Christmas Re-Cap!

Christmas has come and gone. Now everything seems so blah! Nothing really exciting to look forward to except for a new year, and I find it particularly hard to believe that it will be 2008 already. Seems like just yesterday we were all eagerly anticipating the arrival of the new Millennium, but that's been 7 years now!

We had a wonderful and blessed Christmas once again! God is so good! He's blessed me with such wonderful loving parents, and my parents always give and provide me with so much more than I ever deserve! I love going home to see them... and not just at the Holidays. One of the things I love about them most is that they treat my husband the very same way... as one of their own children! Anyway, it's always good to go home. It's a shame to think that not everyone has that opportunity. Such a blessing!

Christmas Eve service at church was nice. Another reason I enjoy going home is to go to church. We go to church here where we live too, but it's just not the same as back home where my dad happens to be the pastor! Call me a tad bit partial, but I would rather attend my dad's church services and listen to his sermons over anywhere else! So we went to church and then came home and had pizza and listened to some Christmas music before settling down.

Here's a few pictures from Christmas Eve before going to church. This is of myself, my gram and my mom...

and one of just gram and I ...

and then one of me and my guy.

Here's the pretty glow of the Christmas tree lights. I just love this part of Christmas... always magical!

Then on Christmas day we woke up and got ready for Santa! Actually, we waited for my brother and his family to arrive. They all showed up around noon or so and then by 1:00 we were eating lunch... Mmmm, turkey and prime rib with everything else! My favorites are always the stuffing and my gram's Cranberry sauce (no one can make it like she does)!

We finally started opening gifts after all the lunch dishes were cleared away. I must say that Santa was particularly generous this year, but then again, isn't he every year?! I think so!

My parents got us some really useful things that we've been wanting to get like a fire-proof security lock box and a Mag-Lite. I also got a watch with interchangable straps and lotions from Ulta, and Mugi got some new cologne and socks and such, and they gave us money to use for what we 'd like or need to, which is always much appreciated. But my personal Santa (hubby) really went overboard in the spoiling department this year! Totally! He got me a new cell phone (because my other died right before Christmas), some Givenchy Organza perfume, a white gold/amethyst/diamond necklace and earring set, AND the #1 present... my 55-200mm lens for my Nikon D40!

I was so surprised by everything! I wanted this new lens bad, but I didn't ask for it or anything else because we just got our new laptop in October and I told him not to get me anything. I feel bad cause all he got from me was a watch and one of those great big remote controls.

So, it was a great day! Later at night then, my SIL and niece and I all went to the movies. We went to see "P.S I Love You" with Hillary Swank. Ohhhh it was such a great movie! If you haven't gone to see it yet, I really recommend you do because it's one of the best movies I've watched in months. Such a "feel good" movie with a message that just makes you appreciate life and what it has to offer! I'm so glad that the hubby wasn't along though because he would've surely laughed at all the tears I shed. If you go be sure to take extra tissues, because you'll need them.

Ohhh, before I forget, the day after we went out to hit some of the after Christmas sales. Got some pretty good deals too, but the thing I was so happy about is that I was able to find the item I wanted the most... a 4 ft. "WHITE" Christmas tree for my babies' ornaments next year! I didn't think I'd find it this year on clearance but I did. I got the next to the last one at Wal-Mart for 50% off! Made my day as well as my Christmas complete! :)

~Special Ornaments~

We've started collecting ornaments this year for our first baby and Ava Noel, and we will continue to do so each and every year in their memory! Eventually... maybe next year, I plan to have a tree dedicated to the babies ornaments, and I'm sure at first it'll be a "baby-sized" tree. I'm actually on the look out for a smaller artificial "white" tree! Anybody seen any?

That first ornament shown in the picture above is one that Mugi and I found last night while doing our run for the last round of Christmas gifts. It was in one of those lil' seasonal kiosks in the middle of the mall with just ornaments. I think we both glanced at it at the same time and we knew it was a must have to commemorate Ava's first Christmas in Heaven. It's actually the 2nd Christmas if you go by the fact she was born premature in October (06), rather than on her estimated due date in January (07), but I still consider this to be the first Christmas. I just think this is so darling and it makes me smile to look at it.

And here's a sweet Snowbabies stocking ...

My parents have collected Snowbabies for my niece since she was 3, so I had to get one of these for my girlie too!

I still can't believe that this is all we get. This is what celebrating Christmas with our babes amounts to. All we have are ornaments to gaze. I'm glad that we can buy these precious momentos, yet I'm sad and I'm mad because that's all it'll EVER be. I'm dealing better with my emotions this year, and I suppose it will get easier as the years go forward, but I don't know... I'm so "homesick" for my babies. I hope God hugs them extra tightly this year and showers them with these tears from earth as heavenly kisses!

Here's a picture with two more very special ornaments ...

The first porcelain angel was made by a wonderful lady who goes to our church, and she gave it to us last Christmas along with a glass "NOEL" candle votive. I was sooo touched by this woman's thoughtfulness! The second pewter one, "Merry Christmas From Heaven", I found locally at a country/primitive gift shop a few weeks ago. Tears welled up as I read this and the beautiful poem which accompanied this in the box. I'd like to add the poem here, but since it is copyrighted and I don't have permission from the author himself, I'll direct you to the site and you can read the poem there at - http://www.merrychristmasfromheaven.com/ -


If there is ONE lesson or good thing to be gained from losing my babies, it is that I am no longer afraid or scared of dying... ever! I know that I have my angels looking over me, and that whenever I am called to my eternal home, I have so much more to look forward to! This poem reminds me of that and now with this ornament, I will be reminded every year.

Merry Christmas to our two dear lil' ones, Baby Amu and Ava Noel!

We love you and miss you so much!

It Was Just A Whim!

Sometimes things just happen on the spur of the moment... like yesterday.



Do I look different? Last night while we were out doing some Christmas shopping I got an urge! We walked into Ulta and 45 minutes later, I came outta there minus 15+ inches of my hair! I do this every now and then. It's been about 5 or 6 years now since my last major, drastic cut, but once I finally get fed up sick and tired of tripping all over my stray hairs in the carpeting and clogging up the drains! Since getting it all hacked off, I must say I feel rather free and slightly light headed, lol! It really does feel good though, and I just may keep it this way for awhile now. Change is good!

I decided to keep my tail and I'm going to donate it to the Cancer Society's "Locks of Love". I'm sure some lil' girl out there could use my hair! Here's some other pictures that Mugi took of me today. He prefers longer hair on me, but last night in the check -out line in at Target, he said that he thinks I look really cute with my new cut! ;)

So anyway, the shopping part of Christmas preparations is almost complete... hooray! Just a few more odds and ends to tie up and then of course I need to wrap or bag it all. So glad, because that's the worst part of it all usually (the shopping), trying to figure out what everyone would like, want or need. I have a few more cards yet to finish up and send out too. Sure hope everyone else is out there getting what needs to be done out of the way, and finding a lil' time to relax and enjoy. Not too much longer... yikes... 12 days!

Disappointment and Decorations!

Where is the month going... already the 9th? Sheeesh!

This has been a down right shitty week for the most part. Well, Tues. and Wed. were pretty fun, so it wasn't all crap. Mugi had 2 days off in a row so we were able to escape for a little breather of a road trip for once. Friends of ours are now bar owners and they run a quaint lil' business in the Meadville area. They've been running their pub for almost 2 years now and we haven't been there to check it out yet, so finally we tredged through the snow, (of all times) to do so. Very nice place. Very reminiscent of, "Cheers"... ya know, where everyone knows your name! Of course I didn't take my camera along, and it would've been so nice to get some pix while it was decked out for the holidays. But we did get to eat some of their fabulous Barbeque Bourbon chicken wings... out of this world yummo! Sooo, we were at a bar, and did I have anything to drink? Wellll, "NO"! Why?..do you ask. Okay. Yes... I will confess [ We - are- trying - to -have - a -baby ]. I am letting the world know that we are finally to the point where we feel it is right to begin again. The slate is clean and we are ready to begin anew! But, onto more of all that later.

After having a good time with our friends at their establishment, we headed back to our hotel room for the night. On Wed. we checked out and had some lunch before heading back. On the way we were passing through Butler so we made a stop at one of my all time favorite PA scrapbook stores, The Scrapbook Super Station! Ohhh lord, I spent 2 hours in that place while Mugi took a lil' siesta in the car. They had soooo much there for me to touch and want... but I was a good girl and only spent a little over $30. I finally got some of the very chic {Note} Worthy that everyone's been using and I'd been admiring. We then stopped in Altoona at my parents and got to see the place decorated... I love going home to see all the decorations this time of year! My dad is such the decorator and he always has the place looking so perfect. We then had dinner with them at Cracker Barrel before heading the rest of the way home to our place.

Anyway, you all are probably wondering about the shitty part. The shitty part is that we were really hoping that this would be the month we would get positive news about a baby in our future and that we would be sharing that news with the rest of our family on Christmas Day, but now it has been confirmed that this will NOT be the month or the time. I'm sad about it... I've cried for 2 days. I've been trying to not let this frustrate me because that won't be good for my well-being, but after everything that has happened in our past, it's hard not to be uptight and worried. I just need to focus my thoughts on God that he knows what he is doing and that he will lead us faithfully down this next path. With all that said now, it's onto putting our energy into what lies ahead for us in 2008. I pray with all my heart that this is a wonderful year full of promise!

Thought I'd share a few photos here of some of my favorite Christmas decorations. I did take a very simplistic approach this year and didn't get out everything. Kinda thinking that less is more for once!

This is our very primitive looking pottery style nativity. It was a gift from my parents for our First Wedding Anniversary back in 2001. I love it!

Some of the other decorations I've been surrounding ourselves with this year deal with the "Noel" theme. Noel is Ava's middle name, so seeing Noel appear everywhere around us makes us feel as though she's a part of our holidays and that she's celebrating right along with us. It's now my favorite part of the details of Christmas!

Merry "Noel" to everyone!