My sweet sweet girl,

You are three years old today. I’m not going to say it’s bittersweet. It’s not really. I love you more and more every day so to see you turn three is just a celebration of how much my love has grown for you.

one day old

 As I nurse and snuggle Asa, it’s hard to imagine that my big grown up girl was ever as tiny. Yet, I occasionally get waves of memories about my baby Lydia. I’ll remember how your feet touched the rocking chair as I nursed you. I remember you stretching like a little rubberband when you woke up. I remember your hair, your ears and your little bitty mouth. And although I’d love to rewind time and hold my baby Lydia again, I could NEVER EVER be more excited about who you are today.

one year old

I adore every new word that comes out of your mouth. I cherish every minute we spend together. I’m excited about exploring each new day with you. I can’t wait to see how you develop and learn and grow at every stage. My heart is full as I see you learn to be a helper, a giver and a thoughtful girl.

two years old

I know you won’t remember your 3rd birthday. But I will. And I pray that the love your Daddy and I have for you will be a foundation to support and encourage you your entire life.

newly three

Happy Birthday to my sweet sweet baby girl. My new three year old.

I love you,
Mommy

Etsy Shop :: :: Get Felt Up

Bloggy Idea :: :: from Little Window Shoppe

Contest :: :: Wii Fit Mommies

Post :: :: All Things New by Simply Staci

Freebie :: :: from Keeping The Kingdom First

Blog :: ::  Wickstrom Adventures

My sweet sleepy pirate, Asa has been sleeping ten hours at night. TEN LOVELY HOURS. Then he wakes up about 4 or 5am to eat and then falls right back to sleep for 3 hours. Yo ho.

So, what’s the problem?

I can’t fall back to sleep. My mind is whirring and churning. I hear every whimper, snore and creak. I can’t take advantage of my good sleeper!

So, my simple question of the day is:

HOW DO YOU FALL ASLEEP?

:: :: :: :: ::

(for more aloha friday & some easy laid back questions, visit Kailani at An Island Life.)

You may have done the big countdown last night to ring in the new year. That’s just fine and dandy. But my countdown begins today…

ONLY 21 DAYS until LOST SEASON 5!

The lucky, blessed and favored people at TV Guide got to see the season premiere. (I’d die. Just die.) They wrote a nice short recap that gave absolutely nothing away but absolutely made me ravenous for more…especially this line:

Speaking of Sawyer, he remains shirtless for the entire first hour plus the first eight minutes of the second episode. (ABC, you owe me big time for spreading the word on that.)

KIDDING.

Well, kinda.

So, last December 31, I did this little tag from There Is No Place Like Home. And I guess what they say is true, time speeds up every year–because it feels like I just did this last week. But in the spirit of tradition and i’m-not-sure-what-else-to-post, I thought I’d join up again. (Sorry to TINPLH for only reading your blog once a year…)

Here’s the deal…you post the first sentence of your first blog post of each month. And add a favorite pic if you want. I’m too lazy to do that. So, we’ll just go with the first sentence. Get ready. They were exciting the first time around. Just wait till you read them again!!

January: I like that title because it seems like I do works-for-me-wednesday all the time!

February: My life is complete!

March: Yes, I’m actually here.

April: On my playgroup/messageboard for Lydia, Jodi started a thread about posting a link to our kids’ birth stories.

May: Last night we picked up our good friends Yancy & Cory for dinner.

June: It’s Monday morning.

July: The day before I left for California, Lydia and I were running all around buying up that last minute stuff you just need before a vacation.

August: So. Cincinnati. Pampers. Mom Bloggers.

September:

October: Have I ever told you that I love my bloggy friends?

November: I never realized how important it was to be a good example until Lydia was born.

December: Last week we went to a wedding.

Yowsa. I’m pretty exciting, huh? But it really does about wrap up my life…if only there had been a few more first sentences about Lost or Pushing Daisies or So You Think You Can Dance…

Let me know if you do a Year End Blog In Review. I’d love to reminisce!

Lydia woke up with a fever this morning but she is as happy go lucky as can be now! I’m glad because she and Asa have had little coughs for about two days. Not only that but today is the day the sisterchicks are going to eat CUPCAKES. *sigh* I love me a good cupcake. Or twelve.

And in other completely interesting news, I’m guest-posting on (the “other”) Mandi’s new blog, Organizing Your Way today! It’s actually a repost of my how to organize Christmas lights post. So, you don’t have to go read it. But you do want to click over and look at Mandi’s blog. It makes me excited about a get-organized New Year’s resolution!

Speaking of New Year’s resolutions, mine for this year is CLEAN OUT MY STINKIN’ INBOX. I must must must get that thing under 100 10 emails.  It’s turning into an email graveyard!!

OK. That’s all the randomy randomness I can come up with right now. I’ll be back after the sisterchick outing to report on every sweet morsel I put in my mouth!

I’ve been blogging for almost 2 years. And in those two years, I think blogging has mushroomed. Or tidal-waved. Or something. I’ve seen blogs that I consider “famous” to celebrate their one or two year anniversary! I’ve seen  look-how-cute-my-kids-are blogs turn into influential mommy blogs. And even my little old blog has gone from a I’m-not-sure-if-I-want-to-tell-anyone-about-this to a full-fledged extension of myself.

But I feel like I’m sitting on the fence about blogging. Some days I just don’t blog. Some days I blog about NOTHING. (ok, most days…) And other days I’m a walking commercial for some of my PR friends. I like the ebb and flow, but the ebb and flow doesn’t exactly make for a growing blog.

I guess I feel like I need to get married or break up.

Never fear, I’m not going to dismantle my blog. Good grief, I’d die. I just mean I need to decide if I’m going to take the “next step” in my bloggy career (spend a little money, network more, etc. etc.). Or if I’m going to let my blog just be my blog.

I’m just not sure which action to take.  To help me decide, I registered for a bloggy conference. That’s right. I’m going to Blissdom 09. It will be like a the Trekkie conventions only with more laptops and not so many pointed ears.

This post is not in any way to fish for i-love-you-just-the-way-you-are comments. I absolutely love my blog and I just want to see if I want to do more! be more! And hopefully I’ll figure it out while I’m at Blissdom.

Of course, I may have also registered so I could meet some of my bloggy friends. I mean, who else can you talk to while tweeting three other people at once and no one would get offended?

Think you’re up for a trip to Nashvegas and a bloggy conference? It’s only 100 bucks until the end of the year! I’d love to meet you!

Last year when we were taking the Christmas tree down, I couldn’t move because I was watching Sara Groves DVD about her trip to Africa. Yesterday, we picked up Sara Groves new Christmas album and although it’s not even on the same plane as Africa…you still have to hear it.

I found it on video so you can watch too, if you want. This may be the funniest thing I’ve heard all year.

Christmas Lights PBL - Sara Groves ~ Toy Packaging from robogeek on Vimeo.

Can I get an AMEN?!

…all the decorations are being taken down!

Really? When do you take your decorations down? I hope not today. I’d love to keep mine up forever but my daughter’s birthday is January 5th. At least it gives me a good cut off date.

Anyway, I just wanted to share my very favorite AFTER Christmas tip with you. Are you ready? I can feel the excitement. Here we go…

See, I have this friend of a friend of the family (you know, the guy you duck when you see him at the store because you don’t really know him and you don’t really want to have a conversation about your family). Anyway, he used to (I don’t know if he still does) goes all out for Christmas. His Christmas tree was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. He wraps EVERY SINGLE branch with lights. It was brilliant.

And he showed us the secret to storing Christmas lights.

All you do is start with one end of the strand. Put the first light at the bottom of your palm and pull the 2nd light to the top (vertical across your palm). The, while you are pinching/holding the 2nd bulb, pull the 3rd bulb down the the 1st. Like so…

Then keep matching the odd and even bulbs.

Eventually, it will look like this.

Then once you get them all in your tight little fist…

Just wrap the remaining cord around and plug it back in!

Now isn’t that better than my husband’s wrap job?

And it only takes about a minute a strand–it’s way easy! But even better is next Christmas when you dust off your boxes full of decor, your little strands of lights will be ready to go! You just hold it in your hand and wrap it right around the tree. No de-tangling, no pulling them across the floor, just easy tree lighting!

There you go. Pretty cool, huh?

Merry TakingChristmasDecorationsDown!

***this was at least partially originally posted on January 2, 2008***

I wish I could send a Christmas card to every one of my bloggy friends! But alas, I didn’t send a card to even one person. I have a newborn. That’s a good excuse, right?!

Merry Merry Christmas!
Love you all!

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