weird Christmas

Well, for starters, it's Christmas this week.  Totally weird and not really feelin' ready for it.  I mean I bought the few presents we're going to buy and wrapped them.  But they're all stacked up high on a shelf because when I put them under the tree ... well .... let's just say a certain one year old boy was totally fascinated with shiny bows and tearing off wrapping paper.  So we have an empty tree.

And then there's the fact that this is the first year we're not spending Christmas with either of our parents.  Chris' mom and dad were supposed to meet us in Minneapolis, but couldn't get away for work/church reasons.  After the initial disappointment I thought "maybe this won't be so bad.  We'll get to start our own family traditions this year."  But we're not going to be at our house for Christmas.  We're still going to Minneapolis to spend the holiday with Chris' brother and his wife.  Which will be fun, but kinda weird.

And then I had this huge dilema about cookies.  (yes, cookies!)  Should I bake Christmas cookies??  I usually never do because our mama's bake a whole ton of them and that's usually enough sugar intake for the whole year.  But our mamas aren't going to be around for Christmas!  And I don't like making dozens and dozens of cookies because I EAT THEM ALL!!!  (sigh)  So I've been fighting this scroogy, bah-humbug attitude for the past few weeks and I don't like it :(

So then what's this whole Christmas thing all about?  (and let's be honest, we all know the right answer, but do we really live it?)  I know Christmas is not about presents, or cookies or in which bed we wake up on December 25.  But it's alwasy easier to say that when you have cookies and presents and the like.  So I'm learning to let go.  I'm learning to enjoy this season for what it is.  I'm finding Christmas.  I guess that's a part of growing up and making that transistion from being a part of my parent's family to becoming our own little family.

And the closer we get to Christmas the more excited I'm becoming.  I'm looking forward to a low-key Christmas with JD & Pamela.  I'm excited for Brooks to actually know how to open presnents and enjoy the tree.  And I'm totally excited to take Mr. B ice skating for the first time.  And of course I'm excited to remember the great sacrifice that my Savior, Jesus made by coming to earth as a baby so I could have eternal life (way better than any gift wrapped in snowman paper if you ask me) 

Merry Christmas!!!! 

Travelin' Mama

You ever have that 'need to get away feeling'?  Well, there's been none of that around here.  Because believe me ... I've been away.  And now, finally (sigh) I'm back home.  Yes, it feels good to be back home.

It started the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  We packed up our son and half of our home into our mini-van and hit the road to Wisconsin to visit my family for Thanksgiving.  We decided to leave after dinner so we could drive and the little would sleep the whole way there.  Well, turns out that's not such a good idea.  Because around midnight it physically hurt to keep my eyes open (yeah I know, I'm old) leaving my poor husband to drive in the dark by himeself.  And from 11p-1a Brooks was WIDE awake, shooting the whole 'driving at night so the kid will sleep' theory right in the butt.

But we arrived around 2am and crashed hard in the morning.  Thank goodness for grandparents who are more than willing to feed and entertain a 17 month old while mom and dad sleep in.  (sleep in??  does that happen when you're a parent?)

Brooks taking an important call.

We had fun spending time with family ...

eating good food ....

mmmm, sweet potatoes :)

and opening Christmas presents.

And per tradition, on Thanksgiving morning the boys went out on the bay to shoot stuff.

(shrug) It's a guy thing, I guess.

We spent the rest of the weekend there relaxing, crafting (well, the girls did anyway), and museum-ing (is that a word) before we headed home on Sunday.  That gave me just enough time to unpack, do laundry and pack my bag to leave again on Wednesday.  Excect this time I was flying solo.  Literally ... I flew to Dallas all by myself.

A few weeks earlier I was accepted into the training program to be a Bradley childbirth instructor.  So I grabbed my carry-on, drove to Minneapolis and flew to Dallas for the four day training.  Let me tell you how weird it was to get my boarding pass by myself.  And sit next to a stranger on a plane for two hours.  And check into a hotel by myself.  I never travel like this without my husband.  And this was my first time away from my baby.  (sniff sniff)

I did ok, but I sure did miss 'em.  I felt so much better leaving though, since my mother in law drove in from Montana to stay and take care of my boys while I was gone.  Everyone seemed to manage pretty well without mom which made me feel kinda sad good.

And as far as the training goes.  Well, they were really long days!  Like from 8am-10pm kinda long days.  But I learned a lot, made some great new friends and gained a bit more confidence for teaching other couples how to have a totally natural, unmedicated birth ... something I am totally passionate about.  I still have some paper work to finish up (hospital evaluations, book reports and such) before I can actually teach.  But start telling your pregnant friends ... this mama is teaching childbirth!  And it's going to be great!!