A season to remember

I haven't had much to say this season. Well, actually it is more like I am afraid to sit down and actually write everything that I have to say because I'm sure it will quickly turn into an ocean of craziness and thoughts/feelings I'd rather forget. Things are a little rough here, I'll be honest. I'm struggling with all the adjustments necessary for our family, and my feelings are toward the adjustment are not the most gracious.

HOWEVER, (and yes, I wrote in all caps, because it is a big however), life is sweet and ours is definitely full of blessings. And though there are portions of this season of our lives that I'd just assume forget, there is also a lot that I want to treasure and remember.

Like the day it "snowed," and Wesley looked so cute all bundled up in his car seat. And for those of you who I have shared his hatred of the car seat, you will recognize that this is one of the few moments I have ever seen my son in his car seat not wailing his head off. Naturally, I quickly grabbed my camera. :)

I absolutely adore this boy's precious little grin, and I'm getting to see it more and more. Most babies require "tummy time," but not Mr.Wesley. He sleeps on his tummy (don't judge me), and is much more uncomfortable on his back. So we pulled out the baby mat and hung some toys and rattles and a big mirror, and he lays there laughing, kicking/pushing the toys, and "talking" to himself in the mirror. Such a cutie pie!

You might think this would be a rare, one-time occasion, but you'd be wrong. Wesley absolutely cannot sleep unless he is right up against the bumpers, and more often than not, he nestles himself so close that he ends up getting his arm stuck. Silly boy.

And who can resist making a baby Santa? No one I know...especially not my mom. :)

Ryleigh has just been growing and learning more and more everyday. It still amazes me that she can carry on an entire conversation with me, using complete sentences, asking and answering questions, and making complete sense. She has a much greater grasp of the holidays this year and has been eating up Christmas! Lights, snowmen, Santa, glitter, Christmas trees....they are everywhere, and Ryleigh makes sure that we see every. single. one. Haha.

And, though I am biased, she is growing more and more beautiful every day. Inside and out. Yes, she is still a two-year-old who has her stubborn and frustrating moments, but her heart is sweet. Lately she will just randomly walk up to me, ask to give me cuddles, and say, "I wuv Mommy." Or, the other morning while I was in my bathroom getting dressed and ready to drive to Houston, she came in and watched me for a few minutes and then said, "You wuk pwetty Mommy!" (I think she has forgotten what it looked like to see me in clothing, with hair down and makeup on.) How did she even know to say that? Moments like these warm me to my core and remind me of why I chose to do this Mommy thing.

Jesse and I are having a hard time adjusting to our new life here and as a family of four. There are never enough hours in the day, and sadly, our family time and couple time are often neglected. So, we have been trying to take every opportunity we can to spend some time having FUN as a family. Luckily, his course has fun family events almost every single month. This month, they had "brunch with Santa," and so Ryleigh, Wesley, and I met him up there last Saturday morning.

Jesse helped Ryleigh decorate her gingerbread cookie. He applied the icing, and then she went to town on the candy. I don't think I have ever seen so many "buttons" on a gingerbread cookie in my life.

All morning, Ryleigh talked excitedly about going to see Santa. However, once we got there and she saw Santa, she just froze. No cries...no smiles... no expression. Oh to know what they are thinking sometimes!!

We enjoyed brunch together until Wesley decided it was not fair that everyone else was getting fed and he was not. It was a sweet morning together, and we enjoyed the time out of the house.

Jesse and I also had his work Christmas party this week. Julie was finished with finals, so she said she could come watch the kids for a couple of hours while we went to bowl with the group. Sadly, Wesley was not on board with the decision and literally screamed for Juls the entire time we were gone. I felt HORRIBLE. Growth spurt maybe? I don't know what is his deal this week, but poor Julie had to hear about it.

Jesse and I had a good time though, and actually realized how much fun we had bowling together. Haha, maybe we should join a bowling league! Just kidding. But it does make a good idea for date night sometime. We also went to Toys 'R Us and got the kiddos Christmas presents. Not as much fun as I thought it would be...Ryleigh is kind of at an in-between phase; too big/smart for the baby toys, but not big/smart enough for the kids toys. Hmmm. I guess we'll just cross our fingers and hope she likes the toys we picked out.

And lastly, you know I must share a little of our family's Christmas spirit. I must admit, the "spirit" of Christmas is missing something this year. I think when you're exhausted and don't have the time or energy to do all the little things that we often associate with the Christmas season, you peel back the layers and just do the minimal and see what is important. We have a tree, stockings, and of course, a nativity out. That's it. That is the extent of my decorating this year. I'm sending out Christmas cards (hopefully today), but they are the bear minimum. Nothing fancy or special. Just a little wish for Christmas, from our family to yours. I've done some Christmas shopping, but my creativity is lacking this year.

Now, I will say that Ryleigh and I had fun baking for the family, and Jesse and I plan to bake another big spread over the weekend for him to give out next week. Here is part of the spread (minus the sugar cookies) that Ryleigh and I worked on. Luckily, my grandma saves boxes and Christmas tins for me, so I had an entire 30-gallon bag full of fun boxes and tins to fill. Yay for sweet, thoughtful (helpful!) Grandmas!

Our tree is up; again, nothing fancy, but at least it is there. And I do have presents, wrapped and ready for Christmas, but after Ryleigh unwrapped three gifts and decided they belonged in her room, I realized that we might not be able to leave the present under the tree this year!
And finally, our stockings. I had a frustrating experience getting Wesley's stocking done, and then the monogramming place took over a week and still did the wrong font! Needless to say, I was not a happy camper. Oh well. At least he has a stocking, right?

So, a lot is going on. And though there are rough moments, there are also sweet ones. And I don't want to forget. I'm sure this last week before Christmas will be hectic, but fun, and I'll be back to report it all...good and not-so-good. :)

Merry Christmas, everyone!