Top 10 in 2010

1. Ski Trip in Colorado
2. Celebrating H.O.T.Y.'s 30th Birthday
3. Finding out we were pregnant!
4. Potty-Training Miss Priss
5. H.O.T.Y. running TWO Half-Marathons
6. Celebrating my 29th Birthday
7. Celebrating Miss Priss's 3rd Birthday
8. Vacationing to the Beach and Disney World
9. Lil Sis being born
10. H.O.T.Y.'s Big Promotion

Thank you for sharing the year with us here on Miss Priss & Me!

looking back

another year... another calendar

As I put together this year's calendar, I was struck with a sense of nostalgia.  Where had my year gone?  Was the little girl that colors for hours and hours now really the same little girl that started the year refusing to sit still long enough to hold a crayon?  How could this little baby I rock to sleep each night be no more than a twinkle in my eye twelve short months ago?

Every year about this time I have a little panic attack... did I complete any of my resolutions?  Did I accomplish any of my goals?  Am I the person I set out to be last year?  It's these kind of questions that always lead me to setting more unrealistic goals and unaccomplishable resolutions.  Loose 30 pounds... of course I can!  Read the bible front to back... why not?  Plant a garden, bake my own bread, knit a dozen scarves for the homeless... this year's the year!

And while all these goals are great and wonderful, I realize that I'm actually just where I want to be at the end of twenty-ten.  Somewhere along the last 365 days, I discovered that the time BETWEEN the goals was actually the best of all.  Without the laundry list of to-dos, I was still able to evolve and grow and become that woman I actually set out to be.

2010 pushed me to my limits in so many ways.  I loved, I lost, I learned to appreciate life.  I complained for ten long months about the woes of pregnancy and now find myself missing those sweet flutters in my belly.  I watched with an aching heart my toddler grow up into a little girl before my eyes and then melted when she told me I was her best friend.  I cheered like a wild woman at the circus as I proudly watched my beloved run a half-marathon... twice.  I held the hand of a dying aunt and had to force myself to say goodbye.

It's been a year that has changed me.  My relationships have grown with family and friends.  I've discovered a knack for writing that I never knew existed.  I've redefined what means the most to me.  It's been the kind of year that makes me excited for the next.  Not because I want to flush out the old and start with the new... but because I feel like it's a building block to bigger and better.

So cheers to an amazing two thousand ten... and here's to an even better two thousand eleven.

christmas cocktail

Christmas day was just what the Doctor ordered.

The perfect prescription remedy?

One part chubby cheeks and dimply chins

              Miss Priss - Christmas Day 2007                                    Lil Sis - Christmas Day 2010


One part sisterly love

One part toddler glee

Mix with a large loving family

And you’ve got yourself a healthy dose of the perfect Christmas Cocktail.

Twas the Night Before Christmas

Christmas Eve. It’s my most favorite of all. It’s where traditions are carried out and memories are made. And with a throat on fire, gooey eyes and a leaking nose, I was determined to make our Christmas Eve every bit as wonderful as it was supposed to be.

We welcomed with big hugs Grammie and Papa as they came to spend the Holiday with us. Even though they knew they were walking into a house full of germs, they came to celebrate and lend a helping hand.

And like I’ve done for every year I can remember, we dressed up in our Christmas best, we took pictures by the tree, and we headed out for the Christmas Eve Service.

What a service it was. Our pastor spoke about finding love in the imperfect times. Letting go of the pretences and must-haves, to find joy and happiness with what’s around us. To make lemonade out of lemons. There I sat, realizing that a sick Christmas can still be a warm and fuzzy, knock-your-socks off, merry magical Christmas. And as they turned out the lights and we started to sing of a Heavenly Child, I was ready to make some magic.

We headed home to dress up daddy and make Santa’s favorite chocolate chip cookies…

We gathered around the table, said Grace and filled our tummy’s full of the most delicious Cheddar Chowder on Earth…

We let Miss Priss open present after present, finishing the night off with the traditional gift of Christmas jammies...

We snuggled together as a new family of four to read about jolly ol' St Nick and his eight famous reindeer...



We set out cookies and sprinkled out oatmeal...

And finally, when the children were nestled all snug in their beds... I sat down with a box of tissues and a handful of cough drops to relive every moment of the night.  I wanted to etch in my memory every squeal of delight from Miss Priss's sweet mouth as she opened presents, baked cookies and snuggled down to hear my most treasured book.  I wanted to memorize the way it'd felt holding Lil Sis close on her first Christmas Eve as I nursed her to sleep.  I never wanted to forget the tears I'd shed as I helped Miss Priss light her first candle and sing Silent Night.

It was a night full of excitement and wonder and the very best magic of all: unconditional love.

cyber greetings to you

If there was a way to mail each and every one of you a card this year,

this is what you'd find when you opened your mailbox today...

Wishing you a day full of moments and memories you'll never forget.

Miss Priss, Lil Sis, H.O.T.Y., Big Beagle & Me

A Cough Drop Christmas

Over the river and through the woods, to Grammie and Papa's we go.

That's the tune the girls and I rocked out to on our recent road trip to my hometown.  I packed us all up, gave H.O.T.Y. a farewell kiss and hit the road with Miss Priss and Lil Sis.

Oh what a time we had in those three hours in the car.

Miss Priss, who has recently found a love for fifties music, serenaded me with "Shake, Rattle & Roll", "Jailhouse Rock", and "Good Golly Miss Molly" while she munched on goldfish, chicken nuggets and apple slices.

Like the little angel she is, Lil Sis slept most of the way and only for a few moments woke up to let us know she was still there.  I tell you, the girl loves her carseat.

And as much as I'd like to tell you all about the fun exciting things we did while we were gone, I'm afraid all it was was just a landslide to this...

Instead of decorating Christmas cookies, caroling to the neighbors or finishing up our last minute shopping, both the girls and myself are sick, sick, sick.  H.O.T.Y. galloped in on his white steed saving the day, driving all the way to Missouri to pick us up and bring us back home again.  We've spent Christmas week doing lots of un-Christmas things, like doctor's appointments, pharmacy visits, sucking out noses and going through an endless supplie of tissues.  All my plans for a wonderful magical Christmas has been set aside... along with a dirty house and unwrapped presents... so I can nurse my two sweet girls back to health.

So Santa, if you're reading this, would you please add cough drops and throat spray to my wish list?

Christmas Ballerina

As you guys might remember, I have a sweet spot for little dancing ballerinas. So when it came time for Miss Priss's first dance recital, I was in a full tizzy getting us all prepared for her big debut.

After her nap that day, I excitedly woke her up reminding her that she was going to her recital that night and we had to get up and get dressed for it. She looked at me with a pointed glare and said "No, I don't want to dance."

Okay... so maybe this was going to be a little harder than I expected.

For the next hour I dressed and fluffed and hairsprayed all while Miss Priss sat there and whined. Yet, with a face swollen and red from crying, I bundled her up and out we went to star in her own little dance show.

As soon as we got there, I could feel the meltdown approaching. People were everywhere, noise and chaos were all around, and Miss Priss was going to have nothing to do with it. Not to mention the fifty people in the other room waiting for the show that she still was refusing to dance in.

Nevertheless, I gave her a big hug, strapped some jingle bells to her ankle and said "Knock 'em dead sweetheart!" As I left the room, this little girl was not the little starlet I'd envisioned in my dreams.

Luckily, Miss Priss's dance was first in the lineup. So I sat on the edge of my seat, camera posed and ready, hoping that all would go well for the next four minutes.

And I should have known my little girl would pull through. Out she walked, with her head hung shyly, not wanting to look up and see all the people. My heart grew 100 times bigger as I watched my little girl tap her foot from side to side.... to side to side to side....



Now you all know I love me a redhead, but darn it if that little red head had to stand RIGHT IN THE FRONT of Miss Priss the entire time!!

After the final dance, Miss Priss came out with the rest of her class to give a final bow. I stood on my chair and clapped louder than I ever have in my life. My girl was a star! She caught my eye as she stood there in a sea of leotards and tights and for the first time all night, gave me a great big smile. She was so proud of herself and this momma cried tears of delight seeing her girl shine.

As she walked over to us and daddy presented her with a beautiful bouquet of pink roses, she put her hands on her hips and announced "I don't want flowers, I want a candy cane!"

Ahhhh... the mood swings of a three year old.

Christmas isn't easy

I’ve found myself digging my heels in lately, wanting time to slow down and try to get my head wrapped around this life of mine. I have this whirlwind that I’ve created, and as things are getting stuffed and packed and checked off the list, I feel like I’m missing this...

I default back to my to-do lists and errands instead of snuggling on the couch to watch Charlie Brown’s Christmas and eat burnt popcorn. I’ve been spending so much time making sure that our Christmas is “perfect”, I’ve actually been missing out on it all together. Christmas sure isn’t easy.

And although the good intentions are there, it seems like it’s never enough. The Christmas books don’t get read at bedtime, the batch of cookies get baked at naptime instead of together as a family, and the advent candle still has yet to be lit. I hear myself say “Mommy’s busy, just go play a little longer” over and over, and then there I am lying in bed wondering where my day has gone. Just before I drift off to sleep in utter exhaustion I remember… I never got around to that tea party with her.

***This is her "Rock Star" pose.***

I find myself wishing the time away, thinking “It’ll be easier after Christmas… It’ll be better after the New Year… I’ll have more time once we’re in the new house…” And all the time I’m wishing away, my little one is growing and changing and my big one is playing all by herself.

So it’s time for me to wake up and smell the egg nog. It’s time to throw perfection to the wind and settle for a much happier less-perfect Christmas. And while the presents might not all get matching bows and the neighbors will get boxed cookies, I will be giving my girls the Christmas they really need. My gift of time isn’t something to put under the tree and wait around to open… it’s the here and now.

Because all I really want for Christmas is to cherish this time with my family. To make the most of our last Christmas in Oklahoma and our first Christmas as a family of four.

Timeless Traditions

I was brought up in a family of traditions. Especially at Christmas time. For as long as I can remember, every Christmas Eve was the same… get dressed up in our Christmas finest, church, dinner with family, sing carols, open presents, get Christmas pajamas, put pajamas on, read “The Night Before Christmas”, set out milk and cookies, then go to bed in hopes that Santa would come throughout the night. Wait 365 days and repeat.

And even though every year’s routine was just the same, those special times with my family were interlaced with memories that will last a lifetime. While predictable as we were from year to year, it became my comfort zone as what Christmas was to me.

So when I became the matriarch of the family and it was my turn to plan our Christmas for my girls, I had an inner struggle between reverting to the old and branching out into the new. I wanted to preserve the excitement and hominess that my past Christmas’s had given me, while starting new things that H.O.T.Y. and I could begin together.

And although there are too many to list, here are several of my favorites…

Annual Ornaments. I remember as a kid spending so much time thinking about what my ornament would be that year. One year it was a snowman, the next Scarlett O'Hara. I had a cheerleader, a piano and even a green frog.  And with as much thought, I have continued that tradition first with Miss Priss and now Lil Sis. I hope that through the years they will enjoy picking out their own ornament and hanging it on the tree.

Visiting Santa. A tried and true tradition with a twist. Instead of waiting in line at the mall, we have begun an annual party with our playgroup with the big guy in red as the Special Guest. The kids love getting up close and personal with him and it truly has become a night we look forward to all year long.

Homemade Presents. As Miss gets older, this tradition has become my absolute favorite. As fun as the past’s frame and pillow presents were, this year’s topped the cake because I let Miss Priss do most of it. And since I can’t show you what our gift was just yet, here’s a sneak peek at our gift sacks…

Christmas Pajamas. A special jammie set to open as the final gift on Christmas Eve. Warm fleece that we can put on, then snuggle together as we read “The Night Before Christmas” and set out cookies and milk.

Miss Priss's Pink Tree.  Starting last year, we got Miss Priss her very own little Christmas tree to decorate and put in her room.  This year she enjoyed it even more... carefully twining the tinsel around and around, hanging each little pink ornament, and proudly placing the crystal star on the top.

*please excuse that middle finger, she knows not what she does!

And yet with our many wonderful traditions, I sometimes have to pull back and remember to just "live in the moment".  To focus on the real reason why we are celebrating and relaying that important message to Miss Priss.

Our traditions are timeless, just as that sweet baby laying in a manger all those years ago.

I love the way you...

played hard to get in the beginning… and then ended up chasing me in the end, looked so handsome on our wedding day, laugh at the messes I make, always change Lil Sis’ diaper in the middle of the night, reassure me when I’m having a bad day, always offer to help me… even when you have a million things to be doing yourself, open the blinds first thing in the morning because you know I like the sunshine, spoil me with the best birthday and Christmas presents, always bring me home a treat after grocery shopping, tell me I’m beautiful… even when I don’t have makeup on,  offer to help me pay for things that are ridiculously not-needed and pricey, know how important long bubble baths are to me, get up with Miss Priss and make her breakfast… just so I can sleep an extra fifteen minutes, are always the first to say “I Love You”, change hobbies two to three times a year, can’t keep a secret from me, have more patience than I could ever dream of, offer to take pictures so that I can actually be in some, will help me finish all the projects that I start and then realize I can’t do alone, work harder than anyone else I know, make me hand-made cards, can remember tiny details from our history together, are the first out of bed when Miss Priss asks for a drink of water at night, would rather do something for me than for yourself, try to convince me to watch scary movies with you… when you know I never will, know just what to say to make me laugh, give to others even when I’m hesitant, never complain about doing all our family’s cooking, have taught Miss Priss to say thank you for people after her bedtime prayers, know how important “Family Nights” are to me, entertain my arts and crafts projects, calm me down when I am fired up, let me rant and rave about your dog, curl up on the couch with me and watch “Tween Shows”, never forget our anniversary…

Plain and simple
I love the way you love me

Happy Fifth Anniversary to my wonderful, talented, handsom Husband Of The Year.
I am one lucky girl to be your wife.

G is for Gingerbread

Let’s get something straight…. Miss Priss is a sponge. She can literally remember something from two years back, say the pledge of allegiance word for word, and often talks to me like a thirteen year old girl. The kid is knock-your-socks-off smart.

Yet, she hates doing any kind of lessons with me. Learning her numbers? Forget it. How to put on her own clothes? Don’t even think about it. Writing her own name? Seriously, don’t ask.

So when her three year old friend Aubrey asked me the other day how to spell Miss Priss’s name, and then proceeded to write each letter down perfectly, the alarms went off in my head “Get it in gear, momma! You need to work on your kid’s letters!” So with my thinking cap on, I created a fun little way for us to combine learning our ABC’s and Christmas all-in-one.

After a few searches on-line for clipart and a couple hours in my design program, I created a Christmas Letter coloring page for each day of the month. And to entice my little one to actually participate, I came up with several “Special Surprises” that coordinate with the different letters… “C” we make cookies, “P” we make homemade presents, “R” we make reindeer food, “T” we trim her own little tree”… you get the picture.

So when Miss Priss had to stay home from school yesterday because of a little stomach bug, I knew that the letter of the day was going to be “G”.

As in “G is for Gingerbread House”.

I handed over the paper and crayons, promising that after she was done coloring, we’d do something extra special that started with G.

And let me tell you, she worked on that coloring page as hard as Mozart worked on Symphony in G Major.

After she’d whittled down two different purple crayons and held up her page with a proud “TaDa”, I added it to the collection on the fridge and told her to close her eyes. I happily brought out her surprise and presented her a Gingerbread House Kit. First thing out of her mouth…. “CANDY!!!” Yep, that’s my girl, she’s got a sweet tooth like no other.

And for the next hour, we happily squeezed out icing, lined up sugar drops and strategically placed red and green sprinkles. My sick little girl was in heaven.

And to top off our sweet G lesson, she licked that house clean.