Christmas 2011 Report

We spent our first Christmas with Madden enjoying the day. Simply enjoying every single moment.

We woke up late - a luxury we didn't take for granted...this is probably the LAST Christmas we will get to sleep in!

I watched Ben grin like a fool showing Madden the half-eaten cookies left by Santa. 

Madden fell asleep after the 1st toy was opened.

We munched on cinnamon rolls and sausage (breakfast) meatballs the entire day.

We cleaned up puke from overly-excited dogs - a result of their Christmas treats.

We watched basketball.

Ben and I exchanged gifts...this year we tied on who gave who the best gifts. Because you know this is an ANNUAL Competition.

Honestly, I've always heard Christmas is more fun when you become a parent, and IT IS SO TRUE!

His Christmas Outfit.

Our Christmas Decorating Story

The reality of our Christmas Decorating Day turned out far different than what we imagined.

We imagined a pristine day (which it was). We imagined Starbucks coffee (which we had). We imagined a cutie kiddo in his stroller as we strolled through the rows of Christmas trees at the local Christmas tree farm (we did stroll and he is a cute kid). We imagined hot chocolate while we decorated our tree (and the hot chocolate was yummy, check out the recipe!).

However, it is as this point our imaginations never imagined what happened next. It all started when Ben asked me if I thought the tree was leaning. I glanced up for a moment. "No, the tree is not leaning." I went back to what I was doing and he went back to what he was doing. 15 minutes later, "Bethany, the tree is definitely leaning." He examined it at the base and decided the bottom limbs needed a little trimming. He asked me to hold the tree. With a baby in one hand, and a tree in another, I held the tree. 20 minutes after he finished trimming, we sat the tree upright and stood back.

This did not fix the tree. I placed the baby in the mama-roo and proceeded to hold the tree upright for the next hour. By this time it is 1am in morning. I'm tired. Ben is tired. It finally looks like it is fixed. So I go to bed. About 30 minutes later, Ben comes to bed, "I took all the ornaments off the tree. It is still going to fall over."

After examining it, Ben determined that the tree is just crooked - naturally. No amount of trimming or adjusting would fix our tree. So, three days after we decorated the tree, undecorated it, tried trimming it and finally just stared at it hoping it would straighten up....we propped it up against the window, stuck some books under the tree stand and declared, "MERRY CHRISTMAS!".

Thanksgiving 2011

This was going to be the year. The year Ben and I celebrated Thanksgiving in New York City to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving parade.

This was not the year for that.

Instead, it was the year for baby snuggles. For young parents eating turkey in shifts. For an infant so curious of the festivities, he refused to nap. For 3 generations gathering. Lots of laughter, lots of yummy food. It was a good day.

Was it what we thought it would be? No. Was it sweeter? Absolutely.

Memorial Day 2011: Part 1 (Rest)

I've been looking forward to this weekend for so many reasons. For one, I needed a break. A chance to rest - fully - and recover. Pregnancy is not kind to a woman's body. In my case, I've endured aching joints, uncomfortable, restless nights, and the over-all continual exhaustion. My job which averages 45+ hours a week leaves me with little energy to do much less.

So this weekend was welcomed with wide open arms. The chance to rest for 3 days and what's better, a chance to rest with Ben.

It started off with a one-hour massage Ben had arranged for me. It was glorious. For the first time in YEARS, I felt the tension of stress, the discomfort of pregnancy melt away. I slept harder that night then I had in a very long time.

The next day, I actually had a lot of energy to enjoy the day Ben and I had planned out....but that fun event will come in the blog post or two!

Mother's Day 2011

Duchess. 

That's what she wanted to be called. In my 16 year old mind, I thought it was so weird to listen to my Mom discuss what she wanted her grandkids to call her. But I also knew it was so like my Mom as well.

10 years later, 5 years since she has been gone and 6 months away from her first grandchild making his/her entrance in the world, that name seems so real to the woman I'm remembering. It seems strange for me to realize that my child will never know their grandmother - the personality that would have brought the name Duchess to life with all the elegance, fun and more. Try as I might, Duchess will be a foreign name to Baby A.

I was discussing this with a friend of mine recently and she reminded me that Baby A will see my Mom's influence through the way I raise him/her. Isn't that both fascinating and startling? That all though Baby A will never know my Mom or even recognize her thumbprints in my life, the influence will be there.

To all the Moms out there - Happy Mother's Day. You are loved. Greatly.

Christmas Eve

As much as I love Christmas, I really love Christmas Eve. And, this year, I love it even more.

One of my favorite Christmas Eve traditions is attending a candlelight service. I LOVE singing Silent Night or Come All Ye Faithful while watching all those candles light up one by one. It is an incredible experience.

I am also very thankful for my additional family. Ben's family. This year, we will be enjoying time with both his mom and his dad. And, I am loving the opportunity to spend quality time with extended family. It is something I didn't get a lot of growing up...but it is something I am tremendously enjoying now.


Life is good.

Christmas is ALMOST HERE!

In between the family gatherings, the giving and receiving of presents, the yummy food, and the (extra) magical twinkle of Christmas lights and telling Ben to step away from the tree for the FINAL TIME....I will also be sneaking multiple peeks in order to:

Track Santa's progress. 

Thank you, Google.

I love Christmas.

Our Christmas Decorations.

Finally! I get to share with you our Christmas decorations. We had so much fun. Some of the projects were harder than I originally anticipated...(it's amazing how difficult a project is without a hot glue gun!) But, overall, we are so pleased with the end result. In case you are curious, we made the tree garland, tree topper, tree skirt.

I love our Tree Skirt. We cut a shag rug in half that we had in storage!

Last year, Ben made our Tree Topper. This is the one for 2010.

We lack a fireplace. So we improvised. And, don't you love the tacky  stocking lights? It was a White Christmas Party gift...AND I LOVE IT!

Even Milo got into the Christmas celebration.. (Ok. He actually HATES the reindeer antlers. But, I think it is SOOO funny.)

Not a decoration, but I had to share! My sweet little sister-in-law, Macie brought me a fun collection of cookies from her school Christmas party.

And, Macie made me a bookmark..that I will be making into an ornament because it so precious. This is the front.

This is the back of the bookmark. Ironically, my kitchen usually looks like this after I finish baking.

Christmas Edition.

Ben is known for being a great gift-giver. I mean, really, REALLY great. He plans the best surprises. I mean, the best of the BEST. As quick review, my first Valentine date and my first pedicure, will remind you of how GREAT a gift-giver Ben is.

But this Christmas will be different. This Christmas, I will beat Ben. I know, I know. He doesn't give me gifts or surprises to beat me. But, this year. I want to give him the best gift. I want to surprise him.

Of course, I can't POSSIBLY tell you what that gift will be. HELLO! He reads my blogs! However, in 9 days, I will provide a full report. An absolute marvelous report.

I CANNOT WAIT.

The Adventure of Our 1st Tree

Ben and I traipsed out to get our Christmas Tree today. We had a lot of fun debating over which was the perfect tree to get. It didn't take long to make a decision.

We then wandered over to Target to get some Christmas necessities. Toting around Starbuck's - has anyone tried the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate? DELICIOUS! I don't even like chocolate and I am loving the salty-caramel concoction! Anyway...after a brief stop to get stamps for our Christmas cards, we began to trek home.

Until I noticed that our tree was SLIPPING off the roof of our car. We pulled over. Ben jumped out, did some adjustments, then we continued. About a quarter of a mile down the road, Ben became frantic.

"Uhhh....where are the stamps?" He asked as he checked his pockets, his seat. No stamps.

I looked at him.

"Maybe I left them on top of the car." He said, panicking. I pulled over. He checked the tree (again), found the Christmas treats (i.e. candy bars) he had left ON THE TOP OF THE TRUNK...but no stamps.

We discussed the probability of actually finding the stamps. It seemed so absurd.  But, we decided to give it a try anyway. We turned around. Ben continued to panic. I did what any loving and adoring wife would do: I burst out laughing. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I considered the fact that we were on the hunt to recover our stamps....FROM THE SIDE OF THE ROAD!

Upon our return to the scene of the crime - where the stamps disappeared originally - Ben began to comb the ditch, the side of the road, trying to find the stamps.

Incredibly, Ben found BOTH books of stamps...which is great for our Christmas Cards! :) How we ever recovered those books of stamps, so quickly, I will never know. But, I do know that we will be talking about this story for a very long time.

Sneak Peek: Christmas Card Photo

In a week or so, we will be sending our Christmas cards! I am so excited about this. Last year, we gave out Christmas cards as wedding favors. Here was the picture from last year:

Tupelo Photography

 And, here is a sneak peek into the photo shoot for this year's Christmas card!

Thanks to: Lydia & Marianna

I love Christmas cards. Mostly, because I love getting mail! Any ideas for your Christmas card?

Thanksgiving 2010

Oh my goodness. I LOVE Thanksgiving.Food. Family. Memories to reflect on, memories to make. Aaahhhh! Life is so good.

Here is my Thanksgiving Thankful List of 2010:

- Ben. I love that man. And. I'm so glad I get to spend the rest of my life with him. I know a lot of girls say they have the best husband, but they haven't met mine. ;)  I definitely believe he makes me a better person.
- Family. One of the advantages of being married is that I gain a larger family! It has been a really neat to experience for me to learn how Ben's family interacts. It is so different from what I am accustom to, but I am enjoying it. Of course, my own family too! They make my life wonderful. :)
- (This may seem silly, but!) Facebook. I know, I know. This probably indicates I have an issue. But I am thankful for this media outlet. It allows me to stay connected with my friends and to work on my relationships with my extended family members (Hello, cousin Crystal!!!)
- Our small group. I love this group of friends that can journey alongside of Ben and I through this adventure called Marriage. I have no doubt I am forming friends for life.
- Grace. While I don't talk about my faith a lot, I am thankful for peace that I have discovered through the Grace that has been given to me.

Happy Thanksgiving! I'm off to enjoy turkey, Macy's Thanksgiving Parade, family pictures, and quality time with people I love!