More Lucy Than June

Well, come Friday, it will be a New Year.

I’ve always been fond of New Year’s celebrations…the thought of a new beginning. A fresh start. It just seems so…I don’t know…refreshing.

I don’t know that I’ve ever made a New Year’s resolution that I can actually remember MAKING…let alone KEEPING.

But hey! It’s a NEW year so why not try again?

This year, I sort of started my resolutions a few days early….like, the Monday-after-Christmas (um, yes. I know that was yesterday) kind of early. Seemed as good of a time as any since we didn’t actually take a vacation, and Stephen had to go right back to the ole part-time job he’s taken. Life was back on as normal (well, as normal as you can get around here).

So…what did I “resolve” to do this year?

Continue reading ‘A New Year’s Resolution…or four’

It’s true. I cried as I sat down to my Christmas dinner.

Here’s why…

We never really HAD Christmas dinner growing up. Sure, we had a potluck dinner on Christmas Eve with cousins and aunts and uncles, and later that night at the OTHER set of grandparents we ate Granny’s hot fudge cake.

But as for the actual Christmas DAY itself…nada. Nothing. Zip.

Now, as mentioned on my Why More Lucy Than June? page, I grew up drooling over the pictures of beautiful Christmas dinners and decorated homes and fancy recipes that oozed forth from the pages of the Ladies Home Journal magazines that were delivered to my mother’s mailbox.

I just KNEW that when I grew up, those beautiful trees and dinners would be mine. I would celebrate Christmas in a home filled with decorations and wreaths and mistletoe and finely wrapped gifts and parties.

And Christmas dinner? Oh yes. It would be glorious!

Continue reading ‘Why Christmas Dinner Made Me Cry’

I hope that this Christmas night finds you all happy in warm homes with full tummies and joy overflowing from your hearts!

I know that’s the state of our home tonight.

We were unable to be with our extended family this Christmas, so we decided to make some new traditions for our (not so) little immediate family.

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve brunch with some new friends that we have met in Charleston. I say wonderful, but I’m not so sure that our waitress at Cracker Barrel found it to be so wonderful. She seemed to be very unhappy to be working on Christmas Eve and was none too shy to let us know it.

Never you mind, dears. Never you mind. We had a great time with our friends anyway.

Continue reading ‘What a Christmas!!!’

According to McKenna, age (almost)5:

Tear into each package with the strength and excitement of which cannot be matched by mere humans. Although your interest for each gift will only be captured for a paltry 2.3 seconds, you will immediately be stricken with a deep passion and purpose for each new item that you now can add to your collection.

According to Caia, age 2 1/2:

Shake each package. Smile at it and the person who handed it to you. Gingerly start to tear away a tiny sliver of paper…almost as though you’re afraid of what you may uncover. However, once you get a glimpse of what lies beneath the outer confines of beautifully decorated paper, you will then finish unwrapping the gift at a feverish pace. You will show much enthusiasm with whatever you are presented…your first reaction to ANY gift will be a quick and loud, “OHHHH!” Then you will forget all about any other packages that might be around you, and you will sit and marvel at your gift, ask for it to be opened and clutch it in a white-knuckled grip.

According to Jackson, (almost) 1 year:

Be handed a wrapped present. Pull off bow and try to eat it. Pound on package. Someone will tear a tiny corner or punch their hand through the front of the gift in hopes that you’ll take the hint that you are to follow suit. Eventually, the big people will give up and open it for you. You will gnaw on the box. Big people will open the gift, hand it to you. You will love it!!! You will laugh and smile and giggle! You will shake it and chew on it and it will be your new best friend…for 1.5 seconds. At which point you will grab the gift’s container, be it box, bag or carton, and chew on that for the rest of the night. Eventually, your sisters will open the rest of your gifts and shove them in your face. You feign excitement, cry for a bottle, and ask to be put to bed.

The End.

The last time we went to see Santa (two years ago), I’m pretty sure we ALL got put on the naughty list.

We illegally took pictures (and video) of a screaming McKenna and a baffled and stunned 6 month old Caia.

Uncle Jon (who took the video) had the mall security called on him. Ya know, cause he wanted to videotape his nieces and all…

We didn’t even TRY to visit the red-suited man last year. I was too pregnant and exhausted to bother.

But we’ve been chatting him up a bit, and Kenni has asked to go see him…so tonight we decided to brave it.

The girls were as excited to walk into the mall tonight as if we were traipsing them trough the gates of the Magic Kingdom.

Yay! Yay! Santa…here we goooooooo!

That was Caia’s song as we strolled through the door.

Friday night. Week before Christmas. Mall Santa.

Sounds like a nightmare, right?

Actually, it was quite peaceful. We strolled right up, waiting only for one little boy who told Santa with much vim and vigor what he wanted this year.

And then…the BIG MOMENT.

Our turn!

Continue reading ‘Hooray! We Didn’t Traumatize Santa This Year!’