Snowy SNorfolk!

We finally got snow in Norfolk!! When all was said and done, we probably got about 8 inches, which is the most Norfolk has seen in 20 years! It was beautiful and peaceful and we got to play and throw snowballs and make snowmen and eat snow (Mia's favorite thing).

I'll bombard you with pictures now! Who knows if we'll ever see this much snow here again, so we had to take a lot!

Mia moments

I was going to write another post about the misery that is the big-girl bed transition, but I'm tired of complaining. Instead, I'll list some of the cuter Amelia highlights as of late :)

She continues to amaze us and make us laugh with the things that come out of her mouth! I swear, she has a huge language explosion almost every week! She's started the "Why's", which I suppose is another rite of passage for parents! It's pretty funny (for now) although I can usually only make it through 3 "Why's?"before copping out with some sort of lame response, or "Ask Daddy".

Latest example:

Mommy: Amelia, let's put your coat on!
Amelia: Why?
Mommy: Because it's cold outside today.
A: Why?
M: Because it is winter.
A: W?
M: Because, um, the Earth is farther away from the sun right now and....?
A: W?
M: Because, um, just put your coat on!

She also comes up with some crazy statements that make me wonder what she's learning in preschool, or who she's hanging out with, or what kind of subliminal messages are in Sesame Street and Wow Wow Wubzy. Recently she's been telling us that "the spaceship is coming". No kidding. Should I be concerned about this? :)

She's still such a singer and so independent! She loves to hug my belly and gets to feel the baby kick a lot.

She loves the boys at school and lately loves to wear dresses. I'm not sure how to feel about this yet.

She's a little under the weather right now (more on that soon) but still resisting that nap, upstairs singing "Ba Ba Black Sheep". How can I be too frustrated though--check out the cuteness below :)

32 Weeks Down! 8 To Go!

I'm 32 weeks into this pregnancy and feeling pretty good! Now that the holidays are behind us, and Mia is (sort of) sleeping in her new bed, I'm ready to get this baby girl's room in order! I want to pull out all of the cute clothes and hang pretty pictures on her walls and get her some new stuffed animals.

I don't want her to have ONLY Amelia's hand-me-downs, so I'm getting excited to buy her a few new things of her own :) Especially, the "Coming Home" outfit! I remember stressing about this with Amelia and ended up choosing a bright yellow shorts/shirt outfit. It was 90 degrees in July in Spain and she looked like a jaundiced little track star! This time around, I think we'll be a bit more bundled up!

We take a tour of the hospital tomorrow and we actually have a babysitter for Amelia so we will take advantage and go out to dinner too!

I promise to update with some photos soon. We had a lovely visit with the McGrandparents last weekend and saw the renovated Va. Aquarium with them, among other fun things! Miss you already!

Big Girl Bed Blues

I've got the big-girl bed blues. I think Amelia does too. We were all so excited when we set it up last week and it looked so pretty and cozy. Amelia slept like an angel in it that first night. Then came nap time.

We haven't seen a solid nap since last Wednesday. I am almost at my wits end. And bedtime is getting worse each night. Last night Amelia ended up sleeping on the floor beside her bed and I moved her back into bed at 10pm. Sigh.... This is not a fun struggle.

And for some reason we decided to make this switch a few days before Sean went out of town.

And I'm 31 1/2 weeks pregnant and just tired in general.

Someone please remind me that this will all just be a funny memory in a few months.

I'm too tired to take any pictures of the big-girl bed just yet, but it is pretty cute. One of these days when we are sleeping better (with new baby coming, it may be more like September), I'll put some up.

Send good sleep vibes our way! Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Holiday Photos

A separate post of Holiday Photos for your enjoyment!

Young Picasso at work!

Sledding in PA. It was cold!

Grandma and Mia all bundled up.
Katie and Mia.
Sean and Mia riding up the inclined plane.
The famous Inclined Plane in Johnstown PA. A steep (71degree) ride up to the mountain top.
Annual 4 generations of amazing females, photo!

Mia got a doll with pigtails for Christmas, so now she'll let us put her hair up in them!

Mia in Mommy's favorite present, the Snuggie!

Mia's first school ornament.

Playing with her new dollhouse.

And the new toy piano.

Our first attempt at a gingerbread house.

A New Year

Happy 2010! We had a nice end to 2009, with a relaxing Christmas at our house, and a quick trip to PA to see family and play in the snow again! We capped off the year watching the ball drop (did anyone see CNN's coverage--it is by far the most entertaining with Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin hosting a very un-PC show! I actually stayed awake until midnight laughing), and having the Conley's over for the lucky New Year's "white" meal!

The Christmas decorations are down, and I am ready to move on to bigger and better things in 2010! First and foremost is getting ready to meet our new little girl! We are moving along with turning the attic into the guest room, and deciding which room to use as the nursery and which to use for Mia. Also, Mia will be transitioning to a big-girl bed in the next few weeks. Stay tuned!

There are a few other things I've been thinking about starting in 2010 as well. Not necessarily resolutions, but just stuff I've been putting off, that are becoming more and more important to me.

1) I want to get more involved with our local community. This month I am writing to 2 of our local city council members about some issues that concern me. I want to actually go to our neighborhood civic league meetings too. I still have faith that small voices can make a difference, and I want to have mine heard!

2) I want to further support our Farmer's Market. My plan is to figure out if joining Costco, and religiously using coupons will save me enough money so that I can buy meat and eggs from the Farmer's Market or Organic Depot. Wish me luck!

3) I hope to start going to the local Catholic Church. I had wanted to start today, but Mia had a rough night, and I was so tired that I didn't get out of bed until 10:30. Not an excuse, I know, but I'd like to at least start going while I'm awake and alert. We had such a nice, comfortable church community in Rota, and we were able to get Mia baptized there. I'd really like to get this new baby baptized, and we need to start looking for a church we are comfortable with. Again, wish us luck!

Anyway, that is it for now, and I think it is plenty!

Wishing you all the best in 2010!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Wishing you all a beautiful, peaceful Christmas Eve and festive, happy Christmas!!
Lots of love from,

Us

PS. Photos below from our annual Xmas party in SoMd., the HUGE SNOWSTORM that happened that weekend, and general merriment!

My Girls! We had a great gathering at the Swift's house. Everyone managed to scramble and make it a night earlier due to the impending Blizzard!!

Happy Maddie :)

Mia and Zach

Me and Alexis :) It was so much fun being snowed in with the Engels for a weekend!

Love the expressions on their faces!

Then our little daredevil decided to go by herself!

We haven't played in snow in a while! Look how happy we are :)

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

The Cutest Christmas Pageant Ever

This is what parents live for! Mia "performed" in her first Christmas program today and it was just ridiculously adorable. The Two-Year old class had about 5 songs to sing and then had a visit from Santa! Most of the kids completely clammed up on stage, and one little guy cried his eyes out the whole time. Mia was pretty quiet until it was time for "Jingle Bells". Then she got a bit more animated :) Check her out below! Watch how she really gets into the "Hey!" part :) I just love it!!

Oh, we have a Snow Hope Index of 8 for this weekend!! Keep your fingers crossed!

A Momentous Occasion!

My heart grew 3 sizes last weekend when Mia took her first pony ride at a local holiday festival. She hopped right up on little "Wee" and looked like such a pro in her little hard hat :) When she was done she said "Again, Mommy!" much to my great delight, and Sean's great dismay! I am still beaming with pride!

Santa or Scrooge?

I love Christmas, really I do. I absolutely love looking at our gorgeous Christmas tree when it is quiet at night, and listening to Christmas carols and all of the parties and goodies. And it is so much more magical with a kid! Mia is asking more about Christmas and Santa and presents this year and she helped (sort of) with the tree. Christmas morning is so special when you have a small child.

But I just keep wavering back and forth between the "I love this time of year" and "Ugh, I have so much to do and I'm just tired and achy and why won't Amelia nap and I'm never gonna get all of this stuff ordered and why doesn't this have free shipping?? etc., etc., etc...., BAH HUMBUG!"
Usually I adopt the second attitude at around 10pm when I'm ready for bed but feeling overwhelmed with what I need to do.

I'm trying to tell myself that it will all get done and that I need to relax. And when I see this little face light up at the sight of our tree or lights in the neighborhood, it really does make me feel all merry inside. Lets hope the feeling lasts a few more weeks!

Hope your December is going well and you have found some time to enjoy the season!

It's Beginning to Look A Little Like....

Teriffic Turkey Day

We had a fantastic visit with the family in Louisville. Mia and Gabriel and Norah enjoyed each other immensely and we just had some relaxing, nice family time. The kids were so funny together, and surprised us with an entertaining version of "The Ants Go Marching" after Thanksgiving dinner. It consisted of them marching around the house shirtless, with various hats/capes on. Little Mia bringing up the rear was hysterical :)

The food was amazing as always and this new baby girl is a huge fan of the cranberry, poppyseed bread, and butterscotch bars that were new additions to the dessert table this year! I may not be such a big fan next spring when I'm struggling to lose baby weight, but hey, it's the holidays!! Christmas, here we come!!

The Girls :) Norah takes after her Aunt Sarah. I also love the "tongue out" pose!

Goofing of with G :)