Guess Who...

One of these girls won the local Christmas coloring contest. They were in the same age category. Can you guess which one is the crafty coloring connoisseur (aka: this year's winner)?

Rewind: Pre-Christmas Festivus

Let's go back, just briefly, to before the ripping and tearing, before the pre-Christmas Drama.

I just wanted you to have a quick feel of the Christmas Festivus here at the Seriously, Though household.

There was popcorn stringing...



And tree decorating...



And gingerbread house making...


And reindeer food sprinkling...

Ho! Ho! The Big Guy Arrived...

I have a bazillion photos to share from the Christmas Festivus. There was the making of the gingerbread house, the stringing of the popcorn, and the singing of the carols (which has caused Kate to believe that we should knock on random strangers' doors and sing Christmas songs loudly, any time of the year). Please forgive us if we show up at your house in the coming months (and please clap loudly and yell bravo after we conclude our version of Hark the Harold Angels Sing...because, you know, it makes the wee ones happy).

Here's just a brief snippet from Christmas morning. It was fun. Not as fun as last year. There was a tired and cranky four-year-old. There was a mama who was expecting a little more excitement and enthusiasm from two certain red heads. There was a man who didn't laugh as loudly as one might expect when he opened his brand new Batman underwear. I'm just sayin'...he should have been exstatic about such a gift, don't you think?

But all in all, it was a happy, joyful, relaxing Christmas morning, complete with a visit from Pappy and Grammy, and a breakfast of pancakes and bacon.

Pre-Christmas Drama...

There was a little drama before Christmas this year and it wasn't the normal last minute shopping, wrapping, what-the-heck-should-I-buy-Aunt-Sally type of drama. I mean, there was definitely that kind of drama and that kind of drama I can handle. I think best when I'm up against a deadline. But the kind of drama that came our way this year, well, let's just say that I was not prepared for it.

There was a seemingly healthy man in our household who was having chest pains when he took a deep breath. And since there's only one man in our household, that pretty much narrows it down for you. Steve works at a hospital and so it's pretty easy to get some basic tests run if he thinks he has a problem. You know...a random x-ray to check for a broken finger after a karate incident or a quick EKG to make sure his heart is beating in rhythm. It's a perk of the job. I prefer large bonuses and fancy conferences in sunny Florida myself, but last week I was happy that Steve had access to the random diagnostic test.

In response to his chest pain, Steve's coworkers ran a few tests that showed all was normal with his heart, but he just felt like something wasn't right. He went to his doctor, who told him that he probably had an inflammation and pulled a muscle. He gave him some special ibuprofen and sent him on his way. When the pain wasn't gone the next day, Steve asked a doctor that he works for to run a blood test. When the test came back abnormal, the doctor gave him an order for a CT to make sure he didn't have a blood clot in his lung (pulmonary embolism...scary stuff). Nobody really thought Steve had that, because his symptoms just didn't really sound like it, but they all wanted to be sure that he was okay.

Unfortunately, our insurance wouldn't give him the immediate thumbs up to cover the test, so Steve decided to come home that night. In the car on the way home, he just prayed that if he needed the test, that it would all work out and if the insurance company didn't approve it, that meant he didn't really need it anyway. The minute he pulled in the driveway, the phone rang. The insurance company approved the test and he was to come back to the hospital immediately. Two hours later I got a phone call that he was in the ER and he had at least one and probably two blood clots in his lungs. God was on top of things that night (as He always is, huh?).

They repeated the test and Steve had a blood clot in each lung. By the time I got to the ER, Steve was antsy and anxious to get out of there. He still had his sneakers on and refused to lay down and relax. The doctor came to tell him that he was being admitted and that he was hoping he might be out in a few days, but it could be up to a week.

Christmas was only three days away and Steve assured me that he would not be spending Christmas in the hospital. He also told me that it was 10 p.m., he hadn't eaten, and he needed a bacon cheeseburger, stat (in his kindest, sweetest voice)! Obviously, he was not too worried about the whole thing (as I ran to Hardees and then delivered the contraband burger to his room).

I, on the other hand, was about to hyperventilate and fall flat on the floor (which I have been known to do on rare occassions such as this) at the thought of my husband with a blood clot in his lung. The doctor told us that Steve's blood clot was not what they call "the widow maker" (which is just barely reassuring) and that he needed to have his blood thinned a bit to clear things up.

Pulmonary embolism. Widow maker. Blood thinners. Not exactly what I expected to be talking about three days before Christmas. I couldn't get to the hospital the next morning because I had to do some things with the girls, but my awesome husband asked the pulmonologist to call me at home to discuss his health. I can only imagine what Steve told him about me (although I suspect the words, crazy. worrywart. wife. were probably in there somewhere).

The pulmonologist told us that Steve is considered a spontaneous clotter. They are testing for a genetic cause (which would then mean that the girls would be tested as well). But for now, they really thought this was a random occurance, which (insert hyperventilating on my part here) could occur again at any time in the future. We have to discuss long term blood thinners (although Steve says he's made up his mind on that and will be not be continuing the medicine past four months). I haven't turned on my powers of persuasion concerning this subject, so we'll say the issue is unresolved. Thankfully, Steve was discharged the next night (taking blood thinners and complaining about the shots he has to give himself). We made it home (via Red Lobster, because apparently the hospital food just wasn't cutting it).

So yeah...he's fine, but I'm not so sure about me. I could have done without the pre-Christmas drama (and I still panic every time he mentions that he doesn't feel quite right). Mostly, though, I am so, so grateful that he is well and was right beside me on Christmas morning.

Speaking of Christmas morning...here's a sneak peak:

Oh Christmas Tree...

This year we added a second tree to the Christmas festivus in our household. A real, live tree. Steve and I used to trek through the fields, saw in hand, searching for the perfect tree before we had kids, but it just sort of became too much to do with two little ones. Until this year. We went back to my favorite tree farm. The trees aren't super pretty and the service isn't anything to write home about. They hand you a rusty saw and tell you to have fun. But it's the same tree farm that I used to visit every year when I was a little girl. And you can pick any tree for $20. Sweet, huh?

We had the best time. We walked the entire place, searching for the perfect tree (approximately 7 ft. tall, not too fat, short needles). And we found it. I think it will be one of my favorite memories from this year's Christmas festivus.

The Festivus....

We're up to our ears right now in Christmas festivus. The house is a mess. There's popcorn all over the floor (and it's stuck there, thanks to some spilled apple juice). But we have a real, live tree with homemade popcorn strands on it. We have gingerbread houses on the table and lights on the trees. Kenny and Dolly are singing their old familiar Christmas songs as I type this, and there are Christmas cards hung on the wall (with tape, because we're classy like that). And I have not missed a single Hallmark Christmas movie. Yes...the festivus is in full swing, and despite the mess, I am loving it.

See this little girl's face? That's how I feel right now!

Now, I must shop. Because I'm behind. I think this year it's going to be "gift cards all around." If you're on my list and have a preference, feel free to let me know what kind of gift card you want!

The Grand Finale

So I think ("think" being the key word here) that this may be my last Christmas post. But maybe not. I have so many photos. Why in the world do we take so many photos these days? What could we possibly do with 75 photos of the annual gingerbread house construction? Remember when our parents would get out the camera, snap a photo and put it back? Six months later, when the roll of film was finally full, we would get to see the handful of Christmas photos. Those were the good old days.

Speaking of good old days, my family spent the Christmas evening at my parents' house, which hasn't changed much since my childhood. The stockings are still hung upstairs (although they seem to be multiplying) and Santa still makes a visit to the basement to drop of a ridiculously large stash of loot. We eat and open gifts and eat and play games and eat. Did I mention that we eat? A lot? We played Mad Gab and I laughed so hard my stomach hurt (and soda spewed out of my nose). I love that feeling. Christmas 2010...it was one of my very best.
That is one good looking family, don't you think?

Here's a close-up, so you can get a better look!

Ellie was so sad that the gift opening extravaganza was over. She really didn't care what was in the packages, she just wanted to open them. See that face? That's how I always feel when Christmas is over. I love the fun and excitement, the family and the traditions, the focus on Jesus. But I just want to cry when it's all over. I guess I can't blame sweet Ellie for feeling a little sad about the end of a very happy holiday

Christmas Part IXX (or something like that)

I'm back. Told you I wouldn't be gone long. So where were we? Yes...coming out of a foggy haze. Eating shrimp. Marveling at Santa's ability to travel through a faux fireplace. Right. And now we're on to Christmas Morning.

No one woke up early. Isn't that great? I'm not sure when that crazy insanity sets in, causing wee small children to wake their parents on Christmas morning at the butt crack of dawn (as Steve would say, because he's classy like that). But my girls haven't reached that point. When we lazily rolled out of bed around 8:30 a.m., we just wandered downstairs, almost like it was a normal day. Except this was no normal day. It was Jesus's birthday, Santa brought presents, and one look at the tree was all two little red haired girls needed to snap them back into the fun and excitement of the holiday. Watching their faces as they saw the tree and the gifts...now that was magical. So magical, in fact, that I just watched them and smiled like a big goof (and forgot to take pictures of their sweet little faces).

When Grammy and Pappy arrived, the madness began. Ripping, tearing, opening, looking, throwing, ripping and tearing, again. Kate kept saying, "Oh my word, oh my word," which I thought was hilarious until Ellie started saying, "Oh my word, I eber seen." What?!? I think she was trying to say, "Oh my word, this is the best thing I've ever seen." Or something like that. But "Oh my word, I eber seen," was all she could get out, over and over.



Apparently, it was the year of the fairy/princess dress in our household. Poor Steve is surrounded by fluff and sequins and tulle. He's a good man who knows the difference between Belle and Tianna, Silvermist and Tinkerbell! That should serve him well, should there ever be a Disney category on Jeopardy.
Kate's one request from Santa was a snow globe to replace the one she broke over the summer. It was just a tiny request, except she wanted a snow globe with all the princesses in it and she wanted it to have a heart on it and she wanted every princess to be dressed up and she wanted glittery snow inside of it. I told her that Santa might not be able to find that exact snow globe and she replied, "That's okay...his elves can make it." Duh! In the end, I had to explain that Santa's elves had a hard time fitting all the princesses into that tiny snow globe, so they decided to give her a very special one with Tinkerbell inside. She seemed happy with that!
Baby All Gone was a hit, even with Pappy! Ellie pretty much liked everything. When she sat on Santa's lap, she told him she wanted a shiny present with Santa on it. She also mentioned a new sled. Santa managed to bring both (plus a million other things), so she was happy.
And I finally figured why all of our baby dolls are naked. I told Steve that our playroom looks like a scene from "Girls Gone Wild." Notice how Miss Ellie has the baby's hat and pants off before Kate has even finished opening her present. She opened the baby doll and immediately ripped off her clothing. And that's not the only one...Baby All Gone was missing her pants before breakfast.

And there you have it. A magical Christmas morning. Seriously, though...it was a great day. Stay tuned for more. You didn't think I could possibly be finished with Christmas yet, did you? I'll still be sharing Christmas photos at Easter time.

Are you there readers? It's me, Holly....

Remember Me? The girl who used to crack you up with amazingly witty blog posts about life, photography, and red haired little girls? It's fuzzy, isn't it? Kind of like that feeling you have the morning after you've popped two Nyquil at midnight because you just.couldn't.sleep. Fuzzy, distorted, happy yet groggy. I know that feeling well. I was addicted to my beloved Nyquil for two years. But I will save my Nyquil addiction for another post (complete with my insider secrets to kicking the habit. You should wait, with anticipation, for that post).

Well, ladies, now that we've gotten reacquainted...let's review the last few weeks.

There was Christmas Eve. It was fabulous. We went to church (arriving late, of course...did you expect otherwise?...necessitating that we sit in folding chairs in the middle aisle of the santuary). We ate steamed shrimp and bruchetta and cheese fondue and strawberry birthday cake (with sprinkles, because not a day goes by in this household without sprinkles on something) to celebrate Jesus's birthday. We tracked Santa on Norad. We left reindeer food outside and set up a tea party inside (You did know that Santa loves a good tea party midway through his travels, didn't you?). We read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" for the last time of 2010. The girls were giddy and giggly and excited to get to bed before Santa crossed the Atlantic and landed directly on our rooftop. I'm telling you...it was a magical night.



Santa made it (as evidenced in the photo above), traveling down our new-to-us, faux fireplace mantle (purchased on Craigslist for a mere $50). The girls didn't even ask why there was no actual chimney down which Santa could travel. They just believed he would come out of that fireplace. I told you...magical.

And then, when I thought it couldn't get any better, Christmas Day arrived. I'm going to give you a little breather here, to soak it all in, while I write another post. Just sit and relax. And then check back soon. I promise not to take a four week break like I did last time.

Christmas: A Preview

The Big Guy arrived.
There were smiles and giggles and looks of awe.
There was one little girl who was sure she saw Rudolph's bright nose out her window.
There was happiness and joy and laughter and laziness.
There was ham and macaroni and cheese and blueberry pie.
There was a game of Mad Gab that made me laugh so hard I spewed soda out my nose.

It was a wonderful Christmas and I have a million photos to prove it. But you'll have to wait. For now...here's some of the highlights around the house, leading up to the big day.

I love to see the how the girls play with the nativity scene. This year, the wise men appeared to be "having words" (Can't you just hear them saying: "Dude, I thought you were bringing the gold. No man, I brought the Myrhh, didn't you bring the gold?"). Ha! And then there was the baby Jesus, who made a grand entrance on a camel (I laughed so hard when I saw it. Ellie was pretty proud of herself). We spent a lot of time this year talking about Jesus and the importance of Christmas. Despite the crazy nativity scene, I think the girls really got it, which made my heart happy!
We made Christmas crafts... And hung the cards...

And decked the halls...
And welcomed Mistletoe the Elf back to our home for a month.

I love the weeks leading up to Christmas. The decorating, the crafts, the cookies, the traditions, the church services, the lights, the songs, the books. I love it all and will miss it...until next year, when we get to do it all again!