Christmas Chaos

The month of December came & went so  fast!  I will do my best with a recap:

The day after thanksgiving we went & got our first live Christmas tree. We had not a clue what we were doing but we ended up loving having the live tree versus our artificial one!

That Saturday we went to Becca's 4th birthday party. 

 

The following weekend I had my work Christmas party Friday night & Gary's birthday on Saturday. The three of us went to dinner & Lyla got them to sing!

 

 

The next weekend we did the Santa trolley in WashPa then lunch at Shortys. It was a really nice day. Lyla spent the night at grandma & pappys then Sunday the three of them and Em & G came up for lunch. 

The following weekend was the weekend before Christmas & Maria's annual fried dough party. Lyla had so much fun playing with Maria's niece and Gary & I had fun visiting everyone. 

On Christmas Eve the three of us stayed home and baked cookies all day and Lyla did her gingerbread house. Then in the evening we exchanged our presents to each other. 

 

On Christmas morning Lyla got up at her normal time of 4:30 which I was good with. I was afraid she would be excited & we would do Christmas at 3:00 in the morning!  Santa brought her the panda & singing Elsa she wanted so all was good!

 

Around noon we left to begin our travels. First stop was Bill & Patti's. Hendrick was asleep so he didn't get in on the yearly picture in front of the tree. :(

Then we went to my mom & dads with Em & Gerald. We exchanged gifts, had dinner, played games. Then me, Gary, Lyla and my mom went to Oglebay to see the lights.  It was fun!  

Friday morning we got up & went to Morgantown to meet Chris & Judy for lunch. The to Clarksburg to visit Gary's mom & Jason and his family. 

Saturday morning we went to Gary's Aunt & Uncles. It was such a treat, Gary's cousins were there with their husbands & kids. We have so much fun when we are all together (which is usually only at Christmas)!

We got home Saturday evening & spent Sunday trying to regroup for work on Monday!

Heard Around The House #30

All of us sitting in the kitchen Saturday morning. I just finished organizing & cleaning of the counter. 

Me:  Wow I feel sooo much better now!

Lyla:  Why?  Did you poop?

5 Things Friday - Charities

Tis the season for giving! 

If you are someone who is financially able and looking for a charity to give to this year, let me share with you the top 5 charities I believe in donating to:

1.  Alzheimer's Awareness/Cures

My Grandma died of Alzheimer's.  A guy I work with and adore lost the love of his life to Alzheimer's.  Its a horrible disease.  It terrifies me that there is a chance of my mom ending up with it.  There is a chance I will end up with it.  The movie The Notebook brought some awareness, but its really just one of those things people don't talk about and unless you have watched a family member die from it, you really don't understand the devastation. 

Seth Rogan (who I LOVE) heads a charity called Hilarity for Charity.  His mother-in-law has Alzheimer's.  He wrote a really good essay for Glamour Magazine you can read here:
Glamour Essay

And you can donate here:
www.hilarityforcharity.org

Or donate to the Alzheimer's Association here:
www.alz.org

2.  SIDS Prevention

I have written a lot about my friend Amanda losing her daughter Cassie.  It was such a horrific event that has forever changed my life.  Amanda works hard at educating other parents so that they never have to go through what her and Justin did.  Every year we participate in the Breath of Life Stroll by Cribs for Kids in Cassie's honor. 

You can donate directly to Cribs for Kids in Cassie's honor here:
www.cribsforkids.org/wings-for-cassie

3.  Remembrance Photography

The day that Em and Gerald lost Lexi none of us were thinking straight.  The hospital asked if they would be ok having someone come in and take photos of Lexi for Em and Gerald to have.  What a blessing.  These are photos that will be treasured always.  The organization Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep is amazing.  At no cost to the parent, they come in and take professional photographs.

You can donate to them here:
www.nowilaymedowntosleep.org

4.  St. Jude

I don't know anyone personally who has benefitted from St. Jude Children's Hospital but its always been an organization I believed in.  How awful would it be to have your child sick and not be able to get them the medical care that they need.  

Donate to St. Jude here:
www.stjude.org

5.  Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh

I wish I could say that I never spent any time at Children's, but I have.  I have had Lyla there, Cassie was there, Hendrick was there....  Its a place you hope you never need, but when you do need them you are so glad that they are there.  The staff at Children's is the best and the details of everything in that hospital is remarkable.  It is so kid friendly.  A sick kid is still a kid and things that are scary to adults are even more scary to them.  Children's has made it a safe place.  From the colorful hallways to the toys and iPads.  Donations here go a long way.

Donate to Children's Hospital here:
www.givetochildrens.org

Much to be Thankful For

Coming up on Thanksgiving I was thinking about all that’s happen in the last year.   I was feeling like there isn’t a ton to be thankful for.  But Thanksgiving came and we spent it surrounded by our family and I realized, we do have a lot to be thankful for, even when life doesn’t go as planned.  We have been through some rough patches, but we went through them together.  I’m thankful to not go through the down times alone.  I have a great family and I have really wonderful friends.  And this year, that is what I am thankful for.

Heard Around The House #29

I come into the living room last night and find Lyla sitting on the couch going through the paper.  I suppose she just wants to stay up to date on her current events…   ;) 

It was actually the Pittsburgh Holiday Guide, so there is a nice picture of the City of Pittsburgh in there.

Lyla:  Is that New York City????

Me:  No, that’s Pittsburgh, that’s where we live.

Lyla:  Where is my house?