Christmas Joys

Christmas has come and gone and I'm actually a little sad to put away the ole tree for another year! Kalissa is old enough to know what is going on and it was a joy to see her innocence and love for Christmas grow. We started the season out with our tradition of supporting Toys for Tots. We gave 5 toys (one from each of us) to children in need. She doesn't really understand that concept yet, but I'm sure by next year she will get it. She already loves to give presents to people! We gave a bottle of wine to each administrator at her school and for her main teacher, she gave a sterling silver pendant that had "teacher" and an apple engraved on it. Kalissa couldn't get enough of singing Christmas carols. She would sing Jingle Bells to anyone who would listen and she especially loved to sing "Up on the Housetop". We Wish You a Merry Christmas was also in heavy rotation. On Christmas Eve, we attended church and Kali had fun dancing in the aisles and playing in the "snow" that was falling during the musical performances.

Christmas morning rolled around and she woke up to presents under the tree. We kept them hidden with a blanket so that she wouldn't get impatient waiting for Oma to arrive. Once she got there, we let her see her gifts and she was thrilled. By the time she finished unwrapping everything she was completely overwhelmed.

Since it was 74 degrees out, we decided to go to....Sea World!! It was warm enough outside for her to play in the snow one last time before the exhibit leaves. We checked out a few sea creatures and then headed over to the Sesame Play area so she could see her favorite furry creature, Elmo. Low and behold, there was NO LINE to take a photo with him and bonus...Cookie Monster was with him! Score for Kali on Christmas Day! We've been going to Sea World regularly for almost a year now and Kali has never been able to talk to Elmo. Either the line is too long or we just missed the meet-n-greet session. But not today! When Elmo and Cookie Monster came over to her, she just started talking to them like they were long lost buds! She said Happy Birthday to Elmo and I explained that she thought it was his birthday today so then he really played up to her. The characters were spending so much time with her that a staff member had to say, "Okay, Elmo and Cookie Monster...we have other kids in line!" *lol* Kalissa was on Cloud 9!! She couldn't stop talking about how Elmo tickled her cheeks.

After that, we took in an animal show that featured dogs & cats from the local animal shelter along with parrots, pigs, ducks, kangaroos, and ostriches. Oma was completely amazed that they managed to train so many cats to do so many tricks. I was amazed by the kangaroos! After the show, we stayed to meet the animals. Kali wanted absolutely nothing to do with the pig! *lol* In addition to these animals, Kali got up close and personal with a bearded dragon when we first got to the park. She is a brave little girl!!

We had a wonderful Christmas together and by the end of the day, Kalissa was completely tuckered out! A very Merry Christmas...and to all a good nite!

Deck the Halls -- Finally!

We finally got it done. Up until yesterday we did not have a tree up. Yes, one week before Christmas and no tree! We've just been soooo busy and then there were sick days and the time just escaped us. So yesterday, before we did ANYthing...we made sure the tree went up! Kali, being the big girl that she is, assisted with everything from attaching the ornaments to putting on the star. She was sooo happy. She just kept saying, "Mommy, I made Christmas!" *lol*

After the tree was up, Daddy and I went out for a marathon shopping session while Kali spent the day with Oma. We were gone for 8 hours -- with no kid!! On football Sunday!! Must've been a special occasion or something. *lol*

Thankfully we are all finished shopping and socializing so we are just going spend this week resting and waiting for Kali's big day. We haven't put any presents under the tree because she will rip them open! Even if we threaten her with a spanking! *lol* So instead of risking having to spank her, we just removed the temptation and will put the presents under the tree on Christmas Eve. That way, Christmas morning will be extra special in her little eyes.

Congratulations, Ariel!

This is a busy month for the Woods household! Last week, we were celebrating Brooklyn's bundle of joy and today we are celebrating Ariel's college graduation! I taught Kali to say, "Congratulations, Ariel!" and she was more than excited to repeat the phrase over and over and over again. *lol* What better way to celebrate than a party! Wooo Hooo!

Ariel is such a sweetheart and always has been. She graduated with all As (maybe one B) too! We wish her all the best in her next phase of life and know that whatever she wants to be, she can be!
Since the Woodses are spending their Christmas holiday in Las Vegas this year, we exchanged gifts early. They wanted Kali to open her gifts and we let her. She absolutely loved the kissing Simba & Nala (she has yet to see the Lion King movie though!). She also got a savings bond (mo' money) and a Spongebob bath set.

She enjoyed being around little baby Anthony. He's 10 months old and the grandson of one of our friends. Of course when it came time for us to go, Kali didn't want to leave. I guess I can't blame her....just about every time we visit, there's a party going on!

Sugar and Spice and Everything Nice

Today, Kali's school invited the parents to participate in their Christmas Party for the kids. The main event was decorating gingerbread houses. I wasn't feeling so hot this morning but I didn't want Kali to be the only child without a parent present (turns out she wouldn't have been the only one), so I pulled myself together and headed down to the school to join the festivities. I was a few minutes late, so when I walked in everyone was well into making their houses. Kali was seated and didn't seem a bit phased that she didn't have a parent! *lol* She's so independent!

I don't think making gingerbread houses was the most perfect activity for a group of 2 years olds! They mostly ate the candy decorations!! Notice I had to stop the video to tend to the chewed candy Kali put back into the bowl, not realizing that was the second time she put her candy in the bowl...after she declared "that's disgusting!" *lol* Oh well, they had fun and since it was in the middle of the morning, the parents didn't have to deal with the aftermath of toddlers on a sugar high!! Poor teachers! I'll bet the activities will change for next year. : )

Christmas Recital

Last night, Kalissa had her first Christmas recital. Unfortunately, I also had a Board meeting!!! Ugggghhhh! Dilemmas of a working mom! I told my manager about my conflict and she INSISTED I not go to my meeting and instead attend Kali’s recital. Thank GOD for the unspoken “Working Mom Code”! The “First” ANYTHING will usually trump business and she agreed to cover for me.

I didn’t know how Kali would do. Even though she had been practicing at home, I expected her to freeze up once she got on stage. Daddy & Oma were confident that she would be her normal self and perform. I was wrong, they were right! Kalissa nailed it and we couldn’t have been more proud!



She was soooooo cute!! Of course she was the only one who actually did the choreography and even added her own spins! *lol* She is not one to miss out on an opportunity to be the Bell of the Ball…and this, I should have known!

The Big Reveal

I am soooo glad to be back to normal! This week our family got hit HARD with a 24-hour bug. Kalissa got it first and to be on the safe side, we ended up in the emergency room after 3 hours of her throwing up nonstop. Poor baby! Since her vitals were all fine and she had no other symptoms other than nausea, she was sent home with doctor's orders of plenty of fluids and rest. By the morning though, she was completely fine and even eating normally. The next day, Daddy called me and said he left work because he was vomiting. Four hours later, I had to leave work because I was vomiting! We were pitiful! Kali was at preschool and we had to wonder who was going to pick her up. Since the bug had just hit me, it was all on me to make it happen. I swooped up Kali in the nick of time before the next wave of upchucking hit me. Needless to say, Kali pretty much had to fend for herself that night because neither one of us was in any condition to take care of her...but we made it through!
I'm glad it was only a 24-hour bug or we would have had to miss the BIG REVEAL! Today is the day that everyone would find out the gender of Brooklyn & Travis's baby. It was going to be a surprise for everyone. At Friday's ultrasound, they asked the doctor to put the gender in a sealed envelope and then GiGi took that envelope to the baker. The baker then made a cake with the filling to be blue for a boy or pink for a girl. Everyone gathered for the big moment and wore the color of the gender they thought the baby would be. I guessed the baby would be a girl along with GiGi and just a few others. Almost everyone else, including the parents-to-be, guessed the baby would be a boy. I wanted the baby to be a boy for Woody's sake because there is already a WHOLE LOTTA estrogen up in their camp!! ...but I had a feeling that this baby would be a little girl.

In grand Woods' style, there was plenty of food and drinks and we all enjoyed everyone's company (we love parties and are always looking for reasons to have one...and this was another perfect reason). All of the guests brought a package of diapers to start the young couple off.

Then came the moment of truth! And the cake revealed that the new addition to our family is.......
a GIRL!!!!! Cigars and hugs all around! A few seconds of shock at the news and I caught it all on film! : )

1. GiGi getting teary eyed at the thought of finding out! 2. Prayer to God for bringing us all together to share in the moment and to pray for a healthy baby no matter the gender 3. Slicing into the cake... 4. Surprise!!! It's a girl!!! 5. A brief moment of disappointment -- even though GiGi's wearing pink so she guessed it was going to be a girl! Woody's a trooper though -- still smiling! 6. Brooklyn's moment of emotion (she had been hoping for a boy). 7. The happy couple after it all sunk in! 8. GRANDPA & Daddy-to-be!!!

Although few had guessed the baby would be a girl, everyone is thrilled with knowing that she is on her way. Who really cares....we just all pray for a healthy baby, right?! But now that we know it's a girl....the shopping starts NOW! : ) Congratulations Brooklyn!!

Ahead of the Game!

Not to toot my own horn, but ummm......TOOT TOOT!!!!! It is not even December 1 and our Christmas pictures are ready to go!!! WOOO HOOOO!!! I'm always last minute with this stuff (listen to me, like I've been doing family Christmas pictures my whole life *lol*) but not this year! I had a plan and the husband and the baby cooperated so that the plan was beautifully executed! So now I can take my time with choosing the perfect card to send out to our family and friends -- ON TIME. Please, please...hold your applause. *lol*

Here is the finished product...coming soon to a mailbox near you!