Christmas 2009 Part 1

I would seriously consider changing my son's name to Chevy Chase. We were going to give him Chase as a middle name until we felt we should name him after our dads. My point? National Lampoons Christmas Vacation is one of my favorite movies of all time. I still laugh even though I've seen it a hundred times. It gets me in the Christmas spirit every year!

I am feeling guilty about not taking Mati Claire to see Santa this year. Does that make me a terrible mother? I never knew his where-abouts honestly. I feel terrible. Luckily I found the energy to decorate like I normally do and we are putting "reindeer food" out in the yard on Christmas Eve. I haven't bought the "Elf" yet...I thought that was a little over her head...so next year for sure! She doesn't understand the potty yet...so I don't think she'll understand Santa's specifics.

We celebrated Christmas on the Miley side this past Saturday. After all the presents were opened and the tree was somewhat bare, Kendall and MC dragged 2 chairs to where the tree was standing. We found them like this. Talking to each other. Staring at the tree. Kendall was explaining to Mati Claire who "Crusty" the Snowman was and pointing out each color of light. So precious. My camera did not do this picture justice...

Say Cheese!

My niece, Kendall, celebrated her 3rd birthday last week. It's hard to believe she's 3 already. So we had our first adventure at Chuck E. Cheese! wow. I see why parents avoid that place like the plague. We had fun but I was so exhausted by the time we left. Mati Claire took awhile to warm up to the place, never got too close to Chuck himself, but finally managed to enjoy herself. She quickly picked up on how to put the coins in the slot and pulling the tickets out! That was her favorite part. Here are a few pics:

Christmas Tagged

I do have LOTS of pictures to post. But I will post them later. I just thought this tag was cute and I could answer it quickly.

1. Wrapping paper or Gift bags? Wrapping paper. I try to avoid bags at all costs but sometimes its a must. I usually go buy a box to put it in so I can still wrap it.

2. Real or Artificial tree? Artificial (this year). I insisted on real our first Christmas in our new home...then it fell over at 3 am one morning and broke almost every ornament I had. Not to mention the needles that went flying and covered our living room. So my husband now insists on artificial.

3. When do you put up the tree? Around Thanksgiving. My deadline is Dec.1.

4. Do you have a Nativity Scene? No. Although I am in the market of buying a really nice one one day. I want one for the dining room buffet table.

5. Photo card or Traditional? Photo.

6. Clear or Colored Lights? Clear.

7. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night.

8. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? Nope.

9. Angel or Star on top of tree? Neither. Giant bow.

10. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wrapped!!!

11. Do you hang mistletoe? No, but I would love to. It would have to be real mistletoe though. And I never come across real mistletoe while shopping. Where can you buy real mistletoe?

12. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? Oh my sister ruined it for me when I was around 9 or so. It was Christmas Eve and I was going to sleep like a "good little girl" so Santa would come and even though I was beginning to question the logistics of how Santa worked, I still believed. My sister said, "Carrie, you know Santa doesn't really exist right?" 20 years later with kids....Santa still exists at my house.

I can't blog because I'm in the bathroom!

Got your attention? Someone PLEASE tell me why potty training is so difficult? Why is it SOOOO hard to understand for a 2 year old? We have spent every waking minute in the bathroom. She figured out VERY QUICKLY that if she just goes a little bit, she'll get candy. Well she never "empties" herself so she has to go again 5 minutes later...therefore more candy. 5 minutes later....again. She literally goes every 10 minutes ALL day long. Then yesterday, she began wanting to undress herself with no help. (To clarify, my child is not a climber or a streaker.) Well it takes her (no lie) 15 minutes to undress herself because she can't just pull her pants down....NOOOOO, she has to get COMPLETELY undressed to go potty...hairbow and all. So 15 minutes later, she has either already gone in her pull-up or has since changed her mind (again). I almost took my lunch into the bathroom with me. Seriously, I might lose my mind in a bathroom.

I had my monthly checkup with the doctor this morning aaaannnnndddd I've gained NINE pounds in 1 month. Wow. A total of 14 pounds so far. So she told me I could slow down now and aim for 1 lb a week. Ha! You're telling a pregnant person to slow down at Thanksgiving and Christmas time??? I go back in 3 weeks for my glucose test, then I start going every 2 weeks. ALREADY??? That caught me off guard. All I can say so far is that Mattox has shown me a whole different side to pregnancy and I can only imagine what it will be like when he gets here. Hopefully not a rude awakening but I'm getting that impression.

I mailed Christmas cards yesterday, so if you don't receive yours (I have terrible postal luck) please let me know. I promise I mailed you one! :) Jeanelle Caraway did the pictures and the cards. I am already looking forward to next years' card...what do I do with TWO kids?

Well if I don't blog, like I said, I'm in the bathroom. Just kidding... but things are getting very hectic around here with the holidays so if I don't post I hope everyone has a stressfree and wonderful Christmas. Does Santa take requests for potty training?

Bunch of Turkeys

Here's a cute picture of my niece, who has a birthday coming up too. MC has had a blast playing with all her cousins this week. When they are here, she forgets anyone else exists...even the grandparents and mommy! Potty training was going well, but its definitely a work in-progress. When company arrived, she has been so distracted. We are trying to get back on track this weekend. I am so excited to have almost ALL (minus a few small things) of my Christmas shopping done and wrapped! Here's hoping to sitting back, relaxing, and enjoying the rest of the season.

MC and Kendall enjoying their Thanksgiving dinner

MC also enjoyed Sarah's 2nd birthday party! It was one of our few success stories. No fits or tantrums and candy was involved! I have never seen MC on a "sugar high" before - so it was hilarious!

Happy Birthday to the sweet princess, Sarah!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Mattox no doubt enjoyed his meals. Thank you to all the cooks! I'm also taking advantage of my parents being here to help me get Christmas decorations started. Thank you Mom and Dad. Oh yeah, it's official: they sold their house in Vicksburg! 3 years on the market and its finally gone. I'm a little sad because they probably won't be visiting quite as often now. It's been nice this week with a bunch of turkeys in the house! We've had lots of fun and I think I gained about 10 pounds in the last 2 weeks!!!!! Seriously.

Baby Update

Here's the latest picture of baby Mattox. I went to the doctor this past Tuesday, and I only gained 1 lb. (4.8 lbs total). I'm 22 weeks. So! Dr. T said if I don't put on more weight by next time she will discuss putting me on a "special diet." Not sure what that entails, but I'm gain for whatever helps me gain. After looking back, I had gained 10 lbs with Mati Claire at this point so I'm not sure what the problem is. Trust me, I eat everything in sight...good or bad.

Anyway, Mattox has moved from the 29% to the 34% overall. So Dr. T refers to him as "petite but not worrisome." They estimated that he weighs 1 pound! And still a boy! ha! They don't EVER need to put his private parts on a big screen ever again. Bit frightening. Apparently the 1 lb I gained went straight between his legs. ;) jk. I won't even post that picture.

Believe it or not, Mati Claire is starting to show some jealousy already. She will move my hand away from my belly and she is all of a sudden obsessed with laying on my belly (which isn't really possible). She likes to cuddle more than usual...which makes me think that she better get her time in. So, just an update on the pregnancy! Looking forward to a low-key weekend.

A Time to Fix

The phrase "don't fix it if it ain't broken" doesn't apply to my house lately. It seems everything has broken in the last few weeks. We finally called in the Geek Squad to fix our computer and printer (lets hold a moment of silence for the masters of technology...)

Okay. Our computer is fixed. We had several viruses that we didn't know about - we just knew that it was slow and nothing worked. It works great now, but I do have to say that since the IPhone was invented, our use of the house internet has greatly diminished.

Our washing machine was next. Lets just say the spin cycle died. What a shame. Ha! We don't travel to Metro very often - but when it comes to buying appliances we are required to find Sears. Kenmore - I love you.

Among numerous other things: pool pump, ceiling is fixed thanks to my Dad, the boat was broken (again), our yard needed a major overhaul (thank you Schoggens), and yes, even our door bell ringer needs replacing.

I was also in dire need of an attitude adjustment and overall self-fix. October was a rough month, and I am thankful for November so far. I (and Mati Claire) feel so much better and my attitude has improved. I've done some cleaning out and we are in the process of rearranging some things at the house (aka we will eventually move MC upstairs). Hopefully, the de-stressing will continue by completing a few procrastinated projects. All is well!

We are looking forward to Thanksgiving! We'll have both families here that week so that's exciting! Thank you Honeybaked Ham and Williams-Sonoma! hahahaha!

I'll leave you with one of my favorites, Ecclesiastes 3:

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

... "God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed."