Some Outtakes

So my family is Pinterest crazy...I have no idea how they got hooked  <-- sarcasm font. Auntie Stacy decided to make this sweet G-R-A-N-D-M-A photo collage board for Grandma Del. Each family of grandkids got a letter...which left the "A" for the great grandbabes.

And on a handful of occasions, we tried to get the photo of the "A" with Emmie and Olivia. And each freaking time, I either forgot to bring my camera or the battery was dead. So we took the pics with mom's older camera...you know, the kind that is totally fine if you're taking a picture of anything besides a one year old on the move.

So here, I give you the outtakes. Let's just say Olivia was a much better listener than Emmie. We told Olivia to sit there and not move, so she did. Emmie on the other hand...well, see for yourself.

E: Touchdown.

O: God Emmie. Not the time.

E: Here Olivia, you hold it.

O: Seriously Emmie, I'm going to fall asleep waiting for you.

O: Well here I am, now she's sleeping.

(Olivia standing like an angel, holding the A with precision...Emmie, a total gong show.)

E: Well, seeyalater.

O: Will someone just get her under control please.

(I die when I look at this one...like could she be a bigger class clown right now?)

(Then we tried to stick her in the corner...didn't work either.)

(Then we tried sitting on the couch.)

O: Omigod. Emmie, you're ridiculous, but you're kinda funny because you make me look like an angel.

(And then...the minute that Vic takes the A away to fix the frame, Emmie sits there...not moving a muscle.)

(And then we tried confining to a ottoman.)

E: Oh bright shiny zipper?

O: Yep, you're standing on my foot.

And there you have it. Just another reason to get that fancy quick flashing camera. Oh, if you were wondering, I ended up swapping some heads to get a usable one.

Christmas Continued

Just because I could eat her up, you get an extra large sized Christmas Day photo. Omigod. I know. I'm biased. But that face!! Oh and is it just me or does she look like fifteen or something ridiculous?

She's sporting her new - a little too big, but it matched the outfit - headband from Ang.

It stayed on for about a minute.

But she tried to put it back on! Not quite right, but the effort is there.

best new toy everrrr

All the fun Christmas toys and heck, still leftover birthday toys that haven't lost their luster...and here she is...entertained for way too long on Christmas morning...with an empty diaper box.



On the box.

In the box.

Oh my god, even my blanky goes in the box! This toy is great.

(Have we talked about her bruise lately? It's seriously the bruise that will not go away! It makes her look like she has some serious bags, nope just a face first meeting with the door over two weeks ago.)

The Christmases

I woke up on Christmas Eve morning at 4am...already waiting for Santa? checking to see if it was going to be a white Christmas after all? playing with my sweet baby girl in the soft glow of the Christmas tree?

NOPE.

I woke up in my own personal hell. Me thinks I had food poisoning. And it was not good. And Christmas was starting at noon and I was still in bed an hour before departure. I pulled it together and we showed up late. There was so much delightful food to devour...and I had buns. Lots of buns. And some lefse. And that's about it.

It was a sad sad Christmas Eve for me and my pastier than normal face shows it in the pics.

Cute family...minus the hunch. I didn't really stand upright at all that day.

But Emmie had a great day! Lots of family to play with and lots of new toys! Oh and the Christmas dress...yeah, I bought it last year thinking it would work for a wedding...and that 3-6 monther fit her perfectly for Christmas. I swear Gap sizing is just a tish off!

Yeah, that present wasn't hers...but she took it anyways. She's a smart girl. Just needs to be sneakier next time.

mini xmas

A mini Christmas. Mini as in just the immediate fam.

Not to be confused with Christmas which means the wholedamnfam which means Christmas Eve in Hawley and appetizers (because it takes too much effort to correctly spell hors d'oeuvres) and Bunco and the gift exchange and wine and that card game that I don't how to play but everyone else loves and probably a pedicure and perhaps some tweezing and Grandma opening the exchange gift she wants and then accidentally "hiding" it so no one else can take it and did I mention the appetizers and more specifically the pickle rolls and wonton things that are what makes it Christmas - can I get an amen?! and lots of photos and the last gift exchange gift that sits in the lonely center because no one really wants the fun to end and a drink or two and presents....for the kids, that aren't in college yet, because once you hit college you don't get presents, but you are formally accepted into the gift exchange...because those are the rules. I don't make them, I just abide by them.

I digress.

Sunday night we gathered to have a little Christmas before Dave, Kristy and Olivia pack up for Dickinson. Emmie scored some fun presents...as did we...all centered around the big family trip to Florida! Fun. Sun. Can't wait!

(Please note the black eye this poor kid has been sporting for about a week. She ate it at daycare and the bruise just keeps getting worse.)

Come join me on this basket.

Why did they buy us toys? We already have this basket.

Grandpa Mike playing with Emmie.

Liv and Dave.

Rewind

Alrighty, let's back up to a more cheerful time. This past weekend!!
The best thing about the holiday season is FAMILY. The presents are all fine and dandy, but I love family get togethers and spending time with everyone...no seriously I do, lame as it sounds. This weekend was filled with Andy's family for a change, with just a little dose of mine.

Saturday we went to the lake to hang out with Andy's fam. There was lots of fun to be had...especially with all of these cousins...well second cousins I guess you'd call them.

How sweet are these guys?

Katherine, Emmie, William and Charlotte

And Great Grandma and Grandpa Wall:

And fun on the rocking horse:

I FREAKING LOVE THIS HORSE!

Sunday we were off to see more family, Andy's step brothers. Of course Emmie rocked a two and a half hour nap before we left, making us late. Which is always the way it goes right? Never would we see a two hour nap if we wanted to be lazy and do nothing get things done around the house.

A FIFTY degree day in mid December? If this is global warming in effect, sign me up.

Marshmallow puff.

Sticks are great toys.

Riding with Addi on her kickass trike!

 

UGH.

I.am.struggling.

Not in a these are real problems kind of way, but I just can't shake this sad sack funk.

You see, my sweet babykin graduated and was moved to the next room yesterday and well, life just hasn't been the same since. I called to check in that afternoon and they said she cried all day. I picked her up after leaving work a bit early and she wasn't even happy to see me. She had a look like...whhhhy, why are you doing this to me? I thought you liked me?

So I proceeded to cry the whole way home. I just think of her sitting there at the breakfast table; the new kid at school...scared, no friends, the teachers are all strangers and she's just a peanut compared to the big kids. Thank God Andy does the dropping off or I would be a full time guest at the daycare.

And same thing today...though she had a better day, it was still sadsville central.  One of her old teachers went to "rescue" her this afternoon and Emmie ended up staying in her old room. She was a little happier to see me, but when we got home she just sat there, when normally she'd be laughing and running through the living room. It was SO SAD. Don't worry, this time I started crying at daycare and then cried off and on the whole night.

I know this is just a transitional phase and it will be over soon, but I can't get rid of this pit in my stomach. And add some other frustrating things that have been going on and I'm about ready to tap out. I could climb in my bed, pull the covers over my head and not come out for a while.

Again, not real problems, but at least it's not another post about the party.

Ho!HO!Ho!

We met Santa!

Yes we do live close to cousin Olivia and I swear we don't do everything together, but it seems like things are just more fun when we do.  So we met Santa. All of us. Even Grandma came along for the show...what a fun Thursday night!

Andy and Kristy work together, if you didn't know...and when the opportunity arises to meet Santa at work, rather than fight the crowds at the mall, you take it.

Yes, they give you photos...but I wanted to capture the whole scene (all twenty seconds of it).

We think Olivia is a little further into the stranger danger phase than Emmie... so here's how it went down:

Kristy and Mrs. Claus setting the girls up. Both very inquisitive at this time.

O: Who is this person? Whhhy did they do this to us?

E: Shiny object? What's that over there?

 E: Oh, wait. Who's this fella?

O: God Emmie, way to just figure it out now. Get ready to cry.

O: That is NOT a smile on your face is it? How can you be smiling at a time like this?

E: Ha! Santa. This guy is great. And everybody is looking at me, I love being the center of attention.

O: Emmie. This is no time to be goofing off. This is a stranger! We do not know him!



Ok, just one more.

Did I mention there were people at this party too? Well there were...family and friends! And me being an amazing hostess took like NO pictures of actual people. I'm awesome.

Here is what my cousin Darby came up with though:



Now for funsies...let's just zoom in a little bit on that sweet pic of the cousins riding in Emmie's new wagon.  You see, the wagon is old hat for Olivia. She's a professional and knows you get buckled in, you face the correct direction in your seat and you don't mess around. Now Emmie on the other hand, she's new to this game and just kinda sits or lays where ever she wants, even if she's cramping someone else's style...I don't think Olivia was impressed.

Oh cousin love, it's going to be so fun to watch these girls grow up together!

Last party post?

We'll just see about that.

Ok, so on to a number of random party details:

1.

I was telling Alicia that I was nervous about putting up my Christmas stuff because it was going to look really weird with the party stuff. And then Smarty McGee suggested I do a birthday tree. Um, YES! Amazing idea huh?! So off to Hobby Lobby I ran to buy orange and aqua ornaments. 

And some orange glitter paper for "1s"

2.

Leftover circle strands on the entryway mirror. Not that spectacular, but I really like the photo.

3.

The caesar recipe. (Seriously, these caesars were amazeballs.)

3 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon celery salt, divided

3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (I used lime fresh out of the squeeze bottle)

24 ounces clamato juice

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

6 ounces vodka

Use the 1/2 teaspoon of celery salt to dip the rim of your glass. Combine the rest and enjoy. Makes 4 servings...I beg to differ.

Caesar station.

3.5
And let's talk about glassware. I was in a panic because I only had 8 champagne glasses. And everywhere sold them in packs of 4 for about $20. Um seriously, $5 a glass? No thank you.

And then...Bed, Bath and Beyond came to my rescue.  A "party pack" of TWELVE champagne glasses for a mere $9.99 and of course I had a 20% off coupon. They have this same party pack in regular glasses and wine glasses fyi. I'm not saying they're high quality glass, but to quote a friend: as long as it's glass and I don't have to assemble it, it's good enough.

4.
And the birthday girl enjoying her cake! (I used the Pinterest recipe that calls for one box of cake mix and one can of pumpkin...and nothing else, just those two ingredients. I wouldn't say it was the tastiest thing ever...but I don't think Emmie knew the difference.)