Norah's First Christmas (Part I)

As promised, here is my first installment of Norah's "First Christmas". I'll have to break this down into two sessions, because let's just say we did a LOT of celebrating!

I've been looking forward to our first Christmas as parents since we found out we were expecting, and I can honestly say, I was not disappointed in any way.

Saturday, December 23rd, we kicked off our celebration with our annual Gilmore Family Christmas at Memaw's. We took our traditional "Grandkids with Memaw" and "Kids with Memaw" pictures, had plenty to eat (including Uncle Wayne's famous peanut brittle and delicious chex mix!), and had a blast playing Catch Phrase. This year there were 28 of us, including Melissa's new fiance, David, Amanda's boyfriend, Trae, and of course, Norah!

Sunday morning, Christmas Eve day, a vast majority of the Gilmore clan attended worship together at Central Church of Christ in Bryan (where most of us grew up attending--including Jason and me). It is always special worshipping with our family. Norah got to wear her Christmas dress, which she calls "Pree!" (Pretty) and she looked just that. Braden Bomnskie asked if "Miss Norah" could go for a ride around the church building with him in his wagon. She had a ball!


Sunday evening, we celebrated with Grammy & Grandpa Gilmore, AA & Trae, and Uncle Johnny at the Gilmore house. We opened gifts and played games until nearly midnight. It was a lot of fun cutting loose with my family, and getting to know Trae even better. (Games always bring out every one's personality even more--we always have so much fun!) Amanda and I got to enjoy some much-needed "Sister Time". Its always hard saying goodbye when its time for her to head home, but I'm hoping we'll see each other again soon, since someone special in both our lives will be celebrating her first birthday in less than a month.

Grandpa read the Nativity story with Norah. (Jason and I gave her a really sweet touchy-feely Nativity board book, to go along with "The Night Before Christmas" to be sure she gets the real message behind Christmas). I hope this will be a tradition for us in years to come. She sure loves her Grandpa! (And he's pretty crazy about her, too)


Norah didn't exactly get what was going on when we opened presents, but she definitely kept herself (and the rest of us) entertained. She climbed "Mt. Present" and finally got to play with some of those "forbidden ribbons"! I had to laugh because by the end of the Christmas season, she had begun stealing ribbons from our packages and trying with all her might to tie them around the back of her head. I wish I had a picture, because it was such a sight! She never wears headbands, so I don't know where she got the idea, but she did it time and time again! We finally helped her tie a couple so they'd stay, and you could tell she felt beautiful by the way she beamed at us.

Jason and I got home around 12:30am. Norah was sacked out and easily transferred from her carseat into her crib. Jason, jokinginly asked (for about the 12th time) if we could "Crack 'em open", and I surprised him by replying, "Yeah, why not!?" I figured it would be more special to open our gifts to one another while Norah was happily sleeping in her bed, when we could actually talk and enjoy some special time together.

I know I will always have a good memory of the two of us opening presents in the wee hours of Christmas morning, our first year as parents. Jason finally got to open his beloved disc golf basket. (He assembled it right there in our living room at 12:45!) We finally called it a night and turned in around 1:30am.







Christmas morning, everyone slept late. I woke up around 8:30 to make an oatmeal pie for lunch at the Robinson's. I put the pie in the oven and headed for the shower, when I got a strong whiff of that unmistakable smell of something on fire...not burning food in the oven, we're talking the overwhelming fumes of something ablaze. I woke Jason and we both dashed into the kitchen, where billowing smoke was pouring out of the oven. I opened the oven to discover that I had knocked a potholder into the oven. I grabbed it with a pair of tongs and pitched it into a sink full of water. We're still working on getting rid of the burnt smell, but on the bright side, it was one of my old, blue potholders (now replaced by my pretty, new red ones), and our house is still in tact.

After Jason got rid of the smoke (and I finished the shower I was about to start when we discovered the burning potholder), Norah awoke in her usual, happy morning mood. We fed her a little breakfast, and commenced with our present-opening.

Jason and I did most of the tearing of the paper, but we let her help. She enjoyed the ribbons the most (naturally), with the exception of one package from Gramps. Gramps had tied a little snowman jingle bell to the top of one of the gifts she gave Norah. Norah played with that bell for the longest time. You never would have guessed she had any new toys--she was just content to jingle the morning away. We saved it to hang on the tree in years to come.





She went for a Christmas victory lap on her new push-car toy (a great gift from Jenny & Daniel), before we loaded up the car to head out to the Robinson family Christmas (after being prompted by 2 phone calls from Aunt Paige on behalf of Uncle Grant, who was ready to "Crack 'em open!")

Ok, this is probably the longest blog entry I've ever made, so I'm gonna call it a night, but stay tuned for the riveting conclusion of our Christmas adventures, coming soon!

13 Things I Got for Christmas

Yet another late-night T-13 post from Robinson County...but better late than never! We had an awesome Christmas. The best one I can remember in years! (Blog and photos, soon to come, I promise!) Santa (and my family and friends) was extremely generous this year---I love every, single gift I received! So, this week's list is 13 things I received for Christmas.










1. Loads of fun, new jewelry---mostly costume/trendy stuff (And one, beautiful James Avery snowflake charm from Mom R, because, "It's the only kind that lasts in Central Texas") I must admit, I'm really enjoying accessorizing, for the first time in my life...but as you can see from the photo above, it just comes naturally to some people. (Norah loves to wear my beads! Now, giving them back...that's another story)


2. Laundry Sorting System. I LOVE this gift from my mom. The "lid" lifts to provide easy-access to the laundry sorting bags, which remove and make carrying loads to the washing machine a cinch. Its also a great place to fold clothes (that is not my bed!) and is pretty, to boot!




3. iHome--Super great gift from Jason. It turns my ipod into a portable boom box. It can clamp onto Norah's stroller to provide tunes for us while we walk at the mall or around the neighborhood. It also keeps my ipod charged. The best part is, I can listen to my ipod without headphones/earbuds, so I dont have to feel like I'm ignoring Norah, and she can enjoy the music, too.


4. TEN Rubbermaid Shoeboxes--this may seem like a strange gift to you, but it was on my wish list and I'm so glad I got them! (And as you may notice, there are only 5 empty containers remaining, because I've already put half of them to good use!)








5. 2007 Gooseberry Patch Wall Calendar. The greatest calendar EVER! Mom spoils me with a new one every year, and I look very forward to it! It always hangs in the same spot on our kitchen wall. Its cute, and has tons of great recipes and crafting tips!








6. Red Striped Apron. Another wish list fulfillment, this time via Grant & Paige. I absolutely LOVE this apron! It matches our kitchen, and its my favorite style--and I love to cook in an apron!









7. Drawer-full of red & beige towels, pot holders & washrags. If you haven't picked up on a theme here, I'm moving toward a red and beige color scheme in the kitchen. I now have more towels (a formerly scare commodity in our kitchen) than I've ever had before, with matching washrags and pot holders to boot!







8. EIGHT VeggieTales dvds! This was a super-sweet gift from Jason. I've been on a major Veggie-kick ever since Quebo started airing them on Saturday mornings. (I'd never seen them before) At any rate, I've been talking about them non-stop, and Jason deviated from my "wish list" and surprised me with them. I was thrilled and I love them!



9. Printer--Hallelujah! After a solid year of no printer, the Robinsons now have the ability to scan, copy, and print, all in one, handy-dandy contraption. I feel some adorable, 1-year birthday party invitations coming on!





10. Refrigerator Magnet Photo Frames. Technically, these were stocking stuffers, but I love them so much, I consider them among my favorite gifts. The fridge looks so neat and clean, and I'm having a lot of fun framing photos/Christmas cards from our friends and family.




11. Sweet, Green Sweater! I even taught it how to wave hello. Amanda always knows what I like/need. I love this new sweater (and she got me some cool coordinating beads so I can accessorize, if I can convince Norah that Mommy needs them more than she does).




12. My Favorite Cookbook. Another Goosberry Patch find. Its a blank, lined cookbook, divided into sections (Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dishes, etc.) so that I can write all of my tried and true favorite recipes in one place. I am so excited about transferring all my chicken scratch recipes into this cute book, and having something to pass down to my kids someday, in my own handwriting.


13. Gift Cards and Christmas Money!! As I mentioned before, Santa (and my friends/family) was too generous this year. I got gift cards to Best Buy, JoAnns, Walmart, American Eagle, and Lowes (are you salivating, Sheri?). Just in time for all of my new year projects and plans!




I know that we are blessed beyond measure, and these gifts (as awesome as they all are) really dont have anything to do with the true meaning of Christmas. The greatest gift that has ever been given was the one that God gave to the world when he sent His son here to sacrifice himself for each of us.

I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas, and if you're one of the many people who helped make my season bright either by sending a Christmas card, sharing a special gift, or spending some time with my during your holiday, thank you so much! This really was a wonderful Christmas for us, and I hope to blog about it soon!

13 Things Finished/Still to Come

Well, here it is, 11:55pm, and I'm just now getting to my T-13...things have been a little bit busy in Robinson County! So, for lack of any better ideas (and in hopes of getting to bed soon!), this week's thirteen is a taste of what's been going on /coming up between now and Christmas. As you can tell by glancing at the first few items on the list, much of my days/nights have been/are consumed with finishing up some last minute sewing projects that I didn't intend to procrastinate on, but somehow managed to. Wish me luck!

1. Finished Christmas shopping as of 8:17pm tonight! (That's right, Dad, your illusive Christmas presents have finally been purchased, but aren't wrapped just yet, so stay away!) Also, took care of all our stocking stuffers.
   
2. Finished knitting 2 stuffed bears to give as Christmas gifts.
3. Finished Norah's stocking for our house--and I've got the picture to prove it! Norah's stocking is the one in the middle. (She's loving puppies, so I thought she needed one on her stocking.) Jason's stocking is on the left, and mine is on the right.
4. Still working on Norah's stocking for Memaw's house...I am currently stitching piece 82 of 117, so we'll see if I make it by my 3pm Saturday deadline!
5. Told Jason "No, you can't open your present yet." (for the 5th time)
   
6. Burned two versions of 2006 Christmas CD---one "classic" and one "upbeat contemporary. I've listened to both almost non-stop for three days.
   
7. 2 pair of flannel pj pants are still in the works...they're not due til Sunday, so my fingers are crossed that I'll find a way!
8. Tomorrow: bake 2 pies (buttermilk and oatmeal) for our annual Christmas dinner with good friends.
9. Tomorrow: wrap newly purchased gifts for Dad, knit bears, and other gifts for aforementioned annual Christmas dinner.
10. Re-stated to Jason that early Christmas present "cracking open" is not permissable.
    
11. Saturday: Christmas at Memaws, 3pm (Gilmore cousin time, woo hoo!)
    
12. Sunday/ Christmas Eve: Worship in the morning, followed by a first-time viewing of "Charlotte's Web" (mom, Manda, and me), followed by Christmas with the Gilmores, 6pm. Fun day!
    
13. Monday/ Christmas Day: Ok, sweetheart, "Let's crack 'em open!" Check out the haul at our house, then head over to the other Robinsons' house for some good times with Grant & Paige, Mom R, and Grandmother.
    

Daddy's Hat and More Ribbon Ravaging

Norah's always had a thing for Daddy's clothes. Even when she was just a couple of months old, she found Daddy's shoes, hats, and even dirty socks far more interesting than her own toys. Last night, she finally figured out what to do with Daddy's hat.

Granted, it doesn't exactly go with her outfit, but she definitely knew it was supposed to be worn on her head. (She was quite proud of herself for this little revelation.)




Also, as you can see, she still hasn't lost her affinity for her favorite game. When Daddy's hat kept sliding down over her face, she just took the opportunity to play a quick game of peek-a-boo (aka "Pea-Pie" to the Gilmore Clan, "Peeky Boo" to Grandmother, and "Where's Norah?", to the rest of us)

I especially love the first photo because it so clearly captures her little fangs, which, we believe, will soon be joined by her two front teeth---just in time for Christmas. (Must be all that Christmas music I've been exposing her to--she's quite familiar with Nat King Cole's "All I Want for Christmas" by now) She's been having a time cutting them, but it seems that both have finally broken through, and will bring her total teeth-count up to a whopping 6. She also went in for a weight-check last week and tipped the scales at 16 lbs. We're still growing!


In other news, I don't want to call any names, but someone has definitely inherited her Daddy and Uncle Grant's philosophy ("Let's crack 'em open!") when it comes to Christmas presents. The ribbon ravaging has yet to cease. In fact, I have caught her opening the same package (removing tape and pulling at the paper) three times! AA may just have to let Norah have that one, because she's determined that it is hers to open. I even caught her red-handed strategically un-tieing bows on all of the presents within arms reach--look at that guilty look on her face, and note the unfurled ribbon just behind her right shoulder! Only 6 more days, kid, hang in there! (We are gonna have so much fun Christmas morning!)

13 Ornaments on Our Tree

In effort to possibly snag a few more votes for Local Girl's tree decorating contest, and because I think people enjoy looking at other people's ornaments, but might feel awkward staring ...this week's T-13 is a closer look at the Robinson County Christmas tree--13 of my Favorite Ornaments! In no particular order, here they are...





1. Pick-up Truck with a Christmas tree in back.-- This one I bought for Jason, to commemorate the year he started working at Texas Truck Riggins.









2. Crystal Snowflake--This was a gift from Bob & Myrt Davidson. They brought it back from Thailand. I love the way the crystal glistens when it catches the lights on the tree!









3. New Home--Jason's gift to me the year we bought our first house (which we're still living in and loving). I love the little dangling key, and that it has the year on the bottom.









4. Texas Snowman--I found this little guy on a trip to Kema with Karen & Shane. We ate at this fun little hibatchi restaurant , and then went shopping at the strip in Kema. I was overjoyed to find a Christmas Ornament shop...did I mention it was July?








5. Rubber Ducky--newly added this year (thanks, Pat & Andress!) to commemorate Norah's "Ducky Phase".











6. Knit Snowman--this is a bad photo, but this entire snowman is knit (except for the little buttons, obviously). I found him at JoAnn's 75% off---you can't beat that, plus, I learned to knit this year!








7. Hunter Santa--Complete with rifle, camo, and hunting boots. I gave this one to Jason the year he bagged his first deer.










8. Baby Jesus-- One of Norah's favorites. I have an entire felt Nativity set that I hung on the bottom branches of the tree because they're the most baby-friendly. But, Norah keeps going back to baby Jesus. I keep telling her who he is everytime she touches him.







9. Fisherman S'more -- one of the cutest S'more ornaments I'd seen...and Jason is an avid fisherman (when he's not disc golfing or shooting things), so I had to have it. Love his trucker hat and little fishing pole!








10. Lois Nicole Baby Crib- Gramps' 2006 contribution to Norah's ornament collection. It's a mite fancier than Norah's actual crib, but it sure is sweet, and the detail-work is amazing!









11. Tent with campfire-- We bought this one on a year that we did a good bit of camping with friends. Believe it or not, I actually like tent-camping!









12. Golden Aspen Leaf-- A gift from Grant & Paige. I love this ornament because everytime I take it out of the box, it reminds me of all the wonderful "Colorado Christmases" we shared.









13. And what Christmas tree would be complete without the Christmas Pickle!? This was a gift from our friends, Zach & Meg, who had a pickle on their tree. The tradition is to hide the pickle somewhere on the tree on Christmas Eve, then the first person to spot it Christmas morning gets to open the first gift (and they get ot hide the pickle the next year!) Now you wish you had one too, right?

A Meme About Me

Ok, so I'm a little late, but Local Girl tagged me over a week ago to participate in this meme, so here goes!

And for those of you, who, like myself are fairly new to "blog world", here is what Mr. Webster had to say to me on the topic of what in the world a meme is:
Word: meme
Pronunciation: 'mEm
Function: noun
Definition: an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture
(Thursday 13 is another form of meme...end of vocabulary enrichment lesson for today)

A Meme About Me

I am: a Christian
I want: more kids, someday
I have: my Dad's webbed toes
I wish: for world peace---seriously
I hate: brusselsprouts
I miss: my sister, who moved to Austin...but she's coming to visit tomorrow!
I hear: the dishwasher
I wonder: how the Harry Potter series will end
I regret: not blogging the first 3 months of Norah's life
I am not: good at Math
I dance: very, very badly (and only when I think no one's watching)
I sing: all the time!
I cry: occassionally
I am not always: patient
I make with my hands: quilts, cakes, Christmas stockings, breakfast, lunch, and dinner
I journal: via my blog
I confuse: pink and yellow lemonade...which is the kind Jason likes?
I need: to finish my Christmas shopping
I should: start a load of laundry
I start: my day when Norah wakes up
I finish: most of what I start
I will tag: Karen, Lyneil, and Sheri

A Mischievous Christmas Elf

Only 12 days til Christmas, and Norah is being such a good girl--she's sure to make Santa's nice list. She hasn't bothered the tree. She's sleeping through the night. She's napping like she should. You'd think she wouldnt' have anything to worry about.

I guess she didn't think so, though. It appears that Norah, in an attempt to win Santa's favor (and thereby clinch her rightful position on the "Nice List"), has taken it upon herself to do her part to save Santa a little time and money this year.




You see, Norah has paid very careful attention as Mommy has wrapped every gift under our tree. She knows that each package must have a bow (this is mommy's own rule, and is in no way a reflection of what rules mommy feels other gift-givers are required to adhear to). Wait a minute...what's that...there are 2 packages out of place (OCD Mommy would never have put those presents there---they should be neatly propped with the others under the tree!) And what's this!? Neither package has a ribbon! Something is terribly amiss.

Or perhaps, this is just Norah's gift to Santa this year. Maybe she figured there were enough ribbons and bows under our tree, so she decided to untie a couple to leave for Santa to add to HIS gifts.


Well, Mommy shouldn't jump to conclusions. After all, there are all sorts of things that could have happened to those ribbonss. Maybe Daddy needed new shoe laces this morning and thought he'd opt for something a little more festive than usual. Or maybe they just fell off the packages...but if that were the case, why is one of the ribbons missing completely...and Where is Norah?



I rest my case. But I guess, in her defense...it does match her outfit, nicely!

In other news, Local Girl is hosting a Christmas Tree Decorating Contest. If you're so inclined, click on over to comment to cast your vote for Robinson County...and you can vote once EACH DAY, so feel free to flood the votes...we're hoping to do better at this contest than we fared in the Halloween Costume Contest, so help us snag one of those Amazon gift certificates!

An Early Christmas Surprise

Last week, we got a pleasant surprise when my cousin, Patrick called and said that he and his wife, Andress, had a surprise for Norah and wanted to drop by. Before we know it, Pat & Andress were standing outside our front door, with their pooch, Sadie (sorry, Scott & Sara--yours isn't the only one we know anymore), and a lovely gold-wrapped package.




We opened the package to reveal a super-cute rubber ducky Christmas tree ornament! It was such a thoughtful gift! Anyone who knows Norah well, knows that she's going through a major ducky phase. She currently has 3 in the bathtub, and she can distinguish between them! (If I ask her "Where's baby ducky?" She'll either point, or hand me the tiniest one. She's a genius, this child!)

While the ornament was shiny, and Norah immediately wanted to put it in her mouth (similar treatment to what her bathtub duckies daily receive), the most exciting part of our visitors, in Norah's eyes, was the presence of Sadie. Norah chased Sadie all over the livingroom. She bopped her on the head (think "Little Bunny Foo-Foo") several times, and Andress finally intervened (with our blessing) when Norah grabbed a fist-full of Sadie's fur and started to tug. Needless to say, Sadie did not share Norah's enthusiasm at their first meeting.

Sadie did, however, get her revenge. She quickly discovered a means of defense that was quite effective against our wee babe. (Let's just say she's from the "Kill them with Kindness" school of thought.) Sadie gave Norah a big, slobbery kiss on the cheek, and as you can see from the photo, Norah was less than amused at this display of doggie affection. It still wasn't enough to deter her from pawing at the Pomeranian pup, but at least it seemed to level the playing field. It was a fun night, and a very thoughtful surprise. Thanks, Patrick & Andress!