Happy New Year!

Bring on 2009! ~Hope the new years greets you with health and happiness~!!!!!

Family Pictures

I can post this now that Christmas is over.

My mom had high hopes of getting a picture of all 5 of her grandchildren, together, in matching outfits. She asked me to take the pictures and wanted to give the pictures as gifts to my brothers and their wives for Christmas. She bought them all matching GAP outfits and everything. Nothing like a little pressure. It was a disaster. A five-year old, three-year old, 2 one-year olds, and a 11- month old. Not good. The older girls (Ally and Natalie) were great. Luke was a little model baby. But those one year olds Evan and Grace, OMG. I tried giving them candy canes, which I discovered turned their mouths red. Nice. Evan cried, Grace screamed. Candy cane everywhere, nobody looking at the camera, toddlers running away. Finally I told my parents they were going to have to hold them and be in the picture. And I got ONE good shot (with a little editing).

I like it even better with the two of them in it. All of this because of them. LOVE it....

Christmas 08

Wow, I can't believe it. All that decorating, planning, shopping, and stressing and it's all over in one day. One whirlwind of a day for us :).

It all started with a visit from Santa for Miss Grace. Santa brought her a baby bed and Elmo Live. We got her some play pots and pans, bath toys, and a book. She went to the baby bed first thing and you can see the look on her face. What a cheeseball. She really had no clue what was going on the whole day and was really just happiest seeing her favorite people in the world.

She got a ton of wonderful gifts from everyone. So much so that we spent the entire weekend cleaning out a space in our basement for a playroom for her. Finally room for her to spread out!!

After our family Christmas my in-laws came to our house for Christmas #2. This is a change from usual and let me tell you it was sooooo nice to have them come to us. It made me feel like a real grown up to entertain on Christmas morning. I made breakfast and everything! Grace got a Pottery Barn chair from grandma and papa. She loves climbing in and out of it.

Christmas #3 was at Adam's Aunt Paula and Uncle Jeff's house. This is also a change from usual and is actually a little closer for us from Jackson. The Dawson family is huge and is multiplying at a staggering rate! Adam's grandparents have 15 grandchildren (including 3 month old twins), 4 great grandchildren, and 3 more great grandchildren due in March, April and May of this year!!! I attempted to get a pic of the great grandchildren with no avail. The in-utero great grandchildren were much more accommodating.

We open the exchange gifts one at a time starting with the youngest. Grandpa Dawson has a hard time waiting through ALL those people for his turn. We caught him sneaking a peak....

All of Adam's cousins...

Christmas #4 was at my parents house. Scott and Adam showed up dressed exactly alike down to their Ugg slippers which we of course thought was hilarious. We had a wonderful dinner and enjoyed some wine, beer, and playing of the Wii.

And finally, Christmas #5 at the Tylutkis (Adam's other side of the family). Noah and Grace had fun playing and we tried to get them to sit still long enough to get a picture by telling Grace to give Noah a kiss. I'm sure they will thank us for that some day :)

All in all a wonderful day spent with family and the people we love most. What better gift could we ask for.

Merry Christmas

All our love: Adam, Jane, & Grace

Ba Ba Black Sheep

Look at the adorable Ba Ba Black Sheep hanging on our tree. Thanks to Nicole, Chrystal, Sarah, Courteney, and Renee for all the suggestions. Nicole B. sent me a link with directions on how to make one. I went to Joann's and got all the stuff but what I really was thinking it was that it would be a Christmas miracle if I actually had time to make the thing before Christmas. I showed Adam my plans and he says,

"I think my grandma makes those. I remember her making them when I was little. Let me call my mom."

A call to Ann, another call to Grandma Wilson, a day later and we have Grace's special ornament for this year. And the best part is that her Great Grandma made it for her.

Home Tour

I have been a blog slacker lately. That's the bad news. The good news is that I am caught up on my expense reports, emails, and call notes. All the presents are purchased and wrapped, and the Christmas cards are all addressed and sent. *Sigh* I feel almost ready for Christmas.

So what is new in the Dawson household? Well Grace stayed overnight with both sets of grandparents back-to-back this week! Thursday night when I had my work Christmas dinner and Friday night when Adam and I had a date night. I missed her so much but she had a lot fun. She was a crazy girl with Lexie and helped Grandma Ann bake cookies.

Yesterday was Boomer's birthday. I am so sad I forgot my camera but I am sure Nicki will post about it over here. Check this out to see the first time I met the big guy a year ago.

Other than that I wanted to share these pictures I took last weekend of our Christmas decorations. A little holiday home tour...



The only thing I collect is Willow Tree figurines. My in-laws have bought me the entire nativity scene over the last few years and I love it. Yup, that is a speaker from our surround sound behind the camel. You didn't know there was a big speaker next to the manger the night Jesus was born? Haha...

Look at these two little guys- Salt and pepper shakers. Whenever Grace sees a Santa she says "HO HO HO" in this really deep voice. Papa taught her that.
The decorated Christmas tree.

I probably have a full tote of stuff left over that I didn't put out this year. It is such a pain to get it all out and then put it all away. Ba-humbug right? I can only take it for about 3 weeks before I want my house back to normal. How long do your decorations stay up?

As for the Christmas plans, both Adam and I have to work up to and including Christmas Eve, then I have work off until Jan 5th. We are going to my Uncle Matt's house Christmas Eve for McIntosh Christmas. Christmas day starts out at home, then to the in-laws, then to Aunt Paula's for Dawson Christmas, my mom and dad's for dinner and presents, and finally the Tylutki's for the Wilson side. Can anyone beat me with more than five stops on Christmas? Craziness I tell ya. 'Tis the season....

'O Christmas Tree

We went to Glei's with my family this past weekend to pick up our Christmas tree. I remember last year Grace slept in her car seat the whole time so it was fun to have her be a little more of a part of it.

Boomer and Papa. Grace and him are really becoming good buds. She calls him "Bookie" and is sad when he is not at my mom and dad's when she is. They are also starting to get in trouble together. I have a feeling Grace is going to be the instigator and Luke the brawn. This kid is a tank!!!
We are standing in front of what can only be described as a "Christmas bush". It was the ugliest thing you have ever seen. My mom wasn't there and we briefly considered buying it and setting it up in her house just to see her flip out on my dad. Totally would have been worth the $26.

Grace considering the fact that there is a tree in her house and what that is all about. She helped decorate it and so far has been pretty good about not touching the ornaments. We decided no glass balls this year after she took two out of the box and banged them together sending glass shards everywhere.
Matt's new puppy Bo. He may look cute but is thinking about eating our tree..................I am looking for an ornament to give to Grace this year. I would love to find a black sheep because she loves the "Ba Ba Black Sheep" song and sings it all the time. If anyone finds one let me know. I want something that captures who she is right now and I know that memory will always make me smile.

What special ornament are you looking for this year?

Granny D's for Christmas Trees

We went to Granny D's with Adam's fam to look for Chritmas trees today. This place is so much fun! You ride a wagon out to find and cut down your own tree. They also have lots of animals and Santa.

Grace was not a big fan of Santa. She pretty much thought he was the devil in a red suit. Oh the torture....
Adam and I like Fraser Furs and the selection wasn't real good so we were Christmas tree snobs and decided to wait and get ours at Glei's either this week or next wekend. It was naptime for G and Santa was the scariest man ever so I am not sure she had a real good time but we did.

Success! The perfect tree was found!! I saw it first and pointed it out, thank you very much. I am an excellent Christmas Tree finder :)
We went back to Ann and Allan's and had some hot chocolate, watched a movie, and Grace and Alexis had a good ol time playing together for the afternoon. We even had homemade (noodles and all) chicken noodle soup for dinner. Perfect end to a perfect winter day.

Blogiversary

It's my blogiversary! Actually my blogiversary was yesterday, December 4th, but I was still kind of down and out after my surgery. ONE YEAR of blogging!! Check out my first ever post here (scroll down).


The surgery went well. I have two one inch incisions- one below my belly button and one below my sternum and a hole on my side. I did pretty well, only dry heaved once from the anesthesia. TMI, right!?! I feel much better today, I can move around a lot easier and even managed to design our Christmas cards and take a shower. Grace doesn't really understand what is wrong with mommy and that has been kind of hard. This is the first surgery I have had since being a mom and it is so much different! Moms aren't allowed to be sick- lol!! Luckily Nana and Papa took her the first night and have been a huge help. Adam has also been doing a lot.

Thank you so much for all the well wishes and thoughts and prayers. Hope to be back to my picture posting self soon!!

Wish Me Luck

I am having my gallbladder removed tomorrow. I have to be at the hospital at 5:15 am for a 7:15 am surgery time! Yikes. Send good vibes my way!

What a Weekend

We had a very busy holiday weekend. I took Wednesday off from work and Grace and I went over to my mom and dad's to hang out. Grace helped Nana make pumpkin pie and loved every minute of it. She stood on a chair and put her hands in the dough and flour and thought she was a big helper.

Thursday we went to Ann Arbor to Adam's Aunt Sally's house. We had a wonderful meal and the traditional walk around the neighborhood after dinner. We followed up the walk with pumpkin and chocolate pie. Yumo. It was very relaxing and we had a great time with family. On our way home we drove by Best Buy in Jackson and people were already lining up outside and camping out in RVs and stuff......at 8:30 at night!! What could possibly be worth THAT KIND of NUTS?!?

Friday my mom and I went shopping. We love going out the day after Thanksgiving and usually stumble upon some deals. We went to the bead shop in Jackson where I got 50% off one item and 15% off the rest of my items. I got some of the tools I needed to make what I learned in my silver fusing class at home. Then we headed up to Eastwood and I got this duvet cover that was on sale at Pottery Barn. It was surprisingly dead up there. Maybe the economy is taking its toll? If I actually had to stand in line or buy all my presents that day I don't think I would enjoy it as much. I just like watching all the crazies not being one of them. My mom also forced me to go to the doctor on black Friday. I have had this annoying cough/cold for about three weeks now. I got a chest x-ray and was diagnosed with bronchitis. Why do I always get freaking sick on holidays? I got an antibiotic and I am finally starting to feel better.

Friday night we went to Beckie and Travis's wedding reception. They got married at City Hall a few weeks ago and this was the celebration for all their family and friends. Got some great pictures and a little bit of a hangover. I will share the pics soon.

Saturday was Chass' baby shower. She is expecting a baby boy in March and she got a ton of good stuff at her shower. Saturday night we went to our 10 year high school reunion. On one hand I can't believe it has been 10 years and on the other hand it seems like a lifetime ago. Not too many people showed up but it was great to see those who did and to catch up. One thing we did laugh about is how we all read each other's blogs and how addicting it is. There wasn't a whole lot of catching up to do when you have loyal blog lurkers- lol!!

Sunday was spent relaxing at home and putting up Christmas decorations. I think we will go get our tree next weekend.

Hope you had a great holiday weekend too!! 3 weeks until Christmas!!!

Giving Thanks

I am THANKFUL for:

• being married to my best friend and the love of my life
• my crazy, beautiful, healthy, and wonderful little girl
• being a mom
• having my own little family
• the best parents in the world
• siblings and in-laws who I would hang out with even if we weren't related
• girlfriends who are like sisters
• those warm fuzzy things called Scottie Dogs
• a home all our own
• jobs we enjoy and pay our bills

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Penn State Visit

Time for a road trip. She was so good for the combined 14 hours in the car. She hardly slept at all but kept herself entertained and overall was pretty happy. The weather also cooperated and it wasn't too bad getting there. Thank God.

We figured out that Pennsylvania was the 6th State Grace has been to in her young life! MI, OH, NY, VA, NC, and now PA.

At the Penn State game. Unfortunately we watched our Spartans get killed. Oh well, it was fun to be there anyway.

We had a great time with Chass and Jeremy. Went out to dinner, watched some football, and got caught up. Definitely worth all that time in the car!!

Leave You With a Smile

What a cheeseball! Where does she get this attitude from? Okay, okay stop yelling "YOU" at me. There is nothing wrong with a girl with a little spunk :)

We are off to State College, PA today to visit Chass and Jeremy. This will be Grace's first road trip and the weather report is not looking good so wish us luck! It is supposed to be 7 hours but we shall see. Being stuck in a snow storm with a toddler would be a disater but we have been so looking forward to this trip that we are going to brave the elements. Chass got us tickets to the MSU vs Penn State game on Saturday and she and Jeremy are going to watch Grace while we go to the game. How nice is that! We are so excited to see them, their house, and just hang out and catch up.

15 Months

Grace had her 15 month doctors appointment last week . She weighs 22 lbs 10 oz and is 31 inches long! She continues to be in the 50th percentile for weight and height. She still hates Dr. Tim and all hell breaks loose when he comes near her with that stethoscope. The doctor went over all sorts of milestones with me but one question he asked was how many words she is saying. I had to think about this one and said, I don't know- 10-12? He said that was quite a few for her age and to expect that to dramatically increase at 18 months.

That got me to thinking about her words. She says uh-oh, mama, dada, dooley, nana, papa, more, all done, baby, night-night, eye, doodledoos, bye, and ball. And her newest one she said last night- pizza. Clear as day, lol. She also says baba for her sippy cup, Ally is Ayee, Luke is Bookie, and honk-honks are the geese.

What a chatty little girl we have! She has the funniest little attitude too. She will act like she is going to kiss you and then at the last minute shake her head no and laugh. She is also feeding herself using utensils and gets this big cheesy grin on her face because she is so proud of herself. She loves her babydolls and gets her purse over her arm and puts her baby in the shopping cart and tells us "bye!". She sings in the car and dances all the time. She loves to be chased and when you jump out and scare her- she squeals in delight. Adam calls her a diva- you never have to guess what she wants as our little diva makes sure all her demands are met!!

Its a National Holiday

It's like Christmas morning around here. Yup, that's right, opening day of gun season. Adam spent the night at his parents last night so they can all go out together and do whatever they do. They come back to Adam's grandparents house for a big breakfast, go back out, then back in for a big lunch. You get the point. I just think it it so funny. They are so excited about going out and sitting in the cold ass rain waiting to shoot something. Everybody needs a hobby, right? I am sure he doesn't get spending 6 hours scrapbooking either :) Or as he calls it, "scrapbook loser land". HAHA

I bought this organizer tote at Michael's this week and organized my scrap tote so that I could fit everything I need for a crop in it. It works so much better! Today I have a bead class at 3 where I am making this and then tonight we are going over to Stephanie and Drew's for dinner and game night! Fun times!!

Have a great weekend!

TFT: Thanksgiving- The Forgotten Holiday

I was at the mall this past weekend and I couldn't help but notice something that really bothered me.

It seems we have forgotten Thanksgiving.

Halloween is bigger than ever. It seems the celebration goes on for weeks. September hits and people are decorating for fall and Halloween, stocking up on candy. As soon as Halloween night is over, out come the Christmas decorations. Maybe it's because you can't really sell Thanksgiving. There are no costumes, candy, or gifts. There is just turkey and a day off from work.

So what was the first Thanksgiving all about anyway? Why should this day be celebrated? The Pilgrims came here to escape the dictatorial church of England and to practice their religious beliefs without persecution. The first Thanksgiving was held because they wanted to thank God that they didn’t all die that first winter. It's all about gratitude and giving thanks.

How could we possibly forget a holiday that reminds us of giving thanks for the blessings in our life? Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I take stock of all I have been blessed with and am fortunate enough to be surrounded by those blessings on that day. I love being with my family and enjoying a home cooked meal. It is a very simple, pure holiday and I think that is why I love it so much.

So what is your favorite holiday? What do you love most about Thanksgiving?

She's Very Busy

Nothing particularly entertaining about this video but I thought it was cute and I haven't posted a video of the munchkin in a while. I was trying to get her to dance, she usually puts her hands up and waves them around but of course wouldn't do it on video. She's got places to go, cupboards to get into, sippy cups to drink...

This was this morning, when it is still pitch dark. No wonder I have trouble getting out of bed :)

Amazon is the Coolest

I read on Jenny's blog about Amazon's new frustration free packaging. As you all know I created a Christmas list for Grace and myself on Amazon this year. Here is something else that is new and cool at Amazon: The Universal Wishlist. You can add gifts from ANY STORE to your wishlist. Don't carry it at Amazon? Cheaper somewhere else? No problem. Just download this little button and off the the wide world of web shopping you go!! Everything you want in ONE place.

Productivity Is My Middle Name

HA! Yeah right. More like procrastination but I digress. You won't believe it but I actually (gasp) Christmas shopped this weekend. I bought presents for 8 of the 22 people on my list. Pretty dang good! We have a crazy-busy November coming up and I am having gallbladder surgery on the 3rd of December so I figured I better get a head start. I hate waiting until the last minute. I went to Twelve Oaks Mall in Novi and got some of the tougher people on my list taken care of. My goal is to have it all done by mid December so I can relax and enjoy the holiday season.

I also went over to Nicole's for another scrap night. I finished Grace's monthly collage pages and got one other page done. I spend more time talking, laughing, and eating than actually getting pages done. Now I just need to get some pictures printed out so I am prepared for next time. This is such a great group of girls and we always have fun.

Today we went out for breakfast, a Target run, and enjoyed just being home. Well some of us did. Adam feels the need to go out and freeze his you know what off in the hunt of "the big buck". I signed myself up for Dream Dinners, put together a Christmas list for Grace, and got some laundry done. I feel *almost* ready for week.

Brushin Brusher My Teeth

Grace LOVES to brush her teeth. She sees our toothbrushes and begs to have them and is always taking them out of the bathroom drawer and walking around brushing her teeth . She has her own baby toothbrush but that one just will not do. Mommy and daddy's are WAY better.

Potter Park Zoo

We took Grace to Potter Park Zoo last weekend. I know she is a little young for the zoo but I thought we could take advantage of the winter hours that started Nov 1st and get FREE admission. The weather cooperated for the most part and Grace really enjoyed the animals. It was nice because we could just do what we wanted without having to fight crowds or feel like we had to stay a certain amount of time because we paid for it. Might have to start a tradition of going in the fall!

I get this look ALL THE TIME. By the way, I cut her hair. What do you think?

Oh, there is the happy baby.
In the reptile and bird house. We are standing in front of the spider monkeys (yeah, not sure why they were in the reptile and bird house). She really liked the turtles.
This guy could use a visit to the dentist. Yikes.

Nope, not gonna sit still for a picture. Places to go, animals to see.