What is it with my children and Santa?

Eric and I took Vake and Gil to Legendary Santa today.  Vake did much better.  Gil picked up where Vake left off last year. 

My dream is that someday I'll have a Santa picture with two smiling boys. 

It is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

So hard to believe there's only something like 27 shopping days! And it is getting us closer to baby Gil's first birthday, which seems insane too!

So this weekend, Eric and I got the tree up and he put the lights out front.

Vake was pretty uninterested in purchasing the tree but has repeatedly requested to help decorate it.

Next week, I think that he and I are going to work on salt dough ornaments- we'll see how it goes.


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What a weekend!

Totally exhausting and totally fun! We had Dennis' brother and sister in law and their two kids with us- what a treat! Vake and Keala got along swimmingly and michaela was so patient with all her little cousins! Here's the whole crew on the front porch.




Vake has, of course, Thomas in hand. As a by-the-way, Miss Mary Frances got her first haircut this weekend.




And here is a gratuitous shot of my love love baby. I have realized that he has more holiday clothes than I can shake a stick at!




And to top it all off, Eric and I raked the backyard, I taught Sunday school, we went to an engagement party, and took the kids to Westover! Whew!
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Thankful

It's 7:15 a d the house is full of people and silent. I am sure Gil is awake but he's not making noise yet. Baby Mary Frances is out cold in the crib in our room. Vake is still fast asleep and all of our Rivera house guests are out cold.

My little big man has truly enjoyed celebrating this season. Here he is a the school's feast.


And now is the time when I can count my blessings.

What a lucky life I am living. I am young and healthy with a husband who is better to me than I deserve. I have two strong little boys. A great house. A job that I enjoy. An amazing mother and sister. Child care that not only shows up every day, but treats my children like her own (Taren, thank you!). Friends who are like family.

And I am also thankful for the adversity that I've had in my own life and see in the lives of others because it makes the blessings stand out in relief. Wow.


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Around here...

...all of a sudden it is colder.  The change in seasons really snuck up on me this year- it was such a warm and for the most part lovely fall.  But it is definitely cold now and only getting colder. 

And work and life as always are so busy- it will be Christmas before we know it and the baby (my baby!) will be a year old- yikes!

Vake's doing so well now- such a little empathetic (for the most part) boy.  He had a (now relatively rare) temper tantrum tonight and when I came in to tuck him in and we were talking about it, I told him I was still "cross" and he looked at me with the most serious eyes and said "Oh no.  Oh no."

Now that I am the supervisor for my unit at work, I'm growing professionally- and trying to figure out how to be a good boss- and that's a challenge, too.  The next time I look up, it will be 2013.

Perfect afternoon

This afternoon, Vake, Huff and I skipped naps, hopped into the car, got gas and slurpees and headed down to the country. Doesn't get much better than that. Love it!


I ran the Richmond half marathon on Saturday. Was slower than I wanted to be and have been in years past, but just finishing was nice.

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Allergic?

Gil woke up yesterday with a terrible rash over all of his body. I had court so Eric took him to the pediatrician.

An amoxicillin allergy. Isn't that surprising? Neither Eric nor I has that allergy, so you can imagine our shock.


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Sunday morning trains

Like brother, like brother.


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