Christmas Ornament

Growing up, my parents had a tradition of buying us kids an ornament for Christmas.  We got to open the ornament on Christmas Eve before going to my grandma's house.  It was always so fun to see what they looked like and to hang them on the tree.  We each have 25 ornaments.  My Dad also buys my mom an ornament each Christmas.  So you do the math... there were a ton of ornaments on our tree every year!  My parents decided to stop at age 25, and they gave us all our ornaments for Christmas that year. 

We decided to carry on this tradition with Ava.  Last weekend we bought her first ornament.  It's adorable.  (Will post a picture of it in the future).  When she gets older it will be fun to show her the ornament that my parents got me when I was her age. 

Baptism

Finally got Ava baptised.  It was something that I had been worrying about since she was born.  It was just one... more... thing to do.  We went to the hour-long baptism class at the church.  They showed us a video from the 1980's and that was about it.  I was so thankful that we could have the baptism after mass, because so much can go wrong and I didn't want to be embarassed in front of a whole congregation.  Well of course Ava was starving when the baptism finally got underway.  She screamed almost the whole time.  I hope the Godparents were paying attention to what the deacon said because I didn't hear a word. The whole time I was wishing the deacon would hurry up so I could go feed her and make her happy.  I really felt bad for the other family who was getting their daughter baptised, they had to listen to my child's blood-curdling screams.  I need to get their address and send them a fruit basket.  I was kind of disappointed that I didn't get to fully enjoy the experience.  I almost feel like I want a do-over.  Anyways, Leah snapped some adorable pictures which made it all worth it.  Here are my favorites:

Our happy family



With the Godparents

"God told me I don't have to be quiet!"

Here's the sweet girl.

Shutterfly

It is that time of year again - time to order Christmas cards!  I have ordered cards from Shutterfly before, and they always turn out great.  Shutterfly cards are shipped quickly and I love the 5x7 shape that some cards have.  The website is easy to use.  You can add as much of your personalized touch as you like.  This year's card will be even more special because we have one more face to add.  I have not decided on the design yet, but I insist that they say "Merry Christmas" and I would love to add a funky twist.  It will be hard to choose from the hundreds of pictures I have!  I know I love to receive fantastic Christmas cards in the mail.  Here are a few darling designs that I found on their website http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

Shutterfly also makes photo mugs  http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs   and wall calendars   http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars which would make terrific gifts.  I made my parents a calendar in the past and they loved it.  Be sure to check out Shutterfly.com for all your holiday card needs!

Family Day

Yesterday was family day.  Ava was so excited that she woke up at 5:30am (she went to bed at 9pm and slept all night so I'm not complaining).   .... I wrote a long post about our day as a family but it didn't save.  So, I'm not typing it again.  Here's a pic of Ava from the mall:



Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for:

...my parents!  They are coming to town to watch Ava while I take a class at work.  It's the first time I've left her with someone other than Mike.  I know she will be in good hands.  There's no one I trust more than them!

...milestones!  Ava has learned to roll over this past week, and it's really improved her sleep.  Now she sleeps on her side for hours.  This morning I found her on her tummy.  The doc told me I don't have to worry about flipping her to her back.

...sleep!  Since Ava's been sleeping that means I've been sleeping.  I've been getting about 8 or more hours a night for the past few days.  It's heaven!  The past month we were running on 3-4 hours a night, and it was really starting to take a toll on Mike and myself. 

...my husband, who goes to work everyday so we can have health insurance.  Who goes in super early so that he can be off in time if I work that evening.  Who is always in a good mood when he comes home.  He's the best!

So What Wednesday

So What If I...
- only put my contacts in for "special occasions?"  Glasses are easier to pop on and off for frequent naps.  Wait, who am I kidding, I don't get frequent naps.  So what?
- won't buy Halloween candy until it's at least 50% off.  So what?
- am annoyed at businesses that don't accept debit/credit cards, so much that it makes me not want to go there.  So what?
- don't want to take down my Halloween decor.  It's too early for Christmas, and I don't have any Thanksgiving to replace it with.  So what?

Slumber

Breaking news:  Miss Ava fell a sleep in my arms last night at 7:45pm.  I put her into her crib at 8:30pm.  She slept until 7:20am.  No interruptions.  I sent Mike in to check on her at 5am.  "Make sure she's breathing," I said.  It makes me nervous when she doesn't wake up in the night, but it feels sooo good!  I slept from 9pm til 7:20am.  That is the longest I've slept since June.  Good sleep nights make for delightful days.  I hope we are past the 4 week long agonizing stretch of sleepless nights.  We (me, Daddy, Darrell and hopefully now Ava) love our sleep around here. 

Bummer:  Yesterday went to a local bakery who makes the most yummy cupcakes.  I wanted to order a cake for Ava's baptism.  The baker won't be in until Monday, she had carpal tunnel surgery.  Ava's baptism is on Saturday.  Boo!  Totally bummed me out.  Now I'm on the hunt for a new cake...

Halloween:  My little precious pumpkin girl.  She looks like she's up to something...

This picture makes me laugh.  Not because of my double chin, but because of my talented dog, balancing the pumpkin on his head.