Friday, December 25, 2009

The Many Kinds of Love and Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! I pray that you and your family have a blessed day.

Yesterday, I was looking through the cookbook that my grandmother had when I was growing up. It is filled with recipes written in her handwriting (and mine too when I was a little girl). It has recipes from loved ones, friends and family and many that my grandmother, Nanny, made up throughout her life. Hidden in with the family recipes and potluck ideas was this little gem that my grandmother wrote many years ago. My grandmother is no longer with us on earth, but her love is still here.

My prayer is that your Chirstmas day is filled with love, joy, happiness and the true meaning of Christmas!

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Wordless Wednesday: What YOU Looking at Lady?

I think this goat at the zoo didn't want her photo taken earlier this week!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Memories of Christmas Past: Christmas Wish Books

My sons are still a bit young to really ask for particular toys for Christmas, but that doesn’t stop them from giving us clues as to what they’d like.

We just watch them in their day to day lives. My oldest son was in his playroom playing with his beloved train table when my husband caught this scene on camera. He found the yearbook that came with his Thomas & Friends Wooden Railway set and was “reading” it carefully, softly touching one train after another. He’d stop and smile then turn the page. It actually brought tears to my eyes. He doesn’t really speak very much and has a hard time communicating. His Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) specialist has us working on communicating through pictures. He sat there for about an hour just admiring all of the beautiful trains. Guess what he’s getting for Christmas?

Growing up in a very small town, we didn’t have big box stores or huge toy stores. We also didn’t have the internet or cell phones or any high tech way of finding out about the big toys of the year (I was born in the 70s). What we did have, and I miss, are the big Christmas wish books and catalogs.

These catalogs were HUGE and many times doubled as impromptu booster chairs for toddlers at Christmas dinner. Do you remember them? My sisters and I would fight over these humongous catalogs filled with everything we could ever want or need as they arrived in the mail. We’d painstakingly pour over them, folding over pages, circling our favorite toys with markers and crayons and ripping pages out to post on the refrigerator door. We’d make a list and check it twice and keep adding to it right up until Santa landed on the roof.

Of course, we didn’t realize that our mother was Santa’s helper and we needed to get our orders in early. In those days, especially way out in the country where we lived, there was no expedited shipping. My mother would order our toys and then go to the local catalog pickup location and get our goodies. The employees would call when our presents were in and I remember that, a lot of the time, toys would be back-ordered. That would send my mom scrambling to the local Bill’s Dollar Store to find a suitable replacement.

One of my most memorable toys from childhood was a Michael Jackson Record Player that I received in the early 80s. It was the big toy in one of the Christmas catalogs that year and I really wanted one. I remember it clearly… I loved that it was portable. I played both sides of my Michael Jackson record over and over (yes I only had one). My sister also received this record player that year, because the company sent two.


What is your most memorable toy from childhood? Do you remember those huge wish books?

Most importantly though, I wish you a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a wonderful new year from my family to yours!

Are you done with your shopping yet? :)

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Happy Birthday, Daddy!

We interrupt this tasty lunch to say (well Kierbear isn't going to interrupt his eating for anything, but he was still willing to help out... we know you understand):


Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Dancing With My Kierbear

I see you smiling... I know you can't help it. :)

Monday, December 14, 2009

Need A Smile? Sure You Do!

Having a case of the Mondays? Watching the clock for 5 p.m. (only an hour to go if you're on central time)?

Never fear... Finley's here (to brighten your day)! We think he is going to be the conductor of a grand symphony one day. It could happen. Either way, gotta love him. He shows his pure joy, enthusiasm and happiness in a way that warms my heart.

Friday, December 11, 2009

Potamus's New AFOs

I've mentioned before that my 2 1/2 year old wears orthotics on his feet. He was wearing SMOs (stands for SupraMalleolar Orthosis), but needed more support. Yesterday, his ECI PT came out with his new Orthotist and they had his new AFOs (stands for Ankle-Foot Orthosis) with them. He was allowed to choose the design of his new orthotics. They have trucks and cars and are blue with red lining and blue straps. He wanted our blog readers to see him stylin' and profilin'. Cute isn't he?



 

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Dear Makers of Finley The Fire Engine

To the makers of Finley the Fire Engine and/or CBeebies,

Do you see these two sweet, angelic brothers resting side by side ever so sweetly watching your show? They are 1 1/2 and 2 1/2 and this is the first time this has ever happened. Usually they would be fighting each other, but they are so happy to watch this show that they will even allow me to snap a photo of this rare event.

So, my plea is this... please air your show in the USA, where we live! My oldest son's name is Finley and I just happened across a DVD last year that is about worn out. It isn't on any US channels and the DVDs and toys aren't to found here. My son LOVES the show and gets sooo happy to hear his name. I want to find him some merchandise too, so please hear my plea!

I love the positive themed messages about sibling rivalry, teamwork and learning to share. The accents are cute, too! We think it's "tire-ific" and if this DVD breaks I am in T-R-O-U-B-L-E!

Thank you for your time!

P.S. Kieran wants to know when they will be making a show about him. Daddy thinks it should be called Kieran the DestructoBot, but Mommy knows this is not at all a fitting title of a DVD about her sweet boy. ;)

Friday, December 4, 2009

Mama Tuck, Mama Tuck

I had to share this... It made my day!

Earlier today, I was preparing Finley something to eat for lunch while he was in the playroom with the door open. The playroom is attached to the kitchen (altered dining room). He was in there happily playing with his trains. I was pouring his milk when I heard something that sounded like "tuck". I thought he was saying truck because he was playing with the trains, cars and trucks. A few seconds later he says, "Mama tuck, Mama tuck". He didn't sound upset and it didn't sound urgent, but since he is speech delayed, I always go immediately when he calls me and makes an effort to communicate. I walked in there and about fell out laughing. Not only was he indeed "tuck", (aka stuck) but he took the time to pose for a quick photo. Instead of walking around to the other side to play with his lined up trains, he crawled over.

Gotta love that boy! Happy Friday!

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

We took the boys for Christmas photos today... just one busy day so no blogging for me. Here's a nice Wordless Wednesday very late edition. The boys loved the horses at my sister and brother-in-law's farm on Thanksgiving. Here is their first meeting.