Picture Pages, Picture Pages

I didn't take quite as many pictures as last year, getting Elijah to sit still for a good one is hard work! Still here's the holiday pictorial.
Eli putting out food for the reindeer, he won't remember doing it but this picture will stand as proof.

I ordered a lovely ornament on Etsy to commemorate the wedding.

See how cute! And the very next day I broke it. I've already ordered another one from the seller and I'm not even opening it when it gets here!

Jason and I have decided that Christmas Eve dinner will always be Chinese food. And the night before Thanksgiving is for pizza.

Jason was cleaning up the dining room and he called me out to show me that he'd wrapped the ribbon around the tree. He was very impressed with himself in an adorable manner.

Presents!! From far away you can't tell what an awful wrapper I am.

"What's this? New book...oh I like this book mama, let's read it every five minutes!"

Big truck from his Grand's in Florida, he's very enamored of it. Jason is not because it's incredibly noisy. And it has hydraulics. And lights up.

Do you know what's inside that package he's flourishing? It's a recorder (maybe you know it as a flute-o-phone) grandma Ros thinks she's soooo very funny. Thankfully he doesn't know how to blow it. But I do and I also know how to call grandma Ros on the phone and blow the damned thing into her ear.

Hot wheels!

My mom with the creepy doll she bought for Providence. It makes Chewbacca noises. And it scares me.

The hubby wearing clothes from me that actually fit him. I'm of the opinion that he looks rather handsome.

Eli & Dencey playing with the Mega-Block wagon from Aunt Amy and Uncle Josh, it may be his very favorite gift. Besides Where the Wild Things Are of course.

Watching Muppet's with Uncle Marty! He surprised me on Christmas Day which was a very lovely present.

A demonstration of just how hard it is to get him to hold still for a picture. Look at that awesome little flannel shirt that his Auntie Jen got him, who knew anyone could look that good in plaid?

With his football from Aunt Michelle.

When the box arrived two days after Christmas Eli knew just what to do. He's now a presents expert.

My new tattoo!! I love it and am already considering getting more.

The quote is the first stanza of an Emily Dickinson poem, the first line was the header of my old xanga blog that I had in Vegas. That blog was a good bit racier than this one as I was sans kiddo and kept all names but my own on the DL.

So Christmas is over till next year and all that's left is the dismantling of the tree. Which I will surely get around to. Eventually.

Good Old Dorky Fun

It is very very cold right now. Like so cold that I've forsaken walking to and from work. But, not to worry, it's supposed to be 50 degrees on Christmas. I'm a little bummed out by this because we got Eli this sled http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=534254&parentCategoryId=100180&categoryId=100181&subCategoryId=100185 and I had visions of pulling him around the back yard Christmas day and taking adorable photos that we would enjoy for years to come! Surely we'll have snow at some point, maybe on his birthday which is coming up way to fast. It's hard to believe I'm six weeks awake from my baby boy being two.
He is looking a lot like a big kid nowadays. He may even get his first haircut before long. Don't hold me to it though, I'll probably chicken out before then!



On Saturday morning I had my annual gift exchange with Jen and Adrienne and I made out like a bandit, as the saying goes. Jen got me four additional pairs of ballet flats and I'm now trying to figure out how many pairs I actually have. I suspect there will be a head count and a photo shoot in the near future.



Thanks to the Twilight fever that has swept our lives there were very dorky gifts to make us laugh. I got them these buttons: http://ny-image0.etsy.com/il_fullxfull.46605648.jpg (I also ordered a different set for my friend Sarah) and Adrienne got Jen and I the ridiculously hilarious unauthorized Robert Pattinson Bio
I think it'd actually be impossible for us to get dorkier. Except that night at the Christmas party we had a Dirty Dancing Trivia Challenge throw down where I showed my ability to quote entire paragraphs of dialog and won this shirt:

I look forward to proudly wearing it for years to come!

Christmas is fast approaching and I'm getting very very excited. My shopping is finished (WOOT WOOT) and I have my holiday menu planned: Coca-Cola glazed ham, stuffing muffins (so good you could die), garlic mashed potatoes, corn souffle, roasted asparagus and cranberry sauce. Also thanks to a cookbook I received from a co-worker I'm going to start eggs and beets to pickling after work today; I have a deep and abiding love for all things pickled but especially eggs. Planning this holiday meal has me already thinking about Easter and toying with the idea of only making foods that have alcohol in the recipe. Googling will ensue shortly and we'll see how many recipes I can scrounge up.

I stole this from Postsecret because it's everything good about Christmas. May everyone be generous and cheerful and sweet to their family members.

And Merry Christmas if I don't blog again this week. Chances are I won't since tomorrow's my last day at work til the next Tuesday.

I can't help it...

I love taking care of things. Which is why we're getting a puppy. Tomorrow. No disapproval please, I got Jason's permission and that's what counts. The newest member of our rapidly growing Dukes/Witcher clan is a 4 month old dachshund boy. I have yet to see him, but I'm sure it'll be love. My fondest hopes are that he will potty train easy and become best friends with the Lady Adelaide. Pictures to be posted soon of course.
-Eli's first Christmas was awesome, he got a million and one very fun and cute toys. I made a big dinner and didn't screw up anything (yay me!), nor did I ruin the lasagna when my dad came to dinner New Year's Eve. So I'm two for two people.
-Speaking of New Year's Eve I was asleep by a quarter after eleven. I know, I know I suck. I was just so very very tired. Jason woke me up at midnight to kiss me and let me know it was 2008. I celebrated that for 23 seconds and then went right back to sleep. Which was probably for the best since Eli got up bright and early as per usual.
-I had 12 blissful days off work, and my house was a lot more organized at the end of it, though I still have a laundry issue. I hate putting it away. Must work on it.
-No actual resolutions were made this year. I am however going to start trying to eat healthier. The "plan" is to make a healthy dinner that Eli and I can share every night. The leftovers will be put away for my lunch at work the next day and for Jason's lunch at home. This will be healthier and save money! Two birds--One stone.
-The weather here is in the low seventies!!! It's kind of a day only thing and we're going to the park. Adelaide's last walk as the only dog.

Eli ripping into his little piano Christmas morning, he did a pretty good job of getting the wrapping paper off. He's wearing his sock monkey pjs from Aunt Suz in which he looked dashing.
Very mad that we put him in his outfit from Aunt Adrienne. Still pretty darn cute.
Happy boy! I love pictures where he's crawling at the camera smiling, looking like he's up to something. He usually is up to something, the boy is quite the handful.
Walking behind the push toy Grandma got him. He loves that thing, he learned how to turn it and he just walks around and around the living room grinning and determined. Anything in his path gets run right over.
Oh, Jason proposed Christmas Eve! That's right we're making it legal. The plans are for a March '09 wedding. I'm already online planning.

-The great move is over and we're all settled in (well for the most part). Jason and I love love love the new house and exclaim over the most mundane things "Babe the fridge is keeping the milk cold!" or "I'm going to do a load of laundry...in our house!!". We're pretty much overcome with joy. Baby, dog and cat seem to be enjoying the added space as well. I let Adelaide frolic in the snow unleashed and it was the happiest I've ever seen her. And when my dog's happy, I'm happy.
-I'm doing OK with the Christmas shopping, though I still have more than I'd like that has to get done, and the mail is being slower than I'd like. I completely cancelled my k-mart layaway because they vexed me. But it means Eli's getting the bounce and spin zebra that I wanted initially so it's actually a blessing. Can't wait to give it to him.
-My friend Adrienne lent me her Heroes season 1 DVD set and now Jason's hooked too, I knew he would be. When we first got together we used to have long conversations about what super power we'd like to have. We're dorks, I know.
-Eli's so grown up! It breaks my heart. He looks like a toddler and half the time when I pick him up he's squirming to be let down. Why couldn't he just stay a baby for a little longer?

Here's the little guy at the new house trying to figure out the gate that separates the living room from the dining room. I need about 4 more gates.
We took the little guy to see Santa he was apprehensive. At least he isn't wailing, that would have made for a memorable photo.
The futon mattress was laying on the living room floor and daddy and Eli took advantage of that for nap time.
He decided to help me unpack. Doesn't he look grown up?
In the laundry basket, he was having a pretty good time in there, and Adelaide seemed to like that he was contained.