Christmas Day

Click here for the making of a train set. I guess this is what daddy has to look forward to: years of head-scratching and puzzle solving on Christmas morning as I try to turn parts into a whole.

3 Days Early

This year, Christmas came on December 22 in our household (I know... I know... and you're thinking, "must they do everything unorthodox?"). No, we didn't just do it because we could (i.e., since neither of our kids can read a calendar yet and they wouldn't know the difference). Instead, we were just making the best of a frustrating situation that involved blown surprises and idiot retailers (thanks, yet again, Amazon, for sending boxes with the name of the content plastered on the front). Anyway, it was a small celebration, with just a single present exchanged per person. And a nice prelude to the festivities that will take place in about another hour and a half, once the kiddies wake up this morning.

In any event, Merry Christmas to all. And a most prosperous new year.












PS... notice V sporting her new pendant from our wedding anniversary 4 days ago. 5 years in the making. Happy Anniversary!

Jazzy Stones IX

It's official. We have finally done away with what is quite possibly the most awkward invention ever created: the infant car seat. Yep. No more infant seat for Jasmine Olivia. She has officially traded it in for toddler seats and restaurant high chairs. And with that, little miss muffet is just beside herself with the fact that she now has the same car seat as her brother (albeit still rear facing for now). And so marks the end of an era... and the beginning of some wholesale listings on eBay and Craigslist as we say goodbye to a host of baby items like the bumbo, infant seats, swing, etc... along with a few things that we should've gotten rid of a long time ago, like the baby bathtub. Even though (I think) I've come to terms with the fact that we're stopping at 2 kids (at least sans adoption), I've gotta say that selling all of the baby stuff is still going to be difficult for me. It's just so... final. On one hand, the sense of "this is it!" might be a little too potent for me to handle... but on the other hand... being just 10 days away from turning 35, I simply have to ask myself 3 questions:

1 Do you want to be the old parent at high school graduation?
2 Have you seen your bank account lately?
3 Remember Jasmine 4 months ago?

... and suddenly stopping at 2 makes all the sense in the world. Not to mention that, with these two wonderful kids, who could ask for anything more. Life is good.