Advent Week 2

Happy week #2 of Advent to you!

We are off to a brilliant week so far... Amazing what a few days can do, especially having Daddy around all weekend. He was traveling last week, as were Mimi and Papa, which explains why I was hanging on by a thread come Friday. Which explains my last post and why my 2yo was getting into extra trouble.

FYI *the nap-on-the-counter incident occurred when T and J were happily playing on the computer, so I stole away to take a shower. Lesson learned: never trust an idle J, especially around naptime. :) Nothing like a good, humbling lesson to ring true my Advent and make me ever aware of my need for a Savior.

This week started with a fun winter punch--SNOW! You bet the boys were out early, bundled up still in their pajamas. They had a great time and GG and I were so relieved to get some wiggles out before church. Afterward the snow had vanished, so it was a good thing we got our snow fix early!

After church we welcomed Mimi and Papa back from Italy and even got to Skype with our favorite soldier in Vincenza! The boys also set up the train around our tree. You'll see we have our tree up, courtesy of GG and the boys, who went on a mission Saturday. It is a Frasier Fir and smells lovely. While I wish I could say we went to cut it down ourselves (always a dream of mine, Clark W.), this year we had to choose the quickest, most efficient path for our family, which means driving across the street to the grocery store to buy one for 29.99. What a deal! :) Don't doubt, though, that we had the whole family in the van singing "Deck The Halls" at one point this weekend. I really felt like the Grizzwalds and took my role as Beverly D'Angelo very seriously. lol. GG and I had a good laugh.
I leave you with our very own "Leaning Tower of MG", a new trick she's been showing us at dinnertime. She weaves back and forth a few times as if to say "Can I please go to bed now? Can't you tell I'm exhausted?"
Not before a few snuggles from her brothers. What a lucky gal!
God bless you today!

Just for the record

*Take a half pound of Dunkin' Donuts coffee grounds and scatter all over the kitchen floor.

*Several days later, steal 1/4 C. of M & M's from the upper cupboards (because you've watched and learned how to maneuver kitchen chairs to serve your purpose), consume half and add the rest to the ongoing mess. Proceed to fall asleep on the kitchen counter!

*Wait a day, then follow with 1/4 C. of mom's cup of coffee and drink with ease (because she makes it taste so sweet and creamy!) Exclaim with glee how much you liked it!!

And what do you have?

One very sweet and sneaky 2-year-old.

Oh, dear J, how lucky you are to be so cute.

Mom's gotta step up my game with you, little stinker.

From over at Building Cathedrals

You might enjoy this glimpse of our Advent season so far.

Keepin' it real :),

We're not the only ones feasting

So is this little cherub...

The big boys were SO very excited to be a part of this milestone. Here, T, aka "Jeff Gordon", assists the little lady in sitting up straight. Doesn't she look thrilled? :)

In the blink of eye, little MG has gone and turned 5 months! In our house, 5 months means one big thing--time for cereal! Rice cereal for one whole month. I force the bland rice cereal on my children for four long weeks... and then I spring real food at six months and they love it!! Sneaky mommy! ;)

BEFORE

MG, unassuming, chipmunk cheeks ready and waiting! Note the G-Ville classic whale bib, thanks to Dr. F out in CO. We had to have it for our first meal!

AFTER

Quizzical, perplexed: "What in the world are you feeding me?"

Bite #2: "It doesn't seem to be getting any better."

Meal #2: "It's not half bad as long as you spit most of it out after you've taken a bite."

Little stinker.

MG of the cherub cheeks.

We'll get you to eat soon enough. Soon enough.

Blessings,

B-mama!

Turkey-ville

Here are a few more shots from my camera...

My handsome man, assuming his father's role of turkey carver.

He did a fine job!

Look at that pretty bird! Disregarding the fact that I did not remove the giblet packet (I swear, I couldn't find it! GG found it while cutting--lol!) and did not know I was supposed to cook it on a rack in the pan (oops!), I thought everything turned out well... which is awesome because I had images of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation while getting the turkey ready. Thankfully no one had to gnaw on their meat to get it down! lol

MG's baby whisperers, Alison and Claren

My sweet pilgrim and indian, all smiles... for now! :)

As you can see above and below, we had a wonderful holiday and reveled in our time together as a family. Turkey day went off without a hitch and we had a great time seeing family from the north and west! They were awesome to drive in, cars full of people and food, and celebrate the day with us. Our feast was delicious and my potato filling turned out better than it ever has before. Thank you to my GG, who encouraged me with all of his wonderful, positive feedback!

The only thing missing was our beloved Mimi and Papa (and of course ALL the family we were not able to be with!) We missed them so much, we celebrated the event at their house! lol. Aren't they a gracious bunch, hosting us while away?! Mimi had even set the tables and created a beautiful ambiance ahead of time for our enjoyment. It was awesome. Thank you, Mim/Pop! We did get to talk to them on turkey day--they were in Italy visiting CG, GG's bro, who has just returned from Afghanistan! Yahoo!! Congratulations CG and we're so thankful to have you home safely!!!! Now, if only we could find Papa's money clip that fell out while they were in Rome, all of us will be truly thankful!

Add onto the fun weekend a visit with a girlfriend of mine from high school who was in town visiting family. We so enjoyed watching the kids play and getting to hang out with her and her wonderful hub for a bit. I had never met her girls before --they are adorable and so sweet. Good times... :)

The crew minus T. Can you guess who had the stinkiest dipe while this photo was taken? Think stripes. Gold ones. :)

A blessed Advent to you!

T-giving Pic Recap

Enjoy these kiddo snapshots from our Thanksgiving, courtesy of GG's cousin, Alison! She's only a high school sophomore and already so talented! Thanks A!

Feeling Like Turkey

As if on cue, the weather took a brisk turn today.

Cue 50 degree temps. Cue subtle, leaf-rustling wind. Cue cozy setting.

Cue adorable children (bias) jumping in leaves.

The potato filling is done. The corn casseroles are done. The stuffing is done. Now for the birds--one breast and one whole. To be conquered tonight.

What a joy to have what we need and what we don't.

There is so much for which to be thankful.

One last thing I keep meaning to mention. The other morning I was greeted by my oldest, who stood looking over his sister who lay in her crib--"Mommy, come and say good morning to the most precious star of the family, MG!" lol. I approached to see "the star" gazing up at her big brother in awe. Mutual admiration. I just about fell over, it was so cute.

Blessings as you prepare,