Random Observances From the (tired) Mind of a Mom

So, here are a few things that I have been observing lately ...
*I was recently grocery shopping and picked up some apples. They were of the Honey Crisp variety and grown right here, and they looked and felt the freshest of any other bags available. Let me tell you about these apples. Holy Canoli, they were GOOOOOOOOD!!! If these were the fruit on the tree in the Garden of Eden, let me just say that I can understand why Eve was so tempted! YUM-O!!
*I believe it is in Australia (forgive me if I am wrong) that store Santa's are being asked to change their "Ho Ho Ho's" to "Ha Ha Ha's" so as not to offend women. I am sorry, but if "ho ho ho" offends you, take a good long look at your lifestyle and ask yourself why!!
*In this big old bustling world that is trying so stinking hard to take God out of everything - schools, courts, even stores where clerks can only say "happy Holidays" even if I am buying an angel and a cross (c'mon now!) - how cool is it that I live in a town where the lawn of the city municipal building is adorned with a full on Manger scene!!! Praise the Lord for small favors - and when that clerk wishes you a happy holiday, wish that clerk a Merry Christmas right back and - if the mood so fits - throw in a God Bless You for good measure!!!
*I have always been big on taking the commercialism out of Christmas and putting CHRIST back in. This year has been such a HUGE reminder of that. I wanted Sophie's first Christmas and probably the first one that Hattie will really remember, to be the best ever. Every light twinkling, every nook and cranny filled with decorations. Instead, I have a tree up - three weeks now - and still all that is on it is the lights it came with and the angel on top. There are stockings hanging on the mantle, but not enough hooks for all of them, so Steve's and mine are sharing a hook (these stockings are handmade by my mom and are awesome, each deserving of their own hook!!). The nativity is on the lawn and looks great - in the daytime - but the lights have not been set out yet, so it is unseen at night and we look like the scrooges of the street in the dark! So, I have been forced to look a little deeper for Christmas this year... Hattie's favorite book is her children's Bible, just this week she has taken new interest in the page about the first Christmas - she recognizes Baby Jesus and has been known to kiss the picture on the page. So this year when we participate in my favorite family tradition, I have a feeling that Christmas will be even better than I imagined!! On Christmas Eve we have a birthday party. The children help to bake and decorate a cake and after church we turn out the lights and sing Happy Birthday Baby Jesus. Hattie is old enough this year to help with the cake and she LOVES to sing Happy Birthday, so I am really looking forward to sharing that with her. Christmas at the B Manor won't be fancy, we won't win any decorating contests and our energy bill is probably safe - no Clark Griswold light displays to send our meter spinning - but Christmas, the REAL and TRUE Christmas WILL be celebrated!!!
PRAISE GOD for all we have and all we know through HIM! And as my Great Grandma used to say, Take Time To Hear the ANGELS sing!!!! Sing along with them if you know the words!!!

No, really ... She's Sleeping!!!

OK, the following pictures are not for the faint of heart. They are quite graphic and, before you call the authorities on us to report any sort of abuse let me assure you that this is what the doctors instructed us to do ....

It seems as if our sweet Miss Sophie has very tiny nasal cavities. She has such a sweet button nose, so small and cute.... fun to look at but, as it seems, not so fun to breathe through!!! This is why she has been stuffy since birth!!! Now, to be fair, she has had a couple of colds but for the most part she is just plain stuffy. The weather changes and the rest of us may get a tiny bit nasal-ey, but for the S girl a tiny bit is all it takes!
So, the doctor told us to have her sleep in a car seat ... better than a swing because the seat is in the bed and it is only one step away from eventually sleeping in the bed. It will just take a few months they said ... they were probably not expecting our tiny 6lb, 11 oz darling to be a whopping 15lbs by 3 months!!!! So, we had been noticing that she was getting a bit big for the seat and were thinking that by Christmas we would have to come up with something new ... Christmas may be coming early!!!! This is what we found this morning ...




Now, I promise you that she was indeed sleeping... I took these pics - flash and all - and moved her to a better position and she didn't wake up. Ahhh, it must be nice!!!!!