Resolved

Resolutions, I have a few.

1. Make baby #3 happen. Ideally, baby #3 will be a 2011 kind of kid, but the planning starts now. Because I wrote my dissertation on Planned Parenthood, a baby without a thorough blueprint would be some kind of ironic, huh?

2. Improve meal presentation. I have been increasingly embarrassed of my paper plate and disposable plastic table settings, and 2010 is the year I do something about it. I was at Amy's house before BlogHer, and I noticed that she fed her kids with place mats and the whole nine, and I realized I just sort of slop mine like the little pigs they are. So! Starting this year, more formal family dinners with place mats, cloth napkins, real plates, big people flatware, and cups without lids. Gasp. Next year we'll talk about introducing serving dishes instead of pouring all the food out of a big bucket.

3. Put pictures in albums! SInce Christmas when my husband and mother-in-law gave me lots of picture albums, I have put away 1350 pictures, which means I am caught up. Now every week when I collect my Walgreens order ($.09 prints from now until January 2nd), I am going to make sure I have an album to put 'em in.

4. Take a family picture everyday. For this one, I am launching a family photo blog. Here's the address, but there's nothing there yet. Check back January 1. And, you know, every damn day after that.

Sounds simple, right? There are other ones, too, that I'd like to do but may lack the resolve to follow through on. Like enjoy my kids every moment of the day. Ha! Like that's going to happen (no offense, kids). Or be nicer to my husband. I think that was last year's resolution, actually. Or write some fiction. That's one I'd love to do. I have more to say about that, actually, but there's a sleeping kid on my arm with whom I need to play trains before his baby brother wakes up and tears up all of our tracks.

But I want to know what your resolutions are because I am super nosy like that. So, if you're writing a New Year's resolution post, add your link to Mr. Linky, so we can all resolve together. Happy 2010, bloggy friends.

Christmas again!! It goes on and on like Hanukkah!

Harry was SO EXCITED HE COULDN'T STAND IT waiting for Ben's parents to arrive yesterday. The blizzard finally let up enough for them to load up their sleigh with gifts and make their way north, and we were thrilled to see them. We had the merriest Christmas we could imagine.

The grandparents brought a **few** more presents, and there was much unwrapping and making merry




Look at Dennis's face

I have said it before, and I'll say it again-- Harry and Jack are SUCH GOOD HELPERS


Lookin good

Turns out both kids love red velvet cake, which I think is endearing



Jack modeling his new Spiderman hat from his great grandma

Harry dragged his grandma to his favorite puzzling spot-- the floor of our bedroom near our sink, the little weirdo

Jack is so tough

Ben and his dad played with some Buzz LIghtyear hands



Responsibly, Jack tried to break things up


Puzzle completion hug

Harry was sad when his grandparents left, and he consoled himself by surrounding himself with all his new stuff

This is our first experience with Geo Trax, and they're pretty awesome-- we all agree

Even though there's a bit of finger, I like this picture that harry took of us. Harry, in turn, liked using the camera.

Ben chased him a little to retrieve it

Jack capped off the day in a perfect way-- MORE CUPCAKE


Also, Happy Birthday, Dad!! We hope you had a fantastic, relaxing day, and we'll see you soon.

Finally, some snow man snow

We got snowed in today and couldn't go to Ben's parents this afternoon like we usually do (we hope we can make it tomorrow), and as a result, all we did was open presents and hang out in our jammies all day long. The night before the night before Christmas (which, coincidentally, is the name of an excellent children's book), we started to hear the terrible weather reports, and we grudgingly accepted the idea of Christmas on our own and at least bought some food for Christmas dinner. And some booze.


Santa thought Ben and I would get a few more minutes in bed this morning if Harry and jack had a couple extra stockings to open upstairs. Santa was right.

Harry immediately played with the action figures, and Jack sat down and devoured a Kit Kat bar, after only being awake for 2 or 3 minutes. That's my boy.

He was pretty tired, which reminded me of him last year, sleeping when Harry was ready to tear some shit up.

Santa made a slight tactical error by wrapping Jack's gifts in Toy Story paper. All Jack asked for for Christmas was "Zuh" or Buzz Lightyear. He got it (along with a Woody for good measure), but the rest of his stuff, while not from the Toy Story movie, was wrapped in Buzz and Woody paper, which meant he was excited about each gift until he opened it and found no Buzz inside. Also, check out my awesome hair.

Annoyingly, this coloring book (and the damn Kit Kat) was Jack's favorite gift.

I have 67 pictures that look just about like this one.

Woo-hoo! Lincoln logs!!


This is the 3rd year I have made monkey bread on Christmas morning and the first year it has turned out well. I ate monkey bread, pizza, and chocolate chip cookies, Frango mints, and chocolate Santas until it was time for ham and pie. I may never weigh myself again.

Ben is like the best gift wrap gatherer ever. He has it in his hands before it leaves the present, practically. The man put garbage bags in arm's reach of the couch last night before bed because he was PLANNING AHEAD to collect gift wrap.

Jack was pretty jaded near the middle-to-end of the present opening, but Ben was super stoked to get this truck.

All of the sudden Harry narrowed in on the chocolate Santas Santa left on the tree, and ripped them off while Jack shrieked "nandeh" with his mouth still full of Kit Kat. Today was a healthy eating day all around.

Can you see his Christmas pedicure?

Ben's going to be so annoyed when he sees this picture.

Awesome wings

Buzz LightYear karate chopped a chocolate Santa

Jack has finally warmed up to playing in the snow

He still wants to go in before the rest of us, but now he just kicks it politely by the door instead of screaming "Mama" from a snowbank.

The candy cane arms were Harry's idea

When we came back inside, Ben and Harry made Jack and me go upstairs because we were harshing their train building buzz

Even though we're adults. we get really proud of ourselves for doing normal adult things like making dinner. We had ham, baked sweet potatoes, green beans, and apple pie. And we were still in our Christmas Eve jammies at 6 on Christmas night. And Jack supplemented his meal with cold pizza.

I know this is a terrible picture, but it makes me laugh, and I thought you might get a late Christmas chuckle, too. I was reaching into the cookies for another, um, handful, and I heard the whir of the camera opening and turned around to glare at Ben. So glam.

Merry Christmas! We hope your day was as jolly as ours.

Christmas Eve: A Story of Incidents that Preceded a Floor Washing