Be Mine, Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!

Haha... This reminded me of me...

Honestly, this is one of the corniest holidays of the year, in my opinion, but, hey!  It's a great reason to give (and get) chocolate!  And any day that celebrates chocolate is a-okay in my book.

Jubee, my sweet little valentine...

The hubby had to work today, so I got to spend it with my little ones, who are now peacefully snoozing.  That is my Valentine's Day present to myself: some Mommy Time!  We usually stay up until Papa gets home from work before settling down for the night, but not tonight!

Happy New Year!

2013!  I can't believe it!  Doesn't it seem like every year passes faster than the year before?  I'm not big into making New Years' Resolutions, but I think this year I would really like to focus on cherishing and treasuring the ordinary moments and hum-drum days instead of just the "special" and "extraordinary."  There are so many missed special moments when we rush through life, and those are the ones I want to slow down and seek out.

Those blessed hands I love...

Christmas Eve S'mores

Every year, on Christmas Eve, ever since I was a kid, we have opened one small gift, in anticipation of the following morning.  I always loved that tradition growing up, and I want to carry it on with my children as well.  GC got to open a little die-cast car from Cars 2, Professor Z.  He was thrilled.  Little ones are so easy to please and the pure delight that lights little faces from something so simple is really amazing.

I decided that I wanted to add something to it though, something more substantial than a material item, so we gathered 'round the fire and made some midnight s'mores.  And it was yummy!

The Goods

More Christmas Madness

Guess what we're making?!

It's the Little Things...

Oh me, oh my... I tell you what... I am sitting here at the computer, trying to get some work done.  But every time I look down, I see this beautiful little face.  She is very distracting.  I keep finding myself staring at her; studying every facet of this sweet, perfect face.  How fleeting these moments are!!  How quickly they get away from us, and before we know it, we are looking at a full grown human being.

Jubee

Faux-by

Yay!  I've been thinking about making a Moby wrap (aka Faux-by) since the baby was born.  I love baby wearing and I lost my sling from when my son was little.  :(  But it was a simple sling anyway, and I wanted something a little more versatile and that would give me some hands-free nursing time.  But have you looked at Mobys?  They are a little on the expensive side, especially with Christmas so close, who has an extra $50 to spend?  Not me, that's for sure!  So I went "Google-ing"(My favorite thing to do, btw...) and sure enough, I found some great DIY tips for making a Faux-by!  Google never lets me down!  You can seriously find anything...

Crochet, Crochet, Crochet Away!

I love my little helpers!  They make tedious and monotonous stitches and patterns much more interesting...  And sometimes more frustrating...  I have been so, so busy trying to get all 24 handmade gifts done for everyone that, well, I've had to be a little creative in incorporating my mommy duties with my Handmade Christmas Goal...

(Excuse the midriff... Moments before, I was nursing while crocheting...)

A Smile Lights up the World

Being a mother is one of the greatest joys I have ever known. Every moment is an adventure, especially at my son's age, because he is exploring and learning new things all the time, even when I don't think he is paying attention.

My relationship with him is very physical; we are constantly running and chasing, doing flips, tickles, marching around the house, playing hide-and-go-seek, and laughing until we cry! I love it and wouldn't have it any other way! I thank God that I am young and have the energy to play with him like that. His sweet and innocent smile just lights up my whole world. He is truly a blessing from God, fashioned to give me utter delight!

When I was pregnant with Giancarlo, actually even before I knew I was, it was October 27th, my birthday, and Carlos gave me one white rose. Now, instead of being grateful for how romantic that was, I was mad that after everything, a single white rose was the best he could do. I was feeling sorry for myself and throwing a pity-party as I pulled out of the driveway to head to my mom's house. For those of you who don't believe God speaks, let me just reassure you, he does. Because in that moment, in spite of my irrational reaction to a perfectly beautiful and acceptable gift, God told me, "I'm going to give you a better gift." Now at that time, I didn't know what that meant except Carlos' rose wasn't the last word on my day. So I waited, all day, for something better than a rose. But nothing happened. That night when I laid down, I was mad; mad at Carlos and mad at God. But I wasn't patient enough because exactly one week later I discovered I was pregnant. And how badly I had wanted a baby! Then I knew he was God's gift to me, to us. It wasn't a birthday gift, it was the gift of new life.

Later on in the pregnancy, I was probably about 8 months along, I dropped Carlos off at work and on my way home God gave me a vision of a little boy, probably about 2 years old, running away from me to the other side of the room, curls bouncing. He stopped and turned around to look at me with a wide grin and giggled. The laugh echoed and the smile lit up the shadows. I started to cry just imagining the great gift God had given me.

To this day, remembering that is enough to bring tears to my eyes. Only, then I didn't realize how true that vision was until now. Giancarlo is 1 year and 7 months old, and I have, countless times, seen him run from me then turn around to make sure I am still chasing him, squeal in delight when he sees me, then keep right on going until I catch him. And his smile always pulls one straight out of me. Always.

By the way, his name means "God's gracious gift." I didn't find out until he was several weeks old because we changed it from Joseph to Giancarlo in the delivery room after he was born. And that, my friends, is a true story! Be blessed!