One Month Plus...

Well, Lily is a little over a month now and this is only my third post. That is partly because I have 2 kids to chase, feed, comfort and play with and it is partly because we have had a revolving door of family for the past month and a half. So it is with a lot of hope that I say, I will be better about keeping this journal in the future.

My in-laws just left. They were the most recent family to visit. Grace is now able to say "Hurley" thanks to her Grammie, but only if it is preceded by Grammie or Grampa. And always said with all the exuberance and volume she can muster... "Grammie Hurley!!!!" and "Grampa Hurley!!!" it is very cute! She can say Grace Hurley but prefers the prefix Grammie or Grampa. She also likes to shout "Uncle Mike!" (Brian's brother) She had an absolute blast with her Grammie and Grampa.

On December 5th Grammie and Grampa Hurley showed up with gifts and cookies (Thanks Mom, they were YUMMY... the cookies not the gifts.) One of the gifts was 'Elf on The Shelf'. If you have not heard of this, it is a tiny Elf that gets moved around your house each night to a different location. The elf watches your children and reports back to Santa each night if your child was good or bad. The kids are allowed to talk to the elf, but the elf is under strict orders from Santa not to speak with the children. It's rather cute... While Grace is a bit young to comprehend the full meaning of "Gelk is watching..." (Oh yeah, we named our elf Gelk.) She loves looking for him each morning.

While Grammie and Grampa Hurley were here Vistancia had their annual Winter Wonderland and our HOA trucked in 3 tons of snow for sledding and play (See pictures/latest video). Grace had a blast and Grammie and Grampa did too. Brian took Grace sledding and Grammie and Grace helped to build a snowman. It was a really nice way to spend a few hours on a Saturday. Next year Brian and I will drive Grace and Lily up to Flagstaff so that they can see some real snow and not just a melting patch of snow behind the elementary school. But for an 18 month old, it was just perfect.

So, what have we done in this past month plus? Well... we have hung the Christmas lights, put up the tree and stockings. Grammie, Grace, Lily and I went looking for the bike that Santa may or may not leave under the tree for Grace this year. I feel like we've done everything and nothing. It has been nice to have family here to see Grace and meet Lily. As difficult as it is to have my home and life filled with family ( I know how that must sound, horrible right? But when you live so far from family and have been gone for so long, family goes from just family to guests... that's the difficult part...) So we have filled our days with family which is why I feel like we have done a lot, but really we have just been home... So to be truthful we have not done all that much... Now, I am going to embrace the quiet, and try to figure out how to put my life on a schedule, and somehow be the best possible mother I can be with two children under two.

The thought of Christmas, just the four of us heaven. A day in our PJ's watching Grace discover what Santa has brought... I think having kids will make Christmas fun again. I am however looking forward to Christmas Eve with my Aunt, Uncle and Cousin (Grace's Godmother) and New Year's with my brother Uncle Rory and another visit from Brian's brother Uncle Mike. But mostly I am looking forward to the chance to spend time as a foursome.

So... Lily needs to eat, Grace is calling from the crib.... There are photos from Nonie's visit, Grammie & Grampa Hurley's visit and a few of Lily below... poor Lily, by the time Grace was Lily's age there were hundreds of photos of her... My resolution for 2009. Take as many photos as I can... they grow up way too fast!

Until next time...