You know you have toddlers in the house...

1. When there is a brightly colored bandaid stuck to the wall in the hallway for no apparent reason.

2. When you debate with yourself for three weeks about whether you should throw away a decrepit, torn and re-taped repeatedly paper snowman, for fear of the explanation that will be required should someone suddenly remember how much they loved it and wonder where it is.

3. When you feel like a rock star because you managed to put on earrings one morning.

4. When you burst in to tears because all you want to do is make your own bed, like a normal grown-up, and you failed at the last three attempts.

5. When you open a dinosaur backpack and find your missing can opener.

6. When your primary set of car/house/etc. keys go missing for more than 2 months, and you're sure you left them somewhere public and they're gone for good until the not-yet-two year old starts playing in your nightstand drawers and deposits them on the rug outside the bathroom.  [That one, let me tell you, made my week! I tried to let it go but it bugged the heck out of me thinking that my keys could be anywhere in anyone's hands.]


They look so innocent,

but...

they're not:

 (At least, not always.  I love these little people like crazy!)

And then there were three (or more accurately 5)!!

I'll start the New Year with our news... there is another little birdie on the way!! We are very excited.  This one is due to arrive right around Pascha, so I'm anticipating that it will be quite an interesting Holy Week (and Bright Week) in this here household!

And, to get me going on the new year of blogging, I'll start by joining in on another Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real with some fun from our December and Christmas joys.

{Pretty}

Excited children finding out what St. Nicholas left in their shoes.

Also, the two handsomest men ever.

{Happy}

Finally getting our Christmas tree.  We made those poor little birds wait days and days!!  I think it just added to the thrill of it all.

And finally decorating said tree!  This was definitely joy.  Note that 80% of the ornaments ended up at toddler height in the center front of the tree.  I didn't have to redistribute right away though, since most of them were removed to be "looked at" by the next day.  I just rounded them up and hung them in more even locations later.

Happy is also a refrigerator box house in the play area.  Oh, the fun that was had.

And happy is most definitely arriving at Uncle Gabe's for Christmas and finding out he has a REAL hard hat to wear while doing big work.

{Funny}

Funny is... this girl.  She cracks me up.  

{Real}

Cousins.

My brother surprised us be showing up on Christmas Eve, we thought he was still in Afghanistan for a few more weeks.  Here he is finally meeting his new nephew, the Wood Duckling.

Putting out cookies for Santa Claus.

 And Santa's work, after the littles were in bed.

Making Christmas breakfast with my siblings.

And the joy of new fireman helmets, penguins and baby doll strollers. Those joys have not ended.  I hope yours haven't either.  Happy Twelfth Day of Christmas!