day nine...a house to host

for the first time

we have a house to host christmas.

also an opportunity to let the holidays linger a bit longer,

the more the merrier ~

day eight ~ my guys

my boys.

without a doubt,

i thank my lucky stars each day.

day seven...baby sister

my sister & emmett at one month old

i am definitely guilty of giving my sister a hard time...

but its always out of love ~

(like little love taps!)

whenever we are together, we usually revert back to our teenage positions.

i actually love the honesty we have in our relationship.

we now live 1,323 miles apart.

its always a blessing to see her....

i am so happy she'll be with us for christmas.

day six...winter light

winter solstice 2009

***

vegetable stew (by request)

sun inspired corn bread

we made lanterns but mother nature's

gail force winds had other plans for them...

our garland

our lanterns were happier inside

ornament making in dad's studio

peace * LoVe * merry

wishes to you...

day five...neighbors

we are very lucky to live next to the sweetest

elderly couple. they've truly been so welcoming since we moved in.

they've lived in their house over 50 years & have raised 6 kids there.

emmett & i love to visit them and they were the first to receive a cookie box that we made.

to our surprise, they gave us a box of beautiful christmas balls from the 1950's.

it was so touching to receive such a gesture....

they loved the idea of contributing to our slowly growing ornament collection!

day four...

"mommy cuddle"

day three...postive imitation

lately emmett has taken to carrying a lot of things around with him.

it ranges, depending on his mood & his interests for the day.

the past two days have been kitty & ernie.

"mommy, make ergo", he said today.

it melted my heart.

he wanted to carry his babies like his momma carries him.

from his preemie days nestled in my fleece snuggly....

to a year of life in a city....

and now, our life in a small town...

he prefers to be carried.

and so he wanted to keep his babies close.

i think its easy as a mom to wonder what parts of your day these lil' ones are ingesting....

well, all of it.

great...what if the day didnt go so hot?

at the end of the day, i often reflect on how i handled certain challenging situations.

was i too impatient? angry? insensitive?

watching him carry his babies and cuddle them,

reminded me of all the good stuff he is getting from his day

this reflection shows our positive efforts to make his home a happy & peaceful one.