Merry Merry Merry Christmas...and a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2008 is coming to an abrupt ending. It seems to have come even faster this year. I imagine that is part of getting older, since it seems to be a trend!

I hope that everyone is spending their last days of the year with loved ones and enjoying a blessed and happy holiday!

Elena is sick so we are in a boogary tissue-covered wasteland right now, but we are tracking Santa on NORAD and she's PSYCHED about possibly getting her scooter tomorrow. She is certain its coming because she was SOOOOO "Good" this year (cough cough ehem..NOT..cough cough). Lucky for her its bought and will be under the tree despite her pain-in-the-ass tendencies! ;)

The year has been a mixed one with some high highs and some low lows. Thankfully, a new year is right around the corner, and I am hoping for a better 2009. A baby will join the family within only a few months, and that is always good happy news. I am looking forward to it!

Despite the economy, we are doing well enough to not want for anything and to have a Merry Christmas. We are blessed!

I hope you and yours enjoy a great time over the holidays! Know you are loved and that you are thought of often! Very few cards went out from me this year and they were sent LATE! Hopefully, everyone in my life knows that I love them and that Christmas came a bit too fast for me this year! :)

***HUGS***

Back to my cookie making! We are making blossoms (topped with a Hershey kiss), chocolate peanut butter cookies, and regular chocolate chip. Tonight Elena will make a small batch of sugar cookies JUST for Santa. He said only special people leave those for him. She wants to leave Chocolate chip ones and wants to leave enough for the elves and reindeer and Mrs. Clause. That is a whole lotta cookies!

Mine don't look like these, but these sure look good! I wish I had the patience to make cute ones like these!



Feliz Navidad y Prospero Ano Nuevo! :)

It is that time again! Christmas is upon us and before we know it, we'll be chiming in a new year! Where does the time go?

Not too long after the new year, my little girl will be turning FOUR! Insane, huh?

She went to visit Santa today and asked for her one gift. She said she only wanted ONE thing, so that should be fine. Those are her words. I'm assuming she's thinking since its ONE thing, she'll be certain to receive it! :) She wants a pink scooter! "Santa" needs to get in gear and purchase said scooter, but at any rate, everyone knows now and its officially her request.

She wanted one other thing she asked me about. I asked her why she didn't tell Santa about her other request. And she said, "He only makes TOYS, mom!" Her other request: Candy! YES she is my daughter! ;)

Here is her picture!



I was excited that they got the money shot in ONE take! :) She was just so genuinely happy and excited and she was very huggy with him. So the picture was really a natural easy shot.

This is an exciting year because its her FIRST year where she COMPLETELY gets it all. She knows who Santa is and his role in things. She knows when the gifts appear and how. She knows she has to behave herself and she knows that Christmas is really Jesus' birthday.

She saw the Grinch cartoon and asked me, "Mom why are they happy with no Christmas?" And I explained to her that it isn't just about gifts. The real Christmas is about being happy that Jesus was born. She got it quite easily and loved the cartoon.

You get to be happy for the birth of Christ AND HAVE GIFTS!!! YES!!! Does it get any better? :)

I hope you are enjoying the countdown to Christmas! This year there are no holiday cards from my house and very few gifts just because time is running out too fast! I miss all the fuss I usually make over the holidays, but so long as my little girl is okay and I know she'll have a good Christmas, then I'm okay.

This year put a lot of things in perspective for me and continues to. I love to give give give but I scaled back this year because time just escaped me. I have my job, a residence close to home and family, my healthy and intelligent child, my own health and a sweet child growing within my belly...I am not sure it gets much better than that! ;)

Finally moving day...again.

So we found a place. We will move in this weekend. Starting friday we'll move a few loads in our vehicles and we are renting a truck for saturday. My brothers are helping so hopefully we'll be done by Sunday! I really want to get through this quickly so we can set up the tree and just get settled before the holiday! :)

This place is a duplex, so its a lot of space. It is very close to the cafe I used to go to a lot, so I'll be going there more it seems. There was no fridge, and we required one, so the owners bought one and its being delivered tomorrow. I have to go with lena after we pick up the keys and wait for it to be delivered.

It will be an incredibly busy weekend, but I'm looking forward to being closer to things, since being at my parents means being SO FAR from most things--including dh's job and dd's school. A LOT less time in the car is a very good thing!

Wish us luck! I hope we'll be there for a little while and not have to move again for a while!