my bitty baby...

maelee has wanted a bitty baby ever since she first saw a picture of one in a magazine. some of you may think that american girl dolls are overrated…and i had not even heard of them until the little girls amory’s age started raving about them 3 years ago…but when you take them out of the box and hold them in your arms it is pure magic. there is something just heavenly about them. so i asked santa for a bitty twin to match maelee’s bitty baby request. that way we could play together , both of us with a bitty something. now i kept trying to encourage maelee to ask santa for a bitty twin also. but she would have none of it. all she ever wanted was a bitty baby. that was until i opened up my bitty twin. and since then I don’t think that i have had a turn with it. she has overtaken my bitty twin and we have had a fabulous time together, just as i had imagined, my "bitty" maelee and me

christmas...day two

we had two days of christmas this year. jon went out early to pick the big kids up and I got to work on the freshly made crumpets…yummy. when they walked in the house was warm with the smell of dough in the air. amory and maelee were so excited that they had one more present to open. on christmas night as amory was snuggling down into his covers he remarked that maybe santa could bring a wii next year. and he didn’t even have to wait a whole year ‘cause that was what was waiting for him and the rest of the family on our second day of christmas. everyone was overjoyed with their gifts. they loved everything from the little packet of bubbles to the wii and all that goes with it. so thanks again to all the santas out there! you know who you are.

I also wanted to share a poem that my dad wrote on christmas eve. i thought it was nice and think you might like it too.

Christmas 2008

My heart does yet sing
of what Christmas will bring
My heart pains this year
for those who aren't here
The hurts, the joys,
our girls, our boys
Some in person, some by phone
All in our hearts, if not our home
Decorations go up,
But not as before
Some hang from the ceiling,
Others, on doors
The presents, the people, the places, the chores,
Some different, some same, some less, some more
The food and traditions
oh how they will stand
By spirit, by power,
and by Nana's hands
Oh will my eyes tear, with bitterness and fear?
Or will my heart fight, with love, and with might?
I will take my stand
and uphold my joy
To remember the past
and say "oh boy"
But to look forward too,
with faith and with hope
To overcome all things,
with family… we cope
So, onward we go, it's 2008
Merry Christmas to all
... it's never too late!

By Robert Christmas Eve, 2008

and to all a good night...

here we are on Christmas night…all snuggled up…still in our pajamas. except for maelee, who has changed several times throughout the day, as per usual.
thanks to everyone who gave us the most fab gifts ever. i wish you could have been here to see the kid’s faces as they opened each one. your smiles would have been so big, that by the end of the day your cheeks would have hurt. i hope that you can tell how warm and wonderful our day was from the picture, and i hope that yours was just as memorable and magical!

i'm dreaming of a white christmas

had a wonderful visit with my mum. this picture is from one of the highlights of her trip. who would have thought that coming from the east coast, she would find so much joy from snow in LA (even if it was fake). so here’s to you mum…thanks for a lovely visit.