2 weeks 'till Christmas

Ahhh - I love Christmas. Even if my house is a disaster, and I have no idea what we've gotten the kids.

I was going to steal this list from my boss, but then I received it from my cousin as well, so I guess it's community property now :)

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper - I love it, and it's so much more exciting tearing open a gift then taking it out of a bag.

2. Real tree or Artificial? I have an artificial one - I couldn't bear to think of the babies stepping on one of those sharp neeldles, but I really miss the smell and look of a real tree.

3. When do you put up the tree? As soon as possible after T-day.

4. When do you take the tree down? mid January

5. Do you like egg nog? Yunny yes - especially a McDs egg nog milkshake.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Unknown - I've received so many good ones. I'm sure it revolves around video games though.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? I think we have 17 nativity scenes up right now. I think it's the only thing that John and I had in common before we met.

8. Hardest person to buy for? People at work - you know, you would like to get them something cool, but you know that you are strapped for cash, and you could be spending that money on your kids or spouse, so you end up straining your brain trying to find something cool and cheap.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Gracie J.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail of course - that's how I send the family photos.

11 .Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I can't recall this one either, but I'm sure it had to be something from an old boyfriend's parents.

12. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Around October

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Of course - especially with the kids - they don't care, as long as they get something to unwrap.

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Molasses cookies

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear twinkly lights on the inside of the tree, and colored ones on the outer edge.

17. Favorite Christmas song? classic= Silent Night. modern= the spin version of jingle bells. Kids= Dominick the Donkey

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Home

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Nope - I suck at that. I start making up names and Gracie gets mad

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One present from mom and dad on Eve, and then the rest in the morning after Santa comes.

22 . Most annoying thing about this time of year? Crabby people who act all pissy because they have to buy presents. Chill out people - you could stay home in your house all season long if you want - don't make me slap you!

23. Favorite ornament, theme or color? My 3 favorite ornaments are the kids "first christmas" balls from Bronners. Gracie's is cracked and battered 12 years later, and i love it. Hers is blue, Rudy's is purple, and Doni's is Red.

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Turkey usually, but this year we are going with ham - we've gone a bit overboard with turkey lately :)

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? A happy home.

Snow, Glasses, and Missiles!

What a December this has been!

Let's start with "snow". It snowed last week - the first time it's snowed in December since I've lived here. I was so happy - it only lasted a few days, but it was nice. Maybe we'll get a white Christmas (although it's 65 degrees this week).

Now on to "glasses". Gracie got her first pair of glasses this month. She looks so mature in them, and she is exstatic to be able to read things from a distance. It's pretty funny to see her exclaim in excitement things like "Chip Clip!! I can read it!!!".

Now on to "missiles". I know you were curious. Actually, it should read "kitty missiles" which I'm sure would have caught your eye even more. So, I'm driving to work on Friday, going North on 29, as I do every day, and Boleyn was on my shoulders, resting, waiting for another fun day at work. Then, for as far as the eye can see, the road turned to ice. It was a pretty amazing sight. Every car for the 2 miles that I could see, wrecked all at once. The truck in front of me started spinning in circles, and I tried to brake (what a waste- we were on ICE), but it didn't matter because the truck behind me took out the back of my minivan. Sadly for John, the phone was on the front seat, as I was talking to him, saying "my windshield just turned to ice, the weather has gotten worse", when the car in front of me spun out, so he heard crunching metal and my screaming before I was able to get back on the phone to ask him to come help. Poor guy.

But anyway, the accident could have defintiely been worse - Rte 29 was closed for 4 hours on Friday due to the intensity of all the accidents. My van stayed upright, and I only had minor injuries (tore my trapezius muscle in my back and cracked the T1 vertebrae in my neck, and spained my shoulders/neck). So, I'm in pain, but it could have been SO much worse. The guy who hit me was even ok - poor Bubba - he came over after about an hour and was crying saying "I apologize ma'am - I'm so sorry ma'am".

Oh yes- remember Boleyn? Well, he was on my shoulders when I was hit, and he flew into the windshield going 30 miles an hour. I shouldn't laugh, but he was PISSED :)

The Floan

We finally went and upgraded our phones this weekend. Pictures, Text, and all the goodies. John's phone naturally rings to the tune of Johnny Cash - Ring of Fire. I put our old, now defunct, phones on the table - not sure what to do with them (recycle or throw out?). Then Rudy saw them. He wanted to know if he could use my 'floan' to call his friends. He also explained that it's just pretend. So, he now calls every one he knows at all times - he makes sure we know that he has a floan and is ready to call anyone he wants. This morning he called Gracie, Mommie, Joshua, Trevor, and Lucas. When he calls, he actually carries on pretty lengthy conversations - "Hi Trevor, you can come over to my house and play with my cars, and then we can play together, and then you need to be nice, and then we can play outside, and then we can go to school.' The boy keeps things interesting. With his floan.

My Drama Queen

My little baby Drama Queen Rudy.... he cracks me up. Last night I gave him a hug and kiss goodnight, then explained for the 50th time that he 'really needs to lay down and go to sleep'. Finally I was losing my patience, and I said 'Rudy, please lay down - Mommie has a sore throat and I want to go to bed too'. IMMEDIATELY, he stands up and starts bouncing up and down excitedly, telling me that "Today, I was playing with Joshua, and Joshua pushed me, and... (here is where he stopped jumping and got very serious and looked like he was going to die right there on the bed)....and, I got a FROAT.' Yes, poor Rudy - he got a froat. As far as I can figure, after hearing about the mysterious 'froat' for weeks, it means he spit up in his mouth. Or coughed something up. But to my drama queen, he's pretty sure he's going to die. As he says regularly, writhing on the floor, doing his best Shakespearean death scene, "I'm SICK!! I'm OLD! I have a FROAT!". Poor boy - no one takes him seriously.

Halloween 2007

Another Halloween has come and gone, and it was another great one. Gracie was a vampire fairie (or as Rudy calls it: a VamPirate!), Rudy was Superman, and Doni wore a shirt that said "I'm so cute it's scary". We went to the Lake as always, and there were some great scary houses. Rudy was his typical self, and would inform the home-owners if they didn't give him the correct candy. All 3 kids were in great spirits and were sweet the entire night. Because Halloween was on Wednesday, we waited until Saturday to celebrate - we carved pumpkins and did the "big dump" of candy. By far, the favorite treat from trick-or-treating was the fake teeth. Rudy got pirate teeth, and Gracie got vampire teeth. 5 days later, the kids still wont take them out :)

On Sunday we celebrated Gracie's 12th birthday by going out to Tiffanys and she gorged herself on crab legs again :) I can't believe she's 12. Beautiful, smart, and full of attitude - perfect in every way.

A New Cat - Really.

We figured 6 cats was not nearly enough. Actually, what happened was this: we shop at PetSmart for our animal food. And everytime we go get kitty litter, we pass the 'cat window' where the SPCA has thier cats for adoption. We always 'ooh' and 'ahh' over the cute little kitties, but there was this one cat that showed up about a month ago - beige colored and I fell in love. But there was no way I wanted another cat. So a month passes, and I keep seeing this cat. No one has adopted him - probably because he was over a year old and just liked to sleep. One Saturday I decided I had enough - I wanted to hold him to see what he was like. I picked him up - he immediately kissed me. I was hooked. 3 days later, he was ours. You can see in the picture what it was that intrigued me - he is a Hemmingway cat.

Business as Usual

It's business as usual in the Baldwin-Williamson household. Doni is as cute as can be - especially when he gets excited. His favorite thing to do is kick his legs. When he's happy, he will kick those legs like crazy. Giving him a bath is a raucous occassion - it's like sitting in a jacuzzi. Rudy is still a crazy little Monkey. He wants all the love in the world - and I have no problem giving it. Gracie has been doing so well in school and is taking responsibility for her actions and it's just a wonderful change. I'm hoping it's a long-term change. For the first time, she's actually proud of herself because she can focus and work on things. Frankly, I don't know how she is keeping up with school work (she has about 3 to 4 hours of homework a night). We are currently preparing for Halloween (I can't wait!) and Gracie's 12th birthday (Nov. 2nd).

Fall Celebrations

Well, it's Halloween season, and that means it's "Apple Patch" time (as Rudy calls it - it's NOT a pumpkin patch). We went to Carters Mountain 2 weeks ago for apple cider donuts and an apple cider slushie. It was warm, so there were more people on that small mountain than I have ever seen. Rudy's favorite part was beating on trees and pumpkins with a stick. Then, last weekend we went to Graves Mountain Lodge and had a great time. Once again, it's been warm, so everyone and their brother was there. We ate Brunswick Stew and fried apples and got a bunch of Graves Mtn jams and cider. As soon as we got home, John looked for recipes for Brunswick Stew (if you know us, you know that we have close to 75 cook-books). I've been trying to make large batches of food to freeze, so I was thinking that Stew would be a good one to try. However, with John's approval, we will be making Brunswick Stew WITHOUT squirrel. I've been in Virginia for 7 years, and that's not quite long enough to justify eating rodents.

We have TEETH!

As our digital camera has decided to stop working (as of last week), there are no new pictures to post, however, this morning was a momentous occasion! Doni has cut his first tooth! Yep - it finally broke through - bottom left. It hasn't lessen his love of biting things (blankies, teething rings, toys, mommies and daddys), but at least it's on it's way out. Naturally Rudy walks up to me with a HUGE scary smile and explains that he already has big teeth. Poor monkey boy always has to make sure I don't forget him :)

Doni and his Feet

I thought that this title sounded like a great TV Detective Show. Doni loves his toes. A lot of babies are like this, but he's my first. I have to say I think it's pretty darned cute.

Virginia Beach

We finally made it to the Beach! The drive was nice (3 hours), the weather was great (in the beginning), and the kids were happy (until they missed thier naps). All in all, a great weekend! We saw 2 batches of dolphins swimming in the distance, and the waves were pretty intense. Rudy got hit by a big wave from behind shortly after getting in the water, then promptly spent the rest of the afternoon playing in the sand. I was very brave and put my feet in the water for about 15 seconds before I freaked out and sat back on the beach. Human beings have FEET - we are not meant to be in the ocean! :) On the way home, we took a spin through the outlet mall in Williamsburg and I drooled over Coach, Ann Taylor and Liz Claiborne.

She did it!!

My baby girl finally did it! She got her ears pierced on Saturday! She was very brave, and cried quietly after the first puncture, but stuck with it. She has taken very good care of them and some how seems more mature with them. Here's the weird thing: The person that pierced her ears. You all know that we live in Charlottesville - very artistic and educational, and at the same time, very "country". So we go to Claires in our mall, and the young woman who pierces Gracie's ears is all in black goth - 16 piercings in her face, tattoos, black long dreds (with the sides of her head shaved), and Amy Winehouse black eyeliner. Then she pulls up her sleeves and she's a 'cutter' - with fresh wounds. I had to look around repeatedly to make sure I was still in Charlottesville - I almost wanted to ask her if she was lost. While at Claires, Gracie found the next pair of earrings she wants - skulls and crossbones :)

My Babies

Random baby stuff: I've realized that one of my favorite things in the whole wide world is putting my kids to sleep. It's when I get my hugs and kisses and life is quiet enough that everyone can stop for a minute and just be happy. I put Rudy to bed last night and got my hugs and kisses and I told him that I loved him and would see him in the morning (what I tell all of my babies). He responds by saying "See you later Mommie!" That's his goodnight greeting - I love it. See you later Mommie. My heart melted.
Gracie has finally decided to get her ears pierced. We haven't done it yet, because I want to make sure she wont change her mind AGAIN, but I think this is it. Pictures will follow this weekend if we really go through with it. Her motivation: she wants to wear gothic earings. I'm getting more and more concerned that she is turning out like me :)
And Doni is as sweet as ever. Growing like a weed and getting aggrivated that he can't get up and walk around the house. Which makes us aggrivated. It's a vicious cycle.

My Emotional Baby

This past weekend, John says to me "Guess what song your son (Rudy) asked to hear 3 times in a row?" The answer was ' the saddest song ever made'. So John puts in "Where've You Been" by Kathy Mattea and as I'm sitting there crying (stupid song!!), I look in the back seat at Rudy, who is also looking like he's going to burst into tears. As soon as it was over, he was screaming to hear it again. And again. Each time, I look back, and he's extremely sad and depressed sitting in his car seat. My son is not 'right'.

A stomach virus comes calling...

Last night I put the kids to bed, and all was calm in the house as I prepared for those few short hours between the 2 older kids wanting something (water/potty/blankies/'what are we doing tomorrow?' questions) and when the baby wakes up for a feeding or to play with his toes. However, during the run of 'older kid issues' right after they went to bed, Rudy explains that his tummy hurts. And in good mom fashion, my response was basically 'suck it up and go to sleep' after my 4th trip upstairs. At 9pm, the first round of vomiting began. And continued on every 20 minutes until 2am. The poor baby was just crying in pain and was so pitiful as he tried to sleep on the towels that replaced the 2 sets of bedding he 'christened'. Then this morning, I received word that Gracie vomited as well. So now, I have to think....did I poison my kids with pot roast last night?

Baptism

Doni was baptised this weekend, and as a special treat, the priest (Father George) decided that we would do it DURING mass. It actually turned out quite lovely. Doni was handsome in his finest white christening outfit - complete with tie that he kept in his mouth the entire day. Gracie was gorgeous in a blue dress, and my little man Rudy wore a suit - complete with vest. Doni's godparents are Yasmin and Mark, who graciously ran away from work for 2 hours in order to be there for us (why anyone would decide to be a doctor is beyond me :) I can't thank them enough for being a part of our lives - I'm thankf ul every day for thier friendship. At the end of Doni's baptism, the priest asked to hold Doni up for the congregation to see and 'bless', and he said loudly for all to hear "My goodness he's a LOAD". Yes, my little baby is a little big for a 4 month old :)

WHAT THE HECK?!

Well today, it was Rudy. John asked Rudy 'What would you say if I spanked your butt?' And Rudy answered "I'd say What the Heck are you spanking my butt for????" And then he repeated in his hysterically funny voice "What the Heck What the Heck What the Heck???!!!!" I'm pretty sure he has some kind of brain damage :)

Day 1 : Trying Something New

Well folks, here I am, trying something new! I'll try to post photos as much as possible and keep you all up to date in the Baldwin/Williamson household antics - Lord knows the kids will do or say something ridiculous every day. Thank God I'm the normal one :)