10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5...

Tomorrow night we are heading downtown to welcome 2012... we hardly ever get out these days so I'm excited for a night out on the town! 

Hello 2012!

Wordless Wednesday...

12.25.2011

I'm officially exhausted, but what a wonderful Christmas celebration we had! We enjoyed every minute spending time with our family, devouring delicious holiday food, and watching Ruby take it all in. 

Some of my favorite Ruby moments during the celebrations:

When she said, "Nice car daddy!" while waiting to be buckled into her car seat.

After a very long Christmas day, when I tucked her in a little late she told me, "No sleep, me play toys." 

Her learning to play hide-in-go-seek with her cousins.

Her nearly crying when we told her that Santa had come to our house during the night... I must be teaching her well about stranger danger!

Trying to explain to her who baby Jesus was.  

The cute little expression on her face and her bed head when she woke up Christmas morning.

Her riding around on the Minnie Mouse scooter my mom and dad got her... it was terrifying and hilarious all at the same time. 

Ruby having to open all of her gifts in her new tent.

We hope you all had a very happy holiday!

Some light holiday reading...

Sugar cookies with Grandma

Mommy's favorite gift!

Last Christmas Eve at my Grandpa's house... bittersweet.

A new tent from Mr. Claus

He must have been good this year!

Dancing babies!

Grandma's way of giving me a heart attack! (She also got a helmet for Christmas!)

Cousins in dots.

Cousins

Fun with my aunt.

Holiday Greetings...

Fashionista...

I'm going to be honest here... I know nothing about fashion. I don't really pay too much attention to the latest trends and styles. My two year old probably knows more about fashion than I do, but I still try to dress her cute. As a result, I spend far more money on her wardrobe than I do on my own, but I don't mind at all. I really love buying her clothes. I found this hat on Etsy and fell in love with it. I'm a sucker for handmade things. Every time Ruby and I are out and about, we get so many compliments on it. I get a little giddy inside each time someone gushes over it. Maybe it's a sign that I'm getting better at this whole fashion thing. :)

Good News and Christmas Fun...

Yesterday I had a follow up with my neurologist to discuss my latest MRI. The MRI showed that the lesion on my brain stem had healed itself... I was expecting the worst, so it was a great surprise to hear such wonderful news. I am so thankful. Now I will just need to get follow-up scans every six months to make sure things stay stable.


Over the past few months, I have read a lot of stories and blogs about people living with multiple sclerosis. The battles that some of them face everyday are full of hope and courage. It really breaks my heart to see people the same age as me, not even being able to do every-day tasks. They are truly inspiring and I hope they see a cure soon!

On a completely different note, last Sunday, we headed downtown with Scott's family to a museum for a traditional Christmas visit. They always have an enormous Christmas tree that is absolutely stunning. Here are some pictures from our fun visit:

Walking through an old train with Gigi and Poppy

Looking for trains...

All aboard!

Beautiful tree...

We ended the night with some ice cream...

Love Story

The Disney movie, UP is a favorite in our house. Every time they show the love story of Ellie and Carl, I can't help but cry. It is beautiful. What a great message to teach children about true love. Enjoy.

Christmas Wishes

Here is a list of the top ten things that I would love this holiday season:


1. To see Ruby's EXCITED face when she wakes up Christmas morning.
2. For the next 2 weeks off of work to c...r...a...w...l on by.
3. For nothing new to appear on my MRIs Monday morning.
4. To bake beautiful sugar cookies with Ruby that turn out as delicious as my mom's do.
5. For Scott not to work every holiday... sigh.
6. To win the lottery.
7. A new pair of running shoes and the energy to use them.
8. To catch up with old friends.
9. To beat Scott in a game or two of bowling.
10. To enjoy spending the holidays with the people I love. 


And a hippopotamus would be good too!

Wordless Wednesday...

A Festive Weekend...

This past weekend my brother and I made gingerbread houses with Ruby. Ruby did more eating than decorating. She was a giggling, sugary mess when all was said and done. We had a great time.

Yum!

This weekend Ruby also got to visit Santa. She was so patient waiting in the never-ending line. We thought we might see some tears when it was time for her to sit on his lap, but we were pleasantly surprised. When it was finally Ruby's turn, she put on her brave face and we walked up to meet Santa. She sat nicely on his lap and stared in awe. After several seconds, the shock wore off and she had a huge grin on her face. Of course my camera missed the big "cheese." Santa even told me that Ruby said she wanted a baby doll for Christmas. I was definitely proud of her. 

This weekend I also celebrated my 27th birthday. Scott took me out to a quaint restaurant for a scrumptious dinner followed by cinnamon gelato. It was a perfect way to celebrate my birthday.

It was a beautiful weekend!

Wordless Wednesday...

Nine Years Too Long...

Nine years ago tomorrow, my sister lost her battle with leukemia. Maybe the world wide web has a route to heaven so she can read this.  

Dear Jessica,

           

            Not a day goes by that we don’t think about you and wish you were still here.  I can’t believe that it has been almost a decade since I last saw your smiling face. Some days it feels like it has been forever. We have celebrated nine Christmases without you, nine New Years, nine Easters, nine winters, nine springs, nine summers and nine falls. We have lost more loved ones in that time and more loved ones have come into this world.

            Your first niece Ruby, just turned two. You would absolutely adore her. Tonight she was running around acting crazy when mom was over and mom quickly remarked, “She acts exactly like your sister used to.” It made me smile… although I hope she doesn’t act just like you. ;) Ruby and I talk about you often. She will grow up knowing how great of a person you were. Over the years I will share with her all of my favorite memories of you. I will tell her how you beat up the kid who threw worms in my hair. We will talk about how you helped the elderly woman who was hit by a car. I will tell her how I was in my first car accident with you while you were test-driving and totaling the red Camero. I have so many memories that I will never forget.

            You would be happy to know that we still keep in touch with your best friends. Every year we participate in the “Light the Night” walk to raise money for the National Leukemia and Lymphoma society. You would love that we make such a big deal about how special you were. Also, on your birthday, our family and your close friends go out to dinner and reminisce about all of your shenanigans. Most of your friends are married now and have families of their own. It's a bittersweet feeling sometimes because I wish you were here with a family of your own. Your friends mean so much to our family and we are grateful that they are still a part of our lives.

            You will always be an inspiration to me. You showed a tremendous amount of courage when you were sick and never once complained. I have never seen such a fighter. Whenever something tough is going on in my life, I think about what you went through and know that I can get through anything. Thank you for all that you did for me and taught me. You are always in my heart and I love you Jessie Bear.

Love,

Your Little Sister

Wordless Wednesday...