A Blog About A Boy

 Sometimes, I feel like this little boy has been with us forever and other times I feel like I should still be holding him in my arms.  Truth be told I still hold him as much as I can.  I wish that I could slow down enough to take every nap next to him.  I really should sit on floor with him more and play.

 He loves to play.  He loves balls, cars and trucks.  He also loves to throw things.  See that apple he is eating, in just about a minute he's going to throw it on the ground and say "ball" and then if it rolls a far way he's going to say "whoa!"  I think that for a fifteen month old he talks quite a bit.  My experience is limited to the three fifteen month olds I have had.

 His laugh comes from his belly and fills the whole room with joy.  In fact, when he laughs everyone will come from the other rooms in the house just to hear the sweet sound.  He is the perfect amount sweetness mixed with mischievousness.  He can clear the playroom shelves in a minute. He'll look at the mess, then look at me and say "uh-oh."  Today he empty a bin of my things and said "oh no!" He's so cute when he says it I can't get mad at him.

 We love this little boy like crazy.  Fifteen months later and I still can't believe he's ours.  He's something special.  I wan't to keep him and all his littleness mine forever, but I can't wait to see how he's going to impact the world around him...With a smile like his, it could only be for the better.

Tiny son, turns to little boy. Sigh.
Grace and Peace
xoxo

The Tree Lot

Remember last year when I made us drive almost to North Carolina for a Christmas tree?  I didn't do that this year. Instead, we just went to a local restaurant that has a tree lot outside.  Actually, I think that Kev said  we are not driving to North Carolina for a tree this year. The internet is giving me drama tonight so I'm going to skip lots of words and just give you the play by play..

1.  The girls choosing the tree from upstairs.  They were sure that the twelve footer would suit us fine.

 2.  This one!

 3.  No, this one.
This went on as we past every single tree

 4.  Running #coopercomeback

 5.  More running.  The tree lot could double as a corn maze.

6.  No, this one! Found it. Tall and skinny, like I dream of being one day. ;)

 7.  Cooper come back, I need to see your "we found a tree face"

 8.  This is Maggie's "we found a tree face"

 9.  This is Libby's "we found a tree face"

10.  Girls, we found a tree!

11.  Kev, help me get a picture of all three...please look at Cooper's jeans

 12.  Sometimes I think that Cooper's head is too big for his body because he falls a lot

 13.  He was standing perfectly still and just fell right over

14.  The girls were encouraging him to get up

 15.  He's down again and cracking up about it

16.  C'mon buddy just stay standing for one picture

 17.  He never got up or stood still for a picture.  The wind was cold and so were we, so we came home with the perfect Jones family Christmas tree. It is standing in the living room with multiple broken ornaments on it, but that is story for another day.

Until then,
Grace and Peace

Weekending

We just had a big weekend of Christmas spirit around here.  We went to a parade, we visited friends, we bought a tree (phew).  I could be wrong, but I think that someone is trying to rob me of my Christmas joy this year.  Every time someone says the word Christmas I feel like I need to blow my referee whistle and hand out sedatives.

I think that there has to be a delicate balance of holiday merriment and maybe you should back off the mistletoe just a bit kids.  On one hand I love all the magic of Christmas, I love the way their eyes dance when they talk about Christmas lights or that one special new toy they hope they will receive.

 On the other hand, it is so easy to lose perspective of the true Joy that Christmas is, especially when you have little people in your life who soak up every bit of the Christmas hoopla.  My darlings are wacky over Christmas.  Pray we can keep it in perspective, while still enjoying the occasional cup of hot chocolate followed by a Christmas movie.  Also, pray that the tree stays standing and the ornaments live to see another year (we are already down by two ).
Amen and Amen.

 Grace and Peace
xoxo

The Ghosts of Christmas Past

2014

 2011

 2009

Where did those baby girls go?

A little throw back Thursday for you.  Thank you Mom and Dad for hanging ornaments just low enough for those little fingers to touch.

Grace and Peace

Christmas Time and a Bloody Lip

Let's get one thing straight, there are still no decorations up in my house.

Sigh.

I have been making loose attempts at being Christmasy each day.  For starters, on December 1, I pulled out two Christmas place mats for breakfast and threw my hands up in the air and said "it's December!"  Then I yelled "hurry-up, we're late for school."  Merry Christmas girls, Mommy's nuts.

On December 2nd, I remembered I bought them snowflake covered cake pops from the Drop 'n Shop at Libby's school.  Maggie cried because she had to share, then Kevin tried console her and she cried some more.

Today we bake some cookies, that I burned, and then I did wintery Jambicures.  I started at 4:00 and some how didn't end them until 6:45.  Maggie ruined one at bath time, which sent her into the depths of three year old despair.  When we finally got our brood upstairs, the girls crashed into each other and Libby got a bloody lip.  It was a exciting way to end the day.

Tomorrow I'm going  to attempt Christmas card pictures.  

You know how that goes :)Here's hoping that tomorrow doesn't involve any more blood.

How's that for a Christmas post?

Grace and Peace

I Need Christmas Decorations Up ASAP

When did it become okay to decorate for Christmas the minute Halloween was over? My husband is really rubbing off on me because I generally can not even think about Christmas until Thanksgiving is past.

 As soon as that turkey is sliced I am ready to go though.  Move on over pilgrims I need a Christmas tree up in my house, or a stocking, or some mistletoe.

 Here in lies the problem.  I am afraid of the attic.  I wrote about it last year and I feel like saying it again is not over doing it.  Every time  I go into the attic I watch my life flash before my eyes, and not just because the stairs are unnaturally steep, there is the headless baby doll, and now apparently a rat.

 I know that is not how the story goes.  There's a mouse at Christmas time, not a rat.  He was up there in the fall and I'm hoping he's gone now.  As for me, I went up in the attic to get a jack-o-lantern at the beginning of October and haven't been back since.  But I really need a nativity set or something decorating my shelves.  Something that has a little warm glow to it, so that I can sit by it at night when I'm not blogging. I'm going to make Kev a "to-do" list.
1. Get down a decoration that glows
2.  Kill rat
3.  Remove headless baby doll from the attic (she's up there and she doesn't belong to us. Creepy)

Until then, "Not a creature was stirring, not even a rat." 

Or something like that.

Grace and Peace

xoxo

Man, I Have A Lot of Catching Up To Do

I have count days the days until Christmas for five years running.  I couldn't let that end just because 

1.  I have three children who always  need my attention for something

2.  I am always tired

3.  I forget to get my big camera out and take pictures

4. I only get to see my husband for a few hours a day 

5. I am always tired

6. The house is eternal a mess

7.  The laundry...well I've been writing about the laundry for years

8.  I would like to sit and do nothing for 30 minutes

9.  No wait, I meant to say I would like to exercise for 30 minutes a day

10. I am so tired

Sooooo, with out further unnecessary ramblings I give you the Making Art Again Christmas Countdown of 2014.  I will resurrect this old blog after all, because with out it, I wouldn't remember a thing.

May your days be merry and bright!

Grace and Peace

xoxo