Monday

The best way to spend frigid, gray Monday?

Playing on trains, with one of your best buds and getting to meet Santa.

Nothing gets better than that, my friends.

More on that later: Part I

Several weeks before Christmas my brother sent out a link to the top 15 toys to NOT buy your child this holiday season. Most were super ridiculous, rather amusing and a tad insulting. I glanced at them, quietly snickered and deleted the email.

And then I was told that one of those horrid little toys had been bought for Addie. Actually, it turned out both my mother and brother (yes, the same brother who sent the dang email!)thought it was appropriate - and with their tastes, I was wor-ri-ed.


I couldn't figure out which toy it could be.

• Would it be the fish de-boning kit, since she likes sushi so much?
• It could be the homicidal Elmo. She LOOOOOVES Elmo. Please, not a speaking homicidal Elmo.
• No one would buy her the pole dancer doll...would they? Seriously, a pole dancing doll?? SERIOUSLY?
• Oh my god, is it the breast feeding baby doll? Would they really buy her a baby doll to "nurse" knowing how much I struggled?
• They would NOT dare send me, I mean, us the Lil Monkey doll set...I do love African-American babies more than anyone truly knows, but one that is paired with a monkey that can wear the baby's diaper? That is scandalous. Uh, and super offensive.

I fretted. I worried. And thought about how I could return the gift.

All, apparently, very needlessly.
Grammy Kathy got Addie a Cleaning Trolley Set. It comes replete with a vacuum, broom, dust mop, hand broom, dust pan, sponge, spray bottle, bucket and cleaning bowl. It was assembled in minutes, provided some Christmas Eve laughter, and, most importantly, was a HUGE hit on Christmas morning.

Addie, as we well know, is quite the little cleaner. Yes, she is a tornado of a mess too, but she enjoys cleaning up her messes (sometimes). She'll wash walls, vacuum floors, scrub tubs.

She thinks that cleaning is cool (Please, god, let her hang on to this trait. Her parents lack it.)

Since the Cleaning Trolley Set has entered our lives my hall has been vacuumed plenty of times. The kitchen table bench as been sprayed down and scrubbed. The Ikea Poang Chair has been buffed to a high shine. The cat has been dusted. I've been swept.

We are in tip top shape.
Luckily for us, the Cleaning Trolley Set did NOT say (as in my brother's email) "Girls Only".


Hey, who knows, maybe her fastidiousness will rub off on Daddy.



Or, maybe, even Mommy.

Christmas Craziness

To say that the holidays were hectic would be a massive understatement.

Christmas was a whirlwind of wrapping, unwrapping, cooking and eating. By the end of third celebration in three days Addie was in a gift coma. She was given an abundant amount of gifts: a CD player, dolls, tool boxes, cleaning sets (more on that later), clothes, movies and on and on.

It's hard to complain about people loving your child and wanting to give her everything under the sun, but it's also difficult to stomach a two year old who says "moooore" after each gift and cries when the next gift is not for her. Addie was grateful for everything she got, but had a hard time grasping that it all wasn't just for her.


Unlike last year, she solidly understood the concept of opening presents and proved to be a pro at it. If she thought you were taking a bit too long with your opening she generously helped out. Also, unlike last year, she now has a phenomenal memory and knows exactly what she got - making spreading out the wealth a bit harder. Last year we were able to put some gifts up in the closet and not introduce them until months later (she got her last Christmas gift of 2008 in November of 2009). That should prove to be a bit more challenging this year.

Even with the chaos and the endless piles of gifts, we had a good holiday. I was reminded how lucky I am to have the family that I do. That with chaos comes silliness and joy.

Addie was blessed with having her Grammy Kathy fly into to be with her and thrilled to have her Daddy home from work for two weeks.

Cookies were baked, games were played, and laughter filled our house.

Addie was awestruck by what each new package brought and couldn't believe that Santa had eaten all the cookies she had left out.

She twirled in her Christmas Eve dress, snuggled with her GG, played her new games, shared with Rylan and hugged her mom and dad again and again.

When the holiday was over and nothing was put away, we hit the road to Destin for some sunny relaxation -it was the coldest Floridian vacation I've ever been on.

Addie and Emmett

They were born seven days apart.

She bosses him around.

He pays her no attention

She names her baby dolls Emmett.

He occasionally lets her play with Papa's light switch.

They see each other far too little.

They are growing far too fast.

Christmas in Chicago 2008.................................................................Christmas in Chicago 2009

The Great Tree Hunt

As part of our "over the river and through the woods" trek last week, we stopped just north of Cincinnati in search of a Christmas tree. I know that getting a tree two days after Thanksgiving is a bit absurd, my brother actually thinks it's sacrilege to put a tree prior to his December 2nd birthday, but we had good reason.


Aunt Nikki LOVES finding the perfect tree, and cutting one down is a tradition that she is bound and determined to keep alive in the Neyer family. Since Nik had to head back to school on Sunday, we decided to keep her happy (and the tree tradition alive) and go hunting for our Christmas trees.

I say hunting because this outing was truly an adventure. The three of us pulled off I-71 to meet Grandma Patty and Aunt Nikki at a diner - from there we caravaned off to a tree farm that advertised cut your own trees for $30. Lord knows we love a bargain, so we were determined to find that farm. After 25 or so minutes of driving back roads Andy began to think maybe his mom was a bit lost. We pulled over and he and Nikki swapped places - I think he was questioning his sister's map skills and thought he could get us where we need to be.

We passed The Christmas Ranch, not what we were looking for, Big Tree Plantation, not what we were looking for, and a ton of farmland, not what we were looking for. After another 30 minutes of aimless wandering and u-turns we arrived at the coveted tree farm. (Turns out the directions that were in hand were from the north, not the south, making every turn we took WRONG.)

The farm was lovely it had a horse named Ginger, a couple of goats, a sleigh and some big snowman statues. What it didn't have was any good Christmas trees. Most of the trees were barely as tall as me, and rather scrawny. That didn't bother Addie at all, as she loved the "baby" trees.

After wandering the rows and looking at the sad little trees, we decided this was not the place for us and we headed to Big Tree Plantation (yep, the one we passed up at least twice earlier in our adventure). It sure isn't $30 for any tree on the lot, but it is a great Christmas tree farm.

There was hot cocoa, reindeer, and a live nativity scene. There was Santa, deep fried Snickers, and a homemade wreathes. There were trees taller than me.

We took a horse drawn wagon out to the trees, where we were given a saw and two large sleds to drag our trees back to the barn with. And thus the hunt began.

We walked up and down row after row of gorgeous trees. They were tall and full and smelled fabulous. Addie played tag and hide and seek with Nikki. Patty and I fretted over "just the right tree". Andy dutifully followed behind us with the saw.

Two dang near perfect trees were finally selected, cut down, bundled and paid for. While Andy and Patty took care of the paying and loading up the cars part, Aunt Nikki and I took care of the drinking rich hot chocolate and meeting Santa part. Both of which Addie loved.




Within a minute or two of getting back in the car to head home, our little elf passed out. It was a big day of traveling and finding a tree. She woke up when we pulled in to Grandma's driveway - eager to decorate that tree. Grandma's tree is up and twinkly and decorated. Tomorrow we tackle our tree...

"The Grinch's small heart grew three sizes that day"

I have often lamented that I married a man who is a Grinch, who, sadly, has a heart ten times too small. His mother has even agreed with me.

Where I have, over the years, become more and more enamored with Christmas, my sweet groom has continued to huff and puff about my desire to hang garland, decorate a tree and listen to sappy, although sometimes peppy, holiday music.

Well, my-oh-my, have times changed. I mean, don't think for a minute that Andy is asking me to pop in Harry Connick Jr.'s Christmas album, nor is he suggesting that we get a trio of lit deer for the front yard. But he did get in the car and drive to Brookville, Indiana to get a tree yesterday.

He rode the hay ride to the tree grove and walked up and down the rows looking with me and Addie for the perfect tree. He got on his knees in the snow and sawed it down. He suggested we get a cup of hot chocolate.

I know you are in shock. Well settle in, because there is more to this story.

After cutting down our tree, he helped scout his mom's tree. THEN, he and Brian not only put Grandma's tree up, but Andy put the lights on it. THEN, he suggested trimming it. THEN, the came home and put our tree up AND put on the lights. After all that, I let him enjoy a nice glass of red wine. (I'm nice like that. Put that on your list Santa.)

THEN, tonight he, Addison and I (with the assistance of Aunt Nikki) trimmed our tree. WHO IS THIS MAN? I don't care, I'll keep him. Perhaps the joyous noises of Whoville have finally touched my Grinch's heart.
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As we trimmed the tree tonight, Aunt Nikki would hand Addison an ornament. Addison would then look at the ornament until Nikki said "Go bring that to Daddy" or "Go bring that to Mommy"...without Aunt Nik's instructions I don't think the ornaments would have ever made to the tree. But the tree got trimmed, and it is sparkling in the living room...and we are all happy.

Well, all of us except Santa's newest reindeer. She might be a little Grinchy.