Two Days Late, But Here None The Less

Christmas got a little busy... and a little interrupted...so here is the final countdown!



86. The girls loving their new toys and their presents from everyone.

87. The girls sleeping until 7:30 on Christmas morning. (yes, this is considered late at our house).

88. Two weeks of work without working on Fridays. Hello, long weekends, be my friend.

89. Yummy yummy dumplings.

90. 10 tiny fingers

91. 10 tiny toes

92. Headful of black hair

93. Baby Boy Smith is here! I'm an aunt!

94. He talks and grins (and screams some too!)

95. Baby sister did great and is doing good.

96. The "labor and delivery" notebook.

97. Looking through pictures to see Hayley learn the baby beside her Aunt Mischa.

98. Watching "Big Sister" Lou welcome her mama and daddy home (and I guess she welcomed him too!)

99. Spending the day running errands with the hubby.

100. Having another day, where our needs are met, our lives are fulfilled, and the grace of God continues to cover us.

Now back to the happy place...

76. We had a whirlwind house full of visitors yesterday. It was a little crazy since all our kitchen stuff is crammed in with all the playroom and living room stuff since the molding was still going up in the kitchen, but it was fun none the less.

77. In and out of the grocery store in 15 minutes *only forgot 3 things, 2 of which were optional anyway*

78. Bowen's happy feet.

79. An upcoming concert for March next year.

80. Talks about Costa Rica/foreign missions in 2011.

81. A mailbox FULL of Christmas cards...we really should check that daily.

82. A picnic supper on towels on the new kitchen floor since we couldn't get to the table.

83. 2 families who are NOT changing the Christmas plan... (and while my feelings about change are listed here... the 1 family who is, is still a Joy factor too!)

84. Hayley wanting to go home with Papa Gene & Grandma Tommie (and the special way it made them feel)

85. Seeing someone open a gift I picked, and LOVE it.

joy, joy, Joy!

72. a new kitchen floor, down in one day... no more alvacado green linolieum from 1960!!

73. Hayley telling us "i like green floor best." right, of course you do.

74. the fact that I knew Hayley would tell us this when she saw the new floor

75. vocal percussion. like woah.

Down to the count..

53. Girls in santa clause dresses

54. An elf book that pops out an elf a day (or in our case 2 or 3 since we haven't been home at night in a few days) to help us countdown for Christmas

55. A perfect gift. why, hello, warm red fleece blanket, I do think I'll cuddle with you.

56. An overnight trip to the beach without the babies. why, hello, sleep until after 8 and watch a movie until lunch, I do think I will

57. A mexican lunch date with the bff and moms.

58. done, done, and done with Christmas shopping.

59. completed nativity set.

60. unexpected good news for next year.

61. Baby Smith in DAYS. DAYS I say!!

62. Hayley "reading" with me... she can fill in any blank to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

63. A nephew's upcoming baptism.

64. Plans for child dedication for girls (mark your calendars folks, Jan. 23rd, 11 a.m. at BBC with lunch to follow ~the kind of lunch that involves everyone bringing a dish, surely you know me better than cooking all by myself~)

65. inside jokes

66. a complete set of cutie patootie stockings made by Breeze.

67. a new kitchen floor making its way down.

68. two weeks of work without working on Fridays

69. Bowen's healthy checkup... 16 lbs, 6 oz. 27 inches long, hello 50th & 80th percentile, its nice to meet you.

70. Hayley's revers-ims.... happy club plate, top par

71. Hayley's "can't get my hin hin" dance

Continuing to Count...

48. Having a "dance show" with Hayley to Santa Clause Boogie by the tractors.

49. Remembering self-choregraphing a dance to Santa Clause Boogie with an elementary school dance friend...and performing it at school, for some reason or the other...

50. A new Elf book that Hayley has fallen instantly smitten with. So much, that we had to do tonight's elf this morning before she went to daycare. Patience is not her strong suit.

51. Michael's ordination.

52. Bursting into laughter when your 2-year old, tired from too much play, falls from a sitting psoition to a laying flat position on a church pew in less than 2 seconds of sitting still.

47. Bowen, hearing and watching Hayley play and laugh, laugh with her.

Joy.... 46

learning new skills.

Joy... 45

A Daddy to hold us safe from Santa.

Joy....44

fried cornbread. and cute girls who love it too.

Joy...43

Breezy and her snacking sidekick.

Joy...42

almost here. and both baby and Mama still healthy!

Joy 41

this. face.

Joy, Joy, Joy

35. A child who graciously and excitedly opened her gifts and went immediately to playing with them.

36. Same said child convincing a grown man to play whatever game she had currently running in her head for a solid 10 minutes last night in the midst of a group of adults.

37. The sweet way that Bowen will rub my face when we're up at 3:30 having a midnight snack.

38. A radio in the bathroom at the parsonage. I had forgotten how good it feels to listen to music while you are getting ready.

39. A Christmas program filled with friends and voices and scripture to really get Christmas going.

40. Gratitude and enjoyment.... to see it first hand on the faces of many in one building. Including, to see a rare, true smile from someone who is always running and has more going on in life than anyone else I know.

Click on the 2010 Christmas Joys tag over on your right to see how the list has come so far...

While we're rolling....

32. Bowen said MaMa! Twice! One last night and one this morning. And they were directed at me so I know its true! Finally!

33. Bowen got up and went to rocking side to side last night, we're getting close to crawling!!

34. When she's on the floor, and you're sitting close but not close enough for her to reach, she'll try to scoot to you, but if you reach your hands out, she'll grab your fingers and pull, and I pull her to me, and she just grins, like she really accomplished something.

Quick Onset



23. New Mexican restaurant opened today, less than 2 minutes from work.

24. New Mexican restaurant was clean and food was delicious for lunch.

25. New Mexican restaurant had a mariachi band.

26. Calling it New Mexican Restuarant instead of its proper name.

27. Unexpected snowflakes.

28. Baby Smith is almost here!! I mean it, we are down to weeks here people, WEEKS!

29. Plans to eat at New Mexican Restaurant over Christmas with my cheese dip buddy.

30. Most random text conversation ever with said buddy that transgressed from snow to Mexican to nativities.

31. The fact that I had 10 moments of joy within the last 30 minutes. Let's not even get into how little it takes to make me happy here, ok?!

More Again...

14. Snuggling with a fleece blanket with Bowen to get her back to sleep at 5:00 this morning, and sleeping just that way for the next 2 hours.

15. That Hayley says " I love you the most!" or "I love you to the moon!" or "I love you to the twinkle stars!" without prompt.

16. Making chocolate covered pretzels last night. I remember helping do them at our house growing up, and I didn't realize it then, but there really is an art to making those things do right and look pretty. Oh well, at least they'll taste the same! : )

17. Remembering doing the 12 Days of Christmas for my great-grandparents when we were kids. We'd get them 12 little gifts and individually wrap them and drop them off in a brown paper bag where they'd have a gift a day until Christmas. And how one of them always snuck into ALL her presents before Christmas.

18. Getting something you ordered online, without a proof to see the finished product, in the mail and it being just as cute as you wanted it to be.

19. Knowing that the Christmas shopping is almost done and feeling like you did a good job with meaningful gifts for everyone.

20. Reading "My First Story of Christmas" every night with Hayley, because its her choice of books.

21. Hayley requesting the Christmas lights be on every second we are in the house. yes this is a repeat, but it just the simpliest request and it just floors me everytime!

22. Seeing our little candlelights from the road last night for the first time.

Returning Again...

So its been a tough few days for joy, mostly because I've spent them running around like a chicken with my head cut off. Let's see what I can find in them...

8. Hayley's observation of Breezy's tree " its spinnin'!" and her awe in watching it do so.

9. Winning an ebay auction for a Christmas present that you think it just right. There is something so exciting in that moment when you've placed your bid and its all yours.

10. Christmas cards in the mail. Reminding us of all the blessings around us and those who are wishing us well.

11. The look on Michael's face when he catches a mouse in a trap. Victory, oh how small. (sidenote: yes, we have many micen, mecen, mousen, moosen! in our house! eek!)

12. The clear starry night and hearing Hayley say "ooo twinkle stars!"

13. Watching Hayley make the nativity angel sing and asking it "you want to sing to Jesus? ok."

I need this too...

Sarah's making an effort... and I'm jumping in...

1. This morning I noticed one of the Christmas bags in the wrapping supplies was partially opened. I picked it up to fold it back, and found where Hayley had stuffed some paper in it..making "presens" no doubt.

2. Last night, she found a carved cross that I got on Monday... its not meant to be on a Christmas tree...but she spotted it and said "ooo...put this on my Christmas tree!" and off she went...so we left it there, on the tree... not a bad place to be after all.

3. Bowen is nothing but smiles and laughter in the morning. She kicks her feet with such might and excitement when you get her out of bed.... like FINALLY! its about time someone came to play with me!

4. Hayley thinks that the Christmas tree should be plugged everytime we're in the house...even if its just for 5 minutes. I love that.

5. Cute, healthy girls in Christmas pajamas.

6. Dishes loaded and unloaded by a husband, when no one was there to see it done.

7. Letters from Mexico and Ghana...and the precious little girls that wrote them from far away.