Gingerbread "House" Competition

We had such a good time last night at The Reeder's annual Gingerbread Competition. Katie and her one year old son, Bennett, joined our play group this summer and this was our first time to meet her hubs. The Reeders host a Gingerbread House competition each year and we were amazed to see the level of competition and concentration that goes in to making the winning "house." I admitedlly didn't read the evite very closely so we did not come as prepared as we will next year...

The theme for the competition this year was Movies. Your "house" had to reflect a movie and all of the guests judged on their favorite. Jimmy and I struggled with a movie while everyone else got busy with their creations. One guy, an architect, brought a tool box of supplies! Another guy had made Charlie Brown out of fondant... and I brought marshmellows, jelly beans and Andes Mints. (The Andes mints were more for inspiration) We finally came up with Hoosiers and I am pretty proud of our little masterpiece!

Thanks to Kelly for taking all of these pictures!!

Macey & Baby Vivian

Macey and I had the privilege to babysit Baby Vivian yesterday! Heather is an old friend of Jenny's and she lives just a few minutes away from us with her hubs and new baby girl. She called early yesterday morning asking if we could keep Baby V last minute for her that morning. Of course we said yes but Jimmy and I both shared a few concerns about how Macey would do.

 Baby Vivian is almost 4 months old and oh so tiny! Actually, she is a normal size baby but seemed so little next to my almost two year old. Sweet baby girl.

I could not have been more pleased with our morning. Macey loved watching Baby V and showed no signs of jealousy. Well, at one point she said, "Mommy, put that baby down." But she quickly accepted my explanation that I was going to hold her and we moved on to another activity. There were no signs of hitting, acting out or just being bad in general.

When it was time to feed Baby Vivian, Macey was quick to help me hold the bottle and wanted a swig of the formula when V was done. I did not let her drink from the bottle but all of her babies did...

This was a great dry run for me as well. I've been wondering how in the world I"m going to take care of two babies in just a few short weeks. It was a tiring morning, but I made it! I kept Sesame Street on for Macey and she did a great job entertaining herself most of the morning. Baby V was a little upset after eating so I walked around and bounced her, then sat down and patted her back, then back up to bouncing... after about 30 minutes she was all burped out and ready for her next nap. Whew! At one point I had a baby on my right side, one in the middle in my belly, and a book on my lap with a toddler at my knees... it got a little crowded but once the baby is no longer in my belly and just on my side, I think we'll be good.

"Macey hold Baby Vivian"

Around lunch, Heather called to say she would be picking up V soon so I didn't want to lay her down, then have to wake her to put her in her car seat. So, I made Macey's PB&J with one hand while holding a sleeping Baby Vivian in my other arm. I'd say this was the last "can I do it?" test and I passed. Bring it on!!!

Santa Baby

I had pretty high hopes for seeing Santa this year.... but Macey just wasn't ready.

On Tuesday morning, Jimmy agreed that it would be a great day to see Santa. He could work in the area of the mall that morning, meet us for a quick visit, and be back on the road for work. So Macey and I arrived to see Santa a few minutes early so that she could see how this whole Santa thing goes down. We watched several other kids sit on Santa's lap and Santa even looked over and waved to us! Macey kept saying "Macey's turn now" while shaking her head up and down. I tried to build her excitement while we waited for Jimmy and throughly explained how she would sit on Santa's lap, say "Ho Ho Ho or Merry Christmas" and smile for a picture. She seemed ready, even excited, when we walked her up to see the jolly old man. As soon as we got close enough to put her on Santa's lap, she started hiding behind my legs and crying, "no!" I felt so bad for her that I  couldn't hand her over to Santa and run for a picture. I quietly accepted that I would be in the Santa picture this year (and kicked myself for not getting ready that morning) and asked Jimmy to join us.

Of course, she loved the hat Santa gave her, in lieu of a candy cane, and was back to her happy self once we left Santa. In fairness, it is a strange thing to ask a child so young to do. I'm sure she thought it was a situation like nursery where we would drop her and run. And Santa is really big, with a huge beard and boots and gloves... I don't blame her for being skeptical!

Next year we will be ready! With baby sister in tow, I'm sure Macey will sit with Santa and smile like a little angel!

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree!

Jimmy loves having a real Christmas tree. It’s a subtle battle that we face every year because I would really like a fake tree that comes with lights already on it, ready to plug and play. But since Jimmy turns into a child when it’s Christmas tree night, I have happily conceded each year. We don't go to a Christmas tree lot or huge farm, just our local Home Depot. :) This year we both thought Macey would love picking out the tree… she didn’t. But Jimmy did and now we have a beautiful LIVE Christmas tree slowly drying out in our living room. I have my eye on a couple of fake trees at Home Depot that may be coming to our house when they go on sale the day after Christmas... don't tell Jimmy!