Oh Christmas Tree..... Oh Christmas Tree.....

how cold it is when we are picking you out! As usual, we had a fantastic time picking out our christmas tree. It was very cold, in the low 20's, but the girls had hot chocolate to warm them up, and had a blast running around finding the perfect tree, which for Sophia, was every tree. Celia's mind was completely blown when she saw James pick up the tree after cutting it down. It's a tradition we started as a family when I was pregnant w/ Sophia, and we will keep doing it forever, since it is always so fun. Yeah christmas tree day!

The reason for the absence...

I know it has been a LONG time since I last posted, and I am very sorry. 90% of it was just due to the breakneck speed at which our lives are paced, but another 10% is due to the fact that I was dreading/ really thinking about explaining the initial abscense. As I had posted earlier, my paternal grandmother was very sick. Her cancer spread quickly, and by the beginning of November, we knew we didn't have much time left with her. Given the fact that my dad passed very quickly and unexpectedly earlier this year, I was determined to do for her what I could not for my dad, which was simply to be there with her and support her to the end. My aunt Glenda, and my cousin Allison, were just amazing, putting in at least twice the amount of time and work I was able to. Their strength was just awe inspiring. By the last week, we were all there around the clock, and able to all be with her, and my grandfather, as she took her last breath. She was a really amazing grandmother, and I am honored to have had her in my life. She was the kind of lady who let me dye my hair pink with Koolaid and use her treadmill as a shopping conveyer. She always let myself and the rest of her grandkids know that she was there whenever we needed her. I am so greatful to her for that love, and am so glad that while we couldn't beat this cancer and have more time with her, that we were able to spend it together until the end. So that is my post about why I have been gone. I'm going to probally be gone again for another period of time, due to the fact that tomorrow I am having a hysterectomy. Having three little girls back to back, being small, and having traumatic births left me a bit damaged, and it's time to get it fixed. I hope that I'm a tough cookie, and that I will be back soon, but if not, I'm posting a month's worth of blogs today to catch everyone up. So enjoy the rest of today's posts!

Let's call her bruiser

Celia 0, sidewalk 2

Oh, and C and her dog. Too cute!

Halloween!

What an awesome day we had this Halloween! My cousin Tricia threw an awesome party, and suprised me with, hands down, the best birthday cake I have ever had! The girls got their way, James and I dressed up as superheros as well, so we were one super family! We now have a HUGE bowl of candy, plus leftover cake, for the girls to indulge in, and for me to resist. It's so nice to ring in your birthday on a day that everyone is in a good mood for. Thank you to all the wonderful friends and family that made it a great day, and for the wonderful presents. Most of all, thanks for spending the day with me, and reminding me that I am so lucky to have such a great group of friends and family! That was one great birthday!

Fall Fun!

We had the awesome opportunity to join some friends at the park this week, for some serious fall fun. My friend Paige had the great idea to bring some rakes, and the girls got to make a HUGE pile of leaves to jump into. Having never had that many trees around as a kid, and the girls having never seen that amount of leaves before, we had a BLAST! There was plenty of fun to be had. We took a walk though the woods, and when we returned to the playground, a doe was standing there, so the girls got a good look at a deer. Having done this, I am vowing to get a pass to the park for next year, so we can have plenty more good times in nature. Great day!

A totally non kid related post

I have decided that the blue-tooth headset is really bad for society. It's something that has been bothering me for quite awhile, and I just have to post about it. Initally, it was designed to use in the car, so you could keep both hands and eyes on the wheel and road. Perhaps if you are working and need use of your hands, it should be allowable. But when you are standing at the counter at the pharmacy, get off the phone! People are walking around looking like some sort of cyborg with this thing hanging off their ear, even when they aren't talking. Then, there is the fact that you can't tell who is crazy and who is not, especially people with long hair. Someone who is standing and talking to themselves is almost impossible to tell if they are on the phone w/ their bluetooth tucked under their hair, or if they are crazy. I saw a man yesterday walking along the street, gesturing wildly, and talking alone. Initally I felt bad, but I had a thought he was on the phone! It's so weird that I even thought this man who is most likely homeless given his clothes/appearance, and I entertained the thought he was on a bluetooth. Who knows, given the amount of people who have cell phones, maybe he was.

There is baby-proofing, then there is Celia-proofing

To specify, when one baby proofs, they take anything dangerous and put it, oh, say 4 feet up and you're pretty much good until 5, when they have the mental capasity not to, let's say carry a steak knife around. With the older two, I did things like use plug covers, and gates at the stairs and we were okay. With Maia I had to keep my eyes on her outside, because she liked to stick rocks in her mouth, but other than that, saftey was pretty much easy. I say that, because Celia has really stepped up her game in the last week. She has always been really fast, really strong, and completely without fear. Plus she likes to suck water off of anything, like the slide or the sandbox. Add to that a love of hiding (and staying totally silent while doing so) and we already had a recipe for danger. Now, oh now.... She can get on top of the counters. I was baking cake and cupcakes for my grandmother's 77 birthday, and I turn around to see her standing on the counter, opening my cabinet door and pulling out glass sundae cups. Repeatly I took her down, and she would scale up again. Then yesterday, I saw her walking around the kitchen holding a steak knife! They are in the top drawer, which was totally out of her reach. There were none in the dishwasher for her to get out, and I was baffled how she got it. Well, today I may have got my answer. She doesn't get a pacifier unless she is in her bed. She saw them on the top of her dresser, and I watched and she pulled the drawers out. and climbed up them like they were stairs. God have mercy, this kid is a freaking mountain goat. At this rate, I spend half my day pulling her off of something, a fourth of the time thinking of ways to secure the house so she doesn't get hurt, and the other quarter in the feeding ,cleaning, caring for the other kids and the dog who won't stop eating stuff that makes her puke. I'm going to go to Ikea soon, which is where I got my kitchen cabinets, and get the custom child lock stuff to keep this girl from stabbing someone. In the meanwhile, looks like I'm going to be busy!