Why does visiting Santa cause so many tears?

being jewish, i never got to sit on santa's lap and tell him what i wanted. i was ok with it, in fact i never questioned it. now that we have taken olivia twice, it kind of makes me want to sit in his lap and tell him what i want! but i will pass. last year olivia was a little peanut and had no clue what was going on. she just sat there and stared at his beard. this year, totally different experience. at first glance, she busted out in tears and had death grips on BOTH of my hands. todd and i were laughing, trying to coax her into his lap. she went for it, with extreme hesitation, and of course, tears! then came the ringing of the bells. they were loud enough to wake the dead, which of course caught olivia's attention...enough to divert her long enough to get a few decent pictures, or so we thought. the first round of pictures were terrible! then the genius behind the camera said they'd take some more. we were game. but then the genius decided she would turn around and start talking to her co-worker like there wasn't a 14 month old sitting on santa's lap like a ticking-time-bomb waiting to go off! i quickly interrupted her and reminded her of the situation and got her to quickly snap some shots. although olivia isn't smiling, we really like the pictures! we'll see how next year goes...i hear between the ages of 2 and 3 kids are the most scared of santa....great! looks like i might get a chance to sit on santa's lap after all (with olivia, of course!).

the quiet game - 26 students, really, will they play? PLEASE play!

how many hours until winter break? all i want to do right now is sleep in, have breakfast with my family, and bake! olivia is getting in the spirit of the season. she is so ready to open the presents under the tree...she has already cracked into a few...only nonny's though, she must know what is inside and she wants it!

this weekend is our first holiday baking session. we are going to make cookies, mini cheesecakes, and other yummy holiday goodness. if you have any holiday favorites, please let me know. i am always looking for new recipes.

uncle steve (my uncle steve) and aunt judy bought this chair for olivia. olivia LOVES it! it is her throne. she grabs as many books as she can, hops into the chair, literally, and drinks her milk and reads (or is at least attempting to read). what a great invention - a mini chair!

who knew boots with the fur would come in size 4?

Tis the season...will we get it all done?

today was a lazy day....it was cold outside and gross. i really hope it snows this year. it would be fun to play in it with olivia. olivia has discovered buttons - she says her rendition of the word, which is pretty close. uncle andy was here at 8:00 this morning so he could spend some time with her before he got his day going. i think he woke up before olivia simply to get here quicker and to be here when she woke up!

tonight was the ausburn christmas extravaganza. as always, a lot of fun. we didn't see some of our friends because we had olivia with us and left around 8:30...an hour past her bedtime was pushing it, but she was great! she has a new friend in ethan. anyone looking for a new toy, the ball pit is the way to go - olivia's new favorite toy! times have changed though. we used to stay and hang out until midnight if not later, now, 8:30 rolls around and we are out the door. that makes me feel so old!

i wish there was more time in the day. i have so much i want to do, every day it feels like, but not enough time. too much laundry, too much house cleaning, not enough time to catch up with friends, not enough time to spend with family....the list goes on, mainly laundry, laundry, and more laundry. how does someone so small have so much dirty clothing? oh wait, it is mainly todd's! (just teasing.)

we are starting P90X again tonight. we made it 6 weeks the first go round, and saw results, but again, not enough time in the day. now that football season is over, we are hoping to get back on it...the first night, round one, was VERY rough for me. so rough that it caused me to vommit...i am really praying that doesn't happen tonight. if anyone has done/tried P90X, let me know what you think. i really like it, but tony gets on my last nerve. we mute him and play our own music. i really think it works, you just have to have the time to do it. we'll see how it goes! i really don't want to hug the toilet tonight!

day 2 - date night (well, my family was with us)

only a week to go before winter break. any one out there in education can relate to my winter break desire. tonight todd and i went to six feet under. it was delicious! we rarely, if ever, venture downtown, but tonight was a special occasion. my cousin, jamie, graduated from emory today and my aunt and cousin were in town. so a family dinner was in order. we didn't meet until 7 which was way too late for babies (@ least in our house)...dinner @ 7 or later results in disaster. it was really yummy. great food, great atmosphere, and even better company.

looking forward to this weekend...enough said.

day1 - it's a welborn life

i have decided to try out this whole "blogging" extravaganza. not sure how well i will do with it, but i am going to give it a go. although high school football season has ended for 2009, i find myself home alone, olivia asleep, and todd with the coaches (SHOCKER!). tonight is the all county banquet, so of course he'll be there, but again, i find myself alone on a thursday night. i was thrilled when the JV season ended because it meant i had my husband back, nonetheless, it is thursday, no football game, and husband still with the coaches. i am not bitter.

speaking of thursdays, thursday is the only night of the week of good television any more. i actually look forward to thursday night tv....it is the only night i look forward to. my favorite is the office. i wasn't a fan at first, but i gave it a few episodes and now watch the reruns all of the time...driving to florida last year todd and i even watch several series. the drive sure went by quickly. i highly recommend doing that to anyone taking a road trip soon!

so i read other people's blogs and they crack me up. i love hearing about people's lives and updates. i love seeing pictures of growing families. our family has grown, too, in the last 14 and 1/2 months, so that is why i decided to start this blog. olivia, our 14 month old daughter, is changing daily. she is such a great little girl. every day she amazes me. every time she does something funny or cute, or says something funny or cute, i always think to myself "i need to write this down" but there is NEVER a pen or piece of paper near me. by the time i get to either or both, i cannot remember what i was going to write down! i am hoping by typing things will come to me much quicker.

so here's my entry for today: todd was getting ready to leave for the banquet and my parents and i were playing with olivia and her tunnel. i told her to come tell daddy bye-bye. she crawled out of the tunnel, stood up, looked at todd and said "bye-bye". she then walked over to him, puckered up, and gave him a huge kiss, right on the mouth, and put her little hand on his face...turned around and said "bye-bye" again. i know that probably doesn't sound like a big deal, but for any parent out there (especially a relatively new parent) that is huge! she is turning into such an adorable little girl (and yes, i am biased).

i am having so much fun getting to know her. that is what i am thankful for today.