Having a Blue Christmas

this holiday season is bitter sweet.
it is going to be a blue Christmas.

it is my official first year as a separated woman (no, the divorce is not final. . . soon? i can always hope).
it is also my first year not having my kids for Christmas. . . the "ex" gets all the kiddos for both Christmas Eve and Christmas. :(

we are totally making the best of it and the kids are very excited
(what kid wouldn't want two Christmas'???). . . but it is not the same, especially for them.
kids want their parents to be together and their is no other time more important for family then the holidays and i can sense it in my children.
they are happy but it is different when your family dynamic is not a whole unit all the time.

although my immediate family and I have made herculean efforts to minimize the feelings of separation for them (and if i am being honest, us) it is going to be a hard week.

we did have an "early" Christmas Eve and Christmas day this past weekend and i have to admit that it was one of the best Christmas' that i can remember.
the kids were in heaven, pure heaven. Santa sent them an incredible letter and explained that due to their new homes he was making a special trip to visit them at both places. i can't describe the joy the kids radiated. they felt so special. they are. it was an experience i will never forget.
i remember indiana exclaiming. . . "mom! the letter even smells like the North Pole!"
talk about melting hearts.

i will focus on that this week. i know my kids love me and i know i love them.
i love them more than anything. i would do anything for them.
i guess Christmas is really a state of mind.
it doesn't matter the day. . . Christmas is what we make of it.

Dreaming of a White Christmas

i hope it snows this year. nothing like a White Christmas!
growing up my sister and i used to dance around the kitchen table while listening to Bing. . . Mele Kalikimaka!

Harajuku Mini for Xmas

Harajuku Mini at Target??? yes, please!

this is going to be under the tree for Jude. . . SANTA could *not* resist!:

*WISHING* these are under the tree for the girls. . . make note SANTA:

Mid Century DIY Printables

i am in love with these incredibly, retro DIY mid century printables!
they can be ornaments or make a swoon worthy mini Christmas diorama.
i am fixing to do both!
one of my BFF's is the creative mastermind behind these beauties. . .
head on over and visit Danielle Thompson's blog to get your printables.
thank you Danielle!
Kitschy Digitals always delivers.

Indy and Baby Jude

Kendy and Baby Jude

Faux Christmas Tree

because anything faux and from the 60s is the cat's meow!
i simply love the bright colors and use of tissue.
wouldn't this be fun to make on Christmas morning after all the presents are unwrapped with the torn up, leftover wrapping paper?
*SO* going to make this with the kiddos. they will be in retro craft heaven.
thanks "Tattered and Lost" for sharing!

Halloween wishes

Happy WAY belated Halloween!
our spooky wishes are late but i thought that all of my kiddos looked *so* stellar in their Halloween costumes that i had to share a pic.
each costume fit each of their personalities perfectly.
we love Halloween at our home and this year was our best yet! full of family and chili and trick or treating. . . the candy hauls the kiddos got was insane! they barely ate the last pieces just this past week. . . lucky kiddos! ;)

Tis the Season for Retro!

source

Still in the process of getting out our Christmas decor;
some of it broke on its way to its new home (2,000 miles is a long journey for humble Xmas decor!) but most survived so that is A+ tops in my book!

Desperately wanting to make a wreath like this.
Heaven knows I have the supplies.
Thrifting adventures have acquired me quite a nice collection of retro Christmas. . . .
awww. . . retro Christmas!
Retro warms my heart.

What craft are you itching to make this holiday season?
Please post links and share!
I always love *new, groovy* ideas.

Seriously. . . April was my last post!?! WT??? well, Merry Christmas!

Merry, Merry! all you lovely peeps. . .

here is Karli, baby Jude, Indy and Kendy wishing you a *very* happy Christmas!

i am so behind. WAY BEHIND. such an understatement.

what a year. WHAT A YEAR. another understatement.
"understatement" is a fun word to say.
try it. it's fun.

we are here.
we are alive.
we are happy. :)

can you believe it? HAPPY??? yes, HAPPY!
happiness.
happiness seems so intangible at times; like it is the hardest thing in the world to achieve. . . but it is so simple to achieve. SO SIMPLE.
one ingredient: love.

this past year, since December fifth 2010(if we are being EXACT), has been tumultuous.
very hard. full of heart ache, devastating grief and sorrow.
Kleenex made some good money off me i tell's you what!

this past year has also been full of *SO* many tender mercies and the best thing of all in life, love.
so much love and happiness. pure joy.

i want to thank all of you for being there for us and helping me and my wonderful kiddos this past year. although our lives have not turned out the way we necessarily wanted. . . our lives are still great and full of promise. full of friends and family and all the utmost important things in life.

to all of those in Buffalo, HEAPS OF THANKS AND LOVE!
you lifted me up in my darkest hours and prayed for my little family. you have been there for us when we needed you and even when we didn't.
you helped me and my kids move. . . some of you helped for the THIRD TIME! three times? you deserve medals.
you showed me the true meaning of being Christian and i will always remember your sweet kindness and love. it pulled us through. BFF's forever!

to all of those in Utah, THANK YOU FOR STILL BEING THERE FOR ME! what joy has come from moving back home to Utah. what love and friendship awaited me and my kiddos here. it has meant the world and continues to. thank you for loving us and for being our friends and continuing to unceasingly keep us in your thoughts and prayers. we are so blessed. xoxo

to all of my friends. . . where ever you may be, THANK YOU FOR BEING MY FRIEND! thank you for loving my kids and i and boosting me up and showing us what friendship is really all about.
you motivate me each day to be a better friend and a better mother and a better person! love you.

to my family, THANK YOU THE MOST! my dear, wonderful and perfectly *AWESOME AND RADICAL* family. you took care of my kids and i when we had no one else in the world. you help(ed) me each and every day to know that i was going to be able to make it through the storm. . . and not only that. . .thrive through it.
i will never be able to repay you. ever. bottom line.
I LOVE YOU!

i love you all and hope that this holiday season finds you well and happy.
i am looking forward to a new year and new beginnings.
here, here! to many happy days ahead!

*disclaimer: i cannot promise to blog before April 2012. good grief Karli Plant!
you would think you had nothing else on God's green Earth to distract you!?! *~*

One Buch Wednesday. . . Felt Feathers

i am SO stoked when Wednesday comes. . . why, may you ask?
it's because i can get some *killer* digital scrapping product for only one dolla!
easy on my wallet and very pretty for my expanding scrapbooks. . .
ONE BUCK WEDNESDAY!!! yay (^_^)!



this week Danielle of Kitschy Digitals is offering her felt feathers kit for only one dollar. . .
hurry in peeps. . . this is a MUST HAVE digi kit!
way to go Kitschy Digitals. . . i love thee. :)


ALSO cool on the Kitschy Digital Front. . .
jewel toned butterflies kit!
wowza.

Baby Jude Laughs

oh boy, oh howdy!
Baby boy is already laughing. . . exactly on his two month birthday (^0^)
just too adorable. . . don't you think?
don't mind my weird, high pitched voice. . .
i'll do anything ridiculous to make this boy laugh like that.
with all that is going on right now for our little fam. . .
this is what makes it all worth it!
do i have stories to share!
for another time. . . i think. ;)
meanwhile. . . enjoy Jude's laugh. . . and know that the kids and i are still kicking and living!
be back soon.
(i know i keep saying that. . . but this time it is FOR REALS. . . word)
p.s. quality of vid SUCKS. took it on my ipod. . . sorry folks

The Girls

these girls are *so* cute and make me the happiest momma alive!
the baby boy has been getting LOTS of focus lately. . .
but i wanted to showcase my two little ruby gems too (^-^)
these kids are muy importante to me. . . the most important thing ever!
they make my life bright and full.

February was a BUSY, BUSY month for us. . .
and March is looking to be even MORE busy and chaotic. . .
like that could be possible!?!

Indiana has been such a trooper with all that is going on and it makes me happy to know she is such an energetic and loving little girl.
she is already making lots of friends here and she is always keeping everyone around her in stitches. . . she says the cutest things!

we were talking about commercials on T.V. and Indiana was telling me about a Hot Wheels car wash that she is SO stoked about and wants for her birthday (which is in July. . . but it's never TOO early to know what you want!).
she was getting so animated about it and describing how the cars "change" their paint when they get wet. . .
any hoots. . . i reminded her that she had already told me about 20 other things that she "has to have for her birthday". . .
and she said. . .
"well. . . just buy them all. they will make me SO happy."
i informed her that we don't have endless amounts of money and so she will just have to pick and choose a few of her favorite things she wants when her birthday comes around.
she was not excited about that idea!
i told her that having all those things wouldn't make her happy anyway and she retorted. . .
"yes they would! i would be ridiculously happy if i had ALL those things!".
so much for an "after school special" message from her mother! ;)

Kennedy is such a stink. . . but cute to boot.
lately she has been going around declaring. . .
"i'm the baby!"
fake crying and wanting her "baba". . . the whole bit!
she loves it when we all coddle her and rock her and baby the crap out of her. which of course we all do willingly. . . she is just too cute to resisit!

we were trying to get Kendy off the binky. . . but this poor little girl has been sick pretty much non-stop since Christmas. i don't have the heart to take it away. . . too much traumatic things going on anyway!
from ear infections to the flu. . . she just can't seem to get a break in the illness department (poor thing never has!).
SO. . . the binky is still around and it is SO funny when my dad gets around her and takes it away! she points and cries and says. . .
"Papa more bobo!"
(bobo = binky)
even when Papa is gone during the week for work she will point to her "bobo" and say. . .
"Papa? mine!"
because let's face it. . . momma and nana just give in and give her the dang binky. . . we need a break in some department :)

as for me. . . hanging on.
just picture that photograph of the kitty hanging from a tree branch.
that's me! ;)
i will be making some digi kits soon (excited about that!) lots of ideas in my head and some already being materialized.
i will also open up "thegnomehut" etsy shop again soon too. . . our "vacation" will end soon enough! hallelujah!

Pirate Rockstar

those baby Blues

oh good golly. . . Jude's eyes are just too cute. like pools of deep water.

can't wait to see what color they will eventually end up being :)

my kiddos

some new scrapbook pages. . .

a very hard thing to accomplish with three kiddos!
as are MOST tasks (^0^)

oh well. . .
kiddos are the spice of life and my life could not be any more zesty!

Baby Jude

he makes my heart melt

Boy *oh* Boy!

He has finally come! My baby boy!

JUDE MICHAEL

born on his due date (Feb.5th) he is a WHOPPER of a guy at:

9 lbs 4 oz and 22 in long

i was having hard contractions Friday night around 6:00 p.m. and went to the ER shortly after. . .they were REALLY busy and sent me home. . . dang.
my contractions were not HARD enough. . .
tell that to me will ya! not hard enough my eye!
the nurse was like. . . "see you in the morning!" ;)
and guess what!?! i was back at 8:00 a.m. Saturday morning!
it was a long labor but he was totally worth it.
i didn't have to push for very long. . . about 30 minutes and then he was out at 3:21 p.m.
he had some complications with swallowing liquid during birth and had to be in a pre-NICU for a short time :(
thankfully he recouped quickly and was soon able to join me breathing perfectly normal. . . yay!

other than being EXHAUSTED and very, very sore. . . everyone is happy and healthy.
baby Jude LOVES to eat and i feed him on the hour. . . every hour.
talk about my Jabba the Hut man!
he eats more than my Kendy did! and i NEVER thought that would be a possibility ;)

Indiana LOVES him and is such a good big sister.
you should have heard her when we brought him home!
"it's my baby brother! he is FINALLY here! he came out of your stomach mom. . . your not fat anymore." tee hee!
Kendy is a good big sister too. . . but a bit more out of joint than Indy is.
she gets jealous when Jude is in my arms (which is A LOT) but she still loves to get him his "BoBo" (binky) and help when it is time to feed him :)

of course i think he is totally adorable and having a boy is better than i could have ever imagined.
just love the little/big guy!

thanks everyone for all your love and prayers. . . we feel it all!

MAN!

man. . . no baby yet.
plenty of contractions. . .
but NO cute baby boy :(

we'll give her another week then! (^0^)

transitions

sometimes life is fun.

sometimes life is crazy.

sometimes life sucks.

and sometimes transitions are needed.

right now me and the kids are in "transition" phase and will be back as soon as we can.

going to have this baby boy.

going to make a move.

and going to start a new life.

wish us luck.

see you soon (^0^)