Oh, wait. It’s been here for a couple weeks now.We’ve just been too busy to pay attention.  The kids have been sick since Christmas.  Seriously.

The children have been trading illnesses in what appears to be a game of virus tag.  Considering there’s only two of them, the back and forth is pretty constant (not that I’m volunteering to get into the mix! I’ll gladly stay healthy!).  Seriously – I don’t know how families with more than two kids EVER have a healthy winter!  The latest tag back smacked Gussy pretty hard as he is currently fighting pneumonia and an ear infection.  Boo. Hiss.

So.  2012 has been plagued by illness thus far, but who wants to hear about snot and phlegm??  Not me.  I’ve had my fill.  Between the coughing and fevers and tears there have been some shining moments, too.  So let’s focus on those!  One new and exciting development in the family is THIS:

I spy with my little eye . . . something PINK and SPARKLY!

That’s right. We maimed our kid.  But all in the name of  culturally imposed gender norms. So it’s totally cool.  Seriously, though, Nola’s been talking about ear piercing for a while.  She’s also been talking about owning a unicorn, though, so Nola’s interest alone wasn’t the deciding factor.  We figured she’d likely get her ears pierced at some point, and if she decides she hates them later in life, she can just let ‘em close up – a la mama’s nose ring (hopefully Nola’s rebel phase is as short-lived as my own).  Anyway – there was some minor convincing involved when it was go time and I almost thought we’d call it quits once she sat up on the chair (I was prepared to offer ice cream to encourage Nola’s choice to go through with it, but I drew the line at anything that might result in PTSD).  But, much to my surprise and delight, Nola sat on the chair stoic and calm, and confidently declared, “I’m gonna be brave about the hurty part.” And brave she was, indeed! She didn’t even make a peep when they pierced through her tiny little lobes! I couldn’t believe it!  She was thrilled with the results and we’ve been playing “ear piercing store” almost non-stop for the past 2 weeks.

The other big news in the family is that Gussy is now helmet-free!!  Booya!  All in all the helmet turned out to be a pretty short-lived and totally bearable experience and Gussy’s once lopsided melon now seems to be growing right on track. If you care to follow the back story on the Gussydome you can find it here, here, and here.  This is one of Guster’s last pictures in his helmet, and while I think he looks all sorts of adorable, I am more than happy to have that blue contraption in the basement and my baby’s sweet, soft head resting on my chest!

The helmet came off Tuesday and by Wednesday morning, Gus decided he simply couldn’t live without another piece of durable medical equipment.  One trip to the Children’s ER*, one chest xray, two breathing treatments, and one pneumonia diagnosis later, and Gus got his wish. A shiny new nebulizer** to fill the void left by his helmet.

*Riverside has a separate ER for kids and, as someone who once waited in an ER with a bloody toddler while several seemingly FINE and decidedly NOT bloody adults were called ahead of us, I am totally on board with the kids-only emergency  department.

**Fact: An infant using a nebulizer is a pitiful sight.  Fact:  As pitiful as my kiddo was, he is a healthy kid who is strong enough to weather this illness while so many other children are not.  We are so blessed to have such a healthy family and I feel really lucky that our medical misadventures so far have been relatively minor.

All this illness around the house has meant SEVERAL days off of work for me. And a lot of things have piled up. So. I’m signing off for now and heading into work. Yes – ON A SATURDAY. Put that in your government workers are lazy pipe and smoke it

Here’s to a healthier week ahead.

All weekend long we ate and drank and made merry. We opened gifts, frosted treats, and hugged each other again and again.  We caroled and jingled, and, yes, even prayed (Nola’s got a big crush on Baby Jesus . . . awkward!).  And through the course of it all we made some lovely memories that bring a smile to my face just thinking about them.

We also made some less than lovely memories.  And captured them on film.

So while I could regale you with a mushy gushy retelling of the magic this Christmas held for us as a family (and it did), I’ll humor you instead with a peek into the mayhem that accompanied that magic.  I give you, the Island of Misfit Memories:

What family doesn’t want to capture that special shot in front of the Christmas tree? Too bad Nola was totally OVER IT and Gussy was only semi-conscious as a result of all the baby Tylenol  I was giving him for his fever.

We decided to just go with it and play to our strengths.

Nothing compares to the joy on your little one’s face as she opens that first gift of the morning.  Unless, of course, she opens the wrong gift by mistake . 3- way in a box? That’s actually Daddy’s present, honey.

By the evening of Christmas Day, Gussy’s fever had finally broken and he was feeling happy again.  What a great chance to get a mama/baby snap with him all decked out in his holiday duds . . . complete with not one, not two, but THREE visible injuries to the face – all of which were acquired in about a three hour span.

Even the misfits have their place and my goofy, crazy family never ceases to crack me up and keep me pushing through each and every day (even when I want to turn out the light and stay sleeping!).  Here’s hoping you and yours had a happy holiday!

**Okay, okay – we captured some lovely memories on film, too.  You can find them here. 

I put my sewing machine away for a bit after Gus was born.  I simply had no time or energy to create even the simplest projects.  And some of the more complex projects I undertook (aka – the blouse that still only has one sleeve) found themselves in a rumpled heap in the corner of the closet.  I’d love to have plenty of time to sit down and sew leisurely.  But I don’t. I’ve also learned that trying to cram a project that requires some concentration into a single naptime usually yields a crummy finished piece and disappointment on my end.

So – I decided that if I can only sew an hour at a time once a month or less, I’d make the best of it and choose quick and simple projects.  Here are two from the last couple months.

Anna Maria Horner’s Infinity Scarf

A project so quick and easy you will doubt you are actually making something worth making. It’s essentially a two sided loop, people. But it turns out super cool. Swearsies.  The original tutorial is here, but I used the modifications suggested in this one.  I used a cotton voile, one of the suggested fabrics, and while I really like the print, it kind of sticks together giving it a more structured and less flowy form.  I’d suggest a velveteen or something with a bit of satiny feel to it.  Nonetheless, I like it. And I like that it doesn’t have any pesky tassels for Gussy to pull and chew on!  So -without further ado, the finished product.

I always feel like a goon taking pictures of myself so I decided to just look like a goon, too. Besides, you’re supposed to be lookin’ at the scarf!

Simple Simon Winter Bonnet

The next project I found was this adorable little winter bonnet.  This, too, is easy peasy and will take you all of 20 minutes (if you’re an average seamstress – it took me about 45!).  The minute I saw this pattern I knew I wanted to use the remnants of a gorgeous orange velvet I had somewhere in the closet.  One totally destroyed closet interior later, and I found the prized fabric and whipped up this little confection for the Bear.  I also used an old granny square and some lace to spruce up the bonnet.  I think it is darling on her and I love how it tops off her favorite zebra coat!

Like mother, like daughter.

I’m hoping to have some time to sew in the new year ahead. We shall see.  In the meantime, I need to whip up at least one last minute project for a baby boy who is STILL without a stocking a mere 4 days from Christmas. YIKES!

 Nola staking claim on one of the three beds while Gussy searches for the mini-bar.

“Um, hi.  I think we have the wrong room. We have a fireplace, a giant flat screen TV, a fancy soaker tub, and plenty of space for my parents to put us to bed in one room and have their own separate space.  There’s clearly some sort of mistake.”

It really IS our room! HOORAY!!!

After reveling in the awesomeness of our room we headed to the waterpark.  WHOA.  That park is pretty incredible.  It wasn’t exactly the most convenient place to take pictures, so you’ll have to take my word for it.  There were plenty of slides for Nola to enjoy and great little swings and fountains for Gus to play in, too.  Nola was so brave!  She tackled slides meant for the bigger kids and had an absolute blast.

Gussy in the “coconut tree”

Who’s probably not old enough to go down these slides by herself but has the height and chutzpah of a big kid so the lifeguards let her go down anyway?  This girl!

The weekend was a great success and was a fun little mini-getaway for our family.  I would highly recommend the park for a family trip! Even a big one – we ran into my high school friends, Jill and Brett, who were there with their whole family for a Christmas celebration weekend!  A great idea that we might steal in the future.

Now we’re scrambling to prepare for Gussy’s first Christmas and the first time Nola Bear really seems to understand what’s going on.  Having little ones during this time of year really does remind me of how magical Christmastime seemed as a kid.  I love seeing how excited Nola gets about Santa and Christmas lights.  I also love that reminding her Santa is watching seems to be an effective, if not temporary, method of behavior modification