Christmas

I LOVE Christmas! It truly is my favorite time of year. Here is Miriam in her Christmas dress. The white fur coat & hat compliments of my sister Rebecca.
We had originally intended to spend Christmas Eve at the Smith's (my sister-in-law Meredith's parent's home), drive home that night, spend a cozy Christmas morning at our house and open gifts, then drive back to Springdale to my dad's house later Christmas Day. However, as a winter storm moved in Christmas Eve evening, we decided it would be smarter to pack up and stay the night at my Dad's house (he only lives a few minutes away from the Smith's). We had to hurry and take a few pictures in front of our own tree before we left.
It's amazing to me how much stuff you pack along with a baby. We already had a lot of stuff with all our gifts and things...we filled the jeep. After our late arrival to the Smith's, we had a wonderful evening with fondue and games. I won't go into too much detail because Meredith already did a great post about the evening. If you want to read more, just click here.
Here is Brother Smith with Miriam. She enjoyed all the attention.
Some fun and games.Later Stacey and Ephraim came with their daughter Cora. Cora and Miriam are 2 days apart in age. Stacey is supermom, holding both of them at the same time. Both babies are in the highest percentiles for their weight. She's a tough mom.
When we left the Smiths and made the mile drive to Dad's house, I was glad we weren't attempting to go back home. The roads were slick and visibility was low. We arrived just in time for Dad to read the Christmas Story and then go off too bed. I think I still have a little bit of kid in me, I could hardly sleep at all.
The next morning we anxiously awaited the gift opening. Jody and Cace had also spent the night and joined the Christmas morning festivities.
One thing I love about Stan is the cheesy expressions he makes.
It was a great morning, I always love to see what everyone gets, and of course open my own gifts. I have to brag a little about a gift that I gave though. About 10 years ago I started a crosstitch with the intention of gifting it to my best friend, my sister Jody, for her wedding. She wasn't getting married any time soon, but I knew it would take me awhile. Well...it took me a lot longer than I planned because I didn't work on it consistently. She got married 4 years ago, and I think she didn't really expect me to finish it. However, this past summer when school was out and I was awaiting Miriam's arrival in the world, I spent hours every day working to finish it. And, here is the finished project:
Here is how Miriam spent Christmas morning. I brought her out where all the action was happening, we even had music playing, but she was still dreaming about sugar plums.
Maybe next year she'll be a little more excited to open her gifts. She gets her cheesy expressions from her dad.
We had a very nice Christmas dinner later that day and many other family members joined us. I slaved away (not really) over my brown sugar bacon green beans.But best of all...it was a WHITE Christmas. For us down here in Arkansas, that only happens about once every 15 years. I LOVE snow!
Well, another Christmas has come and gone. Each year will be so different as Miriam grows and our family continues to change.
Happy Holidays!

Holiday Treats

When I was a kid, every Christmas my mom would make a lot of treats. Things like peanut clusters, turtles, toffee, chocolate covered pretzels and more. She always did great things to make it a special time of year.
Last year my sister Jody and I decided we wanted to make treats like when we were kids, but it was too much work to do alone. This year we continued the tradition of making treats together, and dividing them all up amongst the two of us.

We called each other early in the week, decided on all the recipes we wanted to make, made a shopping list, made trips to a few different grocery stores to gather supplies, and anxiously awaited for Saturday. We got started a little late because I was waiting on a Dish Network technician (that's a LONG story), but finally Stan, Miriam and I made our way over to Jody's house in Pea Ridge.
Jody and I went to work and started mixing, boiling, rolling and dipping sweets. With a few interruptions, and the guys finally leaving (and taking Miriam) to go get a freezer, we were able to buckle down and make....
Oreo truffles, Chocolate Rum Balls, Chocolate truffles, almond toffee bark, caramels, chocolate dipped pretzels, cashew turtles, Sweet Peanut Brittle,white chocolate chex m&M mix, and peanut butter ritz dipped in chocolate! We ran out of time to make the fudge, so Jody was going to do that later. We had a crisis with the caramels and the candy thermometers, but all in all, I think it was a successful treat-making day. Delicious!

*By the way, as a disclaimer, we don't eat ALL of these. We give away gift boxes/baskets to friends and neighbors.


I was exhausted by the end of the day, and so was Miriam.

Three Months and Growing

Miriam is three months old now and just over 14 lbs.

She is growing so fast and is such a joy to be around.

She has a new fascination with pulling up her shirt (or other soft cloths) and chewing on it
She is also very fascinated with her hands, and likes to suck on them as well.

These are some pictures Stan took. I love her face on this one. I am constantly amazed at the adorable things she does and the faces she makes.

Most of all, I melt when she smiles. She can be cranky as ever, and then she'll smile and it's all better for me.

Her belly is so big that pants with a waistband are kinda snug.

She also loves getting a bath. She doesn't squeal or laugh when she bathes, just has a look of utter contentment on her face.

I have always heard the saying "it's different when they're your own" when people would refer to kids. It is so true. I love Miriam so much and love watching her grow and develop. Somehow I am willing to give up sleep, listen to some crying and develop great arm muscles carrying her around...all because I love and cherish this little girl. It is so true that the more you serve someone, the more you love them. She is so precious, and this year I am so thankful for her bright addition to our family.