christmas cards

We've had an early Thanksgiving miracle around these parts...our Christmas cards have been ordered.  Not addressed, but at least ordered.  I'll leave the addressing the mass pile of envelopes till after IK've stuffed myself full of carbs.   This is a first I tell you and after last years fiasco where they literally were addressed and sent out on Christmas Eve I vowed never again.  Last year was too crazy with a new baby and although I had thought about having our photographer do a professional shoot I knew we'd have to go a month or two out to get them back in time and edited.  And let's face it babies change drastically in a month and I wanted a fresh picture on that card.  My plan backfired when we were snowed in for a week and so a week before Christmas were outside with my camera and tripod trying to get one good one before it went dark.

We had our pictures done last month by our favorite photographer and so I was able to get a better jump on them this year.  I don't know about y'all but I love sending Christmas cards and receiving them.  If you've sent me a photo card I will save it.  I have dedicated Christmas card album full of Christmas cards.  I keep it out during the holiday and it's fun to look back at friend's who were pregnant and just announcing one year and then the next holding their baby.  I love it!  I'm a Christmas card hoarder I tell you.

I'm not loyal on who I order my cards from...I like to just visit the sites and see which design fits my fancy or compliments the portrait on the front.  As I was browsing I realized I spend way too much time trying to make up my mind because there are some really cute designs out there.  So, I started marking them and thought maybe I won't feel like I've wasted perfectly good nap times around here if I share them with someone who needs a card idea.  So, you're welcome if you do.  It makes me feel better that my indecisiveness can go to some good use.

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All these printable ones are from vendors on Etsy and I love them all.  When I order printables off Etsy I usually get them printed at Staples and then corner round them myself.  Great look for a not a lot!

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These are some of my favorite templates, again on Etsy, and are all instant downloads.  Cheaper then the ones above, but you're doing the work of adding in your pictures.  You do have to have photoshop, but most vendors are really good about sending instructions with the download to walk you through those steps.  And again you can take them to get printed where ever.  I actually ordered #1 and loved it, but once I added our pictures into it it just didn't go.  I'll hang onto it for another year.

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Last but not least the printed ones that come to your door ready to go!  

cancer stinks

This week we lost a dear friend, who was also boy's coworker, to a courageous battle against cancer.  She was 33 and had an 8 year old son.  This week my mother in law started chemo for her battle against uterine cancer.  The irony of one battle ending and the other beginning within hours of each other are not lost on us.

You get a lot of unsolicited advice when you join the mommy club, but I always held tightly to my friend's pearls of wisdom.  Hers was always just raw truth.  No fluff.  She knew her days were numbered and had managed to sort through to what really matters and I'm so grateful for her sharing that with me.

Boy was also in Arizona on business most of the week.  This picture about sums up the week.  What an awesome gift FaceTime is, but my goodness how rough it is on a one year old when you hit the end button.

Oh and to top off the week, Friday night boy was giving Declan a bath and after I cleaned up the kitchen I went into our bathroom and just sat on the floor in an exhausted haze.  As I'm sitting on the floor boy hands me Declan and somehow Declan lunged forward and boy lost his grip and Declan lands right on my face.  And I hear a crack.  The worst sound ever.  My nose is broken.  Just the icing on the cake for the week.  Our ER nurse neighbor came over to examine the damage and tell me what to do.  I'm not as swollen, but still sporting a pretty bruise.  So, this thanksgiving I'm incredibly thankful for smashbox's heavy duty concealer. Oh, and that our Christmas family portraits are done if I'm being truthfully vain.

TeePee

My mom and I made Declan his very own teepee a few weeks ago.  I should really rephrase that and say, my mom made Declan a teepee since she did all the labor of sewing the canvas and whatnot, while I just swooped in and painted on some navy stripes.  She had found a pattern and I took her idea and ran with it after eyeing the orange teepee in the land of nod catalog.  It's turned out to be the perfect spot to play peek-a-boo and read a book or two!

Yeah, a picture of him not moving and looking at the camera...so not happening these days.  He was just not feeling the photo shoot.

When we're not working on our downward dog yoga poses in front of our teepee we're shoveling crackers into our mouths.  That's just how we roll playing in our teepee!

book shopping

I'm on a reading kick lately.  You know when you discover a new to you author and love the book so you read another, then you're reading another piece by them.  Yeah that's happening with Liane Moriarty's books right now.  I'm obsessed y'all.

     

 I started with her book "The Husband's Secret" and was hooked from the first chapter.  Then bought her newest "Big Little Lies" and it became my escape when baby napped for a few days...such a great read too.  Finally, I figured I'd better pick up a copy of "What Alice Forgot", the reason I even came across this author in the first place.  I'm about halfway done and am so sad for it to end (thankfully I only get to read a little here or there with my kid's refusal to nap).  I just love her writing style and love how they're witty yet suspenseful.  If you haven't read anything of hers before you must.  

I thought I'd add in what Mr. Declan is reading these days as well.  Right now our favorite is "The Day the Crayons Quit" by Drew Daywalt.  I think mama and daddy may be enjoying this book more, but he loves reading anything so we'll how this one.  This book is hilarious and so creative.  One we don't mind reading over and over again.

So, that's what were reading this month.  How about y'all?  What should we add to our list next?