Overwhelmed...in a Good Way

Lovelies,

My greatest apologies for being without posts.  The past few weeks have been full.  Can you believe that this Mama actually believed that having three Babes wouldn't be that time consuming?  My days are spent fully enveloped by the happenings of the Mess and I love it.  Although challenging at times (what with the emerging selves, miscommunications among Babes and ensuring well-being through learning, nurturing and food), I am adoring this time.  The Littlest of Babes is growing, it seems, by the minute.

Since three weeks of age she has been smiling.  She sticks out her tongue, twinkles her toes, squints her eyes and puts her whole body into it.  She is pleasant with everyone and anyone, when awake.  Her stories are always so indepth and animated and usually directed at her Mama.  This past week she has discovered her hands and that she can, in fact, control them.  Contrast, Christmas Tree lights and danglies are a huge hit.  I had planned to do weekly updates of the Babe and once again have been consumed, but I plan to do more of that, so stay tuned.

As for things around here, we have been full force holidays.  The last weekend we headed to Almonte to visit Cedar Hill Farms.  They specialize in Christmas Trees.  It is such a pleasant experience.  Hay stacks with slides, a timber frame cabin heated by a stone fireplace, vegetarian chili, COFFEE!!!, winding roads, icy streams, wagon rides and horses.  It was simply magical!  The evening was spent decorating with decorations of Christmas past.

We have established, being together 7 years now and with the children for 5, traditions that we hope to carry on and hopefully our Babes will as well:

• picking our Christmas tree out usually the first snowfall in December or at least there must be snow on the ground
• letter writing to Santa Claus
• making our own stockings 
• cutting a piece of the trunk of our tree and turning it into a decoration to remember each year
• listening to Christmas music as we decorate the tree together

What are some of your traditions?  Please let me know.  As the season continues we plan on baking, wrapping, decorating and just embracing this magical time of year, which for us isn't religious but we do love the religious experience and recognize the importance of the holidays for our friends who celebrate.