Random.

Sesame's newest addition to the library of songs she requests, as well as performs, is the old hymn "Trust and Obey."  :)  BSF has helped in the training of this one, I can't take credit.  I must say, it's quite adorable to hear my nearly 2-year-old sing "trust obaaaaaaaaaaay.  Other waaaaaaaaaaay.  Happ-EEEEEE!  in Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeesus.  Trust. O-baaaaaaaaaaaaaay."  :)  Gotta love this kid.

Speaking of Trusting and Obeying...Today is a very special day in our household.  It marks four years that Husband and I have been married.  :)  I tell you what, we've already learned the amount of trust and obedience to the Lord a marriage takes -- I can't wait to see how the Lord continues to train us.  :)  I love you Husband!

And, as requested, photos of the family Christmas tree!  :)  YAY!  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!  :)

What You've Missed...

1.  The Infamous CVS Mooning of 2010.  That's right.  My mother and I were mooned last week whilst waiting in line at the CVS Pharmacy.  It was completely unintentional, but; we were still mooned.  Fully.  There we sat, stowed away in the heated confines of Max (Momma's car), waiting for Sesame's Amoxicyllin to be filled, when we spotted two large human beings climbing a giant snow pile in the parking lot.  "Is that a guy?" Momma said.  "I thought it was a girl," I replied.  "I just don't know, Emily.  (she squints a little) It's hard to tell." "I know, maybe it's a guy with a pink Colts hat."  Then, it happened.  Large, androgynous human being number one, leapt atop the pile, promptly bent in half in an effort to not fall down, which lead to the "Infamous Mooning of 2010."  I'm not just talking a peeping crack here people, we're talking the whole Grand Canyon.  This, of course, sent my mother and I into fits of laughter (because what else can you do?!), which is the exact moment the Pharmacist chose to open the tiny glass doors and deliver our medication.  I'm fairly certain that she thought we were insane.  As we began to drive by my Momma whispers to me, "See if you can tell if they're guys or girls!" "Okay" I whispered back.  To this day I do not know why, A) We were both whispering or B) the gender of our mooners.  There are something in life you are just not meant to know.

2.  An exhausted, almost 2-year-old

That's right, opening presents, singing and eating has drained her so much, she has been falling asleep with books open right on her lap, in prime reading position.  Love this kid.

3.  A rendition of Frosty the Snowman by Sesame at least four times a day.  Her sassy version includes lyrics such as, but not limited to: "jolly soups" "pipe nose" and "down dare hat."  While I can justify the first two phrases, I have no idea where "down dare hat" came from in the real lyrics.

4.  Crazy Haired Husband dancing with Sesame.  This both warms my heart tremendously and scares me at the same time.  You see, when they play and dance around all crazy both of their hairs seem to grow at a rate that Chia pets would envy.  Seriously.  I feel as though at any point, their hair might outgrow the living room, sprout legs, and run around yapping like an overgrown Shitzu or Gremlin. Eek.  But, on the flip side, they love each other tremendously and are hopelessly adorable when they play together.

Baby Jesus

First off, it must be noted that my daughter and I may or may not be decimating a bag of Chili's tortilla chips and salsa for dinner.  Obviously, I am a great mother who always feeds her child a nutritious dinner.  (Please tell me you noted the sarcasm in that statement.)

Today my awesome-tacular Momma kept Sesame so I could have my hairs trimmed up.  My mop was beginning to look a lot like this:

While John Lennon can carry this crazy hairdo well, I do not think it becomes my feminine side.  Anywho, My Momma was keeping Sesame.  : )  We sat in her living room, consuming leftover chocolate cake with chocolate icing while Sesame played with the Willow Tree Nativity set on my parents coffee table.  "Now Sesame, do you know who that is?" I asked.  "Bay-be Jeee-sus."  "Yes," I said, "That's right!"  She carried on, talking to herself and mumbling.  Then she came across a Bible.  "Bye-boooowl."  she exclaimed to no one in particular.  THen our conversation went something like this:

"Yes, Sesame, that's God's true Word."
"Two Word." She mimicked.
 "Sesame, God's true Word says that Jesus came to the earth as a baby..."
 "Bay-Be Je-sus." "and then died on a cross..."  "Cross...criiiiiiii - ing."
"That's right, it was very sad, but not for long because Jesus took all our sins, died and rose again on Easter!"
  "YAY!  Happy!"
"That's right, happy.  And if you chose to ask Jesus into your heart someday, you will live forever with Him in Paradise, because He will forgive all your sins!"
She paused and said "Please?"

This is the point at which I began to shed a few tears.  My baby, my almost two-year-old Sesame, is already willing to ask Jesus into her heart.  Now, I know she's only two, and this is just her trained response to a question, but I can't help but rejoice in the thought that she didn't say, "No."  : )  I'm overwhelmed with joy at the thought of her inspecting the Bible, even though she can't read it.  I am ecstatic at the thought of her telling her 2 year old playmates about the "True Word" (thank you BSF) and Jesus.  How beautiful. That little snippet of time in my Momma's living room today is a glimpse into the joy that will beholden unto me when my daughter actually accepts the Lord (as I pray everyday!) someday.  My heart was overflowing today, what will the Lord do on that day when she chooses to recognize she is a child of His.  I cannot wait.  : )

'Not to us, Lord, not to us, but to Your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness." Psalm 115:1

Two. Almost. : )

It's hard to believe my Sesame will be two in one month.  My goodness how time flies.  : )  She's becoming more and more a real person these days.  She's so patient with me.  It's not often that one can describe a toddler as patient either!  : )  See the view from my computer chair (where I've resided quite a bit as of late) looks like this:

I have a little sidekick in the photo business.  : )  She generally just walks around talking to her dolls, playing with Homer and entertaining herself.  But then there are moments when she crawls under my chair and proclaims "Mommy, arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrre ooooooooooooooo???"  (translation: Mommy, where are you?)  Giggles promptly explode after that and I am pleased as can be to take a break from the computer screen.  : )  My girl is great.  : )

Foe Toes.

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

It's that time of year again. The time when snow is falling and Christmas trees are begging to be felled. Today was our family's 2nd annual Christmas tree hunt! :) Soooooooo fun! Sesame was old enough to play in the snow...and we ACTUALLY had snow this year! YAY!

Chillin' in the garage, pre-tree trip.

My co-hort in crime, Heidi. Note how awesomely cheese-tastic her smile is - as she casually holds a saw to her side. I heart her. : ) We've gone with their family for two years now and this is definitely a tradition we plan on sticking to! : )

Daddy and Sesame. She missed him. Can you tell??? : ) He spent a week in Italy for work and we are sooooooooooooo glad he's back!

Why are photographs of my child walking away from me so incredibly cute!?

Heidi's kiddos just ran by Sesame in this photo. She was ecstatic to be romping in the snow with other kids - even if they're 8 & 9. Kids are kids to her. : )

Lovingly titled: "DAD! There's snow in my boot. It's cold. Make it STOP!"

Dad's response: "Suck it up!"

My kind of parenting. : )

How gorgeous is this girl!?

I will title this: Man inspects tree.

Man cuts down tree. Wife holds tree. Tree falls.

She was trying to look up into the snow. Upon a brief eyeball snow dusting she, squinted and squealed "Soooo c-oh-duh!"

So much delight from snow in the eyes.

Ah to be a toddler.

Oh, wait. Here's where the "Tree falls." title goes.

Here's da Momma!

And Squirt.

: )

That's right.

Number two will soon be here to wreak havoc with number one.

Baby Squirt's ETA is June 16, 2011.

And we couldn't be happier! : )

Guest comment from Husband:

In advocacy of real Christmas Trees:
1) Yes, it's a Christmas Tree, not a Holiday Tree, even though we swiped it from some pagan religion. It's ours now.
2) "It's so messy and it gets needles everywhere" is a totally weak-sauce excuse to get an artificial tree.
3) Nothing replaces the awesomeness of tromping through the snow to pick out your own tree.
4) Real Christmas Trees are served up by Americans who aren't afraid to get their hands dirty, who love hot chocolate, and who can tolerate a bit of chilly weather. Artificial trees are yet another way of bowing to the Man.
5) Your house will smell pine-fresh for a month!
6) Fakery is for fakers.
7) Pre-lit artificial trees rob you of those memorable family moments when someone falls off a ladder or electrocutes themselves. (And yes, I'm serious. Those are memories that last a lifetime.)

I recognize that there are many who may choose to disagree with me on the above items. For those of you who are severely handicapped, over 70, or live some place where real trees are not available, I give you a pass, and say, "Merry Christmas."

For the rest of you, I highly encourage you to embrace a sap-covered, freshly-cut-but-dying tree and put it in the middle of your house. You'll be happy you did.

Kind regards,

-Husband-