as brave, even if it isn't true.

Also, please forgive the awkward self-portraits. I also ended up with pictures of the ceiling and the back of my chair during the photo shoot. I'm not so good at the self photography.

So I have a 10-inch long ponytail to donate, and if anyone knows of a good cancer charity, I would love the guidance (via comment or email, whatever works). I donated to Locks of Love last time (and one other time about 12 years ag0), but I have a work friend who died of cancer a couple of years ago so I feel a little closer to that cause.