Trim up the tree

A cursory look at artificial trees sent us back to the Knights of Columbus Christmas tree lot at a nearby Catholic Church.  We headed out, just Rocky, Maggie & me, leaving Jessie in Grandma Bonnie’s hands.  Maggie was very excited to go out in the snow.  She picked out a 7 footer, fairly soft needles.  The kid selling the trees told us this tree’s branches are stronger for ornaments.  Maggie picked out the first one we looked at, which is fine.  They tied it to the roof and we headed back home.  Fortunately, it’s a short drive back home.

Rocky & Grandpa got the tree in the tree stand in the garage and I brought the ornament boxes up.  2 strands of lights were duds, so we have less lights, but Maggie & Taylor did a great job decorating the tree so the tree looks great.  Taylor was quite amazed at just how many ornaments we have.

 

Thanksgiving 2010

What a blessed holiday!! Rocky’s folks came out for the weekend and brought 2 of Tammy’s girls: Amy & Taylor. Maggie was thrilled that 2 of her “cousin girls” were going to come to visit and that she would have someone to play with all weekend long.

It’s been really cold here and Thanksgiving was no exception. Rocky said it was supposed to be the coldest Thanksgiving on record here in Billings. I spent the day in the nice warm kitchen. Though I did chase Maggie & Taylor outside at one point in the afternoon. It didn’t take Maggie long to beg to come in. I think it took longer to get her into her outdoor clothes than she spent outside! We had a wonderful meal with our usual menu – though this year we had a Caesar side salad and savory sweet potatoes with bacon and red onions.

No one wanted to get up early for Black Friday shopping, though Rocky had to go out Thanksgiving night and at 3 am to get all the Black Friday Shoppers. I took Amy out about 9 a.m. and we hit Target, Big Lots and Wal-mart. We stayed in the Heights and avoided the worst of the roads and shoppers! And we got everything we wanted from the ads – and a bit more, of course. When we got back, Grandma, Grandpa & Taylor went out for their own shopping excursion. Rocky just slept all afternoon!

We had a quiet evening and Saturday. Rocky & I plan to enjoy a night out and we’re planning to skip church so we can go out and get a Christmas tree while the Grandparents are here to watch the girls. We are currently debating investing in an artificial tree. Hopefully we can find one that look real.

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Moon Set

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the luster of mid-day to objects below.

The snow clouds cleared out over night.  I noticed the full moon’s light when I was up with Jessie at one point.  She awoke early this morning (around 5:30-ish) so it was still dark.  In the house, we can watch the light changing, even though we really can’t see the sun rise. The temperature was in the negatives, even as the sun rose.  Rocky decided to shovel.  I looked out in the backyard and noticed the moon setting.  I don’t know that I have ever noticed the moon setting before.  The colors of the sunrise reflected on the moon with pinks and oranges, lighting the dark purple sky to blue.

More pictures on Facebook.

First Snow of the Season

We got our first snow of the season this weekend. Maggie was THRILLED. As she told me, she can make “snow men, snow dogs, snow cats, snow mice and snow angels.” She went out almost as soon as she got up this morning. She was only out for about 10 minutes or so when she decided it was too cold. We did get the dogs out for a little bit. We have some pretty whimpy dogs who did not want to be out in the snow. Though, when we got home from the movies this afternoon, Otis was laying out in the middle of the yard. Just when I think I’ve got them figured out, they throw me a curve ball.

Do you see Rocky's hand in that last photo? He was throwing snow in my face as I snapped the photo.

Thanksgiving, the plan

Thanksgiving is just a few days away. Jessie's very first. The mood is set as we got a couple of inches of snow that appears to be sticking around -- teens and single digits through Thanksgiving. Maggie helped with the menu:

Apple Cider Brined Turkey
Mashed Potatoes & Gravy
Mashed Sweet Potatoes & Bacon
Some kind of salad with dried cranberries
Buns
Apple AND pumpkin pie

Tomorrow, Rocky & I will do the shopping and his folks should be here Wednesday evening (we're also going to Harry Potter!! and the girls will go to cousin Christy's house -- Maggie is SOOOO excited). I love this Holiday! I'm looking forward to the cooking, the smells, the football, the Christmas decorations that will come out of the crawl space. This really is the most wonderful time of the year!

Day 165

I can’t believe how big Jessie is getting.  A year ago, I was still a little in disbelief that another baby was on the way.  Only Rocky and I (and my OB) knew Jessie was on the way.  And now, here she is.  Probably getting close to 15 pounds, showing her stubborn personality in everything she does.  She wants to be mobile and has figured out how to get herself around as best she can by rolling and pulling herself around.  She can get herself up on all fours and will rock there a bit.  No crawling yet.  She has gotten a few rug burns on her nose and cheeks from rubbing her head on the floor trying to crawl.  She can sit supported and loves to sit up and bang on the baby piano.  She loves to play in her exersaucer, especially if she can watch Big Sister, whom she loves to laugh at and with.

We started Jessie on solids about a month ago.  She loves sweet potatoes and sweet peas.  She’s not quite sure what to think about the oatmeal and pears yet.

She is starting to work on getting some teeth and we’ve had a few sleepless nights.  She does sleep in her crib quite a bit, but every so often prefers to snuggle with Momma.

Tonight, she had her first story read to her by Maggie: “Dr Seuss’ ABCs”.  She giggled through most of it.