It's the Holiday Season...

Drew and I agreed that this was the best Christmas ever. Now that Griffin is here, the holiday means something else entirely. Creating magic for him and watching the joy on his face has given us a sense of warmth and pride we never knew before. It has been a whirlwind week or so for the entire family filled with great food, lots of family, fantastic presents, and copious laughter. Here is a quick recap:

Christmas Eve: we had a nice video chat with Betsy and Guy which included our gift exchange. Griffin was spoiled rotten! He especially loves the alligator walker and the bath toys! Then we went to church. It was an absolutely beautiful evening service complete with a children's pageant and carols.

I fell in love with the tiny kindergartners dressed up as shepherds. And Griffin was completely enthralled with the entire thing. We came home to the best pot roast I have ever made and Griffin got an extra long bath (since it's his favorite time of the day!) After Griffin was asleep, Drew and I wrapped presents, drank wine, exchanged our stockings, and watched A Christmas Story. It was one of the most perfect evenings of my life.

Christmas Day: even though Griffin woke up REALLY early, he was still groggy at 5:15 when Drew exclaimed it was Christmas, we HAD to get up and lept out of bed to turn on the lights on the tree. I finally realized what my parents must have felt like all those years when I stumbled into the living room wanting nothing more than a cup of coffee. Griffin's first Christmas morning was such a sweet time though. I remember it in soft, muted, reds and golds.

The sun wasnt even up yet and we were illuminated only by the warm glow of the tree. It was clear Griffin didn't really understand the concept though he was more than pleased by the presents we and Santa brought him.

it was EARLY. dont judge.

Santa came!!

I surprised Drew with tickets to the upcoming Broncos game and a Tebow rookie card and he gifted me with the aforementioned spice rack and some really cool art. I made us bacon and eggs (Griffin LOVES scrambled eggs) and then we were off to my parent's house for Griffin to be spoiled some more!

It is clear that his favorite item from that adventure is his pink elephant that blows plastic balls into the air. It hasnt been off much at all since we brought it home! We got to visit with my parents, brother, aunt Chris and grandma all day which was really the best gift of all.

I think the adults liked playing with the elephant almost as much as Griffin did!

Dinner was amazing and Griffin adored the stuffing, sweet potatoes and corn bread!

12/26: unfortunately, we had to wake up early and go to the old house to take care of some plumbing issues. It was frustrating and Drew was NOT happy so I gave him the day off to play his new video games and Griffin and I went to visit with family more. We went to lunch at one of my favorite downtown restaurants, the Wazee, and then we went shopping along Larimer. I love showing people around our city!

12/27: Drew had to go back to work but Griffin and I had my family over for dinner! We all walked around downtown Golden first and then later I served pasta with roasted tomatoes and sausage, cheese bread, and homemade sangria, then tirimisu for dessert. It was GOOD. I wish I had pictures!

12/28: it was a beautiful day, Drew was off, and we met my family at the zoo.

our little animal

I adore this picture 

I loved the boys' reflections in the glass!

Griffin had a great time even though most of the animals weren't out. Later that evening, we all went to The Saucy Noodle for dinner- another one of our favorites! Griffin was SO good and charmed the pants off of everyone.

After dinner we had to say goodbye to my family since they all had flights the next day. I was really sad to see them go, but I was SO happy I was able to have so much time with them!

12/29: Griff and I had an awesome mommy-boy day. We played all morning, then he took a great nap which gave me an opportunity to finally video chat with Cory! It was good to catch up. After that we went grocery shopping to pick up all of our provisions for New Year's Eve and New Year's Day!

... which brings us to today. Drew had to work so Griff and I spent another relaxing morning together. I made us scrambled eggs for breakfast and we played in his room for an hour or so before his nap.  But while he was sleeping, Drew came home early to surprise us! It is so nice to have an early start to our long weekend together. We had lunch at our local Mexican place and then picked up some movies to watch tonight. I'm so excited for another holiday weekend! I cant believe it's all wrapping up soon!

Ode to my Spice Rack: Christmas Love

It's been an incredibly fun and eventful few days and we're still going strong! Griffin has been having a blast in spite of his evil cold (which he lovingly shared with me...) I plan to write a longer post all about it once my family leaves & I have time. Until then, I will share a few pictures of my current obsession: the mounted spice rack Drew got me. It's SO COOL! I was able to clear out cabinet space, it looks awesome, and it even precisely measures out each spice I need! I spent the evening filling it. My favorite part about it is the fact that Drew was obviously paying attention- to my love of spices, my disdain of clutter... and that this awesome contraption said "Jess" to him. I am a lucky girl.

A Blustery Solstice

Today didn't go anything like I had planned, but that is actually ok. I had a really bad day the other day and Drew reminded me of the way Griffin was born- that it was nothing like we had planned or imagined, that all kinds of things seemed to go wrong, yet it was exactly as it should be and in the end, it was perfect. Today was like that, only on a much smaller scale!

We got POUNDED with snow last night. There was well over a foot by morning.

it was actually up to my knees!

I was hoping beyond hope for a snow day, but when I woke up I found out we were only on a two hour delay. While irritated, it also gave me enough time to have a nice breakfast with Griffin, shovel the steps and around my car while he napped, and finish my co-worker's Christmas gifts.

chalkboards made out of metal serving trays!

By the time I was able to get everything together and Griffin dropped off at daycare, it was almost 11. But once I got to work, my boss told us she wanted to take us out to lunch! So around 1, we all got bundled up and walked through the quiet, beautiful streets to downtown. When we got back at 2:30, there was an e-mail that the University was closing in an hour due to the snow! So while it wasn't a full day off, it was extremely short- and it was actually a really great time.

I had planned to make a traditional spice cake for solstice tonight, but I still needed many ingredients and the last thing I wanted to do after work was drive through the snow to the grocery store, so I gave up the idea. But when I got home, I found out that Drew had gotten home early too and he brought us cupcakes! So even though it wasn't exactly what I had in mind, we still managed an awesome dessert!

After dinner, I did make wassail for solstice and it was delicious. Drew and I also decorated a pomander and put it in the tree.

the wassail is for a "bounty" in the coming year and the pomander is to celebrate the return of the sun!

Then came the best thing ever. We had just finished with the menorah and the pomander when we were going to carry Griffin downstairs. He grabbed my shirt and looked at me, then tapped me on the chest and said "mama". My eyes welled with tears and I asked Drew if he thought he knew what he was saying. Drew said "Griffin- who is that?" and again he said "mama". So I praised him, told him how smart he was, and asked if he could also say "dada"... and he DID! We asked him again if he knew who Drew was and he said "dada". It was so magical... I could never have asked for a better present. After that, we all snuggled in and enjoyed our cozy home and our beautiful family. It was actually the perfect day.

Happy Hanukkah!

Drew and I have always recognized a few Jewish traditions like hanging our mezuzah and celebrating Hanukkah in homage to his (albeit non-practicing) grandfather. We don't do the gift giving and other parts of the holiday, but we have always lit the menorah. It is an expression of remembrance and respect as well as another way for us to express our spiritual beliefs, since no one religion adequately captures what we hold close to our heart. I then found out my great-grandmother was Jewish as well which makes the learning and recognition even more special.

Tonight was the first night of Hanukkah and in celebration, I made purple potato latkes and noodle kugel for dinner. Everyone loved it, especially Griffin who totally cleaned his plate!

I even broke out the china!

 We then said a prayer and lit our menorah. Griffin is too young right now for gelt, but I figure that is something we will incorporate in the future.

I think our menorah is so beautiful

I think it is important to make sure other religions, cultures, and concepts are present in Griffin's life from the beginning. We will also celebrate Yule/ Winter Solstice later this week!

the life and times of our resident 11 month old

Griffin is awesome. A day does not go by where he is not either cracking us up or totally impressing us. Here are a few highlights of recent Griff action:

- he is now 100% DONE with baby food. In fact, if you try to serve him any, he becomes incredibly offended and will attempt to punch it right out of your hand. Kid food adventures have already consisted of chicken, ham, pizza, broccoli, couscous, carrots, noodles, veggie burgers, waffles, toast... the list goes on and on. He is an eating machine! He is also 100% on milk bottles now. NO MORE FORMULA!!! WOOT!!!
- he is a WALKER!! Well, not completely on his own. But it is definitely his preferred method of getting around, so he'll walk around the house with things like a laundry basket or a cardboard box for support. He thinks he's pretty cool.
- he thinks it is HILARIOUS to squirm and twirl around during diaper changes, making it impossible to re-clothe him. He laughs until he can barely breathe, ESPECIALLY if he's making it hard for me to clean poop. He is the only one that enjoys this game.
- he loves to draw! His closet doors are painted with chalkboard paint and the other night I handed him a piece of chalk to see what he would do. Once he realized it wasnt food, he was totally enchanted by making art. It *almost* made me feel better about the fact that he is currently refusing to let me read to him.

- he was SO GOOD waiting in line for Santa. He loved watching all the other kids and hanging out. He spent the (what felt like) HOURS in line chatting and clapping. But once it was time to sit with Santa, he looked as though we had betrayed him. We got a couple of decent pictures before he crinkled up his face to cry. Luckily I was able to "save" him just in time. We told him that one day this Santa dude would be his FAVORITE GUY EVER.

I didn't even think this Santa was that creepy!

- the other day at drop off, G and I were the only ones in his classroom because everyone was starting out the day in the other infant room. As I was putting his stuff away, he saw his friend, Brandon, through the glass so he crawled over as fast as he could, started laughing and pounding on the window. Once Brandon saw him, he started Grinning and pounding in return. Once they realized they weren't getting any closer to each other, Brandon crawled over to the door, stood up, and tried turning the knob to let Griff in! It was sweet and hilarious at the same time!
- Drew somehow has trained Griffin to clap for football. And it isnt just like he sees a football player and claps. No, when football is on, the kid sits in rapt silence, eyes focused on the screen, and he intermittently claps while the ball is in play. *sigh*. Looks like Drew may have won this battle. BUT NOT THE WAR!!

I'm sure there is more, but that is all that is coming to mind right now. I am currently creepily excited because I just got notice that Griffin's owl sweater has arrived from Kenya! Perfect timing! Luckily I only work a half day tomorrow so we can go pick it up. Drew and I also "helped Santa" buy his big Christmas present this weekend. We found this awesome bat cave play set meant for kids aged 1-4, complete with these super chunky Batman & Robin figures. Too cute. I can't wait for Christmas.

Griffin Sans Pantalones

I have so much to post about, and I will tomorrow. But I just got done packaging 50 bags of s'mores fixin's for my faculty and I am whipped. So I leave you with this masterpiece:

Wonderful Winter Weekend

Despite the fact that Griffin is sick AGAIN, this was a great weekend full of lots of holiday warmth. Friday night Drew and I actually had a date night! We left Griffin with my parents and got to enjoy our first dinner alone since our anniversary! We went to Steubens's- one of our favorite Denver restaurants, and it was AMAZING. The food really was great, but the fact that we could just sit back and enjoy a meal in peace was worth it's weight in gold. Griffin really is the perfect kid, but every now and again a break is truly needed!

Yesterday we went up to Evergreen (as Christmas-y a place as any) and spent the day walking around the historic downtown, shopping, and picking out our Christmas tree! We got new stockings from the Green Merchant, a really cool little shop that only sells green and fair trade products. Our stockings are GORGEOUS and were hand made in Nepal by people making a fair wage. I think Griffin's is adorable.

what a great way to start out his holiday traditions!

Then we went and got our tree. This is such an important event for me. As long as I can remember, picking out a tree signals the true beginning of the holidays. There is so much joy in walking through the crisp, pine scented air and choosing the perfect specimen- the one who will adorn our home and symbolize the holiday for us. I have so many incredible memories of this very thing and I want that so much for Griffin. Not having lead and PVCs hanging around our living areas from a fake Christmas tree  is just a bonus. Plus, our house smells incredible.

G & I after our tree was tied to the car destined for its new home!

I made spiced hot apple cider and we put up all the lights and garland- a job in of itself. And then Griffin got to hang the very first ornament. He doesn't seem interested in the tree at all- in fact, he almost acts like he thinks it just belongs there.

we haven't even finished hanging most of the ornaments and I still find it stunning

Griffin woke up EARLY this morning. The only good part about that was the fact that he napped early and long and that I got to nap while he did that. It was the most delicious bit of sleep I've ever had. I think having a child means no longer taking anything for granted! After that, we went to church and then hung around Boulder for a bit. We got some more Christmas shopping done for Griffin which is more fun than I could have ever expected. I can't wait to see his face on Christmas! Drew got to watch his Broncos earn another victory and I worked on a few handmade gifts. Now I plan on snuggling into bed with my book. Life is so, so good. And I love that this season always puts that into perspective for me.

all I want for Christmas...

I've been looking for classic, well made toys for Griffin's Christmas and upcoming birthday gifts. In doing that, I've been reminded of so many cool things from my childhood... like the Fisher Price record player!

I LOVED this thing!

Luckily, you can still find them, so Griffin WILL have one when he's a bit older. (of course he'll be wondering what the hell a record player IS which is sad in it's own way... but I digress...)

So anyway, this made me think about all the other things I've loved as I've grown up- that either no longer exist, or are just no longer available to me. Boy how I miss them... or at least the memory of them! You will notice a food driven theme...

The Miss Piggy Colorforms Paper Doll with Steamer Trunk- This came for Christmas when I was about 5 and I can STILL remember the awesomeness of it. Man, Santa got it right that year.

Sharkleberry Fin Kool-Aid- I no longer drink things like Kool-Aid, but you bet your britches that if I found Sharkleberry Fin again, there would immediately be a pitcher of it in the fridge. This was by FAR the best kool-aid flavor and they ripped it away from my tiny hands...

Bonkers Candy- grape and strawberry really bonked me out.

Peach Jolly Ranchers- you can still get many flavors of Jolly Ranchers. And I've heard that Peach exists in the weird passion mix bag... which I refuse to buy since I'm sure it will be 47 fruit punch and 2 peach... but when I was a kid I'd ride my bike down to Ruccasin's and buy peach Jolly Rancher sticks for 5 cents each. I'd sit there & suck on them until the stick softened and conformed to my tongue. Gross? Sure. Delicious? YES.

Burple and Squeeze It- more terrible sugar drinks, but I was in LOVE with the burple container and how you could convert it into a water gun... and I distinctly remember only the cool kids bringing SqueezeIts in their lunches...

The ORIGINAL Optimus Prime- none of this pansy plastic crap. Mine was metal and a BAD ASS. They just dont make toys like this anymore.

BubbleEez- I couldnt find any pictures of it- almost like it didn't exist! But it DID! It was soft, round bubble gum balls that came in a package where each ball had it's own compartment. I think there was an astronaut on the front. And the jingle was "bubble-ubble-eez, bubble-ubble-gum!" BEST. STUFF. EVER.

Blueberry Hubba Bubba- ok, well only SLIGHTLY better than BubbleEez was this stuff. Such a potent blueberry flavor that set my 8 year old tastebuds aglow. I found something similar recently- some kind of mixed berry gum that had a resounding blueberry flavor, but it wasnt EXACTLY right. Oh, I miss it so.

Jello Gelatin Pops- not no be confused with Jello PUDDING pops... these were frozen fruit flavored jello confections. They were almost like sherbet when completely frozen and more jello-like in consistency as they started to melt. These were my FAVORITE summer treats.

New Episodes of My So Called Life and Pushing Daisies- Why do creative, unique, well written shows get cancelled after a year or two and yet Two and a Half Men is on it's 35th season?

New York Seltzer Water- specifically in peach and black cherry. My parents never minded buying us this stuff because it had far less sugar than regular pop. And let's face it, they probably mixed it with vodka. I loved that I got my own tiny glass bottle whenever they brought it home. Good stuff.

Shrinky Dinks- does anything get more fun than making your own hard plastic toys? I have no idea what I did with mine once they came out of the oven, but I remember being in heaven during their "creation"!

Rosetto Toasted Ravioli- ok, I actually found these and promptly fell in love during college. They would be part of our "Italian Smorgasbord" that we'd create after a long night of drinking...er...I mean studying. The breaded frozen ravioli came in a bag and then you could either fry or bake them. They were...AMAZING. And now, unfortunately for me, but fortunately for my ass, they are extinct.

Pizzarias Chips- I'm willing to believe that this MAY be one of those things best left to memory. But at the time, they were terrific. And then they vanished. I am told that Fridays has released a similar product. Though I havent tried them, I will not be fooled!!

Orlando Deli Italian Bread and Steak & Sausage Rolls- This is the bread of my childhood and may be one of my most pleasant food memories. I still remember that the bread was so fresh, you could smell it through the bag on the way home. The crust was chewy but the inside was soft... And it DOES still exist...only in Ohio. The first time I went to the grocery store in Denver to pick some up and couldnt find it, I thought it was a fluke. But no- not only does Orlando not come this far west, but we don't have anything even remotely similar. I havent had a decent homemade sub in YEARS.

Lea & Perrin's BBQ Sauce- I have literally never in my life had better barbeque. It was the perfect blend of sweet, smoky and spicy. I found it for the first time while in college and for the last time about 8 or 9 years ago. It was SO good that I even wrote them a letter and professed my undying love, told them life just hasnt been the same... and they basically told me to please enjoy their other items. Sigh.

50-50 Soda- Where are you, grapefruity goodness of my childhood?

Snyder of Berlin BBQ Chips- Snyder of Berlin makes the best chips hands down. I hope and believe that these still exist in the Land Of Cleves, but they are nowhere to be found in the Mountain West. Which is a sad, sad thing because all other BBQ chips taste like crap in comparison.

I'm sure there is more out there- toys, foods, memories- that I have loved and lost. But this is my quick attempt at an "if only" Christmas list. I wonder what Griffin will look back at with fondness one day when he is in his 30s? I hope is is something more happy and wholesome than Pizzarias.

football. play it.

Wednesday is the Best Day

Well... the best day of the work week anyway.

Drew is home on Wednesdays. That means I get to leisurely get myself ready for work in the morning instead of rushing around getting Griffin and I both together and out the door. It means I get to lay in bed for an extra few minutes, take an uninterrupted shower, get dressed without worrying where my child has crawled off to. Sometimes, like today, Drew even gets out of bed early and goes out into the cold morning to get us breakfast burritos from down the street. These are the only mornings during the week I have time to sit and eat breakfast with my boys.

Normally Drew keeps Griffin home with him which means I get to come home and have lunch with both of my favorites. Today Griffin went to daycare because Drew had to go out and fix something at the old house. It worked out well though because Drew came and took me out to lunch and then we walked down and explored more of downtown Golden. It was so nice and relaxing, almost like we were on a date.

Wednesdays also mean that I don't have to pick Griffin up at daycare, and since I have been able to semi-relax all day (in comparison, at least) I actually feel motivated to make a good dinner. Tonight I made up a recipe- mahi mahi with citrus chile cream sauce. I served it with wilted chard and mini corn quesadillas. It was AMAZING, if I do say so myself.

It's incredible what a difference having help makes. I feel so grateful for having Drew and the times he is available to be my parenting partner. Days like these are necessary for my well-being. I would NOT be able to do it alone.

perfect baby

Every now and again we forget that we have actually been blessed with The Most Perfect Baby EVER. We were reminded yesterday though when he was a complete angel at what must have been a long and boring church service for him followed by an outing to a bar to watch the Bronco game. At church he grinned at the minister and the congregation while we were being welcomed (we're officially members now!) and then he happily munched on graham crackers as we listened to the sermon about Mary and how she's totally one  of us (it was an awesome service, btw) he even offered a partially chewed graham to the lady sitting next to us. Then we immediately went to meet Drew's coworkers to watch the game and the only time he got upset is when we scored a touchdown and everyone screamed- he was just scared. So we thanked him over and over and gave him lots of hugs... but mostly I just felt so lucky to have such a sweet boy.

The one thing we DIDN'T do this weekend is get our tree. Can you believe it?? All this excitement over here, and not a single decoration up. It's just really important to me to get a real tree, and we have to make a bit of a trip to get one, so it takes some planning. Next weekend for sure!

she's crafty...

This has been such a festive weekend already! Last night we walked into downtown Golden for the annual candlelight walk and holiday lighting. We had an amazing time and could not get over the feeling of pride and excitement we had at being able to provide such an incredible sense of community for Griffin to grow up in. Griffin himself was a bit less excited (he fell asleep almost immediately) but I know he'll ADORE it in the future!

on the way downtown

waiting for the walk to start

they had all kinds of characters out...

mama & the sleepy raccoon 

Santa over Golden! 

I didn't figure out how to take decent pictures of the lights until just as we were leaving. So this is like 2% of what was actually there!

pretty town

Today I got a jump on the Christmas presents & holiday decorations I'm making! I spent about an hour all blissed out in Michael's. Now I feel like I've got an arsenal of supplies to do what I gotta do!

The first thing I did was make our Christmas wreath! I think it turned out REALLY well, and I like it a lot more than anything I've seen at the store (plus it was a fraction of the cost!)

just started out with a foam wreath, some dried leaves, dried eucalyptus branches & a cool flower made out of seed husks

just after I got done hot gluing everything together

finished product!

A few nights ago, we got a big package from my Aunt Chris. It was a tiny baby toboggan with the note that it was an early birthday present in case winter came early. Well, we definitely got snow this weekend so after I was done with the wreath, Drew took Griffin out "sledding" in the back yard. He had a GREAT time!! He absolutely loved exploring the snow!

just at the bottom of the "hill"

pure glee 

cutest. kid. ever.

boy time

Griffin hearts snow

Once I put Griffin to bed, I started working on one of my Christmas presents. It's definitely taking a skill set I've never used before so it's been slow going, but I think it's turning out super cute! I'm crazy excited about all the projects I have planned!

an off night

I feel like being lazy tonight. I'm going to work on Christmas gifts and then I'm going to read my book. So I'm just going to leave you with a couple of quick Griff videos in case you've been missing him.

Thirty Days.

I made it! I actually stuck to my guns and made time for myself every night this month. I know my posts weren't always the most interesting, but that wasn't really the point. The point is, I now know that I am able to carve out my own space when I need it- and that has actually made me feel much more content and relaxed.

I want to continue writing a lot more frequently than I did in the past. I don't know if it will be every night, but the promise to myself is that I will still have "me" time every night- whether that is spent reading or crafting or with friends- or writing. I'm actually pretty excited.

I'm also contemplating taking this blog in other directions and writing more about things that make me think, rather than just my day to day life. But we'll see if I get that far.

Tomorrow starts the first day of December, the last month of the year. It begins a time of joy, indulgence, magic, and contemplation of your "new" life in the year to come. It is the first day of a beautiful month, and I am starting it out genuinely happy.

On Owls and Wooden Toys

I bought Griffin's first Christmas present from us last night! It is a wooden loader truck- super simple and well made. There is something about wooden toys that I adore. Maybe it is how timeless and classic they seem. Maybe it's because they are so durable. Maybe it's because they (generally) are not the overly bright, hideous colors that most baby toys are. I believe that this will be the first of many. I hope he likes it!

But the gift I am REALLY excited about is this little owl sweater! It is probably the cutest thing I have ever seen. AND it manages to be made of organic cotton, yet really reasonably priced! And best of all, these sweaters are ethically made by single mothers in Kenya, allowing them to provide for their own families. It is a gift I will absolutely treasure seeing him in AND I can feel good about my money going towards something I believe in. I am beside myself right now!!

We'll get him a few other small things. And I plan on making him a few toys! But most likely he'll love ripping the wrapping paper more than anything we could get him.

When I picked Griffin up this evening, he was so excited to see me. A huge smile crossed his face and he flung his little arms up so that I'd grab him. When I lifted him up, he gave me the tightest, sweetest deliberate little hug he's ever given me. Almost made me weepy. I am a lucky, lucky person.

list

We're less than a month away from Christmas. While I've been looking forward to this for months, I haven't actually done much about it. To help jog my memory and keep myself organized, this is a list of things I want to do/ accomplish in the next few weeks:

- make/ buy all Christmas presents (including those for Drew, G, Scarlett & Louise!)
- ship all presents to out of state family by no later than 12/14 (REGULAR MAIL. I'm talking you YOU, Drew.)
- do the Golden candlelight walk on December 2
- compile Christmas card list, write & mail
- get or make the family new stockings. Only the right ones will do. (it's G's first Christmas! this is special!)
- get Griff new jammies for Christmas Eve (for some reason this has been harder than I imagined)
- see one of the Olde Golden Christmas parades
- buy socket extension (hopefully light sensing) for Christmas lights outside & decorate
- get Christmas tree
- go shopping with mom. Even if I don't need to buy anything. This seems like fun!
- get Griffin his first Christmas ornament
- burn my parents' Very Special Christmas CDs
- decide on Christmas Eve menu (enchiladas? lasagna? roast? pork loin?)
- get presents for Kim's twins & go to her shower!! I don't want this to get lost amidst the holiday stuff!
- make mulled wine and hot apple cider at least once
- play in the snow with Griff (I REALLY hope we have a white Christmas!!)
- get Griff snow pants!!
- go on a date night with Drew. No kid, no responsibilities, just us and chilly Denver. I can't believe this one was over a year ago!
- figure out what Christmas foods I'm responsible for
- help G write a letter to Santa for Golden's special North Pole mailbox before December 13th (all letters get answered!)
- attend friend's holiday parties
- donate Griff's unused toys and old clothes to Goodwill
- buy a new toy to donate to Golden's Rotary or Kiwanis
- bake cookies and make treats including these and these... oh, and this (some for me, some to share. The Baker thinks I can do it!!)
- ok, I DID want to take G to the "North Pole" every year, but I just checked and the rates are INSANE. Holy balls. So never mind. Moving on...
- watch LOTS of Christmas movies. Including A Christmas Story multiple times. Thinking about watching the 25 Days of Christmas movies on ABC Family & embracing the bad ones as funny... don't know if I can do it. We'll see.
- Breathe. Relax. Enjoy. This is usually the hard part.

It's the Holiday Season!

I may have been jumping the gun before, but now we are OFFICIALLY in the midst of the holidays. My heart is all aglow just thinking about it. We ordered our Christmas cards today- can't wait for them to come in! We did them a little differently this year and made them "newsletter" style. I'm not sure if I like it- we'll see very shortly!

We went to my parent's house for dinner tonight since it will be the last time we see my brother until Christmas. I'm not sure if it was the fact that he's feeling better, or if he's just getting used to seeing them more, but Griffin totally warmed up to my parents again and was hanging all over them. It's definitely what I like to see and I'm sure it made them happier too.

I was surprised on the way home tonight at how many people had Christmas lights up already! We still need to plot and plan how we will decorate the outside of our new place. It definitely made the drive even prettier though!

20 head of horned cattle, pace not to exceed a walk

We had such a fun day today, and most of that was due to the fact that Griffin was so happy all day! I can't even begin to say what a relief it is to have him back to normal.

We had a great brunch this morning! Everything turned out really well and even my brother who hates breakfast foods loved my breakfast casserole. Score! After that, Drew, Brian, Griff & I went on a walk. I noticed this hilarious sign as we crossed the bridge into downtown and I had to get a picture:

I wish I could go back in time to catch a glimpse of our town in the old days!

As I mentioned before, Griffin has been going through some major stranger anxiety lately. Unfortunately, this even extends to my parents and while he'll grin at them from a distance, he's not really so cool with them holding him right now. He warmed up to Brian super fast though and they were pals all day!

Drew and I had a really low key dinner and now that Griff's in bed, we're going to go be slugs on the couch and watch a movie we've been dying to see. YAY! Can't ask for much more!