Bring on the Cards!

I love getting Christmas cards. I enjoy seeing which of my family and friends gets them out first. FYI: This year's winner is my girl Amanda who always finds the most adorable cards.

And I get a fun chuckle out of whomever gets theirs out last (don’t worry, I won’t mention any names - you know who you are).

Somewhere along the line I inherited this Christmas cardholder, complete with an angel at the top. Two days ago it stood empty; not so today.

(Please excuse my yucky door; new doors are on our current home improvement list.)

{On a side note, if you collect the Christmas cards throughout the season like I do, take a look at what Brittany over at Pretty Handy Girl made to display her cards. I am all over this idea for next year. Anyone want dibs on my over-the-door angel cardholder?}

Last year we did our cards at Shutterfly. Their selection is awesome!

Would you look at how little my kiddo was just one year ago?

Our photos were taken by my talented sis-in-law, who has now started her own photography business: Andrea Lopez Photography. (Andrea: If you are reading this, I want to schedule another family shoot with you sometime in the very near future.)

But I digress.

I LOVE SHUTTERFLY! Not only is it the greatest (and easiest) place to upload and share your photos with family and friends, but they have fun projects and gifts that you can make with your photos. My all-time favorite is the photo book I made for my kiddo earlier this year that includes pictures of all the members in his immediate family. Most of our family members live at least a few hours (if not 2,000 miles) away so I wanted Kendry to remember their names and faces. The best part is that this book has become one of his favorites, which makes it worth every penny.

I have also used their photo calendars as Christmas gifts the last few years. This year I am contemplating making one for myself.

Did you know you can also do invites on Shutterfly? These will come in handy for my Tacky Christmas Sweater party next year. Yes, despite the hubby's protests I am determined to host one of these parties some day.

So why all the talk about Shutterfly? I just signed up for their giveaway of 50 free holiday cards when you blog about them. Yes, I am a sellout. But free is free, baby! And I am already in love with their cards, so why not?

Here are some of my faves from their huge collection of Christmas 2010 photo cards:

Now if only I knew which photos I want to use for the card.

No pressure, but when can we expect to receive your Christmas card this year?

Santa Baby

Tonight we took Kendry to see Santa. As Kendry does not sit still for very long we weren't really sure what to expect in terms of a photo op.

We should not have been worried - Santa always knows how to get kiddos to smile.

And adults as well!

"Stop me if you've heard this one, Santa..."

"...a reindeer, a snowman and an elf walk into a bar... Wait, why are you laughing? You haven't even heard my punchline."

Run Run Rudolph

About a week ago a colleague told me about a Santa 5k run scheduled for Saturday, December 4th. Mind you, it has been two months since my half-marathon on October 2nd. Since then I have been on one 4m run and have boycotted the gym entirely. For the first month I used the excuse that my body needed the break. Now that its two months later I will be honest - I'm just being plain lazy. However, I have been getting the itch to dust off the old running shoes, so I agreed to participate.

Not even the chilly weather on Saturday morning deterred us. And by "us" I mean me. Kendry was along for the ride but I'm certain if he were able to decide for himself he would have preferred staying cozy warm at home.

Costumes were recommended, much to Kendry's disgust. Keeping the antlers on him long enough for a photo was no small feat.

The race wasn't officially timed but I was only 5 seconds off my pace from the half-marathon. And the big bonus: it got me excited about running again.

Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!

"...a man after midnight!"

Oh, how I love ABBA. But thats not what this post is about today.

Nor is it about dealing with a greedy child during the holiday season; although I might recommend The Berenstain Bears book "Get the Gimmes" if you are dealing with that problem yourself.

Nope, this is about MY greed. You heard me right - I am greedy. But before you judge me, allow me to explain.

A few months ago when Justin and I decided we were ready to do another IVF cycle we agreed that in doing so we would be making the cycle itself our 5th anniversary and Christmas gift to each other. Now, when its only August, and you envision yourself pregnant by Christmas, this compromise seems perfectly logical. But as the holidays near and you start seeing the beautiful (non-maternity) winter sweaters in the store window, the awesome kitchen gadgets in the Bed, Bath & Beyond catalog, and the leopard-print Snuggies on sale at Rite-Aid - I already have one Snuggie, but I am convinced the leopard-print would make my collection complete - you start to wonder why you agreed to let your husband off the hook for buying you a Christmas (and anniversary) gift. Oh right! Its because you can't afford it after dishing out more than you care to admit for fertility treatment. (Don't get me started on the fact that it is now December and our IVF cycle has been postponed twice!)

Alas, an agreement is an agreement. And to be honest, I have no desire to track down a Christmas gift for Justin only 23 days before Christmas. The man wants for nothing - or at least he never vocalizes his wish list items - so he is impossible to shop for. A mission like that requires at least 6 months prep time, which I don't have.

So whats a girl to do in a predicament such as this? Sign up for some awesome giveaways, of course - and then blog about them to increase my entries in the giveaway!

The first giveaway is from Wonderfully Wordy and Perfectly Imperfect for some incredible vinyl lettering. Here is a peek at what Shelley can do:

This scrolled tree is my fave:

LOVE IT!

The second giveaway is from The Frosted Gardner for some adorable office organizers. And we all know how much I love to organize. How cute would this be on my desk?

And last, but definitely not least, is the $25 gift card from Dream Home DIY. I just love watching them complete project after project in their home, and I have already got my hubby brainstorming on how to build me a hutch just like theirs. I would use the gift card for Hobby Lobby, a store that everyone keeps raving about and I have yet to visit. But I have recently discovered that there are - wait for it - 2 Hobby Lobby stores about two hours from my house. I sense a road trip coming on.

You can't win if you don't enter, right? Gimme gimme gimme (please)!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Hello again! I never actually made a conscious decision to take a blogging break for the last two weeks; rather, it was just so busy that I decided to go with the flow and post the details later.

Now for the details:

2. SNOW!! We got our first dose of good snow the Sunday before Thanksgiving. As it didn't start sticking until the evening it was too dark to take Kendry out in it. So at 7am Monday morning the boys geared up and headed out to the back yard. Kendry wasn't too sure about the bulkiness of his snowsuit and boots at first (think the little brother in Christmas Story: "I can't put my arms down!"). But my kiddo will do (or wear) whatever it takes to spend time in his favorite place: outside!

As any supermom would, I had cocoa and mini marshmellows waiting when they came back inside.

3. Shhh! Don't tell anyone, but I had actually been praying for some snow before Thanksgiving. This admission alone can earn you some dirty looks around these parts. How people cannot love snow, I will never know.

However, by Wednesday I was praying for it to stop since we had a 3.5 hour drive ahead of us. It didn't stop. It was a 4.5 hour drive instead, with a toddler who refused to sleep.

4. Kendry had his 18 month check-up two weeks ago and measured as follows: height of 35.25 inches (99%), weight of 28.5 lbs (81%) and head circumference of 50 cm (95%). This little sprout barely fits in these 3T jammies I bought that same week.

4. Wretched driving trip aside, we had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Justin's family and enjoyed some much-needed relaxation time. I didn't even venture out for the Black Friday deals - although in taking a look at my Christmas shopping list this week I'm thinking I probably should have.

5. Now for the Thanksgiving photos!

Oh wait, there aren't any because we forgot our camera at home. Grrr! I suppose you will just have to trust me when I tell you that Kendry looked adorable in his Thanksgiving sweater vest.

6. Recent dialogue:

Justin: Those sweater vests you keep making him wear are going to turn him into a nerd.

Me: But he will be the cutest nerd ever!

7. Two weeks ago we were given the option of trying for a December IVF cycle. Woo hoo! Of course we said yes.

8. One week ago we were advised not to proceed with a December cycle and take a break for a few months to let my body get back to normal. (As if I could ever be normal!)

9. See, I told you its been a busy two weeks! But honestly, we believe that when its the right time, God's time, everything with our IVF cycle will fall into place just so. And apparently December was not the right time. Instead, we get to stay at home and fully enjoy the Christmas season.

10. This Week's Blessing: Kendry successfully used the potty for the very first time on Thanksgiving Day! He hasn't used it since but we are making progress here, people!