Christmas Is In The Air.....

Here are a few tid bits from the past week. We went and got our Christmas tree while Marianne, Philip and the boys were in on Black Friday. We got that up and got the Christmas decorations out. I have got a couple gifts bought, but that's about it. I intended on going to try to get it done last night after he put her to bed, but I was so exhausted I just couldn't do it. This whole week I have been incredibly tired. Been working mandatory 10 hour days plus Sat's. I will probably be on that schedule from now until who knows when.

Before Thanksgiving, they moved me after 11 years to another dept. to take it over and "run" it. I DID NOT want to do it, they forced me and I had no choice in the matter. After being back there for a week and a half it's getting better. I went from 20+ people, to 5. So although that area brings it's own issues (It's an automated conformal coating spray machine) the machine is worthless to say the least, but anyway, it seems less stressful in a way. They keep telling me they are glad I'm back there and I'm doing a good job. And within the next year it is supposed to really take off and I'll probably have more people back there than I did up front. 1st order of business is trying to start training from scratch the people that I have. They have had no leadership and very questionable training. They are wanting to learn, so that's good. The hours are what are getting old. And it always seems to get the busiest around this time of the year! Grr.. :)

Kaylynn is on amoxicillin for her cold/congestion. I think it has helped her alot. Plus she loves it. She is really changing. In the last week or so she plays in her exersaucer for long periods of time. She's getting on a really good napping schedule. And the babysitter feeds her cereal twice a day, plus we bumped her up to 7oz. in her bottle. She laughs and smiles. Chews everything!! I can still see a little white dot on her bottom gums, but it hasn't worked through yet. She bumped up a diaper size. :( Also she can wear some 3-6 month stuff, but mostly in 6-9 month stuff now. Her hair is growing like crazy. Now she keeps getting bed head and even if you wet it and brush it down, it won't stay!! So she goes all day with horns!! :) She will be 5 months old on Dec. 12th. She's getting so big!!

Sitting playing with her teething rattle.

Our Christmas tree. I think it looks great!

I think it may be our prettiest yet.

I put some mini Christmas balls in the Hurricane.

Big girl playing in her excersaucer.

One of her Christmas gifts from Mommy and Daddy. We already gave it to her and hung it on the tree.

Daddy showing her her ornament!

We got together with our friends Eli and April and their 3 year old daughter, Becca yesterday. David was working on some electrical work for them. Since we weren't sure if we would be able to get together before Christmas, we decided to exchange our gifts then. This is Becca with her GiGi La'Bean tutu and hairbows.

Playing with the babydoll. She loved it! She played with that the whole time. It's funny how little girls pick that up. Mother Hen.

Eli playing with Kaylynn.

It's blurry, but it's so pretty!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Can't believe it's been a month yesterday since Mom went to Heaven. Still seems like something's missing. I'm sure it will always feel that way. When we were decorating our tree and moving that room around from an office to a soon to be playroom, I was setting pictures and knick nacks back on the tv stand and I ended up breaking a birdhouse candle holder that Mom had gotten for me a few years back for Christmas. I tried to let David let me spin it around to the part that made it look like it wasn't broken. He wouldn't let me. He told me to throw it away. I went to throw it in the garbage and I cried. I came back in the room crying and he said it was ok. I just kept saying, it was from your Mom and I really liked it and I felt really bad. He said he knew, but it was ok, to let it go. I felt awful. I didn't want to throw it away thinking that if I did, I wouldn't remember her....I guess little things like that remind me of her. But I know she left so much more behind for me than just a birdhouse knick nack.

Today I was thinking as I was making Sunday dinner for Dad and us, all those years she was sick and I could've done more to help her. I know she didn't always like to accept help, but why didn't I do more for her? All those years of meals and get togethers and I can probably count on 1 hand how many times I had them over for something. I was thinking well, I work full time and I have a new house to keep up, and I just had a baby, etc...and I thought stop it!! That is what you always do. Make excuses. Just DO IT!! So, I am hoping to work harder like she did, and just try to help who I can, when I can.

She taught me so much. I really want to go through her recipes and write some more off of her's especially for our Sunday dinners. I know Dad and David and everyone misses her terrible, but so do I. I feel like I kinda have to pick up where she left off. I don't know why I feel that way, but I do.

David has been trying to help look after Dad and check on him several times a week. He'll probably get sick of us. Hee, hee. I'll be glad when Winter is over and he can get outside and do more stuff. Plus by then Kaylynn should be boot scootin' around so we can be outside doing stuff too. If it ends up being ok with Dad, I'll probably go ahead and make up or get hanging baskets for the front porch at least, and maybe the planter between the garage doors. Oh how she loved her flowers. It'll sort of be like a memorial maybe for us to do that to remember how she just loved Summer and her flowers.