our family

Christmas this year at my brother Bill's house. We had two barbecued prime ribs, ham, potatoes, jimmy's salad and lots of yummy desserts. I am so blessed to have this wonderful big family and that we all manage to get together to celebrate Christmas. There were 35 of us, 5 were missing {visiting other relatives} and 2 little ones are on the way {one in Jan. and one in May}. We always have a great turn out at Christmas. I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that my brother Bob gives money away to all our kids!

home for the holidays

So happy it is Christmas week and Danielle and her boyfriend Tom are home for the holidays. What I love the most about Christmas is that all the family comes home and gets together at this time of the year. One thing I never thought about when my kids were little is how when they grow up and get married or have a boyfriend or girlfriend you have to share them with another family. It seems like endless {sometimes stressful} negotiation to figure how to spend the holidays with each family. Then you have to get used to the idea that at some of your favorite holiday get togethers your children and grandchildren won't be with you. Something I'm getting plenty of practice in these days......learning to let go.

christmas wrapping

Love this wrapping guide from oh happy day. It turns out one of her sources Paper Mart is near my house and they have super cheap prices. So much cheaper then where I get my ribbon now. My favorite is the navy striped grosgrain ribbon and they carry that at Paper Mart.
image: oh happy day

brittany 4 months

This 4 month has been heaven for Brittany compared to the first three. She is starting to get a tiny tummy even though the hyperemesis has kept her pretty thin. She had her picc line removed and is taking her meds by mouth. Now and then she gets sick at night, mostly when she tries to do too much. The big ultrasound is coming in two weeks but she has decided to wait until the baby is born to find out the sex. Everyone seems to freak out when you tell them you are not finding out {even though that is how it used to always be}. It has certainly caused a few family members a lot of stress as they just seem unable to wait for the birth. Brittany and I spent the last week hanging out together, catching up and talking about baby plans. I love seeing her smile again and be able to enjoy life. I am so happy to have my daughter back!

happy birthday matt!

Matt had a crazy birthday week. His car died for good and we spent it frantically looking for new one for him. His favorite car is a Camaro but that isn't in his budget right now. Instead he found a dark green used Honda Accord. Not racy like he likes but reliable and something that won't be breaking down every couple of months. We did manage to squeeze in a chocolate fudge birthday cake for celebrating and his favorite food eel sushi.

His dream someday......

His reality today!

image 1: Brittany Altman, image 2: motorward, image 3 web2carz

joy times 3

Kenna who just a few months ago had a liver transplant is the picture of health in her adorable Christmas photo.
Laci who survived cancer twice is a glowing pregnant mommy who will be having her sweet baby girl in just a month.
Brittany who although not as serious as Kenna and Laci, has stopped getting sick around the clock and is going off her IV meds for hyperemesis. We are so grateful for where we are today and we are looking forward to a Happy Christmas with our families!
image 1: tegyn friedman

coconut and almond granola

I love this granola recipe {minus the dates} and my husband is addicted to it too so I'm making it all the time. It's delicious straight from the jar or with milk for breakfast. I also like to give it as a hostess gift and to our neighbors at Christmas. It's nice to have something a little bit healthier to eat since we are all surrounded by plenty of cookies, candy and sweets at this time of the year.

baby's first house

Over at the blog Young House Love they are getting ready to move out of their first house they remodeled and decorated into bigger house now that they have a 6 month old baby. It was their baby's first house and they wanted a way to show it to her when she was older. They decided to take a video of them touring the whole house with her and showing her what she liked to do in each room. The video is so cute......you can see it here.
image: clara's first room