Living, Loving, Learning

I can't even tell you how amazing it was to have 5 days with my little sister. In fact the line is so blurred right now, as she fills the role of "best friend" so much more than "little sister" these days. Except, that is, for our shared history, shared sense of humor and shared values. Griffin has bonded to her in a HUGE way and she was so sweet to play endless hours of pirates and Mousetrap with him. She evenly patiently explained to him that "she will be back" as Griffin ("She can't leave, they need her to be the Mama!!!!!!!!) cried alligator tears when Maria left the children to return to the abbey (The Sound of Music). She is an amazing women, who I admire greatly. Her focus on her career, her future, her character is so clear, it is refreshing. Above all she is real. Real about her emotions, options and opinions. I am so glad my daughter has her to look to as a role model. It took Lucy 3 days to warm up to her, but she finally did and ...

Matching pj's on Christmas morning - I just couldn't resist. Griffin woke up and ran right into wake up his Auntie. He was eager to show her all the evidence that Santa had come and to marvel at the "mountain" of presents. I nursed Lucy and then we all headed out so the kids could open their stockings and the adults could gulp down some coffee before making breakfast. The kids always get a stuffed animal in the top of their stocking. This year I made the animals. Griffin loved his happy purple monster. Lucy got a bird (smallest of a set of 3) - pictures to come. I had a super fun time making their animals. They both got an orange in the toe of their stocking...maybe Lucy's favorite thing. :) She is so tactile and an orange is good on so many levels - smell, taste, texture, color. After breakfast, Lucy took a nap. It worked out perfectly. Griffin was able to open his presents with all eyes on him and we did not have to worry about a little one eatin...

Christmas Eve was filled with my favorite childhood traditions that we aim to continue with our kids. We had the traditional Christmas Eve lasagna (how did that get started, Mom?). Followed with sibling presents and new Christmas pj's from Mama and Papa. Lucy gave Griffin 2 little pirates (which he named Salami 1 and Salami 2 in honor of his new little cousin, Masami.) He loved using them to act out the whole Peter Pan story with Auntie Lexi. Sunshine got many cuddles, next to a walk (when her knee isn't acting up) her favorite thing. She also got some special food treats. It was so peaceful and quiet, such a nice wind down for the kids. Griffin got ready for Santa's visit with 3 chocolate cookies, (we had many different types but Griffin was sure Santa wanted chocolate only) a mug of milk and broccoli and carrots for the "deers". He even (thought of all by himself) wrote Santa a pre-emptive thank you card - guess he was pretty sure that he was goin...

On Christmas Eve we met our family at the Opryland Hotel in Nashville. Alexis flew in from Tampa that morning and my Dad and step-Mom were flying out of Nashville headed to CO that evening. A midday meeting worked out perfectly. Griffin was Sooooo Happy to see everyone...he gets really lonely for family (like we all do!) Alexis and Griffin Dad and Vicky The hotel was absolutely amazing. There are 4 HUGE conservatories - a horticulturalists dream come true. Of course, it was all decked out in Christmas decor and really lovely. We had a wonderful lunch together and were able to exchange some presents. Then, Dad and Vicky took off for the airport and the rest of us decided to wander around the hotel. We even took a boat ride through one of the conservatories. If you come visit us we could definitely take a day trip here. Anyone who knows Bruce knows Bruce loves Jack. With 2 little kids, his opportunities to enjoy the amber elixir are few and far between, but the loyalty remains strong. ...

Chilling with her buddy in her new Christmas Eve pj's. Sunshine is loyally devoted to this precious little Cheerio dropper.

Grandpa and Grandma Gast bought Griffin a Veggie Tales Christmas DVD last year. Griffin has asked to watch it every day since it has come out of the decorations box this year. He really loves it. This is a song from it that has been stuck in our collective brains. As soon as one of us stops humming it to themselves, someone else starts and the madness begins again. I had to post this so in 15 years just when we have all truly forgotten it, we can remember it again and smile.

That is Griffin's best bud at school, sitting behind him. Even though school was cancelled on Thursday, Griffin's teachers called and said if you can make it they would have the Christmas party anyway. What a relief - that stopped Griffin's tears right away. He had been so disappointed. The class had all made hand print snowflake shirts and all wore them...they were so cute. Griffin had a great time singing songs, playing games and eating Christmas treats but his favorite part was the gift exchange. This motorcycle guy has hardly let his hands since!

Lucy is getting so mobile. She can easily creep from the kitchen to her bedroom...in pursuit of her brother, of course. I have to really keep an eye on her as she is reaching that "OH, electrical plug, that looks interesting, maybe I should stick my little wet finger in there" stage. She is working hard on getting herself into a sitting position from crawling, and can do it about 80% of the time. She is still stranger shy - She was cooing at and smiling at Bruce's co-workers at their Christmas luncheon, but if they made a move to hold her she cried instantly. Hoping we grow out of this stage soon. Griffin has been helping by feeding Lucy her breakfast while I make his. This is fun for both of them, but oy, what a mess! *Notice how Griffin had gotten himself dressed the night before...mismatched pj's with the shirt on backwards. I just love that he takes the initiative most evenings and many mornings to get himself dressed. He still will wear clothes I lay out...

Griffin made this adorable gingerbread house at pre-school. We decided not to eat it until Christmas so he could show it to Aunti Lexi. The next day Bruce brought home the gingerbread man from work thinking Griffin would love it as a special treat. Instead, Griffin got tears in his eyes, refusing to eat it. A few minutes later he told me he had found a good home for the gingerbread man.

We woke up to 3 inches of snow yesterday morning. Of course, before even one little snowflake touched the ground, school was cancelled around 7 pm the night before. *sigh* Griffin was going to get to be the "leader" at school (walk in front of the line, use the computer station first, bring the snack, say the pledge...so many perks) and was so disappointed to not get to go. We tried to cheer him up, reminding him how much fun it is to play in the snow and have hot chocolate afterward to warm up. After breakfast he disappeared to his room only to return fully dressed in what I considered to be record time. He was ready to go outside and play and I thought that was soooo cute. I bundled him up and sent him out. In half the time it took him to get dressed he was back in the kitchen saying "Oh, that was fun, but I am ready for my hot chocolate now!" What a scammer!!! He even threw in a "Mama, you make the best hot chocolate in the WHOLE world." for good measur...

The sunset at the Pennyrile Forest as we arrived on Saturday....sensational.

We took the kids to meet Santa on Saturday. Our favorite haunt down here, the Pennyrile Forest, had a meet and greet and dinner with Santa. I can't say enough good things about doing it this way. We avoided to mass consumer craziness of the mall, there was no line, Griffin could talk as long as he wanted, it was FREE, Santa was sweet...the perfect solution. Griffin was a little nervous at first, but warmed up to Santa after a couple minutes (he must have been up there for a good 5 minutes.) Griffin asked Santa for the Ultra Dinosaur, of course. They discussed what kind of snack the reindeer might want (broccoli or carrots?) and Santa requested milk with his cookies. Lucy actually sat on Santa's lap for a couple of seconds so I could snap a quick picture. Much to my surprise, Santa had a very thick Southern accent! :) Afterward we enjoyed a wonderful holiday dinner in beautifully decorated lodge. What a nice evening! Amors, thanks for loaning us the outfit Lucy w...

We had a playdate on Friday with some friends. Jacob is a few months older than Griffin and Carlie is 4 months older than Lucy - a perfect match up. The kids play so well together, it is really special to know them. We were at their house and the boys played so well together in Jacob's room that I didn't get any photos of them together. Jacob has an amazing collection of HUGE dinos, Griffin was in paradise. Lucy is just getting to the point where she is interested in Carlie. Carlie has been interested in Lucy for a while now (especially when she has her little spigot pony tail - nearly irresistable for pulling!) I think they will become great friends!

We still, and probably will always, have a live Christmas trees. Maybe it is not the easiest or most environmentally friendly choice, but I love it. The smell is something I look forward to all year long. This year, Griffin was so much help. He helped Bruce big time with putting on the lights. Lucy was happy to eat her "O's" and watch the show, Sunshine was happy to be the vacuum cleaner. Even though Sunshine is a solid 12 1/2 now and sleeps most of the day, whenever all 4 of us are in the room together, she is sure to join us. I love that she still does not want to miss family gatherings. We are so thankful to get yet another holiday with her. I always put up the ribbon, I think it really adds that extra "something". Griffin was so much help in hanging the ornaments, he did the bottom third of the tree. Every year for Christmas, we have given him his own ornament and so has my Mom so now he has his own little stash. This year he was really into looking at eac...

Last Saturday was a great, busy day. I am a member of the Pennyrile Herb Club and on Saturday they held their annual craft fair/ Munn's school open house. Munn's school is a one room schoolhouse built (I am guessing here) in the late 1800's. We actually had a man drop by on Saturday with a bell. It was the bell his Mama used when she was a teacher there in 1905. Very cool. As far as I know, our group is the only one that uses this building anymore. I love that - the preservation, the respect for those that have gone before us, the reuse of things built to last. One member is even been given grant money to preserve some of the photos of the building and to right a book detailing the history. Before the event, the club came together to clean the building and decorate the tree. On Saturday I was even on the front page of our local paper, with another member, decorating the tree. I sold some things I have been making for Lucy...reversible bibs and burp clothes. It was the firs...