The End

Yesterday was our last christmas celebration with family. Everyone was reasonably well behaved, and nearly all the gifts well liked. Hannah got a lot of things this year that seem to be big hits. She's really over the top with her enthusiasm about things she's received, especially anything Sleeping Beauty related (movie, barbie with her own horse, etc). Norah on the other hand was not nearly as interested in most of her toys. She happily played with paper some of the time, and at least yesterday, alternately screamed for no apparent reason. Which is frustrating, since she's newly off her medicine in a test to see how she does without it. I am having a hard time differentiating between what's normal Norah, and what's possibly something else. So hopefully we'll see something to give us a clue.

Christmas!

Here are some of the pictures from our Christmas so far!

Two peas in a pod

Though it's now pretty obvious that I never get anything new for me. I love how they're both staring off randomly at the snow, paying no attention to Daddy with the camera

One week

Man, one week until Christmas. I'm so unbelieveably screwed. I still haven't wrapped a single gift, I'm not nearly done with Steven's stocking, or Gary's if I remember correctly. I know Norah's isn't finished. I haven't even started sewing the girls Christmas outfits, though at least Hannah's is cut. I need to spend some quality time with my sewing machine. Only one problem. It wakes Norah up. So I can't sew while she's awake for obvious reasons. Now I also cannot sew when she's sleeping. Or at the worst, can only sew during one nap so that she doesn't miss both.

On the up side, Hannah is super excited for Christmas this year. And we're getting our first real accumulating snow tomorrow. So we should have a white Christmas for her. I can't wait to see her open up her stocking and her gifts this year. It's so exciting for me to watch her having a good time.

And because I'm blessed

Things I need

1. A baby whisperer. I want to know what this kids deal is. Seriously, sleep!
2. A remote car starter. Dang it looks cold, I don't want to go out and START the car.
3. One night of totally uninterrupted sleep in a huge bed ALONE!
4. New snow boots
5. A personal shopper
6. Four extra hours in each day to finish all my christmas sewing
7. Patience, 3 is so trying I'm losing what I didn't already have
8. Soup for lunch, it's too cold to take Hannah to school without soup first
9. To be less evil. Scaring a 3 year old is hilarious, but probably mean.
10. A life. Clearly there's a problem if I'm sitting here at not even 9am when I could be sewing.

Mood Swings

Sheesh, aren't we supposed to have those in the TEEN years? Yesterday I went to pick up Hannah from school, and as usual Dori (Emma's mom) and I chat it up while waiting for the girls to be released. When they finally come out, I help Hannah get her sweatshirt/backpack on to go home, and then assume that as usually she and Emma will grab hands and walk as far in front of us as we'll let them. Only she doesn't. She grabs me, and scowls at Emma. Tells me she doesn't want to hold her hand. Well fine, don't. Goodness knows I won't make you. But you have to walk anyways. So we get about halfway down the hall to the front doors and she says "I can hold your hand if you want to Emma!" and they take off. Did I miss something?

Then we're on our way to the fruit store and we drive by Emma's house. Hannah yells to Gary "Look it's Emma's house... HI EMMA. See, I TOLD you I have an Emma!"

Yeah, it's going to be a LOOOOOONG 15 years