Worth the wait....

I feel like I say that ALL the time but seriously, this Christmas was soooo worth the wait!

I couldn't WAIT to be a mommy so Christmas would be about my children.  I couldn't wait for little people to come into my life to inject the excitement, hope, magic and kid crafts back into the holiday.  When Natalie was born we expected to have to fake it that first Christmas as she was only 8 months old....so we did. haha  Every year we thought "Ok, this will be the year that she will get that something wonderful is happening."  Every year she didn't really seem to care.  Don't get me wrong, we spoiled her rotten and she had fun in the moment but there wasn't ANY anticipation of anything, no excitement over lights or presents....  We still faked it though ;)  We were building a memory archive for her to dive into when she was ready to immerse herself into this fantastic holiday.  Then Alyssa came....the first 2 Christmas's came and went without much fanfare on her part. Although we still went crazy....you know, just in case THIS was the year they started to remember. 

Then it happened.....this year....this wonderful, glorious, everything I ever wanted out of life year....FINALLY happened and POOF!  Just like that, we have children.  We got faces like this

And this...

This is when she turned the corner in our kitchen and saw the tree for the first time on Christmas morning.

We got children ripping into presents and actually understanding that there were toys INSIDE the boxes. haha

For months if you asked Alyssa what she wanted from Santa she would say without hesitation "CUPCAKE!" or "CAKE!".....every. single. time.  I heard this for at least 2 months leading up to Christmas.  I kept thinking "no, she can't possibly be serious" but I am not kidding when I say that the kid wanted a dang cupcake.  So I got her one of those super sugary, sprayed in food coloring monstrosities that you see in Publix because dang it, if my baby girl wants a cupcake from Santa then she is getting the most obnoxiously awesome one I could find.  To tell you that she was excited was an understatement.  Santa ate our cookies that we left him and left Alyssa and Natalie cupcakes on the plate.  When Alyssa saw them she FREAKED!  "MY CUPCAKE, MY CUPCAKE!!" Insert jumping up and down and clapping of hands here.  

Seriously, you would have thought we got her a car.  We had to stop opening presents so she could eat her breakfast cupcake.  I have never seen a more satisfied child in my life.  It was like for that five minutes all was right in the world.  Everything she ever wanted came to be.  I would give anything to be able to hang on to the power to put that contentment in her eyes with a simple cupcake.  Enjoy it little monkey.

Natalie didn't seem to mind it too much either...

Back to presents.  There were rollerskates to be opened...and worn for the duration of the day. (Natalie's are Tinker Bell....oh yes, we are THAT good)

...and new baby dolls to love...

That was my very first cabbage patch kid.  If you knew me as a child you will understand the poignancy of this moment. I had her sitting under the tree in the same wooden cradle that I used to play with.  I have saved it since I was young in the hopes that I would have little girls to love it one day as much as I did. I put Jillian in it along with all of Alyssa's dolls.  As soon as she noticed the crib, she picked out Jillian as the newcomer right away.

We do Christmas with my parents on Christmas eve and this year they got Natalie a toy that we had seen (and had to tear her away from kicking and screaming) at the Down syndrome conference.  She hadn't seen it since and had probably forgotten that it even existed in the universe.  

She opened it up, saw the photo of it on the box and literally jumped up and down clapping her hands and saying "YAY, YAY!"....We all stared in amazement at this child who has never really acknowledged a present before much less one that was still in the box.  We all stared then I am pretty sure that all of us teared up.  Seriously, I have waited her entire 4.5 years of life for that.  It was by far my favorite Christmas moment and pretty sure it was my favorite present this year.  She makes everything SO worth the wait.

My mom and I spent the evening cutting out snowflakes to sprinkle around the downstairs.  At the last minute this seemed like a fun thing to do.  Little did I know how much they would love it.  This my friends is how traditions begin. 

We spend the few days after Christmas in Bamberg with Cliff's parents.  This year his mom got them little doll beds.  Natalie was particularly enamored with hers.

I love her <3

I have SOOO many more photos to share from their house but if I kept spending my evenings sizing them I might never have gotten this post up.  Stay tuned, I feel another post about family coming on.  To hold you over here is one of Ma-ma playing outside with the girls.

Our awesome "First" Christmas ended with the magic of Christmas snow.  It fell in glorious flakes of holiday awesomeness and kept up all afternoon.  Best. EVER!

Our tree before....

....and after.

All in all this Christmas was AMAZING!  I feel like I have waited forever for one just like it.  We went from two kids last year who didn't seem to know what to make of it all to two kids this year who drank it all in.  I think Alyssa said it best when we were driving around looking at lights one evening when she said "It's Christmas out!"  I couldn't have said it better myself.

Blogger hates me...

I have no freaking idea what is going on with my layout.  I have tried contacting the faces behind blogger but there isn't a clear way to reach a human.  There are a few glitches I am seeing in design mode that shouldn't be happening which is what is causing the blog to look all wonky.  Bear with me....this too shall pass.

Pretty sure we are related to the Griswold's...

So I randomly decided that Alyssa had to have a photo with Santa RIGHT NOW!  I up and got her all dolled up while talking up Santa like he was the best thing in the universe and not some creepy guy dressed in a "jolly" red suit.  I was all "He knows you so you don't have to be afraid" and "Mommy would never let you sit on a dangerous person's lap". "His beard will look like Papa's...cool huh?" "I promise I will be right here the whole timesojustsmile OK!!!!???"  

She was so excited...SO excited to go meet Santa.  I showed her Natalie's photo with him from when she was 9 months old and how cute it was.  She was pumped.  Alllllll the way to the mall I heard "going to see Santa mommy?, I sit on his lap, I don't cry on his lap"..... 

 

Why yes, the entire photo IS out of focus.  I was WAY close to her and I only have the 50mm.  Move on, you should really move on now.

Me being me brought my camera all ready to catch the magical moment of tears that I just knew was going to happen and hoped that the lady charging me an arm and a leg for a crappy quality photo would catch a decent one.  You know, because me being me LIKES the crying ones.  Seriously, I think they are so much more accurate. hahaha Ok, moving on before you send the guys in white coats to my house.

We walk up and she spots him...and kind of does that jaw drop thing.  I LOVE that children do that! awwww.  We walk around the set and go in.  She is still in awe, still in disbelief that this could be real.  Then he moved..and waved....and she did her freeze tag impression while looking at the ground.  This is her response to anyone new.  It is put on, an act, and she is good at it.  She looks all innocent and adorable but inside and I am thinking...."and there goes the photo."  hahahaha  I unvelcroed her from my torso and set her on Santa's lap.  I then made the horrid mistake of turning my back to get my camera and.she.FREAKED!  

Did she really think I would just leave her there "Well bye baby, Santa will take great care of you while I shop and maybe grab some lunch."  Seriously?!  It was EPIC.  The tears and open mouthed cry.  I couldn't even get a photo b/c I never made it all the way to my camera.  I plunked right down on the floor so she would know I wasn't leaving and hoped to h**l the lady with the camera crappier than mine, charging 10 times what I do for an off center, out of focus, way too zoomed in so Santa has no feet and the arch is cut off on top, unedited, printed on a mall printer would get at least one decent one. 

Doesn't she look thrilled at the experience she just had? 

Thrilled like when we leave the dentist or after being in timeout maybe....

This was the best one. Not kidding. The one that looked the least like I abandoned her to a stranger in a weirdo, red suit in a mall. 

Yes, I totally took a photo of the photo which is highly illegal I am sure but seriously....for what I paid I should have walked out with Santa himself.  Bite me mall "photographer".

In the car on the way home I asked her "Didn't he look like Papa?"....crickets chirping...."Not Papa mommy, it's Santa"...well ok then.  Merry Christmas!   

I'd like to thank the academy...

Seriously though, my good friend Kim has nominated my blog for it's VERY FIRST award!  




Thanks Kim!!!!

Here's how it works: Link back to the person who awarded you, and then pick five blogs to pass on the award too. Make sure to comment on the awarded blogs so they know they’ve been picked.

The friends/blogs that I follow that I feel add a little something extra to my life are:

To rescue our princess 
Growing up Wenzler 
I just love you 
Steady as we go 
The "Jack" pot  

Hurting my heart today...

Elizabeth needs help.  She needs someone to save her, to love her, to give her her life back.  If we were in a position to do so I would be heading over there now to claim her.  For some reason this little girl's story is hitting home tonight.  Thank you god once again for letting us get Natalie.  For letting her be born into a place where she is loved, respected, hugged and nurtured.  Elizabeth wasn't as lucky....but she could be.... 

PLEASE take the time to read her story.  It is uncomfortable and hard and many of you will click away from my blog without ever taking 5 min to read her story.  As hard as it is for us to read about her.....she has to BE her, she has to live every second from here on out in a place that we don't even want to read about.  That we can turn our backs on and pretend it doesn't really happen.  It does, it is real....meet Elizabeth.   

Best EVER!

This is what Alyssa said all through our Thanksgiving dinner....I couldn't have agreed more..... BEST EVER!
Drinking her first annual super yummy, most favoritist orange drink that Papa makes that you can't take just one sip of. Whew!

Halting in play to watch the Macy's parade... Look ma, you finally got your girl who will sit and watch this with you. and not pretend to like it just so she can sit with you and feel cool

It's funny, when you are a kid you see the holidays as only a child could.  The lights, the music, the smells and the food just happen and forms this enchanting bubble of warm fuzzies.  You see family and everything is fun and exciting and full of promise.


  
As an adult you start to see the effort that goes into the magic.  The hours of cooking prep, the trip to the store to make sure you have candles that will aid in the "smells of the season", the cleaning and of course the decorating.....and maybe a little of this...

Cliff and my dad always get a few beers that they have never tried before and we do a "tasting".  With wine it is so dignified and refined.  With beer it is a bit more red neck but no less fun.  ;) 

It sounds like it is all work as the adult but there is still something so magical about the holidays.  Now THOSE things are my cues that something exciting is about to happen.  Getting to learn how to make my very favorite meal of all time from the one person who knows how to make it exactly how I like it is priceless.  I have been training to do this on my own since I was born.  "Helped" in the kitchen as a child, actually helped a bit as a teenager and now actually helping in a "things are getting done" kind of way.  I am overly aware that this job will be handed to me sooner than I would like (I would prefer never if that puts it into perspective haha) and just feel so incredibly thankful that I still get to learn instead of fly solo.  This is my favorite part of Thanksgiving now....maybe it always was.

 

The arrival of family, the traditions that are now work to me BUT fun for my own children.  I LOVE watching them enjoy the same things that I used to.  There is just something so awesome about being able to  watch my parents reliving my childhood through my children's eyes.  A silent look passed that I am sure happened when I was little but that I never saw, a proud smile passed between Cliff and I that is mirrored in my parents. To see traditions stick onto the next generation like a brain tattoo....priceless I tell you!

 


Making stuffing is the first right of passage in our family.  It is the very first thing that you can help cook as a child and dang it, it is FUN!  Children instinctively know to eat the bread as you make the stuffing, to play with the egg when you put it in.  Ok, ok, maybe that's just me.  I kind of had to help Alyssa appreciate that this year hahaha  Whatever kid, more for me to play in!

Only a couple of egg shells this year.  It's part of the "character" of the stuffing....and part of teaching a 2.5 year old how to crack an egg independently.  haha (We are not responsible for your dental bills after the meal.) 

I love Thanksgiving because you obviously couldn't 
 figure that out on your own.  It has nothing and everything to do with the meal.  It is in the long hours of chatting and laughing in the kitchen.  It is in the excited faces of my girls as they begin this journey of learning what this holiday is really all about. It is sitting at the big kid table eating olives off of your fingers (naked because they both decided to strip right before dinner...and who am I do tell them that naked eating is inappropriate on this oh so awesome holiday)





It is heavy lids at the end of the meal as we all cuddle in for the evening.  It is being thankful for everything that many others seem to take for granted.  It is that feeling as you lay in bed that can only come from a day like this.  I hope that you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  

Will you leave me a comment and tell me what your favorite Thanksgiving tradition is?  I am always looking for more fun things to add into our season.