Do you believe in magic?

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time.
~Laura Ingalls Wilder

There is something so utterly magical about getting to experience Christmas once you have children of your own. It brings back all of your own happy childhood Christmas memories, but in a whole new light. I see the way my kids eyes light up instantly when they talk about Santa, when they prance around our lit-up Christmas tree, when we make a Christmas craft or read a Christmas book. I can feel the magic there--I can remember believing in something that didn't make any sense just because believing was the best feeling in the whole world.

Most people don't know this, but I believed in Santa for a long time. Far, far longer than I should have. When my sister and I finally staged a scheme to out the Tooth Fairy (aka: we stayed up all night to catch my mom in the act, lol), and the truth came out about Santa and the Easter Bunny, well, if I'm remembering right we were nearly 12 years old. Yes--TWELVE. I remember running to tell my best friend the news and her saying to me, "Yeah, I know. We've all known for a long time, we just didn't want to tell you guys. You just kept believing in him for so long!" Come to find out that even her youngest brother who was probably 5 at the time knew that the big guy in the red suit was a fairytale. But mostly I remember how every Christmas after that just sort of lost its luster. The magic, for me, was gone.

But this year? It's back. The magic has returned in all of its glory and it's making me feel like a kid again. I have two wonderful children who are finally both old enough to relish this magic, this wonder, this excitement. Children who want the tree lit from dawn until bedtime, who love doing crafts and singing Christmas songs and, of course, talking about their lists! Children who are learning the true meaning of Christmas, the joy in giving to others (although I really might go broke this season as both kids INSIST on donating something to every Salvation Army bucket we see, lol), and celebrating the birthday of Jesus. While this particular aspect of Christmas is not something that I personally believe in any more, I am definitely teaching it to them--they have a right to know the Christmas story and decide for themselves one day if they believe it in their hearts to be true.

One thing is for certain, whatever you celebrate this holiday season, be it Christmas or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa (or Festivus! A Festivus for the rest of us! lol), make it magical. I hope your heart is filled with the spirit of the season, the warmth of family, the joy of giving, and the miracle of life. I wish you blessings so many that you can't possibly count them all. I know I definitely can't even begin to count mine. :)

PS--We were listening to Christmas music in the car the other day and an instrumental version of "Oh Holy Night" came on and Aiden said, "Mom, this song just makes my heart feel so big, like it can't get any bigger or it might burst!" I know the feeling kid, I know the feeling:)

Happy Thanksgiving!

My baby Avie is sick. Probably the most sick she's ever been in her almost-3-years, and it is pitiful. This is probably not going to go down in Bailey history as the "best Thanksgiving ever," but that's ok. It's all part of the journey, and we still have much to be thankful for this year.

I am so thankful for my little family: my sweet, wonderful boy, my adorable baby girl, my amazing husband. We're lucky to live so close to Chuck's family and be able to see them often. I'm thankful for a year full of blessings, we sold a house, we bought a house, we moved across the country. We've settled in, we're making new friends, and enjoying making new memories with old friends as well. Aiden loves his new school, and is learning how to write (and hopefully soon read!). I'm thankful to have my sister back in my life.

I sincerely hope you all have an amazing Thanksgiving. I will be cooking and taking care of my sick little girl. But it makes me all that more thankful that I have people who need me to take care of them.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Barbara

Happiness is...

A night of reflection when we gain an hour to ourselves in the utter stillness...so rare and yet so precious:)

Happiness is:

* the first November snowfall after 5 mild winters and insufferable summers. It didn't quite stick, but I felt that same pure excitement that I felt as a child when we would all gather at the window and marvel at the giant flakes falling on the lawn. There is something contagious and almost holy about the season's first snow--and even if I will be resenting it come January, today it was true bliss:)

* my 2-year-old's original song "I love you" belted from the top of her lungs in the YMCA pool tonight. "I love Mommy, I love Daddy, I love Aiden, I love everybody, and I LOVE YOU!" She can be the sweetest child you have ever met, so full of love and hugs and kisses, and she fills me up:)

* Seeing my firstborn so very proud of himself. In just one week at the Y, he has taught himself how to float on his back in the pool, swim underwater with his eyes open, and jump off the edge in the deep end and swim to the ladder. He has a non-stop smile in the water and I've never ever seen him more proud of himself. He is born to be a swimmer and I intend to encourage it as long as it makes him happy. He so rarely accepts compliments (a little something from his mama, I'm afraid) but he is all too happy to declare, "I am a GREAT swimmer, Mom!" Indeed, my little man. Indeed:)

* Taking care of my body without feeling guilty. Since my children were born, working out meant either waiting until they were sleeping (and thus never finding the energy!) or sacrificing time with them to exercise while they were awake, and they were usually not happy about it. Joining the Y has made taking care of myself AND my children possible. They absolutely LOVE the childcare and I get to exercise for an hour by myself. Could it be any better? I don't think so!

* An amazing husband. We have our trials and tribulations, like any couple does. But my husband loves me, and he shows it in the little things he does for me, day in and day out. We struggle at times, but at the end of every day he is there for me, he is a fantastic father, and I couldn't have created a better partner for myself. Lucky doesn't do it justice. He's everything to me:)

I can almost always find the things that went "wrong" in my day, but I so very rarely take the time to appreciate what went right. I think luck has so much more to do with it than most people know, and I know that I am lucky. Happiness is smiling, loving children, a terrific husband, and a fulfilled life. I search sometimes for more meaning in what is already a very meaningful existence. Tonight I just wanted to use my manners and say...thank you. My life is good. And I am happy:)

DIY: Jumpstart on Christmas!

So we joined the local YMCA last week and have been going during what used to be "nap time," seeing as how Miss Ava decided that she's all done with naps. I LOVE the Y, it is fantastic for the kids and I get a great workout and some time by myself. What more could I ask for? But since we've been going every day since we joined, I've done almost NO craft projects around the house! Well, I got myself into gear and finished this fun and easy Ornament Wreath this morning. This is an idea from My Backyard Eden, one of my favorite crafting/DIY blogs. It's been done and re-done and there are so many fabulous wreaths out there! I decided to go very simple with a red and silver wreath, and I still need a bow to hide the hanger at the top, but as it turns out, I can't make a bow to save my life! The next thing on my DIY list, for sure, lol.

I've also been crocheting Christmas presents! I've been making these fabulous rope infinity scarves with flower brooches, and I love them. I've made a few long, so they can be work almost like necklaces or doubled over to be very cozy, and I've made a few short,thicker, cowl-like scarves as well. I need to make another trip to the yarn store soon! I'm also working on a new design for a flower scarf, I'll post it once I finish one!

Happy crafting! And go make the ornament wreath, it's so easy! I used $8 in ornaments (eight tubes for $1 each from Target) and an old wire hanger. That's it!

Halloween Roundup: picture post

This is mostly a picture post, so I'll make it brief! A few of these are probably repeats, but I figured I'd toss in all of the "Halloween" pictures I have. I am such a bad mom, I only got TWO pictures of the kids in their costumes! They sat with their friends for a group photo on Halloween night before we left to go trick or treating, but none of mine turned out. Oh well.

The kids had a great time on Halloween. Ava was Jessie (from Toy Story 2 and 3) and Aiden was the Red Power Ranger. We went trick or treating with friends and despite the coooold weather, the kids had a fantastic time. I am having a hard time accepting that it is November already, lol.