Dec the Halls

This is not the post you think it is... the walk through my Christmas house. For although I start promptly the night before Thanksgiving and work on it each and every day we are not done yet. I would be if I didn't put up six themed trees. I would be if we didn't have to have Christmas getaway weekend. Or a trip to Boston. Or homework... gee wiz... can't there be a National rule for no homework for the month of December?

Right now there are still boxes in my living room. And it's pretty much a mess all over. But we're almost there. With the house that is... still need more snow for my card photo session!

The tree. Well you heard the story of how important this tree is to me. And how is just has to be real. Well real takes a little longer but she's worth it. Her lights are all on and last night we started decorating her. (but didn't finish) Scott and I will finish tonight after little girls are in bed. We let them 'help' just a tad on this tree. Maybe just a few ornaments but this is my "Lord and Taylor" tree and all of the ornaments are super fragile. (Don't worry they have their tree and can decorate it with their ornaments any way they want... mostly) I call my living room tree my "Lord and Taylor" tree because I had a parent drop by my house (before kids and I was teaching first grade at the time) She stood in my doorway and said, "wow! that's a Lord and Taylor tree," so that's what I call it now.

I love her green beaded garland and her Christopher Raddko ornaments.





I promise I'll show you pictures when my living room is done. For now, just the good stuff...





there was music playing.

There were too long (making them look little) Christmas swishy nightgowns among spilled ornament hangers. Footie Jammies on your middle schooler really helps to make her look like she a few years younger.





There was dancing, and smiles. Singing and joy.







And then there was bedtime.

Christmas is pockets or moments really. Pockets that fit in each day. It's not just December 25th or even the perfectly decorated home. It's pockets... moments like these. (that help me when I'm still tripping over boxes and the to do list feels like a mile long)

First Communion Enrollment Blessing

This is Abigail and sitting next to her is her CBF (church best friend) She is also my goddaughter. And her parents are Abigail's godparents. We think that's pretty cool. Mostly because we love them! Abigail does too!

On Sunday Abigail (and Maddie) were blessed during Mass. The blessing was done right there in the pews. They stood next to their Dads as they blessed their eyes, their lips, their feet, their hands, and their heart. It was a beautiful start to the amazing program that leads to First Communion this spring. It's hard to imagine that Abigail will be receiving two Sacraments this year. She is over the moon excited. And we are right there along with her!

Christmas In Connecticut

Waaaay back in 1996...

It was our first married Christmas.  We were young and we didn't have any money.  Just twenty-two and twenty-three.  We were in our second year of teaching.  I taught third grade then and Scott taught eighth.  We lived in my childhood dollhouse.  Our first house looked exactly like my childhood dollhouse on the outside.  A white colonial... old (1932) and so perfectly romantic with a red door and black shutters.  It was darling and I never planned on moving out of that little house.

I can remember saying to Scott that first Christmas that I wanted to go away in December (not exactly on Christmas of course) but just to experience Christmas in New York City or Boston or anywhere like the old movies I loved.  Couldn't we, please?

But that first Christmas we needed help from my Dad to pay for our first tree, and we used our wedding money to buy ornaments.  So there was no money to go away.  But every year after that I found a way.

So from 1997 and on we didn't buy a present for each other; we gave each other the gift of a "Christmas Getaway Weekend" sometime in December.  My brother would stay at our little house and watch our puppy Chester while two young teachers left the to do's at home and just enjoyed the season.  We've done New York City, Boston and lots of places inbetween.  Before we had our girls we always ordered room service, breakfast in bed, found a quiet tea shop for afternoon tea, and walked the city.  It was woooonderful.  Every year.

But our Christmas Getaway weekend is ever so much more wonderful with our girls.  We've only missed two years in our married Christmasses.  One when Anna came home from China (that Christmas didn't need an ounce of extra magic... oh it was so good) and the one when I had Abigail (that one was just as sweet as can be too)

Yes, it's so much more wonderful with our girls that Scott and I driving up this weekend chatted about how sad it would be when our Christmas Getaway Weekend would be just the two of us again.  Oh how I love the new jammies, hot chocolate in the hotel room, holding little hands in the cold outside.

So this past weekend we had our annual getaway and it was woooonderful.  I got the idea when we stopped here on our leaf trip.  "Christmas in Riverton", experience an old-fashioned Christmas... yes please!

We stayed at the Old Riverton Inn. It was built in 1791. That's over 100 years BEFORE Laura Ingalls. Amazing, amazing inn!



Oh how we loved it!





The coziest 1791 room in the world. It had the opposite of the 'big city' hotel. It felt like we were home. Our room overlooked main street and well, basically the whole town.



Big, fluffy blankets and pretty wallpaper.







The entire town was lined with paper bag and candle luminaries.



And we ate in the most darling restaurant.















And then we went up the street to watch the town's theatre production of A Christmas Carol. They've been performing every December for tweny four years. We all loved it!



Back to the Inn for stories in bed



But breakfast, oh breakfast was my favorite (all for our little family)

(pumpkin chocolate chip bread for Abigail... I bring all of her food on trips) 




Have you ever seen this movie? Well the Inn in this movie is just like the Inn where we stayed.





On Saturday the town had Christmas activities for the family. But after paining and making ornaments I put my camera away.





We ate lunch (just like we did on that fall leaf trip) at the General Store and loved every minute of the little craft fair. It was the perfect, relaxing, country, Christmas Getaway.

And then we headed back to our little house for the rest of the cozy weekend.



2013

Best Christmas Face Ever

~ 2007 ~ 7 months ~ too much Christmas joy ~

Advent... this first week we tried...

I'd like to say that we lit the first candle every evening like we did last year. I'd like to say that we opened the Bible and peacefully read each night the verse, but we didn't. Not this week. It's a good thing that Advent is four weeks.

But I take a shot and put it here in blogland to remember that it did happen one night.



Abigail's test results came back and I have to tell the truth. They were horrible. Her eosinophil count is in the "severe" range. But this is not a life threatening disease... just a disease that is a pain to deal with. It's a disease that gives her some uncomfortable symptoms including vomiting, pain after eating from the muscles in her stomach pressing against her esophogus, burning when she lays down, and a general all day tightening of her throat. Her meds have been altered and there will be more doctor visits, calls, and possible food changes. But she is such a light in our lives... we know because she reminds us every day that love is strength and so we are strong.

We all deal with 'things' as parents.  Some, actually many, many much more severe than Eosinophlic Esophogitis.  I just wanted the call to be a good one.  A call that didn't feel like a punch in the stomach.   A call that didn't make me put down the phone and cry  A call that said, "there were no eosinophils.  Keep on keeping on with what you are doing."  A call that didn't make me think, did I let something slip in?  Did I use a non Abigail pot when I cooked her soup?  Maybe I should go check those ingredients for the hundreth time.

But that was not the call this time.  Can I just say here, poor sweet girl of mine.

Bring on the weekend and week two of Advent... here's to take two..

When I was a little girl... and all the way til I was married we drove almost two hours to the Ingalls Tree Farm in beautiful Brooklyn Connecticut.  My dad, he was picky about our Christmas Tree.  All of our friends called our tree "the perfect Sullivan Christmas Tree"  And it was... every single year.  We drove out, walked through the snow and I watched my Dad cut it down year after glorious year.

When I was little I had never even heard of an artificial tree.  Right now as I'm typing I have five of those artificial trees all glistening around our house.  I love my artificial trees because I have just the right one for just the right spot.  Perfect, year after glorious year.

But a real tree my house must have.  And we found ours this past weekend.

When I was a little girl... I can still remember holding the strings of lights for my Dad and walking very slowly around the tree as he strung them.  He took a whole day, a whole day to do just the lights.  Our growing up trees were so beautiful that I remember asking Scott to come over when we were engaged to watch my Dad do the lights.  I wanted my Dad to show him 'just how to do it right.'  He learned and he still does the lights my dad's way that sweet husband of mine... year after glorious year.



Except that now we have our own little girls that can take turns walking around the tree holding the lights for a whole day as their daddy weaves them in and out just as my dad did.

 (music) 

I would like to personally thank 'mother nature' for sending a blanket of snow to adorn the tops of the trees and to make it so that our boots crunched as we walked in the snow.  I think snow in December is so romantic.  (snow in March... not so much!)

After a hot summer I love this weather


As usual Scott and I walk around and around while the girls find little patches of ice to pretend skate on.  They play hide and seek.  They giggle and laugh, and they think they are helping pick the tree.  Year after glorious year.



Right now the tree is in a bucket in our garage.  It's too early to put her in our living room.  Because she has to be fresh for Christmas morning.  Scott will give the bottom another fresh cut right before she goes up sometime next week.  Right now I can tell you my whole little garage smells like Christmas heaven.

And so it is the same.  Sometimes I make our own traditions.  But sometimes a tradition has to stay the same.  Year after glorious year.



Handsome and his little girl


That's Connecticut!  

"How Do You Spell Santa?"

Music



Just when I think my girls are getting too big Abigail asks me, "how do you spell Santa?"  And in that one question I knew she is not too grown up yet.







This year I loved their three things they asked Santa for.

All so sweet and innocent.



Especially the last one on Anna's list.... sigh... now what am I going to do about that?







And just so I can remember when Anna was just four (and a half)