Funny Happenings during the Holidays

This has been an exhausting but fun-filled time of year for us. Exhausting part isn't really due to the holidays (although the added activities that come with the holidays make things busier) but it's taken the past couple months to get Maggie's new bed dialed in as well as come up with a sleep plan that works for our family. It's been a process getting her to stay in her bed with having to use the bathroom or want in our bed, which we were not being very consistent about. But just this week things are working well and we've got a good little sleeper. Part of the fun of switching her room around for me has been finding deals. When I scored her colorful ladybug bedding for less than $10 from a consignment shop and then found matching ladybug sheets at Target, it made my day. I have to say that the coupons this season have been amazing. Online purchasing is amazing and so are family gift exchanges. It's the first time we've done it and I love that I just have to get one gift for my secret family member, cutting 9 gifts down to 1. It has helped keep things low-key and has put more focus back on enjoying other aspects of the giving season.

Upon finding out that a boy will be making his way into our family, we've started dissembling our last spare bedroom. The plus to this is we know what we need for his arrival, which isn't much, but it also means finiding more storage in our room and making everything fit. Our house seemed so big when we bought it pre-kids!

Maggie has become quite the goof and she can be sneaky too, like when I'm trying to hide her advent calendar with goodies in it and then fall asleep briefly...she sneaks it out, wakes me up playfully, and proceeds to shake it and find all the hidden candy. I'm also the type of person that doesn't really hold much back with the truth of things and with having kids, I think this is a fine way to go, but it can also get you in trouble (a.k.a. embarass you) sometimes. We've had a few of those moments lately after our quiet teaching moments. Things having to do with how babies are born, girl and boy parts, and babies nursing. The momentary shock is worth all the laughter that follows.

Maggie and I sent off her 1st letter to Santa this year and she and I brainstormed on what she wanted to ask for. She is still a little young in this department, but we came up with a good list. Maggie stated more than once that she is thankful for pigs around Thanksgiving which had us cracking up. She is infatuated with pigs, I wonder how long it will last. Her clothes preferences seem to change weekly. Anyways, pig toys made it onto the list and my sister is delivering in that area. We've got some of the other stuff covered and are keeping it simple.