Author Archives: carrievoris

Random stuff for a rainy day…

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It is raining in Southern California today! Not just a little, either. We had an all-out, rainy, chilly, perfect for hot cocoa, kind of day. It was nice. Tomorrow is supposed to be more of the same so the girls and I will be baking!! This weather really does help with the Christmas spirit, it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here.

The girls, preparing for the great rainstorms!

Addie getting ready for the rains

Em and her boots

Before all of the rains yesterday I took a few pictures of the preparations for the big parade. This is our front yard…

bleachers for the rose bowl parade

Bleachers as far as the eye can see..

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It is going to be so much fun. I can’t believe the parade marches literally through our front yard! And we got tickets for the Big Game, too. (Go Blue!)

And two final pics today – just because everyone keeps asking me. Yes, the leaves (some of them) do change color, and some of them fall off the trees, too. But, remember when I took this picture it was the middle of December and nearly 70 degrees. Even if you miss a little Christmas snow, you can’t beat SoCal weather!

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Elmo Winner!!

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Well, we didn’t get very many funny Christmas stories…either nobody wanted to share, or we have a very serious bunch here. I couldn’t decide between the ones we did get, they were all very cute and mostly revolving around kids or pregnant ladies, (which are both pretty funny, I guess) so we did a little name in the hat drawing this morning.

And the winner is….

Michelle B. – who happens to be one of my good friends. Congrats, Michelle – I’m sure you, uh, I mean – little Emma, will love the Elmo. Michelle is actually an amazing cellist and is doing a huge concert this weekend – so wish her luck and go buy her CD!

Thanks to all who indulged me and played along.

My All-time Favorite Christmas

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Okay, so the story of my favorite Christmas is actually a little funny as well, so I will add it to our funny Christmas story contest. Of course it isn’t eligible to win the Elmo. By the way, we’ll announce our Elmo winner tomorrow.

Most of our friends and family know this story already, but this is for any new folk joining us, and of course, it’s good to have the story written down somewhere, you know – for the kids!

So, on with the story. Ahem….well, apparently my memory stinks and we (J. and I) are just debating which year this actually occurred. I am of the mind that it was 1991, he thinks 1992 – at any rate it was a long time ago.

We had gone to midnight mass with my family and were on our way home when Jamie said he needed to make a quick stop at The Station. For those who don’t know, The Station was one of the two competing pizza joints in our tiny little town. Pretty much everyone in town had worked at The Station at some point in their working career. J. had actually worked and managed The Station through most of his high school years, and then again on college summer and Christmas vacations. Oh, and…it is also where he had first asked me out. Yup, behind The Station, next to the delivery door and the dumpster. Totally romantic, right?

So, he needed to make a quick stop at The Station. Remember it is like 1:30 in the morning at this point. (Can you see where this is going?) So fast forward 10 minutes, our song, “Right Here Waiting” by Richard Marx (Don’t laugh – it was the late 80s when we started going out!) was playing on the jukebox, J. is on one knee trying to get through a very sweet proposal, I’m realizing what he is doing, and am in tears and there is a knock on the door. In the middle of J.’s proposal. So he opens the door and it is the police. Leslie is a very small town, so the police knew us.

Policeman: “Jamie. We saw the lights on. What are you doing? Are you having a problem?

J: “Um…no. I’m just trying to propose to my girlfriend.”

Policeman: (stammering as he is backing out the door) “Uh…oh. Wow. Okay. Good luck. Good night.”

And then J. came back and picked up where he left off…and I said, “Um…OK.” – Nah, I said, “Yes!” of course.

It was by far the best decision I ever made. And the best Christmas, too.

Why, why, why.

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That seems to be the only word our little precocious three (and a half!) year old knows these days.

I couldn’t resist this shirt when I found it because it is all I have heard for the last year.

Why, why, why.

God love her, but I have to be really careful in what I say – because she will remember EVERYTHING and repeat it at a later date! I think I have written about her crazy good memory before (it is by far ten times better than mine), but it continues to astound me. She is a freakin’ sponge. I keep thinking sooner or later she is going to become saturated, right? She’ll maybe start to either forget some things or just not be able to absorb any more….but it doesn’t seem to be happening.

Most of her questions lately revolve around Christmas.
“Why do the ladies have to stand and ring-ring the little bell?”
“Why do they want people to put moneys in the bucket?”
“Why do they help those people?”
“Why are they poor?”
“Why won’t Santa just bring those peoples presents?”
“Why doesn’t Joseph ride on his own donkey?”
“Why don’t they go to the hospital to have their baby?”

And on, and on….pretty much anything she sees, she has a question about.

I do love her curiosity. It is one of the truly great perks of parenting, just to be able to witness that excitement for learning on a daily basis. But it worries me that I still haven’t found a good class or preschool for her. I mean, am I really enough for her everyday? And on my “off” days when I don’t act like I expect her to act, how can I teach her to “do as I say, not as I do?” I’m sure it is (well, I hope it is – I can’t be alone here!) one of the great parenting dilemmas. I just can’t help but imagine what she would soak up with if she was in a learning environment and exposed to other people.

The “finding a school” task has been officially moved to the top of my list. Um…and also, stop acting like I don’t want her to act. That is probably pretty important, too.

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Don’t forget you have til midnite tomorrow (PST) to get your Elmo story in…we will pick the winner on Saturday – and have plenty of time to get Elmo to his new owner in time for Christmas. I’ll share our “funny” Christmas story tomorrow….

If one picture says a 1,000 words…

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…then I’m “photo-ing” my blog tonight. I’m tired. I’m sure you don’t really want to read an entry from me when I can’t even remember what day of the week it is. So here is our day in review via photos…

(Yes, it is exhausting to marvel constantly over how cute these two are! Maybe that is why I’m so tired tonight?)

Give it to Addie, she likes anything! Yogurt for breakfast anyone? This was before the bowl went on the head as a “hat”. Yogurt is good for the hair though, right?

Addie likes it!

We met some friends for a picnic and some playtime in the park. Emma is trying so hard to be about 2 inches taller. They were also playing “store” and selling their lunches to each other under the slide. Emma got quite a bargain…she bought her own pb&j sandwich and apple juice box for “only $50, Mama!” My little shopper!

Em Stretching…

Addie was not so interested in the “pahk” today until after she had sampled all of the picnic food.

Addie tries an apple

 

Emma trying to shimmy up the tree and find a coconut. Little does she know, it is the wrong type of tree.

Em and the tree

M & M on this cool little ball. This “cuteness” moment lasted for about 30 seconds before all hell broke loose and they tried to push each other off and claim the ball for their own. Didn’t get a picture of that, since I was trying to diffuse the situation.

Em and the ball

And finally…Addie finished up the day strong. Eating again, and making a huge mess, the two things the girl does best!

Addie’s spaghetti

 

 

Real Work vs. Real Work

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So these actual “work” projects I suddenly have are seriously cutting into my blogging time. I am not complaining, well I am – a little. I really enjoy my work, but the timing is seriously really kind of crappy right now. I have two projects that essentially got handed to me today, and are due January 3rd.

It is a nice little break to go to the coffee shop and actually use my brain for some real work, though. Uh, let me rephrase that. I do real work, very hard work everyday. As every SAH (stay-at-home) mom will tell you, it is the absolute hardest job, it is very demanding, very physical, and always 24 hours a day. But, I can mostly do it with my brain pretty much turned off. The biggest workout my mind gets most days is trying to come up with a new bribe or compromise that I haven’t tried on Emma yet. So to actually be designing graphics, talking with adults about something other than our children’s eating and bathroom habits, and feeling useful…it is a nice change.

But, back to the sucky timing. I am starting to feel a little of the “Christmas stress” that I have been trying so hard to avoid. I still haven’t finished Christmas shopping, haven’t begun to even think of wrapping the gifts, and I am only about halfway finished on the calendars that I do for our friends and family each year. Do you think anyone would notice if their calendar was missing January and they got it for Valentine’s Day?

And honestly…I just want to go hang out at the park with the girls. The weather is beautiful – fall-like for everywhere else in the country – that nice sweatshirt or sweater, perfect-for-the-park weather. And the girls have really been into it lately. It is great for Emma, our little social butterfly. She makes a new friend everytime we go, and she basically runs herself silly. Addie has figured out that she can climb…HIGH. So she is just as fearless as E. She has also learned not only how to say “park” but points it out whenever we go by it. Just her wistful, longing look out the window as we go by, is enough to make me stop, even if it means we are late for something, or we put off grocery shopping (again!) in favor of a trip down the slide. (We are in desperate need of a grocery shop. Have been for about a week, now.)

So…what I should be doing, instead of sitting here complaining, is crossing something off of my to-do list so I can go to the park and continue my quest for a stress-free holiday. I guess I better get on it. *Sigh* How are the rest of you doing on your Christmas To-Do lists?

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3 more days to get your stories and/or pictures in for the Elmo contest! I only have a few so far so your odds of winning are really good!! Come on, put it on the top of your list of things to do!

Happy 15 Months, Sweet Girl

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Dear Addie –

So today we have hit the 15-month mark. You are officially a toddler, no longer a baby (although even as I write that I know that will never be true – you’ll always be my baby even when you are 35).

This past month has been, um…well, ahem….let’s just say “trying.” Yeah, that is probably the nicest way to say it. You have figured out that you are your own little person with your own little ideas about how the world should operate. And God help us if it isn’t operating like it should. My present from you for your 15-month birthday was that you slept through the night, last night! I never realized how much I missed those nice 12 hour nights until they became a distant memory. It has been a solid month of getting up at 2am and sometimes being up for a few hours, or getting up again at 5am and thinking it is time to wake up for the day. I blame the stomach flu, teeth and just plain crankiness, but it has all made for a loooong, rough month.

But, despite your temper tantrums, and even through my sleep deprivation, you have continued to amaze us with your personality, sense of humor and curiousity. And your vocabulary has totally blossomed! I really need to sit down and make a list because you know well over 30 words now and you seem to pick a new one up each day. And these are honest-to-goodness words which you understand the meanings to. This is by far my favorite age, everything is new and fun to not only you, but me as well.

And, your laugh! I love your laugh so much, it is truly infections and makes me laugh so hard.

Every. Single. Time.  I swear that will always and forever be my favorite sound.

I tried to capture a little video (I am really bad about taking video – but I get points for all my photo-taking and occasional blogging, right??) to document you and your antics right now – but it really does a poor job of capturing the real Addie. A person needs to only spend five minutes with you to fall totally, head-over-heels in love with you.  You are simply too sweet for words (or video).

I love you, my little jellybean.

Mama

Win the New Elmo Contest

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Okay, here it is.  We have one 10th Anniversary TMX Elmo and we are giving it away to the person that makes us laugh the hardest with their Christmas story or photo. Come on, I know you all have a Christmas Vacation-like incident that you will never forget.  Or maybe a photo like this? Share it with us and you might have a free Elmo under the tree in a few weeks!

Send your story or photo to us by next Friday, December 14th. You can either leave the story in the comments section here or email it directly to me at contest{at}carrievoris.com.  Good Luck!

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