Back in Full Force...or Something

OK - I have been absent for quite awhile. In fact, part of the reason is because I could not get my background switched. I needed my computer-savy husband's help. And, since he figured it out, I am back sans St. Paddy's background.

We are home today, on what would normally be a summer workday, because Mia has strep throat. However, her strep is certainly not preventing her from making Cole laugh and cry simultaneously as she entertains/antagonizes him endlessly. I just sit and watch it all transpire.

We were just eating lunch, and Mia said, "Mommy, next Christmas I want to sing the Charlie song." I had no idea what she was talking about, so I tried to get her to sing a little. She sang, quietly, "Tis the season to be Charlie." Ah, I love that girl! She recently had her first dance recital, and I could not have been more excited to watch her!


And, at preschool, Cole has moved into the bigger boy class. He now sleeps on a napmat and follows the same schedule as the other kiddos. It is bittersweet for me. I want him to grow up, but it makes me so sad each time he hits a milestone. He may still be a tiny little guy, but he definitely has a mind of his own!


So, back to watching/refereeing the children.

Happy 3rd Birthday, Mia!

OK, so I am more than a week posting this, but honestly, it is because I am at a loss for words when it comes to my first-born.

Mia,
You are becoming such a big girl, and I am so proud of you. You are one of my favorite people to be around, and you are only 3! You are smart, hilarious, talented, artistic, eager, loving, obedient, strong-willed, beautiful, and a tad bossy. I wonder where you get that last one? You are the person who showed me all about the incredible bond between a mother and her children. You are my daughter, and I will never forget that moment when you were placed in my arms. I stared in disbelief at your precious, tiny, crying face.

I still find myself watching you, completely amazed and humbled that I get to be your Mommy. Thank you for allowing me to practice my parenting skills on you, my first-born child. Each day brings a new adventure, and I look forward to it every morning. You have made me want to be a better person...someone you can be proud of. You are my most special girl, and I can't remember what it was like before I met you. Happy (belated) Birthday, Miss Mia.


All my love,
Mommy

A Quick Little Snippet...

Mia: "Mommy, someday I can be Giselle (from "Enchanted") and Daddy can be a prince and Coley can be another prince and you can be the witch."
Mommy: "Gee, thanks for letting me be the witch."
Mia: "Mommy, it's OK...it's just pretend."

Happy 1st Birthday, Coley!

My most special baby boy,

I seriously can't believe that you are one year old today. I vividly remember being pregnant with you. I remember going to the hospital three times, and finally staying. You were anxious, yet cautious. You finally made your appearance 14 hours after Daddy and I arrived at the hospital. And, from the first moment that we met you, you were absolutely perfect.

When we came home from the hospital and began life as a family of four, it was not easy. You liked to eat, and you were ready for a meal every two and a half to three hours. But I secretly loved those nights - waking up, feeding you, and watching DVR'd "John and Kate Plus Eight" episodes. You would usually go back to sleep immediately afterwards - in the computer room! We set up your pack-n-play in there until you were sleeping longer nights (about 4 months). When you were 9 weeks old, I had to go back to work. But, I knew that the new job was a possibility, so that got me through the two last months of school. Then, it was summertime, and we had tons of fun everyday. As you got older and interacted more, it was obvious that you were a good-natured, laid-back guy. Of course, that doesn’t mean you don’t like to get your way.

When you were six months old, I started my new job and got to take you with me everyday. I know how blessed I am to get to do that. I think that Mia is a little more independent than you are because she had to separate from me when she was 6 months old. You don’t have to! And, you haven’t!!!

Some favorites of yours:
1. Your sister – you stare at her and grab for her and want to be playing with her all the time
2. Your Daddy – you love it when he is around and you constantly babble “Dada” – now you may not want him to hold you, but you definitely like him around
3. Toys that you can chew on – EVERYTHING goes into your mouth
4. The kitchen play set – it entertains you frequently
5. Jewelry – you love it when I wear earrings, and you fiddle with my wedding ring each night when you are falling asleep
6. Bath time – you love to play in the tub
7. Watching the dogs – they make you laugh
8. Climbing the stairs – the first time I realized this, you were six stairs up and I almost had a heart attack

Some un-favorites:
1. Baby food – you pretty much survive on a liquid diet…and it is not that we haven’t tried
2. Prevention from getting your way – if I take something away from you, you will bury your head in the ground and cry
3. Getting dressed or having a diaper change – you can’t sit still for that long
4. Teething – not that this is a favorite of any baby, but you really hate those mean teeth as they make their way out

Overall, this past year has been painfully quick, and I feel like you were just in my arms as a newborn. However, it also feels like I have known you forever, as you complete our family and fill in spaces that I didn’t even know existed. I love you, and I love our mother-son bond. Happy Birthday, Cole David. Thank you for being my son.

Love, Mommy

A Hugger, I Am Not

I am not a good hugger. And, all of my life I have been surrounded by hugging situations - Drill Teams are full of girls who like to hug. And it is not that I don't like a good hug, it is just that I am no good at it. At Kilgore, my friends recognized my weaknesses and attempted to help me learn how to hug well. And, today I have a few friends who I feel like I can hug un-awkwardly - but mostly because they know I am not a hugger and they compensate for my inabilities. Usually I end up giving one of those weird side-hugs, that are void of any true hug qualities. The majority of the people who receive hugs from me probably leave wondering why I hugged them in the first place. I know that I over-think hugs. I wonder where to put my arms and how hard to squeeze. And there are times when I know a hug is a good idea, but I just can't bring myself to initiate. I will return them happily, but rarely initiate them.

Funny Tidbit

We decided to purchase a Wii with some family gift cards from Christmas. When we made the decision the day after Christmas, we called many, many places to see if they had any. I always said, "Yes, do you have any Wiis in stock?" Well, after a couple of days, we finally located one. Today, while we were driving, Mia asked if she could go home and play the weezun stock. It took me a minute to realize that she thought the name of the game was "Wiis in stock" since I said that every time I called. It made me and Chris laugh quite hard. :)

Christmas 2008

It was truly a wonderful Christmas. It was our first year as a family of four, and I feel blessed beyond measure when I think back now. It didn't get off to a flawless start, however, when Coley got an ear infection the Sunday before. Three days of scary high fevers, sleepless nights, and needy cries made things a little tough. But I know that it is just part of the parenthood journey. My children manage to find inconvenient times to fall ill. Last year, when Chris went to Orlando and the ice storm hit, Mia got really sick with a bad virus. With no power at our house or the doctor's office, we just toughed it out. Oh yeah, and I was 8 months pregnant with Coley too. So, when Cole got sick and we had to take him in on Christmas Eve Eve, I was not surprised to find the after-hours clinic closed for the Holiday a day early, and we ended up in the ER. The doctor reassured us that he did not have pneumonia (which was a fear of our pediatrician's, and why we took him in that night), and we went home. But, I digress. This was my post about Christmas!

This year, our church had a Christmas Eve experience, and we were so happy to get to attend. That was after a frenzied morning of cooking for dinner and wrapping presents, and it was a much needed time of re-focusing on the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas Eve is traditionally spent at Momo's house.

Kenny, Alyssa, Ana, Helen, and my Dad all joined the four of us and Momo. We ate a delicious dinner of smoked turkey (Chris had to go to her house at 3 am to get it started - and it was worth it!) and ham...plus a bunch of other great items. Then, after the dishes were cleaned, we started into the presents!


The highlights for us:
Chris - his helicopter from Brookstone - he and Kenny flew it all over the place, even hitting Ana in the eye

Mia - her Princess tent from my dad
Cole - his ride on/push train from Momo
Me - my new purse from Momo
After all of that plus dessert, we headed home...for Santa had a busy night ahead of him! We left Santa cookies and chocolate milk (according to Ruby from "Max and Ruby," chocolate milk is his favorite) and we left the reindeer food on the front lawn. We put the kids to bed, and Cole stayed in his long enough to let us fix the breakfast for the morning, assemble his train table and train, and wrap all the presents for the kids and each other. Of course, we got into bed at 1:15, and he was awake at 1:30 - still with a fever, and still really fussy. We brought him down with us and slept off and on until about 8:00.

Christmas morning was so wonderful! Mia was SO EXCITED to see if Santa had come. All she wanted was a singing Sleeping Beauty doll, and her little face was so thrilled to see it sitting there on the fire place. We opened all our presents and ate breakfast pizza. My parents came by for a brief time, and we spent the day playing and playing and playing.
The highlights for us:
Chris - I think it was his thin wallet
Mia - the singing Sleeping Beauty, of course - with the princess dress-up shoes a close second place
Coley - his dump truck - he will have to grow into the train table
Me - my earrings from New York - Chris had Megan pick them up for me when she was there :)
That evening, we went to Faye's house to see Tim, Jenn, and Sarah. It was a great day and a great evening. Even better, Cole slept all night in his bed (although not without an hour and a half of crying first - me going up every 15 minutes or so). Since he was finally fever-free, we knew he just had to tough it out.

The next day brought our third Christmas celebration. The Poseys all came over and we opened presents with them.

Cole slept through the opening ceremony, and awakened just in time for lunch of smoked pork tenderloin. Then, he had his own present-opening time.


The highlights for us:
Chris - I am guessing his gift cards
Mia - her Sleeping Beauty barbie
Coley - his much-needed clothes
Me - my gift cards, of course

After all of that was over, all four of us rested for quite awhile. It was an exhausting three days, and we needed some down-time.

All in all, this Christmas has been the best one I have ever had. Mia is at the age where everything is so exciting, and just having Coley here makes it feel complete. I know that this post is lengthy, but it is more for me and my memory. Sorry if I bored anyone! :) I just know that Christmas is supposed to be a time of togetherness and worship for our wonderful God. This year, it was exactly that for the Posey family. I hope that yours was just as remarkable.