Tis the Season...

(How many more posts will I begin with song titles?!)

for Christmas decorating!

I love to decorate for any season or theme, but there's just something about Christmas decor that makes my heart super happy!

For the past two years, I've gone with a burlap, lace and silver color scheme. Mostly because I'm really picky about things matching and those colors match our living room!

Our tree is a mix of silver bulbs, snowflakes and our special family ornaments. Our wedding cake ornament was a gift the year we got married. LG's first Christmas ornament is a precious rocking horse with her name on it. I also have a few that were given to me by students while I was teaching. I added burlap garland and strings of lace then topped the tree with a burlap bow! I snagged the ruffled burlap tree skirt at Hobby Lobby last month!

Londyn Grace has done amazingly well with the tree and hasn't really bothered it! She loves to look at it and point to it and say "tree!", but other than that she been great about not pulling off ornaments or messing with it!

It has made for a really pretty picture backdrop! So we've taken lots of Christmas outfit pictures in front of it!

In the dining room, I cleared off the buffet of the usual decorations and used it to display my Willow Tree Nativity that was a Christmas gift last year. I ended up putting it on the wood slab that we used for our cake stand at the wedding! The pinecone garland is from the wedding, too!

I had to incorporate my love for chalkboards so Daniel hung the one we've used for several events including the wedding, gender reveal, and Lovey Lou's birthday party, above the buffet! I love how it turned out!

One of my new additions this year was based around this sparkly reindeer I snagged at HomeGoods awhile back! My mom gave me the old wooden tray and I picked up the glass candle globes at Goodwill.

I added a few small silver ornaments to tie it in with the tree decor.

I used our {faux} mantle again to hang our stockings and to add more chalkboard love!

If you look really closely, you'll notice that baby Jesus is missing from the Ecuadorian nativity set I bought on my first missions trip there back in 2006. That's because a certain little lady likes to play with him! :)

My Mama gave us a few of the village pieces she's been collecting over the years. Londyn Grace loves to look at the little village!

I couldn't leave the kitchen out, so here are a few shots of the festiveness going on in there!

I had to add a Christmas themed design to the chalkboard in there as well!

I had so much fun adding holiday touches to our home! 

We also put a little tree in Goosey's nursery, but I'll save that for tomorrow's post!

OH Christmas Tree!

{Since Christmas is just 8 days away, I thought I'd better get our trip to the tree farm blogged!}

The Monday after Thanksgiving we bundled up and drove about 45 minutes over to Sussex County, which is much more country than were we live, to pick out our Christmas tree!

It was the perfect day because the temperatures were in the mid-40s and that's pretty warm for

December on the East Coast. It was so "warm" we only needed long-sleeves and got to leave our big heavy winter coats at home.  I did dress LG in a few layers and a pretty thick corduroy dress with tights and boots so she wouldn't be chilly. She also wore an adorable ear warmer I picked up for two bucks a few weeks prior! Daddy said the cuteness factor was increased by a hundred when we put it on her! She looked so precious for our outing!

We got to the farm and it was pretty quiet since it was a weekday. There were only a handful of families also browsing for their perfect tree and the farm was huge so we were pretty much to ourselves in the area we picked to looked.

Last year, Londyn Grace was only two months old. We were still getting adjusted to her schedule so we got our tree already cut from a local nursery. This was our first time to Wyckoff Farms and it did not disappoint!

All of their trees were gorgeous! It was hard to pick just one!

Lovey Lou had a blast toddling around and pointing to all the trees!

This farm actually supplied the tree for the Blue Room at the White House this year! The governor of New Jersey also got his tree here!

We narrowed it down to a couple different ones before we finally decided on our tree!

We found the perfect one so Daddy cut it down for us!

Just as he finished, she gave him a huge unprompted hug! It was the sweetest thing! I guess she approved of our choice!

We tagged our tree and then went back to the main office to let them know that we had made our choice!

LG ran around while we waited for them to get it ready for us.

 A sweet lady offered to take our family picture!

Then we paid for our tree (which was much cheaper than last year's nursery purchase!), loaded it in the van and buckled Londyn Grace into her carseat for the ride back to Caldwell.

When we got home, we put on her first pair of Christmas pajamas and she helped Daddy string the lights!

It was the best day making Christmas memories with our little family of three!

LG is 14 months old...

LG turned 14 months on Tuesday. I am still trying to figure out how time is passing so quickly and how exactly I can make it slow down!

This girl or "crazy woman" as I affectionately call her is my joy and my best buddy. It's been so neat as we've watched her grow and develop this month.

Her vocabulary is still pretty limited, but I am amazed at how well she does at expressing what she wants and also at how much she comprehends.

She is still tiny weighing in at 19 pounds 13 ounces last week. I haven't measured her height lately, but I've noticed that she seems to be getting taller. She is wearing 12 month clothes. She has 6 teeth (3 top, 3 bottom) and number seven is there but hasn't quite popped through yet.

She is still nursing and those times are still such precious moments when we pause to spend a few minutes of quiet together aside from the busyness of the day. I always want to remember how she puts her hand to my mouth for a kiss while she nurses. She'll do it over and over again wanting me to kiss it and say "mwah, mwah" and then she'll giggle so sweetly! (Next week, Daniel and I are going away overnight for our anniversary and it will be the first time in 14 months that we go more than 4 hours without nursing. I don't know who will struggle with it more, Londyn Grace or mama!)

As for eating, it's gotten better, but still isn't great ever since she kind of took a turn toward picky-ness last month. She does enjoy applesauce, yogurt, and goldfish crackers for snacks. This month she has finally mastered the sippy cup and loves to drink water from it. No matter what she's eating, she loves to share her food with anyone who will take a bite!

We are pretty much the same in the sleep department, still not sleeping through the night. I don't really mind because it just means extra snuggles and extra cuddles with a baby that will be a big girl before I know it. I'll take the midnight rockings while I can! She is napping well though! Most days she sleeps for 1.5 to 2 hours in the middle of the day. She did take her first ever 3 hour nap this month! Depending on the day, she may take a shorter early evening nap especially if we're driving and she falls asleep in the carseat.

She loves to sing especially in church. It is pretty much the most precious thing ever!

Goosey is such a busy girl. She never (and I mean never unless she's sleeping) stops. She doesn't stay in one place or play with one toy for very long, but this month has brought a new found interest in books. Her favorite is a board book with baby pictures in it. She now brings us books wanting us to read them to her. She understands what we mean when we say "Show that to me." or "Bring that to me."

She can identify her nose, eyes, hair, mouth and belly! She loves to be tickled or for me to smell her "stinky feet!"

She is helping now when she gets dressed and puts her arms through when I'm putting her shirts on. She has almost mastered how to take her coat off and know that her shoes go on her feet.

She loves to FaceTime with our family back home and gets so excited about it! I am so thankful for technology! 

This month she has started obeying simple commands which is so encouraging. Consistency in teaching and training is so important. We are learning how to clean up her toys and she enjoys putting toys back into bins and baskets.

I already mentioned how much she is comprehending and this list I've continued to keep on my phone's notepad of all the little things she does and learns from day to day attests to that. I love having it to look back on and wish I would've started doing it months ago.

11/9 Put baby in stroller by yourself and then when I asked you to do it again you did.

11/11 Picked up my earring and put it to my ear!

11/12 woke up from your nap with your finger up wanting to sing this little light of mine!

11/13 took a drink from Auntie M's cup and said Ahh!

11/14 woke up waving your finger for this little light of mine

11/14 Pop Pop squatted down to be at eye level with you and put his hands on his thighs and you copied him

11/14 nodded your head yes!

11/15 said "Pop Pop!

11/17 blew kisses when we said love you on FaceTime without being asked

11/18 said "ball" three times copying me

Walked over the ledge between the kitchen and living room without falling by holding onto the wall

I asked if you wanted milk and you nodded your head yes!

Took Daddy's games and put them away when I asked you to!

Copied me by talking into the paper towel roll

11/19 You were sitting in a chair at church and I asked you if you wanted to get down and you said "down!"

11/21 you heard the church bell ringing while playing in your room and stopped to listen

Heard the neighbor's dog barking and climbed in my lap a little scared

11/22 your flower fell out of your hair while walking through Costco and Daddy and I didn't notice so you yelled and pointed back to it!

11/23 heard sirens outside while nursing and laid really still with your eyes really wide listening  until they stopped

Brought me a book and wanted me to read it to you! Then when I pointed to Sophie's eye and said "there's Sophie's eye!" You pointed to your eye then to mine!

11/24 took a 3 hour nap!!!

11/30 opened the cabinet door and I asked you to close it and you did and walked over to me!

copied me after I sneezed!

12/1 "sang" at the nursing home!

12/2 found a water bottle cap on the floor and then pointed to the bottle on the table wanting to put it on.


This month we celebrated LG's second Thanksgiving and she loved the German potato salad and pickled red cabbage that Oma made.

We also went to the tree farm and picked out our Christmas tree earlier this week! It's amazing that last year she was a sleeping newborn in her carrier and this year she was running around enjoying herself! Yesterday, she pointed to the tree and said "tree!" She has done really well with it being up and doesn't really bother it.

November was a wonderful month, and we are so excited about celebrating Christmas all December long!

Happy Thanksgiving...

from our sweet little turkey!

May your day be filled with family, food and gratefulness for all He has blessed us with!

"O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever."

I Chronicles 16:34

Mamal

at our wedding ~ December 2011

Last Monday, I got a text message from my Mama letting me know that my Mamal (great grandmother) had fallen and was at the hospital.

With her age and recently failing health, my heart sank knowing a fall would certainly cause complications for her.

I waited for an update and prayed that she would be heading home after getting checked out, but as the day progressed and tests were run it was clear that she wouldn't be recovering from this.

She was bleeding internally, but was in so much pain that she requested that no more tests be run. Due to her heart failure and age, they wouldn't be able to do surgery anyway.

On Tuesday, the doctor cautioned us that she may not make it through the night so I made the decision to head to Maryland. I was going to drive myself down Wednesday morning, but my Daddy offered to drive up and pick LG and I up Tuesday night.

So I packed a bag and took a dress for the funeral just in case.

When I arrived at the hospital on Wednesday, Mamal was sleeping. She woke up to greet me with a smile on her face. I was so thankful that I made it in time.

She looked at LG and said, "Hi, Londyn Grace!" Later, while standing by her bed, she looked up at me and said, "I Love You!" That alone was worth the trip.

Wednesday afternoon she was transferred to my Mom Mom's (grandmother) house under hospice care.

We spent Wednesday through Friday there and though she slept most of the time, I was just so grateful to have those days with her.

I know I am incredibly blessed to have had 26 years with my great grandmother and to have lived twenty minutes from her for the first 24 years of my life! I count it a privilege to call her one of my greatest friends!

As we drove back to NJ Saturday evening, the tears started flowing as the reality of not having Mamal here much longer sunk in.

Our Tuesday night dinner dates that were the highlight of my week for the five years that I was teaching. I can see the smile on her face as I walked into the kitchen. Wiping her hands on her apron, she'd kiss me hello and ask how I was doing. The fridge stocked with Sprite and Zebra Cakes, I'd sometimes snack if dinner wasn't quite ready. She always cooked a three course meal just for the two of us! {And always cut the fat off of my pork chops because she knew I didn't like it even though I was 20 something and perfectly capable of doing it myself!} Sitting down at the table, she take my hand and ask me to say Grace. Then she listened as I talked about my students and always wanted me to take another helping. After we were finished, she would pack up the leftovers so I could take them for lunch the next day. 

In the last two years since I've been married and living four hours from her, we would talk on the phone weekly. She'd say, "Do you know what day it is?! It's our day, Tuesday, the day you'd come to eat with me. I miss that." 

I miss that, too, Mamal. Oh what I would give for just one more Tuesday night!

As of today, she is still hanging on. They haven't really given us a time frame yet as to how much longer they think she will last, but she is in a lot of pain.

I love this picture SO much!

As much as I want to keep her here, I know her heart and her body are aching for Heaven. This coming March marks her 94th birthday and from the look of things it will be the first spent with Jesus.

Loving the Leaves!

Londyn Grace, that is. Daddy, not so much, since he's responsible for the raking!

For the last few weeks, we've ("we" meaning Daniel while I'm occupied with picture taking ;) ) been attempting to rake and bag all of our leaves in the backyard and on the driveway and patio! Though our backyard is small compared to the backyard I grew up with living in the country, it is actually quite large considering how close we live to NYC. It is surrounded by tall trees that are just gorgeous during the Fall, but result in lots and lots of leaves to clean up!

Our township will pick them up and haul them away for free (well, not really for free since we pay taxes, but you get the idea!), but we are responsible for getting them to the curb!

All of the raking has resulted in lots of playtime and lots of pretty pictures of Goosey in the piles!

I hardly remember last Fall! It was such a blur of constant nursing and just trying to make sure the laundry was done so we've really made the most of it this year!

This little lady and her sweet smiles will never cease to cause my heart to skip a beat!

I love her SO! 

It seems each time Daniel works for a few hours raking and bagging, a million more fall resulting in another few hours of work!

So this past Monday, on his day off, he was at it again! 

Thus giving us another opportunity to play and photograph the fun!

She didn't mind sitting in the big pile, but wasn't too sure when Daddy started throwing them at her!

Fall has always been my favorite, but man this Fall has been extra special since LG is old enough to enjoy all of the wonder of it with us!

Have you raked your leaves, yet?

Thirteen Months...

Whew! What a busy two weeks we've had around here since I last posted. October has come and gone meaning our sweet girl is now thirteen months old. I figured I would stop the monthly updates after twelve months, but so much has happened that I want to keep track of!

Our biggest accomplishment by far happened Friday afternoon on the 25th when Goosey took her first three steps toward me! I was sitting in front of her up in her bedroom taking pictures of her crazy curly hair after bathtime when to my surprise she started toddling toward me! I'll never forget the look on her face as she hesitantly picked up her little feet for the first time! The picture below was just before she did it!

I jumped and cheered and jumped and cheered some more and she thought it was so funny! I got some really cute shots of her reaction to my craziness!

In addition to walking, she has blossomed so much in her understanding of things!! Though she still isn't saying many words, she has amazed us with all the new things she's learning!

I've been trying to keep a running list over the last week on the notepad in my phone since it seems like it really is something new every day!

Here's the list so far :
10/26 At church someone said, "Londyn Grace, you are getting so big!" And you opened your arms wide like you do when I say "How big is Londyn Grace?!" because you related the words "So big!" to that!

"How big is Londyn Grace?!"  "SO BIG!!"

10/28 You said "again" when you wanted Mimi to bounce the ball again!

10/28 Today I am certain you were listening and understood my conversation about biting while nursing because you were nursing like normal and then bit me as I was talking about it!

10/30 You walked more! You took about 8 steps in a row!

10/31 Cece (a little girl from church that I tutor) taught you "Ring Around the Rosey" and you laughed and laughed and kept wanting to do it again!

You took my finger and started moving it around wanting me to sing "This Little Light of Mine!"

11/1 You took my finger again and moved it in a circle, but this time you said, "This!" wanting me to sing "This Little Light of Mine!"

11/2 You went through tunnels at the playground for the first time.

11/3 You were really "singing" in church during the congregational songs! It was the sweetest thing!

After weeks of Mimi trying to get you to blow kisses, you blew Mamal (my almost 94 year old great grandmother) a kiss while doing FaceTime!!

11/4 You pointed to the drawer where we keep the graham crackers when I asked if you wanted one!

---------------------------------------- :)
She does a lot of pointing to indicate what she wants, and we are working on the word, "Please!" I still think that Dr. Schlachter is going to be right when he says that she may be a late talker, but I am encouraged by all she has accomplished in just the last few weeks!

She loves to point at the pictures on the walls and point out Dada and Mama. 
Her new favorite snacks are graham crackers and veggie sticks. She gets a "cookie" (graham cracker) to munch on while sitting in her high chair as I do dishes or make dinner. 

She's gotten pickier in her eating recently and will sometimes spit out what she doesn't like or not open her mouth when it's offered so we are working through that! 

She is still nursing well, and I am just in amazed that we've made it this far! God is so good! I say this every month, but after our beginning I never would have imagined we'd make it to this point!

Weighing in at nineteen and a half pounds and measuring 29 inches long, Dr. Schlachter was pleased with her growth at her well visit last week! She cut another tooth this month, bringing her total to five! One of her eye teeth is there, but hasn't cut yet. 

We have continued working on using sippy cup, but it's still mostly used for chewing!

As for toys, she is still loving her baby dolls, but prefers to play with my bowls of necklaces and bracelets while I'm getting ready for the day. It keeps her occupied for a few minutes at least!

She also loves her pink ride-on car she was gifted for her birthday. Another favorite is an elephant ball popper, we got her for her birthday. You put the ball into a tube, push a button to release it and then push another button to pop it into the air. She can do all three steps by herself!

She will start moving her arms and dancing around when she hears any kind of music. 

We are still pretty much the same in the sleep department. Starting in the crib, but not lasting long so spending the rest of the night in our bed. We wouldn't trade the extra sweet cuddles for anything, though!

Each morning when we wake, she seems to look a little bigger, a little less like a baby! 

This past month was so full between the birthday celebrations at the beginning, then the apple orchard, pumpkin patch, family portraits, and lots of church activities! I am sad to see October go, (It is definitely my favorite month!) but I'm looking forward to November and a month focused on thankfulness for all He has done! I am especially thankful for the precious privilege of being mama to my Lovey Lou!