Let the celebrations begin!

A few weeks ago I was ready to boycott Christmas.

The sounds, the smells, and the decorations were trampling on my already weary winter blue heart.

Then something in me snapped.

It's not about me anymore.

It's about my children.

It's my job to help them know that this really is a beautiful time of year. 

To create memories and traditions that they will look back on fondly for the rest of their lives.

I told Nick: "I've decided that I am going to celebrate the crap out of the holidays!"

And we so have been. 

I am loving all the things I was dreading just a few months ago.

The nightly fires in the fireplace, candles, the day getting dark early, ect ect.

We really are celebrating - and it's not even December! :)

Here's what we have been up to so far....

Making Christmas Stars....

Coloring Christmas trees....

Getting the tree up....

Putting up all the Holiday decorations....

Writing letters to Santa....

That was the silliest thing we have done. My kids are still a tad young to get the idea of letters to santa.

From Lola shouting "I want a elephant!" To Roman saying "I want new star shoes!" - we had some good laughs :)

Putting up Christmas lights in our bedrooms.

That was one of my favorite things to do at Christmas time when I was little. My parents would give us each a string of lights to put in our room. I will always remember falling asleep to the soft beautiful colors. - sorry that was straight cheese but it's true!

Attempting homemade sugar cookies - with dinosaur shapes of course!

Failing at said cookies - more than half ended up in the trash.

For those who know me, you know I struggle in the kitchen. But I give it my all darn it!

Sometimes it just doesn't work out - but we had fun anyway :)

I have had a serious change of heart in regards to the holidays and I am loving every minute!!!

I hope you are too!!!!

:D

Hey you.....

Nix hanging out with just one of his many darling cousins....

:)

Irelee & Nixon

Thanksgiving 2011

Nix - 4 months!

Happy 4 Months Nixon Marty!

Time has seriously flown by with this kid.

He is four months old.

I have no idea how that happened.

One minute he's at his two month check up needing to come back for a weight check and the next he's chunky and chubby as can be.

He as brought me incredible amounts of happiness.

With him, I feel complete.

He is such a sweet boy who is always so happy, smiley & giggly & hardly ever really naughty.

I am honored to be this gorgeous boys mother.

Nixon my love,

You have discovered your feet.

You kick your legs like a mad man, especially when you are excited.

I love every single part of you.

You have lost so much of your beautiful hair.

We are now left with this darling little curl that I pray never goes away.

You are everything I ever dreamed of and more.

I could look at you for hours, give you a thousand kisses, and smell your soft beautiful hair and skin for the rest of my life and be happy.

Thank you for being mine.

Thanksgiving - Elgan side

Nicks side of the family did their big Thanksgiving dinner a little early this year...

It was so yummy!!!

Drivin out.....

Nix & his darling cousin Kaleb...

Lady worked the crowd....

Rome ran wild with cousins...

Nix with his uncle Carl - we have yet to see if he'll be afraid of him like Roman was ;)

Lola with one of her favorite people- Grandpa Elgan.

As you can see, she doesn't like him at all ;)

Nix and his Aunt Jolene.

Can I just say, I'm so greatful for my husbands family?

They are so laid back and chill and not up in your business and they love on my kids like crazy.

I love them!

And that Aunt Jolene of theirs?

AMAZING.

She is so kind & always taking care of others. She looks out for & loves on my kids like they are her own. She is simply one beautiful person.

With one Thanksgiving down, we have one more to go....

with my family...

wish me luck!

;)

Cereal

Nixon had his first taste of rice cereal today.....

That little man loved it!!

He wouldn't stop smiling and kicking his legs like crazy. 

He was pretty happy about how it went down.

:)

And Roman was pretty excited that his baby brother was doing something new & exciting.

That kid cannot wait for Nix to grow up!

What's so funny?

I just gotta say...

I have never met a more giggly baby than this little chunk....

It's heavenly!

My other two were hard to please but not this one.

He giggles and laughs at everything and anything and sometimes at nothing.

Sometimes he can't decide if he wants to laugh or cry so he does both.

I pray this happy happy silly boy stays so carefree.

At least for a while.

:)

Leaves & Bee's

Yesterday we played in the leaves.....

It was amazing weather for a November day.

I have avoided hanging out in our front yard because of all the darn wasps & bee's we have had this year so needless to say it felt awesome to be out without worrying about it.

I'm going to miss playing outside.

Oh okay so wanna hear some fun reasons I hate wasps/bee's?

Okay here goes....

When I was in Jr High I got stung by a wasp 4 times on my hip and thigh because the stupid thing had crawled up my pants. So walking to class I kept getting stung and I didn't know what it was till I went to the bathroom to check it out - stupid wasp! 

I got stung in between my boobs while sunbathing that same year.

When Lola was born a gigantic bee landed on her carseat and crawled behind her but I got her out before she got stung but not before I lost it and screamed like a maniac embarrassing myself pretty good at the park.

While casually driving with Rome and Lola one year I looked down and there was a wasp sitting on my steering wheel looking right at me while I was driving. I pulled over, jumped out, got the kids out and tried throwing stuff at it to get it to leave. A guy eventually came and helped escort the intruder away.

After a trip to walmart I got the kids loaded, jumped into the front seat, go to put the key in the ignition and there is a bee on my hand ugh!

While at the drive through a huge bee flew into my car through my open window at my face, but thank goodness he casually floated to the back so I just opened up the back door and he flew away.

That same day I went to my sisters house and while chit chatting with her mother in law something caught my eye - it was a wasp on Nixon, he flew off onto a chair where he was then caught then released into the wild.

We have had multiple wasps sneak into our front entry way of our house and make it so we have to use the side door instead of the front until Nick (or my sister Rileigh) comes to kill them for me.

So you see, I may not get stung everytime but it's the anticipation that KILLS me!

They make my skin crawl and I get all hot and sweaty and panicky when they try and all up in my business.

Wow...

That was quite the tangent about something completely unrelated to what this post started out to be....

I apologize.

:D

Halloweeeeeeeeen!

Oh how I love Halloween!

I really do.

I'm so sad that it is over.

I'm not ready for Christmas.

Seeing Christmas decorations, hearing Christmas music and smelling Christmas smells is making me sick.

It's not time yet!

For halloween Rome was Luigi and his cousin J-man (Jameson) was Mario - I dare say they were a darling little couple.....

When I asked Lola what she wanted to be for Halloween she said "baby dragon!"

Nick was the Mayor of Creeper Town...

Family halloween pic - super precious...

Little Nix was a baby monster....

Thank goodness I got to see his real face a couple of times that night ;)

Hope Everyone had a very

Happy Halloween!!!