A Gift... For Me???

Hulk did have a fabulous Christmas and scored big in the present department. But mama didn't do so bad either. My parents got me a gift certificate for a massage, and some awesome stationary. They also got me a web cam that I really wanted so we can now Skype with them. So much fun! Monte and Kathy got me a gift card to use anyway I want and Heather got me a gift card to one of my favorite clothing stores. Hulk got me a cool new shirt and a necklace. Yes I was thrilled with all of it!

This year I decided I was also going to get myself a gift. So I gifted myself a gym membership. According to the scales at the doctor's office since Hulk was born almost three years ago I have lost 72 pounds now. I knew I was losing some here and there but until he told me the amount I didn't realize how much it was. While I still need to lose about 50 more pounds I also need to do some serious toning. I'm not kidding when I tell you that when I wave to people I about knock myself out. My flabby arms look like chicken wings. I have to do some toning. So off to the gym I go. We will see if I can get the arm flab under control soon.

That would be a great gift!

Christmas

Our Christmas was pretty darn amazing this year. Since my mom died Christmas has been painful for me. In fact every Christmas since she died I have been sick. I think the sickness is brought on as a way for me to avoid the day. While I actually really have had physical symptoms I think it's just been my way to get out of dealing with the day. But not this year! I've been praying for weeks that I would be well and that we could have a fun day. And boy was that prayer answered! It was an amazingly fun weekend!!!

 

Hulk is just the perfect age! He really understood this year and was just so much fun. From making cookies, to baking Jesus a birthday cake, to opening gifts, to playing with new toys. He was just a blast! We got to spend the whole weekend with my sister too and got lots of time with my best friend Darby and her family. It was just a very relaxing laugh filled weekend! The best Christmas that I've had in years!

 

Hulk got some really wonderful gifts. I got him an indoor trampoline, a digital camera, and some other little things, my sister got him a kitchen, my dad and cricket got him a picnic table and movies, and Monte and Kathy got him a cute chair, a fun truck, and lots of clothes and pj's. What's crazy is he seemed so excited about all of it. He has spent so much time playing with everything and having a blast.

I hope that you all had a wonderful Christmas too!

It's Cookie Time

When I was a kid my mom always made sugar cookies with me. So now that Hulk is big enough it was time to carry on the tradition. I'll be honest. I was dreading it a little. The mess, the hassle, the mess, did I mention the mess! Yeah I wasn't really looking forward to it. But I decided I had to suck it up and just do it.

 

And boy am I glad I did! We had SOOOO much fun. Seriously one of the most fun evenings we have ever had. We both laughed so hard. I was crying halfway thru from laughing at him. He kept rolling the dough so seriously and then he would just crack up and say "this is so funny mama." And it was so dang funny and fun and just wonderful!

 

There was once when I was laughing and started crying that I was a bit overwhelmed with missing my mom. The sad tears quickly turned to happy tears. This child heals my heart. Everytime we have moments like this I'm reminded of how magical the relationship is between a parent and their child. While yes I miss my mom I know she was with us tonight. Laughing a little bit too. And I hope and pray that some day in the very distant future Hulk will have a moment with his own children and know I'm still there too.

I could get a million dollars on Christmas morning and it wouldn't matter. Tonight was the best gift of all!

Christmas Countdown

Thank goodness we are on the final Christmas Countdown! I love Christmas day but I hate the week before Christmas. I have affectionatly dubbed it the week of Christmas chaos. It just seems like the week before Christmas is always super chaotic. And even though I try to not let it I always end up stressed out.

There is just a lot to get down at home this week. Extra baking, arranging back up daycare for the kidlet since daycare is closed, the wrapping, the cleaning, the crap we all do before holidays. But the last part of December is also crazy at work too. There are always presents and food to deliver to folks, finishing up year end reports and numbers, blah blah blah. I shouldn't let it but it does stress me out.

I'll be thrilled when it is all over for another year!

New Artwork

 

This funky amazing piece of art is now hanging in my living room! I love it. I love the colors, the shapes, the flower, well all of it really. But most of all I love that my amazingly talented sister made it for me! She rocks like that. If I picked up a paint brush and painted the end result would be either a huge mess or a group of stick people. Painting is not my area of expertise. Luckily I have her to decorate my place.

Almost 3

How is my baby boy almost 3 years old! It just dawned on me the other night that he is way closer to 3 than he is to 2! I think I'm going to boycott this birthday. I don't know that I want my baby to be 3!!!

 

But since he is almost 3 he is doing so many cool things lately! Things like talking in some complete sentences! Things like using the toilet more and more frequently. Things like pretending when he plays which just cracks me up! Things like attempting to negotiate with me on things. Oh he is turning into quite a boy rather than a baby!

 

Hulk is quite the mover! He is pretty much constant motion. Jumping, running, just bouncing everywhere. He really doesn't sit still for much anymore! He is also pretty smart and is doing very well at daycare/school. He is doing some occupational therapy to help with some of his sensory integration issues (hence all the moving) and just recently had a lot of testing that he did well on. He seems to get along well with his classmates and has a little bit of a crush on a little gal in his class.

Hulk all of a sudden HATES and I mean HATES having to take a bath. I don't know what that is about but I am mastering the art of the 2 minute bath with a screaming toddler. He does however love animals and really really wants a pet or ten pets. We are still negotiating that.

So almost three isn't so bad. But I do miss my little baby just a bit!

Girl Time

 

My sister came home to visit this weekend. We had a really good time! Hulk was super wild and sick of being stuck in the house so it was like wrestle mania up in here! But once he went to bed it was girl time. Complete with chocolate chip cookies, hot chocolate with butterscotch schnapps for me and some wine for Heather! We ate and drank a little to much while we played table topics. But it was lots of fun and lots of laughing.

Have you ever played table topics? It's a blast! Basically you just pull a card from the stack and answer the question, discuss the question, laugh your head off at the answer to the question. You may get serious questions like who is your mentor or a fun question like where would you like to travel to next. It's not really a game so much as a conversation starter. It will be great when Hulk gets older to encourage dinner time conversation but for now it's just fun to play with my sister while drinking and eating too much. You know just typical girl time activities....