The Weeks In Between

Normally this time of year is totally crazy for everyone. We are no exception! Between Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's a nonstop frenzy of shopping, Santa photos, tree decorating, present wrapping, package shipping, and card making all packed into a few short weeks. Amazingly, I actually have a moment to update the blog again! Twice in one month! Nora is happily bouncing in her jumper (i.e. The Mother's Godsend) and Carter just went down for a nap.

So, now that our traveling is out of the way, I can share some things the kids have been up to. Nora has mastered the art of sitting up. It's such a huge relief for us because she will quietly sit and play with her toys for 10-15 minutes at a time, giving us chances to tend to Carter or whatever else needs attention. I think there's less screaming because of it, but I'll have to get back to you on that. Nora's also progressed to 3 square meals a day. So far she has yet to totally reject anything I've given her. When Carter was her age, he ate mostly homemade baby food. And now he's a great eating toddler who will try almost anything. Hopefully Nora will follow in his footsteps.

Carter seems to have resigned himself to the fact that Nora is a permanent addition to the family. He still gets a bit jealous sometimes but I think it's getting better. The next few months will be a challenge since we won't be able to spend as much time outside. He absolutely loves the outdoors! He's always ready to plop himself in the nearest pile of dirt and begin sifting for treasures. I think we'll need a bigger sandbox come spring.

Around the house, I've been doing a little sprucing up. The family room area in the basement was painted with colored we had leftover from upstairs rooms. I like those colors in the upstairs rooms but hated them in the family room. The lighting was completely different. Over the course of a week, I repainted the entire family room area (6 walls!), one wall at a time every night. I love the way it turned out. I also added a few extras...a hand-painted wall quote, new painted bookshelf, framed pictures and family decor. Come visit to see the changes, or scroll down for pictures!

This weekend we'll get the Christmas tree up with all the decorations. Who knows? There might even be ANOTHER blog update with more photos!

New pics on Facebook here and also below.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=245105&id=1012296258&l=abd5b6bafb

Wall quote: "The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, and all the sweet serenity of books" - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow