See you next year...

It's a winding road.
And it's a long way home.
So don't wait for someone to tell you it's too late, cause these are the best days.
There's always something tomorrow, so I say, let's make the best of tonight.
Here comes the rest of our lives.
Best Days, Graham Colton


2008 from MLS on Vimeo.

Anticipation 2009

10. Seeing Rory walk.
9. Spring Breaking with the Levys at beach week.
8. Hearing Rory talk.
7. Celebrating Jeff and Brandi's birthday at Disney.
6. Vacationing Sea Club style.
5. Camping.
4. Celebrating 1 and 4 and 32.
3. Teaching Jilli to swim.
2. Teaching Rory to sing.
1. Discovering the things that I don't even know I am waiting for yet...

Planning 2009

10. Paint (upstairs hallway, bathroom.)
9. Organize (pictures into books.)
8. Finish ((start) both girls' first year books. )
7. Re-design (office.)
6. Make ( gifts.)
5. Sew (slipcovers, quilt, clothes.)
4. Read (one book a month.)
3. Bake (bread.)
2. Eat (less french fries.)
1. Run (5k, March.)

The Best (in between) Moments of 2008

10. Seeing Jilli run crazy with Makenna and Christian in May as I held a barely 6 week old Rory, marveling at the child in my arms and the one who had grown into her own.

9. Listening to Jilli sing Jingle Bells along with her Shrek CD at the top of her lungs while jumping up and down, in February (and March, April, May, June....)

8. Sitting on the lawn at the Tom Petty concert with Jeff to celebrate our anniversary and watching the (slightly inebriated) people dancing and singing around us.

7. Having High Tea with my mom to celebrate my birthday.

6. Watching Jilli's unfettered joy at her own birthday party.

5. Crying when we lit the #3 candle.

4. Holding Rory for what seemed like an entire week when she was just home from the hospital, snuggled in my bed, dozing and nursing day after day while we listened to the rain together.

3. Snuggling with both Jilli and Rory in the front porch swing when the sun finally shone through.

2. Hearing Jilli tell Rory as we traveled home from some early errand, just the three of us, "Awww, don't cry, we'll be home soon. Its ok Rory. Its ok."

1. Touching Rory's face less than an hour after she was born, when by some lucky chance I was left alone with her for a few stolen moments, and knowing for certain that our lives had been multiplied by a power of four.

Abundance

Christmas here was beautiful and loud and fun. Five children, ranging from 1 month old to 10 years and five adults came downstairs to Santa's gifts and breakfast in the morning. We added another child and five more adults for dinner. In between there was much loud playing and exclaiming over new toys and goodies.

Santa brought the girls wonderful gifts. Jilli had two specific requests; an umbrella and Baloo the bear (from Jungle Book). She received both from Santa (Baloo and Mowgli in a snow globe as Jungle Book is not, umm, readily available these days to the big man.) Not surprisingly Rory's favorite gift was a curly silver ribbon on one of her gifts and all the paper she could eat before I rudely scarped it out of her mouth. Rory prematurely opened a few gifts earlier in the week but come Christmas morning was preoccupied with other issues. Jilli stepped in and "showed Rory how to open her gifts" by unwrapping each one for her. Spending the day with Christian, Makenna and Emery made for the best memories; all five kids in one place, seeing Christian help Jilli with packages or new things, watching Jilli and Makenna dance and take picture after picture with Jilli's new camera, seeing Rory gently touch Emery's face....

Though it was my intention to give a few special things, everyone received many, many gifts (all special) from us, family and friends. I donated several large bins of toys before the holiday, in part to make room and in part to share the wealth. But Christmas morning I was reminded, as I so often am, of the simple joys of family that have nothing to do with boxes and bows. In the coming year and indeed, next holiday season, we will buy less and do more; more handmade, more cookies, more singing 'Little Rangers' and looking at lights, more The Grinch Who Stole Christmas and certainly more sharing with those who have so much less than we were given. We will remember that the most special times over the past week were when we were together; in any combination of family, young or old, and any number of people between two and sixteen.

The Rory Report - 9 months

Rory,
You can stand up! You have to pull yourself up on something and it happens most often in your crib (like every single nap time) but you can do it all by yourself. You are so proud and think it is great fun to scream intermittently until Daddy or I comes in to lay you back down (again). This month you squealed with glee as you dumped out bins of blocks and screamed in fury as I took things (dangerous, bad things, things you shouldn't have had but thought absolutely necessary to your survival at the moment) away from you. You created your very own way of signing all done that looks like you are about to bust into singing, "Stop! In the Name of Love...." You celebrated your first Christmas yesterday and thought the best toys were the ribbon and the best food the tissue paper. You also loved loved loved every morsel of real food we gave you; ham, sweet potatoes, mac and cheese, stuffing, bread... You love most food, in fact, but only if its something you can pick up and feed yourself. You are so over being spoon fed. You can drink out of a sippy cup and put toys into bigger containers. You are fond of crawling to your sister and trying to play with whatever she has at the moment. Jilli usually tattles on you and tells me you aren't sharing and then gets you a new toy (until she decides she wants whatever you have and then tells me she is going to 'share' with you before she takes your toy away.) You are still mommy's girl through and through. You have eyes for daddy too, but if you are tired or cranky I am your preferred comforter. I know this will change; probably sooner than I am ready. I know because we sat at the Christmas Eve service a few nights ago (you happily gnawed on your shoe for the better part of the evening,) and I remembered the Christmas Eves just a few years back when Jilli was happy to be held and chew on whatever was available. This year she ran up the aisles with Christian and Makenna and sat all by herself to listen to the Christmas Story. Will you sit in the aisle with her next year? Your first 9 months have passed quickly but we treasure every moment with you. I love you Little Bear.

Mommy

Elf-ilicious

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The Post of a Thousand Pictures

I have no idea how Christmas is only 10 days away. Wasn't Thanksgiving just last week? We slogged through a work week after we got back from our trip and then started the festivities.

First we hiked into the woods with an axe to chop down a tree (well, we went to Lowe's.) When we arrived in the verdant green forest (garden center) we discovered that just indoors they were having a fabulous sale. So we came home with a beautiful tree that will return to the attic year after year instead of the mulch pile. We garnered more than a few smirks on the way home.

We baked cookies and Rory perfected her spatula wielding skills (on Sketch)while Jilli added the ingredients (including the banilla.) Then candy bags and icing exploded onto our ginger people for a sugar high the likes of which we rarely see (in the last picture you can see the effects on Jilli compared to the child who consumed far less sugar....Hazel.)

We've sung traditional songs and practiced our keyboarding. Jilli is fond of "The Little Rangers Song" (Every time she says that I think "Ch-ch-ch-Chip and Dale! Rescue Rangers!" but alas, it is Away in a Manger, a fine carol, but I loved those chipmunks.)

Grandpa stopped in for a visit and we trimmed the tree and attended a parade.


Finally, last night we dressed the girls in matching outfits and tortured them for as long as they would put up with it so we could get some pics for our Christmas card.

We are feeling festive around here.

Spike

Rory's hair is coming in at a much faster clip than Jilli's. She usually gets a mohawk after her bath and though its hard to see the sublime nonsense of it here, I think we have a future rocker on our hands (tambourine is her preferred instrument at 8.5 months old.)

Contact

Rory signed 'all done' tonight! Its the only sign we have used consistently with her and when I do it at the end of meals she usually smiles and laughs. Tonight she was losing interest in her dinner(eggs, toast, cheerios -- all displayed artfully on her tray.) She looked at me and shook her right hand and smiled (ok, maybe it doesn't seem as clear written here but it was obvious.) Brilliant!