I feel like I’m behind the eight ball a little bit.  There are still gifts to wrap, and last-minute logistics to figure out with Santa.

The countdown is on.

Thankfully, my parents are in town, and are helping out a lot.  I’m learning the finer points of being Santa’s helper.

Have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Posted by Sara Diamond

Okay, so Maddie has started on solids, and has been doing pretty well.  We’ve done a few veggies and fruits with some success, so I thought everything was fine.

The past week or so, Maddie has been on a solid food strike.  The catch is, she’s like that only with me!  I’ll try to feed her rice, and she’ll start to gag before it even goes in her mouth (she’s starting the dramatics early!).  I’ll even try some fruit, but nothing.  Then, she’ll whine until she gets a bottle.

Finally, I give up and Daddy steps in. 

Some how, some way, he sweet-talks her into opening her mouth and eating.  Now, I’m not sure exactly what he says to her.  He talks in a low voice, and elicits big grins as he shovels the food in her mouth.

Now, I could deal with this a couple of ways.  I could be hurt, and take it personally and think that my baby hates me and I am unable to take care of her by myself.  Or, I can be thankful that she has another parent that she can respond to in these situations, and hand over the spoon. 

Besides, I love watching Marty interact with our kids.  He wrestles with Jaxon and throws him around, yet he’s so gentle with Maddie.  They both think he’s the coolest guy in the world. 

I happen to agree.

Posted by Sara Diamond

Can you believe it’s almost Christmas?!  My goodness, the time flies. 

A few weeks ago, we tried to ask our son what he would like for Christmas.  With good intentions, I brought out the big toy store gift catalogs, to see what he’d like.  Big mistake!!  For 40+ pages, all I heard was, “I want that, and that, and that…” I’m not sure he even knew what half of the stuff was, but he wanted it!

It is so difficult not to go totally nuts during the Holiday season and buy every cool toy in the catalogs and in stores.  However, the thought of storing all of those cool toys brings me back to reality.  Plus, I’d rather have some money in the bank on December 26th.  Our wonderful parents buy the kids lots of gifts as well, so that helps out a lot! 

It’s so easy to forget the true meaning of the season.  I ask my son often if he remembers why we celebrate Christmas.  I want him to keep in mind that this season is about more than just presents. 

How does your family keep the real reason for the holidays in mind?

Posted by Sara Diamond

Okay, I’m really starting to get into the Christmas spirit.  My whole family will be in town for the holiday, and I’m so excited!

My sister and her two girls are coming from Texas, and my parents are traveling from Iowa.  It’s rare when we can all find the time to get together, but when we do it is so much fun!  Jaxon and his cousins love to play together, and the girls will get to see Maddie for the first time.

So, with that, let’s talk about Christmas traditions…

Santa has always done something cool at our house.  Growing up, he would leave a trail of little toys and things from our bedroom to the tree.  So, the first thing we’d see when we woke up was the trail o’toys. 

Santa continued this tradition even as my sister and I grew up, with shaving cream and lottery tickets taking the place of toys and coloring books (when you’re in college, good shaving cream is a luxury!).

Now, it is so much fun to see the excitement in Jaxon’s eyes as he anticipates what goodies Santa will leave in his trail this year.

That’s just one of our family’s holiday traditions.  What are some of yours?

Posted by Sara Diamond