It's midnight somewhere...

...and it's nearly past my bedtime, so

Happy New Year
(a little early)

from our family to yours!

The Real Meaning of Christmas

I think this is so sweet.

Merry Christmas!

{cookies and frosting and sprinkles} OH MY!

Another one of my favorite holiday traditions that I now get to share with my littlemiss...

My grandma Leah actually started this party when we were young. She would have all the grandkids over for her annual CookieBakeSlumberParty. It was a chance for our parents to take advantage of free babysitting and one of the parties that we all looked forward to throughout the year.

My amazing mom started doing the same thing once she started having her own grandchildren and it just keeps getting better and better. This continues to be one of the most looked forward to nights of the holiday season. As most of the grandkids got older, parents gradually started showing up, hoping for cookies and a good time. Now it usually turns into a huge party with loads of people and gads of messes.

This year, my Mom had knee surgery to repair a torn miniscus just a week before the scheduled party. There was no way that she would be up to pulling it off and yet, we couldn't bear the thought of not having this annual party, so my sisters and I, along with a few of my nieces and sister-in-law stepped up to help make it happen.

holy.crap.it's.a.lot.of.work.

I can't believe that any sane person would go to that much work.

We're talking 400+ sugar cookies, people. That's 10 {ten} batches! Not to mention 5 big batches of frosting and oodles and oodles of sprinkles.

I was once again reminded that me and the littlemiss have both been blessed with amazing grandmas!!

It turned into such a fun day, cooking, laughing, prepping and hanging out as we finished all the final touches. (luckily the masseuse was there to ease our tired bodies)

We wanted my mom to be able to boss us around while having plenty of time to snugge the rookie-cookie-party-attendees. I think she kinda liked that job this year!

She and Leah even got a pretty good nap in!

SO.MUCH.FUN.

Leah wasn't sure what to think of all the fuss! She seemed to think that her own hand was just as tasty as any cookie version could possibly be!



She may not have been impressed with the cookies, but she LOVED her time with Lydia. It was so fun to have these two girls together all day. They are only 12 days apart and so cute together, especially now as they are both getting more social.

In fact, there is a whole new crop of little ones! Most of these are kiddos of my nieces and nephew, but I am so glad that she will have little cousins to play with even though I don't understand the geneology lingo of it all (once removed, twice shy?!? Who really cares?)



Trey had been the youngest of the original cousin generation until Leah came along. (He's soooo cute with her!)

And here she is with Tyler, the oldest cousin, who ironically has 2 little girls of his own now. I was just 7 years old when he was born, so we've always been close. Most of my nieces and nephews felt like the little brothers and sisters that I never had... except I didn't have to share my toys with them and it didn't matter when they got on my nerves, because they were bound to be going home soon! :)

I think I love them all as adults (more or less) than ever before!!

This whole mess is all because of these two.

The best parents and grandparents anyone could ever ask for!

Thanks for another fabulous year of memories!

Christmas Bliss-mas!

The holiday season has been so fun with our new little buddy. We love it when weekends come around and Daddy gets to hang out with us. Leah l.o.v.e.s her daddy. (I think it might be all the crazy voices and accents he does... she is enthralled with him)

On Saturday, we had plans to take her to see Santa (mostly to humor me. I've waited a long time for these opportunities and I wanted to make sure her 1st Christmas is well documented)

She seemed pretty excited?!?

But..... in the end... she slept right through it!!

Santa was so cute with her and couldn't take his eyes off of her.

(I kinda know the feeling)

*****

And on Sunday, we decided to take her to church for the first time. Chris and I have been taking turns while juggling her and our callings these last couple of months, but it was our annual Youth Christmas Devotional/Brunch and we both worked hard to make it happen and we didn't want to miss it!

She got gussied up in some fancy duds and came along. She was so good and slept through most of it. She didn't start melting down until the devotional was nearly over and mommy wanted to get some family pictures...
(Proof)

However, after a little lunch and some snuggling, she was back to being my perfect angel and she made it to her first Sacrament Meeting. It was so sweet to be in church all together as a family for the first time and especially on my favorite Sunday of the year. The Christmas program was amazing, as usual. I felt overwhelmed with emotion and love and blessings. I remember being younger and seeing cute couples and families in church. I always loved seeing husbands with their arms around their wives especially when they had sweet little ones. This particular Sunday felt a little bit, like I was given an out of body experience. As I sat there celebrating this Christmas season, I realized that finally, as I am nearing middle-aged, I am whole. I was meant to be a mother and I was sitting right where I was supposed to be at that moment, with exactly the people that I've prayed for my entire life. What a miraculous year! I feel like the luckiest girl in the world.

This is shaping up to be one of my best holiday seasons yet.

***and on another note, we are now working on two weeks of the littlemiss sleeping between 9 and 11 hours every single night. It's life-changing. Truly.

If Silent Night wasn't my favorite Christmas hymn before... it most certainly is now!!!

{twenty} years and counting....

First of all, the fact that I am old enough to have a {twenty} year tradition with anyone other than my family kind of makes me feel like gasping for air.

Nevertheless....

One of my favorite parties of the year has once again come and gone.

I have always been blessed in my life with an abundance of amazing friends, something that I am eternally thankful for. I have important, close and amazing friends that have just come into my life these last few years, no doubt because I needed them at this very stage of my life. I feel blessed that amazing people have always been put in my path along this journey we call life.

However, there is something so incredible about friends that have known you since what feels like the beginning of time. I have said it before and I could probably just ditto previous posts, but I LOVE these women. Many times in my life, I have probably not been deserving of the kind of friends that they are, but that's even more reason why I feel so lucky!

The twentieth anniversary of the Annual Friends' Christmas Party!

You'd think after 20 years, the group shot would be a breeze.

think.again.

(it's usually a 20-30 minute hysterical affair)

My friends just keep getting prettier and prettier and even more amazing!


Usually there is a strict "no husbands and no kids" rule. However, occasionally exceptions are made for teeny, tiny little ones who are still livin' off of mama's milk.

Leah was lucky enough to get a little taste of this fun tradition. Although I missed being able to sleep over this year, it was nice to take her along. I'm pretty sure she loved every minute of it, but I've already told her not to get used to it! She won't be invited in the years to come!

The twenty year tree... complete with Sari's incredible handmade ceramic ornaments for everyone. Loved it!

Sari... thank you for always opening up the cabin to us. You are the best hostess ever!

Beckie... thank you for all you do every year to make this party happen. You are amazing!

Ladies... LYG

two...

*** I really do have intentions of blogging more than once a month. I promise.***

I am currently so very {blissfully} behind.
How is it that a whole month has gone by sice my last post?

Snap!

Just like that.

It feels like I just blinked my eyes and already my littlemiss miracle is two months old.

It nearly seems impossible that it has already been two months since Leah joined our family and yet, already my {former} life feels like such a distant memory. My {former} pre-mama identity? She seems nearly a stranger, almost like someone that I used to know. Being a mother has changed my world in every.single.way possible and in all the best ways. I have never been so happy to 'be' in the moment. Right now as I type this, a little part of my soul is right beside me squealing and jabbering and giggling and making my heart feel as though it might swell right out of my chest.

Life is different... very different.

Dishes now sit in the sink a little longer than I'm used to. Dusty footprints linger on my floors for longer than I would like. Blog posts go unwritten. Sleep doesn't last as long as it once did. Dinners aren't quite as peaceful as they used to be. My long, evening soaks in the tub don't come as often as they once did and they certainly don't last as long. Gas seems to last a little longer in my gas tank. Alone time with my mister is now a treat, rather than the daily "norm". Basic tasks that used to take me an hour to do, now often take me several days to get done. My roots seem to get longer and longer between touch-ups, revealing to the world my gray (gasp) hairs.

...and yet...

I have never been more content

*********

con·tent (kuh n-tent)
adjective.

1. Desiring no more than what one has; satisfied.
2. Ready to accept or acquiesce; willing

I L.O.V.E being her mama.

I love the way her little scalp smells, so fresh and pure. I love the way she lays her head on my shoulder as we dance around the kitchen playing our favorite songs when she's fussy. I love to kiss the warm, soft skin on her neck. I love the way she stares directly into my eyes when I feed her. I love the way she is mesmerized by the Christmas lights. I love the way she splashes with her arms and legs in the bathtub. I love the way her daddy talks to her. I love our afternoons in the rocking chair singing all the songs that my Grandma Leah used to sing to me. I love the way she grunts and groans when she's starting to wake up. I love her 2 funny cowlicks and especially her bald-spot. I love her high-pitched squeal and her happy toothless grin. I love the sounds and whimpers she makes as she is sucking on a binky when she's sad or hungry. I love the way that she likes her bum patted when she's swaddled and falling asleep in my arms. I love how she's starting to sleep through the night. I love all of the emotions that she has awakened in me. And I love the feeling of being a wife and mother more than I ever thought I would or even could.

Some 2 month stats:

* Weight: 11lbs 5oz

* Height: 23.5 inches

* Head Circumference: 39.75 cm

* She is starting to sleep through the night, sleeping anywhere from 6-11 hour stretches consistently. Allelujah!

* Although she is a good night time sleeper, she is not a very good napper. Our nights are much more consistent than our days. (I'll take it)

* She is very jabbery. She talks a lot!! Her happy, chatty sounds seem to melt me into a sloppy, puddley mess.

* She is smiling and starting to laugh. (once again...melting)

* She l.o.v.e.s bath time.

* She is just starting to like tummy time. Her head and neck and arms are getting stronger all the time.

* She has my heart wrapped securely around her long, little fingers. XOX

Happy 2 month birthday littlemiss leah!

I love you!