Amelia, meet Santa...

After several weeks of planning and scoping out, we finally got a spot in line to see Santa. I'm not kidding about the planning. Ben had to make a special trip on his lunch break just to get a "pass" so we wouldn't have to wait in line. And other people who showed up without a "pass" couldn't even GET in line. This Santa business is CRAZY, I tell you!

I don't really remember this being a tradition for my family growing up, although I'm sure my brother Andy and I sat on Santa's lap on quite a few occasions to tell him what we wanted. However, for Amelia's first Christmas, we decided it was a MUST.

Seeing as how my husband is addicted to Bass Pro Shop, we chose it as our destination for Amelia's first meet and greet. I just made Ben promise that Santa wasn't going to be dressed in a camo suit toting a gun. He promised.

I can't really describe the feeling of being there and waiting in line. Amelia was in one of her adorable Christmas outfits, and the whole place was decked out in fake snow, trains, and Christmas games and activities. Even the fish in the fish tank had Santa hats on! No they didn't. (Be a lot cooler if they did, though.)

Of course, right before it was our turn, Santa had to take a 15 minute "break". "Really, Santa? You don't GET a break!" ...is what I was thinking. Nice Christmas cheer, huh?

Anyway, when it was finally Millie's turn, it was....MAGIC. I just wanted to freeze time and just hold on to the moment forever. Ben put her on Santa's lap, and I ran over to make funny faces at her so she would smile at the camera. The picture we got ended up being the end of a big smile, but it was a smile nevertheless. I'm not sure what she was doing with her hands, but she was happy. No tears! She even turned around to pet Santa's big white fluffy beard after. Precious.



This Santa was AWESOME. He must be a Santa trainer. If not, he should be. His energy was just so pure and peaceful, and when he spoke to Amelia, you could just feel the joy resonating from him to her. I hope we see him again!

Next year, I'm sure we will be back. And next year, I'm sure I'll wish for time to stand still again, because it's moments like these that I will cherish forEVER.

HOLLA -

Desiderata

Whenever we go home to Glasgow, I always find my way to the Desiderata posted on Ben's dad's fridge. You see, Glasgow is a place to unwind, unplug, relax, and reflect. Great conversation is exchanged, and slumber is welcomed by beautiful, wood-framed beds with soft, hand-made quilts. The mighty Missouri churns across the road, and warm Tuscan turkey sandwiches fill empty stomachs at the local bakery.

And so it is fitting that the words of Max Ehrmann's Desiderata intertwine with the lackadaisical hours at Papa Norman's.

At the close of this year and the beginning of a new one, I hope you find these words as inspirational as I do.



HOLLA -

How to Make a Baby Pyramid

Step One: Find a baby. (A cute baby works best.)



Step Two: Grab an aunt.



Step Three: (Two Aunts are better.)



Step Four: Have the aunts form a base.



Step Five: Grab an uncle for support.



Step Six: Don't forget your butterfly wings.



Step Seven: TA DA!



HOLLA -

Steve Haskamp

Have you ever seen these books?


Chances are, you either own one of them, or have given one as a baby gift to someone. The illustrator, Steve Haskamp, is my cousin.

Well actually, he's Ben's cousin - my cousin-in-law by marriage. Ben's dad and Steve's dad are brothers. And that makes me (kind of, sort of) related to a really awesome artist.

Steve doesn't just illustrate books. He creates greeting cards, fabric designs, calendars, art prints...even scratch-and sniff stickers! You name it, he does it. Here's a (copy) print of his that I won in a drawing at the last Haskamp reunion:



Pretty awesome, huh? The crazy thing is, I've never met Steve. He lives in California, and we haven't crossed paths at any family functions since Ben and I started dating. So unfortunately, I have to admire his work from afar.

But that won't keep Amelia and me from enjoying his books. And it won't keep Ben and me from admiring his art work as we are brushing our teeth in the morning.



If you have a minute, check out Steve's blog. You can also shop in his Etsy store...pick up something for Christmas, if you'd like!

I'm sure you'll find his work as impressive as I do. And maybe someday, I'll get to tell him how much I love his art in person!

HOLLA -

Keeping Things Private

Now that I'm trying to blog regularly, Ben has noticed that often our conversations, events, and pictures end up online. Lately, when I take a picture of him or he does something funny or noteworthy, he usually says, "You're going to blog about this, aren't you?" The truth is, I would never embarrass Ben. I would never write about or post anything private that made him uncomfortable - like how I caught him rocking out to his iPhone the other day while he was going poop. I would NEVER blog about that. I only like to blog about other things, like cute babies.


And brown bath towel slugs.


And striped socks.


And pictures that look like paintings.


And mommies who love their little girls.


And leisure time activities.


And scooting booties.


And mushroom heads.


HOLLA -

Big Fricking Weenie

Oh my gosh - I have turned into an old lady. It's 9:26 and I can't believe I'm still awake and functioning. BA (Before Amelia) I would stay up at least until 10:30, watching movies, playing on the computer, chatting with friends, etc. And now after putting Little Bit to bed at 8, I'm lucky to make it to 9 without calling it a night. I can't believe I'm actually saying this, but I'm getting WAY more sleep now that I'm a mom. Last night I laid Amelia down at 8, stayed up watching the Chiefs until 9:30, then went to bed. Amelia woke up at 6:15, then went back to sleep until 7:30. That is TEN HOURS OF SLEEP FOR ME, PEOPLE!!!! What the #*!&?

I am totally counting my blessings that my babe is such a good sleeper. But what is MY problem? No wonder I can't get any blogging done - I am typing with one hand right now and propping my eyelids open with the other. (Mild exaggeration.)

I had actually talked myself into going to the grocery store tonight after Mills went to bed. Yowzers - who was I kidding? Jammies: on. Contacts: out. Car: definitely parked in the garage until morning.

I miss staying up and doing "stuff", but there's no substitute for good, deep sleep.

Now if someone could explain to me why I keep having dreams about getting tattoos...

HOLLA -

Ramblings of Home

I don't really have anything important to blog about tonight. Amelia is asleep, Ben is downstairs watching something on t.v., and I am catching up on other people's blogs, facebook, and other internet oddities that are surefire timesuckers.

I have been furiously looking up houses lately. I can't stop. I love looking at houses anyway....floorplans, mostly. When we were growing up, we would drive around on Sunday afternoons and go into Open Houses just for fun. Sometimes we'd go into newly developed neighborhoods and walk on boards to get into concrete slabs and wooden studs and wander through skeletal rooms, imagining what it would all look like when it was done. My dad used to subscribe to the Family Handyman, and I would scour issues for floor plans, running my finger through rooms like unsolved mazes. Now Ben and I religiously watch House Hunters and place bets on which house will be chosen. My favorite part is after they move in, and they show the Before and After footage of what they've done to the place. LOVE IT.

We want to move, oh so badly. I always told Ben I would NEVER live in this condo and have a baby. EVER. And here we are, still in the condo, with an almost seven month old. We have made peace with the suffocating space and mess of toys and play gyms, but I can't help but fantasize about extra rooms and more than one tiny living space and a basement and storage.

We hope to put our place up for sale in the spring, after updates have been made and tile has been laid and carpet has been replaced. Please say a prayer for us that God will guide us in the right direction for selling AND buying.

Although this house has been good to us, we need space and room to stretch our legs and grow our family, and make new memories. There's nothing wrong with the past that was built here, but Ben and I are ready to start our own story in a new place.

The moving bug has seriously bitten. I hope it won't be long...

HOLLA -

Throwing Stones

I've been thinking a lot about judgement lately. What it means, what it does, what harm it can cause...and how much I do it. It's such an automatic response sometimes; I don't even give it a conscious thought. I've had lots of conversations about judgement with a friend lately, and it's really forced me to stop and think about what role it plays in my life.

When I think about my place as a Christian, these verses come to mind:

"Stay away from complaining and arguing, so that no one can speak a word of blame against you." Philippians 2:14

"Let the one who has never sinned throw the first stone." John 8:7

"Hypocrite! First get rid of the log in your own eye; then you will see well enough to deal with the speck in your friend's eye." Matthew 7:5

The "complaining and arguing" part is tough for me. This doesn't just apply to people, but to situations as well.

As if words from God aren't enough, I think about what it feels like to be sitting in the seat - perched high up in the air, arms resting on the gold, embellished chair, finger pointed, head held high...and it twists my stomach. There's something about the first jolt of a judgement that automatically turns the spotlight around on....well....ME. When I judge others, I give them (and anyone else) a free pass to call out my shortcomings. "Step right up and take your best shot!" You can't have judgement without instant vulnerablity. As my friend Rachel recently said to me, "I live in a glass house, too."

So, what happens when we stop? First, a release. A release from guilt and entitlement and finger pointing (both at me AND them.) Then comes grace. I recently passed a church billboard that read,

"Be Kind, For Everyone is Fighting a Battle."

And I thought long and hard about how true this was. Yes, even nasty, mean, hateful, proud, selfish, lazy people (ESPECIALLY these people!) are fighting a battle. When I look at them this way, humble, full of grace, through the eyes of Jesus, I see past the faults and feel the thorn in their side.

I've been throwing some big stones lately. But I've also been putting some down and walking away. It makes me feel light and unbound...much better than carrying the weight of other people's decisions and my opinions about them.

In becoming who God wants me to be, I hope to judge less and love more.

HOLLA -

Two Dorks in a Car - A Photo Montage.

D.B.D. (Dork By Default):

Green...as in Beans

I've never really struggled with food. Eating it, that is. Cooking it is a different story. Preparing it is another. But eating it? Take a look at my rear end and you'll notice that it's never really been a problem. But feeding my daughter? Now we're getting to the challenging part.

I started off breastfeeding Amelia. It took me about four months to get the hang of it, and just when it started getting easy, I went back to work and my milk dried up. Then we went to bottles. Of course, I had no idea how the whole formula thing worked and I was a nervous wreck about it. How much will she eat? Can I use tap water? What about warm tap water? What kind of formula is best? How many bottles do we need? It was like a mysterious art that I had yet to master. But eventually, bottle feeding became effortless and natural, and we checked another accomplishment off of our parent to-do list.

But then Amelia got bigger. And hungrier. Our babysitter kept saying, "I think she's ready for food. I know babies. She's bored with formula!" And I would say, "You're probably right! But I'm going to wait until her six month appointment because I have no idea what I am doing."

Wow. Freaking understatement of the year.

After Amelia's six month appointment, I go and get some cereal, fruit and veggies. Yes, my kid is surviving, and no, I do not plan to feed her organic baby food. Getting two socks on her that match and her nails clipped once every two weeks is about as accomplished as I get these days.

We feed her cereal, and she spits it out. We feed her green beans, and she raspberry's them across the high chair. We give her applesauce, and she pushes the spoon away. Good thing this food isn't serving any nutritional purpose, because I don't think she's swallowed one bite yet out of about five tries.

Most nights, I forget to even give her any. We get busy cooking or cleaning or playing, and before I know it, it's her bedtime and I'm going, "Crap! We forgot to give her some food!" Is it terrible that she maybe gets one food a day every few days?

She's going to be the only kid that shows up for Kindergarten with only a bottle of milk in her lunchbox.

Hopefully, like breastfeeding and bottle feeding, this food business will in time become second nature.

CAN'T WAIT FOR POTTY TRAINING!!!!!!!!!!!!! :-(

HOLLA -

You've Got Mail

Hi Missy,
Thank you for your email.

I'm so pleased you and Amelia are enjoying my books! There are lots more on the way!




Best wishes
Caroline.


HA! :-)

HOLLA -

Caroline Jayne Church

Amelia has two books that have the SWEETEST illustrations: I Love You Through and Through and You Are My Sunshine. They are so bright and crisp and colorful...which makes them two of my favorite books to choose (since I am the one choosing the books right now. Sorry, Amelia.)

Anyway, I looked up the illustrator, and her name is Caroline Jayne Church. She is from Surrey, and she is quite the experienced illustrator! I thought it would be fun to email her and tell her how much Amelia and I are enjoying her illustrations, so I did.

Hopefully I will hear back from her - I will keep you posted! Until then, check out her site:

Caroline Jayne Church

I'm sure you will enjoy her lovely art as much as we do!

HOLLA -

Fall Tradition

For weeks now, Ben has been preparing for our 2nd annual fall tradition - a hike at a park in Weston, about 45 minutes north of where we live. It's a beautiful hike along a river bluff, and in the fall, the colors are spectacular. We hiked it last year, and he couldn't wait to get back on the trail, this time with Amelia.

There was only one problem.

I didn't want to go.

Amelia had been sick with a terrible runny nose, and I had been sick with a runny nose, sore throat, cough, etc. etc. We were completely run down, and needed a restful weekend. The 2nd annual fall hike was not fitting into the schedule.

I was also tired of doing stuff I didn't want to do. At work all day, I do stuff I have to do. Then I come home and do more stuff I have to do. I just wanted a day of doing stuff I WANTED to do - like watching a movie or catching up with friends over the phone or vegging out to a mindless t.v. show. Maybe I could even fit in a nap! Not only were all of these things on my priority list, I also needed to go to the grocery store and make a Target run for school.

Again, hiking on a river bluff was not on my radar.

I also have this weird phobia about going too far from home. I don't know why, but the older I get, the weirder I am about this. I like being close to home. During the day, at night....whenever...being far from home (especially for something I don't like to do) makes me anxious and puts me in a bad mood.

And in a bad mood I was on that Sunday. As I packed some sandwiches, I vented to Ben about what a lousy idea going on this hike was. "A family tradition should be something everyone wants to do," I whined. "We should take a vote on family traditions." "Fine," Ben said. "I'll just take Amelia and the two of us will go on a hike and you can stay here."

But of course, I couldn't just stay home while they went on a hike. I would just sit and home and feel guilty the whole time.

So, I went. We drove the 45 minutes across and up town, and hiked. And...

It was beautiful.



And Amelia loved it.



And so did Ben.



And so did I.



And then we stopped at an apple orchard on the way home...



And it was amazing.



And the animals were so fun.




And the sun was shining.



And the rolling hills were awe-inspiring.



And it put me in the perfect fall mood.

And...

I ate my words, like I always do. Once Ben drags me out into nature, I always love it and have the most amazing time. I just have to whine and stomp and drag my feet before he gets me in the car and then we go and it's so awesome.

So, I apologize to God and Ben for throwing a fit about nature. Oh, and I apologize to Amelia too. Hopefully one day she will grow up and learn NOT to be a fit-thrower like her mother.



Lesson learned.

(Until next fall.)

(I'm just being honest.)

HOLLA -

The Dark Corner

A wise friend recently told me that I see life like a picture. The majority of the picture is bright and beautiful, with crisp scenery of multiple blessings. A warm home, clothes on our backs. A beautiful daughter, a loving husband. A wonderful, supportive family, a great job. Too many friends to count, a graceful God.

But then there's the corner of the picture. Right there, in the top left, is the dark corner. That's the place where the bad stuff collects.

Amelia is sick again. There's too much to do at work. I'm not happy with my performance at school. Friends are struggling. The government is a mess. Ben and I had a fight. Lazy people are winning; hard workers are overlooked. I don't have time for the things I used to love that filled up my spirit.

If you look quick enough, you might miss it. But most of the time, my eye leads me right to it. It's so small, yet so powerful. It sucks me in when I am weak and low, pulling me away from all things beautiful. It's not necessarily something I choose; I think I was partly born this way. I have a five year-old niece who was born with a dark corner, too. She and I will be having many chats as she grows up, I'm sure.

I hate the dark corner.

But God reminds us in 2 Corinthians 4:17 that our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever!

The picture is still mostly clear; life is good. Joy comes from holding on to the blessings and the grace that greet us each morning as we open up our eyes.

Tonight is dinner out with friends to celebrate a birthday. A filling up of the spirit, for sure.

Amelia is taking a much-needed nap, and I just had a fight with a dirty bathtub and won.

I took this picture at a park a few weeks ago.

See the dark corner?



Me neither.

HOLLA -

To Fall In Love

What does it mean to fall in love
To be sent an angel from above
The stuff of dreams she was made of...
That's what it means to fall in love.



What does it mean to see a smile
Full of grace and full of style
Think I'll just sit and stare a while...
At that beautiful girl with the dimpled smile.



What does it mean to hear a laugh
through soapy bubbles in the bath
How blessed am I to walk this path...
Along which I hear the sweetest laugh.



What does it mean to hold a hand
Through the pale lamplight upon the stand
And dream of days ahead so grand...
Oh, how my heart melts when I hold her hand.



What does it mean to watch her sleep
As soft, as quiet as a sheep
The safest place for her we'll keep...
As peacefully she drifts to sleep.



What does it mean to have a child
A dream fulfilled, a life so wild
A baby's face so meek and mild...
that's what it means to have a child.



How I love you, God only knows
Straight from your head down to your toes
Each day my heart just grows and grows...
for you, my love... Amelia Rose.