Our 1008 Square Feet Overfloweth

But first really, why do we bother giving the gift?

The box is certainly sufficient. At least in this case, the box for the luxury Barbie Bus with Hot Tub is sufficient enough for a fairly decent sized 5 year old to fit in. Should I add that Hubs turned it top side down and she was fully in it? Mum and Dad-in-law were having a heart attack over it. "She'll hurt her head!" Oh gee-- we've done much worse goofing with her. They don't recall that time that her turtle neck was so stuck that I was able to pick her up suspended from the turtle stuck on her head. Later that night, I went to wash her hair and found a completely purple ear. Her ear got stuck and I turned it a deep purple! UGH! But, that's not what I'm really here about.

We've had a lovely day. We got up early, read the Christmas story then opened gifts here. After that boatload was dispensed of, we loaded up and went to my in-law's for Christmas breakfast. We sat down, ate a lovely meal and enjoyed each other. We opened gifts and talked to my sister-in-law (she lives in Chicago but they are celebrating Christmas at their lake house about an hour north of Milwaukee.) Hubs and I drove separate, because I needed to go fetch my brother. My brother's car is still broken and he is just having a hard time getting it properly repaired. Add to that his bipolar bit and it can get a bit interesting. He, his family and I shuttled off to my family's house while Hubs and K- arrived a bit later. (Hubs was attempting to install my in-law's new printer.) We were able to hang there, open gifts together and eat-- again. I've eaten enough for a week! It was good to see my brother kicked back and relaxed. My mom wasn't feeling so well and was kind of ouchy. She apologized later. It's all good.

It was great for all of us to get together!

Now we are home. I'm taking a break from assembling Polly Pocket habitats and the Barbie luxury bus, which I'm certain has more square footage than my humble home.

Speaking of, it looks like a toy store blew up in here. I'll be making my annual trek to Target tomorrow to retrieve clear lidded containers. We must, must, must bundle these parts up into proper creature homes!

A very Merry Christmas to everyone!

Hello 2:30 AM. You came to me so quickly.

I had lots to do. I wanted to make last night the big push so that I could be calm, collected and FOCUSED on the meaning of CHRISTmas. Oh, that is a thought. I've realized that more than anything this year, I've been running around in circles and leaving tornadoes in my wake. I baked cookies, but they aren't my typical lot that I put together. I've wrapped gifts, but not always capable of just thinking or praying for the recipient. I've attended things, but with my heart and mind in other places.

Oh, I have a list of change for next year.

First, the annual Christmas cookie box will be changed to the theme of quality, not quantity. I'll pick a few sure-fire hits and bake those in mass. Doing three different cookies well, rather than a bunch to pull numbers is a more preferable way.

I need to go back to wrapping in October. I do this as a good hunk of my job for 2 months during the holiday season. I don't so much mind doing it at work, but I get home and fall flat like a cookie with conked out baking soda. (Yes I had that problem this year, too.)

I will be less rushed. I will purposely SCHEDULE family time in, instead of it happening on accident. We need to do this during the holiday season to make certain that we are all cruising along at a lovely speed with the love thing. I get scattered, K- gets scattered, Hubs gets really moody and we bicker. We don't normally, but stress will do that. I resolve to solve that problem.

I will take in everything that I do. I will take in the time that I'm involved in. I will stress less. I will plan more. My family will be happier.

In the meantime, the last day of Christmas retail awaits. I pray that we're all able to sit down and truly concentrate on the reason of why we celebrate Christmas anyhow. Santa is a cool guy, but Jesus is cooler. Take notice of your "Away in a Manger" (as K- calls it) and really look. Are you there? Are you adoring Him?

Merry Christmas, my friends.

Happy Home Day, Baby Girl!

It was 5 years ago that you came into our lives. There aren't enough words to tell you how much we love you.

Recently, we dealt with the great humidifier flood in your bedroom. When that happened, we had to pull half of your room apart. That left me to wade through your library of books. I found one that I thought that I would share with everyone in honor of your day. Sadly, I don't know who gave it to us for you. I would thank them again!

A Blessing From Above
By Patti Henderson
Golden Books

Once upon a time there lived a mother kangaroo who had an empty pouch.

Every night before she went to sleep, she prayed that some day her pouch would be filled with a baby to love and hold and care for.

One day, Momma-Roo decided to go for a walk.

During her walk, she saw a pair of butterflies fluttering about in a field of flowers.

She later came upon a mother duck leading her ducklings to a pond.

Next she spied a mama and papa squirrel gathering acorns for their family.

She was looking forward to the day she could share all of these wonderful sights and activities with a baby of her own.

Momma-Roo was getting tired. She decided to rest underneath the branches of a beautiful willow tree.

When she looked up she saw a bluebird nest stuffed full of baby bluebird eggs.

One by one, the eggs began to hatch open. The baby bluebirds stretched their wings and cried for food. The nest was getting very crowded.

Just as the last and littlest bluebird cracked open his shell and stepped into this world . . .

. . . one of his brothers stretched his wings. Before the littlest one knew what was happening, he was bumped from the nest and falling . . .

down,

down,

down,

. . . straight into Momma-Roo's pouch!

The baby bluebird peeked out from the pouch and gazed up at Momma-Roo.

"Hello Mommy," he chirped.

The mother bluebird looked down and saw her littlest one.

She knew her nest was not big enough for all her chicks. It made her happy to see her baby bluebird in such a warm, cuddly place.

"Hello, Little One," said Momma-Roo.

Then she hugged her blessing from above.

"At last! My very own baby!" she cried joyfully. "I will cherish you forever!"

On their way back home, Momma-Roo and Little One frolicked through the field of flowers.

They stopped for a sip of water at the pond.

They shared grass and berries together. They were so happy!

Now, every night before they fall asleep, Momma-Roo and Little One thank God for all their blessings . . . but especially for each other.

In love he destined us for adoption to himself . . . Ephesians 1:5

Mrs. Doubtfire, Is That You?

Are you seeing the same thing I do? Does this scream Mrs. Doubtfire? Maybe it's flashbacks from the wedding boutique days. I did have a gentleman who went by the name of Dawn have me measure him for an evening gown for the Ms. Tri Coun*ty Page*ant. If this isn't Mrs. Doubtfire, in the very least I believe it could be Dawn.

By the way, this was one of the gifts that K- received for her birthday yesterday. My mother-in-law looked for Tinkerbell but couldn't find one. K- loves it!

There was cake. There were happy children. We all survived.

You know, I have to say that without the help of my mama friends, I could have never done it! Natalie over at The Cybyk Times became staff photographer. My sister ran photos occasionally, refills and hugs. My friend Michelle kept kids happy. Kim was on the wagon of friends that fed the kids as I was running back and forth. My friend Heather was just trying to keep track of her little one C-. He'll be two next month and he keeps that girl running! These woman helped to keep me sane and afloat. I love them dearly.

I admit that K-'s party started out slightly rough. Oh, the kids were great except for that pesky whiney yucky crap that K- was dishing out. I scooped her up, carried her to the bathroom and finally told her that I didn't want to send her home with her daddy so that I could have fun with her friends myself. It took just a hair longer, but she found herself adjusted and doing fine. Right before arriving, she had fallen asleep and Hubs was having a tough time waking her. He bonked her in the head with the door, again. He also bonked her in the head with the trampoline. We also know for a fact that she does a bit of a social anxiety bit when in a group of people. She is like me. She can get overwhelmed by things like that and just overloads. Oh, I don't find it excuseable, but I do try to work her through it. We did triumph over the yuck and had a great time. Just look!

I started the party by having the kids sit for a few while I read them the book, Tinkering Tink. Aunt Kristin bought that for K- as a part of her birthday gift. The kids wanted to have free feet, so they ditched their shoes and made themselves at home.

Look! Natalie got a great picture of the kids. You know, I'm not a big face posting mama. I have several reasons, but was thrilled that there was a photo of all the kids that I could legally post.

After K's birthday party, we cleaned up the hall (with help from friends-- thank you!) and trotted on home with the loot. I did a quick gift inventory list so that we can write thank you's, had some queso and chips and went to visit the neighbor's around the corner. He is a doctor and each year, he and his wife sit out in the bitterly cold (tonight it was 25 degrees, cold enough!) to greet all the neighborhood children. He is very realistically dressed as Santa and his wife as Mrs. Claus. Their home is like that of National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. I'm sure that we're on back up power just to make those lights run! He is so attentive. He asked about where she lived (not in a predator kind of way), asked about how old she was, if she behaved and what she wished for. He was very happy to sit for photos with her and even his wife joined in. We've decided that we must send a thank you along. What a wonderful Christmas/Birthday treat!

After we stopped by Dr. Santa's house, we traveled onto Alliance where they have the Winter Wonderland Light Display. We go every year for Happy Home Day, but decided to move it up to K-'s birthday since we had the evening free. My mother-in-law joined us and enjoyed it very much.

Baby girl had a good day. She enjoyed getting to hang with her friends. For her, it's not the presents. Sure, she likes them but she is more than thrilled just to have people show up! Let's hope that she always stays that way!

Holy Cow! You're 5!

My big girl, you are 5 today. Can I tell you how every year that your birthday rolls around, my heart flutters a bit? It reminds us of that trip we took to pick you up. It reminds us of the anniversary of your arrival to our family. It reminds us of the anniversary of your adoption-- right on your very first birthday! How cool was that?! (Especially cool since it was hovering sub zero temps with a nasty snow storm!)

"Can I tell you sumpin? I like you. I love you to the sun, the moon, the stars and back." That's a lot of love, my friend. Daddy does, too. (You tell me this all the time, too.)

When you came to us, you were just a wee bit of a thing. You were 6 pounds 11 ounces and 19" long. That's not really big. Now? Well, you are 44" tall and about 46 pounds or so. You wear a 6x or 7/8 top because you are so long waisted. You are thinning out on your Buddha baby belly, but you still need a 6 for a hair bit of tummy space. You love leggins. You don't like "hard pants (jeans) because they aren't compie." Your foot. Sweet little thing, that foot is going to give you a tough road to go forever. You wear a size 11 1/2 right now, but you have a narrow foot, a narrow heel and a high arch. Finding shoes for you is no easy task. You will hate this more as you grow up. You have long brown hair. You want to grow it out like Rapunzel or Pocahontas. That's fine with Daddy and me. The deal is that as long as we can brush it and care for it. You don't like a lot of things in your hair. Mostly, you prefer "down hair." Occasionally, you'll want "small pigs, big pigs or horsey hair." That's pretty rare, though.

You are a pretty good little girl. You are a big helper and are good at cleaning up. You love to bake and help your daddy build things. You put your clothes down the laundry chute without being asked. You have chores and do them when I ask. Someday, they'll kick in automatically. In the past few days, you've been in a NO streak. It got you in trouble at school and at home just now, too. You've lost privileges and that's no fun. Soon enough you'll learn that the NO thing didn't work before and it ain't kicking it now, either.

You are having a Tinkerbell party. You have been telling people for months! I'm sad that your siblings aren't going to be there. We've talked about it and you understand now. We're honest with you about stuff. We tell you the truth, because we want you to always trust us. Sure, mommy and daddy don't always get to pass on sunshiny stuff, but we're as honest with you as we can be.

You are so caring. You run up and hug people and children all the time. We've had to tone this back a little. You've freaked a few kids out a bit. (I just told you to ask if it was okay.) A little girl was beating you up in school, but you didn't want to tell because you didn't "want to make her sad." I had to remind you that it isn't okay for people to hurt you. Friends have bad days and maybe C- was having a bad week, but that's still not okay.

You can color in the lines. You can do a great job. You are just worried that you are going to miss something and you scribble. You know all of your ABC's, can write your name in caps and lower case and have done a great job with your last name. We're working a bit harder on numbers, but just like the ABC's, it will all click.

You have so much energy. You can run in circles for hours and never tire. Your energy amazes people. So does your caring touch, your big smile, the one left dimple you have and those ever-changing green eyes.

Can you believe that you are going to go to Kindergarten next year? Oh baby, the places you'll go.

I love you. I love you so much that a mama can't even tell you. I love you so much that it makes me cry just to think about it.

Happy birthday, my big girl.

Ice pellets are falling from heaven!

You see the big red blob? Um, we're in the middle of that. Thank goodness that I held off on some final details for K-'s party! Seriously, I've got to go out regardless. I'll wait for a while to hopefully have the roads clear a bit. They haven't been doing such a hot job of snow clearing this season (salt shortage due to hurricanes, governor putting those funds to something else . . .), so it can get just a wee slickery around here. K-'s Little Gym was canceled for the day, so we're be hangin' close to the homefront.

And the party, you ask? We will be doing the Tinkerbell theme this year. I figured out that I need a few more table cloths and plates for adults. I already have the treat bags made. (They'll be getting sparkly Moon Sand, a Tinkerbell pencil, stickers and green and purple gum balls. I, in very Virgoian fashion, dug through the bulk candy bin at the store until I got the number of green and purple gum balls that I needed. I swear that those people probably talked about me when I left!) I picked the key up to the building yesterday, so I've got all that figured out. Our church has a recreation building that is available for members to rent with a love gift. It is nice with access to basketball hoops, soccer nets, all the balls that you'd need and frankly, it is a nice place to just have the kids run. Hubs will be borrowing the tug o' war rope from work again this year. K- has already asked! She is ready to go.

The weather has been all over the place and at least this gives a place were they can run their babyson leggins off and I can send them home good and tired. Parents love us for that. Also, with my house being just a hair over 1000 sq ft, the recreation building is much larger. I'm sure you could fit my house in their a few times, anyhow.

I was baking until at least 12:30 AM last night. A friend from Milwaukee had called to say that they may or may not be making it in for K-'s party and we were talking for a bit. (I still baked as I talked!) I was still wired from Festival Choir dress rehearsal and know that I was up until at least 1:30 AM. I'm making my way through the Gilmore Girls DVD library I have. I've watched them a billion times and like to watch them when I can't sleep.

I have more baking to do. I need to bake the Heath bar/Chocolate Chip/Chocolate Chunk cookies today. (I swear that I think that there are more candy bits in there than there is dough.) I might toss the thumbprints together. Oh, and I must deal with the brownies. My chocolate/chocolate cookies came out tasting good, but they are pancake flat. I'm still putting them into the Christmas cookie boxes anyway. They are baked. They are good. They still qualify.

The couch guy is coming between 3-5 PM, so we'll find out whether he thinks that we should score a new couch or not. It's a cliff hanger. I know that your every holiday plan hinges on whether the home of Bailey's Leaf will be getting a replacement of the biffed couch that received earlier in the month. Ah, we do bring excitement to the blogosphere!

So, what's going on in your neck o' the woods today? Anything fun?

Have a great ice-free day!

Edited to add: We have friends who are literally snowed in, in Milwaukee. My sister-in-law and her family are in Chicago attempting to make it about an hour north of Milwaukee.

Our friends won't be making it for K-'s birthday and both girls are sad about it. It was the first birthday since they relocated to Milwaukee that the kids would have been able to celebrate either one of their birthdays together. I'm sad for them. My sister's kids have the stomach funk, which might knock them out of the running for the party tomorrow. K-'s sibs aren't coming because they are out of town or visiting their other parental unit. We have another child with Christmas choir dress rehearsal. My nephews are with their mom, so my brother doesn't have them and has to work anyhow. K- will have a small group tomorrow instead of the 18 + that we initially expected, but we'll have a great time!