a very handmade christmas

well, not handmade by me: i'm not that crafty! the MOPS group i go to is having a craft exchange and i'm bringing little jars of vodka that i infused with cranberries and oranges, because i really don't know my way around a sewing machine or glue gun.

maybe someday i'll learn to create beautiful things, like these lovelies that i have on good authority will be waiting under the tree for miss dylan elizabeth. it turns out santa does his christmas shopping on etsy:)

tiny tutu + hair bow = so much frilly, girly cuteness!
a beautiful sling, so dylan can wear her babies, too

and this one isn't for sure, but it is just so cool. it's an "i spy" game--something dylan is pretty into right now. so we'll see...

is santa bringing your loved ones anything you're pretty excited about?

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas

proof in pictures that i have two kids...

dylan was at one point also wearing a santa skirt (a la Mean Girls), but when i put her in a disposable diaper, it no longer stayed up, so she rocked the ever-chic boots/leg warmers/diaper look for a bit around the house.

our tree is mostly decorated as of tonight, but it took three days. it is hard completing any task around here these days! dylan absolutely loves the tree and lights.

an exchange tonight between jim and dylan:

"santa's coming!"
"what's santa gonna bring, dylan?"
"food!"
"food? what kind of food?"
"broccoli!"

maybe he will...

happy!
sad:(

whenever either jim or i have both children in our arms or on our laps, dylan always says, "my kids!"

my kids, indeed:)

fairly traded goodies

looking to give a gift this season that gives back? ten thousand villages, a non-profit that sells gorgeous and fair trade hand-crafted items from all over the world, is offering free shipping for online orders through december 15. just type in the coupon code MOSAIC.

you can find a bunch of other fair trade companies and organizations listed here, too.

i just thought you might want to know:)

(find more gift giving ideas at we are THAT family.)

santa! i know him!

santa came to light up our town the day after thanksgiving. we'd never been before but quickly discovered that it was quite the local celebration. hundreds of people crowded the town square (or "diamond," as we call it) to watch a parade which culminated in santa's arrival at the town hall on a trolley, accompanied by miss ligonier's court. it was freezing, and dylan was a little overwhelmed, but all in all, it was quite the festive family outing.

a few more pictures from the weekend with my family who came in from philly and brooklyn:

i think we are out of the woods with the swine flu, praise God. thank you for all your prayers!

thankful

i thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes

(i who have died am alive again today,
and this is the sun's birthday; this is the birth
day of life and love and wings: and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)

how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any--lifted from the no
of all nothing--human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?

(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)

--e.e. cummings

possibly the most un-well-child visit, ever

i took dylan and james to the doctor yesterday for their two year and one month check-ups, respectively, and we left with a script for an ear infection for dylan and a lab order for blood work for james, who was running a fever.

some well-child exam, huh?

also, how did i miss that my baby was running such a high fever? i feel like an awesome mother.

i took both kids to the hospital for the blood work on james' tiny little baby arm, and it turns out he has H1N1.

my baby has swine flu.

if you are a praying person, would you lift him up? he's so little, and because of that, susceptible to complications. he's doing well so far, nursing and staying hydrated, and his fever is not so high, but he is just so little!

presumably, dylan is the one who exposed james, and we think jim might have had it this summer. i had a fever and flu symptoms last week but i think it was mastitis, not swine flu, so i could still get sick. and my family is coming for thanksgiving.

nothing like really creating a welcoming environment for guests, huh?

our decision to order thanksgiving dinner from a local restaurant is looking wiser and wiser. i know, not green at all, and not in keeping with my love for cooking, but at least we can hope dinner is being cooked far away from contagion.

and i can have both hands free to cuddle my sweet, sick boy.

arrowed!

i neglected to mention earlier that jim took two deer during archery season this fall: a doe and this nice eight point buck.

he's a regular legolas, if legolas shot deer instead of orc and traded his blond tresses for a camo balaclava...

notice dylan's complete lack of horror. our friend patrick got a deer first, and when it was hanging (i know) and i was out at a MOPS girls' night, jim took our toddler up to see it and let her pet it. all week, all she she she could talk about was "pet pat's deer! see pat's deer!"

oh, we country all right.