We've had a great end to Advent and start to the Christmas season.  We ended Advent with our first real snow storm of the year, which was welcomed.  I think we were all hoping for at least a little snow so we could have a white Christmas.  We didn't get much, but enough to cover the grass and allow the kids out to play in the snow.

Augustin in from the snow with his rosy cheeks.

That night we, I should really say Brad and the boys, decorated sugar cookies.  Everyone had a great time, except a certain red head who despite Daddy's best efforts to get him involved spent the time crying over something...we still aren't sure what.  At one point he "exiled" himself to the back hall to sit on the time-out bench.  Here he is looking as miserable as he possibly could.

Brad and the other 4 boys decorated cookies and did a great job.

Parker and Matthias were in the Christmas pageant at the 4pm Mass on Christmas Eve.  I had great plans to get pictures of us as a family and of the kids all dressed up for Christmas, but my camera picked that day to stop working well.  I had just charged the battery two days before this and it decided to die then and there after a couple pictures.  So this is all I got.

After Mass we went to Brad's parents for a wonderful dinner and gift opening.  It was a great evening.  Christmas morning started with stocking opening.
 

Grant loved his 6 pack of root beer; the thought that was great.  Augustin loved his bubble bath and some candy.

Matthias got some foam soap...another hit around here

And Samuel got candy

Veronica got a stocking too, but she didn't really care about it.  After stockings and breakfast, she decided to snooze on the couch for awhile

Then she sat in the bouncy seat for awhile.  She had a very relaxing and laid back first Christmas

It was a very relaxing day with lots of time just enjoying the gifts we opened.

Grant got a hunting/butchering knife from my parents and loved it

Since my camera battery died on the 24th, I decided to have everyone dress again in their Christmas clothes and take pictures of them on Sunday before Mass.  I charged the battery and we headed to Mass.  As it would happen, I got a few pictures before....the battery died AGAIN.  I think it's time to get a new battery.

My oldest and youngest enjoying some time together before Mass

After Mass we headed back to Brad's parents to finish our family Christmas celebrations.  Again, there are almost no pictures because of the camera battery (which for the record is now taking pictures again without being charged since before the 26th...so I'm officially confused).  We had a great day hanging out, eating lots of good food and watching movies.  Samuel loved wearing the Despicable Me glasses.

Today is New Year's Eve.  The last day of 2010 and it's been a great year.  Lots of changes and wonderful happenings, a new baby and many, many great memories.  It's hard to believe that tomorrow is the start of another new year.  We have no big plans for tonight.  We're going to hang out at home, have a bon fire, play games, eat food and maybe stay up until midnight.

Merry Christmas! We are having a some what relaxing morning. The stockings have been opened and now the new nerd guns from Grandma and Grandpa are opened and the neff war has begun. Pictures to come later.

An important milestone has been reached today...I am officially the mother of a teenager. Grant turns 13 today.

This is the 2nd year we've worked on our gingerbread nativity.  Last year it was a project Grant and I tackled after having the kit for several years, but thinking it was way too complex to actually tackle, so I kept putting it off.  Finally, Grant persisted and offered to do most of it, so I relented and decided to try it.  I will admit, not having a new baby in the house helped with the motivation to actually attempt this seemingly daunting project.  I have to say, it wasn't as hard as I had anticipated and we had a great time.

So this year, Grant was reading the CLAA site and came to me, bursting with excitement, about a gingerbread house contest the school was having.  He and Parker decided then and there that they were going to make the gingerbread nativity and enter to win.  They wanted to start that day and were disappointed to find out that we needed to head to the store before beginning.  They had a great time.  I helped with the baking and assembly, but they did all of the decorating and placing of animals and people.  This is a fun project, but it takes about 3-4 people to get the thing assembled; those figures don't want to stay standing very well.

The entire crew, to include Veronica

The two bakers and vVeronica, who was fussy and wanted someone to hold her; Grant of course scooped her right up

The nativity

Close-ups of their work

Veronica is now just over 3 weeks old and we're all surviving.  Well, we're doing more than surviving, we're busy loving on our newest little blessing.  One so waited for, wanted, prayed for (for years now by her brothers) and one so loved.  Life without Veronica seems as if it never existed, I feel as if she's been here forever; I can hardly remember like before she came.  Yet, her newness is something I'm still cherishing.  I could stare at her all day.  I love that about babies...their ability to captivate you completely while doing nothing but sleep.  How they do this, I don't know and I'm sure I'll never figure it out.

Other than loving to stare at her and soak in all the expressions she makes, the thing I love best is watching her brothers fawn over her.  You would think we hadn't had a baby in the house for years and years the way they all want to hug her, kiss her, and dote on her.  Even Samuel, at barely 2 years old, wants to hug her all the time, share his blankets with her, kiss her head and say, "It's ok baby" when she's crying.  Matthias is always asking me if she's awake so he can rub her head and hopefully hold her.  Parker is relishing being old enough to carry her around.  He volunteers at least once a day to hold her for him; it doesn't last long at all, but he loves it for a few minutes.  Grant can be found carrying her around singing to her.  His current favorites are O Come O Come Emmanuel and Immaculate Mary.  Augustin loves to talk to her, but isn't really one to hold her.

As for her Daddy, well I think he's totally in love.  And who wouldn't be, she is perfect and beautiful and sweet and some how I think she's already got his heart.  He still isn't sure about all the pink and flowers and ruffles, but I think the Christmas dress that he told me before he saw her in it was a little over the top for a new baby, is now somehow perfect for her.  He just smiled when he saw her in it and then scooped her out of my arms to hold her before I changed her into something "less frilly".

And me, aside from wishing she's sleep between 3am and 6am, I think she is just amazing.  She is the tiniest baby we've had in our house for a long time.  She's small and dainty; there is nothing big about her.  Her skin is still that soft newborn skin and I just love and her hair is equally soft.  I'm waiting still waiting to see how she changes things around here as she gets older.

So while we are all busy fawning over our newest blessing, I admit we're not really as focused on Advent as I had hoped to be.  The Jesse Tree is slightly bare and I've been tempted to just put the ornaments on.  The Advent Calendar goes days without me remembering to have the kids add to it.  Our Jotham story is getting read by Grant during the day.  Cookies are getting baked thanks for my wonderful chef...Grant.  We are getting the tree today and I'm hoping it will inspire me to do more, but I'm being easy on myself this year and figure we're having the Advent God wants us to have.  While we aren't focused on Advent and feast days while I would like us to be, we also aren't focused on the presents and commercial parts of Christmas that usually try to sneak their way in.  So it's not all bad.  Christmas will be here in 9 days and I know it will be a wonderful season for us.

A friend sent me a brand new Christmas dress  for Veronica that is absolutely beautiful.  I tried it on her today and took a few pictures; she looked just adorable and I can't wait for Christmas now.

Even the head band fit.

I am always amazed at how quickly time goes by and there is nothing like a new baby to really show you how quickly time does in deed go by.  I sit here typing with my now two week old baby girl in my arms.  How did she get to be two weeks old already?  She is still the love of our lives and is so loved and doted over by her brothers, to include Samuel who tells her repeatedly that "It's ok" when I'm changing her diaper and she's crying.  He stands right next to the couch and rubs her head while she cries, trying to make her feel better.  I've never seen a baby hugged and kissed so much.

Veronica is such a wonderful baby, so calm and peaceful (most of the time).  She sleeps almost all the time and of course, loves to be held.  So I spend my days happily holding her whether she's awake or asleep.  I've had a lot of time to reflect on motherhood and oh how I wish I was the mother I am now thirteen years ago when Grant was born.  I would have done so many things differently.  I would have held him all day long rather than let get used to being put down. I would have let him sleep in bed with me if it meant we both slept more.  I would have taken time to just enjoy him.  Not that I didn't enjoy him, but there is something about time and other children that seems to put things into perspective for me.  I am so much more relaxed now than I was even 5.5 years ago when Matthias was born.

I don't think I will ever get tired of staring at a newborn.  I could really sit and just look at Veronica all day long.  There is something almost intoxicating about new babies, especially when they sleep.  Something that just compels me to stare at them, memorizing their face and expressions.  I love their soft skin and the little noises they make when they sleep.  Oh, how blessed I am to have been able to do this 6 times now.  So Veronica spends her days happily snuggled in my arms (or those of one of her loving brothers or Daddy), she snuggles in with me at night and both sleep for hours on end (normally about 5 hours the first stretch) and wake up refreshed in the morning.  This morning I woke up snuggled between Veronica on one side and Samuel on the other (we really do need a bigger bed).  Life doesn't really get much better than this.

I wish I would have known years ago that just going with baby's flow and their routine rather than trying to force baby into my day would have made for a more relaxed mom and meant ultimately more rest for me.  This has been the easiest transition for me. I feel great, which I think surprises a lot of people.  Life is getting back to normal and I don't really feel like anyone is being neglected.  Such a nice feeling since bringing home a baby can really turn life upside down.  Life is good and a new baby is such a blessing.

Hanging out with big brother Parker

Here are a couple pictures of my tiny little girl.  I am used to my boys who always seem to grow so quickly after birth and now I have my little tiny girl who is barely above her birth weight at 2 weeks.  She is a tiny 7 pounds 10 ounces (just one ounce above her birth weight), but she's doing well and is healthy.

Hard to believe that Veronica is already over a week old.  Time sure flies, even when sleep deprived.  She's a wonderful baby, sleeps almost all the time, eats every 2-3 hours.  She loves to be held...by Mommy almost exclusively and loves sleeping next to Mommy in bed, just like her brothers.  Here are a few pictures taken when she was a week old.