Well, now we know.

I've been taking greater liberty lately with my diet, throwing in some chocolate here and there (who me?) perhaps a bit of cheese on this and that.  I blame the temptation on the holidays.

Christmas morning I always make what I like to call my "Cheese Blintz Bake" (otherwise known as Cream Cheese Crescent Casserole).  It is the easiest mix of Pills.bury crescent rolls, cream cheese, gobs of butter, sugar, and cinnamon.  Delish!  Talk about a temptation nightmare for the mama attempting to avoid dairy!  Ahh...  I'm usually so good, but I just had to snag a piece... or two.  It was Christmas, for crying out loud!!

Later, I just couldn't help "sampling" the Cost.co-sized bag of M&M's leftover from M's school party.  Baby G seemed to be doing well with the Blintz Bake so why not one or two or 20?  The temptation was almost overwhelming.  Add onto that the daily lure of caffeine in a more regular morning cup of coffee (not a usual vice) and I was really pushing the limits.

Or was I?  G seemed great with no apparent skin rashes or horrible crying fits.  But then, at around the 1 week mark, we started noticing some disgruntled sleep.  It was not enough to force me to stop my new habits until... Bam! blood in the stool!  Yep, my poor little angel finally showed visible proof that these dietary issues are hanging on.  It wasn't a lot, but it was red and it looked angry.  I felt immediately guilty.  My poor baby!

Now I know that this sacrifice hasn't been for naught.  It has truly been maintaining her little system and keeping it on track.  And now I am back in the land of strictly no dairy and no soy and thankfully, I'm doing just fine.  A hot fudge sundae sounds pretty amazing at this point, but then again, so does a bowl of Honey Nut Cheerios with almond milk.  The latter I can enjoy and not harm my child in the process!

It also makes for keen New Year's resolutions!  I will get to eat that sundae sometime in 2013... ;)  And in the scope of life, these small sacrifices are worth it for the greater health of our family.

God bless,

The past week...

Happy New Year, loves!

We've been enjoying such a fabulous week together, I couldn't break the rhythm and get away to blog about it.  No worries, though.  Here we are in 2013, back and better than ever, especially after a blessed Christmas and New Year.

I has been a great week plus.  Initially we were busy with holiday revelry, living up time with my parents in town.  Busch Gardens Christmastown was a success and we didn't lose anyone--score! thanks to GG's wonderful leadership and more adults than children.  Good thing we didn't lose any adults either--ha! ;)  The weather was cooperative and though busy, we muscled through the crowds and were even able to enjoy a few rides.  Mimi, Gramz, and Pappy all joined in the rides with the kids while Papa, M, and Baby G were happy campers to stay on the sidelines, enjoying hot cocoa.  Perfect!  To each, his own.  I am learning that lesson more and more these days as a parent.

Getting ready to watch the Sesame Street Christmas show

Even the smallest members were bundled tightly!

A rare photo of me and my main squeeze

You can sense the enthusiasm ;)

If I could bottle these two and sell them, I'd be a wealthy gal.  They are exuberant!

Christmas Eve, we had the privilege to head to early Mass and all sit together to worship and partake of our Lord.  What a blessing it was.  My heart is never more full when I look around at my family at church.  I feel home; I feel loved; I feel encouragement on this journey of life.  It is good.  I was so glad to share that special time with our whole crew and our parents.  After, we drove around and saw a few houses on the tacky light tour before heading over to Mimi and Papa's for a delicious Christmas dinner. Everyone was dressed so nicely, we made it our goal to get a shot of each set of grandparents and the kiddos.  The outcome was successful...

 The evening was just about perfect until I had a mommy tantrum (due to children not listening) and had to apologize to everyone, including my sad child.  It was a bummer, but thankfully all was forgiven and we moved on.  Saved by grace, even on Christmas Eve. :)  We finally wrangled all the kids into jammies, into the car, and into bed, but not before 10pm that night.  It was late and we were all ready for sleep!!!  Santa needed to come... and the elves still had some loose ends to tie up!!!

We did make it into bed... by 1:00am, with just enough rest to brave this scene:

This year's family photo was an unreal phenomenon--we achieved relative perfection in one (yes, one) shot.  It was a true Christmas miracle--thank you, Jesus!  I think GG and I were in shock. ;)

Christmas morning we were all totally spoiled to be together again.  The earliest riser awoke at 7am--not too shabby (but we did put them to bed so late!)  We forbade any gift opening until 7:30am when they were allowed to open their stockings.  Mimi and Papa arrived at their requested 8am time and away we went in a flurry of torn paper and excited children...  They were in Christmas heaven!

Baby G "opening" her first ever Christmas gift!

We enjoyed a brunch that morning and later all sat down together in our newly-put-together dining room.  It actually feels like an adult room now--woo hoo!  Only took 4 years!  Thanks to GG and my dad for hanging curtains (finally!), sconces, and pictures on Christmas Eve.  It set the scene for a lovely dinner together--one of those moments you want to freeze time because its so enjoyable.

 Since then we've been reveling in downtime and peace with no real agenda.  We said farewell to my wonderful parents last Thursday and were so sad to see them go--it was a visit full of fun and togetherness.  Our little nuclear family has had some sweet moments in the days since.  We went to Kangaroo Jac's one day as a reward for filling our warm fuzzy jar.  Another day we enjoyed a Red Robin lunch out with Mimi and Papa.  Yesterday we headed to the children's museum and ran off our wiggles before heading to dinner at Chick-fil-A.  Peace and togetherness.  GG and I have also become hooked on Redbox and have had a movie night almost every night.  This is such a treat for us and I can't believe his vacation time ends tomorrow.  What wonderful memories we've created this holiday season.

There's no doubt in my mind--this time has been a gift from God; a blessing we'll cherish well into 2013 and for many years to come.

Blessings to you this new year,

Love Is a Handful of Honey

Our love tanks are pretty full this week as we've welcomed my parents into the fold.  We are all feeling very cozy and warm and together... especially as the wind has picked up and the temperatures plunge.


MG and I cozied up this afternoon before her nap and read a recent book favorite--Love Is a Handful of Honey, by Giles Andreae, a whimsical tale that talks of finding love in the little things.  As we read, I felt God tugging on my heart, reminding me to find love in the little things around our home.  It was as if each page of the story brought about a picture in my mind's eye from a true-life moment.


Love is that warm cozy feeling, A cuddle that tells you you're sweet.
We've been having lots of extra hugs all around between the people we love.

And love is that feeling of laughing out loud when somebody tickles your feet.
MG and J were on the couch yesterday just tickling and giggling.  They are best frienemies, but love each other dearly.  I cherish moments like these.

Love's skipping out in the morning and hoping the day never ends.
Does a 5:45am wake-up count?  The two older boys were practically skipping out of their beds this morning to greet the day.  So full of life and energy and ready to conquer the final day of school!

And love's what you feel when you all get together and go on adventures with friends.
Our Christmas schedule promises such fun.  Tonight we head out to view the lights at the botanical gardens.  Tomorrow is a special birthday dinner out for GG and Mimi.  Sunday we brave Christmastown at Busch Gardens for our annual Christmas Eve-Eve adventure!  We can't wait!

Love is a handful of honey, and love's making friends with the bees.
The boys and I enjoyed their classes' fun "winter parties" yesterday.  It is always so neat to see them in their classrooms and meet their sweet friends.  My heart was warm as we walked home.

Even the flowers are bursting with love when they're dancing about in the breeze.
Thanks to a beautiful day on Wednesday, J, MG, and our friend, Cooper, had a chance to play in the yard and roll down hills while my friend, Christy, and I chatted.  It was lovely and so nice to breathe the fresh air and spend some time with good people in our life.  Thanks C and C!

Love's when you can't stop describing just what you've been doing all day, 
And love is when somebody quietly listens to everything you've got to say.
This is pretty much my life in a nutshell.  My parents are so good to me--they have always listened to my ongoing ramblings.  Mimi listens too.  And don't forget my beloved GG, who is so good to listen to me after a long day of work.  I am blessed. ;)

Love is a great bedtime story that takes you to faraway lands.
The boys, GG, and I have been *loving* reading The Hobbit together lately.  It has been such an adventurous tale that we've all been greatly enjoying.

And love's when you want to show someone you care so you snuggle up close and hold hands. 
I loved seeing my dad hold the baby today and watch as she played with his hands.  They played patty cake (Pappy-style with extra rhythm) and "lean-to-the-left" (an old favorite).  So sweet.

Thanks be to God for all of His Love!
We pass it onto you, dear friends, as you prepare for the holiday...

God bless,

Smiles and Christmas-to-come

We are still here!!  We've endured last week and are happy and well and excited for the holiday to come!

GG wrapped up his big deal mid-week, which allowed him to ease up a bit by week's end.  The little crew and I joined him for lunch out on Thursday and he was home by 6:15 that night!  woo hoo!  For some of you that might seem late, but for us, we've struck gold if we see Daddy anytime before 10pm lately.  We were all really starting to miss him...  Friday was even better.  He came home at 3pm (!!!!) with only one work issue arising while here.  It was like Christmas for me.  We were all so excited, though I think GG was emotionally spent.  These business deals dish out a lot of stress and anxiety and he took the rest of the weekend to recover.

Our tree is now up and beautiful.  We are preparing our hearts for a Savior.  The warm fuzzy jar is almost to the top (6 fuzzies to go).  My parents arrive Thursday and we kick into gear our 2012 Holiday activity extravaganza Friday.  More to come on that!

Sorry no pictures at the moment--Photobucket is just one extra step I don't have right now.  Such a bummer about Blogger!  Still haven't figured out how I'm going to handle that issue.  Anyone come up with a good solution?  I guess those will be good thoughts for 2013...

God bless,

Swampage

I think it's safe to say G-Ville is a little swampy these days.

It's not a bad thing, just busy.  And that's aside from the approaching holiday!  Add Christmas on top and things start to feel really underwater (but fortunately not in a frantic way!)

GG, in all of his new job splendor, has been deluged by some *huge* deals coming down the pipes.  Boy, has that been rough on the poor guy!!  We are all hanging on and trying to ride out the onslaught.  Weekends are our lifesavers and we are hoping this week brings about a resolution to it all.  We will undoubtedly cherish his Christmas time off this year.

On top of all that, God has blessed my little at-home tutoring business in the last week, going from 1 session/week to 5!!  All in a matter of days!!  The coolest part is that I feel the students were Divinely sent to me, one with a very terminally ill father and the other, bipolar.  I will be dabbling in all things wonderfully algebraic and geometric, while getting to pass along love to some needy kids.  Lord, send your Spirit and equip me!  Is it weird to say I find the math energizing??

All is good, though, and we are well.  My additional responsibilities actually help me run our home better and in a more structured fashion...

Tomorrow will be my first ever with 3(!) sessions.  Crazy!  I'll let you know how it goes.

Have a blessed Monday,

Quote of the week:

From M yesterday afternoon (with a look of earnestness on his sweet face):

"Mom, could you please just tell me where you've hidden our Christmas gifts?  I promise I won't look.  I just want to know."

lol  I played dumb.  No way, Jose!

Little does he know, unlike many of you go-getters, most of the gifts are still en route.  We are slowly making progress, but doing so without feeling frantic.  That's just the way I like it!

God bless,

Two Teeth!

Baby G is knocking 'em down and taking names these days.

In the last two weeks she has conquered peas, beans, carrots, and blueberries.  Her body seems to be adjusting well to solids and her digestive tract actually seems happier than it was before.  We are taking our time, going a full 4 days with each new food to make sure she isn't showing sensitivities.  So far, so good.

She has sprouted two teeth!  The first came last Wednesday and the second showed up on Sunday.  Go G!  We are on our way to even more solids with those good choppers.

She is clapping.  It is so darn cute.  She smiles and brings her hands together.  She loves that it makes everyone around her so happy.  We say, "Clap, clap, clap" and she performs! :)

She is sleeping...  Oh, how can I say in words how happy this makes me.  She is going down now between 6:30/7pm and resting until ~5:15am.  I feed her and then she goes back to sleep until ~7:30am.  This is perfect because it allows me to get the big boys out the door for school before she needs my attention again.

I am going to allow her the early morning feeding until 9 mos. and then we might let her CIO a little bit more.  Dr. Marc Weissbluth of Healthy Sleep Habits, Healthy Child (one of my go-to Bibles for my babies) says that after 9mos no child needs to wake to feed.  For all the kids (except our sleeper extraordinaire, MG), at 9 months 1 day they were cut off from the morning feed and had to CIO.  No biggie.  I think T took the longest to settle ~15min.  They were clearly using it for comfort!

One final accomplishment, Baby G is rocking on her knees.  I've only caught her doing this in her bed while trying to go to sleep with her big sleep sack on.  Seems like the sack gives her a little extra friction to allow her the leverage to get on her knees.  My crew has crawled anywhere from 8 to 10 mos, so G will probably follow suit.

Advent is in full swing here in the G household.  We have our outdoor lights, candles, and wreath up.  Our beautiful tree is in place (thanks to GG finding us a gorgeous specimen on Sunday!!)  This coming weekend we are planning to decorate and continue to prepare for our Lord.  Thanks be to God.

God bless,