after the big show

the quiet is almost deafening. pure, utter, golden silence. the unlit tree stands in the corner, where a few short days ago it was glowing, all lit up.  the holiday colored wrapped gifts are no longer under that tree.  instead there's toys strewn about... thomas the tank engine & his tracks everywhere...  there's miscellaneous after Christmas clearance purchases, waiting to go into storage until next year.  there's trays of Christmas cookies in our kitchen, along with loaves of bread & Chex mix all over the place.

our house is a disaster.

but... we had our final Christmas last night & while it's all been enjoyed, it's now time to put it away.  the next project is putting the ornaments away & taking down the tree.

there's always a letdown when it's all said & done.  the anticipation, the countdown, the thrill of all of it- baking, wrapping (okay, maybe there's very little thrill in the actual wrapping), the giving, & the getting (it's true, i love me some Christmas presents).  it's all over.  and that's okay, because there's always next year.  and here's the best thing... when you have an almost two year old... the years just get better & better. from here on out, Christmas will mean more & more to B.  we had a blast this year & i know, next year will be so much better...

& for now, to help ease the 'pain' of after Christmas funk... we shall celebrate.  celebrate the birth of the most amazing little i've ever had the pleasure of spending time with... because come Sunday, he will be TWO years old.  & while I can't believe it's already been two years, i am thoroughly excited for the many years that stretch out in front of us...

so this is Christmas

there's four loaves of homemade Amish friendship bread cooling on my server...  there's a giant bowl filled to the brim with Chex mix... another loaf of homemade apple bread... & over 50 peanut butter balls in the fridge awaiting a dip of chocolate in the morning.

lists are piled up on the dining room table... with notes like 'grab pj pants for mom & stepdad ...' 'hot chocolate!' ... 'stickers!' ... & numerous other scribblings, all to be completed by week's end.

there's a pile of boxes in the corner of the dining room - out of B's reach... boxes dropped off by delivery men in the last week that i just can't find the motivation to wrap ... guess they'll be birthday presents now...

there's random gifts hidden throughout our house, because if the huz knew they existed, he'd have guessed what they are by now.

my all time favorite Christmas cd has been re-synced on to numerous iPhone/iPod devices & is played at least once a day.  shout out to Alabama Christmas... no joke. i've been listening to it since the 80's.  nothing says Christmas to me like "Candle in the Window".

there was a trek to the grocery store today, buried under another 1/2 foot or so of snow... shoppers were rushing about or not. filling their carts with snacks & drinks ... & baking ingredients, like me.

the plans are all made.  most of the gifts are all wrapped.  there's more baking to do's on yet another list.  a dinner to be dropped by the neighbors, in celebration of their brand new baby boy.

there's a cookie exchange tomorrow night with girlfriends (while the other halves play poker & eat that Chex mix), a bedtime drive to see synchronized Christmas lights on Wednesday, a dinner out on Thursday to celebrate a very special lady in our family who will be beginning her 79th year of life, a Christmas Eve dinner with family on Friday... all leading up to the 'grand finale' on Saturday.

B's excited for Santa - exclaiming "Ho Ho!" & "Oh Goodness!" (his favorite new saying... & mine too, because it is truly the most adorable thing you've ever heard in your life)...  He calls our lights 'prise!" & "aweshum" ... & he's constantly sneaking a present from under the tree, trying to open it before we catch him.  He's infatuated with my snow globes- saying "shake it!" & then watching in awe as the snow falls - in the globe & out our window...

it's Christmas here ... & we're taking in & loving every moment.

who are you anyway?

i'm thinking about changing my blog name. we're not in the 'big city' anymore so i'm just not feeling it... B's not so much a baby anymore either.  different places, different stages baby.

BUT 

i have no idea what i'll change it to. any thoughts?

for now, consider yourself warned... one of these days we may look different.

(Not really a) Wordless Wednesday: Festival of Trees

We recently went to the Festival of Trees here in the Quad Cities... scoped out all of the trees, wreaths & more.  B's favorite part was this massive train display.

He looks cranky- this is only because we turned away from the trains to take the shot. 

He also wanted a 'coffee party' - seriously, he said coffee. We're definitely coffee people around here. 

Horse! Yay!

All in all, definitely worth it :)

Weapons of Mass Destruction

They're in the form of small baseball bats, emblazoned with the Chicago Cubs logo...  crayons slightly larger than average... even tubes of yogurt or apple chunks (as witnessed at lunch today by our dear friend Miss Ally).

These little tiny hands grab hold of objects like these & you had better watch out.  He's kind of a maniac, really.  What is it about little boys?  When is it that they decide that that candle sitting on the end table is actually a missile that should be chucked across the room, aimed at the dog?  Why does a wooden baby Jesus (it is Christmas in our house, afterall) become an object to be thrown at the tv?  And those Christmas ornaments? What better use than to hit them all, while still on the tree, in one fell swoop? What's a baseball when you have approximately 25 glass balls in a variety of red, green, gold & silver?

And how do you respond when he laughs, hits & says 'time out!' as though it's all just a game & we're the pawns?

Oh little boy, if only you weren't so cute...

one day we'll catch up

i know i've been an awful blogger as of late, but i promise there are lots of posts in my head. one of these days i'll get them out :)

just wanted to let you know i was thinking of you all, lovely readers. today was the first day we really played in the snow & b loved it. pictures to come.