Catch up

The past few weeks have been busy in our household, so needless to say, I haven't had much of an opportunity to blog. Eric has been working really long hours, so my computer time is fairly limited. Liam is growing like a weed, and keeping up with him is definitely a test of endurance. The elections came and went. And I think that I, like so many others around me, can sleep better knowing that the world is on the mend again.

Earlier this month my parents came to visit us in Dallas for a long weekend. If we are being quite honest with ourselves. they really came to see Liam, but as a bonus got to see me and Eric. They hadn't seen Liam since he started walking, so it was great for them to chase him around. We are extremely blessed to have two very generous and loving sets of grandparents that spoil Liam rotten. It is not uncommon to have them send Liam gifts for no reason at all. At Liam's age, I feel that the excitement of a package in the mail from one of the grandmas is mine, and mine alone. While I try to get Liam to share in the anticipation of ripping open a brown paper package, he has usually moved on to chasing the dogs with a spatula. I, on the other hand, love pouring over the books and sorting through the clothes that his generous benefactors have bestowed upon him. Needless to say, it was lovely having a visit from my parents. One of the hardest things about living in this area is being so far from home.

Our friend, Amy, took our holiday Christmas card photos. We have ordered our photo cards from Shutterfly and they should arrive any day now. I have posted a few of our favorites that didn't make the card for your viewing pleasure.


For those of you who do not live in Dallas, you know that the weather here has been unseasonably warm and beautiful. Needless to say, the day we took our pictures felt more like an early September day rather than November.

For Thanksgiving we went to Houston to visit Eric's family. It was the first time we had stayed in a hotel with Liam, and it was definitely an experience. I told my mother-in-law that if I didn't know me, I would totally judge me as a mother. I realized how much of a routine we have settled into as a family. While we try really hard not to live by a schedule, I now know that our schedule has consumed our lives more than I would like. So it came as no surprise that when we were taken outside of our "norm" it was definitely hard to adjust. Liam had a difficult time sleeping in his pack-in-play and all of the noises associated with being in a hotel made it hard for him to fall asleep. This led to him to crying out for constant reassurance for me and Eric. And while we are at home we are "comfortable" enough letting him cry it out, at a hotel you don't have the same level of ease. Heck, if I heard a child crying inconsolably I would probably call CPS. So for the first time, ever, we let Liam take a few naps in our bed. The child kicks.

Eating was a whole other matter. He was so distracted by the constant excitement of his cousins and doting family, that he ate as much as a mouse on a diet. And if there is one thing I have learned, you cannot force a child to eat. Now that we are back home, we are hoping to settle back into our routine. Until Christmas that is!

Speaking of Christmas, tonight we are putting up our tree and lighting the fireplace. We really debated whether we should put up a tree this year. Last year, Liam was not yet crawling so our tree and decorations were safe. But this year is a whole other matter. The child is just soooo curious, so we were not sure whether it was "safe" (for the tree or Liam) to put up the tree. However, in our constant efforts to teach Liam boundaries, and also because Christmas without a tree doesn't really feel like Christmas at all, we have opted to put it up. I love, love, love the holidays and have been listening to Christmas music for about two weeks now. I have been lighting our cinnamon clove candle from White Barn Candle Co. and making pumpkin cookies. At the first sign of cold weather we have been making chili or green chile stew. And the holiday teas have been broken out. So yeah, not putting up a tree feels...just plain wrong.

This Thanksgiving was such a welcome change from last year. The biggest blessing of all is having a happy, healthy, loving child and an amazing husband. I am so grateful for my loving family and friends. I feel blessed in unimaginable ways. I hope you all had a really wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving.