It's beginning to look alot like Christmas....

I think I have just come out of my Turkey Day induced coma! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend with much celebration. From Hannah the Thanksgiving Indian at Mass, to our first Thanksgiving dinner in Auntie Leanne's new home, to a Happy First Birthday Celebration to Miss Stella and then finishing out with my mother in law's, Surprise 60th. It was a whirlwind of fun and everyone truly enjoyed themselves.  It's weekends like this when you truly have to stop and take a moment to realize how blessed we really are and how fortunate we are to have the family that we do.  I am so lucky to have such an unprecedented closeness with my family and Billy's family as well.  There is so much love it could melt the darn icebergs in Alaska!

Also on deck is jumping right into the holiday spirit.  Even Billy, who despises any and all holidays has jumped on board.  (He is the real life Grinch when it comes to holidays).  We've dug out the Christmas decorations and I am happy to say that the entire inside of the house has been adorned.  We even went and cut down our Christmas tree yesterday!  (Check mark next to the box that says get things done early!)  It was surreal to hang the stockings in the same place as I use to as a child.  It was so very special and so perfect in so many different ways.  Everything about the house feels right.  I am still so comforted by the sounds and creeks it makes and can still envision my mother and father occupying different portions of the house.  For instance, every time the stairs creek, I think of Dad and sometimes turn my head and expect to see him walking up the stairs.  When I cook on the stove and the smell of garlic takes over the upstairs, I can still see Mom, in her apron cooking away.  When I walk into the mudroom, there is still this extremely distinct smell that I don't think will ever go away.  Mandy.  I still smell her.  She use to sleep in the mudroom at night.  I can still see her, smell her.  I almost feel like I'm in the Scrooge movie revisiting my past and realizing how wonderful my life is and was.  I know that there are bumps in the road.  I know that my family is faced with a situation that has been extremely difficult to maneuver though.  Yet, we are still so blessed.  So lucky to lead the lives that we do.  I am forever grateful. 

Next in line is getting the Christmas lights on the trees outside.  TREES!  YES!  This year we will have TREES to decorate!  We had none at the old house.  Watch out Chevy Chase!  I so want that light up MOOSE!  Then it's on to setting the Christmas menu, baking the Christmas cookies and then SHOPPING!  I only have one gift bought!  YIKES!  I am so not stressed about it this year though.  We are toning it down quite a bit.  I want the girls especially to learn the true meaning of Christmas.  I want them to understand that it is about giving and not receiving.  About loving and being together and being grateful for all that we have.  I'm going to have to pull a few tricks out of my sleeve but I am determined to teach them right! 

So let the good times roll.  Let the merriness begin.  Let the Christmas lights shine bright on you and yours.  And if you are still having trouble getting into the spirit, then I strongly advise you to purchase Michael Buble's Christmas album.  Aye Ca rumba I die for it.  (FYI - Cold December Night is my favorite!)

Layla standing posing near our tree!

Cameron quite inquisitive about the snoring Santa...

My Thanksgiving turkey

My girls!!!

Looking so pretty!

Banana in the 9:00AM Thankgiving Mass celebration with Makenzie and Mia

My early Christmas present ..   :)

I LOVE THESE MONKEYS!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Our first tree in the new/old home!

Home Sweet Home

Sometimes good things do happen to good people.  It's been a whirlwind of craziness the past several weeks, leaving me little time to update.  However, it is all good craziness.  I'll take that any day over boring and mundane! We are mostly settled in our "New Chateau" as I like to call it.  Even though this chateau is a very familiar one to me.  The first few days were a bit odd, but I can honestly say now that I feel like I never left.  It is a feeling of comfort and security.  It's home.  It's the House That Built Me.  I can't even put into words how much this means to me and I know Billy understands.  Ultimately, it was his decision.  I would not have had it any other way.  We are both in love with this home.  We are both forever grateful for the life changing opportunity this move gave us all.  Fingers crossed that our "old" home will find some lovely new owners and fit the last piece of this puzzle. 

I took the babies for a walk yesterday up the road.  It was crazy to be doing this with them.  Surreal almost.  Trekking the same path that I once did as a child.  I explained to them how much I loved the street and how peaceful it always was and still is.  Cameron had a blast and walked much of the way.  We met some new faces along the way and everyone was so friendly.  It just felt right.  It just felt like .. well like HOME.  I came back and put Cam down for a nap and went back up the road with Miss Hannah who wanted to get a bike ride in.  We happened to run into three boys at the end of the street whom we found out were close in age to Hannah.  She was thrilled, although mortified that I was asking all of these boys questions.  LOL  However, through this questioning, we also found out that one of the boys on Hannah's hockey team also lives on the street.  That was all she needed to hear.  She was happy.  Possibly excited about switching schools.  (My only worry in this whole decision!)

Most of what we wanted to do before the holidays is done.  Cameron's room came out more beautiful than I even expected.  In it's neutral, brown and cream tones, with a love note from Mommy on the wall.  Coincidentally, Billy was a tad upset that his name wasn't mentioned in this love note.  I told him I promised to look for one that said, "Let's play ball" or "Pass me the puck:" - Love Daddy.  He seemed happy with that response! 

The girls have their almost complete Paris Boutique styled room.  All Hannah's idea since she is fascinated with Paris.  Billy just hung the chandelier Friday which was one of the last touches to the room that I had been waiting for.  I love how it looks and the chandelier ties the room together.  Santa will be bringing them new curtains and a rug and it should complete the look!  They also got a love note from Mommy on their wall.. wink wink.

I even painted a few more rooms in the house which helped to bring our style into it.  I have been quite the busy bee which is reason for my now panic stricken state realizing that there are only two more days to finish some birthday shopping and prepare for turkey day!  How quickly these holidays always sneak up on me!  Instead of saying I'm going to have all my shopping done by blah blah blah a date so I can enjoy the holiday, I decided I'm just going to enjoy the season and try not to stress myself out too much.  I have so much to be thankful for and I am going to revel in that.  I have three beautiful children whom I adore more than anything in this world.  I have a wonderful husband whom I am about to embark on a new adventure with in a new home and I have a wonderful extended family on both sides who mean the world to me.  Life is good.  Exhale. 

Settling In...

I think this picture captures the fact that the kids are settling in well!  More to post as soon as my computer is hooked up!

Catching Up!

SO LITTLE TIME!  I miss my sit down and writing therapy!  Things are good on our end.  Actually things are great!  Many wonderful things happening in my life right now and I am trying to take the time to appreciate all the blessings and just breath.  Sometimes dreams do come true and on my end, I have been granted one of my greatest wishes.  I am humbled and forever grateful.  I will catch you up more on this when I have more time.  Promise!


Busy, busy, busy little bee's we have been.  So much so, that I didn't even get to snap a picture of my three darlings on Halloween night!  They had a blast and this year it was so fun to see Layla take it all in.  She was high on life and would have her hand in the bowl while the neighbors were already handing her one.  She thought the door to door tradition was great!  Hannah looked ADORABLE.  Her rocking witch costume suited her to a T!  I used some black eyeliner and eyeshadow on her and I was blown away by the child's beauty.  NOT that I am ever going to allow her to wear black eyeshadow or anything, but something about the makeup made me realize how beautiful this child is growing up to be.  Her hair is just gorgeous.  Round, soft, thick curls that her friends will soon die for.  I worry about her self esteem and I am constantly telling her how beautiful I think she is. She seemed to really enjoy her night trick or treating and was so happy to have time to stop in at one of her friend's houses.  Mr. Cam man got quite a big kick out of the events of the evening.  He looked like an oompa loompa in his Mickey Mouse costume.  (Coincidentally, Layla wore this costume just last year and it fit him already!)  Once he got his hands on chocolate, that was it.  He was in love.  He spent the rest of the evening trying to eat it, wrappers and all.  Once we got home from visiting the grandparents, we headed out around the neighborhood until Cam got tired.  he and I headed home and I put him in his cozy jammies and we finished the evening answering our door for the neighborhood kids.  He loved it!  It was quite precious.  Halloween 2011 - Success! 

On another note, and I hate to disgrace this blog by even mentioning it, but I am so angry and disgusted with this whole Kardashian Media crap!  Completely and utterly pissed off.  To waste millions of dollars when there are children dying every day of cancer completely ticks me off.  It's gross to me, what some people in this world do and say and then try to justify.  I pray that one of these days these selfish people will realize what real life is and instead of throwing away millions of dollars and crying over expensive earrings, they'll learn to support and become an activist in helping to find a cure for cancer.  PERIOD.  END OF STORY!