"Merry Miss-us"

Julia is crazy about anything to do with Christmas, or "Miss-us." She can sing nearly every word of "Jingle Bells" as well as many other songs. She can't stop talking about how Santa is going to bring her toys. When I asked her where Santa lives she thought for a few seconds then said, "to town!" (knowledge drawn from another favorite "Santa Claus is Coming to Town")

She also loves the snow. Last week she and Jonny were out there enjoying the fresh powder three evenings in a row. Thanks to our fenced-in backyard, I let her play out there all morning one day. I had to bribe her with hot chocolate to get her and her red nose inside.

Anyway, I thought it might be fun to share some Christmas words and phrases Julia-style. We love how she talks. See if you can translate these. I'll try my best to spell them as she says them. The answers are in red below the pictures.

1. "Sat-a"
2. "Roo-sauce"
3. "Ties!"
4. "Ding Boughs" (mentioned in a previous post)
5. "Tan-Bom, lees are so un-cheen-een."
6. "Bossy Snow-mine"
7. "Oh-wha-fun-is-to-rie" (said really fast, like one word)
8. "Caa-cane"
9. "Peasants una chee!?"
10. "Sockings"
11. "Baby Jee-iss"
12. "Mama Me-ee"
13. "Daddy Joe-zis"

And a bonus, non-Christmas phrase that she has picked up from me lately: "Okay, choke-chokey." I laugh every time she says it.


1. "Sat-a"= Santa
2. "Roo-sauce"= Rudolph
3. "Ties!"= toys
4. "Ding Boughs"= Jingle Bells
5. "Tan-Bom, lees are so un-cheen-een."= Oh Tannenbaum, Oh Tannenbaum, your leaves are so unchanging.
6. "Bossy Snow-mine"= Frosty the Snowman
7. "Oh-wha-fun-is-to-rie" = Oh what fun it is to ride...
8. "Caa-cane"= candy cane
9. "Peasants una chee!?"= presents under the tree
10. "Sockings"= stockings
11. "Baby Jee-iss"= Baby Jesus
12. "Mama Me-ee"= Mama Mary
13. "Daddy Joe-zis"= Daddy Joseph
Bonus: "Okay, choke-chokey"= Okey dokey, artichokey

He may not be able to crawl yet...

...but Gabe can get most anywhere he wants by rolling - even to the shiny ornaments on the other side of the room. I caught him in the act as Julia was saying, "No, Day! Don't touch!"

"Shake, shake your grumps away.."

The title of this post refers to a little song from a recent Super Why episode. Julia has been singing it all week. I thought it fit the following pictures well.

Here Julia is after impatiently waiting for her hole-in-the-bread. When I sing the song from the TV show to a grumpy Julia, she says, "NO shake my grumps away, Mom!"


The other night we found Gabe uncharacteristically lying still and looking quite grumpy.

Julia decided she'd help him "shake his grumps away" by blowing on his tummy. Sister knows best - it worked.
These next two aren't grumpy pictures, but some blank expressions that we caught this week. Julia had just eaten a single yellow peanut M&M. (This is why we don't give her chocolate or messy candy very often!) The next one is a runny-nosed Gabe staring at us from his highchair in the kitchen. He sat like this for several minutes.

All I DON'T want for Christmas...

... is Gabe's two front teeth. But that is exactly what I am getting. Early. Thanks a lot, Santa.


P.S. Gabe is seven months old today. His teeth tally will soon be four. And from the looks of things it'll be six not long after that. Wish me luck, fellow nursing mothers!

"Ding Boughs"

Or, "Jingle Bells," for those who aren't familiar with Julia's lingering baby-talk. We just put her to bed with that song as her lullaby for the 17th or 18th night in a row. What is it with kids and that song? She sings it all day and requests it every night.

I wonder if we'll be singing it into the spring and summer...

We are out of eggnog...again

I guess we really like eggnog around here. I just put it on the grocery list for the third time this season. We like to get the light variety, which is a little less rich. Then we usually dilute it with milk and add a little cinnamon and nutmeg. (Then "stir, stir, stir...test!" That one's for you, Lili, Drew, and Em.) Jonny thinks it's crazy, but in my family we also like to mix it with some fizzy sprite. (It is about the only time I drink carbonation all year. If you haven't tried it, you really should.)

But it doesn't stop there. Jonny made french toast with the stuff and I just added half a carton to a pot of rice pudding. And I have a feeling that tomorrow I will be craving an eggnog shake. Any other ideas?

three strikes...

...and live Christmas trees are out for us. Let me explain.

I love having a real tree in our home. Everything about it is festive and fun. I love picking it out, I love bringing it home, I love the sound of Jonny sawing off low branches, I love hanging garlands and ornaments, I love the way it makes my home smell - and I don't even mind watering it and vacuuming up the fallen needles.

But the last two years we have not been able to keep our tree alive for more than a few days. (In contrast, however, our first two Christmas trees as a married couple lasted well into January. One even sprouted new boughs and a pine cone!) Anyway, we decided we would try our very best to keep this one fresh and perky. Right now, this means watering it every few hours! But we'll do what it takes and give this live tree thing one last try. I really hope it works out. Wish us luck.

Okay, okay...

This time we really are making our blog private. Blah, I know. But that is that. So if you'd like to be on the list, please email me (melody19'at'gmail.com) or leave your email address in a comment. Thanks.