Mom for the Weekend

In spite of the chaos reigning in our house right now (boxes, boxes, boxes as we shuffle things around), Mom came out to visit for the weekend.  Such fun!  We shopped, ate out, went to Jason's hockey game, and sat in the living room with chocolate croissants while it snowed.  A very nice way to spend the weekend.

Mom and I also ventured out to BabiesRUs, a daunting outing but made much better by her company!  It is strange to think that the next time she comes to our house, we will be three instead of two!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

In case our hints have been more subtle than we intended, we want you to be the first to know--we are having a BOY in May!  Casey is convinced that this means that he will only have girls.  When he does, his sisters will shower those girls in dresses and bows.

It turns out, though, that boy clothes are pretty cute, too--I mean, after five nephews I know this, but look how darling this outfit is that Jenny and Chad got our boy!  And Grandma Small has already started sending cute things.  He came away with loads of stuff at Christmas.  Not only did Shaanti and Adam give him another adorable outfit AND he now has a BSU onesie and competing U of I bib (thanks, Auntie Kim and Uncle Casey!), but we also filled a duffel bag with hand-me-down clothes from the Bucher boys.  I tell you what, this kid is going to love going to visit his cousins.

Breakfast for Dinner

In spite of the fact that the I'm-in-control January menu suggest that I was going to have this tonight for dinner, since about 2 pm today, nothing has sounded better than waffles.  Jason (sadly) is not really a fan of breakfast for dinner--it's an, indication of grocery desperation in our house--but he's in Germany this week, so I got home and ate two whole waffles, complete with melted blackberries and a side of eggs with leftover salmon.  Soooo good.

Turns out waffles are a popular idea tonight.  I was talking to my mom on the way home from a haircut, and my sisters and their families were all over for dinner so that they could have waffles.  With blackberries.  So even 3,000 miles away, we all sat down to breakfast for dinner.  I wonder what Kim and Casey ate?

It makes me happy and a little sad to think about.  After ten years, I've gotten used to living here--and the past few years have been infinitely better than the previous several.  I would actually miss the DC area if I left at this point, and I know that we are blooming where God has planted us.  Still.  Home with family and waffles still sounds as nice as it did to a most homesick me ten or so years ago.

2012 has been a very to-do-list oriented year so far, and on every weekend list the word "blog!!!" has appeared...and subsequently been the only unfinished task by Sunday night.  It is ridiculously unacceptable that, according to this blog, the first day of the year is January 18, Christmas did not happen, and no one knows what type of baby we are having.  I will do my best to catch up over the next week or so, but FOR THE LOVE. 

For now, it's another picture-less entry about waffles.  And flannel sheets, which are on the bed because Jason (who rates flannel sheets lower than breakfast for dinner) is gone.  And Five Mile Creek, which I have been watching every night because Jason is gone.  And oh, I'm looking forward to him coming home tomorrow...

New Years Party

So, in spite of my end-of-year hesitations, we had a slam dunk of a New Years party to ring in 2012.  Not so much a party as a low-key impromptu end-of-year get together, I guess.  Not only was everyone willing to come with less than 24 hours notice, but they brought food and put their babies to bed at our place.  The house was bursting with pack n' plays, and we laughed wondering where we would put the ADDITIONAL three babies next year!

Happy 2012!