Christmas Pics

Christmas is my favorite holiday and each year that the kids get older, the more fun it gets! Charlie was fully into it this year. Santa, the reindeer, everything. He was fully immersed in it!
We always go to my mom's on the eve of Christmas...she usually has a big open house party. This year she didn't have to party as we are heading to Disney in two weeks (the big gift to the family from them this year). So it was a low key Christmas eve which was actually really nice. Both of the kids were sick so they hung out, and played with the toys at tutu and Gampa's house.

My dad and Aaron in front of their tree...

One of their dogs Gracie

our dog Sidney...

Their other dog Code

Code was rather disgusted with me!

Charlie brought a few pieces of clothing from his dress-up trunk and this is what the outcome was...too funny!

Christy and her family were there for a few hours on Christmas eve and then went home for the night. This is a cute shot of all the kids...

Bode and Charlie being "cool"

Santa came!

Charlie was the first one up!

Hope everyone had a great holiday and we hope everyone has been safe with the recent "blizzard"!

Waiting patiently for Santa!

The cuteness is unbearable!
Charlie has been wearing his Santa hat all day every day for the past week. He is so excited for the holidays this year!

I love reading Charlie the holiday books, talking the holiday talk, and getting him totally into it. This has to be the best age for holidays!

James likes to hang out next to Charlie while he watches his Christmas shows

Santa Bunny...so cute!!!!

today was one of those days...where you think it's going to be fantastic...nothing can stop you, you have all these plans and things to do and fun things to experience, and you walk out of work, bundled up for a brisk ride home on your bike...and you find that your front wheel was stolen. Damnit! There goes the fabulous vibes!

So that was my morning. I was so pissed. Who does that and why? So I felt like all of my fabulous momentum was ground to a halt and I was funkified...annoyed, and generally in a bah humbug type of spirit. So, I decided to come up with my own personal list of awesomeness that always makes me happy. The little things that I experience on any given day that makes me smile and feel warm and fuzzy inside. Once I started thinking of these things, my bad mood fizzled, my momentum picked up, and I started feeling better...until I took my bike in and got a $110 bill for the repairs...balls!

Anyway, I thought I'd share my list and ask that you comment with your own list...if anyone reads this that is!

Getting my nails done
Having a clean house, even if only for an hour!
Clean sheets on the bed
A lit Christmas tree
Checking on my kids when they are sleeping
Footie PJ's on my baby
Making a yummy meal that everyone likes and eats
Having picnics in the park with the boys
Mike N' Ikes
Rita's Water Ice

These are a few things I came up with and thinking of any of them makes me happy! What's your list of things to get you through a bad day?

More James pictures

James checking out the tree

Funny action shot of james!

Sidney and James are getting more time together. Sindey is friendly but wants to play and I don't want James to get hurt inadvertently

A belated Happy 5th Birthday to my baby boy Charlie!

We had Charlie's party the weekend before his actual birthday at our house

We had Zoo on Wheels...the Philadelphia zoo came to our house and brought animals and did games and crafts and face painting. It was so awesome!

Out of the blue, Charlie decided that he wanted a Backyardigans party, so this is his cake...

Dale and Charlie with their faces painted like bunnies!

playing zoo keeper says

Eating pizza...

Blowing out candles

face painting

my sister and her gorgeous kids

waiting for the animals to come out!

Chinchilla! So soft!

Little owl...so pretty!

Giant anaconda skin

king snake

Ugly armadillo...cool but not so cute!

Charlie as a five year old!!!!!

We got Charlie a trunk full of fun costumes for his birthday...he loves to dress up!Magician Charlie

Recent Charlie-isms

Charlie recently told us that when he grows up he's going to build tall buildings. Most recently he's been obsessed with being a mailman. Today during dinner he said to me. "mommy, maybe when I am done making buildings and being a mailman, I can be Santa Clause and bring happiness to all the world"

The other morning I asked him where he was going and Charlie relpied, "I'm going to admire how handsome I am...I'll be right back"

On the first night of Hanukkah this year, we were getting ready to light the candles and Charlie says to me, "mommy, I have a question about Hanukkah...um when will my presents be arriving?"

Charlie has been attending Hebrew school every other Sunday at the synagogue we belong to...Charlie says to me a few weeks ago, "mommy, there's a scientist who works with God to help him make all the humans on our earth" He then said, "daddy, God made everything, even fishes and cactuses"

It was raining particularly hard one day and he says, "this is like an earthquake happened in the ocean and made it splash all over our earth"

Ramblings

So, I have been putting off this post and I think it's because I'm still in a bit of denial! At first I put it off because I wanted to wait and see what the doctor said, then I wanted to wait and see what the MRI showed, and now, two weeks after I got the MRI results, I don't really have an excuse except that I don't want to admit the truth! No worries, I'm not dying, no cancer, no major illness, but a major life change has come upon me!

Five weeks ago, I was in alot of pain. My right foot especially was hurting so badly that I couldn't walk well, it hurt like hell to run, it hurt to work, and it hurt when I slept. I decided with the marathon coming up I really needed to get it checked out. So I called a podiatrist, amazingly got an appointment for the same week, got xrays, and saw the doctor.

Long story short, I am done running. For good...

My foot is a mess, there's a stress fracture in the heel (luckily based on the MRI results it's not as bad as he suspected), I have alot of arthritis in my foot, and a HUGE heel spur. He put me in an air boot (still in it and will be for another month or so), took me out of work for 3 weeks to let it heal a little, and I'll go back to him next month for cortisone injections, stretches, and probably surgery in the spring to get rid of the heel spur (I most likely also have one in my left foot).

Dr. T telling me not to run again, ever, was devastating. I LOVE to run. It's something that I know I can do, and do well. It's something I can do wherever and whenever I want...no gym equipment needed, no special membership, just put on your shoes and go! Not only am I losing $300+ dollars on the marathon (that was the cost to sign up and now I'm not running in it), but I am losing my thing that I do!

Dr. T actually was really concerned that I had rheumatoid arthritis based on how bad my foot looked. He sent me for stat bloodwork and luckily it all came back normal. He told me that you can get hip and knee replacements, but your feet are the only two you have. Being a mom and a nurse takes precedence over my running. He's right but it was alot to take in one day (of course I worked the night before and didn't sleep before my appointment!)...

So here I am...foot in a big old boot, working, riding my bike, trying to figure out how to afford cycling which seems the logical thing to turn to next!

Three handsome boys!

We took Aaron, Ethan and Charlie to get their pics taken last week. They turned out really cute. It's the first time they've all had a formal picture done. So cute!

Kailani's photo shoot

Oh, my niece is so beautiful!
I love having a little girl to spoil rotten!

I can't wait to take her for her first pedicure...

go get hair done with her...

see her dressed up for her first homecoming or prom...

I totally adore her!

She make sit easy to adore her by being so cute!

What a total doll!