We Danced and Then We Needed a Minute

For New Year's this year we had D & E over.  I tried and tried to rack my brain for what we could do to ring in the new year right.  I'd heard about this Wii game called Just Dance 2 and thought it sounded like fun, but didn't do anything about it because what if it's totally last year and I was a total nerd.

Okay, I'm a total nerd anyway, but you don't want your daughters rolling their eyes, going, "really mom, really?" 

When the girls came over and I mentioned the game, they started talking at racehorse speeds about this move and that song and we.so.need.to.get.it.NOW!  We took a late evening drive to the store and purchased Just Dance 2. 

Oh! My! Word!  Such a fun game!  You dance the same movements as the person on the screen, then you laugh at how nerdy you are, then you sweat some, then you sit, too tired to do another one.  Then our daughter finds a song that you have to do with her, so you take a sip of water, catch your breath and end up dancing for the next 2 hours.

It was such a great way to bring in the New Year.  All our girls giggling, staying up past their bedtime.  N being a nerd right along side me and doing disco moves with me.  I realized just how blessed I am.  No need for a resolution, just need a reminder to slow down and enjoy this moment. 

Christmas and Constitutional Amendments 1 & 2

I'm not entirely sure where 2010 went.  Last thing I remember I was making cookie blobs and then it was January 1st.  It was an unintentional blog hiatus, but I'm not gonna lie, I loved every minute of it.  I spent it all with my people and I couldn't be more excited about the awesome family that I have. 

Christmas Eve is spent with my family.  My sister and brother-in-law have three boys, which always leads to some kind of throw-down battle.  One year we played with those stackable cups.  Another year we had a Christmas themed family-feud and we ended up having to eat an entire tv dinner that I think cost $1.  Because we are a family of girls, we lost.  Boys don't care if the potatoes are gritty or that there are mushy peas.  They eat to win.  N, while he gave it a good effort, can't eat faster than four boys.

This year I thought we should even out the field a bit.  We bought all the guys and Zoe a Nerf gun.  Zoe's had a laser sight on it for better aiming.  I borrowed one of N's guns from a Christmas past.  We had an all-out war on Christmas. 

My mom was never safe and apparently an easy target.  Zoe even managed to hit her in the mouth from across the living room while she was talking.  She looked like she had a cigarette hanging out of her mouth mid-sentence.  It was the shot of the night.  N couldn't have been more proud.  We took the gun battle, even being down two girls.

D & E come over on Christmas morning.  Then it's a swarm of presents, paper and screams as I try to write down everything three people are opening at Olympic record speeds.  I'm getting better, I think I only missed a couple things this year!

This was the first year that Zoe really got into it.  She was totally okay with sitting on Santa's lap.  She couldn't wait to put out milk and cookies for Santa.  When I woke her up on Christmas, she asked to stay in bed a few more minutes to give Santa time to leave.  She asked the man in red for a Hide-n-Seek Jojo and a new yo-yo.  She's apparently been very nice this year.

D got new make-up and E got a new movie.  Plus, they also got loads of gift cards.  In fact they each had over $200 to go on a shopping spree.  While that's not much to play with, they were totally okay about the future shopping trip.  They did get some cameras, so they were busy taking pictures of themselves in the mirror. 

D couldn't wait to try out her new make-up.  Apparently she also got some at her mom's house.  She eagerly put some on before she came over.  If you think Cleopatra and then add a couple layers, you'll get an idea of what she looked like.  When she got to our house she asked if we could tell she was wearing make-up.  N starting laughing and I just told her, "is that what's different about you?" 

When she saw she had more make-up, she immediately took to taking off her morning face and putting on her mid-morning face.  You can't tell too much from this picture, but it's there.  In layers!

E wanted in on the action too, but with her new coat.  She said she was trying for the Alaskan look.  Given her curly, wild hair, I think this is the perfect coat for her.

After hours of Jojo seeking us, D putting on her new face and E getting cozy, we had a taco bar for dinner and then this for dessert.

Isn't is beautiful.  I've been going to the same bakery in town, Happy Cake Co. since my wedding.  I love her cakes.  Diana always does something beautiful and different.  Which is amazing since this is my 5th nativity cake.  She was all excited to hand-paint the wise men on this cake.  Isn't it gorgeous?  It wasn't so gorgeous that I couldn't eat it, but I do have like 10 pictures of it!

That was pretty much our Christmas in a nutshell.  Guns and Jesus's birthday.  Which, ironically, are the first two amendments in our constitution.  Maybe next year we'll look at adding in a few more into our celebration.

Kelly's Dreams - 0, The Blobs - 1

This week has been full of at-home time.  We don't have our normal routine to pull us away from the house in the evening.  I get to go home from work everyday to see N and Zoe, still in pajamas, playing some kind of new game.  Last night they made a boxcar.  It was a real box turned into an imaginary car.  They were fixing a flat tire.  It's the kind of scene that makes my heart smile to the point of bursting!

I'm not the type of person who likes to sit around and relax.  It's safe to say that my idea of relaxing and N's idea are on opposite ends of the spectrum.  Because I have at-home time in the evenings, I have ideas.  Two nights ago I made homemade salsa and guacamole.  I know, nothing quite screams Christmas like salsa and guac.

We are doing a non-traditional taco bar for dinner on Christmas.  I even found a place here that makes homemade tortillas!  I got a taste of those in Austin and I fell in love.  I think I'm feeling more Feliz Navidad than Merry Christmas right now!

I've also go other, sweeter ideas.  The Pioneer Woman had a segment on her blog dedicated to frosting sugar cookies.  We're talking royal icing, piping and all around fancy.  I figured since I would be home, I would have the time to do fancy.  I had dreams of taking pictures, posting them to this here blog, with comments like, "it wasn't as hard as I thought!" or "they turned out cuter than I imagined!"  My mind became boastful and excited!

Last night Zoe helped me roll out sugar cookie dough and we decided to make stockings, candy canes and ornament shaped cookies.  Our first batch was some cute stockings.  Our cookie cutter was about the size of my palm.  Oh, they would make such cute cookies!  We set the timer on the oven and started to cut out candy cane cookies. 

Then the timer went off.  I opened the oven and gasped in disbelief.

I had no idea store-bought sugar cookie mix contained a secret ingredient.  Something I can only refer to as "the Incredible Hulk."  Those cute, palm-sized stockings had turned into a blob of cookie that grew to three times its original size.  No longer were they cute stockings, they were blob of cookie that couldn't be decorated into anything recognizable.

The candy canes did the same thing.

The ornaments, well I can't even talk about them.

All my plans were thrown out the window.  My desire to have fancy sugar cookies was dead; killed by cookie blobs.

N, bless his heart, said "I'd still eat them!"  Unfortunately he'll never know if he's eating a stocking, a candy cane or an ornament that now resembles a rectangle cookie with a weird point at the bottom. 

That Little Dough boy is probably at his bakery going, "mwahahahah!  Think you can pass your sugar cookies off as being homemade?  I'll teach you!" 

At least I'll still have the blissful memory of cutting out sugar cookies with Zoe.  She was precious and even had a little flour by her eye and on her forehead.  It was a time of innocence and hope.

I refuse to let this be the year that the cookie blobs won.  My New Year's Resolution is to find the perfect homemade cookie recipe, practice it to perfection and next year have all the fancy. 

If that doesn't work, I'll call the grocery store bakery, order about 2 dozen sugar cookies and then use royal icing to decorate them.

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

Ho Ho Ho

There were no tears, some smiles and she asked the man in red for the same two things she's been talking about for the last month.



She even wore her cowgirl boots for the occasion.  She said they helped her be brave.

I'm not entirely sure how she's gotten so grown-up.

Smitten

I've been incredibly blessed.  I have three, amazing daughters who I love completely.  They freely give love and purpose to my life in a way I never dreamed possible. 

I have four, adventure-loving nephews that I love completely.  They let me love on them with cuddles, hugs and kisses when they were/are young.  They continue to let me love on them with hugs as they get older, so long as I keep it on the down-low and where no one but family can see.  You gotta respect their game if you're going to get hugs.

Nothing totally prepared me for having a niece.  Maybe it's because I have daughters that I have a different type of bond with her or maybe it's because she's personality plus, like my Zoe.  There is something about H-J that I can't get enough of.  Maybe it's this face:

In the last 4 days I've chatted with her on the phone a couple times.  There is nothing more precious than atting on the phone with a 9 month old who is a talker.  I rarely get a word in at all.  I'm not 100% sure I know what she's saying, I think it's something along the lines of, "how do I walk?  Zoe tried to teach me when you were here, but I've forgotten.  Mommy is a little nervous about me being totally mobile, so give me some tips Aunt Kelly.  I need to get this down."  Then she smooches the phone before she's off for her next walking attempt.

Whlie I'm on the phone with her, Zoe comes over, "is that H-J?  Is she coming over today because I'd like to play with her." 
It's safe to say I'm not the only one who is smitten. 

The Boy Bands Will Be Calling

Last night Zoe and I had the opportunity to see T-Dog and Con-Man (my nephews) perform in their school Christmas program.  In the past it's a musical and dramatic production.  The kids audition for speaking parts, the remainder of the children sing in the choir.  One year my oldest nephew, MJ performed a rap.  It's all very fun to watch and see my nephews perform.  We all share a love of the stage, so it's fun to see them shine.

This year there was some issues with costumes and other things that I don't quite understand.  Speaking parts were cut, the program was shorter and there was way more singing.  Con-Man had a speaking part that was cut, so there was some concern about him singing since he didn't have to learn any of the songs until this week.  They put him in the front row of the choir and we got to watch him sing some of the words and yawn and look around totally bored the remainder of the time.  He totally makes me smile!

Shortly before the program my sister informed T-Dog that he won't have to do any more music classes.  Apparently it was like Christmas came early for him.  Instead of being nonchalant like he usually is, he went out with a bang.  He sang with all his heart, danced, exaggerated and really looked like a member of a boy band.

My sister was next to me giving him signals like a third base coach.  From the look on her face, it was "knock it off!"  While she was doing that, I was giving him a thumbs up and Zoe was making funny faces. 

It was honestly the best school concert I've ever been to.  I laughed until I cried and beamed with pride and my ham of a nephew. 

The Legacy Begins

A couple months ago I mentioned some BIG news in our house.  D was chosen to be on Cabinet. 

It's a big deal simply because you get a shirt with your name on it, plus you get to speak at assemblies and over the intercom at school.  Maybe it's because I'm a ham, but I've always LOVED microphones. 

I'm proud to say, that while we have no shared DNA, we do share a love of all microphones.  We were both equally excited when D was chosen to have a speaking part at her first assembly last week. 

I actually got a bit choked up to see her doing this:

She stood there with poise and confidence.  As I looked over to her mom, I knew I had the same look of proud on my face.

D, we are SO proud of you.  Can't wait to see you do your first skit.  Love you sweet girl.