Do You Think Mary Knew?

My all time favorite Christmas song is "Mary Did You Know?" by Mark Lowry. If you are not familiar with this song you MUST find it online and listen to it. It is powerful. It is breathtaking. It will change your life.
I've been pondering the lyrics this morning, struck by their depth and truth. Especially now that I am a mother. I have delivered my babies, I have kissed their faces, I have held them tightly and swaddled them.
The first thing that blows my mind when I think about this song is that God saw it fitting to send his only son to this earth as a baby. Why not just as a man? Or even a boy? Why was it necessary for Jesus to grow inside of a woman, be born as any other human on earth (in a stable non the less), and grow into a man? I think it's because it makes him relatable. He is just like the rest of us.
Then, I start thinking about Mary. Did she know? I mean, did she fully comprehend the fact that this tiny baby she birthed, nursed, held, kissed, played with, delighted in, was the Lord of all Creation? Did she know that one day he would rule the nations?
I can't even imagine how it felt to be her. To be holding the Son of God and loving him as her own child, but also knowing that he was so much more that that. What a responsibility to be given.


"Mary did you know, that when you kiss your little baby, you have kissed the face of God?"

Childlike Wonder

I had a couple errands to run this afternoon, so I bundled up the kids and we headed out on our way. Both of my kids are such troopers when it comes to errands; they hardly ever fuss or whine or complain while out and about, which is such a blessing. I think one reason is because they are just easy going people by nature, but I also don't cart them around with me all over kingdom come. I make it a point to only plan one or two outings at a time, and make sure they are always rested and fed before going out. All that to say, my children are almost always delightful to have with me when I run my errands.
Today we made a trip to Lowes and Michaels, which are in the same shopping center, so we were able to walk a bit in the warm sun and splash in the puddles of melting snow. While in line at the check out at Michaels, Declan was happily perusing a display of Christmas themed gift card holders. There was one that was a square tin box with a snowman on it that he was eyeing. Now, I am not the kind of person to buy my son every little thing he has is eye on. For one thing, I can't afford it, and for another, I don't want him to think that he gets everything and anything he wants whenever he wants it. But, it was a really cute box and he was so excited about it, and it was only a dollar, and it's Christmas time...so I bought it for him. Now, here is the point of this whole story.
As we left the store he was holding the box in his little hands and I heard him sigh and say, "This is a wonderful day."

I stopped dead in my tracks. Oh. My. Goodness. Did I just hear what I thought I heard? Yep. Yes I did.
I immediately started laughing in delight because that was such an awesome and unexpected response! I knelt down, hugged and kissed him, and told him I loved him. And then, I felt like crying. Even now, as I type this, I feel like crying. My sweet, precious two year old son was able to find something so many of us can't:
...pure joy in the simplest of circumstances...

If only I could be just as excited about something so ordinary. To be able to find the wonder, the excitement, the happiness, and the contentment in the smallest, most common of life's occurrences. If only I could see what he sees, with his unadulterated mind...
How different would my life be?

Donating My Hair

For much of my adult life, I have wanted to donate my hair and every time I've tried to grow it out with the intent of donating it, I get frustrated and chop it off. Well, a few years ago I was determined to not let that happen again.
When Sean and I got married I had a short bob that I loved. Shortly after our wedding I decided to start growing it out and was determined that I would not cut it until there was enough to donate.

Flash forward to about a week ago...I was again to the point where I was so frustrated with my hair and wanting to cut it all off. I was having to wear it up in a bun all the time because Inara would pull at it. But even up in a bun she would still pull at the hair at the nape of my neck. It hurt so bad and I was just tired of always having to wear it back and never being able to style it.
I got a hold of my amazing hair stylist, Vanessa, and begged her for help. Thankfully she was able to get me in quickly and after much discussion, I came to a decision.
I had her put my hair in a pony tail and cut the bulk of it off, in order to save it to be donated. Then she transformed my hair into a fun a-line bob, similar to the one I had 4 years ago. I absolutely love it!
Although, I couldn't help fearing that I didn't have enough length to donate to Locks of Love...I knew that I had to have at least 10 inches, and that there could be no bleach/highlights in the hair. Well...I barley had 10 inches and there was still some bleach from highlights I had been growing out. So that same evening I researched a bit online and found an organization that changed all of that for me.
It is a non profit called Children With Hair Loss (CWHL) which makes wigs for children with all different kids of illness (even burn victims) who have suffered hair loss. They only require 8 inches and the hair can be highlighted and/or dyed, just as long as it's in good condition.
I. Was. Ecstatic. My hair would be accepted "as is" by this wonderful organization that makes wigs for KIDS!! It couldn't have gotten any better than that. I am so happy with the results of my cut and even happier that my hair will be blessing the lives of children who need it more than I do!

The Perfect Coat

Today my husband bought me a coat. When he came home from work he said he had a surprise for me (I LOVE surprises) and handed me a brand new, water proof, fleece lined, black (with purple accents and a hood) winter coat. I was so excited.
Seriously.
I had been wanting a new coat for so long and I was thrilled to finally have one that was EXACTLY what I wanted. I put it on right away and was immediately thrilled with how it looked and felt; I didn't want to take it off!
Now, you may be thinking, "A coat? You got that excited over a coat?" Well yes, yes I did. But it wasn't just that I got a new coat, although I do get excited about new things, little or big.
What I got excited over was this: my husband bought me a coat.
He listened to me. He remembered what I said. He thought about me. He payed attention to my needs. He met my needs. He honored my desires. He blessed me.

Sometimes I think how it would be nice if Sean would bring flowers, or chocolates or a card home every once in a while. But you know what? That's not his style. He chooses to do more. He chooses to buy me something that will have importance, meaning, and value to me. I am so thankful for that. I am SO thankful for him.

A Fabulous Fall Weekend

As I was doing the dishes tonight after dinner I was thinking about what a wonderful weekend we had and that I wanted to blog about it. Mostly because I want to remember it. I want to remember the fun, the smiles, the warm sun, the laughter, the love, the sleepless nights, the tears, the spit up...
I want to remember all of it, the good and the bad, because this is my life and I love my life.

For us, the weekend starts on Friday evenings when Sean is off work. This particular Friday we decided to meet for dinner after Sean got off work. Not a huge rarity for us (we eat out about once a week) bust still something fun and special to do, especially for me since it means I don't have to cook and there is no kitchen clean up!

Saturday morning we went to our favorite pumpkin patch to enjoy the crisp fall weather, go on a hay ride, visit the animals, play on tractors, run through the leaves and pick out a perfect pumpkin. Later that day, after Declan had his nap, he and I went on a date to the kids discovery museum, KidTime! We had a blast. It was so special for me to do something one on one with him, out of the house, for the first time since Inara has been born.

Sunday morning we went to church, which was awesome as always, then took Declan to see a fire truck (our church is right across the street from a fire station), went to the Rail Road park to ride on trains, and then carved our pumpkin. We also had a spontaneous family dance party in our living room which was probably one of the sweetest things that has happened...ever.

So, as I was standing in my kitchen, washing dishes, and day dreaming about my wonderful life, I thought, "I have an amazing life. I have an amazing life parter, beautiful, healthy children, opportunity and blessings galore...This is my life. This is MY life"

It is what I always dreamed it would be.

Continuing On

I've been thinking about my blog lately and have been missing the satisfaction I get when I write and publish a post. Ever since Inara has been born, I unfortunately don't have the time I'd like to have to put into blogging on a regular basis. It kinda bums me out, but then I think about what I am focusing on and I know that is more important.
I told Sean the other day that I have come to accept the fact that my life is on hold (to a certain degree) while I have a newborn and a toddler. I must savor this time since I will never get it back.
And I know that the time will come (dare I say too soon?) where I am once again, free to post things as often as my heart desires.

Until then I will be storing up ideas and pictures and adventures to share with the few who read this. Oh, and spending time with my sweet babies.

Lately

I just realized it's been almost two months since I blogged, and that I hadn't blogged much prior to that.  And that I miss blogging. Which made me think "Why haven't I blogged in a while?" Then I immediately thought, "Oh right. I have two children under the age of two." And then I wanted to cry.

Two under two is difficult. It is challenging. It makes you want to pull your hair out. So sometimes you just have to cry, then take a deep breath and keep going.

I often remind myself that this stage of life is not forever. My babies will not be small forever. Someday they will no longer have a constant need for me. One day they will be self sufficient and be able to meet their own needs. Then  that makes me want to cry too.

So many emotions have been filling my heart lately. Mostly joy and happiness. But also frustration. Struggling to feel like a woman, not just a Mama. Finding the balance between chaos and routine. Putting aside things that don't HAVE to get done so that I can spend time holding Inara and coloring with Declan. Telling myself that the dishes that are piling up in the sink and the dust bunnies collecting on the floor can wait, but my children can not.

Mother hood is a difficult and challenging responsibility. It is the toughest job I have ever had, but the most rewarding one as well. I have to daily surrender my wants, needs, and desires in order to provide my children with a life that is happy, healthy, stable, and memorable.

I heard someone say once that parenting is easy, if you don't care how your children turn out.

Well, I do care. So that's what I've been doing lately...caring.

Weeks

I am currently measuring my time in weeks. It's been two weeks since I gave birth to Inara May. Sean went back to work today and I am on my own for a week until my mom arrives to help out for two weeks. I've been thinking back on the week before Inara came and all that took place during that time. The anticipation, emotion, excitement, and intensity of it all. The fact that my mom was visiting for a week and Inara came while she was here. In two more weeks Inara will be a month old and I will wonder where the time went.
This morning I was looking through the pictures that my friend Nina took during my labor and delivery, remembering all the details of the night/morning of Inara's birth and I thought it was appropriate to post some of them with this blog.

The Birth of Inara May

On Thursday, May 2nd I had my 38 week check up with my Midwife. I had been having some pretty strong and fairly consistent contractions since Friday, April 26th, as well as some pinching in my cervical area. She proceeded with the appointment as usual, and when we were finished with all of that, she asked me to tell her about the contractions I had been feeling and how often I was getting them. After I explained everything to her she asked if I wanted her to check my cervix to see how far I was dilated, I was very curious to see if all the action I was getting was doing anything, so I said yes. She estimated that I was probably only going to be 4 or 5 cm and I was thinking that sounded pretty accurate. As I am on the table and she is checking me, she looks at me and the below conversation is what followed:
Midwife: "You are a wild woman aren't you?"
Me: "What does that mean?"
Midwife: "You are at an 8"
Me: "Are you joking?"
Midwife: shakes her head "Let me just check again. Ok, now I'm going to triple check. Yeah, you are an 8".
I was completely shocked and amazed. I looked at Sean and he just looked back and forth between me and my Midwife. Then, we all discussed what my options were, and made a decision based on those.
We decided that we would not go home that night, but Sean would go home to get all our stuff and I would go spend some time walking around to keep the contractions coming. My mom just happend to be in town visiting that week so she, Declan and I went to the mall, and walked around for about an hour. Then we met Sean for dinner, after which my mom took Declan home and Sean and I went to a park for another walk, then back to the Birth Center. Sean's mom came to our house to wach Declan so that my mom could join us at the center and be there for the birth of Baby #2; our dear friend Nina followed shortly after as she would be our doula for the delivery.
Around 10pm things were't slowing down, but they weren't progressing either, so my Midwife came into the room and suggested some options that we could procede with. She left Sean and I to make the ultimate decision, and after MUCH thinking, praying and discussing, we felt that having my Midwife break my water was the best option. So, around 11pm my waters were broken, and after a few minutes I began experiencing very strong, very frequent contractions. After about a half hour, my Midwife came in and said that we should get me in the tub since things were progressing so fast. Then, after about a half hour in the water I felt the urge to push. I started pushing around 12am and 14 minutes later, our baby girl was born!
Unfortunately, she had one of her arms up next to her head, so it made it even more difficult to push her out, and I lost a lot of blood and had to be given an IV of fluids, and be stitched afterwards. But all in all it was an amazing, unforgettable experience that I would not trade for the world!

Spring Activities

At the beginning of the month of April, Sean and I decided that we wanted to try and rest as much as possible and not cram too many events/outings into our free time. I think it has worked pretty well and we've had lots of time to relax and get ready for Baby #2's arrival.

A couple things we have done are, attend an Arbor Day event that turned out to be kind of a bummer because it started to rain, and there wasn't much for a 1 and a half year old to do there; and take a picnic to Bear Creek Park.

Both were low key events where we just got to enjoy each other's company and not be rushed or feel pressured to do more than we wanted. Sean and I do have a night away planned for this coming Saturday, but other than that we are continuing to keep things close to home and not commit to much. Which is why you will probably not see many blog posts for a while.

nos·tal·gia

Noun A sentimental longing for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.

I am experiencing feelings of nostalgia today. For some reason I woke up missing Napa (where I grew up) and my family (who all live in California). I am also feeling a strong desire for it to be summer, so that I may enjoy the long, warm days that the season brings.

These feelings have left me with a desire to take a trip to visit my family this summer. To enjoy the beautiful colors of the Sonoma and Napa Valley's, to go swimming in the pool at my parent's house, to have a BBQ with all my loved ones, to smell the unmistakable aroma of sunscreen, to go on evening walks with my husband and children, to warm my pale, winter skin in the sun.

I hope that a trip can be attained even though we will be adding a newborn to our family very soon. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what the next few months bring...

The End Is Near

Right now I am 34 weeks pregnant (but measuring 38).
I am not sleeping well.
I am tired all the time.
I am irritable.
I am impatient.
I am starting to waddle.
I get frustrated easily.
I have no energy.
I have no motivation.
And I am so ready to be done!

But, the end is near. 6 more weeks until my due date. Or sooner maybe.
I have an ultrasound on Tuesday to see why I am measuring 4 weeks ahead. My midwife thinks it is just excess fluid, but wants to be sure. Maybe it's because my dates are off and baby is due sooner than May 13th. One can hope right?

I'm not typically a complainer, so forgive me for sounding that way. I just needed an outlet, and I look at my blog as a sort of journal for sharing what I am feeling. The good AND the bad.

Thank you for listening.

Update on Life

March has been quite a busy month for the Connolly Clan, so instead of writing several blogs about what we've been doing, I thought I would just summarize it all in one post.

It seems as though we have had something planned everyday of the week this month. It's been mostly just regular errands and housework, but in addition to that we've had prenatal visits with my midwife, a family trip to the library, cleaning the downstairs "guest quarters", and organizing the garage.
Sean went on a 2 day Mens Retreat with our church and Declan and I were able to have a date night, and I also worked on preparations to have my mom and Gary visit. They arrived on Saturday the 16th, and after they were settled in here, there was a knock at the door and my brother and nephew were standing on my porch. They had come up with my parents to surprise me!
Then, after a full weekend of visiting with them, Sean and I had a class at the water birth center called 'The Partner's Toolbox' which was really informative and helped us prepare for the upcoming labor and delivery of Baby #2.
We also had friends and family help with some painting and hanging of curtains around the house which have both been long overdue.
AND we are getting our carpet replaced this Saturday (the 30th).

*As a side note: We feel it is extremely important to spend as much time as possible with the dear friends that we have been blessed to have in our lives, so we were able to fit several visits in with them, even when we were as busy as we have been lately!

Phew! Exhausting, but fun and productive month!

Date night with  my boy

32 week picture (Sean had just said "Whoa, that's a big belly")

Me with my brother and nephew (Clark and I kinda look like a couple. Haha)

Sean came home one day with a surprise for me!

Declan got a balance bike

He LOVES it!

The Black Sheep

Last Sunday we went to a British pub in Ashland called The Black Sheep. On the first Sunday of every month they have live Celtic music from 2-5pm. Most of you know that Sean and I are pretty much obsessed with anything Celtic, and especially love the music, so this was right up our alley.

It is a really fun restaurant and the music was awesome. All three (maybe four, I don't know) of us had a great time and look forward to going back again in the future.

Melt My Heart

As I mentioned in my previous blog post, Declan's development is currently soaring. I won't go into all the details because I did that already, but I thought I would highlight some of the truly amazing and adorable things that we are experiencing.

He has started to say "Bless you" after we sneeze, and "Thank you" when we say "Bless you" to him.

He comes up to me (no matter when or what I am doing) and says "Baby",  lifts up my shirt, rubs my belly and gives it a kiss.

He has started saying "I love you" after we say it to him. Last night before bed he even said "I love you, Dada."

Last Saturday we took him to get his very first professional big boy hair cut. He was a champ. He just sat there so still, looking all proud of himself.

He is currently enamored with airplanes and tractors. He talks about them all day long.

He wakes up so happy in the morning and I just lay in bed for a while, listening to his sweet voice jabbering away. I usually have no idea what he's talking about.


He is definitely testing limits and boundaries at the drop of a hat, it seems, but when all is said and done, he melts my heart daily.

At The Nest with Vanessa

So serious

 At the Medford Airport 

Playing at Kid Time

Watching the tractors working

His (current) favorite book and toy

Almost 18 Months

I've been noticing over the past few months that Declan has grown leaps and bounds. His personality, vocabulary, fine & gross motor skills, eating habits, sleeping, comprehension, independence, tenacity, stubbornness, and sweet demeanor has all bubbled to the surface and is making him into this amazing little person.
As parents, we can find something to love (and not love) about every stage of our child's life, but I just feel that this stage we are in (he'll be 18 months in a week) is the best so far. He has been making us laugh at his stilly antics, swell with pride when he learns new words and phrases, watch in admiration as he determinedly tries and succeeds at a task, and sometimes, become consumed with frustration when he is stubbornly disobeying.
All of this to say, it's been a really fun, often challenging time of life and I find that I love him more and more each day that we are blessed to be his parents.

He asked to wear a hat on one of our walks last week

Playing in the snow on our day trip to Klamath Falls

Helping Mama dust

Truth

This is part of a blog post from a woman, whom I do not know, who just lost her eight year old daughter to cancer. It is beautifully poetic and thought provoking. It is the truth.
My prayer is that I remember these words of wisdom always, especially when life seems difficult. May they resonate with you as much as they have with me.

"My final request to all who read this blog: love. Love your babies, your husbands, mothers, sisters. Love each day like it’s your last. All you mamas out there, you have been entrusted with the precious gift of a human life who depends on you. Enjoy your gift. Breathe in the scent of your child’s hair, breath. Let them cook with you and make a mess of the kitchen. Play hide and seek with them, build sand castles with them, take them on picnics, read to them! Listen to them, value and respect them, never shame them. Your words they will carry with them their whole life and you have the power to give them wings or stunt their growth. Motherhood can be tough but it’s worth it. It can be exhausting, boring, tedious, but never for long. You blink and they’re grown. It has been my honor and privilege to love Daisy these last 8 years. I’m thankful for every minute; the joyful and the terrible alike."

Cookies, hearts, kisses, gifts & more!

Valentine's Day was a busy and fun celebration in the Connolly family this year. 

Our friend Mandy invited us (and other friends) over to her house in the morning for a cookie decorating party. While Declan is still to young to understand what the purpose of the gathering was, I know he enjoyed the activities, and of course, playing with his friends. 

Later that afternoon, Sean graciously took an hour off of work so that I could go see the chiropractor at Trillium (where I will be delivering baby #2). This particular chiropractor specializes in Network Spinal Analysis, or NAS, which is an amazing type of chiropractic care. I felt so relaxed and restored and can not wait for my next appointment.

And in the evening after Sean came home, Declan opened a package from his Nonna & Poppa, and we gave Dada the cookies we had made for him. Then Sean and I exchanged our gifts to each other. I gave him a homemade card and a gift card to Great Harvest (he treats himself there once a week). And I received ring. Not a brand new one, but that's okay because this is even better. 

For many years now I have been holding onto the wedding ring that was my mom's when she and my dad were married. I would have liked to wear it, but after taking it to jeweler, we found out that the diamond was dangerously loose in the setting and would fall out at any moment. So, my darling husband, took it out of my jewelry box without me knowing, and had the diamond reset and the whole ring cleaned. Now I can wear it an not be afraid of losing the diamond.

Decorating cookies

Emily & Dean

Cole & Sara

Kisses for Dada

Gifts!

My ring

Kisses from Mama

Getting Ready for Baby

I decided it would be a good idea to start getting ready now for our second baby's arrival (in May). That could seem a little extreme to some, but it makes a lot of sense to me and the way I function. Thankfully, Sean is totally on board and can appreciate the benefit of being prepared, even if he wouldn't initiate it himself. We all know how fast time can go by, and I didn't want to turn around, have it be a month before the baby's due and not have anything ready for him/her. Especially because there are several projects we know need to get done anyway and have just been putting off. Now we have motivation.

A couple weeks ago we tackled the downstairs bedroom closet. It's a guest room and therefore the closet is not accessed frequently, and hasn't really been organized since we moved in over a year ago. It ended up being a fairly quick and easy project and it feels so good to have that out of the way. This weekend we deep cleaned the upstairs bathroom (yuck), as well as purchased a shelving unit for our room that will house the new baby's clothing, burp cloths, etc. We still have several things to accomplish (organizing the garage, painting walls, replacing carpet, washing and putting away baby clothes) but I know with this plan of action, it will all get done in plenty of time.

It's really exciting getting these projects checked off our list, knowing that when we are finished with everything all we have to do is wait expectantly for our new little one to enter the world.

Preparing for Potty Training

We have yet to decide when to start potty training Declan. I know he's only 16 months old and I know that most children (especially boys) aren't ready until they are closer to two, but I've been thinking about it a lot lately and wanting to prepare ourselves as best as possible.

My first thought is to wait until after Baby #2 comes because we will be spending lots of time at home recuperating and adjusting so it will give us the time to focus on training him. Sean will be home for two weeks and then my mom will be here for the two after that, so I will have lots of help. I don't want to start training before the baby comes, have Declan do really well, and then regress because of the life changing event of a new baby entering our world. But then I think about how advanced he is in so many areas and that he may have the ability to catch on really quickly and that it will stick. He is already telling us when he has poo poo and sometimes he'll even say "Poo poo" but has none, then a few minutes later he does. So it's as if he knows when he has to go.

We haven't done any reading or research on the subject, so we are total novices at this whole area. And before we dive into the land of the unknown, I thought I would see what advice and suggestions we could get from friends and family. So, feel free to comment or send me a personal email/message with anything you feel might be helpful! Thank you!

The New Year

I don't know about you, but for me there is always a period of time after the holiday season where I feel sad, blue, and at a loss of direction and purpose in life. From the beginning of Fall to the end of December is my absolute favorite time of year, and there is always something to do, so my days are full of fun and pleasure. But then January hits and I'm like "What is the meaning of life?!?!" (That's an exaggeration of course). I miss the hustle and bustle that the last three months provided and feel let down that there isn't much to do in the early months of the year. There aren't any holidays to look forward too, the weather is usually really crummy (especially in Southern Oregon) so you can't play outside much, and you're just kind of waiting for Spring to come.

That being said, I have determined to make the best of these few months of typical drabness and enjoy the wonderful things life has to offer. To look for the excitement and thrill that comes with living this life God has blessed me with, especially life lived with at toddler!

Some of the activities we've been up to have included:
-A date with my husband which included lunch and seeing 'Les Miserables'
-Taking walks with Declan (weather permitting of course) to the nearby playground
-Enjoying my expanding baby bump and my silly, delightful boy
-Taking trips to Kid Time, a children's indoor discovery museum
-Playdates/Dinners with friends
-Introducing Declan to coloring (he LOVES it)
-We also have lots of projects to accomplish around the house before the new baby comes so that will keep us very busy and productive

Sean and I before our date

We can see the playground from our house

23 week baby bump and 16 month old boy

Train Table at Kid Time

Toddler Room at Kid Time

Water Area at Kid Time

I wonder where Declan could be?

  

My Break from Facebook

Taking a break from something is always a good thing. The word break, defined at dictionary.com, is to become detached, separated or disassociated, and by taking a break we are able to relax, reflect and rejuvenate.
Over the last six months, maybe even longer, I was slowly becoming more and more disenchanted with facebook. I won't go into details except to say that I found that it was becoming something that I didn't like nor did I want a part of my life. So, my solution was to take a break. To become detached from the land of social media.
It helped that I took said break right around Christmas time, so I was busy with traveling, visiting family and nursing Declan and I back to health after getting colds, and therefore was not aware of what I could possibly be missing out on.
It felt good to be away from facebook for a while. I had more time in my day and was not feeling the things I had been feeling prior to the break. When I did eventually return, I deleted approximately 200 "friends" and hid several others. I decided to delete people that were not family, and that I didn't feel I had a lasting, close, personal relationship with. If I wouldn't know them and start up a conversation with them if I ran into them in the grocery store, they got deleted. It was so refreshing, and now it is a place that I enjoy visiting, no longer getting annoyed by what I read/see on there.

I encourage you to take a break from something that may not feel is right in your life. Separate yourself from whatever it is, for however long of a time you see fit, and take that time to reflect. You will learn a lot!

The End of the Christmas Season

On Saturday morning December 22nd, Sean and I exchanged our gifts to each other, and gave Declan a couple to open as well, before heading down to CA to spend time with my family.

We had a wonderful, full week complete with visting ALL of my family, taking walks by the creek near my mom's house and lots of playing with Declan's cousins. We even ventured out to Chuck E Cheeses one evening wich Declan thought was amazing!

I am happy to be home and getting back into our normal routine of life. Christmas is always such a happy and joyous time of the year. Especially the anticipation and festivities leading up to the day and I miss it when it's over. But, we have a busy four months ahead of us to prepare and await the arrival of our new bundle of love.