Saturday, December 18, 2010

Balancing act

I went out with some friends last night to celebrate a milestone. One of my best friends had a baby recently and she was saying how hard it is to be away from her during work. Long days and short evenings mean very little time spent with her precious baby and the weekends are so treasured because it's un-interrupted time to soak in every minute. But there's friends. Good, lovely people that have been there long before the times of husbands and babies and mortgages. People that remember your bad apartments and terrible judgements. People who have stood by you, sometimes holding your hand and sometimes cheering you on. These people are treasures to hold on to. But finding the balance can be difficult. Long lasting friendships don't happen by accident. They require nurturing, and effort. And so do your families. Time spent away from them is painful and the moments are heavy with guilt. So you spend every moment you can with your child, being a great parent but, then you start to remember your friends. You wonder when the last time you spoke to them was. You wonder what's happening in their lives, and how is it that these people that you once spoke to at least once a day are drifting away. People who at one time were so close that you didn't even need to speak in complete sentences to be understood. People you swore you would always be close with. I have three girls that I consider to be my "best" friends. All of my friends are special to me but these girls are my heart. They are three beautiful, strong women that I admire greatly and truly feel blessed to know. I wish I could find a better balance so that I don't always feel like I'm missing out in my personal relationships.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Christmas memories in the making

I possibly went a little overboard decorating this year. Kaden is so excited for Christmas that it's hard not to get caught up. Our neighbors have one of those spiral Christmas tree's that light up and Kaden looks at it a every night when they turn it on. I'm glad they have one, I'm not much for outdoor decoration's besides a wreath and maybe some lights. 
our tree
As we were decorating our tree (with decorations that my mom sends us every year) I couldn't help noticing that we already had created some of our own memories. 
ornaments from my mommers

We started with this ornament. There's a place in the mall where  you can pick an ornament and have it personalized.
Last year Kaden picked an Elmo. We're hoping they have a Spiderman ornament this year. I know we had one made in 2008 and I can't seem to find it, but I haven't gone through everything yet.


Kaden and his cousin Addison last year.

reindeer candle holder!
Kaden. Geeked beyond words that we have a Christmas tree.
This is Sophie. Eating the tree. I'm completely serious. She was biting the needles from the branches and she's been hiding ever since this was taken, probably with a nasty stomach ache. I'm sure Jeff (the cat poop cleaner upper, thankyoujeffie!) will find a nasty surprise later.
Kaden just loves to play and rearrange the Nativity.
I just love the way the bough's smell so I decided to spread them through the house.
Now I am off to make some Christmas cookies! Can't start too early when you have a Kaden in the house.