Farewell 2009

Today is the last day of 2009 and I'm feeling all nostalgic. It's been a crazy year for our family, one for the record books to be sure. Here's a look back at some of the biggest events of '09.

January-I found out I was pregnant just one week into the new year. It was a bit of a surprise since we had planned on a late fall/winter baby. Four days later I ran my second marathon at Walt Disney World. We spent the week after the race vacationing in Florida. Also in January Anastasia lost her first tooth!

February-Ainsley turned three and we celebrated with a family party. Our beloved beta fish Dorothy died an was buried in the back yard on a cold February night. I think the cat misses her most of all. We heard the Allie's heartbeat for the first time. I threw a baby shower for my sister-in-law who was expecting a girl. After her shower I felt comfortable sharing our expecting news. In late February I left my job at WBIR after seven years and accepted a new position at a local hospital in their marketing department.

March-I started my new job at the hospital. The girls hunted Easter eggs and we welcomed spring with a trip to the zoo. Anastasia started soccer again and I coached (I use the term "coach" loosely. I ran the Knoxville Marathon 5K towards the end of the month.

April-We celebrated Easter in a tornado ravaged Murfreesboro with Chris, Anna, Nana and Granddad. We found out we were expecting another GIRL! Soccer continued in earnest as the weather improved.

May-We wrapped up soccer and registered Anastasia for kindergarten. She had a preschool "graduation" too. Memorial Day weekend brought an unexpected trip to Florida for the birth of our niece Isabelle Grace. It was a whirlwind, but it was a blast!

June-We welcomed summer with our pool on the back porch and trips to the fountains downtown. Anastasia and Ainsley spent a whole week with Nana and Granddad and Anastasia went to day camp at Buffalo Mountain Camp.

July-We celebrated Independence Day in Jonesborough and watched the fireworks in the front yard. Jamie and I celebrated 8 years of marriage. We also traveled to Camp Lookout for the Maynard reunion weekend.

August-Anastasia started Kindergarten. I produced the Friends of the Smokies telethon. My friends at work threw Allie a baby shower. My family drove in to surprise me for my 29th birthday.

September-Allie arrived on the 10th and we became a party of 5. Ainsley stopped going to school and stayed home with Allie and I. Anastasia started soccer again and had a real coach this time.

October-More soccer, the Storytelling Festival, field trip to the pumpkin patch, and trick-or-treating at the zoo. Halloween at home in the pouring rain!

November-Anastasia turned 6 and we celebrated with a gymnastics party. I ran in my first 5K since having Allie. Allie was baptized just a few days after Thanksgiving which we spent at home as a family of five. It was low-key and perfect!

December-We spent a lot of December traveling to be with family. Jamie earned his yellow belt in tae kwon do. Allie played baby Jesus at the Walk Through Bethlehem at our church. Ainsley was a stable girl while I was Mary! We got to see the first real snow of our girls' lives when 6+ inches fell at Nana and Granddaddy's the weekend before Christmas. We spent Christmas at home and then drove to Chattanooga the day after to celebrate more. Now we're wrapping up '09 and looking forward to the next 12 months!

Back to the Salt Mines

Hi ho, hi ho...it's off to work I go.

Tomorrow I head back to work for the first time in...well, in a really long time. Allie was born on September 10 so my last day at work was the ninth. It's been a really wonderful maternity leave although it has gone by at warp speed. Life with three kids is incredible, but also incredibly busy. Combine that with the craziest time of the year and you have a blur of celebrations, soccer games and holidays. I've truly enjoyed it all and am very sad it's coming to a close.

This transition back to work always dredges up feelings that are better left alone. People say lovely (read: very hurtful) things like, "If you were willing to make sacrifices like giving up cable television, you'd be able to stay home with your kids." "If I had a baby that cute, I'd never be able to leave her." *Sigh* (Yes, both of those things have actually been said to me.) We don't have cable TV and haven't in more than two years, but that's beside the point. Giving up my salary isn't possible. It's not as simple as cutting out luxuries. It comes down to things like insurance, house payments, and student loan debt. This is the parenting hand I've been dealt and I've got to play it to the best of my ability. In the words of the great Kenny Rogers, "You gotta know when to hold 'em, know when fold 'em. Know when to walk away, know when to run."

Tomorrow will be the longest I've been away from Allie. Fortunately she'll be with her dad and sisters so no sweat there. She probably won't even notice I'm gone. Okay, who am I kidding? We've been joined at the hip (or breast I suppose) since her birth of COURSE she's going to notice my absence. She'll start at daycare on Monday. They are wonderful, loving ladies who treat the kids like their own. Daycare is pretty close to my office so I know I can pop in and see her when I want to. It will be a rough transition, but we'll make it. We always do. It's not going to be easy or fun, but I've got to rip that band-aid off and get moving. I'm grateful for an understanding and accommodating employer who has given me this time. It has meant a lot to our family and I am truly appreciative that I've had these months at home.

How Cute is my baby?

Seriously? Could she be any cuter? I never get tired of looking at her. She's just plain 'ol adorable!

Look how blue those eyes are! Gosh I'm going to miss being with her all day. Good thing I know those beautiful blue eyes and gummy grin will be waiting for me each afternoon.

Shop Local

I decided to spend some of my Christmas money on winter running pants. I've never had a good pair, so I figured it was time. I came to this conclusion on Sunday while running in a VERY icy headwind. I thought to myself "Self, you need some running pants!" Yesterday while the girls and I were out I hit my favorite running store. It's locally owned and as far as I'm concerned it's the only way to go. They know me by name and they're runners. They "get" me. They understand why I would buy a product called Gu. They understand words like pronation and stride and why those apply to my purchasing shoes. They also understand why I would want to spend $200 on shoes that are solely for running. Thanks again to my Runner's Market pals. You make me a better runner!

Manic Monday

I go back to work this week, so my days of running errands during the day are quickly coming to a close. Today the girls and I loaded up and headed out for some serious shopping. Anastasia had gotten a $3 gift card from Toys R Us for being a member of their birthday club and we've been so busy with the holidays we hadn't given her the time to spend it. We started there on our errand-a-pa-looza. Here's a list of everywhere we went:

• Toys R Us (add a snoring, slurping, cuddling panda bear to our party)
• Chick-Fil-A at the Food Court for lunch (add two helium balloons to our party)
• Bath and Body Works
• Sephora (Heavenly! The girls were amazed that there is a store that sells just lip gloss, nail polish, and perfume.)
• Hallmark
• Disney Store
• Victoria's Secret
• Kids Play Area in the mall
• Godiva
• Cookie Company at the Food Court for a snack (That's right...I gave my children sugar while trying to shop and run errands!)
• Runner's Market on the way home

My friend Sarah came by the mall and met us for snack time. It was good to see her and the girls were SO excited to have her there. They kept saying "How did she know we were here?" It was a wonderful Monday and a great way to spend the day with my girls. They were incredibly well-behaved the entire time. Some people called me SuperMom for attempting today's adventure.....while others called me SuperInsane. Either way, it was a blast!

Christmas 2009: Pt 1,359

We are incredibly blessed to have so much of our family close by. Fortunately we've been able to celebrate this holiday season with so many of them. Today we packed up and drove to Chattanooga for the day. My aunt and uncle were gracious enough to host EVERYONE (again), including folks not even related to them. It was very helpful that everyone came to one place. Having an infant makes travel difficult since we're always working around feedings and naps. I was very appreciative that everyone was willing to gather today. It made life so much easier. We arrived just in time for lunch. It was, as always, a delicious assortment of the best foods my family has to offer. We ate and then opened presents. The rest of the afternoon was spent visiting and taking pictures. Have you have ever seen a movie star come out of a restaurant and be surrounded by cameras? Those photo hounds have nothing on our family. Cameras at our gatherings are as ubiquitous as trees in the forest. It was a fun afternoon that went by too fast much like all of Christmas 2009. Tomorrow we'll start digging out from under the holiday debris and set our sights on the new year.

Merry Christmas!

It's been a great Christmas morning. The girls slept until about 7:30 a.m. Well, Allie was up at 4, but I told her it was far too early for presents. Last night we went to church at 7:30 p.m. There was a special service for families. It included a "Blessing of the Babies" for all babies born since last Christmas. It was such a special way to celebrate Christmas. The service was beautiful, although a bit terrifying. At the close, everyone shared the light of Christ to illuminate our dark sanctuary. And by everyone I mean everyone. All the kids in every pew--including mine. My prayer life picked up as soon as that flame hit Ainsley's candle. She accepted the light from Pastor Sarah and then she shared it with me. In turn I passed the flame to Anastasia. We held our candles through two verses of Silent Night, the benediction, and one verse of Go Tell It on the Mountain. I could barely remember the words to the hymns as all I could think was, "Please Lord don't let Ainsley set fire to the woman in front of us. Please Lord don't let Anastasia set fire to her dress. Please Lord don't let the kid behind me set fire to my hair." We managed to leave the church standing and went home for one more story and bedtime.

The girls seem so excited about their gifts this morning. Santa was even able to deliver on the much-hyped, but difficult to locate hamster toy. Santa brought me PhotoShop for my computer. I can't wait to crack it open and get started. We have nothing on the agenda for the day. We're all still in our pajamas and most likely will be when bedtime rolls around. Life is good.

Christmas Eve is here

Christmas Eve is here. We've been busy making cookies and tracking Santa. After dinner it's off to church and then home to get ready for bed.

Sorry....we didn't save you any cookies.

Snowy Farewell

So we packed up and headed home today. We left our snowy, winter wonderland behind for the greener pastures of home. There was still so much snow on the ground when we left! The girls traveled well and even helped me unload the car when we got home. Hopefully they'll sleep well tonight. We've got a busy Christmas Eve ahead. The pictures are just some fun shots I got this week. I still can't believe we got all that snow!

Putty in my hands

Today our adult to child ratio dropped from 5:3 to 3:3. Three days before Christmas I assure you this is a recipe for disaster. I was up with the girls and taking care of their breakfast. As I was clearing their bowls and cups off the table I noticed Ainsley was messing with her nightgown. She was doing it on the sly so I assumed she spilled milk and was trying to clean it up undetected. Unfortunately it wasn't milk. It was silly putty stuck to her beautiful flannel Christmas nightgown.

Granddaddy and I worked on it for a while and were able to get the majority of it out. I sure hope this doesn't land her on the naughty list!

Where does our food come from?

As I approach 30 I have found myself getting to be more and more of a tree-hugging hippie. I use reusable shopping bags which some people equate to living in a nudist colony or making my own clothes from homespun wool. I get eye rolls and weird looks each time I bring them out from under my cart. Some people nod and say "Yeah, I've got a ton of those in my car, but I never remember to bring them in." I must say it took a while to get in the habit of using them but now they are just part of my shopping experience.

Recently Ainsley and I made a trip to the library. It was half a desperate attempt to stave off cabin fever and half a trip to find some new books. Not that we are hurting in the book department.....no way no how.....just look at some of our bookcases.....

Bulging bookcases notwithstanding, Ainsley emerged with about 10 kids books while I managed to check out one. I had gone in search of Barbara Kingsolver's newest novel, but came out with one of her non-fiction works instead- Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. It's a fascinating read about their family's attempt to eat only food grown and produced in their immediate area. It has inspired me on many levels and I have a feeling my family is going to regret me reading it. The book is going to lead to new recipes, new vegetables, and trips to the Farmer's Market. I'm only about half-way through with the book but it has been an eye-opening experience. So look out Lamar family, 2010 begins a new year and a new decade. It also will begin a new era of food in our house. We will get to know the farmers in our area and feast on their bounty. I am resolving to eat closer to home to support our local growers and reduce our carbon footprint by eating foods that haven't traveled thousands of miles to get to our table. I don't think it will happen overnight and I can assure you that our entire sustenance won't come from within our county lines, but it's a start. Just like it took a while for those reusable bags to become habit, this too will take time. I just think it is really worth the effort.

Digging Out

Today we ventured out for the first time since the snow arrived. It took a while to get out from under it, but we prevailed and were able to run some errands. After lunch some of us went for a walk through town. It was cold and blustery, but well worth the trip! Here is one of my favorite pictures from this afternoon.

Snow: Part 3

Today was a third day of playing in the snow. Our sled run was nice and fast thanks to freezing temps overnight and an additional 1/2 inch of snow that had fallen. I decided to help "catch" Ainsley on one of her trips down the hill. She smacked into me like a ton of bricks. It felt like she ripped my shoulder out of socket. Jamie was a casualty of sledding as well after he bumped into a concrete wall down near the street.

We repaired our snowmen that had melted a bit and then the girls opted for a snowball fight. They were cold and soaked from all the snow, but they didn't seem to notice. We finally dragged them inside for lunch.

I imagine the snow will be gone tomorrow, but it sure was nice while it lasted. The perfect addition to our Christmas weekend with Nana and Granddad.

Winter Wonderland

We woke up to about 6 inches of snow. It is simply beautiful. We opened our presents this morning and then all got dressed for some time out in the snow. We did some serious sledding and built the biggest snowman I've ever seen! We're heading back out for more sledding after some of the grow-ups get a nap. The kids aren't worn out, but us old folks sure are.

SNOW! SNOW! SNOW!

So today my kids got to sled for the first time. It made my Christmas. Heck, it made my YEAR. I can't wait for them to get back out there tomorrow and try it again. It's supposed to snow all night long. The snow is still coming down.....we don't have to dream of a white Christmas...we've got one! Best. Christmas. Ever.

Sweet Dreams Baby

Allie slept ALL night last night! I woke up at 5:40 a.m. and thought, "WOW! I feel so rested." I tiptoed in to check on her. She had kicked her covers off, but she was sound asleep. She slept until about 6:45 a.m. (We put her down at 9:30 last night.) We've been using the same sleep system that we did with Anastasia and Ainsley. I've always been pleased with the results.

When I was in college I took a child development class for an elective. One of the authors we studied was T. Berry Brazelton. Fast forward to late 2003. Anastasia had just been born and I was picking up some things at Babies R Us. I saw a book on Sleep by Brazelton. I bought it and we immediately began putting it to use. Sleep is a controversial topic in the world of parenting, but I think when it comes down to it, you have to do what you think is best. This method has really worked well for our family. We've used it for all three kids. I'm happy to see it is helping Allie (and the rest of us!) get the sleep and rest we need.

Guilty Web Pleasures

Wireless internet has changed my life. Seriously. It's the best invention since the internet itself. I've spent a heck of a lot of time sitting on the couch feeding a certain hungry baby in the last 3 months. Wireless internet has kept me sane and entertained, especially at 2 a.m.

Some of my favorite sites are predictable: Runner's World, Facebook, and various news sites to keep me in the know and an informed citizen of my planet. You know, news sites like People. Then there are my guilty pleasures. The sites that have no educational value. They are the trashy magazines of the internet. My newest and most guilty pleasure is People of Wal-Mart. It's a hysterical commentary on our society. And it makes me want to always wear makeup and fix my hair before I set out on a shopping trip.

I also love Cake Wrecks. Just plain fun!! All of these sites are blocked at work so I better get my fill while I can. So what about you? Any fun sites I should know about?

Life is Just a Bowl of Oranges

I know life is supposed to be a bowl of cherries, but the way I see it, life is a bowl of oranges. They're sitting on my counter right now, juicy and ready to be eaten. They're a bowl full of sunshine on a very gloomy day. Ainsley and I have been eating them left and right. Half because we love the way they taste and half because we're hoping to avoid illness. I really like the way they look all together in the bowl. Kind of makes me want to paint, but then I remember I'm not an artist. I'll just stick to eating them.

Oatmeal Carmelitas

Back when I worked for Style we did a live holiday show every year. It was always on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving at Fantasy of Trees. It included a tour of the event as well as Christmas carols and recipes for the holiday season. A few years back one of our guests shared a recipe for Oatmeal Carmelitas. I made them that December and immediately fell in love. They are delicious and combine two of my favorite ingredients: caramel and chocolate. I made a batch last week and am embarrassed to say we ate the entire 13x9 pan in about three days. I have the ingredients for one more pan and I think I'll save those for New Year's Eve. Here is the recipe. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Carmelitas

Crust

2 cups plain flour

2 cups quick-cooking rolled oats

1 1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 tsp. soda

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/4 cup butter, softened (that's right....two and a half sticks!!!!!)

Filling

1 cup caramel ice cream topping

3 tbsp. flour

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup nuts, chopped

Heat over to 350 degrees. Grease 13x9 pan. In a large bowl, blend all crust ingredients at a low speed until crumbly. Press half of the crumb mixture (about three cups) in bottom of greased pan. Reserve remaining crumb mixture for topping. Bake for 10 minutes.

In small bowl combine caramel topping and 3 tbsp. flour, set aside. Sprinkle warm crust with chocolate chips and nuts. Drizzle evenly with caramel mixture. Sprinkle with reserved crumble topping. Return to ove and bake for an additional 18-22 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, refrigerate 1-2 hours until filling is set. Cut into bars.

Walk Through Bethlehem

Today our church held its thirteenth annual Walk Through Bethlehem. It's an event that turns the bottom floor of our building into the streets of Bethlehem complete with truckloads of sawdust on the floor. Animals wander through the stalls filled with artisans creating their crafts just as they would have more than two thousand years ago. Last year we took the girls to see WTB, but this year we were a little more intimately acquainted with the event.

Back in early March when news of my pregnancy spread people had various reactions. Most people said "Congratulations!" The director of our church's children's ministry had a response I wasn't expecting. "Oh good," she said without hesitation. "Now we have our baby Jesus." She may not be a prophet, but she foretold our participation in the Christmas story all the same. It was all set, Jamie and I were to be Mary and Joseph respectively and the girls would get to be "stable girls."

This morning dawned rainy (the first time in 13 years it has rained for the event) and unfortunately for our house, it also dawned under a cloud of sickness. Anastasia spiked a fever and was diagnosed with strep for the second time in three week. She was immediately concerned not with her own absence from the manger scene, but with her dad's. She knew Joseph was kind of central to the whole thing. A manger scene without Joseph would be a bit like the ark without Noah. I assured her Mrs. Sue had it under control.

So in the end it ended up being just Ainsley, Allie, and I. Ainsley quickly grew tired of her stable girl role and ended up in the nursery playing with some of the other kids. A Joseph was located and we were in our places by the time 1 p.m. rolled around. Mrs. Sue said a brief prayer and we all sang "O Little Town of Bethlehem" before the first visitors arrived. I was quite unprepared for everyone's reactions to Allie. All of them knew that a glimpse of Baby Jesus was the purpose of their visit, but when they came around the corner and saw an actual baby....well they didn't know what to do.

Some people argued as to whether it was an actual baby or just a doll. Some argued as to whether the baby was a boy or girl. Some people smiled, some got teary, others took pictures with their cameras and cell phones. I myself got emotional when three wise men arrived from the east. Their speech and gifts were incredibly moving as they must have been on that night long ago. There I sat this afternoon, surrounded by hay and next to a husband I barely knew. The parallels to Mary's story were not lost on me. Allie fell asleep and slept for about 45 minutes in the manger. I may be biased, but it was a beautiful scene. She was swaddled in those white blankets and sleeping so very peacefully. One of those scenes that no doubt inspired "Away in a Manger."

The nap didn't last long and Allie woke up, turning fussy in a spilt second. I escaped for a bit to calm her down and then we returned to our post. I was so hoping we could stay longer, but Allie only made it for another hour or so after her break. It was such a wonderful experience for me and one I can't wait to tell Allie about when she gets older. I will tell her about the day she touched hundreds of people with her place in the manger. The day she reminded them about a tiny baby who came to save us all.

"You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."--Luke 2:12

Party Time!

In these economic times, I've learned to take nothing for granted, not even holiday parties. Today we were fortunate enough to attend the children's Christmas party thrown by Jamie's company. It's quite a shindig with a large breakfast, photos with Santa, goody bags, and of course a movie on the big screen. It starts pretty early but we managed to get everyone up and out the door on time. It was such a fun event. This year had added perks like face painting and plenty of Chik-Fil-A chicken biscuits. Allie and I left after breakfast, but Jamie and the girls stayed for the movie. I'm so grateful he works for a company that put the effort into this party. The girls loved it and it was a nice memory for us to create together. The adult party is tonight, but Jamie is going solo since we don't have a sitter this year. Hopefully he'll walk away with one of the big cash prizes!

Girls Night Out

Last night the girls and I hit the town for a dinner out. I gave them the pleasure of picking our restaurant and braced myself for McDonald's. They chose Texas Roadhouse. It's the ultimate kid restaurant as far as they are concerned. Buckets full of peanuts as far as the eye can see AND you get to dump stuff on the floor. Really, who could ask for more? They were so well-behaved throughout dinner and ate their weight in peanuts. As we were getting ready to go a server brought over a gift card to our table and said "Someone wanted to give you this." It was such a nice Christmas surprise.



After dinner we drove around and looked at Christmas lights. It's so funny that even the smallest of displays can elicit a "Wow!" from the back seat. It was a nice reminder that sometimes less is more and the important things of this season are not found under a tree or wrapped in shiny paper. Sometimes they can be found on a drive around your community or at the hands of strangers.

From a Pinto to a Cadillac

When Anastasia was born, I knew I'd give breast feeding a try. I figured we would do it for the length of my maternity leave and then we'd switch to formula. But her pediatrician said something at one of her early check-ups that got me to thinking. "If you were a smoker, your employer would give you time to smoke. Pumping is no different." So I bought a pump on Ebay and started a freezer stash. The pump I bought was an Avent Isis. It served me well and I was able to breast feed Anastasia until she was 13 months old. I used the same pump for Ainsley although I had to replace a few of the valves along the way. We made it to 13 months with Ainsley as well.

Pumping is a pain in the rear. I did it because it was best for the girls and it helped me assuage the guilt of being a working mom. I pumped mostly in a co-worker's office, but over the course of two years I pumped in the back of news cars, in bathrooms, in a national park restroom!, in my car, and in the studio dressing room. I had hundreds of bags of milk in our freezer to make sure I could meet my breast feeding goal. I remember laying in bed one night when the power went out and praying that God would turn my electricity back on. After all, my freezer represented hours of pumping and I would've freaked out to lose it. Pumping was a lot of hard work, but well worth it in the end.

Now I'm preparing to return to work and it became obvious that my little 'ol manual pump just ain't going to cut it this time. Earlier this week I met with the hospital's lactation consultant and she told me decreased supply is common the third time around. We discussed my options and agreed that an electric pump was the way to go. I bought a Medela Pump in Style. The name alone should tell you something. I have moved up in the pumping world. I've gone from a measly Pinto to a Cadillac. A Cadillac with satellite radio, a moonroof, and heated seats. The staff at the birthing center were laughing about my upgrade. One on the doctors said, "You'll be able to pump for 17 years with that thing." I certainly don't need to make it that long, just until Allie's birthday. Now if I can just figure out how to use it.....

Ainsley told her Granddad about mom's new "faster pumper." She explained it with hand gestures and a squeaky, squeaky noise. It's nice that my kids can keep me humble.

Allie at three months

Three months ago at this moment I was preparing to deliver Allison. The three months have passed so quickly. She's only getting up once at night now. She laughs, she smiles, and is the happiest baby I've ever seen. She weighs 11 and a half pounds and is wearing size 2 diapers. She also has started wearing 3-6 month clothes. She's happiest when someone is talking to her. She loves her playmat and her Bumbo chair. She gets so excited when she smiles (hence the blurry photo!). We had her three month pictures made this morning and they turned out so well. She wore her baptism dress and bonnet. She's about to have her acting debut. Allie will play baby Jesus in this weekend's "Walk Through Bethlehem" at church!

The Windblown Look

The wind is crazy here today! I was on the phone with Anna when all of a sudden the playhouse moved across the deck. It blew the roof into the front yard and took a deck chair with it! The trash can I had weighed down with a large stone blew over and I found the stone out in the yard as well. So far my Christmas garlands are still hanging, but we'll see if they survive the afternoon!

Already running behind

I'm running the Knoxville 1/2 Marathon at the end of March. I realized I needed to start mapping out my training plan. I logged on to the marathon site to check out the program they suggest. It started weeks ago! I've sort of always made up my own training program so I guess this is no different.

My last half-marathon was at Chickamauga as I prepared for the Disney race. I ran a personal best.

I'm under no delusions that a PR is on my horizon in March. The goal is to finish and get back into long distances. Since my overall goal is to go Goofy in 2011, this is the first step towards that finish line. In the meantime, I will enjoy training for Knoxville and crossing that 50 yard line at Neyland Stadium. Get the Jumbotron ready, I'm ready to run.

2010 Here We Come!

That's right, 2010 is staring us in the face. I stopped by the office recently to pick up my calendar for next year. My "boxes" are already starting to fill up with doctor's appointments, birthdays, and even a vacation! 2009 has been a pretty amazing year so to 2010 I say "Bring it on!"

Christmas 2009: Pt. 1

We here in the Lamar house like to make the holiday season last. None of this "only celebrating on the December 25" kind of thing. No way. We like to make it a month-long affair. First up on our dance card: Christmas with Gran and Pop. This year's celebration was made even more special by the fact that Ryann, Scott, and Isabelle were able to make the trip up from Florida to join us. After Friday's rocky start (see previous post!) the weekend smoothed out and went very well. Saturday morning we all had a big breakfast and then opened gifts. The girls got some wonderful things and have been playing with them ever since. After the gifts the babies took naps and the older kids watched one of their new movies. It was a nice relaxed day where we were able to just enjoy each other's company. After dinner we even managed to get a picture of EVERYONE. That feat in and of itself was enough to make the entire weekend a success.

The girls had so much fun being with Isabelle. She and Allie talked up a storm and shared toys. It's hard to believe that the next time we see Isabelle she'll be walking and Allie will be crawling! It was difficult to leave everyone and come back home, but I know we'll all be glad to be in our own beds tonight. I don't sleep very well (read: at all) when we're all in the same room so I'm looking forward to my own bed tonight. We had a good trip home and only had to stop once. The girls have been playing with their Christmas loot and trying to wind down for the night. It was such a fun weekend and the perfect way to get our holiday season off and running!

Attention Wal-Mart Shoppers

We made it to Gran and Pop's after a very long 5 and a half hour trip. It required four stops and two feedings. We arrived and were trying to get Allie's bed set up when we noticed my entire suitcase was missing as well as one of Allie's. Yup, my entire weekend wardrobe was packed up neatly and is sitting on our bed at home. Half of Allie's monitor, her wipees, and her blankets were left behind as well.

I inhaled my dinner and set off for Wal-Mart. After 30 minutes and $40.86 I was the proud owner of a new toothbrush, 4 pairs of panties, 3 pairs of socks, PJs, wipees, and a new sweater. Of course the panties are way too big and I'm going to have to return them later today. The PJs are really ugly, but they were on clearance so I went for it. In a twist of irony the shirt say "Please Don't Forget Me Santa." Maybe he'd do better at remembering my luggage.

Easy Fudge

I am not a baker. I am not a cook. I can boil water, make toast, etc. But overall, food is not my thing. I love to eat food of course, but preparing it isn't my forte. I've tried to learn as much as I can from the Food Network and the wonderful cooks in my family, but as someone who cheats and uses canned chicken in my mom's chicken casserole recipe, I clearly have fallen short.

One of my favorite recipes this time of year is beyond easy. I honestly think a kitchen monkey could handle it (although with all that poo flinging, perhaps a kitchen monkey isn't the best choice for culinary preparation). The ingredients are simple: one can of frosting and one bag of morsels. The combinations are endless. Peanut butter and chocolate, white chocolate and vanilla frosting, I could go on and on. You can add fun toppings like pecans and crushed peppermint.

You put the frosting and the morsels in a saucepan and heat them over low heat until melted. Then pour them in a 8x8 pan lined with wax paper. Let it set for a few hours and BAM! You've got easy fudge. (Thanks to Mandy for sharing this simple and delicious recipe with me a few years ago.) I'm making several variations this holiday season to use for gifts.

Picture Perfect

I've had my amazing camera since Mother's Day when Jamie surprised me with a Canon Rebel. I will be perfectly honest and say I've been a little busy since then and have pretty much relied on the camera to take the pictures. I'm getting a jump on my New Year's Resolution and am reading my camera manual. Who knew these things came with instructions!?!? I'm learning fun words like aperture, exposure, and shutter speed. I have a long way to go, but I had fun experimenting this afternoon. Today's lesson was aperture.

This first picture was taken with a low aperture. See how the background is blurry? I meant for that to happen.

This second picture was taken with a much larger aperture. Notice how now you can see the gifts in full focus. Pretty cool huh?

My pictures are going to be CRAZY good once I learn all of this. Heck, I even figured out the self-timer today. I think it will come in handy this weekend when we shoot a portrait of the Lamar family.

On the First Day of Christmas

So technically it isn't the first day of Christmas, but it is the first day of December. Tomorrow is supposed to be a washout (translation: trapped inside ALL day) so I figured Ainsley and I better get out while the getting was good. We set out after Allie's feeding and hit Kohl's first. They already had their bows and paper marked down so I stocked up for next year. She was very well-behaved and earned a trip to the pet store. She perused the fish, birds, reptiles, rodents, and cats. She was disappointed that there were no dogs, but fortunately on the way out we spotted a dog in the grooming center so that satisfied her curiosity.

We hit the mall next. A visit with Santa was first on our agenda. The camera was broken, but we weren't getting a picture anyway. That moved us to the front of the line where Ainsley enjoyed an unencumbered chat with the Jolly Old Elf himself while his rather angry minions scrambled to work on the camera. (Lighten up folks!) She rattled off her list and grabbed her candy cane. This was one of the best Santas I had seen in a long time. His beard was the real deal and his suit was incredible! Allie needed to eat again so we staked out a spot in the play area. I always bring my Nursing Cover with me when I go out so breast feeding away from home is a breeze. It was originally called a "Hooter Hider" but they've changed to a more demure name these days. After Allie ate we hit a few more stores, had a huge meltdown after not getting to buy anything at the Disney Store and then went home for lunch. I had entertained the idea of getting lunch out, but the aforementioned tantrum took care of that silly notion. After lunch we went to the library, my office and then to pick up Anastasia. It was a busy, busy day but a good one and a great way to start December. We have a crazy month ahead but I wouldn't have it any other way.