christmas moments

Britt got Emeri her own little pink Christmas tree for her room since this was her very first Christmas. She had fun pulling all the ornaments off!

I got Noah a silver tree for his room. He did a great job decorating it all by himself. We also made some ornaments{reindeer and penguins} which he added later. I brought a few little presents to put under it and he  surprised me by not touching any of them until Christmas morning!

My tree that I enjoy just as much as the little ones do theirs.

One of Noah's favorite things this year was Elf on the Shelf. In the beginning he even went to bed super fast because he couldn't wait to wake up and find out where he was hidden. I was in Crate and Barrel one day and saw this cute Elf mug. I knew right away Noah would love to drink his hot chocolate in it with lots of marshmallows on top. 

The last time Noah sat on Santa's lap was when he was 6 months old like Emeri is here. We tried every year but it was a no go. This year at 3 1/2 success! No more fear. I don't think it hurt that Emeri was fine with Santa. Of course next year she will probably be the one that is not to into Santa.

Noah riding the carousel. We went around and around quite a few times. He never gets tired of this ride. 

The best 6.00 dollar toy. He decorated his wooden train and then he and Emeri both had fun playing with it.

Mommy's favorite gift this year. That's for sure!

Emeri working on opening her present. She got the bow part undone and then it seemed to be stuck! 

Loved having Danielle and Tom living close by now so we could spend more time with them. The day after Christmas we spent looking for venues for their upcoming wedding. We saw quite a few in Orange County but Danielle is still checking more out to be sure she finds the one they both love.

Matt spent 3 whole days with us. It's hard to pry him away from his friends. So great to get some long visits with him. He did get some of is favorite home cooked meals from his mom so it wasn't too bad.

Love this pic of mommy and daughter :)

Christmas morning in their PJ''s

Emeri' first baby doll. I loved playing with dolls when I was little. Every kind of baby doll, paper dolls and all of them. I had the first Barbie dream house made out of cardboard in the 60's. I will never forget the Christmas I got it, spending hours putting all the furniture together. Can't wait to have fun playing dolls with Emeri!

Love  Emeri's first Christmas dress!

My handsome little man. Love him!

Emeri and Brittany at 6 months in the same dress. So happy I saved a few of my kids clothes.

A Happy Christmas with all my loves! 

real food for mother and baby

This book looks good. I read her other book Real Food What to Eat and Why and liked it. Emeri is just starting solids now so Britt would probably enjoy this book too.

Matt

So happy we got to celebrate with you on your Birthday last Wed. My favorite thing about you

"your kindness." So grateful to have had you in my life for the last 25 years. 

Love you!

a poem

I have been meaning to post this poem Danielle wrote when she was about 18. I couldn't believe she wrote this when she was so young. She is a really good writer but now she has to do most of her writing for work. When she was going to school she was able to do a lot of writing in her classes and this is one of my favorite pieces. A tragic poem, with beautiful descriptive images.

a most visible warning comes

in the glare of headlights approaching

I squeeze my eyelids shut

place one hand on window glass

imagine the accident happening

I do not think the blood would scare me

in fact I might like the rush

of steel crashing all around us

car consumed by the awesome light

of flames, blooming against a midnight sky

I would sit like a pincone in a fireplace blaze

watching our own personal fourth of july

we could have a summer holiday

in spring. death, a courtly host for our party

I imagine him dressed nicely in black

serving lemonade and asking for a dance

looking just like you the night we met

I remember your cologned approach

anthracite eyes, and knowledgeable hands.

all these less visible warning signs

I should have known you but I ignored.

with you, all collisions are carefully planned

and there is no such thing as an accident

you chose me for firewood, pinecone lady

wrapped up in your sheets,

or sitting in your front seat.

where now I open my eyes to find

your swerve to the right was successful 

you celebrate your save with a sigh, and thank god.

but I am quiet, the other party sounded fine to me

a glorious party in hell. we could make the deal final

a wedding of sorts. remove and eye

set it on a band of gold

a fitting ring for a devil bride

christmas wrapping

I love Christmas wrapping and seeing how everyone wraps their presents. This probably stems from when I was little and my grandmother would bring her beautifully wrapped presents to our house on Christmas morning. To her it was an art form and she never failed to impress me. Here is a round up of some pretty packages this year.

via: ohsobeautifulpaper

Miu Miu inspired via: 100layercake

via: apartmenttherapy 

Fifth and Hazel via: houseofsmith's

via: The City Cradle from theageoftheaquarius 

Couldn't resist putting up these Pom's via Babble which my mom used back in the 60's. We were on a really tight budget and all she could afford to wrap with was yarn. I will never forget her sitting down and showing me how to make these little puff balls out of yarn. When I was in Anthropologie recently they were also selling a lot of yarn like items to wrap with.

 Lastly these vintage stamps also from Anthropologie would be pretty on packages too.

paper-stitch love

This is sweet.

via: 100layercake

thanksgiving day fun

We had the happiest time together this year because Danielle was with us after 9 long years of being in DC on Thanksgiving. So excited she lives in Santa Barbara now and we will be able to spend all the holidays together! We went to my brother's house and Terri cooked a delicious turkey with the rest of us bringing side dishes. With the five of us, spouses, our kids and spouses and their children we are getting to be quite the big group. To add to the fun we have 3 more babies on the way. Laci, Aubrey and Emileah due in May, June and July. Some highlights of our day.

my girls and their guys

Noah hanging out with Liam who was a little under the weather.

Noah soon finds another partner in crime Liam's little sister Kenna. 

They were having quite the time together.

Kenna making it clear that the women in our family can hold their own with the guys!

As you can see from here Emeri loves being in a sling. Brittany didn't bring hers that night but thankfully Aubrey loaned her one she had. We had been trying to get her to sleep for quite some time but she was resisting. In about 2 minutes after this picture was taken she was fast asleep. Since she was a newborn her favorite thing is to ride around on mommy and fall asleep in her baby carrier. 

Lastly I am so thankful for these two sweet little ones!